tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66801945258593307742024-03-05T18:20:40.477-05:00Frugal Right Here, Right NowJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-66369797369900974812009-11-05T09:48:00.003-05:002009-11-05T09:51:49.140-05:00back??hum.. I have missed blogging and it IS that time of the year-- where money gets soooo tight and spending gets crazzy. I was thinking I had something to say....<br />1) 9 months is a long time to be away.<br />2) I am not truely sure I have time to re-start this.<br />3) Christmas is only 50 days away!!<br /><br />I will try to write some articles up this weekend and we'll see it I can re-start my Frugalness on-line.<br />Thanks for reading!<br />JenJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-39176333654989840992009-02-04T20:33:00.004-05:002009-02-04T20:57:05.759-05:00Why I hate Winter....Well I don't HATE winter so much as I only need winter to last about 4-6 weeks and then I've had enough! When I was in 10th grade I diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but as I have dealt with it and researched it, I think I have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affect Disorder). Which is an illness that basically says we need sunlight to stay awake- some need more than others- and my body, when winter comes and we have only a few hours of sunlight- decides to hibernate. I can get 10 hours of sleep and still be tired. I have no interest in doing anything. I just feel very mopey. Once the days get longer and I can get out in the sun- I am fine. I can sleep 5 hours a night and not be tired. I have more energy, and I can always think of fun things I would like to do.<br /><br />This winter seems to be worse than past winters. I think it has to do with alot of other factor, but the winter is not helping. This winter has been soooo cold- all I want to do is sleep. And for all the snow we have had, it means less sunlight, due to the clouds being overhead. I think my finances are not helping matters, as I have gotten 2 pieces of bad news lately that will make our financial situation worse (and it wasn't so good to start off with). And I am beinging to feel a sense of "deprivation" from my very frugal ways. Many frugal blogs say that there is a big, black line between frugal and miserly. Frugal people use their money and resources to get the most for each dollar. But a miserly (stingy) person does this to an extreme and do not allow for personal pleasures and a feeling of deprivation can take over. This is where I am at....<br /><br />But with my finances in ruin.. the deprivation is setting in....<br />Simple things, like a school party, a friends b-day, or ANY 'extra' just has to be told NO at this point-- we just don't have the money. My daughter wants her ears pierced but I am afraid to even find out what it costs to have your ears pierced, buy 1-2 "good" pair of earrings (so her ears don't turn green) and whatever "supplies" you need to clean your ears and earrings... I just can't afford it! and it sucks! My vaccume died months ago and we have made due.. but really we desperately need a vaccume- but can't afford it! My daughter's dressers are falling apart- and i found one for $40 at Ikea to replace it- but I can't afford it!<br /><br />So between the weather, my finances, and S.A.D.-- I love to just hide under the covers and wake up months from now... when the weather is sunnier and maybe, just maybe, golf balls will be selling again on ebay. Maybe by then my taxes will "just go away".. but probably not! <br /><br />Ok- the rest of my posts won't be whiney... I may be a bit down but I also have to figure out some solutions.... so maybe others have ideas to help.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-86973431408032545452009-02-04T20:14:00.002-05:002009-02-04T20:21:40.488-05:00Been Gone too LongSorry friends. It has been quite some time since I last posted. We had a battle with a stomach bug that took about 5 days out of my life. But everyonr is better now and all the laundry and cleaning that needed to be done has more then gotten caught up. SO, back to blogging. I hope to anyway... but life always has a way of sneaking up on me and I find I have no time to do anything.<br /><br />I have a few posts I am hoping to type up today... one on how S.A.D. I am lately, one on how I think I have become my mother, one on how my 30 days of nothing challenge went, and lastly I hope to write up how my financial new year's resolutions are going. If I don't get it all typed up tonight- I hope to post throughout the weekend. Hope you stop back to see what I have been up to.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-75810905791150006132009-01-19T23:36:00.003-05:002009-01-19T23:46:44.574-05:00Oh no... closet cleaning at midnight..someone stop me!I just posted my notes on what I cleaned this weekend and figured that I would see what Zone the FlyLady was working on this week (to keep my motivation) and low and behold.... on Fly Lady this week is the GREAT CLOSET CLEANOUT! Oh my!<br /><br />One of the things I was tempted to work on was my linen closet-- somehow we have a ton of towels and a ton of bed sheets (yet I can never find any twin sized ones for the kids beds when I need one- go figure!) If you go and check out <a href="http://www.flylady.com/">www.flylady.com</a> scroll about half way down on the home page to read this week's zone, if you look at the week's sneak peek- you can see the plan for the entire week. Which is what I did... and was thinking... I should really go clean out that linen closet- I know exactly what I want to clear out and what I want to organize in there. But I think I should wait- it is almost midnight and tomorrow is our first day back to school after the 3-day weekend. I should really get some sleep!!<br /><br />So I will head to bed in a minute and leave the linen closet until next weekend. (I'll let you know how it goes when I get it all done!)<br /><br />Good Night! ;-)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-84837760509839373542009-01-19T22:51:00.002-05:002009-01-19T23:22:47.639-05:00Mid-Winter CleaningI was getting nervous that I wouldn't get my usual mid-winter cleaning started... but I have hit my stride.<br /><br />I got alot accomplished this weekend. I cleaned out my dinning room from all of it's new piles that came back after Christmas. I also caugh up on all my dishes and laundry. I swept and mopped the dinning room, kitchen, hallway and front steps. Then I hit the kids rooms. In the girl's room I cleaned it up and vacuumed. Then I went through all their clothes to pull out any that are a bit small. They received alot of clothes for Christmas and now it doesn't all fit in their dressers! I am thinking of buying a dresser at Ikea ($39.99 for a 3 drawer dresser) to add to their room for more storage. But not until after my 30 Days of Nothing.<br /><br />Then I cleaned the bathroom. About a week ago, when I was hoping to be inspired to clean, I checked out The FlyLady. Her plan is always to do just 15 minutes a day of cleaning. And she has a zone-by-zone approach. The day I checked it out the 'zone' they were working on was the bathroom, and although I was inspired... I find it hard to find 15 minutes a day and would rather do about an hour on Saturday. So I did her whole Zone: Bathroom plan over the weekend. I dusted the ceiling and corners for cobwebs, then got on a stepstool and dusted my light fixtures (boy-were they dusty)! Cleaned the counters and all the items on it, the sink, the toilet, swept and mopped the floors. Then I grouted the tiles I had been putting off doing for months. (They had been covered with plastic so the area wouldn't get wet). I put up a new shower curtian liner, and cut a "good section" out of the old one to cover the window in the shower. I gave the shower and tub a good scrubbing. Whew!<br /><br />I then went to my son's room and started cleaning. Then we decided to put up his old bed in his room- so he would have two beds. One for a sleep-over or for dad to sleep on, or his sister to sleep in there from time to time. He is always so upset that the girls get to sleep in the same room and he has to sleep alone. So now if the timing is ok- someone can sleep in there with him. This meant moving around some other furniture.. but in the end his room looks all clean and put together.