I wanted to share with you a post that I originally wrote for my website KelliBrink.com, because I know a lot of you out there are interested in starting a blog, too, but haven’t taken the leap yet. Hopefully this post will inspire you to join the millions of other bloggers across the globe!
We all dream of working from home, where we can be our own boss. As a blogger, it’s possible!
Now that I’m officially in year 3 of my blogging career, I’m really beginning to feel confident in my skills, my knowledge, and I can honestly say that I will probably never work for a traditional employer again. Blogging is for me!!
While it started as a hobby, a fun outlet for me after becoming a stay-at-home mom, it has blossomed into a career…one with more potential than I even thought was possible!
Here are 5 reasons why blogging is the perfect home-based business!
Whether it’s an office party or a neighborhood get-together, you can find the ugliest ugly Christmas sweater at the Food, Wine & Poppy Diapers Ugly Christmas Sweater Store!
Each vintage Ugly Christmas Sweater has been carefully, personally selected by Kelli!
Check out the store today for all your ugly sweater needs! 🙂
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Store at Food, Wine & Poopy DiapersItem #105 $29.99 Visit the store for more!Item #102 $29.99 Visit the store for more!
Feature Your products on the Holiday Gift Guide at Food, Wine & Poopy Diapers
Hey, you…
…Cool, trendy, funny t-shirt company!…
…Or you over there, small-scale Etsy seller of delicious brownies!…
…And YOU – big toy manufacturer of things that make kids giggle!…
…And especially you…maker of that awesome Malbec wine!…
The Food, Wine & Poopy Diapers Holiday Gift Guide Starts December 1st!
There’s still time for ALL OF YOU to feature your products on the best holiday gift guide EVER!
Whether you have gifts for wine lovers, home cooks, toddlers, moms, teens, outdoorsmen/women, yoga enthusiasts, or ANYONE who likes Christmas presents…there’s a spot left for you on the
Food, Wine & Poopy Diapers Holiday Gift Guide!
By featuring your products on the FWPD Gift Guide, you’ll reach a new audience of over 60,000 shoppers per month, and you don’t want to miss out on that!
The Gift Guide starts December 1st! Interested? CONTACT ME for more information!
With the holidays fast approaching, what better way to save money than to ditch the gym membership and create your own, frugal, at-home workout space?! It’s a great way save up for Christmas gift-giving without neglecting your health. I’m excited to have contributing writer, Josh Anderson (M.S., Personal Trainer) from Always Active Athletics, join us today to share some great tips on how to create a money-saving at-home gym!
Let’s Save: Your Inexpensive At-Home Gym
What’s your go-to excuse for ditching the gym? If you are like the majority of us, it’s that you simply don’t have time! I totally get this – we live very hectic, always on-the-go lives. Coming in at a close second on the list of “most used excuses for skipping the gym” is that people don’t want to spend their cash on a membership. I don’t blame you – some of these memberships can easily be over $50 per month and that’s a very conservative estimate. On top of that if you were to hire a trainer (like me) you will add $40+ per hour! Yeah…bye bye paycheck!
What if there was way to help save you time without spending a huge amount of money on a ton of exercise equipment? That sounds like an efficient more frugal way, right? Why not set up a cheap, yet effective, at-home gym? Let’s do it – here’s how:
The Frugal At-Home Gym:
Let’s face it, when on a budget you aren’t going to be able to afford a huge squat rack with hundreds of pounds of weights. Anyways, that much equipment requires its own room and if you are like me, your living space is at a premium (to non-existent). But trust me you don’t need all that fancy, expensive equipment to really get a great workout! It’s more about how effectively you use what you have!
Exercise Mat
An exercise mat is a must. While you can exercise on your bare floor there is something psychologically motivating about using an exercise mat. It gets you in the mindset that says, “It’s time to get my sweat on.” An exercise mat is helpful because it can be used for a number of exercises from pushups to crunches to a number of floor or kneeling exercises! It keeps you from getting dirty (that reminds me I need to vacuum), provides cushioning and can prevent floor burns. The best part is that you can easily find an exercise mat for under $12.
Frugal At-Home Tip: No extra cash but still want an exercise mat? Try a beach towel. While not as comfy, it’s still effective.
