Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Cooking with Lavender from Local Growers Part II
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. Part II of The Heirloom Foodie's series on cooking with luscious lavender. If cooking with lavender seems like a stretch, try creating your own Herbes de Provence seasoning mix.... more
Maiden Missoula Product Review: Flexsolate Gym in a Bag
By LEAH LEWIS. Maiden Missoula Product Review: FLEXSOLATE FITNESS IN A BAG. If you are one of the many affected by general laziness, gym phobia, running anxiety or what have you there is a company in Missoula... more
Save Money on Produce
By ERIN TURNER. It’s that special time of year when the vendors at the Farmer’s Markets are starting to really show off their stuff! Their tables are loaded with lots of fresh, wonderful produce. But if... more
Missoula Spaces: A Festival of One-Minute Films
MAKE IT MISSOULA MOMENT: Missoula Spaces: A Festival of One-Minute Films. Call for submissions! Sumbit your one-minute films about Missoula made by the people who live here. Deadline: July 10, 2011... more
Maiden Missoula Product Review: Dazzle Expressions
By LEAH LEWIS What's a young, hip, crafty, stylish mama supposed to do with her talents when her days revolve around a couple of busy kiddos? Well, if you are the cute-as-a-button Renee Wyman, you take your ... more
Save Money With Christmas in July
By ERIN TURNER. I know we just had our first day of summer but there are only 181 days, 3hrs, 29mins and 44secs until Christmas? By starting to fulfill your gift list now, you evade the inflated seasonal cost ... more
From Baby Blanket to Big Boy Pillow
RE-USE IT. By LISA HENSLEY. My mom makes these great blankies for kids: knit on one side, flannel on the other. They just get softer and snugglier the more you wash them. They don’t, however, last forever—e... more
Cooking with Lavender from Local Growers
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. Last Saturday I chatted with Paula Scoggins of Paula's Gardens and Lori Parr, AKA Lavender Lori - both together known as the Lavender Queendome. Lori and Paula have joined forces to wor... more
Get Outta Town…
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. Sometimes the very best way to love a place is to get the heck outta there. This is consistently the case for me with Missoula.... more
10 Ways to ‘Save-It’ Without Coupons
By ERIN TURNER. Many people just don’t have the interest or the time to clip coupons or match them up to the various sales, yet they are still interested in saving money. Guess what? It is possible to still... more
Missoula’s Clark Fork River Market
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. This weekend I hit the motherlode at the Clark Fork River Market. My bags were overflowing - the coolers too. Even with all of this rain and little sunshine, our farmers and ranchers ha... more
20+ Things to Do for Kids Visiting Missoula
By PAUL WHEATON. Paul has family coming to visit. He could go on and on about how great Missoula is, and this post lists some of his top attractions!... more
Building an Urbanite Retaining Wall or Path
By LISA HENSLEY. As anyone who has had to buy retaining wall stones can tell you, the cost of those projects adds up very quickly. But there’s one way to get low walls, paths and patios for nothing but sweat ... more
Drugstore Couponing 101
By ERIN TURNER. Before I started couponing, I hardly ever set foot in a Walgreens or a CVS. Now, I am a frequent shopper at both of these stores and have a true love affair with them! These are the stores whe... more
Travelers’ Rest Hosts Historic Food Event
MAKE IT MISSOULA MOMENT: “Yummy in the Tummy: Historic Food Ways at Travelers’ Rest” will be held from 12 noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 at Travelers’ Rest State Park in Lolo. This interpretiv... more
Homesteading with the Coupon Queen
By ERIN TURNER. Some of you asked me to share about my family’s “homesteading” activities. It’s a deviation from couponing but it does dovetail with our frugal lifestyle. And since I’m intensely foc... more
Norman’s Got Nothing on Missoula
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. The nostalgia of our town is also its future. The ability to take people back to their childhoods, to a time when the grasses were hip-height and adventure called from right outside your door... more
Ethical Couponing & Coupon Courtesy
By ERIN TURNER. Photocopying coupons, intentionally using expired coupons and other fraudulent uses of coupons costs companies thousands of dollars every year. I've heard people say, “Well, those companies ca... more
Reuse It . . . Vinegar and Other Household Products
By LISA HENSLEY. Although “reuse” for most people means turning something old into something new, or just using it more than once, I like to think it also applies to using things for purposes other than th... more
Local Grass-Finished Beef – It’s What’s for Dinner (or Breakfast or Lunch)
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. Discover the health benefits of Grass Finished Beef, and meet a local producer.... more
Summer Fun for Less
By ERIN TURNER. Summer is one of my favorite seasons. I love having my boys home, but summer can also mean more expenses. This means I’d better start stocking up and baking now.... more
Getting Schooled
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. About this time every year I start getting calls. Worried calls. Trying to make the right choice calls. Trying to not make the wrong choice calls. Calls from terrified, about to start kinderg... more
Junior Golf Anyone?
By TODD WOLVERTON. Are you interested in helping provide local Missoula kids a better way to be involved in the great game of golf? Read on...... more
Penguins: “Adult-Onset Athletes” Who Run Slowly
By PAM GARDINER. I'm a Penguin. Penguins are “adult-onset athletes” who run slowly. We waddle. We are, nevertheless, passionate about our sport—at whatever pace.... more
Do You Use Coupons for Everything?
