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!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
New 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.
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???
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.
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!
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.)
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)
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).
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???
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.
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!
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.)
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)
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).
I can't believe it's over!
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.
But a quick look back,...
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.
We have soo much food left here from hosting Christmas this year. Our Waistlines are not doing well. (More on this in a minute)
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:
4 rolls of wrap(50%off)- Total: $8
3 packages of white tisssue paper (50% off $.49/ea.) = $.99
1 pack of reen/red tissue paper (50% off $.99) =$.99
2 packs of sticker-style To/From Tags (50% off $.74/ea)= $1.49
1 box of 12 ball-ornaments (50% off)= $3.99
1 package of White garland (50% off)= $1.99
10 twin-packs of Xmas Playdough (so cute in tree and snowman containers)= $9.90
2 boxes of 50 mini-candycanes(50% off $.49/ea.)= $1.99
2 Coca-Cola Lip Gloss & Lip balm sets (50%off )= $4.99
(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)
My Total was :$40.23
I used a $25 gift card I received for Xmas and only paid $15.23 out of pocket!!
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!!
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!!
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a Joyous New Year!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A green and more adventureous Chirstmas
I was reading old archived posts at www.beingfrugal.net 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
After Chirstmas Sales- Shopping List
My 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.
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!
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:
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.
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).
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.
Just some ideas- Hope it gets you thinking of what you may be looking for at the wonderful After Christmas Sales!
I'll see you there!!
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!
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:
- 4 rolls of gift wrap
- 4pack of shirt boxes with cute lids (but only if it $.49 again)
- Cellephane gift bags (20 to a pack) for gifts for my class next year.
- 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)
- 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)
- 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
- 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)
- Red and Green sugar sprinkles or other sprinkles- these will keep until next year.
- Boxed christmas cards- can never have too many- in case, like this year, you plans to make a photocard don's come together
- 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.
- 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.
- a few holiday candies- red/green M&M packs, red/green/silver hershey kisses- cause we love these two candies.
- White/Irredescent garland for the tree- I need some more of this.
- 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.
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.
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).
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.
Just some ideas- Hope it gets you thinking of what you may be looking for at the wonderful After Christmas Sales!
I'll see you there!!
Cute Craft Ideas with What You Already Have
I 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...
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:
Memories of 2008 (write about a memory in each tag- or put a picture- but that's more work)
Goals / Hopes/ Dreams for 2009
Things I/We are Thankful For This Year
People I Love
The ideas could go on and on... check it out at
http://www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2008/12/names-of-jesus-garland-tutorial.html
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!
Check it out at
http://www.frugalupstate.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-childrens-christmas-craft.html
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:
Memories of 2008 (write about a memory in each tag- or put a picture- but that's more work)
Goals / Hopes/ Dreams for 2009
Things I/We are Thankful For This Year
People I Love
The ideas could go on and on... check it out at
http://www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2008/12/names-of-jesus-garland-tutorial.html
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!
Check it out at
http://www.frugalupstate.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-childrens-christmas-craft.html
Hope you enjoy some easy crafting!
Alternate Streams of Income
One of the best ways to tackle debt or work to accomplish other financial goals is with alternate streams of income. This would include any income that is above your "regular" day-job income. Some alternate income sources might include:
Tutoring
Part-Time Job
Seasonal Work (cutting grass, snowplowing, raking leaves)
Home Parties (Home & Garden, PartyLite, Tupperware)
Selling on Ebay
Crafting/Selling on Etsy
Alternate incomes tend to be illregular, which is what makes them great for reaching any financial goals you may have whether it is paying off debt, saving for a "new to you" car, a vacation or a house. Because alternate incomes may not be consistent pay each month. You can't count on them to pay our bills or other regular monthly expenses. SO if you can find one or two great "part-time" incomes -then when you hit a payday with them- use that money to pay into whatever your financial goal is.
Over the years we have had tons of different alternate incomes. I have taught home instruction, done pritvate tutoring, sold avon, and sold items on ebay. Gary has done seasonal work, worked a night job, retrieved golf balls to sell on ebay, and most recently became an installer for Link-to-Life which has surpised us and is bringing in more money than we thought- which we are really hoping continues, as the golf balls on ebay have fallen off quite a bit in the off-season.
Right now our best "alternate incomes" come from selling used golf balls on ebay which "In Season" makes us up to $800/month and in the "Off Season" makes us about $300/month. This new Link-To-Life job made us $190 in December and so far for January has earned us $350. (they pay you on the 15th of the following month for all the jobs you complete in the month prior). So far in December Gary has earned $350- but he won't be paid until Jan 15th. If he gets more jobs in the last few weeks of December that January payday could be more.
As I said before, these irregular payments are just that- irregular. So our plans for the "extra income" is to meet our Christmas club goals for 2009, to set some money aside for our "emergency fund" above our normal $25 deposit each month, and to set some additional funds aside for the summer when I do not get paid (my teaching job only pays 10 months out of the year). If, and this is a BIG IF, If the money is there we are also hoping to take a vacation this summer. We did not take one last summer because we just didn't have the money- but we are hoping that does not become the "norm" and instead was just a one-time-thing. But as with all financial goals you need a plan. Since this "extra income" is unpredictable- we will have to see how much we can make and then what we are able to accomplish with it.
Pinyo at Moolanomy (a great personal finance blog) has a great list of 40+alternate income ideas, click on the link below to check it out.
http://www.moolanomy.com/462/30-alternative-income-ideas-and-resources/
Tutoring
Part-Time Job
Seasonal Work (cutting grass, snowplowing, raking leaves)
Home Parties (Home & Garden, PartyLite, Tupperware)
Selling on Ebay
Crafting/Selling on Etsy
Alternate incomes tend to be illregular, which is what makes them great for reaching any financial goals you may have whether it is paying off debt, saving for a "new to you" car, a vacation or a house. Because alternate incomes may not be consistent pay each month. You can't count on them to pay our bills or other regular monthly expenses. SO if you can find one or two great "part-time" incomes -then when you hit a payday with them- use that money to pay into whatever your financial goal is.
Over the years we have had tons of different alternate incomes. I have taught home instruction, done pritvate tutoring, sold avon, and sold items on ebay. Gary has done seasonal work, worked a night job, retrieved golf balls to sell on ebay, and most recently became an installer for Link-to-Life which has surpised us and is bringing in more money than we thought- which we are really hoping continues, as the golf balls on ebay have fallen off quite a bit in the off-season.
Right now our best "alternate incomes" come from selling used golf balls on ebay which "In Season" makes us up to $800/month and in the "Off Season" makes us about $300/month. This new Link-To-Life job made us $190 in December and so far for January has earned us $350. (they pay you on the 15th of the following month for all the jobs you complete in the month prior). So far in December Gary has earned $350- but he won't be paid until Jan 15th. If he gets more jobs in the last few weeks of December that January payday could be more.
As I said before, these irregular payments are just that- irregular. So our plans for the "extra income" is to meet our Christmas club goals for 2009, to set some money aside for our "emergency fund" above our normal $25 deposit each month, and to set some additional funds aside for the summer when I do not get paid (my teaching job only pays 10 months out of the year). If, and this is a BIG IF, If the money is there we are also hoping to take a vacation this summer. We did not take one last summer because we just didn't have the money- but we are hoping that does not become the "norm" and instead was just a one-time-thing. But as with all financial goals you need a plan. Since this "extra income" is unpredictable- we will have to see how much we can make and then what we are able to accomplish with it.
Pinyo at Moolanomy (a great personal finance blog) has a great list of 40+alternate income ideas, click on the link below to check it out.
http://www.moolanomy.com/462/30-alternative-income-ideas-and-resources/
Friday, December 19, 2008
Financial Goals for 2009
This is going to be a work in progress. These are the financial goals I am setting for 2009, but about every 3-4 months I am going to revisit these to see how I am doing and if needed revise them.
Last year I set goals that were somewhat general, and did not have a plan in order to accomplish them. This year I am not just setting the goals but how I plan to make them a reality. We have a bit of "alternate income" coming in these next few months that I am hoping will help us to achieve our goals.
Financial Goals for 2009 & The Plan to Achieve Them
1) Set up a Christmas club, have $1000 in it by the end of Oct, so Christmas can be "cash only" again this year without cutting anything out.
Plan: Open account in January with $100. Set up automatic withdrawls into that account from my checking account for $100 each month February-Oct. This will be done through IngDirect. I love IngDirect!
2) Payback a debt to a family member by June.
Plan: This has already been arranged to be paid $200/month January to June. Along with the Christmas club withdrawls, this will be tight but we have some alternative incomes starting that should help make this possible without too much "belt tightening". But if belt tighting is what it takes we can do it.
3) When our Income Tax return comes- really, truely, without fail SET IT ASIDE to pay our Property and School Taxes for 2009.
Plan: This would include our Town Property Taxes in February, our Village Property taxes in July, and our School Taxes in Sept. I am planning to accomplish this by actually giving the money to my mom to hold so we are not tempted to "dip into it" before the July and Sept tax bills come. We do not have an escrow on our mortgage- so we paid these on our own when they are due.
4) Pay off 2 of our credit cards. We are working with a credit counseling service for the bulk of our credit card debt, but they would not take on any credit cards that had balances under $750. So we have 4 cards that we are working on on our own, with balances ranging from $250- $700. It may seen crazy to not just be able to pay off a card with $250 on it, but as I have mentioned before our budget is tight and at this point we have been lucky to pay the minimums on these cards.
Plan: After we pay off the family member, starting in July, I am planning to use $150/month to get at least 2 of these cards paid off before the end of the year.
5) Set up an "Emergency Fund". So that when "things" come up this year-they do not effect our monthly bills.
Plan: Set up an IngDirect account labeled Emergency Fund and have automatic withdrawls from my checking account put into it for just $25/month. I am hoping and praying nothing happens in the first few month of the year. This is what happened last year, everytime I got $100-$200 in my savings, something came up and away went my savings, which was frustrating and I stopped putting money into my savings. Not this year!
So there you have it. My Goals and Plans for 2009!!
I will post updates throughout the year to let you know how well I am sticking to my plans.
Feel free to share your Goals for 2009 in the comments! I'd love to see what others are trying to accomplish with their hard earned money.
Last year I set goals that were somewhat general, and did not have a plan in order to accomplish them. This year I am not just setting the goals but how I plan to make them a reality. We have a bit of "alternate income" coming in these next few months that I am hoping will help us to achieve our goals.
Financial Goals for 2009 & The Plan to Achieve Them
1) Set up a Christmas club, have $1000 in it by the end of Oct, so Christmas can be "cash only" again this year without cutting anything out.
Plan: Open account in January with $100. Set up automatic withdrawls into that account from my checking account for $100 each month February-Oct. This will be done through IngDirect. I love IngDirect!
2) Payback a debt to a family member by June.
Plan: This has already been arranged to be paid $200/month January to June. Along with the Christmas club withdrawls, this will be tight but we have some alternative incomes starting that should help make this possible without too much "belt tightening". But if belt tighting is what it takes we can do it.
3) When our Income Tax return comes- really, truely, without fail SET IT ASIDE to pay our Property and School Taxes for 2009.
Plan: This would include our Town Property Taxes in February, our Village Property taxes in July, and our School Taxes in Sept. I am planning to accomplish this by actually giving the money to my mom to hold so we are not tempted to "dip into it" before the July and Sept tax bills come. We do not have an escrow on our mortgage- so we paid these on our own when they are due.
4) Pay off 2 of our credit cards. We are working with a credit counseling service for the bulk of our credit card debt, but they would not take on any credit cards that had balances under $750. So we have 4 cards that we are working on on our own, with balances ranging from $250- $700. It may seen crazy to not just be able to pay off a card with $250 on it, but as I have mentioned before our budget is tight and at this point we have been lucky to pay the minimums on these cards.
Plan: After we pay off the family member, starting in July, I am planning to use $150/month to get at least 2 of these cards paid off before the end of the year.
5) Set up an "Emergency Fund". So that when "things" come up this year-they do not effect our monthly bills.
Plan: Set up an IngDirect account labeled Emergency Fund and have automatic withdrawls from my checking account put into it for just $25/month. I am hoping and praying nothing happens in the first few month of the year. This is what happened last year, everytime I got $100-$200 in my savings, something came up and away went my savings, which was frustrating and I stopped putting money into my savings. Not this year!
So there you have it. My Goals and Plans for 2009!!
I will post updates throughout the year to let you know how well I am sticking to my plans.
Feel free to share your Goals for 2009 in the comments! I'd love to see what others are trying to accomplish with their hard earned money.
5 Painless Ways to Save $1000 in 2009
As I began to work at creating at my own Financial Goals for 2009 I began to think of ways I could cut more out of our budget. Some ideas I have are reasonable and others I know I won't be able to keep up with, therefore I have decided to post a few ways I think would be painless.
Five Painless Ways to Save $1000 in 2009
1) Brown bag lunch to work just one day more than normal. (One lunch ($5)/week) Savings: $240
2) Stop using Paper Towels & Paper Napkins -switch to cloth napkins & dishtowels. ( I did this last year and love it!!). Puchasing one 3-roll generic pack of paper towels ($2.70) per week= Savings: $140
3) Hang clothes to dry. Just 2 loads per week will save you about $100 a year!
4) Once a month, instead of "dinner out" go out for dessert. Eat dinner at home but go out for dessert. Average dinner for two= $45, just two desserts and drinks= $20-$25, Saving you $20 per month. Savings $240/yr.
5) Make one "Meat-Free" Meal each week. Saves you about $6/meal for not purchasing that steak or 1lb of meat or a package of chicken cutlets. $6/week equals Saving $312 a year. Some great meat-free meals that still fill you up are : Lasangna, spagetti with italian bread, mashed potato bowls (mashed potatoes covered with gravy then corn then shedded cheese melted on top- YUM!)
So if you total my 5 ideas you save $1032 in 2009!!!
Not too bad for some small changes in your routine.
I am planning some more money saving lists (some easy, some not so simple) for getting the New Year off to a Frugal Start!!
Five Painless Ways to Save $1000 in 2009
1) Brown bag lunch to work just one day more than normal. (One lunch ($5)/week) Savings: $240
2) Stop using Paper Towels & Paper Napkins -switch to cloth napkins & dishtowels. ( I did this last year and love it!!). Puchasing one 3-roll generic pack of paper towels ($2.70) per week= Savings: $140
3) Hang clothes to dry. Just 2 loads per week will save you about $100 a year!
4) Once a month, instead of "dinner out" go out for dessert. Eat dinner at home but go out for dessert. Average dinner for two= $45, just two desserts and drinks= $20-$25, Saving you $20 per month. Savings $240/yr.
