Potlucks are known as a thrifty alternative to other dinner parties, but rarely do the terms elegant (or cool), and potluck go together. Here are some inexpensive ways to liven up the typical potluck event.

Have a theme. Same old potluck = dull. Create a theme; like an around the world potluck, a fiesta, a Hawaiian potluck, or a nature based organic potluck. You’ll still only be called upon for a dish or two, but a theme will bring something creative to the table.

Have a nibbler potluck: Have people bring their best appetizers, deserts, and cocktail fixings. This is a more adult gathering than your typical casserole potluck event.

Make your decorations work double time: Create a neat centerpiece that can actually be devoured. Use fresh fruits or edible herbs. You can freeze tiny violets or lilacs in ice cubes for pretty drinks, or even create ice bowls to use for serving. Learn how to make an ice bowl.  Ice bowls are especially nice with fruit salad or sorbet inside. Other decoration ideas can be inexpensive summer paper fans as place markers, flowers from your garden, or a plain white paper tablecloth livened up with stamps.

Shiny drinks: If you have an old tin bucket – or can find some sort of tin bin at a thrift store, cover it in clear glue, and sprinkle on the glitter. Fill with ice, and use for holding cold drinks. This looks better at night, with say, torches shining light on it. If you do it well, it’ll look good during the day as well though.

Lighting: Pull out last year’s holiday lights and hang them up. It’s an inexpensive way to create a nicely lit evening potluck. If you don’t have any left over lights, snag some LED string lights. They’re not always cheap, but one, you can find great deals online, and two, the LED lights conserve energy and will last and last.

Another idea that does double duty – lighting plus keeping bugs away, are these bamboo citronella torches. They’re a great deal for a set of six, and would look really nice either on the beach as shown, or you could place them in sand, in pretty containers or big garden pot.

What other ways can you think of to liven up a potluck; maybe bring in some extra style? 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Marcie at A Child Chosen, shares her reason for loving the 4th of July, with a sweet and reminiscent post about her anniversary.

Heather at A Creative Journal, writes about using holiday memories as a writing prompt.

Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.

Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.

Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out why Guy Fawkes is celebrated by the English and most commonwealth countries. It is indeed a blast from the past!

Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork, provides a quiz for her readers. See how many of the quilt designs you can connect with historical Americana – events, objects or people.

Marye at Baking Delights reflects on just how much menu’s have changed over the years while at Kettle and Cup she shares a modern twist that many are sure to love with her Non-Alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea.

Kelly Saunders at Thrifty Mommy shares her favorite 4th of July memory – I just can’t spoil the surprise – check it out.

Char and Christine continue Camp Weary Parent with this weeks Patriotic activities: Star Spangled Rocket and a week full of other fun projects.

Marcie and Mary Emma are blasting through books with Fourth of July and summer recommendations at One Book Two Book. Make sure to check out Fourth of July Books for Teens and The 10 Best Fourth of July Picture Books.

Linette at Robust Cooking shares 10 Healthy 4th of July Dessert Ideas. At Mother Earth’s Garden she calls out the old saying about corn – “Knee high by the fourth of July.”

At She Knows Parties, she shares fond memories of her summers and holidays as a child.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy probably has the most reason to celebrate the fourth as anyone I’ve heard – join Karen as she shares family photos of one of the most memorable nights in her families lives.

Sandy at All Holiday Cafe provides us with a list of when Independence Day is celebrated in various countries around the world.

Christina at SoloMother shares her own experiences of celebrating the 4th of July in the nations capital.

Susan at PlayLibrary shares her memories of playing the classic game of Zimm Zamm during her family’s annual July 4th barbecue celebration.

Eliza at Babylune reflects back on early holiday celebrations with baby on board and looks to this years celebration – their first out of the military.

Gayla at MomGadget – Without fail, each year my memories race back to an earlier time when life was much simpler and we’d celebrate our summer holiday with relatives down in the holler in the hills of Kentucky – this year – I share a Bluegrass Kinda Fourth of July.

