Pros and Cons of Stickers!

    Kids love stickers. Mine certainly do, anyway. I know I did! The poor walls and furniture in my childhood bedroom were covered smartly decorated in all sorts of colorful, sticky-backed shapes and characters. My Mama loved our creativity. haha! Really, you can do so much with them. They are simple and cheap. Think about it. Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons:

Sticker Pros

• Awesome
• Pretty
• Benefit Fine Motor Skills
• Available in a plethora of colors, shapes, characters, and things
• Cheaper than dirt
• Easy to use
• Super fun

Sticker Cons

• Sticky
• Sometimes difficult to remove
• May rip easily and break your kid's heart
• Possibly terrible for the environment
• Inedible

 All this basically means that stickers are a win. Here's a bunch of ideas for having fun with them:

- Potty Chart (Easy peasy: Write their name on a plain sheet of paper and put it up on the fridge where they can see it with a few magnets. Let them pick and place a sticker for every successful potty trip. Just explain how it works!)

-  Practicing Counting  or "Tracing" letters

  
- Practicing making lines from left to right

- Make pretty things to send to friends in the mail

- Decorate the plastic wipe box

- Decorate your face OR your baby sibling's face

- Decorate ugly-ish furniture

- Just fill up a blank book or page for the fun of it! (Keeps the littlest ones occupied for a while)


For more craft ideas from other awesome sites check out pinterest.

By the way, I almost always take a peak at the dollar section at the front of Target. That's where I found these little LeapFrog activity books AND a booklet of 405 stickers for $1 each!

What do you (err . . . and your kids too, I guess) like to do with stickers?

Love Reading: Find Reading Resources on a Budget

   All right, I said I would do these three posts. I'm gonna do it! A lot of this post will be oriented around the local library. I know some people may be in rural areas or their closest library may be small, old, or underfunded. I'm assuming if you are reading this that you have internet access too. I'll do my best to cover all the bases on this topic because I think it's very important for everyone to have access to literature. There are so many free or very cheap resources out there! There is absolutely no need to spend a fortune at Barnes & Noble on new books.

For starters here is a list of awesome online resources:

• Scholastic has a wealth of free information for parents as well as free printable activities and coloring pages for kids of all ages. Go here for their information on age-based language and reading development. And click here for a number of book lists and reading challenge plans.
•  The International Children's Digital Library and We Give Books are free websites "stocked" with hundreds of books that you and your kids can read online.
• The Veggie Tales (I love them!) website has digital books with fantastic moral stories.
• There is an incredible assortment of free educational material on almost any topic you can imagine (Biology, Civics, Weather, etc) for PreK up to 12th grade on the PBS LearningMedia website.  There are videos, learning modules, and printable labs and worksheets.
• Crayola also has a ton of free printable pages. You can find anything from basic letters and numbers to Presidents of the United States. 
• Jump Start has several resources available for new readers. You'll find a lot of school curriculum possibilities here from spelling to public speaking. There are worksheets and short stories as well. 
• Go here on Read.gov to search for local book fairs and related events in your area. 
• World Book Online and Brittanica.com have kid's encyclopedias.  
• Don't forget to look through Amazon's Kindle eBooks, Barnes and Noble's Nook, and Apple's iBooks websites or apps for very cheap or free digital books.

 
     More than likely, your public library has a website. Google it or call them up and ask.  This is going to be your best bet for local resources, reading material you can borrow, and free or cheap programs for your kids. Even our modest library has an incredible selection of books, audio books, DVDs, and research media. Many libraries have story times and art activities for different age groups throughout the week. They may host summer reading contests for kids that anyone in the community can participate in. Here is another example of a sweet reading program at the Rogers Public Library (it involves a dog!). If you need help finding a library in your area go here.

    To find low priced books for your own collection go to Goodwill or other local thrift shops; spend one Saturday looking through yard sales; search Craigslist and your local Freecycle group or create an ad with specific requests; call the library or public schools or check the newspaper for information about local book fairs and festivals. Through these avenues you should be able to find lots of books for under one dollar.

