It has been raining like crazy here in Washington.    I mean crazier than it usually does!   I guess I should be thankful that it isn’t an snow/ice storm like we had a couple of years back.   Do you see my Maple tree in the photo above?   The ice was so heavy it split my gorgeous tree IN HALF!!!    Have no fear, my husband was able to repair the tree and it once again blooms every spring.    He’s a stud!

The thing about Mother Nature is you never know exactly what the weather will be like at any give time.    This is why we all need to be prepared for any kind of weather emergency.   Rayovac wants to make sure we are all prepared and that put together this great list of things we should have on hand to be ready for a storm.   Our family has put together 72-hour kits that include a backpack for every member of our family that include the items outlined below.    This way we all have the necessary items packed and ready to go in case the power goes out or we need to leave our home in a flash.

Make sure you have the following essentials on hand:

• Battery-operated weather radio
• Rayovac® Flashlight
• Extra Rayovac® Batteries
• Water
• Food
• First Aid Kit (one for your home and one for each car)
• Prescription and non-prescription drugs
• Tools and supplies (paper cups, utility knife, hammer, matches, etc.)
• Personal supplies to maintain sanitation (toilet paper, paper towels, household chlorine bleach, etc.)
• Clothing and bedding
• Supplies for infants and toddlers
• Pet supplies
• Important family documents
• Entertainment (games and books)

You can head over to the Rayovac Storm Prep page to learn how to prepare for the following items:

• Lightning
• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Severe Winter Weather
• Family Disaster Plan Checklist

Rayovac is offering 15% off ALL lights (excluding bundles) on their website, just use the code LIGHTS15 at checkout. It gets even better, because if you spend $25 or more you will also get FREE shipping.

I am a Rayovac Power Blogger, I have been compensated for sharing this information with you. I have been a Rayovac user for a long time, the Rayovac brand is a perfect fit for me and my blog. All opinions are my own.

The post Storm Prep with Rayovac + 15% off Flashlights & FREE Shipping appeared first on Gather Lemons.

For those of you in the Seattle area, shopping for a car just got a whole lot easier with the help of Tred.com.   Tred.com is an at home test driving and buying service. You no longer have to head to the dealer to shop and test drive cars, you can have a car you are interested in delivered straight to your door!   Just think of all the time you can save with this service.   Tred.com is extremely reasonable too, the cost to have a car delivered to your door is $19. I also love the fact that you can test out the car without having to visit a high pressure dealer. Plus, with Tred.com the test drive is hassle free. Dealerships will not follow up or pursue you if you don’t buy or like the car.

One of the things that I really like is the Tred.com employees are knowledgeable about the cars, but their Auto Experts are independent of any car dealership or car manufacturer, so they aren’t paid to sell cars. I found this quote directly on their site and I love it!

While we’re knowledgeable about cars, we’re not the experts on your life. You are.

Here is an example of how they helped a customer:

We worked with a mother of four who was testing two minivans side by side. She asked us, “You guys are the experts, which car should I buy?” Instead of providing an opinion, we started a conversation about what she needed from a minivan. We probed for her priorities and she spoke of safety, backseat configuration flexibility, cargo space, fuel economy, all wheel drive, and interior finishes. She stated that she needed a car that could go to the mountains occasionally, but that MPGs were more important. When she realized that one minivan offered four wheel drive whereas the other offered better MPGs, her choice became clear to her.

Here is how Tred.com works:

Pick a car:  Choose a car or two online at Tred.com that you want to test drive.   Searching is super easy, you can choose by category (sedan, minivan, etc) or by brand (Toyota, Honda. etc) You can even have 2 competitive brands delivered to your home to compare them side by side. You can’t do that at a dealership!

Pick a time & place:   You pick the time and let them know when and where you want to test drive the car.   They will deliver the car to your home or office.   Delivery hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 6:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

Test drive:  You get to test out the car in your enviroment, you can see how the car fits in your driveway or in your garage.   You get to check if it’s a comfortable fit for you and your entire family.   Test drive the car in a neighborhood that’s familiar to you.    The typical test drive lasts 20-30 minutes.

Tred: How it works. from Tred.com on Vimeo.