 Here’s to a safe and patriotic holiday weekend…CHEERS!!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

• An adoption agency checklist at A Child Chosen
• Homemade Organic Honey at Tree Hugging Family
• A Single’s Guide to Dating on a Budget at Dating Dames
• A crocheted wasp – be – gone nest at Hankering for Yarn
• A Green Wedding Tip at Tree Hugging Family
• Green Homes for Sale at Offbeat Homes.
• Greening Home Decor at Keeping the Castle
• 11 Ways to Save Money on Organic Food at Tree Hugging Family
• Karen talks about savings at CVS at Thrifty Mommy. I’m actually planning a future post on “CVS’ing” but this gives a great overview.
• The Bargainist lists all the Memorial Day sales.
• 60 Awesome Barbecue Recipes at She Knows Parties.
• The Top 40 Summer Songs of All Time at She Plays Music
• 4 Beauty Recipes Featuring Epsom Salts at The List Maven.
• 6 Johnson’s Baby Powder Tips at The List Maven.
• Watch for Changing Credit Card Terms at Consumer Reports
• Don’t Get Taken In by Charity Scams at Consumer Reports
• Costco is a great place for buying cheap prescription drugs at Consumerist
• Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalists at Frugal Dad (one of my new favorite blogs.)
• 10 Simple Ways to Save Money on Summertime Activities at Frugal Dad
• How to Hire an HVAC Contractor and Get a Good Deal at Joe Consumer
• The 10 Craziest How-To Books at MadConomist
• 10 Fines that Will Blow Your Mind at MadConomist.
• Freebie Friday at the Mother Load
• 10 of the World’s Most Expensive Homes at Credit Card Pundit

Did you talk about something thrifty or green this week on your blog? Send me the link at deborah.ng@b5media.com and I’ll add you to the next thrifty link list!

Have a nice Memorial Day and a great week!

- Deb

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

In the U.S. we are preparing for the official launch of summertime with our Memorial Day Holiday coming up this next weekend.

To welcome the most beloved season, b5media Lifestyles Channel decided to usher Summertime in with a very special tribute to The Good Old Summertime.

• Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book reminds you to check our your local library for their summer reading programs which can be great fun for youngsters, parents, and grandparents.
• Be gone foul wasp!  Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn has designed a crocheted fake wasp nest to trick the wasps and yellow jackets into staying away from her home. Let’s hope it works!
• Elizabeth at Career and Kids shares tips for those busy potluck and picnic days at work and home.  And on GenBetween she also shares 10 warm weather tips for aging adults.
• Kadi Prescott of Supernanny Rules discusses the importance of continued learning during those long summer breaks from school.
• At Simply Thrifty I paint a portrait of life as a kid in the 70’s in Queens with Dining Al Fresco in the Summers of My Youth.
• Cyndi Lavin of Jewelry and Beading wants her readers to win a beautiful medallion, just in time for some summertime beading fun.  On Layers Upon Layers you’ll learn some digital effects to give your summertime pictures some zip!  And nothing beats crisp tangy salads for summertime eating.  Busy Family Meals has a special salad dressing giveaway.
• Christine Gooding at MadCropper While she is about to enter her own winter months, she joins in our project with memories of her own summers as a child.
• Heather at Chocolate Bytes has two recipes that say “summertime” to her first, chocolate zucchini cake and how about whipping up some Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream to top it off?  If you hop over to The Food Bowl, she offers tips on heat stroke prevention for your pets.
• Sherry at Inside Motherhood discusses taking her daughter to the market and explaining to her how it’s better to support locally grown farm foods rather than importing food as a bit of an educational field trip.
• Christina at Solo Mother share’s a bit of a then and now as she discusses Sunday rituals as a child and those of today with her own child.
• Maricar at Keeping the Castle shares a wonderful guest post by Jeff Wilson of the DIY Network where he discusses simple steps to an amazing deck makeover.
• Karen at Thrifty Mommy shares two very popular classic posts – 15 Summer Cooking Tips and 10 Thrifty Ways to Deal with Mosquitos
• Peggy at Junk Creation shares how to make a Vacation Scrapbook Planter from a Sour Cream Container.
• Tracee at BlogFabulous shares a rather memorable experience during potty training.  Any mother of boys will be able to relate to this one.
• Katelyn from Stamping Mad has created a mixed media collage to remind herself to take time to enjoy the wonderful summer weather.
• Farley at Behind the Vines is preparing for some summertime wine tasting.  The only thing left to do is decide on a destination.
• Sandy Mitchell at Robust Cooking shares 9 Quick Vegetable Grilling Tricks and if you hop over to her other blog All Holiday Cafe, she shares 10 Ways to Save Money on Summer Holiday Travel
• Susan Gunelius at Play Library shares fond memories of her younger days spending hours in the family pool and flashes forward to today and the fun and affordable pool toys that are available.
• Chloe Findlay-Harder at Tangled Thread shares a tutorial on how to make a cooling bandana to help relieve those super hot dog days of summer.
• Linette Gerlach at Mother Earth’s Garden shares tips on Creating an Outdoor Space to escape to for relaxation and at She Knows Parties, Linette shares a Party Punch Decorative Ice Ring for a cool refreshing treat on a hot summer day.
• Noel Bautista at Unplugged Living enlightens us on solar cooking options as an alternative to traditional grilling methods.
• Last, at MomGadget, Gayla takes a stroll down memory lane as sheI lista some of her personal favorite dishes and flavors of summertime.  Almost the entire collection is a tribute to her grandmother who, summer after summer, taught her about tradition, gardening and the wonderful flavors Mother Nature provides us during the season.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our tribute to the wonderful season of summer and for our readers living in the U.S., we wish you all a wonderful and safe Memorial Day Holiday.

