Great Northern, Spinach and Hummus Dip

I love hummus, in fact every time I buy a container it is gone in days.  Even though its healthy its not eat a whole tub healthy so I figured out a way to make it last a little longer by adding other ingredients to it to make it a meal.  

So above are the ingredients (not pictured: garlic, salt, pepper, EVOO) 

Step One: Microwave spinach, mean while put  can of great northern beans in a skillet with 2 TBS of EVOO add garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Step Two: Once spinach is cooked start adding to skillet and mixing and mashing with the beans.

Step 3: add 4 TBS of hummus and 2 TBS of goat cheese

Step 4: Microwave on high for 1 minute and mash together one last time

VIOLIA!  This is half of what this recipe will make.  This would be great as a dip for parties  with pita chips & veggies or eat plain as a meal. 

Crafty holiday cards

Now is the time when you exchange cards with co-workers!  This can be a mundane acknowledgement of the holidays or you can make it a little more fun with candy! Lets be honest those are the cards we look forward to!

First Step: Get your materials- sandwich bags, ribbon, cards, scissors, tape and CANDY ( I chose mini kisses and M&Ms)

Second Step: Fill the corners of the sandwich bags with candy, after tie off corners with candy and snip from the bag

Third Step: Tape to cards and you have yourself a holiday card with some thought put in it!

Very Merry Holiday Bargain Tips

I'm a bargain shoppin' woman and you'll rarely find me paying full price for anything!  In America there is always a sale on what you need mark my words.  Here are some of my holiday tips for a Chrismakkah filled with savings!

MUST DO SITES

• www.yipit.com this site is a must do for grouponers and gifters alike!  It combines many discount websites: groupon, livingsocial and crowdsavings to name a few and puts it on one website for you to scope out deals!

TIP: Be a better gifter: A discount for an uber gourmet olive oil and balsamic store in my area had a deal for $10 for a $20 gift certificate, I went in and got $10 worth of free products for a gift that looks like I paid more than I did!

• www.ebates.com this site is great for online shoppers, they have a lot of commercials but don't explain their business that well in my opinion.  You sign up on ebates and shop online in the stores you want by getting linked to them through ebates and get a percent back  from each purchase in a check several times a year. 

TIP: if buying something that's sold in different stores i.e. Steve Madden shoes, if pricing is the same do some comparison shopping and see who gives the largest percent back from ebates.

• www.retailmenot.com - this site shows coupon codes for stores and gives a rating on how well they work for users so you can pick the more reliable codes and get EXTRA savings!

TIP:  Save all the money you can online! You are your own salesperson and cashier when you are online so use every deal you can!

• www.thekrazycouponlady.com - I have mixed feelings about this site, I love coupons but I hate the show 'Extreme Couponing' I don't believe someone who stocks up on 50 free shampoos to store in their house for eternity is doing anyone any favors and its just wasteful but this site does stress responsible couponing and  has great tips for saving at specific stores.

TIP: Even if you might not be shopping at CVS , Target, or Kmart for gifts, its a good website to save money on everyday items so you have more to spend on gifts!

TIP: Set a budget you feel comfortable with, make it realistic and split it how you feel you should spend on each person.  It doesn't have to be set in stone but you shouldn't spend so much on the holidays that you can't enjoy them.

TIP: Gift Exchanges can be a great money saver with friends.  Set a price point and do a Secret Santa through a websites such as www.elfster.com and focus on a great gift for ONE lucky friend!

TIP: If you do shop at the mall, use a good cause to take some stress off your shopping, many charities offer gift wrapping services for donations.  You can feel good about donating your money and get a nice service in return :)

Do you have any tips for holiday shopping?