the tupperware party...ideas for hostesses

today i went to a 2pm saturday tupperware party and loved the unconventional time! when people hear the term "tupperware party", they think a weeknight evening and of course, this is because most parties take place on weeknight evenings. however, let me paint a variety of pictures for your tupperware party!

the office lunch hour party: if you work in an office where everyone has a lunch break at the same time, i can meet you at your office for lunch and we can have a quick party. i can focus on the best snack and lunch containers. an hour long tupperware party works.

the kids are in preschool party: if you have preschoolers or kindergarteners, get some other moms from your child's class (or any mom who wants to get out of the house) together and have them over for morning coffee! i can show you items that will save you time in the kitchen.

the bridal shower party: know a soon to be bride? invite shower guests and have them put the cash they would have spent on the present in an envelope. this money goes towards the bride's choices of tupperware. then i do a quick overview of the best organization products tupperware's got to offer and if anyone wants to order any tupperware for themselves, all the host credit ALSO goes to the bride-to-be. what a fantastic way to set up a new couple! then we can play all the classic shower games you want!

the tupperware tea party: choose a saturday or sunday afternoon (or any old time and date) and i'll bring the tea. tupperware has beautiful tea pots and blooming tea flowers. if you're a loose leaf tea fan - this is a great party for you. let me show you tupperware's teas and tea accessories.

i recently heard a story from a tupperware friend about a party that she threw after hours at a coffeehouse. all the employees hung out, chatted and looked at tupperware. throughout the night they drew names for all the different host gifts. then after everyone had made their orders, they drew names to see who won the host credits! mystery host party! very cool idea.

so there are a few ideas to get your ideas rolling - some of these i came up with on my own but others i had some help on. check out this crazy list i found and see if there's something you like better! let me know if you find one that suits you and get yourself some free tupperware! rebeccashulba@hotmail.com

snack containers

we've probably all gone out and bought a set of glad containers or ziploc containers for a $5. then you use them a couple times, your yogurt leaks in your lunch bag or the lids warp in the dishwasher, and then you toss them. then you go out and buy another set of containers.

while their cheap, in the long run it's not money-saving. it's not green (even if you recycle).

here are some tupperware options. they cost you more but you'll buy them once and they will last you forever. the seals won't warp in the dishwasher. you won't toss them.

keep-tabs containers - these are perfect for snacks and the big tabs make them easy for your kids to get the lids off if you send them in their lunch. $15 - set of 3

stuffables mini-set - these cute little containers are a 1 cup, 2 cup, and a 3 cup. plenty of room for a proper portion sized snack. what is SOO great about these are that the lids pop up if you stuff it too full. it'll shape to the grapes or the chunks of melon that you put in them. $32 - set of 3

microwave cereal bowls - don't be fooled by the name. you can put whatever you want in these. and the seals are liquid tight. it'll save you cleaning up spilled yogurt. (you can tell i've cleaned a few spilled yogurt lunch bags in my life, can't you?) also, have you seen that ad where every kid in the family gets a different instant oatmeal flavour and they're all eating in the van on the way to school? that ad always makes me think of these. wouldn't these be perfect for that ad? $23 - set of 4

3pc CrystalWave Set #89215 $38.50	Soup & Sandwich with Tumbler Set #89216 $32.00	Commuter Mugs #89222 $15.00
Thatsa Mega Bowl #89217 $24.50	Large & Small Spice Shaker Set #89220 $28.00 #889223 $21.00 with a $75 purchase	Wonderlier 3-Pc Bowl Set #89221 $32.50
6-Pc Stuffables Set #89218 $67.00

i figured out how to get the flyer on here! check out these deals that go only until friday, january 29th! let me know if you'd just like to put in an order. rebeccashulba@gmail.com

have i mentioned how much i love these?

as i've been saying (here and there), modular mates are on sale until february 12th. 40% off! once you have a set in your pantry/cupboard, you find a million other things that should really be in mod. mates as well. i added another set of rectangles to my collection a couple weeks ago and am pumped to have that much MORE room in my pantry, have crackers that i bought in december still be crunchy, and have all my baking ingredients on hand and accessible. i actually baked cookies this weekend and HAD all the ingredients! a first-time event.