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b5Media’s Lifestyles Channel is having a party this month, a 3 Doors Down party. This means we get to introduce you to some of the blogs three doors down from ours.

As someone who likes to cross stitch now and then and also has a sewing basket practically piled to the ceiling, Tangled Thread is one of the blogs on my RSS feed. As a Mom, I also like the easy kids crafts like this simple felt flower, for instance. Right now, Chloe has a major How to Make Silk Paper series going on. Do it yourselfers don’t want to miss this great series.

If you’re handy with a needle, do stop by Tangled Thread and say hello. You’re sure to return again.

Image: Buy at AllPosters.com

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Today, we’re going to take a field trip. We’re going to the visit with blog three doors down from Simply Thrifty, Guerilla Parenting. Originally known as Super Nanny Rules, moms Kadi and Gayla dispense tough love parenting advice. In fact, Kadi, mom of seven, was actually on Super Nanny so she can truly share what she learned with others. Gayla has been sharing the benefit of her parenting experience for years over at MomGadget, and she’s someone I’m happy and proud to call friend.

I don’t know that I’m a big fan of guerilla parenting methods, but I do believe there are times when we need to be extremely firm and unbending in laying down the law. That’s not all of what Guerilla Parenting is about though. Gayla and Kadi also share touching and amusing anecdotes, review products, offer awesome giveaways and turn your on to other cool parenting blogs.

If you’re looking for some firm parenting techniques, stop by and visit Gayla and Kadi. Tell them Deb sent you!

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Ever wonder what your favorite blogger or writer’s office looks like? Do you picture them in an elaborate wood paneled and leathered study? Or perhaps a coffee shop in the city? My office isn’t that interesting. Made up of second hand furniture and discards from our basement, my working space is nice and quiet and away from the hubbub of family life, but close enough that I’m here when I’m needed.

Would you like to see where I work? It’s right here on video.

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Good morning frugal friends. So much going on in the world of cheapness and frugality. Hope you’re taking some time out to have some fun too!

Don’t forget, Simply Thrifty’s most prolific commentator for April gets an Amazon gift certificate so go ahead and comment – even if I didn’t post one day.

Here’s what I’m reading:

• Pillow Care Tips at Keeping the Castle
• Pillsbury’s $1,000,000 cookie at Foodie Obsessed
• Harley at Behind the Vines is wondering where your money goes. Take the poll.
• Please visit the Lifestyle Channel’s latest blog: Toolbelt Tips. Lordy will my family need this one.
• Tips for Clearning Clutter at DeClutter It
• Treat Yourself Now the Taxes are Done at Chocolate Bytes
• A new solar cooker can even cook your dinner at Business Standard
• Non Toxic Plants for Pets at the Food Bowl
• Mile High Buttermilk Cake at Baking Delights (Warning: Your mouth will absolutely water. I so have to try this.)
• Outstanding Offbeat Organic Beauty at Offbeat Homes
• Safety Nets Offer Financial Protection in Turbulent Times at Consumer Reports
• 5 Confessions of an Apple Tech Support Supervisor at The Consumerist
• Should the Government Set Up a Do Not Track List at The Consumerist
• Extreme Savers Share their Secrets at Yahoo Finance
• 4 Savvy and Mindful Uses for Rebate Checks at Frugal Duchess
• 5 Ways to Reuse Your Dead Hard Drive at Green Daily
• 10 Tips for Spring Cleaning Success at Thrifty Mommy.

Contests and Giveaways:

• A hypoallergenic pillow at Keeping the Castle.
• Win a book about quilting at quilting and patchwork.

