Thriving With No Green$

Landscaping...Uh...Sorta...

2011-11-16T11:40:00.001-05:00

This summer, my hub took on a TREMENDOUS job of redoing the front of our old house. Old houses have never scared us MUCH, but we knew this one was gonna be a 'booger' b/c it was really torn up in its REPO condition~the previous owner who got MAD, took it out on the home..leaving dogs to roam with food and running water right here in this house that did sooo sooo much damage that while not condemned, maybe...uh, well,,,,maybe it shouldda been EXCEPT that the structure and mechanicals were solid..HENCE...we took the plunge~AND bought it...

For those who may not remember SisterT's story of HUGE DEBT REMOVAL, we were in over 30K in debt with a very small income and another house...to see...in another state... and NEEDED a home, HERE in our new community...Certainly this was not the worst, but definitely NOT the best decision we're ever made either...

MY Frugal HISTORY if you wanna know!

But let me say on TOP of that..God and our precious church family have been sooo good to us...Within short order (almost 4 mos or so...) several of the men including my hub and my children at times~WORKED LIKE DOGS to haul out filthy carpet and flooring (yes, all the flooring HAD to be removed) as well as fallen ceilings repaired, kitchen gutted...oh my!...NIGHTMARE does not describe this house..except again...POTENTIAL...

This is a 2250 sq ft home. It is two story with a full basement...it's totally a cool thing in terms of what it has and will have...it has RIGHT NOW~5 bedrooms and two baths, living room, dinning room, kitchen, mudroom, school area...a bath up and down~we thought this was essential!! PLUS a 3 car garage! OH YES!! Soo while cosmetically my house was so bad, it had everything we need and want...well, maybe a pool (indoor) in the yard with an attached garage would BE sooo sooo nice! LOL...but overall, it was/is a comfortable home...and so THE REMODEL began...

FaceBook link to house 2009...some remodeling DONE!

FaceBook link to the front of the house remodel ;-))

FaceBook link to our house decorated LAST YEAR for Christmas!

FaceBook link showing the remodeling Jan 2011 for school room and outside pics

FaceBook link showing the 1/4 basement remodel into bedroom #5

And NOW I need to look at the front yard, b/c our dear friend with his tractor removed not only the broken hazardly stairs, he removed the hills of dirt on each side of them to make our yard level with the sidewalk...wow! NOW, we need to reseed and finish off the sidewalk...sooo what does a thrifty gal do?? Buy the supplies?? We've had to buy plenty, I honestly can't justify about $50 for bricks to line that sidewalk..so SisterT has looked on FreeCycle a yahoo groups group...and guess WHA?? within about 5 min I've gotten a reply...a small community near me has town down an old school~oh yes! BRICK old school and they are giving away the bricks!! What a blessing!! I'm going to GO and recycle old antique brick for my old antique home...HOW COOL IS THIS?? And savings? Yes. I saved my money, but I also saved brick out the landfill...oh yes, we did...and sooo I will also prob get a few extra to line a flowerbed or two..oh yes, I will!!

Did you know about FreeCycle? It's national~a group of ppl concerned with recycling all kinds of STUFF...Just go to Yahoo.com and search yahoo grops for FREECYCLE in your area...most likely someone is already being eco-financial conscious! woohoo!

Here's those pics:

our house BEFORE...


Today...and see that sidewalk?? BRICKS coming to line each side!! WOOT!

I am so thankful for the transformation and all the thrift conscious resources out there like FreeCycle~BTW..I've gotten so much for this home from FreeCycle: back exterior steel door, pedistal sink, shelf, curtain rods, uh...GO CK IT OUT...and do you know about Habitat For Humanity thrift stores?? They sell good used STUFF for the home that is donate and JUST might be what we need for our next project...

THOUGHT: It's an old house anyway...and WILL NEW materials add to the look or AM I trying to remake this house into a new look? This is an essential question, but some stuff like paneled doors are classic and will not matter...You decide...