My personal thoughts:   I am in the market for a car in the very near future and I think this is a service I might actually use.    We have done our research and narrowed down our list of potential cars to 3.   It would be great to check out each of the cars in person at my home instead of driving to each individual dealership.   Time is money!   Plus, I love the fact that Tred.com will give you no haggle offers on the cars that you test drive.   There is no pressure to accept the offer, you are more than welcome to buy a car somewhere else or even not at all.

You can visit their website at Tred.com and you can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

This post was sponsored by Tred.com. All opinions are my own.

The post Tred.com: Test Drive Cars Delivered to your Home (Seattle) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Rayovac sent me 2 Virtually Indestructible flashlights and they wanted me to put them to the test to see if they were in fact virtually indestructible.  I handed over a flashlight to my boys and told them they needed to try and break it.  My 3 teenage boys were positively giddy when they heard this news!   Boys LOVE to break things!

They first started by running over the flashlight with our van.   The rubber shock absorbers were a little misshapen, but it still worked without any problems.

Next, they took a heavy paving stone and dropped it on the flashlight.   It was amazing, the paver hit the flashlight and cracked right in half. The flashlight received some scratches on the body of the flashlight, but it still worked like a charm.

Lastly, they wanted to test out the shatterproof lens so they shot is at super close range with a BB gun.   There were 2 small knicks in the lens, but it didn’t shatter or destroy the lens.

After all the beating the flash light still works!   These Rayovac Indestructible flashlights are AWESOME!!!   I am convinced I need to pick up a couple for gifts.

Here are the 2 flashlights I tried out:

Virtually Indestructible LED 3AAA Camo Flashlight

• High performance LEDs and 2 modes: 120 Lumens, 19 Lumens (energy saver)
• Beam distance: 160 meters, 70 meters (energy saver)
• Battery run time (alkaline batteries incl.): 5 hours, 40 hours (energy saver)
• 30 Foot Drop Test Performance!
• Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity Pattern
• Lifetime guarantee
• (3) AAA Rayovac alkaline batteries included

Virtually Indestructible LED 2AA Flashlight

• High performance LEDs and 2 modes: 100 Lumens, 18 Lumens (energy saver)
• Beam distance: 149 meters, 56 meters (energy saver)
• Battery run time (alkaline batteries incl.): 15 hours, 35 hours (energy saver)
• 30 Foot Drop Test Performance!
• Lifetime guarantee
• (2) AA Rayovac alkaline batteries included

I can highly recommend these flashlights, my boys really gave them a beating and they survived.

I am a Rayovac Power Blogger, I have been compensated to share this information with you.   All opinions and torture we put the flashlight through are honest and true.

The post Putting the Rayovac Indestructible Flashlights to the Test! appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I had a get together with a few family and friends and we spent the day crafting and eating.     We made some of the cutest coasters, I simply followed the direction on the Silhouette blog.   We also created a few cards and had some yummy dessert, which involves chocolate and raspberries (the recipe will be up on the blog in August.)

I was sent some Kleenex hand towels to try out and I knew this day would be a great time to give them a try.

The single-use Kleenex Hand Towels are made to deliver one clean, fresh, dry towel every time you wash and dry your hands in your home bathroom.   They help reduce the spread of germs as compared to re-usable towels.  Bathroom towels are often wet and germy, just because a towel may look clean it doesn’t mean it is.

Besides preventing the spread of germs the Kleenex Hand Towels were great for my get-together because crafting gets messy.   We used the sink in the bathroom to wash up regularly.   We did a lot of painting and I loved that because we used the Kleenex Hand Towels my brand new towels didn’t get stained.

These will really come in handy when you have a get-together with family and friends. The Kleenex Hand Towels are free of inks, dyes and fragrances and highly absorbent, which means they dry your hands effectively.

I like that the Kleenex Hand Towels can be placed on a towel bar or countertop. The Pop-Up® delivery system makes it easy to get one clean, fresh, dry towel at time.

Look for Kleenex Hand Towels at your favorite retailer (priced around $2.99 and during entertaining/holiday time periods you will be able to find fun seasonal designs.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Putting Kleenex Hand Towels to the Test appeared first on Gather Lemons.