By ERIN TURNER. Do I use coupons for everything I buy?” No, but it's track season, and the money I save using coupons for everyday things allows me to pay full retail for REALLY good running shoes for all thr... more
Reuse It . . . Custom Wrapping Paper
By LISA HENSLEY. While I am all for keeping selected samples of my son's artistic development, there’s only so much we can store. I feel bad though, just throwing these masterpieces away. My solution: turn ... more
When Do You Run?
By ANDERS BROOKER. My life is running. I don’t know how else to put it. And although it’s my passion, I still struggle to fit in my own runs everyday. Whether you are the runner who is out the door ever... more
Growing Good Eats in the Garden City
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. After a long winter the farmers’ market season is finally here. I love all things about local food–the flavor of the strawberries, the long wait in winter for spring’s first radis... more
Extreme Versus Super Couponing
By ERIN TURNER. Have you seen the TLC program “Extreme Couponing” where various individuals buy 200 boxes of cereal, 150 deodorants and enough toothbrushes for an entire small country? For some it has spa... more
Buttercups of My Spring
By VERINA PALMER MARTIN. It seems like a lifetime since I’ve seen Montana during the renewal of spring, which may be because you never really know when spring is going to arrive. It takes Montana a little lo... more
I Love That My Son Loves Running
By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG. ALL NEW RUN/WALK IT BLOG. We hope our kids will find something in the world that they are passionate about, but when we can share that “thing” with them it’s like winning an Olympic... more
Thrift Store Shopping Saves Money
By ERIN TURNER. About 8 years ago I ventured into my first thrift store. After an hour of acting like a kid in a candy store, I left with sacks full of incredible finds and deals. The item which converted me:... more
Reuse It . . . Composting 101
By LISA HENSLEY. While it feels like Spring will never show her face around these parts, it is still a great time to get going on one of the greatest re-use projects ever: compost. Why should you compost?... more
Couponing and Healthy Eating
By ERIN TURNER. Sometimes I feel like I live in two different worlds…the world of couponing and the world of healthy eating. Can these two lifestyles actually coexist or is the disparity too great?... more
“Save It” with Menu Planning
By ERIN TURNER. WIN A MENU PLANNING BOARD. It’s 4:30pm, what are you having for dinner? If you have no clue, then you could benefit from menu planning. Menu planning has given me freedom while my family bene... more
Creating Crafty Crayons
By LISA HENSLEY. You’ve probably accumulated assorted crayons that still have some life left, but aren’t necessarily in their prime. Why throw them away? You can repurpose them into new crayons that frankl... more
It’s All Relative
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. My grandpa died this week and Missoula lost some of its twinkle. So if you read this website to try to understand why Missoula is so special, think of this: there are little houses, on quiet ... more
Frugality as a Lifestyle – Part 2
By ERIN TURNER. Statistics show that money is the primary cause of divorce in America today. Because I counseled engaged couples for years, I know first hand how money can negatively impact a marriage.... more
Heirloom Seeds
By LISA HENSLEY. Living in the Garden City has inspired many people to try their hand at growing stuff. If you want to try growing some of your own food: Try Heirloom Seeds.... more
Crafty Desk
By LISA HENSLEY. When I was in the Marketing world, my mentor and I had a favorite phrase: "R & D, baby" short for "Ripoff and Duplicate!" We found something we liked and used it as a starting point for what... more
This is the Ride I’m On
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. I sometimes get it right, but sometimes I get it very wrong. That pretty much sums up my career as a mother.... more
‘Wise Frugality’ Versus ‘Cheap’ This Valentine’s Day
By ERIN TURNER. I love Valentines’ Day. It’s one of those holidays that seems so trivial but is a much welcomed break in the middle of winter. It always creates a cozy warmness in me and gives me a litt... more
Meet the Coupon Queen – New ‘SAVE IT’ Blog
By ERIN TURNER. I’m looking forward to sharing with you ways of saving money and managing your budget. Whether you are trying to make it from paycheck to paycheck or wanting to be a full-time stay- at- home m... more
Northern Girl
By CC THE TRAINED MONKEY. Here’s a little weather trivia for you - January is traditionally the coldest month of the year. At the time I’m writing this, it’s 36 degrees in Missoula. In L.A. it’s 80, ... more
The Facts of Life
By VERINA PALMER MARTIN. If I were to name two things I learned during my college years that have resonated with me throughout my life, it would be these: 1. Always check your facts. 2. Never forget how little ... more
F*#%ing Mittens
By ELKE GOVERTSEN. Like mittens. This time of the year I can hardly think of them without calling them F*#%ing Mittens. At my house they are either missing, mismatched, wet or lost. Always.... more
Yes, Verina, There is a Santa
By VERINA PALMER MARTIN. Every December I swear up and down I won’t get sucked into watching another marathon of sappy Hallmark Channel movies that end with snowflakes falling on cue in a freaking Christmas m... more
Griz 2-0 in Gut-Check Basketball Games
By BILL SCHWANKE. Oregon State at Montana--one of the best basketball games I’ve ever seen in Dahlberg Arena . . . period!... more