When life gives you lemonade stands...

With the term "lemonade stand" certain images are immediately evoked: a bright summer day, a hand-lettered sign, a glass pitcher full of yellow lemonade, cute freckle-faced children, and coins dropping into a piggy bank.

This past Sunday I set up a lemonde -- and cupcake -- stand with my 6-year-old daughter Hannah. Our first attempt at participating in this quintessential summer pastime included almost everything in the list above.

We had the summer day, the sign, the lemonade, and the cute kids. The only thing missing was, yep, the cold hard cash.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. But it was decidedly more than three customers total for the entire day -- and one of those was a family member. Was it because we didn't advertise? were on a slow street? chose the wrong day?

In any case, we didn't fill up Hannah's piggy bank as much as we would have liked. However, if you can't have both, what's better -- money or memories? Because we did make plenty of those.

Feeding 6 for 8 - Easy Breezy Brunch Bake

I know, I know, I've already done a breakfast-for-dinner recipe. But this is too good not to post. And I just made it tonight, so it is fresh in my mind (and stomach -- yum).

I got this recipe from Kraftfoods.com originally, but I have since made a few alterations: #1) I took out the mushrooms, because I absolutely detest mushrooms, and #2) I reduced the amount of cheese by about 75%. It used to be called "Easy Cheesy Brunch Bake" but I changed the Cheesy to Breezy, because it's just so darn easy. And no one needs a pan full of 4 cups of cheese.

Menu

• Easy Breezy Brunch Bake
• Fresh strawberries

Recipe

12 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 lb. turkey breakfast sausage

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs with sour cream with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 10 minutes or until egg mixture is softly set. Meanwhile, cook sausage, onions, and green pepper in large skillet until sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Top with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until egg mixture is set in center and cheese is melted.

Serve with fresh strawberries or fruit salad.

Shopping List

• 1 dozen eggs - $1.15
• Sour cream - $1.19
• Turkey sausage - $2.49
• Green pepper - $0.99
• Onion - $0.51
• Strawberries - $2.00

Stuff You Should Have Already

• Cheese

Grand Total

• $8.33 (Close enough!)

How to NOT spend a fortune at the movies

Of course everyone knows that matinees (movies showing before 6 p.m.) are generally cheaper than regular shows.

But attending a matinee is not the only way to save money at the theater.

1. The first thing to remember is that, indeed, timing is everything. By all means, attend a matinee. Or better yet, attend a show before noon at any AMC and get an even cheaper ticket. It's their "A.M. Cinema" special.
2. Many theaters also have special discount days. Our local Hollywood Theater has 1/2 price tickets every Tuesday. Some theaters also have Student Days and/or Senior Days.
3. The summer is a great time to catch up on all your kids movies. Regal and AMC both offer free or $1 movies all summer long. Regal shows G & PG movies for free every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. from June through August. AMC shows G or PG movies on Wednesdays only at 10 a.m. for $1.
4. Another way to save money is to stock up on discount tickets from your local grocery store. Our King Soopers here has them for $6. That wouldn't save you money on a matinee, but it would save you $4-5 on a regular show. Just make sure to take note of any restrictions.
5. Also, I beg you, sign up for rewards cards. AMC's MovieWatcher Rewards card provides you with free concessions or movie tickets for every 10 points earned, and Regal's Crown Club card is set up similarly. These cards may save you hundreds of dollars through the years, depending on how often you go to the movies.
6. And finally, pay attention to when there are deals on concessions, as these usually add up to more than the price of admission. Again, our local Hollywood Theater is currently offering these amazing deals:$1 any size Coke all day, no exceptions, and free kids packs (kid-sized popcorn, soda, and fruit snack combo) on Tuesdays.

Enjoy your show!

Feeding 6 for 8 - Enchiladas

Around here, we call these super cheap, easy, and delicious enchiladas the "Monday Night Special." I don't know how many times I've fallen back on this recipe. It contains only four ingredients! A HUGE thank you to my friend Michelle for passing this recipe along. And now I share it with you:

Menu:

• Enchiladas
• Baby carrots

Recipe:

2 cans chili beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or whatever you prefer)

6 whole wheat tortillas

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl. Place the filling inside each tortilla, roll it up, then put each tortilla in a 13" x 9" casserole pan. Top with remaining mixture, sprinkle with a little cheese, and top with dried basil or parsley if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Shopping List:

• 2 cans chili beans - $2.00
• 1 can cream of chicken soup - $0.79
• Small bag of shredded cheese - $1.67
• 1 package whole wheat tortillas - $1.69
• 1 small bag baby carrots - $1.69

Stuff You Should Have Already:

• Dried basil or parsley

Grand Total:

• $7.84

Feeding 6 for 8 - Blueberry Pancakes

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?

Menu:

• Blueberry pancakes
• Turkey bacon

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir the egg, milk and melted butter into the flour mixture, working only until the batter is thoroughly moistened. Vigorous beating will produce leaden pancakes.
3. Lightly grease and heat a heavy griddle or skillet.
4. Drop the batter onto the cooking surface. Cook one side, then flip.

Yield: About 18 pancakes.

Shopping List:

• Blueberries (in season!) - $1.99
• Turkey bacon - $2.29
• Flour (if you happen to have run out) - $1.57

Stuff You Should Have Already:

• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Milk
• Butter

Grand Total:

• $5.85
• (Way under $8, so you have a little wiggle room if you ran out of any of the staples listed above)

Feeding 6 for 8 - Intro

These are lean times for some; in fact, for most people I know. Economically, fiscally, financially - however you want to say it - these days average families are working harder than ever to make ends meet.

But times of lean are good. They help us appreciate the abundant times more. They help us examine every area of our lifestyles and spending habits and hopefully come up with creative ways to spend less while maintaining a healthy, happy way of life.

So begins my new series, "Feeding 6 for 8," in which I demonstrate that you can easily feed 6 people for $8 or less without having to resort to rice and beans every time! Why 6? Well, there are plenty of magazines, websites and blogs out there showing you how to cheaply feed a family of 4. But most of the families I know have 3 or more children. Plus, I myself live in a household of 6 people. So, 6 it is. And 8 it is the dollar amount I pledge to not go over for each meal.

Stay tuned!

Dear Sunglasses, R.I.P.

A few months ago I found the cutest, bling-iest pair of sunglasses at Ross for $5.

My purple, diamond-studded, XOXO sunglasses made me feel so hip every time I put them on. A friend of mine called them my rock star glasses. They polished off all my outfits perfectly.

Then they broke.

And my heart broke a little with them.

You know that feeling you get when you put on your favorite pair of thrift store jeans, or sip a mug of home-brewed coffee perfectly crafted by You? That feeling of satisfaction, when you just want to smack your lips and congratulate yourself for finding such pleasure in something you made yourself or got for next-to-nothing? I had that feeling about these sunglasses. And then it popped like a balloon.

No, they could not be repaired. One of the sides broke off completely. Maybe you're thinking, "If you had spent a little more money on sunglasses, they wouldn't have broken." Perhaps. But expensive things break, too, and then you're not only heartbroken about the item that's ruined, you're upset about how much money you lost.

Thankfully, I am only out 5 bucks. And I can get new sunglasses. But they can never replace my rock star glasses. Thus I am writing this post in honor of my dear purple XOXO sunglasses, who will be sorely missed.

In lieu of flowers or condolence cards, please share about your favorite cheap thing that simply makes you happy when you wear it, use it, eat it, look at it, or whatever it.