a service that all tupperware consulants offer is to come in and organize your cupboards for FREE! of course, we figure out what mod. mates you need for what you buy and use. obviously, the idea is that you would be purchasing the necessary modular mates for your cupboards which can be a large cost up front. however, they will save you so much money for the future and anything you only have to buy once is a good deal. if this is something that you'd be interested in and think, "that would be WAY too much money" - there are lots of options. #1 - well, did i mention they're on sale? haha. #2 - host a party and let me get you your first set or two for free. or #3 - try out being a consultant. you can get your modular mates for 40% PLUS your consultant discount. also, if you were interested in this side of things, signing up to be a consultant in january has it's perks. just for signing up, you get a free set of oval mod. mates. you and i will make sure you date a party within your first 30 days and once you have that party (of $550 in sales - the average party amount), you walk away with a set of super ovals. host another party of the same amount of sales and you'll also be getting a set of RECTANGLES. this is a goooood month. (i'm actually a little jealous since i signed up in december...)

i got in with tupperware because i can choose when i want to do it. next week i have a saturday afternoon party and a couple evening parties. it's not taking me away from my son right now and i can add help pay my family's bills with a couple hours a week. AND i already loved my tupperware! i was already telling people how much i liked my tupperware - why not make some money out of telling people how much i like my tupperware? email me with your questions about how easy and low-risk it is to try out being a consultant. believe me, my husband would have never agreed to it if it wasn't. haha. (and get some major modular mate perks before january 29th) rebeccashulba@gmail.com

fundraisers that easily raise funds...

if you have need to raise money for something - an organization, youth group, sports team, etc. - tupperware does fundraisers. your organization receives 40% of your sales!!! fundraisers have their own catalogue with 68 exclusive items - you can only get them through the fundraiser catalogue AND there are 23 products in exclusive colours. (for example, get the shape-o toy in green, yellow, and orange!)

there are two ways to raise the money. one - i'll provide you with a stack of catalogues and each one has an order form inside. you (and your group) hand out the catalogues and gather the orders and money. or two - i set you up with an online fundraiser so that you can have people all over canada buying items from your fundraiser. all the money goes to your organization and the tupperware will be shipped to them! a whole lot easier than a bottle drive and will provide a lot more funds. also, you can do both methods in one fundraiser as well. 40% of sales!

spread the word to those you know who are looking for ways to raise money for their team or group! rebeccashulba@gmail.com

homestyle cup of soup

a staple for lunch is soup. the problem with soup is that it's liquid. and when it gets heated, it bubbles. so if you like soup for lunch but don't take it for lunch because it spills in the car AND the microwave, here's some tupperware for you!

the crystalwave soup mug is the one that we use at our house. never leaks.

it came with the crystalwave set (seen below) that was on sale at my first ever tupperware party that i attended. the same set is on sale again until january 29th - let me know if you're interested. i'll put in an order on the 29th. the three piece set is 40% off - only $38.50.

another (prettier) option for taking soup for lunch is the vent and serve soup mug. a couple dollars more but the seal is a little easier to remove and the little vent pops up much more easily.

both these soup mugs (and all the vent and serve, in fact) have the vents so that you don't need to take the lid off and let your soup spray all over the microwave. however, a tip from experience is to still take off the seal, open the vent (always remember to open the vent), then just lay the seal on top of the mug. this way, when the soup is done being heated, you don't burn your fingers with the steam when taking the seal off!

happy soup eating!

quick chef demonstration video

my assistant demonstrates how to use the quick chef.

here's a recipe for your quick chef:

fruit salsa

1 granny smith apple

7 strawberries

2 kiwis

2 tbsp. apple jelly

core and quarter the apple. put in the chef and chop. add hulled strawberries and peeled kiwis. chop again. add apple jelly. serve with cinnamon chips.