5) Make one "Meat-Free" Meal each week. Saves you about $6/meal for not purchasing that steak or 1lb of meat or a package of chicken cutlets. $6/week equals Saving $312 a year. Some great meat-free meals that still fill you up are : Lasangna, spagetti with italian bread, mashed potato bowls (mashed potatoes covered with gravy then corn then shedded cheese melted on top- YUM!)
So if you total my 5 ideas you save $1032 in 2009!!!
Not too bad for some small changes in your routine.
I am planning some more money saving lists (some easy, some not so simple) for getting the New Year off to a Frugal Start!!
A Look Back at 2008's Financial Goals
I can not believe that 2008 is almost over. Less than 2 weeks and it will be 2009.
Last year was the first year that I sat down and made a list of Financial Goals for the year. I started small with just a few goals this year and hopefully they were all things I felt I could truely accomplish.
Here's what they were and how we did on them....
1) Save up to pay our Village Property Taxes due in July. (about $1600)- Done!
Thanks to lots of overtime in June and July.
2) Be able to pay for Christmas completely in Cash. - Done!
But it was not easy and a few things had to be cut. Even as of today I have not sent
Christmas cards out.
3) Keep up with all the bills, do not pay any late fees. - Not done well.
Unfortunately lots of "things" came up this year. And having no savings, every time something came up we had to use money set up for monthly bills to pay for these "unexpected" expenses. None of which was large but add up four $75 items in one month and suddenly you have a $300 bill, which was not in the budget. With our monthly budget as tight as it, after all the regular monthly expenses, plus gas & groceries, we only have about $200 for discretionary spending. So you do the math- $300 of additional expenses with only $200 to pay it and well, something else didn't get paid or got paid late. Just the way it goes.
Not bad for a first try at financial goal setting, but I hope to do better next year.
Later this week I will be posting Five Painless Ways to Save $1000 Next Year, and My Financial Goals for 2009.
Last year was the first year that I sat down and made a list of Financial Goals for the year. I started small with just a few goals this year and hopefully they were all things I felt I could truely accomplish.
Here's what they were and how we did on them....
1) Save up to pay our Village Property Taxes due in July. (about $1600)- Done!
Thanks to lots of overtime in June and July.
2) Be able to pay for Christmas completely in Cash. - Done!
But it was not easy and a few things had to be cut. Even as of today I have not sent
Christmas cards out.
3) Keep up with all the bills, do not pay any late fees. - Not done well.
Unfortunately lots of "things" came up this year. And having no savings, every time something came up we had to use money set up for monthly bills to pay for these "unexpected" expenses. None of which was large but add up four $75 items in one month and suddenly you have a $300 bill, which was not in the budget. With our monthly budget as tight as it, after all the regular monthly expenses, plus gas & groceries, we only have about $200 for discretionary spending. So you do the math- $300 of additional expenses with only $200 to pay it and well, something else didn't get paid or got paid late. Just the way it goes.
Not bad for a first try at financial goal setting, but I hope to do better next year.
Later this week I will be posting Five Painless Ways to Save $1000 Next Year, and My Financial Goals for 2009.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
One Woman's Trash Is Another Woman's Treasure. Well maybe not treasure- but stuff I can use!
My sister-in-law gave me a bag of junk.
It was stuff she saved when cleaning out her kitchen, thinking of me, she put it all in a bag.
In what she may have otherwise throw away I have found some useful things. Here's what I found and what I will now use it for...
1) 1/2 a bag of clothespins (the clip kind). I will keep these for when I get my Clothesline. I have wanted to put up a clothesline for about a year and although I can find the "line" I can not find the "pulleys/anchors" that you attach to your tree or the side of your house that allow you to pull the line in and out. I would LOVE a clothesline! According to something I once read.. Your average dryer, based on your average electrical rates-- cost about $.40/load to dry! I generally wash and dry about 12 loads of laundry a week.. that's $4.80 each week, or $19.20/ month- on average. WOW - I'd love to lower my electric bill by almost $20 a month. In reality I probably wouldn't line-dry ALL the laundry- the line would only hold one load at a time and each would take seveal hours to dry- -but if I line-dryed 1/2 of it- that would still lower my bill about $10/month. And that seems very do-able!
2) 5 small whisks (I think left over from her bridal shower). These will be filled with a few red and green hershey kisses and cute gift tags will be attached that say: We Whisk You a Merry Kissmas. Makes a really cute gift for a teacher or bus driver or anyone. (Who wouldn't want hershey kisses?)
3) a small tupperware-type container with a lid. This will be great for lunchboxes. Kaitlyn does not like sandwiches- so she sometimes takes chicken nuggets , and this little tupperware will be perfect for putting ketchup in.
So in her bag of "junk" I found some great things that I will put to great use!
It was stuff she saved when cleaning out her kitchen, thinking of me, she put it all in a bag.
In what she may have otherwise throw away I have found some useful things. Here's what I found and what I will now use it for...
1) 1/2 a bag of clothespins (the clip kind). I will keep these for when I get my Clothesline. I have wanted to put up a clothesline for about a year and although I can find the "line" I can not find the "pulleys/anchors" that you attach to your tree or the side of your house that allow you to pull the line in and out. I would LOVE a clothesline! According to something I once read.. Your average dryer, based on your average electrical rates-- cost about $.40/load to dry! I generally wash and dry about 12 loads of laundry a week.. that's $4.80 each week, or $19.20/ month- on average. WOW - I'd love to lower my electric bill by almost $20 a month. In reality I probably wouldn't line-dry ALL the laundry- the line would only hold one load at a time and each would take seveal hours to dry- -but if I line-dryed 1/2 of it- that would still lower my bill about $10/month. And that seems very do-able!
2) 5 small whisks (I think left over from her bridal shower). These will be filled with a few red and green hershey kisses and cute gift tags will be attached that say: We Whisk You a Merry Kissmas. Makes a really cute gift for a teacher or bus driver or anyone. (Who wouldn't want hershey kisses?)
3) a small tupperware-type container with a lid. This will be great for lunchboxes. Kaitlyn does not like sandwiches- so she sometimes takes chicken nuggets , and this little tupperware will be perfect for putting ketchup in.
So in her bag of "junk" I found some great things that I will put to great use!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Save Money- Don't eat out, bulk cook instead!
What? Bulk cook?
The main reason people eat out mid-week is they are tired when they get home from work or they don't have time to prepare a meal after work. BUT if you have a freezer full of ready-to-go meals, even when you are tired or don't have time, you'll have a meal ready-to-go, so you won't order out.
Well that sounds great but if i don't have time to cook how am I going to get a freezer full of Ready to go meals? Well, you bulk cook!
I have heard of doing this two ways.
One way is to cook twice as much food each time you cook a meal. So you set out to cook BBQ chicken and pasta. make twice as much as mornal and freeze half to eat another time. This sounds easy and takes no extra time, since you are cooking the meal anyway.
The second way is to set aside a few hours every few weeks to cook up several meals to freeze. I just did this on Sunday. This week I have 3 workshops I have to go to for work (Mon, Tue & Thurs from 7:30-9pm each night). So dinners will need to be easy and ready to go this week. So I planned an hour this Sunday to make a bunch of meals. I browned some meat and then seperated it into 2 containers, to one I added in taco seasoning, covered it and put it in the freezer for tacos later this week. The second one I added to a casserole dish to make a rice-bake. (rice, water,cream of mushroom soup, peas,shedded cheese and meat- bake for 30 mins at 350). Which I baked and is now in the freeezer for another night. I also baked up 5 chicken cutlets with mustard/marinate. And 5 more chicken cutlets marinated in BBQ sauce. I made a big pot of mac & cheese and froze half. The other half was part of dinner Sunday and then for lunches for the girls for Monday. I also baked corn bread, to go with the taco night. And a tray of brownines (for snacks this week). So all week I will only need to add a vegetable and a side dish, but the time comsuming parts are all made.
Eating out costs even more than buying lunch. And when I saying eating out I really mean ordering in, since that is what my family tends to do. In the past we used to get together with another family every Saturday and order in. One week it would be Chili's, the next Friday's, Outback, pizza, chinese, Uno's Grill, wherever. Once money got tight we did this less- by eating dinner at our homes before getting together or getting together to "potluck" and bring what we had at home and cook together, or we would feed all the children and then only order in food for the adults. Once we started to do this I realised how much money we were saving.
The scary facts:
If you eat out just once a week (for a family or 4-5, we typicaly spend about $40-$45/meal)
Once a week, 52 weeks a year = $2080 (assuming $40/wk)
But in reality when money wasn't a factor we usually ate out Saturday with friends and at least once during the school week. We's ordered pizza or chinese.... so if we figure $45 Saturday plus $25 on a weeknight.... 52 weeks out of the year.. that totals: $3640!
That's alot of money!! Just because I didn't feel like cooking.
I think the above senario is pretty typical for most families. Eating out 1-2 times a week cost alot. We still order in about once every other week. Actually last night we got chinese food. You can't deprive yourselves or your frugalilty becomes stingy. And we are not "cheap" or "stingy" we are frugal people. Using our money in the best ways possible to stretch every dollar as far as it will go, but not break.
SO go get cooking!
The main reason people eat out mid-week is they are tired when they get home from work or they don't have time to prepare a meal after work. BUT if you have a freezer full of ready-to-go meals, even when you are tired or don't have time, you'll have a meal ready-to-go, so you won't order out.
Well that sounds great but if i don't have time to cook how am I going to get a freezer full of Ready to go meals? Well, you bulk cook!
I have heard of doing this two ways.
One way is to cook twice as much food each time you cook a meal. So you set out to cook BBQ chicken and pasta. make twice as much as mornal and freeze half to eat another time. This sounds easy and takes no extra time, since you are cooking the meal anyway.
The second way is to set aside a few hours every few weeks to cook up several meals to freeze. I just did this on Sunday. This week I have 3 workshops I have to go to for work (Mon, Tue & Thurs from 7:30-9pm each night). So dinners will need to be easy and ready to go this week. So I planned an hour this Sunday to make a bunch of meals. I browned some meat and then seperated it into 2 containers, to one I added in taco seasoning, covered it and put it in the freezer for tacos later this week. The second one I added to a casserole dish to make a rice-bake. (rice, water,cream of mushroom soup, peas,shedded cheese and meat- bake for 30 mins at 350). Which I baked and is now in the freeezer for another night. I also baked up 5 chicken cutlets with mustard/marinate. And 5 more chicken cutlets marinated in BBQ sauce. I made a big pot of mac & cheese and froze half. The other half was part of dinner Sunday and then for lunches for the girls for Monday. I also baked corn bread, to go with the taco night. And a tray of brownines (for snacks this week). So all week I will only need to add a vegetable and a side dish, but the time comsuming parts are all made.
Eating out costs even more than buying lunch. And when I saying eating out I really mean ordering in, since that is what my family tends to do. In the past we used to get together with another family every Saturday and order in. One week it would be Chili's, the next Friday's, Outback, pizza, chinese, Uno's Grill, wherever. Once money got tight we did this less- by eating dinner at our homes before getting together or getting together to "potluck" and bring what we had at home and cook together, or we would feed all the children and then only order in food for the adults. Once we started to do this I realised how much money we were saving.
The scary facts:
If you eat out just once a week (for a family or 4-5, we typicaly spend about $40-$45/meal)
Once a week, 52 weeks a year = $2080 (assuming $40/wk)
But in reality when money wasn't a factor we usually ate out Saturday with friends and at least once during the school week. We's ordered pizza or chinese.... so if we figure $45 Saturday plus $25 on a weeknight.... 52 weeks out of the year.. that totals: $3640!
That's alot of money!! Just because I didn't feel like cooking.
I think the above senario is pretty typical for most families. Eating out 1-2 times a week cost alot. We still order in about once every other week. Actually last night we got chinese food. You can't deprive yourselves or your frugalilty becomes stingy. And we are not "cheap" or "stingy" we are frugal people. Using our money in the best ways possible to stretch every dollar as far as it will go, but not break.
SO go get cooking!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Use What You Have on Hand
One of the biggest Frugal tips I have taken to heart is Use What in Your Hand.
America is the land of the consumer! When we need it we run out and buy it and if we don't have the money for it we finance it! Well even if you don't finance it, and can pay cash for it you probably don't really need it.
Next time you are thinking "Oh I need ...., and I better run to .... to get it." Take a minute and think about it, better yet take about a week and think about. We do this for larger purchases like TVs, Cars, Larger Furniture pieces. You may even "shop around" before buying a larger purchase. But we rarely do it for smaller purchases. We see, we want, we buy!
At the end of the summer, knowing school was right around the corner and all the papers that come with it. I was thinking I need something to organize all the papers the kids are going to be bringing home. My first thought was "lets go to Staples" and get some "paper-organizing-thing" or maybe I'll look next door at Michael's and they'll have some cute baskets that I can put each child's name on. Oh, the ideas were endless-- the shopping ideas were.. the money wasn't. So I took a few days looking for something that would hold papers (even over-sized project-type ones) and something I would have 3 (one for each child). I eventually noticed the Flat-Rate shipping boxes I have for our eBay business. I realised the flat ones, when folded, were about the right size. They just needed the one side cut off. I did this and wrote each child's name on the one end with different colored markers. They line up nicely on my hutch and hold all the papers. This is just one option I have found by waiting and looking at other items in different way.
Repurpose and reuse, it is not only Frugal but Green. I love ideas where the two come together.
Some ideas for where to find things:
1) Look differntly at furniture pieces.
Put an unused dresser in the dining room in place of a new hutch. It will hold folded linens, trays and stemware(laid flat). Put a table runner over it for a more formal look.
I wanted a dresser for my bedroom, even though my clothes all fit in my closet. I though awhile, and realised I just wanted "surface space" to put things down on. Instead of a dresser I moved an old "console/ sofa table" under the window. It works great, totally filled the need and didn't cost a cent!
2) A can of paint can do wonders.
Painting anything- furniture, walls, even floors. A coat of paint can really make something feel new again. Just painting one wall in a room can change the feel of the whole room and the furniture in front of it.
I have "good" tables in my living room. Real furniture- real wood not pressboard. But they are 10 years old and looked like they were 20 years old. They were so dinged and scratched. So I painted them an off-white (using leftover paint from painting our kitchen cabinets) and sandpapered the edges. I figured- it wouldn't cost me anything to try it. They now have that "shabby chic" look, and several people have asked me if I bought new tables! Cost: nothing!
I also painted my "rec room" walls with my sister's help. It had 1970's wooden paneling all over it. And it was dark and dreary. I wanted to pull the paneling off and re-sheetrock the entire room, but it is a big space and would have been big bucks. So I painted the paneling instead. A very light blue (very light- almost white). You can still tell it is paneling on the walls but it made the room so much brighter and alot less 70's. The room gets alot more use now that it feels more welcoming.
3) Don't just think big- look at small things too!
