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It was my 5-year-old who introduced me to homemade slime via YouTube — something she’s allowed to watch during her allotted screen time, which we monitor. I was surprised by how easy it was to make. The first recipe we tried involved Borax, something I had on hand from an experiment in making my own laundry detergent (this was before I had two children, obviously). The resulting slime was fine, but smelled noxious and I ended up throwing it away after about an hour of play.

Repeated requests for more slime led me down a rabbit hole of slime recipes — slime made with yogurt, another with cornstarch and glue, and a disastrous batch made with shaving cream. Either the recipe didn’t hold up well to play or they didn’t work at all. That’s until we found this one. This slime recipe calls for just three ingredients — school glue, baking soda, and contact solution — each of which we have on hand at all times.

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From Apartment Therapy → How Moving Helped This Man Pay Off $100k in Student Loans

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In my quest to stick to a food budget, I’ve found that lunch is my downfall. I have some inexpensive breakfast ideas that get me out of bed in the morning (homemade muffins! Eggs!) and dinner is a place I’m now in the groove with for meal planning, but for some reason it’s hard for me to break the habit of going out to lunch when I’m at the office. Those fancy New York lunch salads add up, and I know I need to make a change if I want to really stick to a budget.

That’s why I was so excited today when our friends at Cup of Jo posted an ingenious idea for a $2 lunch. If that wasn’t already exciting enough, it just so happens that the base of the lunch comes from Trader Joe’s.

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Date bars have turned my daily dessert world upside down. You see, up until a few weeks ago I had never even heard about date bars, but after the first batch I knew I had found my new favorite, go-to cookie bar. These bars are made with only four major ingredients — dates, oats, butter, and a bit of brown sugar — and come together in about the time it takes the oven to preheat. They happen to be naturally gluten-free and low in added sugar, which means they’re the kind of treat that makes a near-perfect after-school snack (but something that pairs deliciously with a bourbon night cap too).

That’s not even the best part, though! Biting into these bars is the most delicious adventure in contrasting textures. The top is crisp and buttery with oat crumble, while the date filling is sweet as caramel and just as lush. The same oat mixture that crisps on top becomes chewy and nutty on the bottom of the pan. Personally, I call dibs on the corner pieces, but here’s how to make a whole pan of these delicious old-fashioned date bars.

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The most important thing you need to know about this recipe is that it comes together in under six minutes and involves hearty sausage, tangy sauerkraut, sweet roasted red peppers, and plenty of grainy mustard, just for good measure. Oh, and it’s all tucked inside a tender pretzel roll to gild the lily, because lunches need that sometimes.

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Dried fruit is an actual obsession of mine. I’m one of those annoying people who eats fruit for dessert. It’s not that I don’t love chocolate or cake — I do, very much so — but I try to keep the added sugar low these days, and dried fruit is my raging sweet tooth’s saving grace.

I’m also extraordinarily picky, especially with food, and most dried fruit has added sugar and/or the texture of a tire. This puts me in a predicament. Is it actually possible to have luscious, close-my-eyes-it’s-so-good, nothing-added-to-it dried fruit? Thanks to an unsuspecting brand of water-infused dried fruit called Fruit Bliss, the answer is a resounding yes!

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I have a thing for water bottles. I’ve tried the smart water bottles that track how you much drink all day, I’ve tried the glass water bottles, I’ve used the classic Nalgene that was so popular when I was a kid. But if you’re looking for something that’s easy to clean, will keep your drink cold (or hot), and doesn’t cost a fortune, then I have just the water bottle you need to buy.

Right now you can get one of these super-colorful insulated stainless steel water bottles on Amazon for just $10. Other water bottles like this (ahem, S’well) will cost you a bunch more. In fact, these water bottles from KINGSO normally go for $52 according to Amazon, so that’s quite a steep deal — 83 percent off, in fact.

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We’ve already gone on the record in favor of fire pits, and we’ll say it again: They’re the ultimate way to entertain in the summer (and even into the fall!). You can buy a ready-made freestanding fire pit, or dig a hole and stack a bunch of pavers yourself. Or you can try one of these super-easy DIY projects.

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You know all too well how a trip to Target goes: You plan on running in for five minutes to grab some essentials and hope to spend less than $20. In reality, you end up staying for 50 minutes, walking up and down all the aisles (oh look, pillows!), and you drop way more than $200. Whoops. It’s not your fault, though. Target has so many things! And so many of those things are cute, well-priced, and totally necessary. Just look at these adorable (and inexpensive!) patio finds.

Brace yourself — you’re about to want to buy some stuff. But at least you can do it online and you don’t have to worry about getting sidetracked down an aisle you’re not supposed to be in. Here goes.

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