cinnamon chips

1 - 10" tortilla cut into strips

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon vanilla spice (by tupperware)

cooking spray (but i think i would use butter...)

mix sugar and spice in a bowl (with a lid). spray tortilla on both sides and put in bowl. shake to coat tortilla. lay on baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 6 minutes or until golden brown.

purchase with purchase

i loved going to tupperware parties for the flyer specials. one particularly great feature of tupperware flyers is the "purchase with purchase". there are usually two items that are available for a crazy deal but only if you are already buying something. they're always at different price points but in the current flyer "P with P"s are:

Thatsa Bowl set - buy $60 and get this two bowl set for $20.50! (saving you $23) i love how all tupperware bowls come with lids. easy to make the dough then cover and throw in the fridge. or make the pasta salad, cover and throw in the cooler. no wasted saran wrap.

Servalier Set of 3 - if you buy $120 (modular mates ARE on sale!!! now's the time to get them!), you can get these 3 bowls for only $15.75! (again, no saran wrap needed)

these bowls are CLASSICS! here's a picture of me and my dad in the early eighties with servaliers on our heads. the classics never go out of style. (speaking of tupperware as toys...)

january 19 - 29 only

a special flyer just came out today for us westcoasters - some deals for the end of the month. unfortunately, they come to me in pdf which i can't copy and paste. i CAN forward it if you want me to email it to you.

but here's a taste - spice shakers!

i couldn't wait to get these when i saw them in the catalogue insert. and i did get them. and now they're on sale. sigh. isn't that the way it goes? but if you were eyeing them - now's the time! usually $35 and now they're just $28. even better, if you are interested in hosting a party before january 29th, you can get a set from me for FREE!

rebeccashulba@gmail.com

keeping up with the deals

if you're interested in getting my monthly tupperware newsletter, it comes out only once per month and lets you know the deals of the month as well as recipes and such. email me at rebeccashulba@hotmail.com and i'll put you on the list.

"dishwasher" and "safe" are the magic words

a key selling feature of tupperware for myself is that it is all dishwasher safe. thank goodness because i rarely wash a thing in my sink. whenever it was my turn to do dishes in the staffroom at work in my little school, it would take me forever and other, more mother-like teachers would wonder what could possibly be taking me so long. it's lack of practice.

so anyways, something i put on my wedding registry was a colander set. a nice, stainless steel colander was a much better option than my mom's ugly, yellow colander. as it turns out, it was better in theory only. this thing does not wash well in the dishwasher. so after we have pasta, it sits in the sink for days before my husband or i finally break down and wash it. my husband often shakes his fist at that colander and says there's no need for a colander - why don't we just pull our spaghetti out of the pot of water and shake it off. i argue that this is a ridiculous idea. then one day, i mentioned this to my mom, wishing aloud that i could have an ugly, yellow colander. she said, "that's from tupperware." whaaat!?

i am now the proud owner of a tupperware colander of my own.

one day, when my assistant is full grown, he will mock my "ugly, red colander" but i will just shake my head and laugh to myself because i know how great it is. and even though it's 20 years old, it is still working great. but more importantly - it's dishwasher safe and it saved my marriage.

tupperware as toys

one of my favourite blogs, ain't no mom jeans, wrote a post yesterday about play mats but she started off the post with this thought:

"Being inexperienced with kids in general, I was totally unaware that, given a choice between a piece of Tupperware and a lights and bells-make-your-baby-brilliant-machine, most babes would happily have the Tupperware any day of the week".