Need office supplies, desk items.-- look in your kitchen for old mugs or cups that can hold pencils, paperclips, scissors. Got a really nice tray you only use once a year- use it as your "in box". Need something near the washing machine to collect coins and other lost items- I rinsed out a detergent bottle cap and use that to hold those little things. An old cup holds toothbrushes in the bathroom. Reused baskets, received at "gift baskets", are reused in my bathroom and linen closet for holding toiletry items and medications.
4) One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Maybe you don't have something perfect to reuse but maybe a friend does. I love the phrase "New to me" not hand-me down, or used.. but New to Me. I have lots of New to Me things. Both my cars are New to Me cars, my living room couches are new to me, as are both of my downstairs couches. Just recently I mentioned that I wanted to turn my downstairs playroom from a babyish playroom to a more "older kid" play room- to make less floor space and more storage for entertainment things like game systems, radios and speakers, and a computer downstairs. In telling people what you are "up to" or "thinking about", you'll be surpised what they may be planning to get rid of. My SIL asked if I could use a piece of furniture from her dining room she was planning to get rid of and it is now my "New to me" entertainment center for my "older kid" redo downstairs. My mom mentioned she was getting rid of a coffee table and asked if I might want it- well, of course I do! Rather than running out to redo my downstairs, I have "found" several pieces and if they don't work best here I am sure I can find something else to use them for.
5) Remember not everything needs to match perfectly- we do not live in the pages of The Pottery Barn Catalog. But a great idea is to look at the catalogs you love, but create or repurpose what you have to create the same look. I once found a great project for a youth group craft from looking in a Pottery Barn catalog. A friend saw an table of "stacked old suitcases" in the catalog and was able to create the same thing using old suitcases she never used. She stained then using wood stain from another project(to make them look older) and stacked them in the corner of her living room. They looked great, and so stylish, and cost her nothing! (Pottery Barn price: $400) Think outside the box. And if you get a bunch of pieces from friends and you want a more unified look- paint them all the same color.
America is the land of the consumer! When we need it we run out and buy it and if we don't have the money for it we finance it! Well even if you don't finance it, and can pay cash for it you probably don't really need it.
Next time you are thinking "Oh I need ...., and I better run to .... to get it." Take a minute and think about it, better yet take about a week and think about. We do this for larger purchases like TVs, Cars, Larger Furniture pieces. You may even "shop around" before buying a larger purchase. But we rarely do it for smaller purchases. We see, we want, we buy!
At the end of the summer, knowing school was right around the corner and all the papers that come with it. I was thinking I need something to organize all the papers the kids are going to be bringing home. My first thought was "lets go to Staples" and get some "paper-organizing-thing" or maybe I'll look next door at Michael's and they'll have some cute baskets that I can put each child's name on. Oh, the ideas were endless-- the shopping ideas were.. the money wasn't. So I took a few days looking for something that would hold papers (even over-sized project-type ones) and something I would have 3 (one for each child). I eventually noticed the Flat-Rate shipping boxes I have for our eBay business. I realised the flat ones, when folded, were about the right size. They just needed the one side cut off. I did this and wrote each child's name on the one end with different colored markers. They line up nicely on my hutch and hold all the papers. This is just one option I have found by waiting and looking at other items in different way.
Repurpose and reuse, it is not only Frugal but Green. I love ideas where the two come together.
Some ideas for where to find things:
1) Look differntly at furniture pieces.
Put an unused dresser in the dining room in place of a new hutch. It will hold folded linens, trays and stemware(laid flat). Put a table runner over it for a more formal look.
I wanted a dresser for my bedroom, even though my clothes all fit in my closet. I though awhile, and realised I just wanted "surface space" to put things down on. Instead of a dresser I moved an old "console/ sofa table" under the window. It works great, totally filled the need and didn't cost a cent!
2) A can of paint can do wonders.
Painting anything- furniture, walls, even floors. A coat of paint can really make something feel new again. Just painting one wall in a room can change the feel of the whole room and the furniture in front of it.
I have "good" tables in my living room. Real furniture- real wood not pressboard. But they are 10 years old and looked like they were 20 years old. They were so dinged and scratched. So I painted them an off-white (using leftover paint from painting our kitchen cabinets) and sandpapered the edges. I figured- it wouldn't cost me anything to try it. They now have that "shabby chic" look, and several people have asked me if I bought new tables! Cost: nothing!
I also painted my "rec room" walls with my sister's help. It had 1970's wooden paneling all over it. And it was dark and dreary. I wanted to pull the paneling off and re-sheetrock the entire room, but it is a big space and would have been big bucks. So I painted the paneling instead. A very light blue (very light- almost white). You can still tell it is paneling on the walls but it made the room so much brighter and alot less 70's. The room gets alot more use now that it feels more welcoming.
3) Don't just think big- look at small things too!
Need office supplies, desk items.-- look in your kitchen for old mugs or cups that can hold pencils, paperclips, scissors. Got a really nice tray you only use once a year- use it as your "in box". Need something near the washing machine to collect coins and other lost items- I rinsed out a detergent bottle cap and use that to hold those little things. An old cup holds toothbrushes in the bathroom. Reused baskets, received at "gift baskets", are reused in my bathroom and linen closet for holding toiletry items and medications.
4) One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Maybe you don't have something perfect to reuse but maybe a friend does. I love the phrase "New to me" not hand-me down, or used.. but New to Me. I have lots of New to Me things. Both my cars are New to Me cars, my living room couches are new to me, as are both of my downstairs couches. Just recently I mentioned that I wanted to turn my downstairs playroom from a babyish playroom to a more "older kid" play room- to make less floor space and more storage for entertainment things like game systems, radios and speakers, and a computer downstairs. In telling people what you are "up to" or "thinking about", you'll be surpised what they may be planning to get rid of. My SIL asked if I could use a piece of furniture from her dining room she was planning to get rid of and it is now my "New to me" entertainment center for my "older kid" redo downstairs. My mom mentioned she was getting rid of a coffee table and asked if I might want it- well, of course I do! Rather than running out to redo my downstairs, I have "found" several pieces and if they don't work best here I am sure I can find something else to use them for.
5) Remember not everything needs to match perfectly- we do not live in the pages of The Pottery Barn Catalog. But a great idea is to look at the catalogs you love, but create or repurpose what you have to create the same look. I once found a great project for a youth group craft from looking in a Pottery Barn catalog. A friend saw an table of "stacked old suitcases" in the catalog and was able to create the same thing using old suitcases she never used. She stained then using wood stain from another project(to make them look older) and stacked them in the corner of her living room. They looked great, and so stylish, and cost her nothing! (Pottery Barn price: $400) Think outside the box. And if you get a bunch of pieces from friends and you want a more unified look- paint them all the same color.
Keep your mind open and your wallet shut!
You'll be surprised at where your imagination can take you.
Lean Christmas and Planning Ahead Next Year
This Christmas is going to be a lean one. Not that that's bad, it's just a reality of what we are going through. This year will be a bit better than last year and I am hoping the next one will be back to normal. Actually I am not hoping-- I am planning to make sure it becomes a reality.
Planning ahead helps save money and the more organized you are the better. This year, as organized as I tried to be, I have had several factors holding me back. The largest one being money. We are living paycheck to paycheck, therefore buying gifts has been in drips and drabs, since I can only really put about $100 per paycheck towards Xmas. And really that $100 is stretching it a bit. I get paid from my job on the 15th and 30th- so Monday will be the next chance for me to do any shopping and I still have to order xmas cards (photo cards) online and at this point I am not even sure they will get here in time for me to address them and get them out before Christmas. And I am never late with cards! Normally I have the kids photo taken when they are off from school on Veteran's day(yes, Veteran's Day!), then I have my photos in hand by Thanksgiving. I casually write them out and mail then around the 15th of December. Not this year!! Oh my!
In years past I have always set up a Chirstmas club. I open it with $100 and then religiously put $50/paycheck into it from January until September. Therefore I have $1000 by October and can do most of my shopping before Black Friday. This leaves me a nice, stress-free December to enjoy the holiday season and all it's festivities. Not this year!! Oh my!
I usually host Thanksgiving dinner and then the day after- spend cleaning up and putting up all my Christmas Decorations. This year we went away the day after Thanksgiving and my tree and decorations went up late. I feel like I have been playing catch up ever since. My casual December this year did not happen. Not this year!! Oh My!
So for next year I am back to my old ways! I am planning ahead for a stress free Holiday season next year.
Step 1: Right after Christmas, I plan to open a Christmas club with $100 no matter how hard it is to come up with the money. The first step is always the hardest.
Step 2: Set it up for automatic withdrawls on the 15th and 30th for $50 each. This will be my hardest step- money is tight and it has been hard to keep up with $100/check but knowing it was short term we have done without alot of extras. $50 is less but it will still mean constant sacrifice, not just short term doing without. But I am determined. Two Christmas in a row that were lean is enough for me!
Step 3: Starting the day after Christmas I will begin shopping for next year. I have already started a list of some items we were "short" this year. At after Christmas sales I should be able to get these items at up to 75% off. These might include: Gift wrap, cards, gift tags, ornaments (some of mine broke this year), Christmas outfits for the kids (buying one size up- for my older one this might just be a red turtleneck), and stocking stuffers (like holiday stickers, coloring books, lollipops, pez dispensers) also white tissue paper and other solid colored tissue paper that can be used year round for b-days. I will also keep my eye out for anything that is 75% off and can be used at other holidays- red things for Valentines, Green things for St. Patrick's Day, Red/gold/silver stars for 4th of July. I will also be looking for non-perishable like notecards, thanks you cards that don't look too-"holiday" . I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
I have found great stuff in the week after xmas- It is where I spend most of the money I might recieve at Christmas. But I don't care because I know I am buying stuff at 75% off, it is stuff I will use, and by thinking ahead I have saved tons over what I would have paid if I ran out in December and grabbed these items last minute.
Wow! That last one was a big one. It is one of the steps I did do last year even though money was tight. I just didn't get as much as I would have liked and I think this is why I am runnig short on things this year. But the frugal me says- do NOT run out and buy it- Use what you have on hand. Which leads me to my next post...you'll have to check in tomorrow to see.
Planning ahead helps save money and the more organized you are the better. This year, as organized as I tried to be, I have had several factors holding me back. The largest one being money. We are living paycheck to paycheck, therefore buying gifts has been in drips and drabs, since I can only really put about $100 per paycheck towards Xmas. And really that $100 is stretching it a bit. I get paid from my job on the 15th and 30th- so Monday will be the next chance for me to do any shopping and I still have to order xmas cards (photo cards) online and at this point I am not even sure they will get here in time for me to address them and get them out before Christmas. And I am never late with cards! Normally I have the kids photo taken when they are off from school on Veteran's day(yes, Veteran's Day!), then I have my photos in hand by Thanksgiving. I casually write them out and mail then around the 15th of December. Not this year!! Oh my!
In years past I have always set up a Chirstmas club. I open it with $100 and then religiously put $50/paycheck into it from January until September. Therefore I have $1000 by October and can do most of my shopping before Black Friday. This leaves me a nice, stress-free December to enjoy the holiday season and all it's festivities. Not this year!! Oh my!
I usually host Thanksgiving dinner and then the day after- spend cleaning up and putting up all my Christmas Decorations. This year we went away the day after Thanksgiving and my tree and decorations went up late. I feel like I have been playing catch up ever since. My casual December this year did not happen. Not this year!! Oh My!
So for next year I am back to my old ways! I am planning ahead for a stress free Holiday season next year.
Step 1: Right after Christmas, I plan to open a Christmas club with $100 no matter how hard it is to come up with the money. The first step is always the hardest.
Step 2: Set it up for automatic withdrawls on the 15th and 30th for $50 each. This will be my hardest step- money is tight and it has been hard to keep up with $100/check but knowing it was short term we have done without alot of extras. $50 is less but it will still mean constant sacrifice, not just short term doing without. But I am determined. Two Christmas in a row that were lean is enough for me!
Step 3: Starting the day after Christmas I will begin shopping for next year. I have already started a list of some items we were "short" this year. At after Christmas sales I should be able to get these items at up to 75% off. These might include: Gift wrap, cards, gift tags, ornaments (some of mine broke this year), Christmas outfits for the kids (buying one size up- for my older one this might just be a red turtleneck), and stocking stuffers (like holiday stickers, coloring books, lollipops, pez dispensers) also white tissue paper and other solid colored tissue paper that can be used year round for b-days. I will also keep my eye out for anything that is 75% off and can be used at other holidays- red things for Valentines, Green things for St. Patrick's Day, Red/gold/silver stars for 4th of July. I will also be looking for non-perishable like notecards, thanks you cards that don't look too-"holiday" . I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
I have found great stuff in the week after xmas- It is where I spend most of the money I might recieve at Christmas. But I don't care because I know I am buying stuff at 75% off, it is stuff I will use, and by thinking ahead I have saved tons over what I would have paid if I ran out in December and grabbed these items last minute.
Wow! That last one was a big one. It is one of the steps I did do last year even though money was tight. I just didn't get as much as I would have liked and I think this is why I am runnig short on things this year. But the frugal me says- do NOT run out and buy it- Use what you have on hand. Which leads me to my next post...you'll have to check in tomorrow to see.
Ways to Save Money- Lunches
We are finally back to healthy here.
And now I hope to get back on track with my Ways to Save Money series I had planned to do last week.
This first post will focus on lunches.
Now common sense tells you brown bagging lunch saves money. It is usually more of a motivation issue to actually do it. Your head says save money and your body says oh- just grab a $20.
So for Lunches: Motivation and Ideas to make it easier:
First, Motivation:
Looking at lunch as $5/day doesn't seem like much, but if you add it up.. let's say you buy lunch only 4 days a week for $5/day- and you work 48 weeks (take out vacation and some sick days) , that works out to $960 A YEAR!!!! And I think $5/day is a very conservative amount. If you normally spend $10/day and eat lunch "out" all 5 days each week, in 48 weeks you will have spent $2400 in a Year!!!! That's a lot of money!!
Hopefully that number is a bit shocking. Is McDonald or cafeteria food really as good as $2400?? So now that we have some motivation there is still the battle with your body to actually pack and take your lunch.
To make it easier:
I have some tips but since you may be new to this I will start with the basic.
**Keep all supplies for making lunches together. Either clear a cabinet in the kitchen or put all the "lunch supplies" in a basket on top of the fridge. Lunch supplies might include: bread or rolls, snack packs of chips, zip-lock bags, snack cakes, drinks, and brown bags or an insulated lunch bag- buy snack that you like so you'll be more inclinded to pack a lunch- you can always convert to "healthy lunches" once you have the brown bag routine down.
**Ideally, pack your lunch the night before. This way if you are running late in the morning you do not revert back to the "I don't have time, I'll just buy lunch today". Also, don't forget your lunch. Put a post-it note on your keys, or the door you leave out of in the AM. My SIL says she puts a plastic bag on the door knob - so when she leaves she see it and remembers to grab the bag in the fridge.
