10th Annual Halloween Hoopla

Halloween will be here before you know it and if your house is anything like mine, you've got little goblins and ghouls begging to go out for some devilish good times that end in a pile of sweet treats.  But in this day and age, it's hard to know if you're neighborhood is a good place to go trick or treating - is it safe?  Are the neighbors participating?  Or will your monster crew be disappointed?

Enter your wonderful community.  Lots of churches and local parks & recreation centers host alternative trick or treating events for you to take your kids to - a place where you can feel safe and enjoy yourselves.

Harker Heights is no exception:

Saturday, October 31, 530pm-830pm

10th Annual Halloween Hoopla

Harker Heights Community Park

1501 E. FM 2410

The city of Harker Heights will be hosting a fun-filled evening to provide the youth in the community with a fun, safe alternative to door-to-door Trick or Treating.  Games, inflatables, candy, activities and other forms of entertainment will be present.

And as always, this is a FREE event so get out there and have a spooky good time!

Get Involved - Volunteer

Sometimes, getting involved by volunteering can also lead to FREE fun-filled activities.  Check out your local activities center, library or city hall to see what opportunities there might be.  It's a great chance for you and your family to make friends, do something together and help out those in need.

Here are some great volunteer opportunities in Harker Heights:

Tuesday, October 27th, 5pm-730pm

Candy Bagging

Create 1,000 Bags of Candy

Saturday, October 31st, 430pm-845pm

Halloween Hoopla

Game Attendants

Saturday, November 14, 10am-11am

Tree Planting

Plant Trees

Friday, December 11, 430pm-9pm

Frost Fest

Holiday Specialists

Monday, December 14, 530pm-845pm

Heights Lights on Parade

Judges

Thank A Police Officer Day (9/19/15)

Today is national Thank A Police Officer Day so if you are out and about, make sure you tell one "Thank You".  They don't have an easy job and those simple words mean a lot to them.  So thank you to our local police officers for all you do in keeping our neighborhood safe!

Check Out Your Local Library

Lots of people think a library is just a place to go when you need to do homework, research something or use a computer - but the library can be so much more. They are a great example of FREE entertainment that can be found right in your local community.

The obvious entertainment they offer is books - all kinds of books that can either entertain you as is or help you with an interest.  For example - if you are a reader, like me, they have shelves upon shelves of great fiction and non-fiction books that you can check out and read where ever you are most comfortable.  Read at home in the evening to help you relax after a long day at work, take a book with you to the pool or beach and read as you soak up some rays - what about taking a book to the park where you can sit under a shade tree, enjoy some fresh air and get lost in the words of your favorite author?  

But what if you aren't a reader - well no worries there.  The library offers tons of books that can help you with other interests you may have.  They offer lots of cookbooks if you are interested in trying a new recipe with your kids, gardening books if you'd like to start a container garden and graphic novels of all kinds if you are still into comic books - and it's absolutely free to check them out.  All you have to do is take a few minutes to sign up for a library card.

However, the FREE entertainment doesn't stop there!  Almost all libraries have a DVD section where you can check out movies or t.v. series and some libraries even have a section of CDs for your listening pleasure that can be checked out too.

And when it comes to kids, there is generally always a fantastic kids' section with books, DVDs, CDs, toys - sometimes they hold special events with activities and costumes too!

Recently our local library had a whole month of super-hero Saturdays where both the staff and attendees dressed up.  They had story times, activities, snacks - it was so much fun and the kids really enjoyed it.

If you're lucky, your library might even offer "gaming" weekends, LEGO building or host other activities like when one of the local pizza companies came and taught kids about dough and how pizza is made.  

So get out there and see what the local library in your area offers.  You might be surprised to find that fun and FREE was right in your own neighborhood the whole time.

Out the Mix

Oh it's been too long!  We have been seriously out of the mix for almost two whole months!  We do apologize for that but life sometimes gets in the way of the things.  

There was the end of summer activities, getting everything ready for the new school year, actually starting the new school year and I myself started a new position - needless to say it's been go, go, go with barely time to breath.  

But now that the dust has finally started to settle, we will be able to get back to showing you how to live a fun filled life for less.

We hope you all had a great summer and a seamless reentry to school life - but now, lets get back to basics and save money while getting what we need and doing what we want.

$1.00 Hot Dogs at Sonic (7/23/15)

July 23rd is National Hot Dog Day and you can celebrate at Sonic with Chili Cheese Coneys or the All American Dog for just $1.00.

Save More Money with H.E.B. Digital Coupons

If you live in Texas or Louisiana, then you are probably familiar with the H.E.B. grocery chain.  It's a fantastic store that has great prices and great deals.