Have great weekend!

Deb

Won’t you read some of my other blogs?

• Cookerati
• Freelance Writing Jobs
• Network Blogging Tips
• She Plays Music
• She Knows Parties
• The List Maven
• News from the Glamorati
• Credit Card Pundit
• Riverwired: Green Celebrity and Entertainment News

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here’s what I’m reading this weekend:

• At Keeping the Castle, Maricar lists Consumer Reports list of Top Everyday Products. I always find lists like this fascinating.
• We’re thrifty folks so we probably won’t indulge, or not often, but Brew-Ha-Ha has discovered the world’s most expensive beer.
• Heather at the food bowl has a recipe for making doggie ice cream. If you ask me, this recipe has “loose bowels” written all over it.
• Jennifer at De-Clutter It wants to know if being disorganized can make you sick. I really hope not, but that could explain why I catch so many colds.
• Marye at Baking Delights is offering an excellent primer for making wedding cakes.
• Jennifer at De-Clutter It also has tips for getting those lawn tractors in shape.
• Hope this doesn’t get to you too late but Fashion Bug’s online store is 40% off today! HT: The Bargainist.
• Guitar Hero for Wii at $75 shipped. Can you tell I’m a fan of The Bargainist?
• Grounded by a Bankrupt Airline? Here’s what to do at Consumer Reports.
• Helpful Resources for Caregivers at Consumer Reports.
• Confessions of a Debt Settlement Company Worker at The Consumerist. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about these debt settlement companies. It’s better to try and work with your creditor yourself than hire one of these shysters.
• At interesting report on credit card shaving at the Oregonian.
• Confessions of a Sprint Customer Service Agent at The Consumerist.
• As gas prices increase you can save more at Credit Card Pundit.
• 25 Things You Never Knew You Could Buy Online at Credit Card Pundit.
• Kiplinger’s 25 Best Mutual Funds:  Low Fees and No Fees at the Frugal Duchess.
• 5 Tips for Improving Credit Scores at Frugal Duchess.
• 10 Party Favors You Can Make Youself at She Knows Parties.
• 5 Great Places to Find Lip Balm Recipes at The List Maven.
• 5 Ways to Reuse Draperies at Green Daily.
• How Retailers Trick You Into Buying Stuff You Don’t Need (and how to fight back) at Joe Consumer.
• Why Things Cost $19.95 at MadConomist.
• Anything can be a container garden at Mother Earth’s Garden.
• Two Incomes at What Price? At the New York Times.
• Top 25 Thrifty Ways to Go Green at Thrifty Mommy.
• The city of Seattle gives bottled water the boot. At Tree Hugger.

Contests Giveaways and Freebies

• Don’t forget we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to Simply Thrifty’s most prolific commentator for April. So far it’s still anyone’s game and even a newbie can get it on it.
• A free shipping roundup at The Bargainist.
• Three winners will be chosen at random for a four pack of Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Sleek Sodas at Cookerati. I love Hansen’s.
• Win a Magic Bullet at Cookerati.
• Bloggers can win an external hard drive at Network Blogging Tips.
• She Knows Parties is giving away five party planning “What to Do” pads.
• The List Maven (that would be me) is giving away an iTunes gift certificate.
• You have two more days to win an adorable set of summer sleeping unmentionables at The List Maven.
• Win Rainforest Alliance Coffee from Zabars at Tree Hugging Family.
• Babylune is giving away Oopsie Dazie accessories.
• Win an Island Cowgirl necklace from Her Accessories.
• Win a copy of Gorgeously Green from Veggie Chic.
• You can win a boatload of International Orange products at Spa Beautifully.
• As always, don’t miss Freebie Friday at the Mother Load.

Feel Free to Visit My Other Blogs

• The List Maven
• Cookerati
• She Knows Parties
• She Plays Music
• Network Blogging Tips
• Freelance Writing Jobs
• Credit Card Pundit
• News from the Glamorati
• Celebrity Role Model
• Riverwired: Green Celebrity News

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

• The List Maven (That would be me) is giving away three hats.
• It’s not too early to plan your Easter egg hunt at She Knows Parties.
• All Holiday Cafe celebrates National Almond Day.
• De-Clutter it has a tutorial on storing your fine china.
• A possible wind-powered high school at Unplugged Living.
• Homemade organic facial toner at Tree Hugging Family.

Enjoy!

- Deb

Post from: Thrifty Mommy