** great quick lunch ideas: Left overs- especially in winter , when come lunchtime you want something hot (not a cold sandwich). Invest in a thermos, and bring in soup or chili. My daughter hates sandwiches, so for her I pack (in her thermos) chichken nuggets, pizza bites, mac & cheese, or spagetti. If you have access at work to keep your lunch in a fridge and have a microwave, stock up on "frozen dinner" style packaged food. Weight watchers, Lean Cusine- when they go on sale for $1.77- $2.00 each- grab a bunch of your favorites to take for lunch. Add a snack and a drink and you are ready to go. Or just keep them in the fridge for those days you are rushed and didn't have time to make lunch.
**Last note: Bring your drink and pack snacks for your work day. Vending machines are a financial nighmare. You can buy a 12 pack of Coke cans for under $4 in your local grocery store, that's about $0.33 each can. The vending machine would cost you $1.25 per can. If you grab a soda everyday for that 4pm sugar fix, by bringing your own you can save $20/month. And you aren't even giving anything up- you still get your soda- just bring your own. The same holds true for an afternoon snack-fix. If you hit up the vending machine for a snack each day- bringing your own also saves you another $20/month. Most snacks cost about $0.20/serving when brough at the grocery store.
All-in-all, you can save up to $3000 a year by bringing your own lunches and snacks to work- PER PERSON. By even changing a few of your habits- only bring snacks or buy lunch 2 days a week and buy lunch the other 3 days. You can save significant amounts of money. This is only the tip of the iceberg. We have lots more to save.
And now I hope to get back on track with my Ways to Save Money series I had planned to do last week.
This first post will focus on lunches.
Now common sense tells you brown bagging lunch saves money. It is usually more of a motivation issue to actually do it. Your head says save money and your body says oh- just grab a $20.
So for Lunches: Motivation and Ideas to make it easier:
First, Motivation:
Looking at lunch as $5/day doesn't seem like much, but if you add it up.. let's say you buy lunch only 4 days a week for $5/day- and you work 48 weeks (take out vacation and some sick days) , that works out to $960 A YEAR!!!! And I think $5/day is a very conservative amount. If you normally spend $10/day and eat lunch "out" all 5 days each week, in 48 weeks you will have spent $2400 in a Year!!!! That's a lot of money!!
Hopefully that number is a bit shocking. Is McDonald or cafeteria food really as good as $2400?? So now that we have some motivation there is still the battle with your body to actually pack and take your lunch.
To make it easier:
I have some tips but since you may be new to this I will start with the basic.
**Keep all supplies for making lunches together. Either clear a cabinet in the kitchen or put all the "lunch supplies" in a basket on top of the fridge. Lunch supplies might include: bread or rolls, snack packs of chips, zip-lock bags, snack cakes, drinks, and brown bags or an insulated lunch bag- buy snack that you like so you'll be more inclinded to pack a lunch- you can always convert to "healthy lunches" once you have the brown bag routine down.
**Ideally, pack your lunch the night before. This way if you are running late in the morning you do not revert back to the "I don't have time, I'll just buy lunch today". Also, don't forget your lunch. Put a post-it note on your keys, or the door you leave out of in the AM. My SIL says she puts a plastic bag on the door knob - so when she leaves she see it and remembers to grab the bag in the fridge.
** great quick lunch ideas: Left overs- especially in winter , when come lunchtime you want something hot (not a cold sandwich). Invest in a thermos, and bring in soup or chili. My daughter hates sandwiches, so for her I pack (in her thermos) chichken nuggets, pizza bites, mac & cheese, or spagetti. If you have access at work to keep your lunch in a fridge and have a microwave, stock up on "frozen dinner" style packaged food. Weight watchers, Lean Cusine- when they go on sale for $1.77- $2.00 each- grab a bunch of your favorites to take for lunch. Add a snack and a drink and you are ready to go. Or just keep them in the fridge for those days you are rushed and didn't have time to make lunch.
**Last note: Bring your drink and pack snacks for your work day. Vending machines are a financial nighmare. You can buy a 12 pack of Coke cans for under $4 in your local grocery store, that's about $0.33 each can. The vending machine would cost you $1.25 per can. If you grab a soda everyday for that 4pm sugar fix, by bringing your own you can save $20/month. And you aren't even giving anything up- you still get your soda- just bring your own. The same holds true for an afternoon snack-fix. If you hit up the vending machine for a snack each day- bringing your own also saves you another $20/month. Most snacks cost about $0.20/serving when brough at the grocery store.
All-in-all, you can save up to $3000 a year by bringing your own lunches and snacks to work- PER PERSON. By even changing a few of your habits- only bring snacks or buy lunch 2 days a week and buy lunch the other 3 days. You can save significant amounts of money. This is only the tip of the iceberg. We have lots more to save.
I am Jealous
I had to write this post today as I sit here reading other blogs about how people complain about the housing market and how expensive their mortgages are, and yet many of these bloggers are complaining about mortgages of about $150,000. Around here that wouldn't even buy you a studio apartment. Many of these blogs also mention that their household incomes are between $40,000 and $55,000 (i read several blogs and all are posting things about end of year finances). Anyway, I began wondering what do people (average people. like me) do that allow us them live in the neighborhoods we grew up in. I have wondered this alot lately, as the price of houses where I grew up are ridiculous.
I have been talking to people lately about this at work and found out how some of them have done it - and I am jealous. A friend of mine from high school, after she married, moved in with her parents. They lived their for almost 7 years. While there, they had their first child, and since her mom was retired and right there to babysit. She continued to work afterthe baby was bron. They did not have to pay rent but helped with some of the utilities, and even after her son was born did not have to pay for daycare, since Grandma could watch the baby. Now I can relate to her the most because she and her husband are "average people" she worked as a secretary and he was a landscaper. It took them 7 years of living "home" in order to save enough money to buy a house where we grew up. And I am jealous to say that now that she has a house and a small mortgage (about $125,000) they are able to live on just his income and she is now a stay at home mom and thinking of having her second (her first is now 8). I would love to be a full time stay at home mom- but I don't' think we will get there before my kids are out of school.
The second person I was talking to at my daughter's pre-school said that she and her husband and 3 kids (with a 4th on the way) have been living with her parents for 2 years and plan to be there at least 1-2 more. They realised they would have to do this in order to buy a home in the area. She is a stay at home mom to her little bunch and although he works in the city-- it just isn't enough to buy a house around here.
The last person I saw recently does have a house in my hometown and when she dropped her daughter off for pre-school in her Lincoln Navigator with her knee high designer boots and large coach bag... I wonder HOW?? She is younger than me and is a stay at home mom- how then?? with a $500,000 mortgage, and most likely $700/month car payment, can she still afford to buy these luxury items- her outfit must have cost over $1000. and she has a different designer bag almost every day. I would drive a 10 year old Ugo and wear the same clothes everyday just to have been able to live in my home town and here is a person who not only gets to do this, but also be a stay at home mom, and has the extra money to blow on a gas-guzzling luxury SUV and designer clothes.. I can't help but be jealous.
I tried to do it right-We have always keep a mortgage we could afford on one income, so I could be at home. We have no luxuries, walmart clothes, ask for shoes and coats as gifts for birthdays or christmas and cut our hair at home. We have worked hard in hopes of being able to have at least one of us home with the kids. I had hoped to be able to be a full time stay at home mom-- but somehow that isn't where we are at and if it takes me 5-7 years to get back to that point where I can be at home full time, my oldest will be driving and almost out of high school. I need it to happen faster! I want it now! So I can have more time with my kids now, while they are young and while they want me around, and not to finally have the time later, when they will be beginning to have lives of their own.
I have been talking to people lately about this at work and found out how some of them have done it - and I am jealous. A friend of mine from high school, after she married, moved in with her parents. They lived their for almost 7 years. While there, they had their first child, and since her mom was retired and right there to babysit. She continued to work afterthe baby was bron. They did not have to pay rent but helped with some of the utilities, and even after her son was born did not have to pay for daycare, since Grandma could watch the baby. Now I can relate to her the most because she and her husband are "average people" she worked as a secretary and he was a landscaper. It took them 7 years of living "home" in order to save enough money to buy a house where we grew up. And I am jealous to say that now that she has a house and a small mortgage (about $125,000) they are able to live on just his income and she is now a stay at home mom and thinking of having her second (her first is now 8). I would love to be a full time stay at home mom- but I don't' think we will get there before my kids are out of school.
The second person I was talking to at my daughter's pre-school said that she and her husband and 3 kids (with a 4th on the way) have been living with her parents for 2 years and plan to be there at least 1-2 more. They realised they would have to do this in order to buy a home in the area. She is a stay at home mom to her little bunch and although he works in the city-- it just isn't enough to buy a house around here.
The last person I saw recently does have a house in my hometown and when she dropped her daughter off for pre-school in her Lincoln Navigator with her knee high designer boots and large coach bag... I wonder HOW?? She is younger than me and is a stay at home mom- how then?? with a $500,000 mortgage, and most likely $700/month car payment, can she still afford to buy these luxury items- her outfit must have cost over $1000. and she has a different designer bag almost every day. I would drive a 10 year old Ugo and wear the same clothes everyday just to have been able to live in my home town and here is a person who not only gets to do this, but also be a stay at home mom, and has the extra money to blow on a gas-guzzling luxury SUV and designer clothes.. I can't help but be jealous.
I tried to do it right-We have always keep a mortgage we could afford on one income, so I could be at home. We have no luxuries, walmart clothes, ask for shoes and coats as gifts for birthdays or christmas and cut our hair at home. We have worked hard in hopes of being able to have at least one of us home with the kids. I had hoped to be able to be a full time stay at home mom-- but somehow that isn't where we are at and if it takes me 5-7 years to get back to that point where I can be at home full time, my oldest will be driving and almost out of high school. I need it to happen faster! I want it now! So I can have more time with my kids now, while they are young and while they want me around, and not to finally have the time later, when they will be beginning to have lives of their own.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Missing in Action
Sorry I have gone AWOL for a bit. Katilyn as been sick since she came home from school on Tuesday. She said she was tired and didn't feel good, laid down and fell asleep. One hour later she woke up only long enough to say I feel yucky and for me to realize she was roasting with a fever. She went back to sleep and sleep for 24 hours with only minor breaks to drink some water, use the bathroom or take more tylenol. She spent Wed and Thursday the same way, then Thursday night she spent most of the night coughing and complaining her chest hurt. So Friday. off to the Doctor we went, and the verdict was she has croup. She is 6 1/2 - I thought croup was a baby/toddler illness, I did not realise older kids get it too. For those that do not know croup is a really awful cough that sounds really bad and makes it hard to breathe, it is a full-body cough that tires then out quickly. And croup is worst as night and better during the day. So I have not slept much in days.. which is why I have not posted.
And tonight Sophia has a fever and a mild cough. I hope this is NOT the start of the next set. Kaitlyn is not even better yet... oh my!
So if my posts are spratic the next several day, you'll know why.
My Frugal Christmas tip for today...Re-use Christmas cards!
Every one ends up with a few leftover cards after writting then out, hold onto them. Then after Xmas, take your left overs and the ones you have received. And carefully cut the covers off them to use as Thank You Postcards. If you carefully cut the front off of the cards and then on the blank side draw a line down the center. Jot a quick Thank You note on the left side and put the mailing address on the right side along with the stamp. Not only does this save you money on buying thank you cards- it saves postage too! (postcard stamps are cheaper than first class stamps). It also cuts your "greeting card garbage" in half!
I'll be back this weekend with more money saving tips!
And tonight Sophia has a fever and a mild cough. I hope this is NOT the start of the next set. Kaitlyn is not even better yet... oh my!
So if my posts are spratic the next several day, you'll know why.
My Frugal Christmas tip for today...Re-use Christmas cards!
Every one ends up with a few leftover cards after writting then out, hold onto them. Then after Xmas, take your left overs and the ones you have received. And carefully cut the covers off them to use as Thank You Postcards. If you carefully cut the front off of the cards and then on the blank side draw a line down the center. Jot a quick Thank You note on the left side and put the mailing address on the right side along with the stamp. Not only does this save you money on buying thank you cards- it saves postage too! (postcard stamps are cheaper than first class stamps). It also cuts your "greeting card garbage" in half!
I'll be back this weekend with more money saving tips!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
A few quick tips for saving money on gifts
My wonderful followers have lent me ideas to share.
I mentioned in a previous post when buying gifts on-line to first Google the item or store with the words "coupon codes" or "discount codes" after it. For example, if you wanted to buy a sweater from L.L. Bean, first google: L.L. Bean Coupon code or L.L. Bean discount code. Sometimes you can find great discounts, and then go buy it for less!
One follower mentioned the site, http://www.retailmenot.com/ . If you go to this site and type in the name of the store you were going to shop at, you can find discounts including free shipping, 10% Off and more. It only takes a minutes and is worth a look before shoppping. Thanks Laura!
My other follower mentioned that if you are planning to buy gift certificates to restaurant to first look at http://www.restaurants.com/ where you can buy $20 or $30 gift cards for restuarants for half the face value. Not all restaurants are available but it is worth a look before paying full price. And after my post on how Experience Gift are great Green Gifts- these save you money and the enviornment! Thanks Lisa!
I mentioned in a previous post when buying gifts on-line to first Google the item or store with the words "coupon codes" or "discount codes" after it. For example, if you wanted to buy a sweater from L.L. Bean, first google: L.L. Bean Coupon code or L.L. Bean discount code. Sometimes you can find great discounts, and then go buy it for less!
One follower mentioned the site, http://www.retailmenot.com/ . If you go to this site and type in the name of the store you were going to shop at, you can find discounts including free shipping, 10% Off and more. It only takes a minutes and is worth a look before shoppping. Thanks Laura!
My other follower mentioned that if you are planning to buy gift certificates to restaurant to first look at http://www.restaurants.com/ where you can buy $20 or $30 gift cards for restuarants for half the face value. Not all restaurants are available but it is worth a look before paying full price. And after my post on how Experience Gift are great Green Gifts- these save you money and the enviornment! Thanks Lisa!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
More Decluttering- In time for the Holidays
Now that you've rested. We have so much more to do to tget the whole house ready. Your house will be so streamlined by the time you have guest over for the holidays.
Yesterday our decluttering let us help others. Today's decluttering will hopefully make you a few bucks. Everyone can use some extra money this time of year. So let head to find CDs and DVDs. Go through them. In this day and age I can't imagine why anyone would need either one- but I realise some people have emotional attachments to these items. Grab all your CDs and download them to your iPod (or at least your favorite songs) and get ready to get rid of them. Now take a good hard look at your DVDs with DVR and TiVo and the internet you can pretty much watch any movie at any time without needing to clutter up your house with DVDs. Plan to get rid of them all- if you have one or two that you feel you must keep ask yourself: How often do I watch this? When was the last time I watched it? and If I lost it, and wanted to watch this movie- could I find it somewhere (ie: OnDemand, internet, Tivo )? Your answers to these questions should tell you whether you really need to keep it.
