photo by Scott Lepage
Winter is the perfect time for home-baked bread. It’s not hard to do, but it can be time-consuming. The smell that fills your home and the taste makes the effort worthwhile. I’ve included three easy recipes that will round off your bread-baking repertoire. The monkey bread is so simple that kids can help you make it.
Italian Bread
1 cup water, warmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons …

photo by corey ann
DEAR SARA: How long does it take before food goes bad when the fridge gives out? — Denise, Missouri
DEAR DENISE: Whether a refrigerator dies or you have a power outage, refrigerator food needs to stay 40 F or below and freezer food 0 F or below. You have about three hours for refrigerated foods to stay at a safe temperature and about 24 hours for freezer food. …

photo by uzvards
The first tip is a great idea during school vacations or whenever kids get bored. The same concept can be used to create tasks for chores (pick a chore a day) or for journal prompts. If you’re making a journal jar, you can write prompts on slips of paper and have your child select one each. Glue the creative-writing prompt into her journal to get her started thinking …

Starbucks has sponsored this contest giveaway. Two random entries will each win two packages of Starbucks coffee and a French press.

photo by ms. tea
Think back to when you were a child. You might remember your parents doing a frugal thing or two. Not that there haven’t always been savers and spenders, but times have changed. There are so many new ways to get us to part with our money. Living a frugal lifestyle isn’t about going back to a simpler time. Sure, some old-school common sense comes into play, but …