Free Online Calorie Counter & Burn Meter

New Year's Resolutions often include weight loss or fitness. These programs can often be very expensive.  An older lady in my neighborhood has lost quite a bit of weight and she recommended this website to me.  It offers a free online calorie counting service, but there is also a lot more to it. I have never done Weight Watchers (or other diet programs) before, but I did have a friend tell me that strict calorie counting is part of most plans. 

I like this website because you can do it however you want and it is up to you how strict you want to be. In addition to caloric intake, it also tracks your burn for the day.  You can look at it and quickly see if you need to limit your calorie intake or simply increase your burn. You can also tell it that you want "weight maintenance" or that your goal is "weight gain."  Then it will make some caloric intake recommendations for you.  But you can also type in what activities you participated in for the day and it will tell you how many calories you burned. These activities range from running, swimming, moving furniture and vigorous cleaning to lighter activities such as hairstyling, folding laundry, reading and even sleeping, if you want to get that specific. 

NOTE: For those of you used to a metric system, you can enter your items in grams, pints, etc. instead of cups, tablespoons, etc. There is also a unit converter.

You can tag the items that you do on a regular basis. For example, if you eat a certain oatmeal every day for breakfast, you just tag it and then you don't have to enter the info every time. 

Another thing I like is that it has a large database of nutritional information that is quite specific. There are over 107,000 foods. (And if that's not enough for you, you can also create custom food information if you can't find what you need.) For example, you can type "Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza", and the nutrional choices will come up for various pizza sizes and crust choices, etc.  Then you can simply adjust how much you consumed and add it to your food log. The woman who recommended it to me said that she keeps the calorie counter open on her computer all the time, and then she just forces herself to be brutally honest about what she is eating. 

You can take a quiz about your diet profile; you can read articles about various topics; you can join forums and keep a journal if you want to.  You can track your weight and it will give you graph telling you if you are on target for your goal.  It will give you a graph of your nutrition that shows what percent of your food was fat, carbohydrates, sodium, etc.  You will receive a letter grade for your nutrition and most foods have a letter grade next to them.  For example, a Pizza Hut medium-sized Pepperoni Lover's pizza gets a D+ on the nutrition scale. Hmm... perhaps not the best choice for dinner, eh? 

You can even track stuff on your phone.  Let's say you are sitting in a restaurant and you want to get some nutritional info.  You can. You can text them and they will send it back to you, or if you have a web-enabled phone, you can access it that way.  They also have recipes you can try. There's even a recipe anaylzer. You enter your recipe and the number of servings and it will provide you with some nutritional information.

Anyway, just passing on a free tool that you may want to try if weight/fitness are part of your goals for the new year.  Certainly there are many, many calculators out there, and this is only one of them. I have liked it so far, and I hope to stick with it. For me, it has been more about realizing the nutrition of certain foods that I have never thought much about before.  Then when I am faced with those foods, I can decide if it is really worth it to eat it. If I want to, then I do. And I alter what I am eating for the rest of the day, or I increase my burn to make up for it. I guess it's simply creating an awareness for me. It's helping me make healthier choices. It's helping me realize that I need to get my body moving more.  I guess it's something about seeing what you ate and did that day facing you in black and white (and of course, color graphics! lol)   It's kind of a wake up call. 

Click here for a great article about making New Year's Resolutions stick.

Good luck with your goals for the new year!! If you want to share what your goals are, comment below. (They can be anything-- not just fitness/dieting).  Please include the tools or methods you plan to use to achieve them if you can, and if possible, how you are doing it frugally. We can all benefit that way. I always love hearing how others are saving money. Thanks!

Shopping AFTER Holidays, A Few Tips & Stocking Stuffers for Next Year

We all know that after a holiday you can really save by purchasing things that have been marked down significantly. The sales will usually last one week after a holiday. Typically you will see this pattern for sales:

Days 1, 2 and 3 after the holiday:   Items marked at 50% off their original prices

Days 4, 5 and 6 after the holiday:   Items marked at 75% off their original prices

Days 7 & 8 after the holiday:          Items marked at 90% off their original prices

After that, the merchandise is pretty much gone, or the retailers will even dispose of it so that they can clear their shelves for the next coming holiday.  (Anyone notice that Valentine's decor was already out in JoAnn Fabrics BEFORE Christmas!?  I was shocked!)   This is a great way to get holiday decor for the next year and just put it away with your items, but you can also save on other things, like gifts.  One year I went to Wal-mart and stocked up on the bath stuff that had been marked down 90% off.  I had teacher gifts and gifts for my friends all year 'round. I even used one for a graduation present for my niece.  If you want to do this, look carefully through the selection, because many of them do not have Christmas logos on them, though some do. 