Now take all those CD and DVD and list them on www.half.com . It will only take a few minutes to set up an account and listing the CDs takes seconds. You enter the UPC code from the case and it will bring up the disc and the last "sold" prices, you then choose the "condition" of your CD and decide your own price, and boom- You're done! Sit back and wait for emails that say "You've made a sale on half.com" You ship out the CD (or DVD) and half.com reimburses the shipping cost. They pay you on the 1st and 15th for what you have sold in that period. I have used this site for over a year and I am very happy with their service.
Let's take a second look at the stuff you cleaned out yesterday. In your closet did you find anything that you won't wear but just couldn't donate because it was worth too much. Maybe a designer label, or something you only worn once, or you never wore it and the tags are still on. This could be clothing, purses or shoes. These would be great items to sell on ebay. All you need is a digital camera to take a few pictures and if you price it well- it will sell on ebay. I have used ebay for about a year and have had great success selling children's clothing, gently used shoes (kids and adults), toys, exercise equipment, safety gates, purses, anything and everything. It is all stuff that I would have otherwise thrown away or donated and instead I have been able to make a few bucks, and it goes to someone else you can use it instead of the landfill.
Now lets tackle the kitchen. I would love to say empty all your cabinets like we did in the bathroom yesterday, but really that is a huge task, so let's not. Instead, open each cabinet and give it a good scan. Is there anything in there (be sure to look deep in the back of the cabintets too) that you can get rid of? Chipped plates, tupperware with no tops, that fondue set you never even opened, that set of mugs that are not microwaveable so you never use them. I am sure as you look into each cabinet you can find several things you no longer use (or never did). Pile all this stuff on your table. You should know by now I am not going to say throw it away. First, see if there is anything you can repurose. Maybe those mugs are pretty and you could use one in the bathroom to hold toothbrushes or Q-tips. A basket or bowl could be used to hold mismatched socks- put it ontop of the dryer to put them in when folding laundry. All the stuff that is left, take to a thrift shop or Good Will. They will take casserole dishes, bowls, mugs, serving pieces, decorative trays. Thrift stores may pay you a little for certian items. Remember it isn't about making money as it is about getting rid of the cluttter.
The last way to pick up a few bucks - and clean out-before the holidays is for those who have a skill or craft or small business. This is the time of the year for all those "Holiday Boutiques" and "Craft Fairs". These usually cost about $20-$40 for a space and some provide you a table, for others you will need to bring your own table. Two standard card tables will work well. If you do not have tables, do not run out and buy them. Ask family, friends and neighbors if they have a card table you can barrow for the day. In most cases, you can easily barrow one rather then dishing out more money. As it is a bit late in the season, registrations for these fairs has probabaly happened already. But look in your local papers for ads for the sales and reach out to the contact person to see if space is still available. If they have space they are ususally willing to accomodate, since the more vendors they have the more money they make. Some fairs will allow you to sell household stuff (kind of like a yard sale)- but ask first, some will not be happy if you are selling junk. If you can sell household items-- clean up all the nicer stuff you have gathered from around your house, make sure to take a nice table cloth to make your table look nice and price low. $40 is alot to pay to try and make a few buck so ask a friend if they want to split a table with you. If you have some hand-made crafts to sell, this is a great place to sell them. As well as any home-party type business. If you have a home business, this is a great time to clean out old inventory (returns, exchanges that you still have)-- sell them here and get them out of your closet.
The last idea isn't for everyone but hopefully if you have gone through your CDs and DVDs, pulled out stuff to sell on ebay, and cleaned out the clutter in your kitchen cabinets- you have decluttered and maybe made some money in the process.
Tomorrow I have some ideas for decluttering Kid's stuff- this is where most of my home's clutter comes from!
Yesterday our decluttering let us help others. Today's decluttering will hopefully make you a few bucks. Everyone can use some extra money this time of year. So let head to find CDs and DVDs. Go through them. In this day and age I can't imagine why anyone would need either one- but I realise some people have emotional attachments to these items. Grab all your CDs and download them to your iPod (or at least your favorite songs) and get ready to get rid of them. Now take a good hard look at your DVDs with DVR and TiVo and the internet you can pretty much watch any movie at any time without needing to clutter up your house with DVDs. Plan to get rid of them all- if you have one or two that you feel you must keep ask yourself: How often do I watch this? When was the last time I watched it? and If I lost it, and wanted to watch this movie- could I find it somewhere (ie: OnDemand, internet, Tivo )? Your answers to these questions should tell you whether you really need to keep it.
Now take all those CD and DVD and list them on www.half.com . It will only take a few minutes to set up an account and listing the CDs takes seconds. You enter the UPC code from the case and it will bring up the disc and the last "sold" prices, you then choose the "condition" of your CD and decide your own price, and boom- You're done! Sit back and wait for emails that say "You've made a sale on half.com" You ship out the CD (or DVD) and half.com reimburses the shipping cost. They pay you on the 1st and 15th for what you have sold in that period. I have used this site for over a year and I am very happy with their service.
Let's take a second look at the stuff you cleaned out yesterday. In your closet did you find anything that you won't wear but just couldn't donate because it was worth too much. Maybe a designer label, or something you only worn once, or you never wore it and the tags are still on. This could be clothing, purses or shoes. These would be great items to sell on ebay. All you need is a digital camera to take a few pictures and if you price it well- it will sell on ebay. I have used ebay for about a year and have had great success selling children's clothing, gently used shoes (kids and adults), toys, exercise equipment, safety gates, purses, anything and everything. It is all stuff that I would have otherwise thrown away or donated and instead I have been able to make a few bucks, and it goes to someone else you can use it instead of the landfill.
Now lets tackle the kitchen. I would love to say empty all your cabinets like we did in the bathroom yesterday, but really that is a huge task, so let's not. Instead, open each cabinet and give it a good scan. Is there anything in there (be sure to look deep in the back of the cabintets too) that you can get rid of? Chipped plates, tupperware with no tops, that fondue set you never even opened, that set of mugs that are not microwaveable so you never use them. I am sure as you look into each cabinet you can find several things you no longer use (or never did). Pile all this stuff on your table. You should know by now I am not going to say throw it away. First, see if there is anything you can repurose. Maybe those mugs are pretty and you could use one in the bathroom to hold toothbrushes or Q-tips. A basket or bowl could be used to hold mismatched socks- put it ontop of the dryer to put them in when folding laundry. All the stuff that is left, take to a thrift shop or Good Will. They will take casserole dishes, bowls, mugs, serving pieces, decorative trays. Thrift stores may pay you a little for certian items. Remember it isn't about making money as it is about getting rid of the cluttter.
The last way to pick up a few bucks - and clean out-before the holidays is for those who have a skill or craft or small business. This is the time of the year for all those "Holiday Boutiques" and "Craft Fairs". These usually cost about $20-$40 for a space and some provide you a table, for others you will need to bring your own table. Two standard card tables will work well. If you do not have tables, do not run out and buy them. Ask family, friends and neighbors if they have a card table you can barrow for the day. In most cases, you can easily barrow one rather then dishing out more money. As it is a bit late in the season, registrations for these fairs has probabaly happened already. But look in your local papers for ads for the sales and reach out to the contact person to see if space is still available. If they have space they are ususally willing to accomodate, since the more vendors they have the more money they make. Some fairs will allow you to sell household stuff (kind of like a yard sale)- but ask first, some will not be happy if you are selling junk. If you can sell household items-- clean up all the nicer stuff you have gathered from around your house, make sure to take a nice table cloth to make your table look nice and price low. $40 is alot to pay to try and make a few buck so ask a friend if they want to split a table with you. If you have some hand-made crafts to sell, this is a great place to sell them. As well as any home-party type business. If you have a home business, this is a great time to clean out old inventory (returns, exchanges that you still have)-- sell them here and get them out of your closet.
The last idea isn't for everyone but hopefully if you have gone through your CDs and DVDs, pulled out stuff to sell on ebay, and cleaned out the clutter in your kitchen cabinets- you have decluttered and maybe made some money in the process.
Tomorrow I have some ideas for decluttering Kid's stuff- this is where most of my home's clutter comes from!
Now- The Best Time to Declutter
Why now? Well is is the holiday season, and everything else is in overdrive- why not the decluttering too? And lots of organizations are looking for your donations right now!
Now is a great time to clean out, while you are in the attic pulling out your decorations (or your garage) take a minute to look around and see if there is a box or an item that you didn't even realise was there- and get rid of it! Start with one things and move on from there.
You need to start somewhere, why not right now. Look around right where you are sitting and find something to get rid of. If you are not home- think- of one thing you can get rid of. Getting rid of something does not mean throwing it away. Remember, I love to be Green! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
So for inspiration here are some great things you can do with all your "stuff" .
Go through your closets and pull out 10% of your clothes and give them to charity. If you have 20 tops- find 2 you could donate to Good Will or Salvation Army. Same with you pants, sweaters, etc.. Sometimes it is easier to get rid of stuff when you know you are doing a "good deed".
Now find all your "winter wear" - Do you have old coats, gloves, hats... take all the ones you never wear- don't fit - are out of style and donate them. There are people out there who can really use them! If you have kids who have outgrown their coats from last year- donate them to Coats for Kids- you can ususally find collections for this at schools, churches, and town halls.
Now hit up your linen closet- do you have old, ripped, stained towels, sheets, even linen table clothes- donate them to an animal shelter. They use them for the animals to sleep on, wash the animals, and clean the cages.
Now head over to your dresser. Pull out the same 10% as above for t-shirts, even PJ's in good shape. Then sort out that mess of socks- any with holes add to a "rag box" for cleaning- a sock slipped over your hand makes a great "duster"-even with holes. Old T-shirts that are beyond donating cut into rags- for cleaning. **Side note: I am a huge convert from Paper towels, I use cloth for everything now. I will post about this later. But this is great for the enviorment and saves money!**
Ok- now lets get to the bathroom and grab a big box! Pull everything and I mean everything out of the bathroom cabinets and put it all in the big box. Now wipe down all the shelves while they are empty. Then carefully go through each item in the box before putting it back in the cabinet. Some things to think about: Check the expiration date, think about how much is left (if a bottle is nearly empty is it worth taking up space? -now the Frugal me says add it to a similiar product- don't just throw it away. IE: almost empty shampoo? open another one and add it to that one) Also consider if it is a product you use daily, or weekly. If it isn't even used weekly- then it can probabaly go. Medication should not be kept in the bathroom- the humidity is not good for it- move all medications to the kitchen cabinets. With little ones in the house we keep our meds in a basket on the top shelf of the linen closet.
Once you have put back only what you use- look through that box of garbage. Is there anything you can repurpose? **FRUGAL TIP: If there are small plastic bottles consider washing them out. Once clean and dry put then in your suitcase! Next time you travel you won't need to buy travel bottles. And the great thing about it is you can take your favorite shampoo (not all brand come in travel sizes), and you don't have to spend money to buy the generic empty bottles, and if you accidently leave it behind- heck it was garbage anyway! I keep a toiletry bag full of empty bottles and free samples in my empty suitcase, their all ready when I need them. **
Now that you have worked hard- take a break! I'll be back tomorrow with more decluttering and what to do with your "trash". Remember : One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure!
Now is a great time to clean out, while you are in the attic pulling out your decorations (or your garage) take a minute to look around and see if there is a box or an item that you didn't even realise was there- and get rid of it! Start with one things and move on from there.
You need to start somewhere, why not right now. Look around right where you are sitting and find something to get rid of. If you are not home- think- of one thing you can get rid of. Getting rid of something does not mean throwing it away. Remember, I love to be Green! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
So for inspiration here are some great things you can do with all your "stuff" .
Go through your closets and pull out 10% of your clothes and give them to charity. If you have 20 tops- find 2 you could donate to Good Will or Salvation Army. Same with you pants, sweaters, etc.. Sometimes it is easier to get rid of stuff when you know you are doing a "good deed".
Now find all your "winter wear" - Do you have old coats, gloves, hats... take all the ones you never wear- don't fit - are out of style and donate them. There are people out there who can really use them! If you have kids who have outgrown their coats from last year- donate them to Coats for Kids- you can ususally find collections for this at schools, churches, and town halls.
Now hit up your linen closet- do you have old, ripped, stained towels, sheets, even linen table clothes- donate them to an animal shelter. They use them for the animals to sleep on, wash the animals, and clean the cages.
Now head over to your dresser. Pull out the same 10% as above for t-shirts, even PJ's in good shape. Then sort out that mess of socks- any with holes add to a "rag box" for cleaning- a sock slipped over your hand makes a great "duster"-even with holes. Old T-shirts that are beyond donating cut into rags- for cleaning. **Side note: I am a huge convert from Paper towels, I use cloth for everything now. I will post about this later. But this is great for the enviorment and saves money!**
Ok- now lets get to the bathroom and grab a big box! Pull everything and I mean everything out of the bathroom cabinets and put it all in the big box. Now wipe down all the shelves while they are empty. Then carefully go through each item in the box before putting it back in the cabinet. Some things to think about: Check the expiration date, think about how much is left (if a bottle is nearly empty is it worth taking up space? -now the Frugal me says add it to a similiar product- don't just throw it away. IE: almost empty shampoo? open another one and add it to that one) Also consider if it is a product you use daily, or weekly. If it isn't even used weekly- then it can probabaly go. Medication should not be kept in the bathroom- the humidity is not good for it- move all medications to the kitchen cabinets. With little ones in the house we keep our meds in a basket on the top shelf of the linen closet.
Once you have put back only what you use- look through that box of garbage. Is there anything you can repurpose? **FRUGAL TIP: If there are small plastic bottles consider washing them out. Once clean and dry put then in your suitcase! Next time you travel you won't need to buy travel bottles. And the great thing about it is you can take your favorite shampoo (not all brand come in travel sizes), and you don't have to spend money to buy the generic empty bottles, and if you accidently leave it behind- heck it was garbage anyway! I keep a toiletry bag full of empty bottles and free samples in my empty suitcase, their all ready when I need them. **
Now that you have worked hard- take a break! I'll be back tomorrow with more decluttering and what to do with your "trash". Remember : One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure!
Two Notes
I now have 2 followers!! Yea!!!
On my last post I talked about Experience gifts and I forgot one that I think is really cute for kids (or even adults).
Create a "Treat of the Month" Club! Create the "flyer" or card or booklet that will show them what they are getting each month. And on the first weekend of each month, mail or hand-deliver, a diferent treat to the child or children. How much of the treat you send each month might depend on how many kids or people are in the family you are it sending to. Treats might include: January- New Year's Brownies, February- Red Velvet cupcakes, March- Green Rice Krispie Treats. You get the idea.
