Frugal tip

I guess I'm just feeling rather helpful tonight. But I just wanted to pass along an opportunity I recently took advantage of. I like cooking, but like the best of us, sometimes I want to switch it up.

At the sight, www.lowpricesubs.com you can get a year's subscription to Taste of Home for just $2 a year! Yep, you read that right. You can't even buy a copy of that magazine off the rack for that! So, I just bought 4 years worth.

I like the Taste of Home magazine. I like the fact that it has straightforward recipes using ingredients commonly found in your kitchen.

Also, if you are of a mind to save money, you can also purchase a year's subscription of Family Handyman which is a very comprehensive home improvement magazine. You can purchase a subscription to it for $7 instead of $28. In this time of economic turmoil, Family Handyman is a great purchase. It's full of money saving ideas and projects for your home.

Let's make it fair!

Ok. It's a play on words, but also I wanted to give you local So. Cal dwellers a frugal tip. Right now the LA County Fair is going on at the Pomona Fairplex from Sept. 5- Oct. 4.

If you can afford the high cost of entrance, it's a fun treat. If you can't, keep reading.

On Fridays, you can get in for free if you bring 5 cans of food to donate. Kids under 5 are free. So that leaves you paying the $10 ransom they are asking for parking. Last Friday, I tagged along with my friend Robyn Lemelin and her mom Judy (thanks Robyn- it was a rare treat to visit with you and your mom). We got in for an hour and a half. It was a fun 90 minutes. But it was a great discovery.

The last time my family went to the fair was about 5 years ago. I have some great pictures of the kids from our experience. The only drawback was that it cost so darned much! If you go during the week, an adult admission is $12. On the weekends is $17! You have to pay for parking which starts at $10. Then you have the food and, of course, the kids want to go on the rides which are totally overpriced. By the time everything is said and done, you have spent $100 and have nothing to show for it except a day's diversion and maybe heartburn from your deep fried twinkie (YUCK!).

I know I'm a total spoil sport- call me cheap, that's just me. But I want to take the kids and get some pics of them with the animals at the fair and I want to check out the craft areas. My friends from Dreamstone Bead Co. are doing demonstrations there on Fri., Sat., and Sun. from 3-8 pm.

With all that said, this Friday after our primary program practice which ends at 5:30 we are going to the fair. I am excited to go. I want those pictures I mentioned. It will be fun to see Ethan and Aeron's reactions to the animals. There are some fun photo opportunities as well. By donating the food, it makes it a pretty affordable family activity. The kids will not get food except for some cotton candy - maybe. We won't be going on rides. If we want to go on rides, we'd go to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, or Six Flags. I'm looking forward to some fun at the fair this Friday. Stay tuned for the pics.