Another tip: I have started paying attention when people are opening gifts.  For example, when my husband opened a tool, my brother mentioned, "Oh, nice!! I need one of those."  I have a little notebook and I write that stuff down in it. It gives me ideas for their birthdays or the following Christmas. And sometimes I can even find them at the after-holiday sales and I can save a lot of money, so I can get an item I might not normally be able to afford. Note that if you choose this method, the recipient can't return the gift, so be careful to whom you give these types of things.  If it is someone who would try to return it, then remember the idea, but don't purchase it this far in advance!

And if you live alone or are one of those people who has to fill your own stocking......well, here's a tip.  Buy some things now, after Christmas while they are marked down, and wrap them up.  Put them in a box or bin and mark it "My Stocking" or "My Presents" and store them with your Christmas decorations as you put them away this year. Next year when you get out your items, resist the temptation to open the gifts.  You will NOT remember what they are. (Well, if you do, wow! What a memory!)  On Christmas morning, you will have gifts to open and will be pleasantly surprised and you will receive things that you actually wanted because you bought them! 

If you can combine some of your items with coupons, you can really save big!  Good luck and happy shopping!!

Santa Sacks- No Sew Option

If you want to make the Santa Sacks, but you don't sew, here's a couple of different options.

Step 1:

Purchase pillowcases. You can get them at a thrift store, grab old ones from your linen closet, buy them at the store, whatever works for you. I would recommend using a darker colored pillowcase if that is an option for you, simply because the gifts may show through a white or light-colored fabric.

Step 2:

Purchase some cute fabric ribbon (again, not wired).  There are some fabulous patterned Christmas ribbons available. You could also cut a strip of fabric and pink the edges (like explained in the Santa Sack Instructions post).  I would recommend about a 2"-3" wide ribbon for a nice big bow, but it's up to you. You will want it at least 45" long. Use it to tie your bags closed. Voila! You're done!

If you can, I would recommend at least stitching the ribbon to the back of the bag like shown in the Santa Sack Instructions, but you don't have to do that step. It just keeps the ribbon from getting lost.

Step 3 -Optional Way to Decorate Your Bags:

If you purchased plain pillowcases and you think they are too "boring", then you can get some cute Christmas fabric that has reindeer or Santa or wreaths or whatever on it.  You won't need very much fabric at all. Also purchase some "Wonder Under" at the fabric store. You won't need very much.  Follow the instructions on the Wonder Under. 

Basically, it works like this: First, you will use your iron to adhere one side of the Wonder Under to the wrong side of the fabric.  Then you cut out the shape that you want from the front of the fabric, such as the reindeer or the Santa that is printed on the fabric.  Then, place the cut out fabric wrong side down onto the right side of the Santa Sack that you have.  Place a damp cloth over both pieces and using a dry iron, press for 15 seconds. Ta da!! You now have a cute embellishment on your Santa Sack.  That's it. That's all there is to it.

You could even cut out the letters of your child's name in a fun Christmas fabric and then iron them onto the sack.  They could be as small or as large as you want. :)

Note: If you want these to last forever, and you DO sew (even a tiny bit), you may want to run a tight zig-zag or a satin-stitch around the edge of each iron-on piece. It will just make them last longer, as after a while the edges will begin to separate from the bag.

I don't have a "Christmas themed" picture to demonstrate this, but I do have one with butterflies (sorry! lol).  My daughter broke her arm 2 weeks ago, and we used this technique to make her sling a lot more fun.  The butterflies are simply cut from a fun patterned material and all I did was iron them in place.  The hearts were simply cut from a plain material using the same idea.  Hopefully you can get the general idea of how this works, if you've never used Wonder Under before. 

I will try to patch some pants using this method and show you how it works, but right now, I have to get some Christmas things done! Happy Holidays everyone!

Santa Sack Instructions

Here's the basic instructions for the Santa Sacks. Yes, this is definitely a beginner's sewing project.  If you can use an iron and sew in a straight line, you can do this. Sorry that I didn't make one of these specifically for the tutorial and so I don't have photos of every step. Hopefully it will make sense. If not, then be sure to comment and I will try to clear up any confusion. I will also post a "no-sew" option for these sacks separately.