I thought it was a really cute idea!
On my last post I talked about Experience gifts and I forgot one that I think is really cute for kids (or even adults).
Create a "Treat of the Month" Club! Create the "flyer" or card or booklet that will show them what they are getting each month. And on the first weekend of each month, mail or hand-deliver, a diferent treat to the child or children. How much of the treat you send each month might depend on how many kids or people are in the family you are it sending to. Treats might include: January- New Year's Brownies, February- Red Velvet cupcakes, March- Green Rice Krispie Treats. You get the idea.
I thought it was a really cute idea!
Simple, Green & a Little Frugal Christmas Ideas
Holiday gifts don't need to be elaborate or expensive, the best gifts are the most thoughtful. Many gifts given today are "stuff", which takes up space, clutters our lives and in the end gets thrown away and fills our landfils. Here are some simple and green Holiday gift ideas (some are frugal, some not so much).
The two best types of Green Gifts usually take a bit of thought about who you are buying for and what they are interested in, but once you have an idea they are easy to put together and in most cases not to bad on the wallet either. I'll call them Experience Gifts and Comsumable Gifts.
Experience Gifts can be a bit costly, but are very easy on the enviorment. These gifts involve doing something, not purchasing a "thing" to clutter up your home. Experience gifts are things like theather tickets, tickets to a ball game, or certificate to a restuarant. Everyone has heard of these things, they are not new, but maybe you've nevered looked at it a being green, yet it is!
To move beyond the usual tickets as experiences, which can get very expensive, you can be a bit creative and make a very memorable experience of your own. How about a trip to the movies, taking a younger relative to mini-golf and ice cream, bowling and pizza, or an afternoon of baking cookies. How you package these gifts can be the key to the excitement. For an afternoon of baking cookies, create a "certifitcate" or "coupon" for Cookie Lessons with "Aunt Laura" (get it- like- cooking lessons, but with cookies) you can tie it to a package of sugar cookie mix, a few small cookie cutters and a child sized rolling pin, all wrapped in a bow. Children tend to need that instant gratification, so attaching a small item to the certificate is always good. For baseball tickets attach a pack of baseball cards. For movie passes attach a big box of snowcaps. I always encouarge "experience gifts" for my kids birthdays.Because the last thing they need it more "stuff". Their birthdays are just before school lets out for summer, so it gives them a bunch of fun afternoons to start off their summer vacations.
The second type of gift I'll call a comsumable gift. These are things that people would purchase and use anyway, you're just putting it together in a gift form. This gift has the quick chance of being corny, cheap or gimicey, if you are not careful to be very thoughtful in what you buy. These gifts are more like your traditional "gift baskets". But I warn not to buy the pre-made baskets at the drug store. These tend to be full of cheap items and knick-knacks or junk. If you know someone who likes candles , filling a basket with dollar-store candles probably won't meet their standards. And a true hobbiest, golfer, or gardener won't use the items in the pre-made set becasue they aren't the "brand" they prefer. But if you know someone's interests, really know what types, styles and brands they prefer. Putting together your own basket of a few smaller (less expensive) items, that you know they will like, into a gift set, really shows you care and that you put some thought into it. And remember it is better to get a few small items you know they will love then a ton of "junk" they won't use, because the ton of junk is just headed right to the back of the closet or even the dump.
Consumables are great because you are buying what this person would have otherwise bought for themselves. It adds less waste to the enviroment, and does not clutter up their house as it is something they will "use up". Here are some ideas for consumables:
For an animal lover:
their pet's favorite treat
a new leash or toy for their pet
pet brush or "messy bag" refils
For the Car lover:
Bucket filled with
car wash, car wax
new sponge
shamois
For the golfer:
set of 3 golf balls (make sure you know the brand they like)
sm. bag of tees, ball marker
or "key" for repairing ball marks
(Do Not buy the plastic drink dispenser that looks like a golf club and goes in their golf bag- this is where the "junk" or "kitch" would be bad)
For the candle lover:
be sure to know the brand and scents they like!
1-2 votives
snuffer
bic Candle lighter (one that pivots- is great)
Last year I asked for 2 "baskets" from my family- I was specific in what I would llike in them and I did receive the "cleaning" one. To share my idea I will tell you what I had asked for, with specific brands.
My "Cleaning " basket:
A new "caddy" to hold it all
scrubber sponges, regular sponges
Lysol all-purpose spray (I love this stuff & use it on everything- kitchen/bathrooms-everyroom)
Comet
Windex wipes
Pledge wipes
Magic Erasers
I had also asked for a "bathroom" basket, but did not get it, but I will share what might be in such an item:
For the bathroom (this basket you would really, really need to know the person or family)
5 new toothbrushes (one for each person in my house)
Kids Crest Toothpaste (the only kind my kids will use)
Adult toothpast - any kind will do
Q-Tips
Flossers
Kids Act Rinse- bubble gum flavor
Soap Soft pump dispenser- any scent
Two new hand towels and matching washcloths
I hope this helps you to think creatively about what you are buying people this year.Think Green! Think experience and consumable! Use a little imagination & take some time to think and then the actual buying should be easy. If you noticed most of these items can be purchased while you are doing your grocery shopping or a quick click on-line. Both save gas (go green) and do not cause you to waste time driving all over town.
The two best types of Green Gifts usually take a bit of thought about who you are buying for and what they are interested in, but once you have an idea they are easy to put together and in most cases not to bad on the wallet either. I'll call them Experience Gifts and Comsumable Gifts.
Experience Gifts can be a bit costly, but are very easy on the enviorment. These gifts involve doing something, not purchasing a "thing" to clutter up your home. Experience gifts are things like theather tickets, tickets to a ball game, or certificate to a restuarant. Everyone has heard of these things, they are not new, but maybe you've nevered looked at it a being green, yet it is!
To move beyond the usual tickets as experiences, which can get very expensive, you can be a bit creative and make a very memorable experience of your own. How about a trip to the movies, taking a younger relative to mini-golf and ice cream, bowling and pizza, or an afternoon of baking cookies. How you package these gifts can be the key to the excitement. For an afternoon of baking cookies, create a "certifitcate" or "coupon" for Cookie Lessons with "Aunt Laura" (get it- like- cooking lessons, but with cookies) you can tie it to a package of sugar cookie mix, a few small cookie cutters and a child sized rolling pin, all wrapped in a bow. Children tend to need that instant gratification, so attaching a small item to the certificate is always good. For baseball tickets attach a pack of baseball cards. For movie passes attach a big box of snowcaps. I always encouarge "experience gifts" for my kids birthdays.Because the last thing they need it more "stuff". Their birthdays are just before school lets out for summer, so it gives them a bunch of fun afternoons to start off their summer vacations.
The second type of gift I'll call a comsumable gift. These are things that people would purchase and use anyway, you're just putting it together in a gift form. This gift has the quick chance of being corny, cheap or gimicey, if you are not careful to be very thoughtful in what you buy. These gifts are more like your traditional "gift baskets". But I warn not to buy the pre-made baskets at the drug store. These tend to be full of cheap items and knick-knacks or junk. If you know someone who likes candles , filling a basket with dollar-store candles probably won't meet their standards. And a true hobbiest, golfer, or gardener won't use the items in the pre-made set becasue they aren't the "brand" they prefer. But if you know someone's interests, really know what types, styles and brands they prefer. Putting together your own basket of a few smaller (less expensive) items, that you know they will like, into a gift set, really shows you care and that you put some thought into it. And remember it is better to get a few small items you know they will love then a ton of "junk" they won't use, because the ton of junk is just headed right to the back of the closet or even the dump.
Consumables are great because you are buying what this person would have otherwise bought for themselves. It adds less waste to the enviroment, and does not clutter up their house as it is something they will "use up". Here are some ideas for consumables:
For an animal lover:
their pet's favorite treat
a new leash or toy for their pet
pet brush or "messy bag" refils
For the Car lover:
Bucket filled with
car wash, car wax
new sponge
shamois
For the golfer:
set of 3 golf balls (make sure you know the brand they like)
sm. bag of tees, ball marker
or "key" for repairing ball marks
(Do Not buy the plastic drink dispenser that looks like a golf club and goes in their golf bag- this is where the "junk" or "kitch" would be bad)
For the candle lover:
be sure to know the brand and scents they like!
1-2 votives
snuffer
bic Candle lighter (one that pivots- is great)
Last year I asked for 2 "baskets" from my family- I was specific in what I would llike in them and I did receive the "cleaning" one. To share my idea I will tell you what I had asked for, with specific brands.
My "Cleaning " basket:
A new "caddy" to hold it all
scrubber sponges, regular sponges
Lysol all-purpose spray (I love this stuff & use it on everything- kitchen/bathrooms-everyroom)
Comet
Windex wipes
Pledge wipes
Magic Erasers
I had also asked for a "bathroom" basket, but did not get it, but I will share what might be in such an item:
For the bathroom (this basket you would really, really need to know the person or family)
5 new toothbrushes (one for each person in my house)
Kids Crest Toothpaste (the only kind my kids will use)
Adult toothpast - any kind will do
Q-Tips
Flossers
Kids Act Rinse- bubble gum flavor
Soap Soft pump dispenser- any scent
Two new hand towels and matching washcloths
I hope this helps you to think creatively about what you are buying people this year.Think Green! Think experience and consumable! Use a little imagination & take some time to think and then the actual buying should be easy. If you noticed most of these items can be purchased while you are doing your grocery shopping or a quick click on-line. Both save gas (go green) and do not cause you to waste time driving all over town.
Making Your Home a Haven- Day 5
qaA bit late in posting what happened on Friday, since it is now Saturday evening, but... in the idea of completing what I started. Here is my Friday.
Friday was a very uneventful and yet still very productive.
The Morning Routine- Done!
MY To Do list: 1) Buy cat food (poor cat has no food!), and a few other items that are a "good Deal" this week at Shop Rite. Done! 2) Finally get to bank and deposit b-day check.-- done! 3) Clean off Hutch and put up nativity and make room for Xmas Cards. - Done!
My 15-20 minutes- was spent straightening up before heading to work.
The day went smoothly and all my To do items were done right after I got home from work.
After dinner we had our December Fridays family night- The kids opened the puzzle, and game and we worked on the puzzle (more like just Garrison and I, with a little help from Kailtyn) then the family played Scooby-Doo Trouble - Kailtyn won! The kids them watched the Drake and Josh Christmas Movie on Nickelodeon.
So that ends our week. Not too much excitement, yet I got stuff done- little by little. I still have a ton to do before Christmas and therefore have had a bit of Christmas on the brain. I'll be posting some ideas on Christmas this weekend.
Hope you enjoyed your week!!
Friday was a very uneventful and yet still very productive.
The Morning Routine- Done!
MY To Do list: 1) Buy cat food (poor cat has no food!), and a few other items that are a "good Deal" this week at Shop Rite. Done! 2) Finally get to bank and deposit b-day check.-- done! 3) Clean off Hutch and put up nativity and make room for Xmas Cards. - Done!
My 15-20 minutes- was spent straightening up before heading to work.
The day went smoothly and all my To do items were done right after I got home from work.
After dinner we had our December Fridays family night- The kids opened the puzzle, and game and we worked on the puzzle (more like just Garrison and I, with a little help from Kailtyn) then the family played Scooby-Doo Trouble - Kailtyn won! The kids them watched the Drake and Josh Christmas Movie on Nickelodeon.
So that ends our week. Not too much excitement, yet I got stuff done- little by little. I still have a ton to do before Christmas and therefore have had a bit of Christmas on the brain. I'll be posting some ideas on Christmas this weekend.
Hope you enjoyed your week!!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Coming Up This Weekend
Just wanted to give you some bites of what I am working on for this weeknd. I 've got Christmas on the Brain!
Planning Saves Money & Your Sanity
Now- The Best Time to Declutter
Simple, Frugal & Green Christmas Ideas (not crafts!)
Enjoy the end of our week for Making Your Home a Haven...
Stop by and read up some ideas for the Christmas Season..
And next week Pop In to find some easy way to save money!
See you There!!
(And I hope to figure out how to add pictures to this blog- so you have something nice to look at while you read.)
Planning Saves Money & Your Sanity
Now- The Best Time to Declutter
Simple, Frugal & Green Christmas Ideas (not crafts!)
Enjoy the end of our week for Making Your Home a Haven...
Stop by and read up some ideas for the Christmas Season..
And next week Pop In to find some easy way to save money!
See you There!!
(And I hope to figure out how to add pictures to this blog- so you have something nice to look at while you read.)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Why I Love To Read Blogs
I have been reading blogs for about 2 years and love to check-in every night and see what people have been up to. I enjoy reading blogs for several reasons. The first is to get tips, ideas and inspiration for keeping up with everything. The second is to know other people are having the same ups and downs I am, and that I am not alone. I read several differnt types of blogs. I read blogs about Homemaking, Parenting, Frugality, and Personal Finance. From the main blogs I read I usually find myself wandering around the Blogosphere, reading comments, following links within posts, and clicking on items like "Blogs I Read" on a blog's sidebar. I have found a tremendous amount of encouragement and information.
I started this blog for several reasons. First, I hope to encourage any followers who can realate to what I write about on a day-to-day basis (parenting, homemaking, frugality). We can get through it together! Second, I have absorbed alot of what I have read on other blogs and applied it to my life- in some cases directly and in other cases I have adapted things to figure out what works best for me. I hope to share some of my "what works for me" in hopes that they may work for someone else. Lastly, I like the idea that this blog would hold me accountable. If I write it here- people read it- therefore I better be following through with it!
Through all of my blogging I hope to keep it all positive, encouraging and fun. I am hoping to have the opportunity to connect to people and make bloggy friends with whom I can swap ideas and along the way hopefully we may save some money too!
I started this blog for several reasons. First, I hope to encourage any followers who can realate to what I write about on a day-to-day basis (parenting, homemaking, frugality). We can get through it together! Second, I have absorbed alot of what I have read on other blogs and applied it to my life- in some cases directly and in other cases I have adapted things to figure out what works best for me. I hope to share some of my "what works for me" in hopes that they may work for someone else. Lastly, I like the idea that this blog would hold me accountable. If I write it here- people read it- therefore I better be following through with it!
Through all of my blogging I hope to keep it all positive, encouraging and fun. I am hoping to have the opportunity to connect to people and make bloggy friends with whom I can swap ideas and along the way hopefully we may save some money too!
Making Your Home A Haven- Day 4
Today's plan was to catch up on ONE CHORE. I had said yesterday I had to tackle the mountian of clean laundry slowly attacking my living room, BUT, I didn't. I did get one load folded and put away, but I hate folding laundry and chose to get all those dishes washed instead. All those dishes began piling up when I decided to put the Christmas tree up after dinner and not load the dishwasher yesterday.