Recently, they started a "digital coupon" program that has really helped our family save money.  Here are some items that we picked up at H.E.B. this afternoon and the price we paid for the item after using the digital coupons:

The Uncle Ben's Broccoli Rice Au Gratin usually retails for $1.00 each, the digital coupon was for $1.00 off 2, which made them $0.50 a piece.  

The 11oz can of H.E.B. Chipotle Corn retails for $0.99 a can, the digital coupon was for $0.50 off, which made the can $0.49.

The H.E.B. 16oz bag of Penne Rigate retails for $0.89, the digital coupon was for $0.50 off, which made the pasta $0.39.

The Nature Valley Muesli retails for $3.68 and the digital coupon was to try it for FREE.

The total retail value of these items is $7.56, but we used $5.68 in digital coupons which brought our total down to $1.88.  As you can tell, this program can really help lower your grocery bill - putting extra money in your pocket.

$1.99 Bottled Water/24 Pack at H.E.B.

Right now, at H.E.B. Grocery Stores, you can pick up a 24 pack of 16.9oz bottled drinking water for $1.99 - great price for stocking up on this item.

Save Up to 75% Off at Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works is having their Semi-Annual Sale where you can save up to 75% on select items - both in store and online.  Check out Bath & Body Works now to see if they have your favorite scent on sale.  

Combine this awesome sale with $1.00 shipping on orders of $25.00 or more to score an even better deal.  Just use code 25SHIP at checkout.

Creamy JELL-O

JELL-O gelatin is something we all know and something we have all eaten at one time or another.  And while it was once branded as "America's Favorite Dessert", some of us have come to think of it as a little too plain and simplistic or we've forgotten about it all together.

Well no more!  JELL-O gelatin is very inexpensive and with the addition of one or two other ingredients you can transform into something tastefully elegant and simple - like Creamy JELL-O.

Creamy JELL-O can be made with any flavor and it uses only two (2) ingredients (not including water).  I made it for my kids this weekend with Island Pineapple flavored gelatin and they loved it.  It was a simple, inexpensive way for them to have something fun and delicious during these hot summer days.  

Ingredients:

          6oz of JELL-O gelatin mix

          8oz Cool Whip, thawed

          2 cups boiling water

          1/2 cup cold water

Directions:

          Empty gelatin mix into a large bowl, add 2 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved.  Add 1/2 cup cold water then stir in cool whip.  Keep stirring until cool whip has "melted" into the gelatin (gelatin will become opaque).  Then pour mixture into an 8x8 pan or individual serving dishes.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours - gelatin will separate into layers. Serve and enjoy.

FREE Movie Tickets for Southpaw

Want to attend an advanced movie screening for Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal?  Want FREE tickets to the advanced movie screening?  Then head over here to enter your zip and see if a theater near you is offering this fantastic deal.  

*This event is being offered in select cities only.

Make Your Own "Magic Shell"

Two little ingredients and you can make your own Magic Shell.  Use it to cover popsicles, homemade or store bought - dip your fruit in it to make fun, frozen summer treats; whatever way you choose to use it, it's sure to bring out a smile.

Ingredients:

          1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

          2 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

          Put chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, add coconut oil.  Put bowl in microwave and melt in one (1) minute increments until it reaches the right consistency, stirring as you go.  

          You can store this in a container, just heat it up before using.  If you find that it has thickened, add a little more coconut oil to it and stir until it thins out.

          Very simple, very fun, very delicious!

     

Molletes

Experimenting in the kitchen with my kids is something that we all look forward to.  We enjoy finding new dishes that we can add to our regular menu rotation - dishes that are packed full of flavor but don't cost a lot are our favorites.  Today's kitchen adventure was a real success in both of these categories.

Let me introduce you to the Mexican Mollete:

A mollete is a nice, crusty bolillo roll that has been cut in half, then each half is spread with refried beans, covered with shredded cheese and then popped under the broiler so that the edges get crispy and the cheese melty.  Doesn't it look delicious??  

Now there are a few different ways that these can be fixed but that will be up to each individual and their personal taste preference - you can use regular refried beans, refried black beans, jack cheese, cotija cheese - whatever you like. 

For our molletes, we used refried beans made from charro beans, a mexican cheese blend and then topped them with freshly made guacamole and freshly made pico de gallo.  Muy sabroso!

Learn Another Language for FREE

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at learning a second language but didn't have the extra money for it?  Well now you can and you can do it for FREE with Duolingo.

With thirteen different options, you're sure to find a language that interests you and since each lesson includes speaking, listening, and translation challenges you should be fluent in no time.  Give it a try, you might surprise yourself.

Watch Disney Movies Online For FREE

Did you know that if you go to http://Cornel1801.com/disney/movies.html you can watch old Disney movies online for FREE??  Great movies like Ichabod Crane, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White to name but a few.  Check it out next time you're looking for some wholesome entertainment for your family.