Recommendations: A Few of Our Favorite Things

I often get asked for recommendations on products and services I use, so I decided to put my favorite things all in one place.  Although some of the links are affiliate or referral links, they are all products or services that I own or use myself and highly recommend.  Signing up or purchasing through these links may generate a small commission that helps support this site at no extra cost to you.

Financial

YNAB

We love the simplicity and flexibility of budgeting with  YNAB.  They have a fabulous methodology and free online classes, not to mention awesome software.  The online classes will change the way you think about budgeting and really help whether you suscribe or not.  You can try it free for a month!

Capital One 360

For almost a decade we have used Capital One 360 accounts, although before Capital One took over they were called ING Direct  accounts.  I love having a completely online bank.  We can easily create multiple accounts to make a virtual envelope system.  When we have a few different savings goals, it’s nice to keep the money in a separate account. Capital One 360 accounts don’t have fees or minimum balance requirements.  They also offer sign-up bonuses for new accounts.

 Cash Back Sites and Apps

Gift cards and other rewards are great, but we really love getting cash back and using it to put toward our student loans!  I did a write up on the cash back sites and apps that we use and love for online shopping and in-store shopping.  Each site includes the minimum payout and method of payment.

Home

 
 Republic Wireless

We love the smartphones that we have with Republic Wireless and we pay next to nothing for them!  They don’t require contracts!  They don’t have overage charges. You can buy more data when you need it, but you can never “accidentally” go over and get charged for it.  Check out their coverage area to see if they’ll work for you!  Even if you’re in a “hole” as far as cell coverage, they work on WiFi too, which was perfect for us when we lived in a basement in the boonies for four years!

Kitchen

 WonderMill Grain Mill

We bake all of our own bread, so we use a lot of flour.  We grind our own wheat using the WonderMill.  It is pretty much amazing!  I love that it doesn’t make a mess and that it is quiet (for a wheat grinder).  It has a lifetime guarantee too!  Before I got my own, I used my mother-in-law’s WhisperMill, its predecessor, which is still going strong!

Steam Canner

Anything that can be canned in a water bath canner (most everything except green beans and meat) can be canned in a steam canner.  A Steam Canner requires less water and is much less cumbersome to use.  If you’re planning canning your garden harvest, I can’t recommend a steam canner highly enough.

 Roma Food Strainer and Sauce Maker

We we love home-canned applesauce.  Every year we sauce hundred of pounds of apples.  Without this amazing Sauce Maker this would not be possible.  It is easy to put together and simple to use.  You put your steamed apples in the hopper and with a few cranks of the handle applesauce comes out one side and the peel and seeds come out the other side.  If you plan to make more than a quart or two of applesauce, this is a wonderful investment.  It also handles other fresh fruits and veggies.

 Excalibur Food Dehydrator

My experience with other food dehydrators has been that they don’t have enough capacity and don’t dry foods evenly or efficiently.  Those problems have been solved with the Excalibur.  When it’s apple and pear season, we use it to dehydrate them for snacks and lunches throughout the year.  When our garden is overflowing with squash we dehydrate zucchini to use in stew during the winter.  We also love fruit leather made with the Excalibur.

For more of our favorite frugal kitchen appliances see this post. 

 

Family

Cloth Diapers

We started cloth diapering with our third little one.  I had never seriously considered cloth diapers until we moved to the boonies, but now I am completely sold.  We have saved so much money using cloth diapers!  We mostly used Alva (pocket diapers) and Econobum (pre-folds and covers), but have used many different brands.  Diapers also hold their value surprisingly well, so you can re-sell them when you’re done with them.  You can get a 30-day test drive at Diaper Junction.  If you’re interested in cloth diapering, but don’t want to spend much, see my post: How to Get Cloth Diapers Free or Cheap.

 Potty Power

This may seem like a random tidbit to share here, but over the years we have gained a reputation for being super potty trainers.  We have successfully potty trained one girl and two boys, all right around their second birthdays.  While it’s not our only tactic, one of our secret weapons is the Potty Power DVD.  If potty training is in your future, I highly recommend adding this DVD to your arsenal.

 Potty Train in a Weekend

We are all about potty training young and quick around here.  I have quite a reputation for it, in fact.  Friends and friends-of-friends are always asking me for advice and then telling me I should write a book.  I haven’t taken the time to do that, but I found a great ebook that says what I would say!  Becky Mansfield will teach you the ropes of potty training quick and young in her ebook Potty Train in a Weekend!

Bemis NextStep Built-in Potty Seat

While I’m giving away all of our potty training secrets, I may as well tell you about our favorite potty seat (who else admits to having a favorite potty seat?).  We love the Bemis Built-in Potty Seat since it means we don’t have to deal with cleaning out a kids potty chair or finding somewhere to stash (or have to clean) a removable potty seat.  When the lid closes, the child-size seat magnetically hides away in the lid, so adults don’t have to even know it’s there, yet it’s easy enough for a kid to pull down to use.

Blog

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