And share what you are working on at your place!
Blessings,
SisterT

WINNER!!!!! Carmex Healing Lotion and Cream!

2011-11-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Patriots of the Republic Acad!! WHOOHOO!!

TY EVERYONE~YOU ROCK!!!
REMEMBER I have another giveAway going on ...HERE!! ENDS 11-22
Blessings,
SisterT

Christmas PREP~PRE Decorating BLUES...and THEN DECORATE!

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

Santa Furby...LOL...

I'm a clutter nut...totally have too much 'blessing' around my house, so when it's time to decorate, I gotta TAKE MATTERS into my hands and literally put it either away or OUT the house...DE-CLUTTER and CLEANING before decorating is sooo necessary (IMHO) ;-)) My mama used to say, "We're decorators NOT housekeepers!" But I'm really into changing this in my home and life. I can't really find the joy in decorating a dirty house...can you?? NOT!

So let's give our abodes a spruce over...let's HIT THE HIGH SPOTS..up around door frames~up over the windows....LOW SPOTS too....under and in EVERYTHING...oh yes! Summer/Fall is a time where there's more dirt and dust~we're inside and outside more...more comes inside in the way of dirt and grime...Windows are often open bringing in the DUST...oh man!

Well, it's TIME...Gather your TEAM~Everyone can do something except the infirm and very elderly..wiping and swiping...in a FLASH it can become clean and organized...

There's several ways to do this...A ROOM AT A TIME...A TASK AT A TIME....and AN AREA AT A TIME...let me explain:

I like to bust rooms up...Let's take the living or great room. Get a few boxes/bags or receptacles...what ever you've got...PICK UP and place the extra stuff into LIKE itemed containers...Got a BUNCH OF SHOES hanging out at the door??or a corner of the room near it?? OKAY~grab the shoes and pick 'em up...get em out so you can put them away and clean...GET alll the mess out...leave the big items like huge furniture...Can't really MOVE that stuff...but dirt loves to hide in corners~it just naturally WAFTS there, I'm afraid...and I an not just 'afraid,'...LOL..I am healthier when I bust all the dirt out...little people~our precious little children can wipe baseboards while we moms wipe walls~older children can vacuum and mop...they really are a source of great help...it's a FAMILY AFFAIR where all who live together come together to do the job~so everyone can play together too!

Isn't THAT what the purpose of decorating and enjoying the 'holidays' are about? FUN and FAMILY enjoyment?? Let's do our HOMEWORK (de-cluttering, cleaning, and sprucing up...) NOW! and be ever sooo ready for the holidays: THANKS GIVING, CHRISTMAS and NEW YEARS joys...faith, family and fun~

SOOO are you ready?? SET??? Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....here's a few pics of the "mess" I get to conquer...oh yes, I will find NEW homes and places...as I go..as I can...and soon, very SOON~Christmas decor will be HERE!

Self-cleaning table and messy book shelves..ack!

Shoes need a new home! Order won't hurt either!

Messy and needs a good clean!

Hoping to sand and repaint this frame. Construction leftover!

Okay~sooo what are YOUR areas to tackle?? I'm off to find a way to fix this stuff...and..and...Don't FORGET I have two giveAways going on:
ENDS tonight 11-15-11 11:59PM ET Carmex Healing Lotion and Creams
ENDS 11-22-11 11:59PM ET 2~books USPS STAMPS!

Blessings,
SisterT

Review and GiveAway~CARMEX Healing Lotion and Healing Cream Gift Pack

2011-11-11T16:45:00.001-05:00

Whoohoo! You can't beat this~well, it's just GRAND! Carmex is having a celebration 75 yrs AND COUNTING, and we're celebrating the GREAT products for skin care. From lips to all skin areas, Carmex makes it just wonderful to soften and smooth~to protect and heal...I believe it's a great winter care line to use...Here's what I tried:

Love the wrap and presentation! SO FUN!

And you can win your own gift pack!