This made me laugh because it's so true! instead of wanting to play with all the flashy toys in my diaper bag, my assistant would much rather shake and chew on the tupperware container

that holds his soother. and recently i was babysitting a friend's little boy and when i brought out my tupperware bowls which became a favourite toy of the day.

so now that you realize that all tupperware that you buy also doubles as a toy, let's not forget about the classic shape-o toy that we all had as kids!

this particular one is 30 years old. my cousin first had it then it was passed down to me then on to my younger cousins. now it's my child's! a toy that ages well. for $33, that's a pretty great investment.

will you be my valentine?

how cute is this lunch set?

a sandwich keeper, virtually-liqud tight sealed bowl, and a tumbler plus it comes in that cute box. all for only $20! i think i might be my own valentine... but the deal is only until TOMORROW! email me if you're interested. rebeccashulba@gmail.com

cafeteria or fast-food lunches are about $6 - a healthy, homemade meal is about $2. taking lunch from home could save you $1000 this year.

host promo for next weeks: shopping spree

so as it turns out, tupperware has been having promo after promo all year that i never would hear about. because who do you hear stiff like that from? thank goodness i'm a consultant now - we can stay a little better informed! wink wink.

from jan. 16 - 29, any host who has a party that sells at least $550 and has two more people sign up for their own parties gets a deal. not only would that host get their usual fantastic credit of $83 or more in free stuff BUT they have the option to spend just $15 and get another $83 in credit!!! that's sweet!

the current host promos that cost $83 are the tupper-wave stack cooker complete set (in the pic below) or the fridge organizer set (which you can't buy in the catalog - it's exclusive to this month's flyer). that stack cooker though - it can cook three things at once. you can have your veggies, rice, and meat all in one container in 20 minutes or so. it is slowly revolutionizing our dinners and it's worth $148.50. (that cookbook is worth it's weight in gold) but you can get it for free or for $15 by hosting a $550 party and having two people sign up for parties.

you may be thinking, "how will i convince anyone to have a party after they come to MY party?" if you get those party-goers in the door at your party, they are going to watch you get free item after free item. that in itself makes people want to sign up for their own parties. it's how i signed up for my first party. you'll be suprised. it's worth having the party and seeing what happens because it's pretty unpredictable.

(if you're like, "nah. i'm not having a party." then stop reading here. if you're a little bit interested...keep reading. there's one more thing about this shopping spree you should know. actually, if those two friends at your party sign up for their own parties AND you sell more than $550...you sell $850...then for only $65 you can buy $250 credit for free stuff! so there's something to keep in mind. i was at a $900 party last weekend - it can be done!)

me and the defrost button

we're bestfriends. tupperware is all microwavable but it's important too keep in mind the power that you're cooking your food with. we all throw our food in microwave, press in the time and let it go. but heating food at 100% power is like cooking it at 500 degrees! every microwave has a power button - it's important to only reheat food at 50 - 60% heat. i had to mess around with my microwave to figure it out but it does work. try it out - less burning hot edges and cool centres.

and if tupperware made diapers...

i was at winners today digging through my diaper bag to find my wallet. as i was digging, i realized how many pieces of tupperware are staples in my diaper bag.

in my snack cup, i have a table spoon of rice cereal, ready to have water added to it.

then there's the ever handy spoon in case. this case is amazing. unfortunately it's only in the fundraiser catalog. the fundraiser catalog has some great stuff in it. more on fundraisers soon.

my modular mate round container for many bottles worth of formula powder.

and a tiny freezer mate container that i won as a prize once at a tupperware party for one or two soothers. because who knows what kind of gunk can be at the bottom of your diaper bag for that soother to get into. best to keep them clean.

soon to be in my diaper bag is the feeding set - it's sitting in my cupboard wanting my son to start eating more than a tablespoon of food at a time.

now if tupperware just made bottles and diapers...

limited time - large carry-all

tupperware is funny because they have sooo many products but many of them aren't in the regular catalogue. they come along in flyers every so often and then disappear for awhile. one of these items is the large carry-all. it's like a giant modular mate. i have some friends who use it for their 10kg bags of flour. another idea for it is pet food - pet food stored in bags can attract rodents..eww. this carry-all is in the current flyer that has been extended to january 15th.

only $32.50 - and after the 15th...who know how long they'll be gone? get yours now!

double the host credits!