So my day went as follows,
5 Mins of Quiet- Done! (always done, it's my favorite part of the day!)
Morning Rountine- all 5 steps done! (that was the first chunk out of the piles of dishes) **Just to refresh you- MY Morning Routine is coffee, wake Kaitlyn, pack lunches and make breakfast, put a load off laundry in, & load the dishwasher before leaving. **
Planning: 1) Get bags of gifts out of car (they have been "hiding " there, until I could move them with no kids around. - Done! 2) Take Chocolate to SIL, even if not walking the dog. - Done! 3) Bake Brownies tonight- Done! 4) Fold and put away ALL laundry- not done, decided to tackle dishes instead- dishes done!
15 mis of something- check baseball website to reigster for spring baseball but site wouldn't work- emailed sister to see if she could - and she could, and she did- what a lifefsaver!! Spring Baseball Registration- Done!
Positive Attitude- took a dive when the baseball website wouldn't work- but better now!
Great day here, and "realtively" peaceful evening, all kids in bed by 9pm and more quiet time for me. Looking forward to tomorrow- TGIF!!
For our Making Your Home a Haven Challenge- the final day- lets look forward to the weekend. Find something to put on your To Do list that will help get you ready for your weekend. For me this will mean Really, Truely getting the laundry folded! Somewhere in there is my son's freshly washed basketball uniform and his first game is Saturday. Better to get it all folded and put away so we can find it Sat. morning, than to be dumping the laundry baskets all over the living room floor in a mad rush to find all the pieces of the uniform right before game time.
I will check in tomorrow and we can all rejoice that the work-week is over!!
Happy Friday everyone!
So my day went as follows,
5 Mins of Quiet- Done! (always done, it's my favorite part of the day!)
Morning Rountine- all 5 steps done! (that was the first chunk out of the piles of dishes) **Just to refresh you- MY Morning Routine is coffee, wake Kaitlyn, pack lunches and make breakfast, put a load off laundry in, & load the dishwasher before leaving. **
Planning: 1) Get bags of gifts out of car (they have been "hiding " there, until I could move them with no kids around. - Done! 2) Take Chocolate to SIL, even if not walking the dog. - Done! 3) Bake Brownies tonight- Done! 4) Fold and put away ALL laundry- not done, decided to tackle dishes instead- dishes done!
15 mis of something- check baseball website to reigster for spring baseball but site wouldn't work- emailed sister to see if she could - and she could, and she did- what a lifefsaver!! Spring Baseball Registration- Done!
Positive Attitude- took a dive when the baseball website wouldn't work- but better now!
Great day here, and "realtively" peaceful evening, all kids in bed by 9pm and more quiet time for me. Looking forward to tomorrow- TGIF!!
For our Making Your Home a Haven Challenge- the final day- lets look forward to the weekend. Find something to put on your To Do list that will help get you ready for your weekend. For me this will mean Really, Truely getting the laundry folded! Somewhere in there is my son's freshly washed basketball uniform and his first game is Saturday. Better to get it all folded and put away so we can find it Sat. morning, than to be dumping the laundry baskets all over the living room floor in a mad rush to find all the pieces of the uniform right before game time.
I will check in tomorrow and we can all rejoice that the work-week is over!!
Happy Friday everyone!
Making Your Home a Haven- Day 3
Today was much better than yesterday!
5 Mins of Quiet- Done!
Morning Routine- Done, except for loading dishwasher.
Planning/3 ToDos-
1) Find "cookie" sign up sheet for school, and copy ice skater sheet- done
2) Go to bank (deposit check)- not done- stopped at mom's after work to pick up a gift and didn't get to the bank.
3) Get Christmas Tree Up and Decorated. -Done
15 mintes to do something now- did #1 on list above, before leaving for work, glad to have that done and out of the way before the day really started.
Positive Attitude- it's back! Done.
For today I was extremely glad to get my tree up and decorated. I put it up, and the kids and I decorated it while watching the Rockerfeller tree lighting and all the singing that went with it. It was very festive here from 7pm-9pm. But getting the tree up means I have a counter full of the dinner dishes, which never made it to the dishwasher. Tomorrow I had better not skip that "load the dishwasher before leaving the house" on my morning routine. And although I do manage to wash and dry a load of laundry every day.. I now have 4 baskets of laundry waiting to be folded and put away... but, the Tree is UP!!
So for Thursday let's all focus on ONE CHORE that we have fallen behind on. Maybe it's the dishes, or the laundry, or the vacuuming.. whatever it is for you - choose just ONE CHORE and plow through it until it is all caught up. For me I already know tomorrow will be laundry day- folding and putting it all away.. ALL of it!
I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how I did. Please feel free to commnet and let me know how you did.
Happy Homemaking!!
Sneak peek for next week-- I am planning to post a 5-day series on easy ways you can save money.
5 Mins of Quiet- Done!
Morning Routine- Done, except for loading dishwasher.
Planning/3 ToDos-
1) Find "cookie" sign up sheet for school, and copy ice skater sheet- done
2) Go to bank (deposit check)- not done- stopped at mom's after work to pick up a gift and didn't get to the bank.
3) Get Christmas Tree Up and Decorated. -Done
15 mintes to do something now- did #1 on list above, before leaving for work, glad to have that done and out of the way before the day really started.
Positive Attitude- it's back! Done.
For today I was extremely glad to get my tree up and decorated. I put it up, and the kids and I decorated it while watching the Rockerfeller tree lighting and all the singing that went with it. It was very festive here from 7pm-9pm. But getting the tree up means I have a counter full of the dinner dishes, which never made it to the dishwasher. Tomorrow I had better not skip that "load the dishwasher before leaving the house" on my morning routine. And although I do manage to wash and dry a load of laundry every day.. I now have 4 baskets of laundry waiting to be folded and put away... but, the Tree is UP!!
So for Thursday let's all focus on ONE CHORE that we have fallen behind on. Maybe it's the dishes, or the laundry, or the vacuuming.. whatever it is for you - choose just ONE CHORE and plow through it until it is all caught up. For me I already know tomorrow will be laundry day- folding and putting it all away.. ALL of it!
I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how I did. Please feel free to commnet and let me know how you did.
Happy Homemaking!!
Sneak peek for next week-- I am planning to post a 5-day series on easy ways you can save money.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
December Fridays 2008
As I mentioned in a previous post my family has a tradition we call December Fridays. These are all the Fridays from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. On each Friday night we give the kids a gift. This gift is always something we can do together as a family that night. The original purpose of this tradition was a frugal one, we wanted our kids to receive "family" (as in family-time) not just material stuff at Christmas. Although these nights involve a "gift", these are small gifts and are meant to take alot of the emphasis off of needing to get alot of stuff on Christmas DAY. Instead we hope they look forwards to more of a "holiday season" not just one day.
These gifts are a secret , but since my kids son't read this blog I thought I would share our plans for this year's December Fridays.
Nov. 28 - See Xmas lights& listen to Xmas Music, & talk to each other. We did this in Hershey, since we were there- it just so happened to fall on Friday night (perfect) we went to see the Sweet Lights, where you drive though a 4 mile route that Hershey has set up with millions of lights and you have to count how many Rudolfs you can find. It was fun, but by mid-way they were a bit bored and more interested in "walkie-talking" my parents in the car ahead of us. But it was a very nice family time and the entire ride took about 40 minutes. In Hershey my parents treated us to the $20 Sweet Lights, but had we been at home- this would have been a very cheap, yet fun,night.
Dec. 5th- They will open 2 gifts (for all). One will be a Christmas puzzle- bought at a yard sale for $.50 over the summer, still new in sealed box.The second is Scooby-Doo Trouble, bought at the Christmas Tree Shop a few weeks ago for $6. So a fun night of games for the family and it only cost us $6.50.
Dec. 12th- They will open a gift of a pre-made gingerbread house Kit. Still have to pick this up, but at the local BJ's they were under 10 dollars. We will have fun making our house and people and trees (or whatever the kit comes with), and then take pictures of the kids with their creations. A fun night for about $10.
Dec. 19th- They will open a gift of Hot chocolate mix (with marshmallows of course!), and microwave popcorn with a note that says to go get the movie The Polar Express, which we have on DVD already. We will pop the popcorn, make hot chocolate (if you've seen the movie- you'll know why there has to be hot chcoclate) and snuggle under a blanket, turn off the lights and watch the movie. Another great family event for under $5.
My last frugal way to make sure my kids enjoy "the season" and not just one day, is to buy them the advent calendars that have a tiny chocolate behind each door. I got these for $1 each at The Christmas Tree Shop. They always recieve these on Thanksgiving day, from "The Great Turkey" who starts off the Christmas Season of giving, by giving each child a chocolate turkey, an advent calendar, and a small gift. All wrapped up- so they have the fun of opening "gifts" when they wake up on Thanksgiving morning. This year the Great Turkey got each child a 12 inch tree for their rooms that came with 20 plastic-ball ornamants ($5 ea. at Christmas Tree Shop)
So for our December Friday's we get a ton of family time and the kids get excited to open gifts all month long for less than $22.
For our Great Turkey visit on Thanksgiving, I spent about $30 and that included the items above and a few small gift for each child. 3 advent calendars= $3, 3 Chocolate Turkeys= $2.25, 3 Christmas trees w. ornaments= $15, Snap n' style Christmas outfit for Sophia= $8, snowflake bracket and red & green beaded necklace for Kailtyn=$2, and The White House's Wackiest Pets Book= Free w. scholasitc book points. Total: $30.25
If you are thinking $50, isn't very "frugal". Well it is. Realise I "bought" family time, not "stuff". And this is all leading up to a much smaller than your average Christmas DAY. But the children don't feel it as much because we always talk about all the gifts they get "all season long". So at the end of the month, this $50 created family memories and cost us less than it would have to buy each child one more gift for Christmas morning.
Yea-Frugal!
Oh and all the children I know will be getting lots of books from Scholastic, Free for me, good for Christmas budget! Pays to be a teacher, the job does have some perks. (hehe)
These gifts are a secret , but since my kids son't read this blog I thought I would share our plans for this year's December Fridays.
Nov. 28 - See Xmas lights& listen to Xmas Music, & talk to each other. We did this in Hershey, since we were there- it just so happened to fall on Friday night (perfect) we went to see the Sweet Lights, where you drive though a 4 mile route that Hershey has set up with millions of lights and you have to count how many Rudolfs you can find. It was fun, but by mid-way they were a bit bored and more interested in "walkie-talking" my parents in the car ahead of us. But it was a very nice family time and the entire ride took about 40 minutes. In Hershey my parents treated us to the $20 Sweet Lights, but had we been at home- this would have been a very cheap, yet fun,night.
Dec. 5th- They will open 2 gifts (for all). One will be a Christmas puzzle- bought at a yard sale for $.50 over the summer, still new in sealed box.The second is Scooby-Doo Trouble, bought at the Christmas Tree Shop a few weeks ago for $6. So a fun night of games for the family and it only cost us $6.50.
Dec. 12th- They will open a gift of a pre-made gingerbread house Kit. Still have to pick this up, but at the local BJ's they were under 10 dollars. We will have fun making our house and people and trees (or whatever the kit comes with), and then take pictures of the kids with their creations. A fun night for about $10.
Dec. 19th- They will open a gift of Hot chocolate mix (with marshmallows of course!), and microwave popcorn with a note that says to go get the movie The Polar Express, which we have on DVD already. We will pop the popcorn, make hot chocolate (if you've seen the movie- you'll know why there has to be hot chcoclate) and snuggle under a blanket, turn off the lights and watch the movie. Another great family event for under $5.
My last frugal way to make sure my kids enjoy "the season" and not just one day, is to buy them the advent calendars that have a tiny chocolate behind each door. I got these for $1 each at The Christmas Tree Shop. They always recieve these on Thanksgiving day, from "The Great Turkey" who starts off the Christmas Season of giving, by giving each child a chocolate turkey, an advent calendar, and a small gift. All wrapped up- so they have the fun of opening "gifts" when they wake up on Thanksgiving morning. This year the Great Turkey got each child a 12 inch tree for their rooms that came with 20 plastic-ball ornamants ($5 ea. at Christmas Tree Shop)
So for our December Friday's we get a ton of family time and the kids get excited to open gifts all month long for less than $22.
For our Great Turkey visit on Thanksgiving, I spent about $30 and that included the items above and a few small gift for each child. 3 advent calendars= $3, 3 Chocolate Turkeys= $2.25, 3 Christmas trees w. ornaments= $15, Snap n' style Christmas outfit for Sophia= $8, snowflake bracket and red & green beaded necklace for Kailtyn=$2, and The White House's Wackiest Pets Book= Free w. scholasitc book points. Total: $30.25
If you are thinking $50, isn't very "frugal". Well it is. Realise I "bought" family time, not "stuff". And this is all leading up to a much smaller than your average Christmas DAY. But the children don't feel it as much because we always talk about all the gifts they get "all season long". So at the end of the month, this $50 created family memories and cost us less than it would have to buy each child one more gift for Christmas morning.
Yea-Frugal!
Oh and all the children I know will be getting lots of books from Scholastic, Free for me, good for Christmas budget! Pays to be a teacher, the job does have some perks. (hehe)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Making Your Home a Haven- Day 2
Oh my was today bad- well at least the morning was.
As for my five steps for Making Your Home a Haven, I scored about 1 out of 5.
5 Minutes of Quiet- done! (and then that was it)
Morning Routine- coffee- check, wake kaitlyn- check, then it was down hill from there. Kaitlyn woke up in a bad mood and was difficult to move and keep moving all morning- so much so, that we missed the bus! Twice! (it goes up our street and about 10 minutes later it comes back down). Nothing else got done until about 10am. Between getting everyone else up and lunches made and everyone to school. Kaitlyn's school is about 15 minutes from our house so when she misses the bus- it eats up about 35 minutes of my morning to drive her into school.
I got home about 9:45am. Tuesday is the one morning I have off from work, and it ususally gives me an extra 2 hours to get stuff done. But with driving Kailtyn to school I was down to about 1.5 hours. Then I tried to print out a google calendar for my class, which I had worked on over the weekend but had trouble printing. (It said I needed the recent updates on Adobe Reader- but then the updates wouldn't load- so I wasn't able to print). I spent about 20 minutes trying to get the updates to download so I could print, but it wouldn't and after 20 minutes I gave up and hand-wrote a calendar for December. It looked awful! And after about 1.5 hours of time (the weekend plus that morning) I had crap to show for it. SO went most of my day... if it could go wrong or take longer than normal it did. So my positive attitude for today was missing along with most parts of my five steps.
