Search Results for: blog no such thing as a free lunch

IHOP is Giving Away Free Pancakes – For a Good Cause

Every year, IHOP celebrates National Pancake Day by giving away a short stack of pancakes, for free, to everyone who comes to their restaurants. They ask that you leave a donation for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This year, Free Pancake Day is on February 28, 2012. IHOP is an abbreviation for International House of Pancakes. The restaurant serves more than just pancakes, but it is their pancakes that made them famous. In addition to several varieties of pancakes, IHOP has other breakfast items on their menu. They also have selections that are more appropriate for lunch or dinner, if that … Continue reading →

Doll-less and Drama-Free

Her taste in music may drive me to the edge and I’m not too fond of her selective hearing, but good gracious, am I grateful that my daughter is not a fan of American Girl dolls. Don’t get me wrong; I think the company does an amazing job incorporating historical context into the dolls’ design. However, they also do an equally phenomenal job of sucking you dry in order to fund your kid’s doll fix. American Girl dolls are not cheap. And by not cheap, I mean bucks big enough that it forces you to decide whether to pay the … Continue reading →

How to Find Free Movie Screenings

Would you like to take in a brand new movie for free, one that hasn’t even come out yet? Get on the list! Movie companies like to have select audiences preview a movie before it is released to the general public. This helps them figure out things about the movie, such as how to market it, which music to use as a theme, even whether or not they should change the ending. The feedback that they get is invaluable, even when most of the time, the movie a preview audience sees is exactly the same one that gets released weeks … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Living Like No One Else

One of the things that we heard over and over again taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom course was that we needed to “Live like no one else so we could live like no one else.” In fact, I think this was the slogan for the course. What this means is that we have to be prepared to not only live frugally, but to make sacrifices in many areas and manage our money well, things that most of us, as Americans don’t tend to do. By sacrificing now, we could then live without debt later and be in a position … Continue reading →

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

It’s been a year of firsts for my first grader: First time attending all-day school, first time riding a school bus and the first time eating lunch in the cafeteria. Granted, I pack her lunch the majority of the time, but there have been days when she’s opted for the school’s hot lunch. So far she has only done so on the days that feature pepperoni pizza or chicken nuggets, but, hey, it’s a start, and given that it frees me from wracking my brain at 11 at night trying to figure out what to pack in her lunch bag, … Continue reading →

Forced to Pay for School Lunches

A new trend seems to be emerging. Some schools are now banning lunches made at home and are requiring kids to buy lunch at the school. The reasoning behind the decision is stated as a need for kids to eat healthier lunches, but is it just a ploy to get you to spend? First, let us tackle the financial aspect of it. I really don’t think that this is not, yes, not, a new revenue stream for most schools. School lunches are subsidized by the government, event the ones that parents pay for. A standard lunch usually costs a student … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking for the Lunch Box

Yesterday, I shared some general ideas for saving money on school lunches. To take it to the next step, let’s talk about preparing lunches ahead of time and freezing them. Not only will this make preparing school lunches so convenient, but it will also make them even cheaper. You can use items that are on sale or inexpensive and take advantage of low prices. Plus, you can create these lunches from scratch, making the cost per lunch go way down. Here are some of my favorite freezer cooking ideas for the school (or work) lunch box. Homemade hot pockets These … Continue reading →

Things Frugal People Should Know Before Eating Out

Even frugal people like to eat out from time to time. As much fun as creating inexpensive meals can be, a change of scenery is often refreshing. As any frugal person knows, you can always split a meal, skip the drink, and order water to lessen your restaurant meal. These are frugal basics for restaurant eating. Still, there are a few more ways to cut the bill. Ask about the special to save money when eating out. The special is usually created from foods that are in abundance at a low price. To entice the customers to eat the meal … Continue reading →

Meals to Make When You Have No Money for Groceries

Do you need to feed your family this week but have nothing to buy groceries with? What can you do? You might be tempted to use that credit card for food, but that can put your finances in even more danger. If you just need to get through the week, try some of the following tips. You can also use these tips to save the $100-$200 you might normally spend on food and apply that money elsewhere, such as to pay down debt or put toward a needed purchase. First, take an inventory of your items. You might be surprised … Continue reading →

Is It Cost Effective to Bring a School Lunch?

When planning out whether our eldest child will buy lunch or bring lunch to school, the cost involved is one factor. Last year, he brought lunch most of the time, and was allowed to buy a lunch for a special treat or as a reward for good behavior. With the cost of groceries increasing, I have been wondering if it still cost affective to have homemade lunches. I like the idea of packing a lunch, for a few different reasons. The first is that since my child is still young, I can have a bit more control over what he … Continue reading →