wow - i was at a tupperware party last night where the host made $275 in FREE tupperware! it's all about our "double the host credit" promotion that is on now until january 15th. usually, once the sales at your party are between $300 - $549, you get 10% of the sales plus one half-price item. ($30 - 55 of free tupperware from the catalogue) when sales hit between $550 - $1099, you get %15 and 2 half-price items. ($83 - $165 of free tupperware) great deals, right?

during double the host credits month - you get double..the..host...credit! so at your $440 party, you get not $44 but $88! so fantastic.

if you want to get your party in and get your tupperware wishlist for free - gotta do it before january 15th! email me at rebeccashulba@gmail.com

new years resolution: declutter

okay...so it's not my cupboard but mine pretty much looked like this until a little while ago. here's a cool product:

the place for seals! you hang this in your cupboard and all your lids (aka seals in tupperware) hang out in one spot so that all your containers can stack together, saving room! $18.75 in this month's flyer.

new years resolution: get organized

some friends of mine live in a little apartment in vancouver. little apartments come with little fridges. theirs is no exception. it makes for extra grocery shopping and the legitimate excuse to get take-out: "there's nothing to eat in here".

when jimmy decided to start eating healthier and drinking green smoothies, he and his wife began buying more veggies. alyssa, at my first tupperware party, bought a large fridgesmart for these veggies. when her husband discovered how well it worked, he thought they should have another one. alyssa showed him the "forget me not" set in the catalogue. jimmy exclaimed, "why don't we already have these?" (store your half onion or tomato in a container that hangs from the rack in your fridge so it doesn't get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten) you see, jimmy, being a man of reason, could see the value of the product. prolonging the life of his vegetables meant saved money...but sometimes even better - tastier, crunchier vegetables. and that lifetime guarantee - how can you go wrong?

with small refrigerators come small freezers so alyssa has also bought a set of freezer mates - modular mates for the freezer essentially. another great purchase for an organized fridge/freezer.

if you want to try out a green smoothie, here's jimmy's recipe:

The green smoothie is basically the same every time I make it, but it could be made from whatever is around. The important part is the green. Kale is the best, but you could use spinach or even green lettuce if the flavour is too much. The latter ones also make for a more liquid smoothy. My basic recipe is:

1-2 leaves kale (cut out the stem)
2 tbsp flax seed
2 tbsp wheat germ
1 chunk of ginger (about the size of the tip of your thumb)

Blend this stuff first with 2 cups of water to thoroughly break down the kale and flax seed. Then chop up and add,

1 apple
1 orange
1 banana
1 kiwi or pear (the kiwi's are weird in the winter, so I use pears now)

Blend it all together and you're done. That makes about 1.5 litres of green smoothie. The flavour comes from the fruit and ginger. I've found that the above is a combination. If we have strawberries that are about the go bad I add those, and blueberries are great too. I try to keep the cost down per smoothie so I only use berries when they're in season.

jimmy and alyssa already have two large fridgesmarts and have plans to buy a third - they are that worth it. if you want to keep your veggies fresher for longer, try the fridgesmarts.

testing out the modulars

being the keener that i am, i watched a modular mate demonstration video yesterday. you might wonder to yourself, "how can you demonstrate modular mates?" well, apparently you can. she made lots of suggestions about things that you can put in the mod. mates and gave some facts. now, i was already sold on this product. i grew up seeing them in my mom's cupboards and now i have them in my own cupboards. but there was lots of stuff that i didn't realize.

i had someone tell me that they didn't have room for modular mates in their cupboards because they had so little cupboard space. but mod. mates save you 30% space! think of how much room all those boxes that you buy take up. two boxes of crackers, a few of pasta, kraft dinner...(okay, maybe you eat healthier than me) and those boxes don't keep anything fresh. you can dump all your spaghetti into a small rectangular mate (size 1 or 2). pull the bags of crackers out of their boxes and toss all the bags into the largest rectangular mod. mate (a 4). or what about when you've opened 3 bags of chips for a party and then have some left in every bag? put them, bags and all, into the mod. mate 4 too. and did you know that whatever you put in your mod. mate will stay fresh at least one year. imagine your bag of tortilla chips staying fresh for a year!!! it seems impossible, especially for me who tosses anything with a hint of stale. so even though the woman in the video kept cheerios in her super oval for 16 mo. and took them to parties and had people taste test them...i'm going to the do the test myself. if you have a party in the next year, you can bet that i'll be toting around a mod mate with chips and cheerios in them.