<br /><br />I also sat down and straightened out some paperwork. I did the last of my 2008 FSA submissions and the first one for 2009, and faxed those in. Then I wrote 2 letters I needed to get out. I balanced the checkbook, paid some bills for the end of January, and got all of that stuff in the mail. Whew! Whew!<br /><br />The only room I didn't touch this weekend was the living room- which now looks horrible- since everyone was in there while I was cleaning the rest of the house all weekend.<br /><br />So, onto the school-week, and next weekend I am hoping to finish up a few more things. I am relieved that I got so much done this weekend, and made good use of my 3-day weekend!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-67352873962060897442009-01-19T22:17:00.005-05:002009-02-04T21:16:37.486-05:0030 Days of Nothing- Lessons LearnedWell my 30 Days of Nothing is over. It was a very interesting "experiment". I learned alot.<br /><br />I realised there aren't too many times I "want" to spend money. (I think this comes from my frugal side, and my we never have any money side).<br /><br />I realisesd that the times I wanted to spend money (team photos, candy, soda, a few extra snacks) that in almost all cases- just waiting, and knowing I had to wait until Feb 1st- made me realise I didn't really want it, or at least I knew I could wait. With the one exception of team photos.<br /><br />I realised that as frugal as I try to be- had I not been on this challenge I would have spent money. Especially since we had a little extra this month.<br /><br />I had set aside $100 for gas- of which, I only spent $83 - mostly due to 2 snowdays and taking a sick day- which meant 3 days less commuting.<br /><br />I had set aside $150 for groceries but spent $210.<br /><br />It was a interesting month, an experiment I may try again some day. But for now I am hoping to loosen the wallet-strings a little- just to not feel so restrcited (not really to run out and spend any money).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was intresting.. will have to try it again some time. It is a good exercise in will-power and self-control.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-31583351128189492492009-01-19T21:51:00.003-05:002009-01-19T22:16:45.423-05:00Flexible Spending Account - OOPS!Last year, was the first time I used a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to help cover expences. For anyone who is not familiar with this, you choose a set amount of money that goes Pre-Tax into an account for you to use to cover medical expences and daycare. Medical expences can be co-pays, balances due, Prescriptions, and other OTC medicines.<br /><br />I set mine up to equal $500 for the year. Which was a good amount for us for the year. We used ours to cover the kids mostly. But this year we are hoping to get myself and my husband back on track with our own preventative medical examines. By this I mean it has been 4 years since I have been to the doctor for a check-up, it has also been 3.5 years since I have been to the OBGYN. I also know I have very high cholesterol and the doctors want to put me on meds for it- but you can only take it if you are not pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. So until 3 years ago, I couldn't take it. Now that we are done having children I need to get on that medication. So this year I raised our contributions to total $600 for the year.<br /><br />Now about my OOPS... last year as of Dec. 31st I had about $30 left in my FSA spending account. I have found a few reciepts (small ones) to put in for reimbursment, but still have about $25 in the account. My oops is that if you don't use it you lose it. So that $25 is like throwing money down the drain. My mistake. I thought I was closer to $0, or else right before 12/31 I would have run to CVS and brought a bunch of cold medicine, children's tylenol, advil etc.. so that I could have put that reciept in for reimbursement. But I didn't ... so my money is BYE-BYE!<br /><br />Bad organization is not Frugal!<br />So is letting $25 get away from me.. if anyone has a reciept from December that has OTC medical stuff on it-- let me know, I could use it.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-66260879440702861132009-01-18T11:12:00.002-05:002009-01-18T11:22:00.123-05:0030 Days of Nothing UpdateHad to pay for an unexpected expense that was a "now or never" expense. At my son's basketball game yesterday they took team picutres and if you wanted to order a copy of the team photo you had to pay yesterday. Now I do realise most sports have team pictures and I could have seen this coming but honestly the leagues around here are very inconsistent about photos- some do phtotos some don't . So, since this league has been practicing since early December and I hadn't heard anything about team picutres I figured there weren't picutres.<br /><br />So $20 later, I brought the team and individual picture. For once I acutally had the money to pay for it. But Aunt Laura was there and she helped and gave me $15 towards it. So I spent $5 that was not planned, and goes against my 30 days of nothing.<br /><br />But I guess $5 is not too bad. But some would say that it is those small $5 exspenses that begin to add up when we don't plan for them.......Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-17571746911486696662009-01-16T23:07:00.002-05:002009-01-16T23:32:52.270-05:00Debt Buster's ClubI misquoted Angie's monthly meeting title in my past post, and wanted to correct it.<br />Angie over at <a href="http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/">www.thriftyfloridamama.net</a> is holidng a monthly Debt Buster's Club.<br />It began on Jan.8th. Each month she is going to check in and let us know how much (if any) debt she has paid off and how she found the money to do it. To start off for January's post she has her debt totals and some ideas of how she is going to come up with the extra money to pay it off. Her goal is to pay off all of her debt by the end of 2009- What a GOAL!!<br /><br />I wish I could be debt free by the end of 2009, but my goal is to be debt free by the end of 2010. I am planning to participate in Angie's Club and put up my numbers.. and what I hope to accomplish this year in terms of Debt Pay-Off.<br /><br />Here are my numbers...<br /><br />In 2008 we paid off 2 crdit cards with the help of a debt counseling service (DFF). We are continuing to work with them on most of our debts... but they would not take-on "small" credit cards (with balances under $700).. so we have 4 cards we are working on on our own.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">As of January1, 2009</span></strong><br />Our Total Debt we still have to work out with DFF is $26,000 (paid off $2400 in 2008-Yea!)<br />Current total with the 4 cards we are working with is $2400<br />A "family" loan of $1200 and a "friend" loan of $400.<br /><br />total Debt: $30,000-- UGH!!<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Our goals for 2009</span></strong><br />*Work with DFF to pay down at least another $10,000 of that debt<br />*Work on our own to pay off 2 of the 4 cards we have, or pay off $1000 of the $2400<br />*Pay off completely the "family" and "friend" loan, so pay off $1600<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">So we hope to have paid off $12,600 in debts in 2009!!</span></strong><br /><br />That will leave us with $17,400 to pay off in 2010, in order to be debt free!<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">How will we do it?</span></strong><br />* No "extras" for 2009- no vacation, no movies, no extras of any-kind<br />* One of us (not sure yet who) will be getting a part-time weekend job, in hopes of making an extra $300-$400/month.<br />* Limit the "splurges"- only ordering dinner once a month, keep tight watch on the grocery bill (try to keep it at about $85/week), and limit "impusle" buys (those little packs of gum, can of soda, dollar store trips can really add up)<br />* Keep B-days and Holidays to a more Moderate spending- no excess but also not to feel deprived.<br /><br />Well there it is!<br />I am a DEBT BUSTER!!!<br />Join me in my journey. I'll participate each month with Angie over at <a href="http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/">www.thriftyfloridamama.net</a> and keep you posted on my progress.