   This Noob Mom's Tips:

     1.) I have found it really easy to do simple things like pointing out letters and sounding out words on signs (and the numbers, colors, shapes, etc) while we're out and about. It's not anything extra in that we don't have to make time for it. I don't have to buy anything. It really turns into quite the game. Now, Bitty Bug (3.5) will even point out signs and colors of things as we drive down the road. She's beginning to recognize familiar logos and signs. This is great since it makes those connections with the words and sounds!
 
     2.) Don't be afraid to read or explain things that are slightly beyond their capability. Adding words into your vocabulary within the context of things they all ready know can be an effortless way to help them learn. The more I think about approaching my kid's reading and writing as if they are learning a brand new language the simpler it seems. It can take a couple years for an adult studying avidly to become fluent in a second language depending on the language itself and the context of their learning. That perspective has helped think about this in a new way.


     In the end, the highest expenses you may have will be printer ink, any fees for a library membership, and possibly a few extra bucks in gas if you go to the library often or go in search for new books. Budget accordingly and you'll find it is very easy to access a lot of literature for nearly nothing!

    Don't forget to have fun reading with your littles. Reading is not only the key to escaping into whole new worlds but also to being capable of learning about almost anything we can imagine!
   
And for your convenience (and mine) here are the links to the first two posts of this little series:

Love Reading: Teaching Kids to Respect Literature

Love Reading: Printed Books vs. Electronic Books

     

Stock Up On Food Staples For Under $100

      When we first got married we had the tiniest budget on the planet for food. We still try to keep our budget low for food and avoid eating out. We very rarely go to sit-down restaurants because that would mean either taking small kids along (no thanks!) or paying a sitter. We're fairly content making ourselves a delicious meal at home these days and on special occasions we'll splurge on things like steak. It's not easy to keep under a strict budget and eat healthy all the time. People like to make it sound like it's easy but it's just not that simple. Buying a small bunch of bananas is the same as one snicker bar? True and obviously one is a much better choice. However, when it comes to choosing higher quality versions of similar foods say whole grain bread or pasta over white or for another example organic apples over "regular" the price differences add up quickly.

      Thankfully, my mom taught us a lot about baking and cooking so I wasn't learning from scratch. We also went to the store with her a lot so price differences were evident to me well before I started shopping for myself or a family of my own. Still, keeping up a budget while buying healthy for a growing family isn't nearly as simple as buying for one on whim (want that organic, specialty ice cream from Fresh Market? One pint for $8? NBD!) or even as poor newlyweds.

     This list is made up of some of the things we buy most often or keep in our cabinets all the time. Everyone has a slightly different budget and different taste. Hopefully after reading this list you can use it to your advantage. Maybe it'll give you some ideas or inspire you to look for deals. It is based on a variety of name brands and store brands. The prices and estimates are average for this area (Northwest Arkansas) so it may not reflect anything close to what you'd see in other areas of the country. As much as I love some good local produce, organic foods, and all that I don't have the budget for being a total foodie snob all the time. If you're looking for ideas for high end brands you're in the wrong place! I shop Target, Walmart, Aldi, and Fresh Market the most and go to our local farmer's markets whenever I can. I flip through my local ads and clip coupons and orient our meals around what's on sale. You may not find prices like this at all depending on where you are but the idea that you can shop for off brands, look for sales, and buy some healthy staples for less than a bunch of processed boxes is likely to stand. Prices can vary so much anyway, especially for things like meat, produce and dairy so I spend more time than I'd like shopping around. I don't have nearly as many grocery store options as other places either. (Can we get a Trader Joe's and/or a Publix PLEASE?!) If something is overpriced for my standing budget ($8 for a small watermelon or $8 for that fancy pint of ice cream, for example) I just don't buy it. The lists, the budget, the coupons, and the prices change constantly. It's kind of annoying, really but it's something anyone can learn. Why waste money on the same sorts of foods when that money could be utilized much better elsewhere??

     All that said, now that I have some staples and things like seasonings "established" in our kitchen we spend anywhere from $400-600 a month on food just depending on our needs and wants, what I happen to have ready to go in the freezer or cabinets, and what I can manage to get for a good price on sale or with coupons. Like the title hints, I'm going to keep this list under $100. So here goes . . .




48oz Unsweetened applesauce: $2.00
It makes a great snack with (or without) some added cinnamon and also a super substitute in baked goods.