Step 1 - Select Your Fabric:

Select your fabric. This may be the hardest part. :)  There are so many fun patterns to choose from. If you find a piece that you love but there isn't very much of it, you can use it for the trim at the top, so go ahead and buy it. 

Step 2 - Determine Size of Your Bag:

Measure your fabric.  Most fabric (in the United States) comes in 44"-45" widths.  We will just fold that width in half, so the bag will end up being about 21" wide when sewn.  You want to determine the length of your bag.  Most of mine vary from about 30" long to 36", but it really doesn't matter, as long as it is a rectangle shape and the length is longer than your width of 21" (when sewn).  

For the purpose of this tutorial & simplicity in reading, I will use the dimentions of a 32" length & a piece of 44" wide fabric.

Step 3 - Cut:

After you have determined your length, cut your fabric so that you now have a piece of fabric that measures 44" x 32". 

Step 4 - Adding a Different Fabric Trim Along the Top of the Bag: (optional)

If you want to add a different trim along the top of the bag, then cut a strip that is 16" wide x 44" wide (the width of the fabric.  These two photos (below) show that the top strip is a different pattern than the rest of the bag.  With right sides together, line up the raw edge (of the 44" width) and stitch a 1/2" seam to sew the two pieces together.  Press the strip away from the bag, pressing the seam towards the body of the bag. If you have a serger, you get to skip this step (and I will be envious.)

Optional: If you want to, you can reinforce the seams by stitching again either over the first stitching or a 1/4" from the first stitching.

Step 5 - Sewing the Main Body of the Bag:

With right sides together, fold the fabric in half & line up the raw edges so that you now have a piece of fabric that is 22" x 32".  (Be sure to match the seams at the edge of the top lining if you added that step). Pin one short edge and the long raw edge together. Start at the corner of the folded edge and sew along the short end and then the long side, leaving the top edge open.  You should now have the basic shape of a pillowcase. Press.

Step 6 - Stitching the Top of the Bag:

Press the top edge of the bag under 1/4" inch.  Fold the top edge under (wrong sides together) about 7-8" and press. 

If you added the optional contrasting trim at the top (step 4), then fold the trim so that it just slightly overlaps the raw edge of the seam.  If this part seems a bit confusing, go look at the top inside portion of one of your pillowcases. You will see how the top 8" or so is lined towards the inside with the raw edge neatly turned under.

Press the folded piece down, and pin so that the raw edge is covered (if you did that step) or simply pin it 7-8" from the top.  Topstitch 1/4" from edge. Turn the bag right-side out. You should now have a pillowcase. You're almost done!

Step 7 - Adding the Tie Closure- Several Options:

There's a couple of options here.

Option 1) You can purchase fabric ribbon and just tie the bag closed. Make sure you don't buy "wired" ribbon. I didn't want my ties to get lost, so I stitched them to the back of the bag in an "x" pattern. Hopefully you can see that in my photo.  If you do this, find the middle of your ribbon and the middle of the back of your bag and stitch just a small x to keep the ribbon from getting lost.  This is optional though. You could just tie the bags shut with ribbon and call it good.

Option 2) Ribbon can get costly, so I cut strips of leftover fabric in a contrasting material that were 4" x 44".  Then with right sides together, I folded the strip in half lengthwise and used a 1/4" seam to sew one short end and the long side together. Then I turned the strip right-side out.  Then I pressed the strip and folded the raw edge to the inside and top stitched all the way around the strip.  Then I found the middle of the strip and stitched it in the "x" to the middle of the outside of the back of the bag.

(Note: if you don't have a sewing tool to turn strips right-side out easily, this may not be the best option for you. It's a pain in the neck if you don't have the tool.) 

Option 3) If you don't have the turning tool and you don't want to invest in ribbon, you could cut a 3-4" wide strip of fabric and then use pinking shears along the edges so that it wouldn't fray.  Or you could even just stitch 1/4" from the sides and if it frays, it would just fray slightly, which may be a look that you prefer. Then you could still stitch it to the bag in the "x" pattern so that it stays with the bag.

That's it! You're all finished.  These bags can be made in any dimensions you'd like.  Hopefully they will relieve some stress for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!!