This gift pack includes

1 5.5 oz and
1 1oz tubes of Carmex Healing Lotion (Aloe & Vitamin E)
1 4 oz and
1 1oz tubes of Carmex Healing Cream (9 healing ingredients)

packaged in a pretty gold gift bag with red/gold confetti! HOW FUN!!

Last winter I used both to combat my dry cracked and bleeding heels and elbows. Very quickly my skin became softer and less dry. This year, before the winter weather abuse begins, I am already treating my skin to a wonderful experience with Carmex Healing Lotion and Healing Cream!


Comes in a pump~

Each has a different consistency~the Cream is a thicker, richer product~I LOVE this one BEST!! The Healing Lotion is less thick and neither leaves a greasy or oily feeling, but a smooth soft moisturized feeling! They both have a little medicine like smell, which does not bother me, but just so you know, they are not scent free. If you know the Carmex line, there is a characteristic odor with the lip products which is also with the skin care...You'll have to decide if this is a good thing or bad for you...I don't mind it because I like the results and use it at night so it's not so heavy to compete with perfumes and powders I may wear.

HELP ME spread the word about CARMEX Healing Lotion and Healing Cream~Post THIS GiveAway asking your readers to come follow me and join in for a chance to win their own party pack~5 BIG ENTRIES (leave separate comments but also the link once!)...OR...if you follow me already, post this giveAway for 3 chances (separate comments with the link in at least one of them ;-))...If you're new here~FOLLOW ME for 3 entries~BE SURE to leave me a comment for each entry...

ENDS 11-15-11 11:59PM ET Let's spread the word!

WANT A COUPON??? CLICK HERE! for $1.50 off!!

REMEMBER that Carmex products are sold at local stores CK OUT this extensive list!
Be sure to *LIKE* them on Facebook HERE! They have FUN contests frequently! woot!

I received these Carmex products in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation as part of the Carmex Blog Squad. My opinions are my own.

Also you might be interested in a second giveAway HERE for two books of USPS stamps!!

Christmas PREP...CARDS...Thinking 'Bout THAT NOW? YUP...AND A GIVE A WAY~WIN Two Free Books of USPS STAMPS

2011-11-04T19:14:00.011-04:00

I'm not a big card giver,,,

But I WANT to be...

The internet has provided some cool ways to express the seasonal sentiments without busting my budget...AND I can GIVE cards to ppl I am around/visiting and seeing around the holidays too...while cutting Uncle Sam's part out which just takes card giving over the top for me personally...

What about you? Are cards in your budget? There's some really pretty ones too, and I especially like the handmade cards like my blogger buddy Lynn makes GORGEOUS CARDS HERE! and photo cards~
Here's the ones we

gave last year at church with our VBS pic (made by Shutterfly). I want to create a list of CARD resources on a budget for anyone wanting to give cards who really is living on less like we are...

Here's some ideas and resources:
1. Save change all year long or purchase extra postage as stamps are bought so that the Christmas crunch doesn't make postage costs prohibitive.
2. Make cards recycling old Christmas cards you have received from friends and family~there's some faves that I've kept to look at each year. I also use them for Christmas crafts too so that I have some recycled pretty Christmas images for things like gift tags and cards...FUN!
3. Purchase cards after Christmas in the markdown areas...the selection might be limited, but the price will be better significantly.
4. Look for cards in places like bargain stores~Have I plugged 'dent can' stores lately? HUNT these down in your area b/c they have the absolute BEST value on food and other goods...what they do is purchase truck loads of discontinued stock from the major chains and pass along much of this savings to the consumers...Oh man oh man! I LOVE this kind of store, and I've been blessed with one right here in our area. I had one before this back when we lived out of state, but also spent about 6 yrs in another state and area where there wasn't one...When our son was little, I got pull ups for a song...$4 a big bag..the ones that are sooo spency now...WELL WORTH going in this kind of store~which often are not attractive nor in the best parts of town...never been unsafe, just not in the designer neighborhood. But let me tell you that canned foods and other stocking dry goods were well worth a few pennies about 1/4 the cost of what it is in the regular store...I *Like* that! Wouldn't you?? SAVINGS and MO SAVINGS! BTW~I purchased my cards yesterday at that local store for $2.50 for 100 cards...I'm pumped! AND these are very nice cards!