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-68685993887051524082009-01-16T20:30:00.003-05:002009-01-16T20:46:36.246-05:0030 Days of Nothing UpdateOk we are past the half way mark and here's what I've spent so far....<br /><br />1st week in Jan -- Food $0, Gas $10<br />This week- Food $210, Gas $43.09<br /><br /><br />Summary: I figured on $100 for gas for the month-- and so far that's about right on target<br />As for food- I planned on $150 on the 15th- but in reality that would have been tight- since it was for 2 weeks worth of food. I usually spend about $90/week-- so $150 was a Shoestring budget.. and well Shop Rite is having their can-can sale and had some really good deals on certian items that I stocked up on and we needed cat food and cat liter (which I only buy once a month)... so I ended up spending $90 at Shop Rite and $120 at BJ's . Otherwise we have spent nothing but our monthly bills.<br /><br />On a similiar note- I am planning to join Angie at Thrifty Florida Mama in her "monthly meetings". I will put that on a seperate post.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-88918296663016713432009-01-10T21:29:00.003-05:002009-01-11T15:57:51.393-05:00Winter Clean OutWell I haven't hit my stride yet on the Winter clean out, but I do feel it coming!<br /><br />I put the tree and all the other Christmas Decorations away today. Now the living room looks very bare. I find this refreshing after all the Christmas Abundance and Over the top decorating.<br /><br />My dining room did not stay clear of piles after Christmas as I had hoped! This is probabaly due to the fact that I did not get my school stuff organized in the laundry room-- so my piles have begun again in the dinning room. (OH my!)<br /><br />I am planning on heading over to read some stuff at <a href="http://www.flylady.net/">http://www.flylady.net/</a> after I post this in hope of some inspiration, on cleaning, scheduling and organizing.<br /><br />I have a few projects I am thinking about, unfortunately at this point I an only "thinking". This also relates to my other post about garage sales. I am hoping as I begin my Winter clean out I will find some clutter that I do not need- but could sell in my garage sale.<br /><br />If I don't hit my stride in January-- I have a week off for Winter Break- and my kids don't!! So I will have 4 days to really get some hard-core cleaning/decluttering done.<br /><br />I am also looking forward to a series over at <a href="http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/">http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/</a> where she is going to go through her house room-by-room and chronical her "overhauling" . That should get me moving.<br /><br />Now on to see what the flylady is up to.....Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-51937371130279332562009-01-10T21:13:00.003-05:002009-01-10T21:29:05.512-05:00Garage Sales- Do I or Don't I?This is a two-part question:<br />1) Should I really try Garage -saleing this spring/summer?<br />2) Should I have one of my own this summer?<br /><br />As money has been tight for about 18 months and I money will continue to be tight for at least 2 more years. I have found myself reading frugal blogs about garage sales and the great finds they get there. I have been asking myself if I should really try to get out and "garage -sale" this year. I do foresee some needs coming up that I may be able to find a good deal on this items at a garage sale. Last year- by pure chance, we got a new-to-us dishwasher for $25 at a garage sale. it works great- actually better than our 2 year old dishwasher ever didand that one died after only 2 years of use. ($400 down the drain). But our garage sale find is running great!! I would love to find more great deals like that but I do realisee they are few and far between so I am caught with the notion- is it worth my Saturday mornings to go out and hope to find a treasure or do I just sleep in? My head says if I go I'll surely spend money on some piece of crap and if I just sleep I'll save myself lots of money and clutter.... Should I or Should I not???<br /><br />The second part is about my own garage sale. Almost ever year I have one garge sale in July. Last year we had one during a heat-wave and the turnout was terrible. We had so much left over that instead of bringing the big stuff and the nicer stuff back into the garage for next year. We just left it all at the curb with signs saying "Take- Free!" Last year's sale soured us to having another one this year. What if it is another flop- no people. I was thinking of skipping one year. Since we gave everything away after last years sale- I don't have much that we could sell. But on the other hand with the economy the way it is- I have heard garge sales will draw huge crowds this year. (as in my first note- I may even venture out to some- which is not my norm). So maybe a sale would make a few bucks.. even if I dont' have a ton of stuff to sell.<br /><br />On both of these things I am still thinking...<br />Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-51385096183231714952009-01-09T17:08:00.004-05:002009-01-09T17:30:34.075-05:0030 Days of Nothing ChallengeOh my it has been awhile since I posted. Sorry.<br /><br />Anyway, I never explained the 30 Days of Nothing Challenge.<br /><br />The challenge is to spend Nothing ($0) for 30 days.<br />This challenge is meant to cover everything. Meaning NO spending of any kind other than your monthly bills being paid. NO groceries, no gas, no eating out, no candy from the vending machine, NOTHING!<br /><br />I am taking on this challenge but I must modify it slightly. Due to my commute to work I need a tank of gas each week. Since it is impossible to put a month's worth of gas in my car at one time I will be spending money each week to put gas in my car. I have allotted $100 for this between Jan 1-Jan 31st. I also need to modify my challenge because I went food shopping when I got paid on Dec 30th- but only purchased enough food for 2 weeks. I did not have enough money to make a larger purchase than that at the time. So on the 15th I am alotting $150 to go food shopping for the last 2 weeks in Jan. Other than those 2 expenses, the only money I will spend is to pay my mothly bills. NO Eating out! NO little candy for the kids! NOthing!!<br /><br />I began My Challange on Jan 1st and so so far have spend $10 (on gas).<br /><br />I went food shopping when I got paid on Dec 30th and bought 2 weeks of food. I also put a full tank of gas in my car on Dec 31st. Which lasted that weekend and half of my work-week, then on Tuesday I spent $10 to put gas in my car.<br /><br />Care to join me in my challenge??<br />I will try to update my progress weekly.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-50016330484397793332009-01-03T01:40:00.004-05:002009-01-05T22:06:45.158-05:00Marketing & Convience are the Enemy of FrugalityI was reading a post somewhere recently but I can't remember where and it had so much that I loved in reading it that I wanted to share the "jist" of it here along with some of my thoughts.<br /><br /><br /><br />It talked about how we, as Americans, are so materialistic, consumeristic and controlled by marketing. Marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry. Every company, indusrty or products needs marketing experts to convince us WE MUST HAVE THIS OR WE WON'T BE.. (Happy, Healthy, Safe) you pick the adjective.<br /><br /><br /><br />What we fail to realise is you can not BUY a new you! Everyone takes the new year to start to re-build things about them that they don't like (I need a diet, I am too fat, I need a HDTV because TV signals are changing in Feb, I need this vitamin to have more energy) We are all looking for a magic pill. We have all been brainwashed into believing that there is a magic pill to fix us and make us perfect. But in reality, in order to become a better person, to improve our character or have a more spiritual life you have to live it, pray it, study it, and all that you need to do it you probably already have in your house.<br /><br /><br /><br />There is so much marketing has done to break up the "american family" and many of the traditional values. We have been convinced we do not have any time! But I think we have always had 24 hours in a day- so the time is the same- we have just been convinced otherwise. Woman have been liberated from the kitchen- because food is now "convient"- pre-cooked, pre-made and over processed. But no one know WHAT the heck we are eating. Woman and girls do not know how to cook, even the basics anymore. And if you cook- it is considered "wasting time".