Santa Sacks - Reusable Fabric Gift Wrap

I was growing up, Santa Claus did not wrap the gifts he left. They were laid out on the couch in a pile for each child. Gifts from family members were wrapped, but gifts from Santa were not. We simply went into the living room and we were faced with everything all at once, which means my mom & dad didn't necessarily get to see our reactions to our gifts, because all the kids got to see their things all at once. I have always liked wrapped gifts from Santa, simply because it seems to make Christmas morning last a bit longer, but the mess and expense add up, and poor Santa and his elves certainly spend a great deal of time wrapping those gifts!!  And sometimes, Santa realizes he forgot to wrap a certain gift. This way he can quickly toss it into the sack along with more than one other gift, if necessary.

So, last year I decided to purchase several yards of fabric for each person in my family and make "Santa Sacks." The idea behind the Santa Sacks is that Santa Claus is a very busy man, and this way he doesn't have to take the time to wrap our gifts. We are helping him to save the environment, and also save him some time. Each person in my family has a specific pattern/material for their bags. For example, my daughter has a green bag with reindeer on it, and my son has candy canes on his bags. That way we didn't have to put tags on them, though you could embroider names onto the sack. We set the bags out on the couch on Christmas Eve and then Santa can just slip our gifts into the sack during the night.  My kids had fun setting out their sacks and putting a note with it so Santa would know which sack belonged to whom.

Now, toys in boxes are easier to wrap, no question. But another neat thing we discovered about the Santa Sacks is that Santa's gifts can come completely assembled, with all the packing removed.  You know, the boxes that dolls or toys come in, and they have all the little twist ties and tape and as a parent you spend a lot of time just trying to get the toys removed from the box? This way you can relax because Santa's elves have removed the packing. Since the items just get tossed into the sack, the shape of the gift doesn't matter.  And then, mom and dad can sit on the couch, sip hot cocoa, and enjoy watching their kids play with their presents, rather than spending time trying to wrestle the Polly Pockets and Star Wars Action Figures from their boxes.

I made 3 large sacks for each person in my family (various sizes). You can make them any size you'd like. Just do some math considering how much fabric you purchase. I added a strip of fabric in a contrasting pattern (leftover from another family member's sack material) as a tie closure for the sacks. I lined the top portion only of the sack. You could line the entire bag, but that does get more expensive. It's not really necessary, though. Since they're only used once a year and they're not carrying anything, the sacks are just not going to get that much use that they will wear out. I just lined the top about 8 inches or so, and then sewed the tie closure just below the lined portion on the back of the sack (so the tie wouldn't get lost).  Then when the sack is tied shut, the top portion that sticks out is still cute and you don't see the seam.

They are sewn in a basic pillowcase pattern, very simply and they turned out really fun. I was a bit hesitant last year that my idea would go down in flames, but the mess it eliminated on Christmas morning was very worth it! I was also hestitant that my kids could untie the sacks and sneak a peek in the night, but I decided that their choices have consequences, and if they want to ruin the surprise, that's their choice. (And besides, it's no different than a gift in a paper gift bag with tissue paper. They can easily peek into those, too.)

You might try purchasing your fabric at an after Christmas sale when you can get 75% off or even better, or use a coupon to cut down the cost. Just consider the quality of the fabric so your bags will last year after year. A quilter's cotton will be a better quailty than some other choices, though it is a bit more expensive initially (but not too much).

According to Gift Bags Gone Green, wrapping paper and other paper gift wrap adds up to more than $5 billion dollars annually.  This is one way you can cut down on your own personal carbon footprint.  Just think, not wrapping gifts from Santa ever again times the number of people in your family, year after year? That will definitely reduce the amount your family spends on wrapping.  The initial cost will pay for itself very quickly, likely within a few years, depending on how much your family typically spends on paper gift wrap and how much you spend on your fabric and thread to make the sacks.

If anyone is interested, I am willing to create a tutorial on how I did this.  Let me know if you'd like to see one in an upcoming post.

Download Free Christmas/Holiday MP3s

Every day throughout December, Amazon.com is unveiling a new holiday song that you can download for free from their website. Each song is available for a limited time.

If you click on the song, you can preview a sample of it to see if you'd like it. But, hey, they're free, so even if you decide you don't like it, you can just delete it from your computer later. So, get yourself some fun new music, and start wrapping! Happy holidays!