28oz Peanut Butter: $4.00
Who doesn't like a straight spoonful of peanut butter, a PB&J or some PB with apples or banana? You can get more for less if you go for the larger off-brand jar than the average on-brand jar. Natural and "organic" versions are becoming popular. The fewer additives the better but you'll definitely want to steer clear of specialty brands with fancy logos if you want to get bang for your buck (as they say).

A Dozen Eggs: $1.00 - 2.00
A healthy choice if you don't add a ton of butter or salt, eggs can be cooked up in so many ways alone, scrambled into a side, stuffed into breakfast burritos, or used in baking.

4 Bell Peppers: $3.00
Usually one bell pepper is around 75 cents depending on where you live. Chop it up and eat it raw, use in stir fry, stuff with rice and beans or meat, or add to a pasta dish.

6-8 Bananas: $1.50 - 2.00
Depending on the actual size and weight, they are very cheap. Eat them as a snack, with breakfast, or maybe on a peanut butter sandwich. For a treat they can be pureed for an ice cream texture or dipped in chocolate and frozen.

One Bag of Baby Carrots: $1.00 - 1.50
Another cheap snackable veggie that can also be steamed, added to stir fry, or a crock pot roast.

2 bags of Frozen Vegetables: $3.00 - 4.00
You have to be careful with the frozen veggies. From what I understand frozen is better than canned but, of course, fresh is usually better than store-bought frozen. I like to keep things like sugar snap peas, broccoli, and sweet peas in our freezer. Healthwise: beware of the sodium. I make a point of using seasonings other than salt when I cook frozen or canned veggies so I'm not topping sodium with more yummy sodium.

3 cans or bags Dried Beans: $4.50 - 6.00
I keep cannellini (white kidney) and black beans for crockpot chili in the winter. You can make some homemade hummus with garbanzo or maybe use refried beans for some burritos. Not to mention good ole classic rice and beans!

One Gallon of Milk: $3.00 - 4.50
Milk is expensive. It may cost even more than this in some areas. It's much cheaper to buy at stores like Sam's Club and Aldi. It goes with just about everything. We use it in cold cereal and baking. We prefer almond for drinking but it's usually twice as expensive at $3 or more per half gallon. If you can forgo it that might be a nice way to save some $$ just make sure you have another good source of calcium like cheese or yogurt.

18oz box Whole Grain Cream of Wheat OR 42oz can Old Fashioned Oatmeal: $3.50 - 4.00
These are much healthier alternatives to the typical sugary cold cereal and both can be made with water from the tap instead of milk. Add in some sugar and cinnamon or some fruit and honey and you have a tasty breakfast with a good amount of iron and fiber. 3tbsp cream of wheat or 1-1.5 cups of oatmeal will serve one person well.

1lb of Rice: $1.00-3.00
Cheap. A pound of this stuff goes a long way (should feed about 4 people, give or take, if you have small portions and/or don't go for seconds) and if you pair it with beans or meat and some veggies you'll have a very complete meal. There are lots and lots of varieties to choose from.

1lb of Whole Grain Pasta: $1.00 - 3.00
Also enough to feed four people, the price depends on what variety and what brand you might buy. Spaghetti and macaroni are usually the cheapest choices. You can make pasta in a lot of different ways. We love to make a meal with baked chicken, sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, and pasta.

1 Loaf Whole Grain Bread: $2.00 - 3.00
I personally love Oroweat brand but we'll go for cheaper when we need too. Bread can be super cheap or very expensive. Some people don't ever eat much bread but we are not those people. One day I'll do a better job of making more homemade breads. For now, it's a staple on the grocery list.

24-26oz Pasta Sauce: $3.00 - 4.00
Cool people make their own. We don't. We like Bertolli but we'll buy store brand when it fits the budget better. Even cooking for four we'll only use about half a large jar. Tip: freeze what's left in a ziploc bag if you aren't going to use it relatively soon. Too many times I've had to throw some out thinking I would use it again within a couple days only to find it smells funny or growing a layer of mold. Ew. 

1lb Butter: $2.00
This is used in all sorts of recipes for baking and cooking as well as a spread on toast or sandwiches. 