<br /><br /><br /><br />Marketing has convienced us that we do not have time to cook, to sit down as a family and eat dinner together. The marketing has told us convience is key! Here, just microwave this 'stuff', eat it without enjoying the taste, and throw all that packaging into the landfil. Yea America!<br /><br /><br /><br />$32 billion per year is spent on marketing in the food industry- not on development, safety checks, or the food itself- but on marketing it.. they tell us WHAT to eat and HOW much to eat. Have you even looked at packaging? Many are now bigger but without telling you there are now 2 serving in there! Oh but they'll charge you more- but won't tell you save half for after lunch tomorrow-- no, no, eat it all you piggy and come back tomorrow and buy another bag.<br /><br /><br /><br />I may seem harsh but as I read into all of this it just makes me angry that I feel like we just don't have a say anymore in what in "normal". I really want to instill in my kids that food is to be enjoyed-- my daughter loves to cook with me- and I am soo happy for that. I don't ever remember cooking with my mom. We sit down to a family dinner every night and for family lunches on the weekends too! We sit and enjoy each other's company and take time to enjoy the food. Kids today have way too many "empty calories"- my kids are no exception. I started in the last year or so to work to show them "real food" vs. "empty food". I would grow my own garden, but I really do have a black thumb- and every attempt I make to grow anything fails.<br /><br /><br /><br />Our family goal this year is to eat healthier. And by that I do not mean Convience Food good- but really, good- natural, from scratch and if possible- go organic or at least partially organic. I am a product of this marketing- overweight, envious of what I see on TV, eating "supersized" foods, fast food and snack foods. I grew up in it and it did me no favors.<br /><br /><br /><br />In the article I read it gave an example of how we are "robbed" by marketing. I may not have the prices exact but they are close. It said that a 1 pound bag of oats cost about $.69 for a framer to grow and harvest. This same bag of oats may sell in the store for about $.99/lb. BUT if you take these same oats and you shape them into circles and put them in a yellow box that says Cheerios- you can charge $4.00 for about 12ounces of oats (not even a full pound). Now, if the marketers can convince you that you have no time to sit down with a bowl and milk is so messy-- well , we'll put those oats with some white-stuff - we'll call "milk" and create a cereal bar you can eat in the car. Now,they can charge you $5 for 8 bars which all combined now only have about 6 ounces of actual oats in them and a bunch of over processed stuff they are calling "milk". The more they process the food the more they can charge and the more they can convince us we need this convience the more they will charge. At this point they have even convienced us that a bar takes too long to chew - but a cereal straw (which probably doesn't even have an oat in it and tastes like cardboard) is what your kid MUST HAVE.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway- that post got me thinking and that thinking made me angry but also made me think I am doing the right things to make the most for my kids. We have also been convinced by marketing that we must have 2 incomes to raise a family, when really if you use your money right and you don't fall for the marketing that we must keep up with the Jones'- then you can live quite comfortably with Mom at home to raise the kids and make sure they are eating right, playing outside and not envying the neighbors for whatever they have.<br /><br /><br /><br />Kids are our future- we have been brain-washed- break the cycle- teach our children to think for themselves and make the right choices for the earth and their own health.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-4263479965657924672009-01-03T00:15:00.005-05:002009-01-04T19:10:10.081-05:00Anaylsis of bulk-shoppingI have been going to BJ for most of my grocery shopping since the end of the summer. My sister and I joined together (actually she "treated me" to membership). But it makes sense to join with a friend. The memebership costs $40 and you get 2 membership cards, which can have 2 different names on them and they don't even need to be related. So for my sister's $40 I got a card and she got a card.<br /><br />My first trip to BJ's was in August and my sister paid- and since she paid- I am not counting it. I will begin my analysis from my first solo trip at the end of Sept. So my analysis will be over about 4 months from Sept. 22-Jan. 14 (I have already gone shopping and won'tbe going again until I get paid on the 15th, so my numbers include all I will by until then).<br /><br />I have 2 side notes before I begin. One, at my first trip toBJ's my head was spinning with prices and units and unit prices- after 2 years of carefully tracking my groceries I know what is and what is not a good unit price for items I usually buy. I was skeptical- not thinking it could beat generic prices at Walmart. Before BJ's, I spent an avearge of about $105/week at Walmart buying food and a few "impulse" buys. A big drawback for me at walmart is I tend to buy other non-food items that then get factored into my food busget even thougth they are not food. Second, Some things are not cheaper at BJ's and since they buy only the Top Sellers- they do not carry alot of variety- so some things I need I can not get there. I do not buy bread, pretzels, 2 liter bottles of soda, Cat food, or ice cream at BJ's. Why? Bread, soda, pretzels & ice cream at cheaper at both Walmart and Shop Rite. And the cat food my cat needs- is not sold at BJ's - I usually buy it at Shop Rite.<br /><br />Here are the crazy numbers. Do not think I am crazy for having this- I track EVERYTHING!! How else can I make an informed decision if I do not have the information.<br /><br />I started on 9/22 & hoped to make it 3 weeks before returning to BJ's<br /><br />9/22- $209.94 @ BJ<br />9/26- $22.07 @ Shop Rite<br />9/27- $27.88 @ Shop Rite (not all food- 2 b-day cards,a bat mitzvah card& chips to take to hang with friends)<br />9/30- $14.19 @ SR<br />10/3- $7.07 @ SR (ice cream splurge-better than spending $20 at Wally's for everyone)<br />10/5- $28.49 @SR<br /><br /><br />Total for 3 weeks: $309.64 == $103.21/week-<br /><br />**If not for ice cream splurge and trip to get cards and chips.. total would have been $274.69 or $$91.56/week**Not bad for a first time- without the two "extra trips" to SR- I was under my average Walmart weekly spending by about $15/wk or $60/month.<br /><br /><br /><br />Starting on 10/11 and hoping to make it 4 weeks this time!!<br /><br />10/11- $196.00 @BJ<br />10/12- $37.19 @ SR<br />10/21- $27.53 @ SR<br />10/24- $40.54 @ SR<br />10/27- $30.81 @ SR (included our large pumpkin to carve for Halloween)<br />11/2- $59.14 @ BJ<br /><br /><br />Total: $391.21 for 4 weeks== $97.80/week<br /><br />This is a savings of about $10/wk or $40/month.. NOT BAD considering it appears to not only save me money but also TIME!! Although it looks like there are alot of trips to SR they are quick- run in and out trips not hour-long grocery shopping. And the few times I have been to BJ's there are never any lines- so checkout is a breeze- compared to Walmart's standard checkout time of about 40 minutes. So saving money and A TON OF TIME! (my best guess is I saved about 5hours this month by bulk shopping)<br /><br />But I do find it hard to have $200 once a month- our budget is truely paycheck to paycheck- so pulling that much out of one paycheck hurts that single week.. so at this point I changed to continuing to shop at BJ's but stagger our needs so I would go there every 2 weeks- or about $100 out of each paycheck, which is a smaller hit.<br /><br />So here's how that went..<br /><br />Started on 11/9.. planning to make it 2 weeks.<br /><br /><br /><br />11/9- $146.92 @BJs<br />11/11- $18.14 @ SR<br />11/16- $23.89 @ SR<br /><br />Total for 2 weeks : $188.95 == $94.47/week... about what we had been spending..good so far!<br /><br /><br /><br />Again looking to buy food for 2 weeks.