Atlanta's Frugal Mom

What SHOULD you do if your dog is missing?  We recently went through this terrible experience, and I don’t wish it on anyone.  While we were extremely lucky with our outcome, it could have easily not rather unfortunate.  SO, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from my experience, to perhaps save y’all the trouble and heartache, if you ever find yourself in my shoes. Prevention – Things to Do Beforehand Get the chip.  If it’s within your budget and your pet is young, get the chip implanted. It’s the easiest and fastest way to have your beloved pet return home to you.  Our dog is almost 15 years old, and the chip wasn’t available when my husband got him.  (Yes, he got the dog before he got me…) Keep updated tags on him.  Our dog is prone to losing his tag, so it’s a good idea to keep an extra one handy, if yours is the same way.  Check frequently to ensure tags are still in place, and that the information hasn’t rubbed off. Take ...

This is a sponsored post, based on my experience with Thomas Eye Group. In exchange for this post, I received a form of compensation; however, all opinions are mine.  Please note, this is MY personal experience with LASIK.  I am not a doctor, nor any sort of expert of LASIK procedures or anything concerning one’s eye health.  I am sharing my experience to help educate others about the options available to them.  Your experience(s) may vary from mine. About five years ago, I finally got around to making an appointment with a LASIK chain, to get a consultation and to find out more about having the procedure.  By the time the appointment came around, I was pretty certain I would have to put it off.  Later that evening, after my consultation, my suspicions were confirmed: I was pregnant. Fast forward five years, two kids, two (or three?) pairs of glasses, and dozens of pairs of contacts later: I was more than ready to ditch the glasses, and revisit LASIK surgery. Shopping Around As w...

LASIK giveaway, beach, and lemons posing as vans.  Yep, this is what I’ve been up to the last few weeks! We spent the last week at the beach – on vacation.  It was a much-needed getaway for all of us.  First, we visited hubs’ parents for a few days.  It was golf carts and dips in the pool galore!  Luckily, Florida’s weather faired better -um- dryer than Georgia’s did!     Then, we all hopped in the car, and headed to the beach for a few days. This was each of my children’s second time at the beach.  But really first time for my son, who just slept in the tent on the beach last year.  (Oh, the life of an infant.)  They each had an absolute BLAST!  From my son toddling after seagulls (“birdie WAIT!”), to my daughter’s ever-growing seashell collection, to just digging my toes in the sand (even for just a fleeting moment, before bouncing off to chase an active and curious toddler), to just -getting away.  We were LONG overdue, and m...

Being extremely active on social media, I’ve seen tons of updates about how Christmas is just around the corner.  As much as I don’t want to start planning right now (procastinator!) it’s important so that I’m not breaking the bank in December.  So many families don’t plan for the holidays early enough, and end up putting a lot of their holiday gifts on credit cards.  Proper planning and smart shopping starting now can help you save in the long run, and avoid massive credit card bills when the new year rolls around.  Check out these 10 tips for making your Christmas as financially un-stressful as possible! 10 tips for planning Christmas on a budget 10.  Start making a list of what your kids want – As you hear them ask for specific things, or notice something that they could use, add it to a list.  You can easily make a list on your smartphone with an app like Evernote , and access it from anywhere .  This will really come in handy once you start act...

Fourth of July is just around the corner, and if you’re a regular reader of my blog you know that I have been sharing all sorts of fun red, white, and blue recipes over the last few weeks.  Today’s post is a roundup of fun patriotic recipes that are perfect for your holiday get together! Red, White and Blue Patriotic Party Foods 1.  Pigs in a blanket – These are pretty simple.  Just make them like usual, then brush with a little bit of food coloring before baking.  We used blue, but you could do red as well. 2.   Two step cupcakes – Cute and tasty, these cupcakes can be made by little ones in just a matter of minutes! 3.  Dipped strawberries – Another really easy treat, these strawberries are just dipped in white chocolate and blue sprinkles. 4.   American flag pizza – Sometimes it’s nice to have something more filling than finger foods, and this pizza makes a great centerpiece for your holiday party table too! 5.  Fruit salad – Blueb...

Last week I shared a recipe for a cute red, white, and blue layered party punch for kids , and it was so popular that today I’m sharing another drink that’s just for grown ups!  It fits right in with the patriotic party theme for the upcoming 4th of July holiday, and I’ve got two versions for you: one for a casual cookout and another for a more formal get together.  They both have the same exact ingredients, they are just prepared a little differently.  Check out the recipe below!   Red, White and Blue Parent Party Punch and Martinis Ingredients: 2 oz vodka 6 oz mandarin orange sparkling water (I used Clear American) 1 Tbsp grenadine Ice Fresh blueberries on a skewer for garnish Parent Party Punch Directions: 1.  Mix vodka, sparkling water, and grenadine in a 16 oz glass. 2.  Fill with ice to the top. 3.  Garnish with blueberry skewer and a cute straw (if desired) Red, White and Blue Martini Directions: 1.  Fill a shaker with ice. 2.  Pour in vodka and sparkling w...

This  red, white, and blue pinwheel recipe is the perfect addition to your 4th of July get together!  It’s simple and quick, and looks adorable when it’s all finished and cut up for serving.  Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste “blue” either, there’s ranch mixed in there! Red White and Blue Pinwheels Ingredients: 3 large flour tortillas 8 oz tub of whipped cream cheese Blue food coloring 1 packet ranch dip/dressing mix 1 pack sliced provolone (or any other white cheese) 1 small sweet red pepper Plastic wrap This recipe does have blue food coloring in it, so if you try to stay away from food dyes you’ll want to check out an alternative like  India Tree Natural Decorating Colours . Directions: 1.  Pour the ranch packet into the cream cheese, mix well. 2.  Squeeze blue food coloring into cream cheese, stir until desired color. 3.  Spread cream cheese across tortillas. 4.  Cover each tortilla with 4 pieces of cheese. 5.  Cut pepper into thin strip...