The Spring Cleaning Bash continues, and this time we have some more ideas for organizing your kids room.   Check out what Jen from Thrifty Northwest Mom did to organize and clean her girl’s room.   I love the little art center she put together for her girls. Make sure you head over to check out all of the photos.

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Kid’s Rooms (Thrifty Northwest Mom) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Up this week in the Spring Cleaning bash our some great ideas for organizing kids rooms.   You have to go check out what Sia from Centsible in Seattle did to organize and improve the space that her 2 girls share.   You will be amazed at the awesome DIY bed set her and her husband put together.   You must go check it out!

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Kids Room Ideas (Centsible in Seattle) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Sweet Deals 4 Moms has tackled the kitchen for our Spring Cleaning Bash!   She did such an amazing job!   She shares so many tips for how to get your appliances clean with some DIY cleaning solutions.   You must go check it out!

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Kitchen DIY Cleaning Solutions (Sweet Deals 4 Moms) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Cleaning and organizing the garage is no fun task! Maryann tackled organizing her garage and even got some help from her husband too.   Head on over to Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz County to see the “after” pictures of her garage.

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: The Garage!! (Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz County) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

The Spring Cleaning Bash continues…head on over to This Beautiful Frugal Life to see what she did to organize her pantry. I am a little jealous of the size of her pantry! This is one area in my house that needs some major organizing. I plan on tackling it soon.

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Pantry (This Beautiful Frugal Life) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Here is a coupon you don’t see everyday!   You can print a $10 off $50 purchase coupon for Lowe’s. We are in the middle of a bathroom remodel and a few other projects, so this is going to come in handy!    Coupon expires 5/18/13, but I think you will want to print it now!

Here’s how to get the coupon:

• Head over to Coupons.com and click “More”  on the navigation bar under the Popular Categories
• Click “Coupon Codes” in the  drop-down menu.
• Choose and print the $10/$50 Lowe’s coupon

Thanks Frugal Living NW!

The post Lowe’s: $10 off $50 Purchase Coupon appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Stretch Island Fruit Leather (48 ct) $10.59 – The price on these can’t be beat!!  These work out to $ .22 a piece.  These are a staple at our house. Our youngest has had sensory issues since birth and he still cannot eat real fruit without freaking out. This is the best way we know to make sure he gets some fruit in his diet.

Clif Kid Z Bars (24 ct) $10.79 – Not cheap, but they are so good.   I even love these!

Butter (4/1 lb) $7.79 – If there isn’t a sale at other stores I will usually always pick up butter and eggs from Costco

Eggs Extra Large (24 ct)  $3.49

Pretzel Slider Buns (16 ct) $5.99 – Oh my goodness – have you tried these? Don’t! You won’t be able to stop buying them. These are so good, I put some butter and a little salt on mine.   YUM!  My plan is to try to make my own someday, but for now every time I head to Costco one of these bags ends up in my cart.

Whole Chicken (5 lb) $4.99 – When I stop at Costco that usually means we are having chicken for dinner.   You can’t go wrong with a cooked 5 lb chicken for $4.99, that’s what it costs to buy one when they go on sale (and I didn’t have to cook it – BONUS!)

Tortilla Land Uncooked Tortillas  (44 ct) $6.99 – This is another item that has become a staple at our house.   Once you try these you won’t want to go back to the other tortillas.  At first, I thought it would be annoying to have to cook them up, but it really doesn’t take much time at all.

Homai California Calrose Rice (25 lb) $11.99 – We love this kind of rice much better than the long white rice.  We pick up a bag every once an awhile to add to our food storage.

Almonds $12.79 – Both of these nuts are regular snacks at our house and I have found Costco to be the cheapest place to buy them.

Pistachios $14.99

Red Star Yeast (32 oz) $3.99 – It is more cost effective to buy this big huge bag of yeast over those little packets.  We do a lot of bread baking, so this really comes in handy.

Soy Sauce (64 oz) $4.99 – Lots of the marinades we make call for soy sauce and it just makes sense to buy a big jug of it.

Vanilla Extract (16 oz) $6.89 – I always buy my vanilla extract at Costco, it’s much cheaper than buying it at the grocery store.  I kind of have a craving for chocolate chip cookies now.