<br /><br />11/22- $78.80 @ BJs<br />11/26- $63.79 @ SR (Thanksgiving stuff and Snacks/drinks for car ride to Hershey)<br />11/28- $25.36 @ SR (last minute Thanksgiving stuff)<br />12/1- $94.28 @ SR (UGH! Could have saved money I am sure by getting this stuff at BJs)<br />12/5- $54.72 @ SR<br /><br /><br />Total: $316.95 for 2 weeks=== $158.47 /week!! EEEKKK!!! What the f..?<br /><br />Ok, some of that was for Thanksgiving and some "convience foods" for the car trip, but really I think most of it was "lack of time and planning" and I could have done better to get some of that stuff I bought at Shop Rite at BJs. This is why planning and staying organized saves money. UGH!!<br /><br /><br />Oh- but it only gets worst from here... the holidays, the lack of time, rushing not thinking.. deadly combination... oh my aching budget...<br /><br /><br />The next trip to BJ's should last us 3 weeks right up until shopping for Chirstmas dinner.<br /><br />12/6 - $326.26 @BJs (BUT.. this included 3 Xmas gifts, sprinkles and cookie stuff for our Holiday baking with Laura and a gingerbread kit for another December Friday) The actual total for GROCERY stuff was $ 273.88.. so for 3 weeks that works out to $91.29/wk-- or right on budget!<br /><br /><br />I did go to BJ's for Christmas dinner stuff but that is not part of my fammily grocery budget so I am not including that receipt. My FIL also reimbursed us $60 towards Christmas dinner. We lived on the left overs from that dinner for a few days.<br /><br /><br /><br />I finally went back to BJ's last week and I am hoping this will make it until January 15th.<br /><br />12/30- $ 139.99 @ Bjs<br />12/30- $ 21.31 @ SR<br /><br /><br />Total: $ 161.30 for 2 weeks== $80.65/week -- WAY UNDER BUDGET!!<br /><br /><br /><br />So my final analysis.. BJs saves me money but also does sooo much more! I save, on average $15/wk or $60/month. But I also spend about 5 less hours per month in the stores. I also spend almost no time watching sales flyers, clipping coupons and looking for great deals- which I did religiously in order to stay at my $105/wk budget at Walmart. I also get Name Brand items when at Walmart I was almost always buying generic. I do not have any problem with generic products, in fact I find them to be as good as the name brands- but name brands give extras like "box tops for education" which my kids' schools collect and run raffles for those who bring in box tops. For every 5 box tops you bring in you get a chance to win a $50 target gift card. They run this raffle every quarter of the school year. So hey, I could even win a gift card!<br /><br /><br />My Goals for this for 2009-- are to continue what I am doing! I like BJs! I do have a few small changes- I am going to aim for under $90/week, but still buying every 2 weeks, which works well for our budget. I am also going to try to do more cooking from scratch- and buying less "convience" foods which aren't that healthy or cost effective. I am hoping that our Healthy eating and cooking from scratch will help me keep to under $90/week. Buying staples such as flour, butter, eggs, milk, sugar etc.. instead of cookies, snackcakes, and other muchies. Better for our budget and better for our health!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-60908333555536576972009-01-02T23:25:00.003-05:002009-01-03T00:14:12.815-05:00Frugality is a Trendy Lifestyle ChoiceThe process of becoming Frugal doesn't happen overnight. Just like a journey of 1000 miles starts with one step. So does any change you make to yourself and your lifestyle. No one changes overnight. So don't beat yourself up if you can't do it all, everytime.<br /><br />The changing ecomony has caused troubling financial times for many. Lots of people are now looking to make every dollar count. Being Frugal has gone Mainstream. I have been doing the "in thing" even before it was "in". I feel so trendy.<br /><br />As many look to change how they view money, it can be frustrating to try to change too many things at once. You are setting yourself up for failure. I once read somewhere that you shouldn't try to save money and lose weight at the same time. You won't be able to be successful at both simulateously because they are both require significant changes and long-term commitments. You need to choose one thing- focus on it until it becomes the "normal routine" and you can accomplish it with out thinking too much about it. Them move onto the next big change.<br /><br />Over my 2 years of being frugal I have made minor changes, little-by-little. It has made the change easy. I always say it is easy to be frugal- I think because by making small changes one or two at a time, there was no BIG/Difficult undertaking to overcome. As I continue in my Frugal Journey I think of each change as just one more step in my journey of 1000 miles.<br /><br />The best place to start in the frugal world is to track your money for at least one month. Write everything down that you spend money on- everything! That morning paper, the cup of coffee, the candy candy bar from the vending machine and your bigger expenses like rent and your electric bill . Once you have a full month of "money watching" written down. You need to analyse what you spent money on. Many people can tell you that last month their electric bill was $82 but if you asked what they spent eating out- they can't - or at best can give you a ballpark figure- but in reality have no idea. When you write it all down you can see where those "leaks" are -where the money keeps going that you don't realise. Once you have all the numbers - take some time and look at all those things you spent money on, make categories (eating out, entertaining, gas, clothing, medical prescriptions etc..) and then you can see where you might be able to make cuts. Or you may be surprised at how much you are spending in certian areas.<br /><br />When I did this, I though I knew where my money was going and where it was "being wasted". After I added up all my numbers that first month. I realised I was spending a fortune on groceries. ($600 that month). The next month I took a better look at my grocery shopping. I realised that if I just bought what was on my list I really only needed to spend about $125/wk- not $150. That "extra $25" was on "inpulse" buys. You know when you get there and you see something marked down and think-"well... it's on sale and we all like this.. so I'll get 3!" I also picked up more non-grocery items, like maybe a DVD. I tried to change this by making a list and sticking to it. The next month I did better, but not perfect. I spent less but still had trouble staying to ONLY the list. When paying with a credit card or debit card- it is easy to go over the planned $ amount. The next month I did a "cash only" grocery shopping for one month. I only took $120 in cash each week with me for groceries. This worked well- but was inconvient. It also highlighted a HUGE hole in our budget. I did not always have enough CASH to pay for $120/wk in groceries. I realised that in reality I put about half of my groceries each month on credit cards!! One of my first true "A-HA!" moments in dealing with our budget. I realised that I would need to lower my grocery budget even further (which didn't seem possible at the time) so it showed me we really needed to cut something somewhere ELSE! and ASAP!<br /><br />So try it for one month. Track EVERY PENNY! And don't lie- you're only really lying to yourself.<br />For some- this may seem tedious. But to make it easy stick up a sheet of looseleaf on the fridge and each night when you get home write down everything you bought. (how much you spent and what you spent it on). It doesn't need to be neat- legible- but not neat. Dates are not required. If you fill up that sheet of looseleaf- flip it over or start another one. Do it everynight- or you'll surely forget something. Remember- if you "cheat" you are only lying to yourself. And you deserve better than that!<br /><br />After the holidays this year- my grocery budgets have been crazy!! I write down all my grocery reciepts because I am still trying to figure out if Bulk-buying at BJ's is saving me any money. It is definately saving me time- and is way more convient that my ususal shopping at Wal-mart. But I have yet to truely decide how much it is saving me. I do know it is not costing me MORE than I was spending at wal-mart. I will save all the numbers for another post- this one is getting long. But I do want to analyse how my BJ shopping is going.