Monday night I did take a few minutes and create a To Do list for Tuesday- so I did accomplish the "Planning" step- but only a few of those items were actually completed. I had done this because Tuesday was supposed to be the day to do all those "little things" , so I had pre-planned to make sure I had a solid list and included ALL the little things I needed to get done.
So here was my original Tuesday To Do List: (and what did or did not happen)
As for my five steps for Making Your Home a Haven, I scored about 1 out of 5.
5 Minutes of Quiet- done! (and then that was it)
Morning Routine- coffee- check, wake kaitlyn- check, then it was down hill from there. Kaitlyn woke up in a bad mood and was difficult to move and keep moving all morning- so much so, that we missed the bus! Twice! (it goes up our street and about 10 minutes later it comes back down). Nothing else got done until about 10am. Between getting everyone else up and lunches made and everyone to school. Kaitlyn's school is about 15 minutes from our house so when she misses the bus- it eats up about 35 minutes of my morning to drive her into school.
I got home about 9:45am. Tuesday is the one morning I have off from work, and it ususally gives me an extra 2 hours to get stuff done. But with driving Kailtyn to school I was down to about 1.5 hours. Then I tried to print out a google calendar for my class, which I had worked on over the weekend but had trouble printing. (It said I needed the recent updates on Adobe Reader- but then the updates wouldn't load- so I wasn't able to print). I spent about 20 minutes trying to get the updates to download so I could print, but it wouldn't and after 20 minutes I gave up and hand-wrote a calendar for December. It looked awful! And after about 1.5 hours of time (the weekend plus that morning) I had crap to show for it. SO went most of my day... if it could go wrong or take longer than normal it did. So my positive attitude for today was missing along with most parts of my five steps.
Monday night I did take a few minutes and create a To Do list for Tuesday- so I did accomplish the "Planning" step- but only a few of those items were actually completed. I had done this because Tuesday was supposed to be the day to do all those "little things" , so I had pre-planned to make sure I had a solid list and included ALL the little things I needed to get done.
So here was my original Tuesday To Do List: (and what did or did not happen)
- List two sets of golf balls on ebay - done!
- Take photos of and list purple snowsuit set on ebay-- when looked at closer, it needed to be washed before photos- so it went in the wash, and still has not had photos taken or gotten listed on ebay.
- Email family about 3rd grade concert- done, after work
- Email basketball schedule to family- done, after work
- Call and make payment by phone to my mortgage- not done- will hopefully do Wed
- Fax reimbursement form and reciepts to FSA for reimbursement- not done
- Go online and register for spring baseball- tried once in AM and twice in PM- but site does not seem to be working- there is In-Person registration this Thursday night if iI don't get it done online before that.
- Match up and put away socks and other "whites" from laundry done on Monday- Done
- Print out December's calendar for class- not really done- handwritten after 20 minutes of aggrevation
- Create name cards for class to be laminated so kids can trace them with wipe-off markers- not done (had my assistant do it during class today)- so done, but late and not by me.
- Call and schedule play dates for Friday- not done
- Call Gale and see if she can watch Sophia a few Fridays in December- not done
- Order some Christmas gifts online with free shipping codes I have-- done, after work
- Go to bank and deposit Gary's b-day check- not done
- Look over Joe & Lisa's Wedding photos- not done
Each of these thing should have taken 5-10 minutes each, some less. But with all the delays I only got 3 things done, and 3 more after work. Humph!
And as I sit here I am looing at 3 baskets of clean laundry waiting for me to fold and put away. I am also staring at 5 rubbermaid bins and 2 very large christmas tree boxes in the corner of my living room. I got all the christmas stuff down on Sunday, but none of it has been put up yet! Humph!
So I am looking forward to going to bed tonight and forgetting today and moving onto Wednesday. For Wednesday let's try for a Little Bit Of Christmas! Try to get one thing done that helps you prepare for Christmas. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how my Wednesday goes.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Quick Post of Various Things
If you like following this blog other you might want to check out
for organizing and time management
http://www.flylady.com/
for homemaking and simple living
http://www.likemerchantships.com/ ** Personal Fav. - I check it daily.
www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/ **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
For personal finance or payig down debt
www.paidtwice.com **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
www.gatherlittlebylittle.com **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
for finding great deals
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ (this blog is written by Crystal from biblical womanhood, above)
http://www.simplemom.com/
as for deals I have found:
I am planning to order photo christmas cards this year and they have some good coupons for http://www.kodakgallery.com/
the are advertising 20% off a $30 purchase right on their homepage of their website
I also have a code for 20% off $20 on photo cards- use coupon code: DESIGNS20
this expires 12/31/08, I plan to use this code when I order my cards.
If you order from Current Catalog I just got a coupon code for 25% off your entire purchase. Enter code : CC25 Expires 12/31/08, I don't think this has a minimum.
as always for you can check for coupon codes by typing into google the item you want to buy or the store you want to shop at, followed by the words coupon code, or discount codes. Or check out sites like
http://www.slickdeals.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
Happy Deal Hunting!!
for organizing and time management
http://www.flylady.com/
for homemaking and simple living
http://www.likemerchantships.com/ ** Personal Fav. - I check it daily.
www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/ **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
For personal finance or payig down debt
www.paidtwice.com **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
www.gatherlittlebylittle.com **Personal Fav.- I check it daily.
for finding great deals
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ (this blog is written by Crystal from biblical womanhood, above)
http://www.simplemom.com/
as for deals I have found:
I am planning to order photo christmas cards this year and they have some good coupons for http://www.kodakgallery.com/
the are advertising 20% off a $30 purchase right on their homepage of their website
I also have a code for 20% off $20 on photo cards- use coupon code: DESIGNS20
this expires 12/31/08, I plan to use this code when I order my cards.
If you order from Current Catalog I just got a coupon code for 25% off your entire purchase. Enter code : CC25 Expires 12/31/08, I don't think this has a minimum.
as always for you can check for coupon codes by typing into google the item you want to buy or the store you want to shop at, followed by the words coupon code, or discount codes. Or check out sites like
http://www.slickdeals.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
Happy Deal Hunting!!
Making Your Home A Haven - Day 1
Ok, so how did my day go? Very well. I followed my Making Your Home a Haven Routine and the only thing I didn't get done was to load the dishwasher before leaving the house in the morning.
Here's how it all went today:
5 Mins of Quiet- Done
Morning Routine- Done, except dishwasher
Planning- 3 To Do's : 1) mail out 5 Ebay boxes 2) go food shopping 3) finish downloading Herhsey park pictures- All are Done!
15-20 mMinutes to Start Something- I did a "quick clean of house" before leaving- opened blinds, wiped up bathroom counters, picked up any laundry on floors, straightened beds, & straightened up the living room.--Done!
Positive Attitude- Done!
I even got a few extra To Dos done. This evening I did 3 loads of laundry and folded them, and listed 3 more items on Ebay for auctions ending Friday. Whoo Hoo!
It was a great day, and now to keep it up.. into Tuesday!
For Tuesday lets focus on "all the little things". My To Do list for Tuesday will probably have about 10 things on it, but they will all be LITTLE things, so I plan to "just do it!" and plow through all those little things. I will check-in tomorrow to let you know how it goes.
Happy Homemaking!
Here's how it all went today:
5 Mins of Quiet- Done
Morning Routine- Done, except dishwasher
Planning- 3 To Do's : 1) mail out 5 Ebay boxes 2) go food shopping 3) finish downloading Herhsey park pictures- All are Done!
15-20 mMinutes to Start Something- I did a "quick clean of house" before leaving- opened blinds, wiped up bathroom counters, picked up any laundry on floors, straightened beds, & straightened up the living room.--Done!
Positive Attitude- Done!
I even got a few extra To Dos done. This evening I did 3 loads of laundry and folded them, and listed 3 more items on Ebay for auctions ending Friday. Whoo Hoo!
It was a great day, and now to keep it up.. into Tuesday!
For Tuesday lets focus on "all the little things". My To Do list for Tuesday will probably have about 10 things on it, but they will all be LITTLE things, so I plan to "just do it!" and plow through all those little things. I will check-in tomorrow to let you know how it goes.
Happy Homemaking!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Creating my hectic home into a Haven
I love to follow other bogger's Making Your Home A Haven series. So this week I am hoping to check in each day and let you know how my Haven-Making is going. This is a good week to do this for me since I was away this weekend this will be one of those weeks that could be crazy, stressful, OR I can try to create a sense of peace and order and still get it all done- little by little.
In case you forgot the 5 starter steps of Making Your Home A Haven are:
1) 5 minutes of quiet- first thing in the AM
2) Do your Daily Routine- choose a few things (no more than 5) that you will do every morning.
My Daily Routine: Coffee & quiet time, Wake Kailtyn, Put a load of laundry in, Make breakfast & pack lunches, Load the dishwasher before leaving for the day
3) Make a quick To Do List for that day (weekdays I limit myself to 3 things)
4)Start right away by spending 15-20 minutes on one of the items on your To Do list
5) Keep a positive attitude.
So each day I am hoping to jump in here and let you know how I did that morning. I plan to let you know:
Since I am still catching up from being away over the weekend many of my To Dos for the early part of the week would normally be done on the weekends. After that I have some holiday things to get done later in the week.
If it helps anyone who is following this blog (anyone, anyone.. Buler? Buler?) I will give each day a theme- so if you want to follow along with me to Making Your Home A Haven, Monday's theme will be "Catching Up" - pick something this weekend that didn't get completed and make sure that is one To Do on your list for tomorrow!
As I check in each night, feel free to comment on your progress each day also!
In case you forgot the 5 starter steps of Making Your Home A Haven are:
1) 5 minutes of quiet- first thing in the AM
2) Do your Daily Routine- choose a few things (no more than 5) that you will do every morning.
My Daily Routine: Coffee & quiet time, Wake Kailtyn, Put a load of laundry in, Make breakfast & pack lunches, Load the dishwasher before leaving for the day
3) Make a quick To Do List for that day (weekdays I limit myself to 3 things)
4)Start right away by spending 15-20 minutes on one of the items on your To Do list
5) Keep a positive attitude.
So each day I am hoping to jump in here and let you know how I did that morning. I plan to let you know:
- if I got 5 minutes of quiet and completed my Daily Rountine
- what my 3 things for that day's To Do list
- what or even if I got 15 minutes of something done right away,
- if I completed my to do list for that day.
- And did I keep a positive attitude! :-)
Since I am still catching up from being away over the weekend many of my To Dos for the early part of the week would normally be done on the weekends. After that I have some holiday things to get done later in the week.
If it helps anyone who is following this blog (anyone, anyone.. Buler? Buler?) I will give each day a theme- so if you want to follow along with me to Making Your Home A Haven, Monday's theme will be "Catching Up" - pick something this weekend that didn't get completed and make sure that is one To Do on your list for tomorrow!
As I check in each night, feel free to comment on your progress each day also!
Feminism on Vacation
I thought I would share a 10 minute view of my life in the hopes of inspiring a friend who a bit blue on marriage. I have been married almost 10 year and I have learned not to expect to much, in the way of daily help, from my husband. Don't get me wrong, he is great in times of stress. And because I don't ask much him when I do ask- he does help. Once in awhile I will leave him a Honey-Do List, and he does it. What he misses are the daily things (picking up arond the house, dishes, disciplining kids)- these things he always seems to miss.
So back to my 10 minute blip..
We get home from our Hershey Park trip late Saturday night. I (yes, I)have just driven for 3.5 hours home. And we get out of the car and all 3 kids are awake enough to walk themselves inside. So I head to the door to unlock it. I had the keys since I had driven. We all walk in to the house- the older two crash on the couch with coats and shoes still on, while the little one says she has to go pottty. So I take her into the bathroom and she says she needs privacy. So I left her there and told her to call me when she was done.
As I head back throught the living room I asked the older two to take thier shoes and coats off and put them in their cubbies and to go put PJ's on. I then head out to the car and preceed to take totebags, stuffed animals, the snack bag and my pocketbook from the car and into the house. I again ask the older two to move, get shoes off and PJs on. I then head back outside to the car for a second trip and bring in the suitcase, our coats, and two bags from the gift shop. Realising I have the last of the stuff from the car, I lock it up and head inside locking the front door behind me. As I move like a "pack-mule" up the stairs and into the kitchen I hear the little one crying. I drop all the bags in the kitchen and head to the bathroom. She was ok- but had been calling for me and I hadn't answered her back. So I got her all situated and as she and I left the bathroom just as my husband comes out of the bedroom in his PJs!!! (I still have my coat on!) OOHHHH! I could only give him an evil look and continue with all that needed to be done as he sat down and turned the TV on.
Moral to the story... Men need training and you need to pick your battles.
I have 3 kids to train- so the husband , generally, goes untrained.
And this was just easier, at that late hour , to do it myself. No point is arguing with him when I still had a dozen things to do before I could sit down.
So if you are soured to marriage- realise that all marriages have good days and bad days- good minutes and bad minutes. And you really do need to pick your battles or you could fight constantly if you nit-pick thier every action.
So my feminist feeling is I am SuperMom and I will try to do it all!! It may not all get done- but I will try.
So back to my 10 minute blip..
We get home from our Hershey Park trip late Saturday night. I (yes, I)have just driven for 3.5 hours home. And we get out of the car and all 3 kids are awake enough to walk themselves inside. So I head to the door to unlock it. I had the keys since I had driven. We all walk in to the house- the older two crash on the couch with coats and shoes still on, while the little one says she has to go pottty. So I take her into the bathroom and she says she needs privacy. So I left her there and told her to call me when she was done.
As I head back throught the living room I asked the older two to take thier shoes and coats off and put them in their cubbies and to go put PJ's on. I then head out to the car and preceed to take totebags, stuffed animals, the snack bag and my pocketbook from the car and into the house. I again ask the older two to move, get shoes off and PJs on. I then head back outside to the car for a second trip and bring in the suitcase, our coats, and two bags from the gift shop. Realising I have the last of the stuff from the car, I lock it up and head inside locking the front door behind me. As I move like a "pack-mule" up the stairs and into the kitchen I hear the little one crying. I drop all the bags in the kitchen and head to the bathroom. She was ok- but had been calling for me and I hadn't answered her back. So I got her all situated and as she and I left the bathroom just as my husband comes out of the bedroom in his PJs!!! (I still have my coat on!) OOHHHH! I could only give him an evil look and continue with all that needed to be done as he sat down and turned the TV on.
Moral to the story... Men need training and you need to pick your battles.
I have 3 kids to train- so the husband , generally, goes untrained.
And this was just easier, at that late hour , to do it myself. No point is arguing with him when I still had a dozen things to do before I could sit down.
So if you are soured to marriage- realise that all marriages have good days and bad days- good minutes and bad minutes. And you really do need to pick your battles or you could fight constantly if you nit-pick thier every action.
So my feminist feeling is I am SuperMom and I will try to do it all!! It may not all get done- but I will try.
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