Taco Seasoning (24 oz) $3.99 – This is much cheaper than buying the individual packets. I hope to eventually make my own, but for now I keep picking it up at Costco.

Worcestershire Sauce (2/20 oz) $6.89 – This is another items that we use a lot in marinades.

These are just a few of the items I pick up at Costco on a regular basis.  I often get my Strawberries, Pineapple and Lettuce at Costco.   I also get my bread flour at Costco too.

Let’s hear about the items that you pick up at Costco on a regular basis, maybe I can add something new to my shopping list.

The post Some of My Costco Staples (What are yours?) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

We are back with another installment in our Spring Cleaning Bash, this time Annaliese over at Grays Harbor Deals is showing us how she organized her office and paperwork.   I am SO glad, I didn’t get this assignment, it would have taken me all year to get mine organized!!

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post.   Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Office & Paperwork (Grays Harbor Deals) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Photo Credit: Happy Money Saver

It’s time for another post in our Spring Cleaning Bash, today you will find Karrie over at Happy Money Saver showing us what she did to spruce up her garden and yard to get ready for Spring.

We are getting Spring-like weather here, so she has inspired me to get outdoors and watch my kids clean the yard.   Just kidding!   I promise to help!   We were so excited when we bought this house because it came with a nice sized yard, but boy is it a lot of work!   It really does require the whole family pitching in to get it cleaned up!

You can keep track of all the upcoming projects in the Spring Cleaning Bash announcement post. Make sure you also follow the Frugal Spring Cleaning Pinterest board for more ideas.

The post Spring Cleaning Bash: Yard & Garden (Happy Money Saver) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I am happy to announce that in March, me and 8 of my Northwest Blogging friends are teaming up to bring you a Spring Cleaning Bash!    Woo Hoo!   Nothing says party like a clean house.    Truthfully, a clean house usually means there is a party or get-together happening soon at our house.   Please tell me I am not the only one who’s kids ask “who’s coming over” when the house is really clean.    That happens to you too, right?

Below you will find a schedule of areas that we will be tackling and the days the posts will go up on the respective blogs.    We will be sharing frugal ways to clean and organize your home in each of these areas.   It’s going to be fun!    I hope you will join in and get organized too.    Who’s with us?

March 1 (Friday): Master Closet (with The Coupon Project)

March 4 (Monday): Yard & Garden (with Happy Money Saver)

March 8 (Friday): Bathroom (with Because More is More)

March 11 (Monday): Office & Paperwork (with Grays Harbor Deals)

March 15 (Friday): Pantry (with This Beautiful Frugal Life )

March 18 (Monday): Garage (with Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz County)

March 22 (Friday): Kitchen and DIY Cleaning Solutions (with Sweet Deals 4 Moms)

March 25 (Monday): Kids Rooms (with Centsible in Seattle)

March 27 (Wednesday): Kids Rooms (with Thrifty NW Mom)

March 29 (Friday): Laundry & Craft Room (with Thrifty & Thriving)

The post Northwest Blogger Spring Cleaning Bash (Frugal Ways to Clean & Organize your Home) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I am excited to be bringing back the Homemade Holiday Series this year, I will be sharing lots of fun gift, home decor and baking projects throughout the holiday season.

If you are already thinking Christmas and want to get a jump start on gift making here are some of the homemade gift ideas from the last 2 years.   Enjoy!

Washer Pendant Necklaces (these are super easy and inexpensive.)

Glass Tile Pendant Necklaces (these are also super easy and inexpensive)

Glass Tile Magnets and Coordinating Gift Packaging (I love how these turned out)

Button Bobby Pins and Packaging (Super Simple and cheap!!)

Post-It Note Holder (great for kids to make for their teachers)

DIY Marshmallow Shooter  (fun kit you can put together so kids can make their own marshmallow shooter) This is one of my most popular posts!!

Make your own gift wrap (fun and easy!)

Here is last years Christmas Countdown, I am making a new version this year and I am super excited to show you once I get it all done.

The post Homemade Holiday Series 2012 + Previous Years Ideas appeared first on Gather Lemons.