48oz Vegetable or Cooking Oil: $3.00 - 4.00
Just like butter, this is used in all sorts of recipes. A little can go a long way. Some varieties like coconut or olive oil (especially EVOO) are much more expensive than say vegetable or canola. It's really just a matter of need and preference what you choose. I don't like the taste canola adds to things but I love coconut or olive for cooking (and moisturizing!) and use plain vegetable for baking.

60oz Box of Bisquick: $4.00 - 5.00
Pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and a whole lot more can come out of this one box. Just add water, eggs, milk, oil or whatever the recipe (several handy dandy ones are right on the sides of the box). I like to use the Bisquick biscuit recipe as a base for chicken pot pie (or you know, just biscuits). The recipes for mini cheeseburger or chicken pot pies on bettycrocker.com are pretty great too!

1lb Baking Soda: $0.50 - 0.75
This is used in baking as well but it is fantastic for cleaning and deodorizing! Some people make homemade toothpaste with it!  You can find a huge 13.5lb bag at Sam's Club that will last you a very long time for around $7.

1lb Active or Instant Dry Yeast: $2.00 - 3.00
You can buy small packets or go for a big bag. If you want to make homemade sandwich breads, donuts, or any dough that needs to rise. There are two types: active requires you to "activate" the yeast with warm water and instant is just that. Some recipes may call for a specific type.

10lb bag of all-purpose flour OR sugar: $5.00
Flour can be used for all sorts of baked good from cookies to cakes to beads. Make homemade tortillas, rolls, cookies, or cupcakes. Sugar is used in lots of baking plus some people like to add it to otherwise plain hot or cold cereals or maybe to their morning coffee. Going for the biggest bag you can manage is a good idea because it can get used up quickly when most recipes call for several cups. (P.S. This is one of those things you can find much cheaper if you keep your eyes open! I found 5lb bags of flour at Aldi for just $1.25!)

Seasonings or Flavored Extracts: ~ $3 each
I've found that I just end up adding to my collection as I need things but some basics we use a lot are salt, pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. A little goes a long way.

Ketchup OR Mayo: $2.00 - 3.00
Or maybe you prefer miracle whip or mustard. Obviously these can go on sandwiches or burgers, top off some meatloaf or add substance and flavor in lots of different recipes. I'd venture to guess most people in America keep some or all of these on hand.

Four 5oz Cans of Tuna: $4.00
We aren't big fans of fish but we like our shredded, canned tuna. My hubby makes himself sandwiches (and our kids like this too!). We can also add it easily to pasta dishes!

1lb Ground Turkey: $3.00 - 4.00
The price of meat can vary a lot depending on what you're buying and when. I prefer turkey to beef as it's a bit healthier. It's very lean. Maybe you like beef better or maybe you don't eat meat and stick with something like tofu. I dunno. The only things turkey doesn't seem to like doing for me is sticking together for a meatloaf.  Otherwise, it's great! When prices shoot up I just don't buy it.

      Some of this stuff is very perishable and some of it will last a stupid amount of time sitting in the back of the cabinet. There are many recipes you can pull just from this list and many more that only need one or a few more ingredients.

So this is what it's going to look like based on the higher prices on my list:

Applesauce
Peanut Butter
1 Dozen Eggs
4 Bell Pepper
6 Bananas
1 Bag Baby Carrots
1 Bag Frozen Broccoli
1 Bag Frozen Sweet Peas
3 Bags or Cans of Beans
1 Gallon of Dairy Milk
Cream of Wheat OR Oatmeal
1lb Rice
1lb Pasta
1 Loaf of Bread
Large Jar of Pasta Sauce
1lb Butter
Vegetable Oil
1lb Baking Soda
1lb Yeast
10lb bag of Sugar
10lb bag of Flour
16oz Salt
4oz Black Pepper
2.4oz Ground Cinnamon
1oz Vanilla Extract
Ketchup
Mayo
4 Cans of Tuna
1lb Ground Turkey
_____________
Total: ~$99.75

     Even after taxes you're not doing too terribly. If you can tack on enough in coupons then the extra tax may not even matter! (That's right, this list does NOT include the use of any coupons.)