Dumbbells
I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m all about strength training. It can do so many amazing things for you especially when performed at a high-intensity including improving your strength, blasting calories, improving your heart health…etc. For your frugal gym all you need is two 5 pound dumbbells – that’s it. You can get a killer workout with just that! It’s all about pushing yourself to the limit! Check out your local sporting goods store – you can get a pair for under $14 and even cheaper if you buy used.
Frugal At-Home Tip: Ready to exercise but don’t have dumbbells? Grab two cans of food or even bottles of detergent. These can temporarily act as dumbbells – just make sure they are the same weight!
Your Workout
Everyone thinks they need an incredibly complicated workout because that seems to be what you always see on the infomercials and things such as P90X, but that might not necessarily be true. While you can cough up the dough to purchase a massive DVD set, you can also create your own workout!
From YouTube to our Exercise Archives, you can find tons of free content on the internet that will enable you to get results at home or on-the-go! One good option is to find 6-8 exercises that you can perform that in total work your whole body. Then perform these exercises for 3 sets each as a timed exercise of 30 seconds. Perform as many reps as you can (with proper form) with little to no rest! This will set you up for a high-intensity, effective, quick workout!
[Note: Make sure you are cleared by your physician before beginning ANY exercise program!]
Wrap-Up
Fitness doesn’t have to be incredibly hard, confusing or expensive. For under $26 you can set yourself up with the tools you need to create a highly effective at-home gym. Sorry, but “no time and expense” can no longer be your go-to excuses that hold you back from taking control of your health. Grab the tools you need, implement a highly effective program and start improving your health today!
Â
Josh Anderson, MS, Personal Trainer, Owner of Always Active Athletics
Josh (M.S., Personal Trainer) is the founder and editor of DIY Active: “Fit.Food.Life.” He strives to combine the latest science with fitness to help everyone exercise smarter from the comforts of their own homes!
In honor of Halloween week, I wanted to share with you some awesome FREE printables I created that you can use to make your home a little more festive!
It’s just my way of saying THANK YOU for stopping by and visiting my blog!
Print off these fun printables & add them to a frame for a quick and easy decoration!
You can print them, add them to a frame, and place on a coffee table in a vignette for some added cuteness. Directions:Click on the PDF links and hit print. This will print on a full-sized piece of printer paper.
Please note that these are for your own personal use only, and the resale of my original content is not allowed…thanks! 🙂
Hope you enjoy! Looking for a whole month of easy and frugal recipes with meal plans and shopping lists? Check out my latest eBook HERE!
Here’s a super simple -(AND FRUGAL!)- table centerpiece made from Dollar Tree supplies. For just a few dollars, your Fall & Thanksgiving table will be looking fabulous!
Here’s what I used…(all from Dollar Tree)
Fall print paper napkins
3 glass pillar candles
Faux flowers/foliage
Ribbon
Ceramic pumpkins
I lined the middle of my table with the pretty Fall napkins, making sort of a table runner.
Next, I tied burlap ribbon and raffia around my pillar candles.
Then, I hot glued some faux Fall foliage onto the ribbon.
Finally, I placed my candles and pumpkins in a row down the center of the table.
And there you have it! A super pretty, simple, fast, and frugal table centerpiece made from Dollar Tree supplies!
Simple Fall centerpiece made from Dollar Tree items.
12 Fall Front Porch DIY Ideas by Food, Wine & Poopy Diapers
Fall is here, and there’s nothing I love more than decorating when the season hits! For me, this is the OFFICIAL START of the holiday season. From September first all the way through New Years, I’m ALL ABOUT the home decor.
Things are looking pretty cute around my neighborhood, and I’d like to share some great front porch ideas from myself, my friends, and neighbors!
12 Fall Front Porch DIY Ideas by Food, Wine & Poopy Diapers
1. Country Front Porch.
My front porch this year is a little slice of the farm right here in town. I’ve placed an assortment of heirloom pumpkins that I got at a farmer’s market road side stand on the steps. I wrapped our front pillar in corn stalks from Flowerama for $9.99.
My Front Porch: Country Charm With Corn Stalks, Heirloom Pumpkins, and Mums
2. My Fall Front Porch, full view.
Here’s the full view of my Fall front porch. I found really well-priced and beautiful mums at Earl May Garden Center, and I placed them in some old metal buckets I found out on Grandma & Grandpa’s farm. The hay bails are from Flowerama, $9.99.