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-20054010160080154872009-01-02T21:28:00.008-05:002009-01-02T23:24:07.821-05:002009- A Look AheadAh, a new year, means a Clean Slate.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I don't like to make New Years Resolutions- I never keep them anyway. And as list-maker by nature I prefer to make some New Year's Lists. Any Goals you set should be realistic and yet give you something to strive for.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Some short lists I am working on:<br /><br /><br /><strong>My Financial Goals for 2009</strong><br /><br />(already posted this one 12/19/08)<br /><br /><br /><strong>My Family Goals for 2009</strong><br /><br />One Goal this year: To eat better (healthier) and watch portion sizes.<br /><br /><strong>Personal Goals for 2009</strong><br /><em>Exercise More</em>- hoping to walk the lakes at least 3 nights a week.<br /><em>Eat better</em> (part of the entire family's goal)<br /><em>Reconnect with my kids</em> (even though we do alot together- we used to have family game night every friday- which I want to re-establish, and I am hoping that I can take one kid with me on my walks to "catch up" with them)<br /><em>Organize Our Pictures</em>- Digital and Prints<br /><em>Set a Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly Routines</em>. (daily is mostly set, but weekly and monthly will be more about keeping my house organized) I enjoy reading stuff over at <a href="http://www.flylady.com/">www.flylady.com</a> but she is TOO organized for me- I didn't think that was possible.<br /><br /><br /><strong>New Frugal Changes I hope to adapt in 2009</strong> (more on this as the year goes on)<br /><br />Be more meticulous in my record keeping about our finances.<br />(keeping track helps me be more frugal- make every dollar stretch as far as it can go)<br /><br />Eat home more/order in less- and avoid convience foods.<br />(which cost more and don't work with my family goal of healthier eating)<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Books I want to Read in 2009</strong> (from simplemom.com)<br /><br />Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominques & Vicki Robin<br /><br />It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh<br /><br />Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv<br /><br />For Woman Only: What you need to know about the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn<br /><br />The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey<br /><br /><br /><br />Just some things I have rolling around in my head....<br /><br />Hope some get you thinking of your own lists.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-1542590957796370442009-01-01T21:58:00.003-05:002009-01-02T21:28:40.059-05:002008- A Look BackA look back at 2008- a few key things I rememebr that stand out from last year:<br /><br />1) money was tight<br /><br />2)truely began living the Frugal lifestyle- partically out of need/partically because I liked it<br /><br />3) Too many expensee- not enough income. To fill up the car cost $110 (every week) all of May and June!! UGH!!!<br /><br />4) Cracked rear axil--too many car problems.. but then a new car (generously given!!)<br /><br />5) Loving the new car- which in Sept cost $45 to fill up- -by Dec 31st cost $22. to fill up!<br /><br />6) Loved a free-family trip to Hershey Park at Thanksgiving.<br /><br />7) Enjoyed a great Christmas with everyone!!<br /><br /><br /><br />One of my 2008 Favorite Frugal changes-<br /><br />Stop using paper towels - switched to cloth napkins and dish towles instead (Love this!)In the last year this has saved us $175! And took nothing to make the change- really easy.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-74545731509643762712009-01-01T21:07:00.002-05:002009-01-01T21:09:58.746-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!!Hello All!<br />Happy New Year!!<br />Hope you have gotten off to a great start.<br /><br />I will postt some of my Goals for myself in the next few days.<br /><br />I have also decided to take the "30Days of Nothing" challenge. I explain soon.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-22062460813573451942008-12-30T00:17:00.008-05:002008-12-30T00:33:56.563-05:00Pictures!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uuDLB4kKEkmazZ1RR5XsV1_kgL6-wVrdxTV3sWYLkiIcciHqrjc5sUVpPP_cKwaI5Cj0BGCqJnCETjdyuZ3GQMXwpVLzsJbrZhGl_k99U4zHu8ANQ2p_yAsHjgtNV-wffPIgUnjYDqTP/s1600-h/DSC01071.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285451860286176786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uuDLB4kKEkmazZ1RR5XsV1_kgL6-wVrdxTV3sWYLkiIcciHqrjc5sUVpPP_cKwaI5Cj0BGCqJnCETjdyuZ3GQMXwpVLzsJbrZhGl_k99U4zHu8ANQ2p_yAsHjgtNV-wffPIgUnjYDqTP/s320/DSC01071.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRlitUzWVpEjLNquq3mcK59zZyc1VxLwHWD2xjOfu1kk7Wsxri1doNWU1CPXrtkKsjA_qhZAwmuJ0dmgOEOi6uvpZgJMyrsdygmvklmAs8xABitnjunKWuUfHO88iHFHAthdu9aSLFQN7/s1600-h/DSC01070.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285451675975791250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRlitUzWVpEjLNquq3mcK59zZyc1VxLwHWD2xjOfu1kk7Wsxri1doNWU1CPXrtkKsjA_qhZAwmuJ0dmgOEOi6uvpZgJMyrsdygmvklmAs8xABitnjunKWuUfHO88iHFHAthdu9aSLFQN7/s320/DSC01070.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaMGDDUEmNoE9_iiWdZVqxxhRq112O2nvxx-kirRKzM9RKEcPH9VpRxLwSnf-1aFFbKsbiz4qwkXK6uuzqz02UyhbKF1hY9_di1F8ZCRW5GV0bGLGCANsJpPQzGQ5iI9IyS1kWeLQ4HYR/s1600-h/DSC01063.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285451288248660722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaMGDDUEmNoE9_iiWdZVqxxhRq112O2nvxx-kirRKzM9RKEcPH9VpRxLwSnf-1aFFbKsbiz4qwkXK6uuzqz02UyhbKF1hY9_di1F8ZCRW5GV0bGLGCANsJpPQzGQ5iI9IyS1kWeLQ4HYR/s320/DSC01063.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7IObsdUb6aggOs8aWWSg5gfVQw5gtvetS_-Dima4JmG1tT7z2qQT2gSGdzE7jrF4RwzMwZNOmUu-xFMv4IIMNGiLfNNquVOR_2LReZJtwRRUNBEu-R_d8essle3fh_U_Vy2bH6qLkt1z/s1600-h/DSC01061.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285451098968802610" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7IObsdUb6aggOs8aWWSg5gfVQw5gtvetS_-Dima4JmG1tT7z2qQT2gSGdzE7jrF4RwzMwZNOmUu-xFMv4IIMNGiLfNNquVOR_2LReZJtwRRUNBEu-R_d8essle3fh_U_Vy2bH6qLkt1z/s320/DSC01061.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I got a new camera for Christmas and I have figured out how to download photos!!! So expect many more photos as part of this blog form now on!!! Tell relatives- they can see cute pictures of the kids here! </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-88240750134648539882008-12-29T23:15:00.002-05:002008-12-29T23:54:51.657-05:00New Years!! A New Beginning!!I love New Years as it is a great chance to "start over".. a new canvas to draw up a New Plan.<br /><br />I know most people "Spring Clean" but I personally always find January a "Big Clean" month. I don't even need to plan it- it just natually occurs-- must be somekind of internal clock for me. I think it has something to do with putting away the tree and Christmas decorations- it makes the houes feel "empty" but not a bad empty, more like a "clear" empty. With all the Christmas toys and new clothes that need to "find homes" it always starts my organizing instinct. Where to put it all???<br /><br />Before Christmas I always clear out the clutter. I go into each child's dresser and pull out clothes that don't fit or they don't like. I go though all the toys to see what is broken, missing pieces, too young, or just not played with anymore and that all gets sold on ebay or put in the garbage. I went though all the "snow clothes" (snowpants, boots, snowgloves, hats etc..) and have all the kids try stuff on to see what might be needed for this year. Whatever no longer fits is passed onto relatives or sold on ebay.<br /><br />Now, after Christmas, I feel like I need to do it all over again. There is never enough room- or so it seems. We need to carefully look at each thing in the house and decide "Do I really need this?". How do I decide if I should keep something? I ask myself, Do I use it everyday- or everyweek -or every month? Depending on what it is used for. I have "seasonal items"- if I didn't use it last year- and I didn't use it/put it out this year- then I probably won't- so OUT IT GOES!