     To give you more of an idea of what our food buying looks like. . .  As I said above, our basics are established in the cabinet and fridge. We buy 2-3 dozen eggs each week and 3-4 gallons of dairy and almond milk (both girls still drink around 16oz a day of just milk). No questions asked on those two things. We buy the same sorts of snack foods each week too like nuts, graham crackers, cheerios, greek yogurt, and fruits. Some of our much-used favorite staples aren't even on this particular list: chicken breasts, cocoa powder, coffee or tea, cheese and other baking ingredients. We sometimes like to buy orange or cranberry juice, vitamin water, or other bottled drinks but not unless they are on sale or with a coupon. The kids and I primarily drink water and almond milk. There are some things I'd buy more often if they were a little less pricey like kefir or certain cuts of meat (mmm steak!).

   So, no this isn't a complete list but I think it's a great base list. If you managed to spend closer to the low end and added in some good sales and coupons you could easily keep under $70-75 for all of it. With another $100 you could add a lot more and some random favorites without spending a crazy amount of money the rest of the month if you stick to eating at home.

Deal$ on . . . guess! guess!

     Books. Ebooks. I have no agenda here. I'm just sharing the love. I don't pay enough attention so I've just discovered that Amazon has monthly deals on Kindle books. This month happens to be quite snazzy! I normally just peak through the sidebar list of free books on the website or just search for whatever with "free" somewhere in the search bar. All of these are on sale for less than THREE dollars.

For the kids:
Amelia Bedelia
Judy Moody
Don't Wake Up the Bear
1-2-3 Va-Va-Vroom
When We Go Walking
Alice in Wonderland (free!)
Lily Lemon Blossom (free!)

For the adults:
Black by Ted Dekker
Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Berry Bible
House Mommy's Boredom Busters (free!)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (free!)

and

Here is the page with all the free fiction classics from Anna Karenina to Treasure Island! I have several of these all ready.

and

Here is the page with a ton of free recipe and cookbooks on anything from canning to paleo!

Enjoy! :)

Couponing

     Well, first off, I want to say I'm super thrilled with my grocery shopping trip(s) this past Wednesday (one week ago yesterday). It wasn't anything near what you see on those crazy reality TV episodes but I managed to stay under $250 for our two weeks of buying.

Caveats/
We obviously all ready had some ingredients for meals in the house.

We're also in the process of potty training BOTH kids now so we don't go through nearly as many disposables as we normally would. It's not very consistent day to day . . . I'll say that.

It took me three hours of the afternoon to find and clip coupons and create my list. So, honestly, the reduction in spending feels more like I'm spending time instead of spending the money, if that makes sense. Thankfully, my time was worth a decent "wage" this time. ;)

I always find out afterwards that I could've done better. This deal here. That coupon there. Oh well. Better luck next time.

And, of course, it's nearly inevitable that sometime in the next two weeks I'll be out buying more milk, bread, eggs, and/or some forgotten ingredient.
 /end caveats

 Like I said, the afternoon of my shopping trip I spent a good three hours googling for coupons, scouring the Krazy Coupon Lady website. I do NOT do the kind of couponing you hear about on these reality TV shows. I have no spare space for a super pantry and we don't even have a deep freezer (although I have my eye on a small one because I'd love to buy some meat on the cheap and pre-make some healthier "freezer meals"). I make my list of what we want or need FIRST then do all my searching and clipping based on that. I usually have to rack my brain and check the cabinets because occasionally I do "over buy" things like peanut butter, oatmeal, and pasta. You know, the sustenance staples that you really can't have too much of (unless your home is starting to look like the inside of a walmart, that's a bit much).

   I also try with all my might to avoid walmart. It's another post for another day but the low price place is not that great and I'd rather my $$$ make noise elsewhere in the economy if you get my drift. I don't have a lot of choices up here in walmartville. What I'd give for a good Publix, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Earth Fare or Whole Foods.

Oh well.

I try very hard to keep our household a healthy one. I buy a lot of frozen vegetables and avoid canne although I prefer fresh from the farmer's market. (One day I'll have my own garden, dang it!)

 Here are a few of the awesome couponing sites I've found:

coupons (but even better: join swagbucks and get the SAME coupons + swagbucks a few weeks after the coupons have been processed)

krazycouponlady (she even lays out the best deals for you on her site. hover over "find my store" and select the location of your choice for the latest.)

lozo (if you just like the occasional good clip you'll like this. it's customizable and coupons are emailed to you.)

smartsource (these are going to be similar to the coupons that are in many Sunday papers.)