My Country Fall Front Porch.
3. Chalk It Up To Fall.
I love keeping this giant chalk board on the front porch and decorating it for whatever holidays, events, and parties we’ve got going on. This one came from Gordman’s last year, for CHEAP (I stacked coupons plus used my Gordman’s Rewards)!
It’s Fall Ya’ll…my front porch chalk board says so!
4. The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch.
Adam is sitting on the front porch all ready for preschool picture day. See the big brick that says, “Welcome”? It was a cute Goodwill find from my mom. It weighs about 500 pounds, by the way.
My Fall Front Porch, Plus One Cute Little Punkin
5. Mums in a Bucket.
More pretty mums from Earl May. I love this big old, rustic galvanized metal bucket that I found in my in-law’s barn. I’ve had a few really successful pickin’ expeditions in that barn! Lots of old rusty treasures. The hay bail is from Earl May.
A bail of hay is the perfect resting spot for a bucket of mums.
6. Pumpkins-O-Plenty.
I’m just a little obsessed with mossy, gnarly, vintage-looking heirloom pumpkins. This is the first year that I’ve splurged on buying these rather than the classic round style pumpkins, and I’m loving them! The only drawback I’m seeing is that they’re very dense and heavy…I don’t think they’re good for carving. So stick with the classics if you plan to carve them.
I just love the rustic charm of heirloom pumpkins!Not your average pumpkin…White heirloom pumpkins straight from the farm.
7. Goodwill’s Got It.
If you’re looking for a little accent for your front porch…whether it’s a wreath, a Fall flower pot, or this fun pillow… take a stroll through your local Goodwill store and you’ll find the perfect finishing touches. I wasn’t looking for anything at all and I wasn’t even in the Halloween section when this pillow found me. But, I just had to take it home to rest on the wicker chair out front. I like buying pillows for outdoor use at Goodwill, where they’re $1.88, so they can be exposed to the elements and I don’t worry if I have to throw them away at the end of the season.
Hit up Goodwill for some frugal Halloween finds!
8. DIY Country Window.
The blank wall on the front porch needed a little something…and a little something CHEAP is even better. This was a salvaged window from an old barn. The glass was cracked, so I removed all the remaining glass with a hammer and replaced it with chicken wire that I bought at Theisen’s Farm Store. One small, inexpensive roll of chicken wire has lasted me through half a dozen DIY projects. I just love chicken wire! I fastened it with my heavy duty electric stapler. Then I just used twine to fasten this cute little metal pumpkin picture to it that I got at Goodwill for $.88. Cute right? And so simple.
A little DIY project for the front porch!
9. Sweet & Simple Front Porch.
My neighbors have the right idea with their clean and classy Fall front porch. A nice display of various sizes and colors of pumpkins and mums create a welcoming entrance.
Sweet & Simple Front Porch Decor.
10. Country in the City.
My friend Ange has an eye for design. Her farmtique chic front porch blends rustic wood accents with vintage metal buckets, Fall mums, and cornstalks. I can’t get enough of her country-inspired decor! So pretty.
A little bit of country in the city… Love my neighbor, Ange’s, rustic Fall front porch!
11. Pumpkins & Clean Lines.
My friend Lily’s front porch is simple and elegant, with a modern feel. Her straight lines, modern prints, and black accents create a trendy Fall look.
Modern, clean lines on my friend Lily’s Fall front porch.
12. Modern Mums.
Lily adds Fall mums to a large, modern black vase for a beautiful seasonal accent. I love how she’s blended varying heights of green and Fall foliage together for an eclectic look.
My friend Lily mixes Summer foliage with Fall mums in her modern Fall outdoor decor.
I hope these ideas have inspired you to spruce up your front porch! Happy Fall!!
Bosses Day is Friday, October 16, 2015 and you DO NOT want to show up to work empty-handed that day! Whether it’s a large gift that you all chip in for, or something simple straight from the heart, show your boss that they’re the best with these no-fail gifts!
1. Aunty Acid’s Office Manual.
We all need a good laugh in the office, right? This book fits the bill. With 128 pages of funny illustrations and one-liners, this knee slapper of a gift will put a smile on your boss’s face.
Aunty Acid’s Office Manual
2. “Bestest Boss Evah” mug.