new years resolution: eat healthier

we had 3 couples over for a new years brunch yesterday. and despite all the food that we were going to have, at the last second i decided to "whip up" some muffins as well. why is "whip up" in quotations you ask? read my profile over there to the right.

however...all ingredients were in my pantry (in their mod. mates) including the wheat bran and the ground flax seed. and what makes this recipe time consuming is the grating of the carrots and apples. but this time, i pulled out my quick chef, threw in my carrots, spun, and measured into the bowl. then the apples, spun, and measured. and it was done. in maybe a quarter of the time. woah. maybe i'll make muffins more than once this year...

i got this recipe from my mom - the carrot and apple keep them moist only needing TWO tbsp of oil! the wheat bran and flax make them higher in fibre. they're my favourites and until my quick chef, i only got them when my mom made them. not anymore...

1 1/2cup flour

3/4 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup wheat bran

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (but i never put this in)

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. oil

2 cups shredded carrot

2 cups shredded apple

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (i didn't use either)

1 cup shredded coconut or walnuts (i used coconut)

mix it all up. put batter into muffin papers (b/c they can be a little sticky straight into a muffin pan and i don't want to have to wash it of course). they don't rise too too much so fill the cups about 3/4 of the way full. bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. it makes 18 - 20 decent sized muffins. yum.

they went over well at our brunch and this morning here's one with my coffee.

new years resolution: waste less food & money

i have a confession.

i'm one of those people who tosses almost full boxes of crackers because someone (cough...my husband...cough cough) didn't close up the bag tight enough and they got a little stale. i have wasted many a box of crackers in my day. it doesn't only waste food but what a waste of my money. (this kind of sounds like my fridgesmart post - wasting less food and money are two popular tupperware themes) so whenever i got around to eating tomato soup - there were never any fresh and crunchy saltines around. and when i had a craving for antipasto on crackers, there weren't any so my antipasto would go bad.

solution for my resolution? modular mates.

i use a #1 (that's the smallest size out of 4) mod. mate for all my crackers and i've had these ones in here for about a month. they're still crunchy enough for my tomato soup! oh the fewer crackers i will buy in 2010!

again - modular mates go on sale for FORTY percent off as of january 9th and this sale goes until feb.12th. but if you have your party between the 9th and 15th - not only are you getting a double flyer week, 40% off mod. mates, but you're also getting DOUBLE the host credits! double. that could be one wicked party.

rebeccashulba@gmail.com

citrus peelers - not just for citrus peeling

can you spot the tupperware in this photo of my desk?

how about now?

oh the citrus peeler - do you have one? if you've ever been to a tupperware party, you probably have one. and if you don't, i can hook you up. they're for peeling oranges so that you don't get that gross white stuff under your nails. but ever since i found this list, i've had one on my desk for some of its other uses.

25 uses for Tupperware citrus peelers:

1. Removing skin from Citrus
2. Staple Remover
3. Letter Opener
4. Removing Can Labels
5. Cleaning the Rim of Tupperware Seals
6. Cuticle Pusher
7. Smoothing Out Grout
8. Turning Flathead Screws
9. Removing Skin from Avacado
10. Removing Muffins from Muffin Pans
11. Use as a Hook to Dip Pretzels
12. Drink Stir Stick
13. Finger Splint When Camping
14. Shoe Horn
15. Butter Knife
16. Lawn Aerator (this is only practical with a small patch of cat grass in my opinion!)
17. Fish Hook Remover
18. Separate a Hard Boiled Egg from its Shell
19. Cake Tester
20. Plastic Bag Opener
21. Potato Eyer
22. Opening a CD or DVD
23. Removing Wax from Furniture
24. Separating Cheese Slices
25. Crochet Hook