<br /><br /><em>I should note here: I tend to be a very "unattached" person-- I have very few items that I have any emotional attachments to--therefore I find it very easy to get rid of stuff. (The price of an item makes a larger impression on me than emotions.)</em><br /><br />I love that my dinning room is completely cleared out (in order to seat 13 people for dinner on Xmas) and I would like it to stay that way! Saying something is one thing but in order for Ideas to be come reality you need a plan!! So my plan for this is to organize my "school stuff" in the laundry room. It was all moved to the laundry room this summer- but things tend to creap back upstairs. I think this is because it is such a mess in the laundry room. It was PUT there at the end of the school year- but literally just PUT - not in any particular order. So I am hoping before I head back to school Jan 5th to get it into seperate file boxes marked: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer. That should help. As I bring stuff home now- I can put it in the correct box for next year. (instead of making a pile in the dining room)<br /><br />As this week goes by and I look forward to the clean slate of the New Year, I will be posting a week-by-week House Cleaning list, in case anyone else has the January Cleaning Bug. I will also be posting some New Year's Goals (personal, family, and financial).Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-87084476774313017822008-12-29T22:34:00.005-05:002008-12-29T23:58:53.382-05:00I can't believe it's over!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4P4L6unO0v4q1SI3W4DGx5litWj6QmBpErAgBaFgjQCkmt8nBZBApOinZO68GFC5j1E2fCHaWwFnJFuJ1A0LpAyDQcR6Vb2vgas73UGJfOsGZAIMZb1YhmWV5Fq3CCnqzzv8ttkPvGaf/s1600-h/DSC01041.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285442959982580322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4P4L6unO0v4q1SI3W4DGx5litWj6QmBpErAgBaFgjQCkmt8nBZBApOinZO68GFC5j1E2fCHaWwFnJFuJ1A0LpAyDQcR6Vb2vgas73UGJfOsGZAIMZb1YhmWV5Fq3CCnqzzv8ttkPvGaf/s320/DSC01041.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnZkBq4SUTLRmlb8cCOP1Si-J9qey3_FTAkg6PT3xyueSK23rrLu5NB80xXPWYkMJSV4qktcvRRK8FiKVgZ1Oy1pA3W920p0wC4Z1E5PuwfceOomzFt2fLFPtRKaJd1VxHEggxWn_Owad/s1600-h/DSC01037.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285442699343082210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnZkBq4SUTLRmlb8cCOP1Si-J9qey3_FTAkg6PT3xyueSK23rrLu5NB80xXPWYkMJSV4qktcvRRK8FiKVgZ1Oy1pA3W920p0wC4Z1E5PuwfceOomzFt2fLFPtRKaJd1VxHEggxWn_Owad/s320/DSC01037.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Well Christmas has now come and gone- Boo Hoo! I am fighting off the after-christmas-blues. I love the holidays- from about Halloween until New Years there is always lots going on- lots of fun, lots of family events and just great chances for memories. This has been the case again this year and as I only have New Years left I am feeling a bit glum.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br />But a quick look back,...<br /><br />Christmas was wonderful! The kids were soo happy with all the gifts they received. Visiting with both sides of our families was fun. And, to keep you in the loop- we did NOT do the Christmas scavenger hunt for gifts (as mentioned in a previous post). I had quickly mentioned it to my son who thought it was not a good idea- he wanted all of his gifts right there under the tree for him to open on Christmas- not all over the house. SO we will save the scavenger hunt, as our regular Easter basket routine.<br /><br />We have soo much food left here from hosting Christmas this year. Our Waistlines are not doing well. (More on this in a minute)<br /><br />I have done my After Christmas Shopping- which turned out to be much smaller than I expected. Not because the deals weren't there- but I just didn't need as much stuff. I did run to Target (with my SIL) right before it closed- which kept us moving and not lolli-gagging and picking up to much stuff- as they kept announcing how many minutes until they closed. Here's what I bought:<br /><br />4 rolls of wrap(50%off)- Total: $8<br />3 packages of white tisssue paper (50% off $.49/ea.) = $.99<br />1 pack of reen/red tissue paper (50% off $.99) =$.99<br />2 packs of sticker-style To/From Tags (50% off $.74/ea)= $1.49<br />1 box of 12 ball-ornaments (50% off)= $3.99<br />1 package of White garland (50% off)= $1.99<br />10 twin-packs of Xmas Playdough (so cute in tree and snowman containers)= $9.90<br />2 boxes of 50 mini-candycanes(50% off $.49/ea.)= $1.99<br />2 Coca-Cola Lip Gloss & Lip balm sets (50%off )= $4.99<br />(While I was there I also picked up 2 bottles of soda and bought a water bottle- which have nothing to do with the after Christmas sales- but in the notion of Full Disclosure)<br /><br />My Total was :$40.23<br />I used a $25 gift card I received for Xmas and only paid $15.23 out of pocket!!<br /><br />I am total stocked for next year!! And a few extras- Like the 2 lip gloss sets for the girls for Valentine gifts and the 20 play-dohs will go in the 20 celephane bags my sister picked up for me at her Target along with 2 mini candy canes feach from my 2 boxes I bought -- these will be my gift bags for my students next year!!<br /><br />What I didn't buy: no cooking mixes or sprinkles or candy-- why? well I aksed for muffin tins for xmas and my sister brought them for me and packed it with 4 boxes of cake mix and 4 tubs of icing-- so I didn't really need any, and as for the candy- althougth we like it- it brings me back to our waistlines.... more on that tomorrow!!<br /><br />Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a Joyous New Year!!</div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-54140290095741340882008-12-21T21:23:00.003-05:002008-12-21T22:06:12.840-05:00A green and more adventureous ChirstmasI was reading old archived posts at <a href="http://www.beingfrugal.net/">www.beingfrugal.net</a> and in one of the posts there was comment by a reader with an idea I JUST LOVED!! and felt I had to share it here.<br /><br />The orignal purpose of this comment was on how to make your Christmas "greener" by not wrapping gifts (save paper= saved trees and less garbage to our landfills) but I just love it because I know my kids would love it and I think I may try it this year (like I really need to add to my Holiday To Do List) anyway.. here is the idea.<br /><br />Instead of wrapping all the gifts for your children- hide them instead!! Like a scavenger hunt. They would wake up on Christmas morning to find one gift each wrapped under the tree and an envelope in the branches of the tree with a clue as to where to go to find another gift. If the clue leads them to the hall closet- there they each find one more gift (unwrapped) and another clue. Continue with the clues until all the gifts have been found.<br /><br />At Easter we do a scavenger to find their Easter baskets. The Easter bunny leaves a clue on the coffee table and leads them all over the house. After about 10 clues- the last clue will lead them to their Easter baskets and some gifts. They love this and ask for Scavenger Hunts all the the time.<br /><br />This summer I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of stuff and put it all in a box, then wrote clues for all over the backyard, and other outside areas. At the end of the clues they found the "treasure" (the box of dollar store items). They thought it was awesome.<br /><br />So a Christmas scavenger hunt might be great!! My only concern is that- at our house- Santa brings a few gifts and mom & dad also put gifts under the tree for xmas morning. And since my 8year old is already beginning to doubt santa exists- to have a savanger hunt that "Mom & Santa" did together would totally blow my cover.<br /><br />I am thinking of putting the gifts from santa under the tree and a note from Mom & Dad in the tree branches that would be the first clue to find the "Mom & Dad" gifts. Although the original purpose of this was to make a greener Christmas, with no wrapping, I would wrap my gifts anyway. Not that I don't want to be green but I have already wrapped their gifts for this year- and unwrapping them now wouldn't save any trees or make any less garbage.