5. Email your wishes to those you don't see or won't see during the holidays. These include out of town relatives and folks who you wouldn't see personally anyway. There are some neat FREE eCards that really will make your friends and families' day. One year, we were sponsoring a soldier in Iraq with Christmas greetings and so I found a neat eCard that used our faces and voices to really make an animated card fun! Here's a few more eCard resources:
1 2 3 Greetings
eGreetings.com
BlueMountain.com
Care 2 Make a Difference
American Greetings FREE eCards
Funny eCards (some crass humor) I REALLY LIKE this one HERE!
Jib Jab Sendables (be sure and SEARCH for FREE in the search box)

6. Hunt down or make up some photo cards of your family. The photo processing sites of Snapfish and are excellent in creating picture cards, but what about WalMart and the local CVS? They do it too and you can go online and upload your pics from your MY PICS document files...HOW easy is that?? WOW! Now, ck pricing...but you CAN save...

Set a budgeted amount and do what you can IF you want to share cards...

Facebook and other social networking like Twitter will be good to send personal greeting too...

Do you have any other ideas for budget boosting and giving cards this Christmas season??

I'm all ears! GIVE ME a shout out with an idea~Entry ONE for two FREE books of stamps~AND if you follow my blog leave me 2 comments to enter for those same TWO BOOKS of STAMPS! ENDS Nov 22 11:59PM ET~
Blessings,
SisterT

Christmas PREP...Gift Giving

2011-11-02T07:52:00.000-04:00

I'm going to put together some good strategies for reducing the cost of the holidays and stress~can't we all use a little LESS for our money and our stress?

When just *thinking* about gift giving during the holidays, many of us find that our wallets just don't measure up! But we can still be generous and giving without this holiday tradition breaking us and our banks!

1. Make up your gift giving list. LOOK at it really hard...is everyone on it who should be and are there others who you'd like to give to, but who totally understand if you don't OR really it's okay not to?? Adjust your list...

2. Decide and consider what you would like to give. What will make your littles delighted on Christmas morning? What about teachers, co workers, friends and extended family? FIGURE IT OUT before you hit the stores...make some notes...Did something bring a lot of delight for one recipient but bombed on another? Make notes, you will be GLAD YOU DID b/c having a solid list can keep us from overbuying and impulse spending...

3. Begin getting prices on the items you will give. Look for the best prices possible. Be sure to calculate not just the item cost., but also if there are other fees such as shipping/handling or other hidden costs that may not be as readily to see at the register.

4. Gather up sale dates on the items you hope to obtain...Black Friday and others are coming up...Are there other incentives that will make going to a huge sale beneficial? This weekend our local dollar store is doing a grand opening and as a lure to get me in the store, they're giving away $10 store gift cards...OKAY~this is only for the first 50 in the door and let me tell ya~SisterT is heading out b/c I purchase certain items routinely from this store...woot! WHAT A BOOST! I know $10 isn't all that much, but it can really be a saver for the items I use every day! OH YES! Soo what sales/incentives can you gather up? Can you make some extra effort in order to get the best price??

5. Consider the gift that ALWAYS is right~money. For a couple of years since our kids became teenagers, we've given cash...I know it sounds like a cold hard reality, but it's FUN pinning up $1 bills all over the tree OR having them go on a Scavenger Hunt in order to find their 'gifts'! One thing for sure, my kids can get WHAT they want ANND THEY SAVE b/c shopping after Christmas is shopper savvy and makes their money gooo all that much further...and hey, what's WRONG with that?

6. Consider MAKING some of your gifts...RIGHT NOW, today...we have about 6 weeks to go...and if you are handy or creative you can give a gift of time and talent and share an item with your ppl you love...hey, I'm going with some handmade things this year, and soon I will add a post or two of ideas~Happy Crafting!