You can also find some really good coupons on retail websites or facebook. Usually a good $1-2 coupon is as simple as liking a brand page. Most retailers have their own listing of coupons on their website. Some even have store coupon cards that you can download coupons onto and swipe at the store (making it ridiculously easy).

    We also have a Walgreens Balance Rewards card. We've only had it for a couple months. We use them for our prescriptions but they will also occasionally have some great deals on things we'd buy anyway (like diapers, sunscreen, medicine, or even food) so we'll make a trip there (and it's not out of our way at all). You get points for what you spend and for buying certain items. We're almost to 5000 points which translates to $5. (10,000 is $10, 18,000 is $20, and so on). I've seen a new program advertised where you can earn more points for running, doing weigh-ins, or participating in community projects.

In the end:

$37 at walgreens for 3 packages of pull ups and swim diapers.
   -3t/4t huggies pull ups (50 count)
   -size 4 huggies little movers slip-on diapers (23 count)
   - size medium huggies little swimmers (11 count)
I saved $7 with coupons and we earned 390 points as well.
Darn the 9% sales tax applying to diapers.

$44 at Aldi
 We filled our buggy. This included 2 bacon wrapped filet mignon, cow milk, kefir, eggs, cheese, plenty of fruit (nectarines, kiwi, bananas), a few veggies (bell pepper, carrots), cereal, two loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls (totally unnecessary!), nut butters, syrup, and snacks (graham crackers, peanut butter crackers, etc).

If we'd bought these things at walmart it would've been no less than $60. If I had the funds I'd go do a same day duplicate trip sometime to show the difference.

$120 at Target.
 This included a few more food items that I had specific coupons for that made it even CHEAPER than Aldi like yogurt, apple sauce pouches, frozen veggies, frozen pizza, and pudding. I got really good deals (I think) on almond milk, frozen chicken, and the glade plug-in refills. I even splurged on a few clothes for the kids (less than $2 a piece), got E a new toothbrush, and household misc (handsoap, paper towels, toilet paper, all-purpose cleaner).



I spent another $25 at Target two days ago to get some more bread, milk, cookies, and junk food for the girls and myself. They even had lalaloopsy coloring books in the $1 bin so I let the kiddos get those and pick a $0.99 pack of crayons.

37 + 44 + 120 + 25 = 226

We'll need (want?) more milk, cereal, and eggs for sure right before the second week is up but that shouldn't be a big deal.

Hopefully I can do even better for the next trip! 


    

Save Money or Make Money (Quickly?)

     There are lots of people looking for ways to make a quick buck (without tossing their integrity out the window) for unexpected expenses, to save for a rainy day, or to pay extra on some overhanging debt. Maybe you just want some easy ways to get some spending money. I've heard lots of different ideas doing my own searches and getting through our days of scraping. I wanted to share my own tips for once! We've done most of these ourselves over the past few years.

The great but not-so-helpful or not-so-quick ideas: 

Start selling on eBay or Half.com

Open your own shop on Etsy

Get into a direct sales business (e.g., Avon)

Find a part-time job

These are all superb ideas. However, most take some beginning capital. All of them take time and patience and some element of risk. It may be only as much as the 0.20c listing fee per item on Etsy or more than $100 to get your initial product and supplies for direct sales. eBay and Half.com may be iffy. You may get less than you'd like for your stuff. Shipping may cost more than you anticipate. It may takes days to actually get your money as well. Once the buyer's payment comes through you may only be payed after the item has shipped. If you don't accept credit or debit payments or use paypal tack on the time it takes for someone to mail a check or money order. Even the transfer times from the buyer to paypal or your bank account can take days. Half.com pays your total sales (less shipping) to you twice a month. How quickly you can be paid for direct sales totally depends on your propensity to get parties and sales. There are additional costs for using paypal, adding additional information to listings, and things like packaging. If you have a month or two and some money to get you off the ground then you're likely to have the opportunity to make a good bit of cash. There are no guarantees though.

As for the part-time job, finding them can be easy if you keep your mind open. Pizza delivery, newspaper routes, fast food, retail jobs, and things like babysitting are almost always available. There's usually some period of time before you can start a new job, plus time for training, and the typical 1-2 week wait for that first paycheck. Start applying but look for other money-making ideas in the mean time.