<br /><br />So here is what I am thinking. This would work well this year for several reasons. The first being this is a leaner than normal Christmas so it is not like there was going to be a giant piles of gifts under the tree anyway- this may make the few gifts seem more exciting. Second, it will make the Christmas morning activites take a bit longer. I am thinking of having them run around finding the gifts but having them bring each one back to the tree before we move onto the next clue and then once all the gifts are found- then we will sit down by the tree and open all the gifts. Third, this year, by chance, I have the same number of gifts for each child. This does not always happen. I have a budget I follow and a certian dollar amount I stick to for each child- therefore, ususally- I end up with a varying amount of gifts- but they all add up to the same amount of money. This year I just happen to have 7 gifts for each of them that are from Mom & Dad. Also, the gifts are smaller (not cheaper- just smaller in size). Think iShuffle not Rose Petal Cottage. This will make hiding them easy this year.<br /><br />So this would be a great year to try this. I am not sure I would do it every year. I think the novelty of it would wear off. But if I can think of some good hiding places, some good clues, and get it all put together "cute" so it really makes an impression on them. I will do it this year.<br /><br />I'll keep you posted on how it goes.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-32280246102719803762008-12-20T01:29:00.006-05:002008-12-21T20:55:17.373-05:00After Chirstmas Sales- Shopping ListMy favorite time to shop is the week AFTER Christmas. Everything is a bargin! 50%-75% signs will be all over. I was at Target last week and they already had alot of Christmas things 30%-50% off.<br /><br /><br /><br />I sat down to wrap gifts this weekend and as I pulled out my Christmas box of wrapping stuff- I was so excited to find all the stuff I got last year after Christmas- right there waiting for me this year. It is so great to know you planned ahead. I found 4 new rolls of wrapping paper (along with several left over from last year)which i paid no more than $1/roll, 5 boxes of Christmas cards (yea-cards will go out this year- just without a picture of the kids in it)which I paid no more thatn $1 each for, a 3pack of scotch tape, 2 packages of to/from sticker-style tags (totaling 144 tags) each pack cost me only $.25, a 4-pack of cute shirt boxes with pictures on the lids normally $1.99- I paid $.49 for, a large pack of white tissue paper 50 sheets which was $1.99 and I paid $.49 for and a colored pack of red and green tissue also paid $.49 for and a dozen other things I was so excited I felt like I had just opened a gift to myself. And to know I paid almost nothing for theses items just makes it fun!<br /><br /><br /><br />SO I have started to create a shopping list to hit Target and Walmart with the day after Christmas. It is not complete yet- but here is what I have so far:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>4 rolls of gift wrap</li><br /><li>4pack of shirt boxes with cute lids (but only if it $.49 again)</li><br /><li>Cellephane gift bags (20 to a pack) for gifts for my class next year.</li><br /><li>Funfetti cake mixes (last year I got 5 of them for just $.25 each! who cares if they have red and green speckles- still yummy)</li><br /><li>Funfetti icing (last year I got 8 of these for $.50 each! I'd have gotten more but that was all they had left. The icing is really just white- the funfetti pieces are in the lid- so these could be used anytime of year- just don't put the sprinkes on)</li><br /><li>Red/green star mini marshmallow bags- last year $.25 each- I got several- we use then in hot chocolate all winter and my class even used them for a project- you could seeperate them into red ones and green ones and make pink rice krispie treats at valentines day and green rice krispie treats for st. Patty's day</li><br /><li>Russel Stover Boxed chocolates (these are still sealed under the gift wrap- so you can buy them take the wrapping paper off and still use them in the next several months as hostess gifts)</li><br /><li>Red and Green sugar sprinkles or other sprinkles- these will keep until next year.</li><br /><li>Boxed christmas cards- can never have too many- in case, like this year, you plans to make a photocard don's come together</li><br /><li>Red paper bags (like a brown lunch bag- but red) I use these to make Valentine bags for my class to decorate to receive thier valentines in.</li><br /><li>Christmas candles (Yankee candle- sales!!) I will always buy candles when on sale- But I like the "good ones" not the cheapy ones- the scents never last through the whole buring of the candle. Iwon't buy a ton- because they are just for me- but a few to last the winter is always nice.</li><br /><li>a few holiday candies- red/green M&M packs, red/green/silver hershey kisses- cause we love these two candies. </li><br /><li>White/Irredescent garland for the tree- I need some more of this. </li><br /><li>I'll have my eye out for general boxes of ornaments (a few break every year- so a few new ones each year is nice to keep the tree full) Nothing specific- just the right look at the right price will do.<br /></li></ul>Some things to think about if you are going out the day after Christmas. Take a minute and think about the people in your life and what they, or you, have coming up in 2009.<br /><br /><br /><br />Is anyone pregnant? Grab that cute baby outfit or bib that is red and green or says "Baby's 1st Christmas" now while it is 75% off and set it aside for next year.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyone moving? First home? Grab that great housewarming gift now or an ornament that says "Home Sweet Home" just watch- some ornaments have the year on them (and that's just tacky to give next year).<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyone getting married? Look for items that may say "Our first christmas together", or any "love" or inspirational phrases that talk about love. If you are a close friend of the bride and maybe involved in the shower- look for things that can be used as favors- lots of silver & gold, hearts & stars type items can be found after Christmas. Also pick up that roll of gift wrap that is silver and gold foil- great for wrapping that wedding or shower gift in. Silver or gold ribbons too! and tulle- you can usually find Tulle on sale.<br /><br /><br /><br />Just some ideas- Hope it gets you thinking of what you may be looking for at the wonderful After Christmas Sales!<br /><br />I'll see you there!!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6680194525859330774.post-7398254506269028182008-12-20T01:06:00.005-05:002008-12-20T19:30:05.419-05:00Cute Craft Ideas with What You Already HaveI have seem some really cute crafts around the blogosphere. I wanted to share a these two because they are soo cute and soo simple and both can be done with things you may already have laying around your house...<br /><br />Over at The Homespun Heart- there is a cute craft to create "In the name of Jesus Garland". This would be great if I still worked at the church, but is so simple and looks so nice that it would be great for just decorating your house. And if you are not the religious person- instead of names for Jesus- each tag on the garland could also says things like:<br /><br />Memories of 2008 (write about a memory in each tag- or put a picture- but that's more work)<br /><br />Goals / Hopes/ Dreams for 2009<br /><br />Things I/We are Thankful For This Year<br /><br />People I Love<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The ideas could go on and on... check it out at<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2008/12/names-of-jesus-garland-tutorial.html">http://www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2008/12/names-of-jesus-garland-tutorial.html</a><br /><br />The second idea comes from Jenn over at Frugal Upstate, where she makes Paperclip Angels. I could totally see my sister doing this at work- using the paperclips on her desk. (she's very crafty).. but you do need a few other things- like ribbon and a silver bead.. but it is soo cute!<br /><br />Check it out at<br /><a href="http://www.frugalupstate.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-childrens-christmas-craft.html">http://www.frugalupstate.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-childrens-christmas-craft.html</a><br /><br /><p>Hope you enjoy some easy crafting!<br /></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357646696128602855noreply@blogger.com0