7. Shop in our own STASH...Do you have new items just lying around WAITING for a new home? Does someone on your list absolutely LOVE something in your home that you can bare to part with and they'd be thrilled to have? WEED OUT and SHARE~it's okay if all your gifts are straight from the mall with a big price tage! HEY, we ALWAYS CUT TAGS OFF, remember?? LOL..but also remember to remove the tale tell signs of RECYCLE by cleaning/dusting and refurbishing a gift...a box is a box for a like new item but if the box is all ratty...well...and maybe this shouldn't matter...aren't our loved ones HAPPY when we don't overburden ourselves with increasing debt just to share Christmas joy?

Okay, what IDEAS and STRATEGIES do you employ this time of year?

I shop all year long and make all year long...do you???

Blessings,
SisterT

LOOKING at the Future of Thrift

2011-10-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

garden goodies we preserved~

I just HAVE TO ADMIT IT~I hate coupons! I really do. I think they are no more than a marketing tool to increase volume and to lure us into spending on things we *might* not even EVER want...OR at least this IS a possibility...HOW many times have we purchased something that when we got it home the reaction was, "wha? WHY did I get this?" OR "YUCK! THIS IS awful"? Of course there are some pleasant surprises along the way of trying out new things and REALLY liking them! I'm ALL for that~but on a budget~or seriously managing our money, can we *AFFORD* all this trial and error? I don't think so.

I propose that instead of working to save little, that we find other ways to gain access to financial savings without having to print or clip or organize such little slips of paper with all our time. That's WHAT Thriving is proposing, and HOW I do it. How we live on less than many but live well...Living well isn't about who has the MOST stuff either, BTW...LOL...guess I'll save this for another day ;-)) but the whole idea is that thrifty living that is living well is all about management and strategy. I don't say that we should NEVER use a coupon~but these dear sisters who are purchasing and then storing items b/c they have coupons~well, I don't have access to all kinds of coupons and most of us don't either~we'd have to hunt them down to be able to use them at the check out...I say, just hunt the best prices to begin with and get just what WE NEED and WANT.

It's as simple, but really not all that simple as the GAME OF CHASE! I'm always chasing a good bargain! When I hear of an item that WE USE or need (and we can define *need* another day) I go and get it. But sometimes I just have to say that we can't afford it right now, and wait...no matter the "best" price...

I know that delaying gratification is NOT a popular concept in our WANT IT NOW culture! I get that. Promise. But in this economy and in life in general~waiting is a worthwhile activity. The cliche' of "if you snooze~you lose!" is not a best practice b/c then we are often times plainly stuck with our impulsive RESULTS...

Consider a plan for shopping and then sticking to this plan. Do you make a list? Do you plan that list in advance so that you know just how you are going to utilize those items? Where are the best values in your town for your money? Are there some solid products that aren't fancy-schmancy that are just as useable for less than items that are faves but more spency?? Where ca n we trim and snip our sales ticket at the register?

pickles and mustard

In my town, I have a few options that really make sense for us. Of course, we have a Sams Club, and frankly the 10 cents I often save over the bulk of goods I can get there is rarely the draw for me to shop there. I only go when it's an item that only they carry at the best price I can find...this is rare...so beware of places that promise best prices...you do your own calculations and make SURE your money is returning in a way you'd like! But where I live, there's what I call a 'dent can' store and a grocery warehouse. Both offer me huge savings on the dollar and b/c the dented can store (not it's real name) is about 15 minutes further than any other shopping I do, I go only about once a month with my plan in hand and purchase just what we will use and often in bulk. I have a large food storage area and chest freezer so this makes sense when gas is like it is right now...no savings if it all goes in the tank! The grocery warehouse offers all kinds of fresh produce for about 2/3 of grocery store savings~well, I'd like to think it was less, but it's not...and so this summer we're been fresh-preserving all kinds of foods for canned use when our garden is gone.

To get started, I suggest figuring out just what you all consume. Make a list and track this over several weeks. List your prices too. SisterT is a notebook advocate! LOL...a handy-dandy notebook to write down all the prices on all the items you purchase and also list the place where you get it...SEE just where your money goes and on what you are getting.