The relatively quick but sometimes unreliable ideas: 

Hold a garage sale 

Visit the pawn shop

Create listings on Craigslist

These methods for making money can be a lot faster and simpler. Unless your city requires a permit with a fee it won't take much more than your valuable time to spend a weekend selling your extra junk out on your lawn. Pawn shops can be iffy. They are in business to make a profit so DO NOT expect to get anywhere near the true value of whatever you sell. If you have some valuable items that you don't care about this might be a great route. Just know the value. I would never recommend actually pawning because that's just one more thing hanging over your head. Sell it or skip the pawn shop. Craigslist can be risky for more than one reason. Most people have heard the horror stories. However, there's also the chance a buyer skips out on you or tries to get one over on you. If you overprice or underprice your stuff you can lose a sale or lose potential earnings.

Do yourself a favor if you want to host a garage sale and don't calculate your income on an hourly basis.

The fastest but sometimes not-so-very profitable ideas:

Swagbucks (or similar points and rewards sites)

Google Adsense (and other advertising sites)

Dig for change

I'm a big fan of Swagbucks and Adsense. They are brilliant ideas in and of themselves. I use both. Unless you all ready have a very high traffic website or blog ads aren't going to help you much. If you have a popular video on youtube perchance then you can put adds on it and make a teensy bit of money that way but that's unlikely. (Also, people who intentionally TRY to make "viral videos" get a nice cushy spot in the obnoxious category FYI.) Swagbucks is simple and some people enjoy it but it's not very profitable right away. We can get 10-25 dollar giftcards for lots of retailers (including Target, Walmart, and Amazon) by using this site for searching and doing the daily things but it takes a few weeks to a few months to accumulate enough for those. I'm not gonna say not to go for it but don't expect to get very much right away.

Just today I gathered up ALL of the random coins from the car, the junk box in the kitchen, and whatever other random spots in our house. I came up with $20.62. Not bad! We're pretty terrible at using change and we just let it gather. You may only be able to find all of $0.78. Here's a tip though: skip the coin machines and take it directly to your bank. The banks we've done business with have always counted it all up the same way as those machines before depositing it into our account(s) but without the cost per dollar.

The gross, awkward, or inconvenient ideas:

"Donating" Plasma

Participating in medical studies or drug trials

Pooper-scooping

The Unmentionables

From what I hear donating plasma is totally legit if you go through the right sources. The idea is you or donating the plasma while being compensated for your time. Participating in drug or other medical trials obviously carries some risk, if nothing other than the potential side effects that come with the majority of medications. Pooper-scooping speaks for itself. It's gross. Ew. (It's not so bad AFTER you have some green in the palm of your hand, of course.) And then there's the unmentionables . . . all the things the most desperate or least squeamish do for dollars. You know what I'm talking about. Anything having to do with body parts or fluids that IS NOT illegal.

Sometimes you can't donate plasma or participate in trials even if you wanted to because of prior health issues or pregnancy. Even so, maybe you're just not ready to get over your fear of needles.

Saving but not really making ideas: 

Grocery Coupons

Shopping cheap, on-sale, and off-brand

Deals Websites (e.g., Living Social)

I love a good deal. Love. Just recently we got a great deal for a froyo shop not far from us. We got huge servings of some tasty frozen yogurt with all our favorite toppings for just $6 (two adults, two kids). I use coupons frequently. However, unless you're a crazy couponer or have space for a mini-mart in your home this will only save you a few good dollars at the store. If you're going to use coupons ONLY use them for what you need to buy anyway and make sure it's actually bringing the price lower than the off-brands. Oreos are not cheese and wine. You're not getting anything more for your pennies. I love oreos but the cheap ones are just as nasty-bad-for-you and tasty delicious as the regular brand. (P.S. Swagbucks HAS printable coupons, once they've been used and run through you'll get bucks for using the coupons in a few weeks!)

     In the end your best bet is to list your junk on ebay in-between job applications; make a stop at the pawn shop or meet with a buyer via craiglist after a morning putting in some job applications; and (if you have one) spend time earning money online via points & rewards sites while they take your plasma. Good luck and don't be stupid!