If you’re looking for a cute and simple way to tell your boss you adore them, then this mug spells it out perfectly. Fill it with Salted Carmel Chocolates for even more brownie points.
Show your boss that she’s the bestest…EVAH.
3. A Spa Day.
A massage in a soothing spa retreat is the perfect way to melt away the stress of work. She’s sure to love you and give you a big raise.
Photo: Anna Demianenko via Unsplash
4. Booze.
Your boss deals with a lot of stressful things…keeping employees happy and productive, being a peacemaker, while still pleasing the higher-ups. Help him unwind after a long day with a gift basket of Scotch. Or if she’s a wine drinker, she’ll be thrilled when she sees this trio of reds on her desk.
 5. Calendars.
Everyone needs a calendar, especially busy people like your boss. Whether it’s a nice appointment book they can keep tucked away in a bag, a wall calendar full of cats, or a desk calendar with a daily joke, this is a gift they’ll really use.
6. Fruit Basket.
Edible gifts are by far the best, because they always get consumed and enjoyed. This basket, below, has apples, pears, and oranges, all wrapped up in a pretty package.
7. Tickets.
Does your boss love a good show, but hates to spend the money? Or maybe football is his weakness. Maybe she just wants to go see Josh Groban live in concert for the 7th time. Whatever it is, then chip in with the rest of the crew on an out-of-office experience your boss will love!
9. Take Your Boss to Lunch.
There’s nothing quite like spending one-on-one time with someone to show you care…plus you’re giving them food. It’s a win-win.
Photo: Brandon Morgan via Unsplash
10. A basket of pampering.
Add a cozy blanket, a great-smelling candle, a good mystery novel, or some decorating magazines, and you’re sure to have a gift that will help your boss escape the craziness of work.
I have received a free copy of Aunty Acid’s Office Manual for review purposes, but have not been paid for this blog post and thoughts here are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which may earn me a few cents if clicked, paid by the advertiser, at no cost to you. Thanks for your support.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve definitely seen by now that I am obsessed with putting my kids in cute, matching outfits (at affordable prices)! Well, I just took the whole matching outfit thing one step further by finding personalized gear for the WHOLE family, at Zazzle!
Zazzle is a marketplace where you can custom design nearly anything including watches, notebooks, lunchboxes, iPhone cases and more… SO much more. Party supplies, personalized holiday postage, business cards… OK, somebody stop me, because I could go on & on. I’m in love. They have an entire Halloween department, with hundreds of pre-designed items ready to go. They are a great solution for people looking for a festive Halloween outfit without going all out in a head-to-toe costume. Great for teachers, retail salespeople, offices, teenagers, moms, dads, and entire families!
They LOVE their Zazzle tees! Can you even stand how cute they are?! I may be a little biased.
Their website literally has THOUSANDS of items to choose from, including some pretty amazing home decor, and personalized baby items (like these to-die-for pillows). I had a tough time choosing what to buy, but ultimately went with adorable matching pumpkin shirts for all of us. They arrived incredibly fast, which was an added bonus!
Cute personalized pillows from Zazzle!
The kids are sporting orange Jack-O-Lantern Face tees that you can easily pair with long sleeves underneath as the weather gets colder. Adam is going to look adorable in this shirt at pre-school next week on “Pumpkin Day.” This t-shirt could also be a costume in itself, paired with black pants, face paint, and a big pumpkin bucket. I was psyched that Zazzle had a GREAT coupon code that scored me this adorable top for just $15.36! Like it? You can buy it here! Chris and I are wearing high-quality matching black Jack-O-Lantern Face shirts that can be personalized, and cost us under $24 with that same great coupon code. You can buy his shirt here and my shirt here.
Look how cute we are in our matching Halloween tees from Zazzle!
Zazzle has tons of cute, lovely, and even funny merchandise. I HAD to include this great t-shirt, which says, “The Walking Dad,” because I’m a huge Walking Dead fan! Be sure to visit their website before your next event, and all through the holiday season!
The Walking Dad tee
I think our little family photo session turned out pretty cute! Just so you know, it’s not all smiles and sunshine in the Brink casa, and I’ll leave you with some funny outtake photos that perfectly represent the chaos that is our home on a daily basis! 🙂 Enjoy!
Chaos ensues when the camera comes out! #RealLife
I received free merchandise from Zazzle for review purposes, but have not been paid for this blog post and thoughts here are my own.