Now let's begin listing where to get these items on the cheap. Makes no sense to drive across town for ONE item, but can you lump items together? I shop by sale paper ads sometimes. When an item is listed for a great price I will go and get as much as they will sell to me and we WILL USE and that will keep or store well...

Got that notebook? Head on into your pantry area and begin making lists. Organize this area according to like items too. I know, it's work~but in the end, we're going to be able to purchase something we will enjoy or tuck it away for a long term or short term goal...

Let me know how you are tracking your purchases and HOW it's going. I'd love to hear how you are making thrifty living making sense!
Blessings,
SisterT

Regroup and Restructure~

2011-03-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

I've left Thriving without much attention for far too long and I feel let to get back to sharing what is working to make debt better~

Debt reduction really means keeping more money in my pocket. How this is done is the real challenge. What are you doing to save right now or make it? Some have downsized and others are working more jobs...what's happening? What areas most interest you?Do you believe in and use coupons? Tell me how effective they are overall~Thanks for stopping in~

Frugal Tip: Bathroom: Shower Curtains

2011-03-11T20:25:00.000-05:00

When showering today I had thought as I inspected our plain white dollar store variety shower curtain that it was thin but has lasted several months and looks pretty good yet. I LIKE those shower curtains despite their inexpensive quality of thinness. In fact, I like them so much, they are ALL I purchase b/c I can LITERALLY purchase about three years worth of CLEAN, NEW shower curtains for the price of ONE really thick *nice* shower curtain that I've had to SCRUB and CLEAN all those three years! NOT KIDDING~and then...oh then...IF IF IF it should get ripped or torn in some way, I am obligated to OR FEEL obligated to KEEP the thing because it's cost me sooo much MOOLA~Mo than my little dollar (literally a BUCK) store variety shower curtain...and the ENVIRONMENT, you say??? Oh yes! SisterT has an idea for that too...OLD plastic thin shower curtains can be used for loads of second purpose uses:

drop cloths
craft projects
cat pan liners
floor protectors from rainy/snowy shoes

It JUST MAKES SENSE not to spend a whole bunch for an item where it actually costs MO to meet the need...and hey, I ALWAYS change shower curtains before we have house guests! Makes a nice FRESH bathroom even NICER and it was soo sooo GREAT for my pocketbook!

If you JUST GOTTA wash it... Add a few towels, they won't hurt it and you can save on the load!!

Thanks for stopping by~leave me your idea for an old shower curtain!;-))

Frugal Recipes~Sooo Cool!

2010-12-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

HillBilly Housewife

Thrifty Posts From A Friend~

2010-12-01T10:59:00.002-05:00

Mrs. White has some cool ideas~
Enjoy!

TALE to TELL It ALL!

2010-10-26T09:18:00.000-04:00

Folks we have a huge celebration in our lives!!! TODAY, October 25,2010 hub and I made our VERY LAST consumer credit DEBT repayment PAYMENT to our very last creditor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN I get an AMEN!!!!!

You see, it has been FOUR and A HALF loooooooooong years of making payments to our dept management organization (non profit consumer credit counseling group) who have faithfully made each payment for us ON TIME and who were able to negotiate our rates down from 29% interest to a modest 6% on our OVER 30K credit card bills~We had gotten NOWHERESVILLE on trying to get our creditors to lower rates prior to moving into credit counseling. We were never behind, but with job changes and reductions that interest alone was eating us alive making it near impossible for us to survive much less THRIVE!

I am soo thankful~and hence why I've been blogging here at Thriving to encourage us both to really take a hard look at our lifestyles and our money. Money management is an art and skill that can be uncomfortable, but tackling it head on can glean HUGE benefits!!

Remember, SisterT never earned a paycheck while we have been repaying our debt (or accumulating it for that matter!) I learned HOW TO MAKE MY $$ become income by saving on our living expenses~by making what we have gooooooooooo a whole lot farther! This challenge has become a hobby. It's really fun once the mindset is established of what "ENOUGH" is in our lives. I had to adjust that thinking in order to change my behavior. Simple? NO. But it was do-able. With a willingness and desire, I found all kinds of creative ways to make my dollars stretch farther.

While I've not had to get a job to pay back our debt, I did have to not only change my thinking and become willing, I had to become educated about values on things. Some stuff is just that~stuff...and seconds after I hauled it out of the store or off the lot in the instance of a vehicle, values changed. OKay,,,soo NOW we are celebrating!! Will you take the debt management challenge and get your financial house in order?? I know these are tough times, but it will be soo worth it when you can become debt free and begin to build wealth for your future!

Read Tackle Tips for Debt Busting (1-6) so you can begin TODAY!
Don't wait~the future is coming...each tomorrow!
If you comment, I will follow!
blessings,
SisterT

How to Get Started TACKLING Debt and Living~Tackle Tips 1-5

2010-10-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

Making an assumption that debt is a near-death experience for many; it was for me; the burden being great in terms of killing off our peace and harmony in life. Did you know that money problems TOP off the reasons why people divorce? Getting money under control and debt resolved will bring great peace and satisfaction to your life.

I am going to suggest these Tackle Tips to form a plan and working strategy to remove that ole debt monster so that peace can reign in your life once again:

1. Begin with prayer. Pray that God will show you exactly what to do and give the willingness to do it. (Being willing is HUGE!)

2. If you are married, get the spouse and sit down having collected all the debt facts (statements, etc...) and make a list of the biggest in terms of overall dollars going out each month on the top of the heap. Collect all payments for things that add accumulating interest. Get a notebook and put this list in a vertical line and number the list: 1, 2, 3...

3. Collect up all sources of income each month and have those available for view. NO GUESSING. If your income fluctuates due to the type of job you or your spouse has then average the amount or take the lowest number you will have. Come up with a pretty good idea of what is coming in. Write that number down.

4. Gently open a conversation without blame to either of you about the debt problem with your spouse. Of course the spouse is probably aware that spending has potentially (there could be other factors, though) begun sending you all to the poor house! Pray together asking God for willingness and ideas, for His will concerning this issue.

5. Take a piece of paper for each of you and begin listing as you go about the next week, list down the purchases, dates and amounts AND purpose. Sometimes the purpose matters like if you have to put an ER visit on a credit card because the cash is unavailable and a kiddo has a broken arm~these things do happen and without a reserve for emergencies, this can happen! List it all~keep listing. Leave nothing out~household expenses, school expenses, food, shelter, clothing, gifts,,,any and all places that collected your money throughout the week.

6. Get together again with your spouse in about a week. Make prayer and God a part of the process. Ask Him for clarity of mind and wisdom. Discuss just WHAT and WHERE the money is going. Make categories in the notebook for household expenses like Utilities/Groceries/Repairs/Decor/Yard Maintenance and more...list it all out and HOW MUCH or how little~the exact numbers...GET REAL here~honestly look at the numbers. Remember to also be kind no matter what the numbers show. If you or your spouse has a shopping problem, gambling problem or some other problem, then be kind and not accuse. Just list it all down. Let God do the convicting and changing of the other person! He does and will in His time! But if you both list it all down you can clearly see your situation.

Okay, once you've done this~come back here for Tackle Tip 7. The above will get you heading in the right direction with a clear view of the situation. REMEMBER to pray, pray, pray as money issues really do cause stress and anxiety. Anxiety especially if creditors are calling or interest rates are climbing for sure! So be sure to bring God into the mix by making Him a part with the prayer in asking for the guidance and willingness. It's amazing what He can and will do.

Don't GIVE UP~You can WITH GOD and your spouse, find yourself repaying debt and having peace of mind and a sense of accomplishment like you won't believe!

I'd love to hear your comments and what' happening~If you comment, I will follow!
SisterTipster

Live Streaming TV~No MO Cable Bill!!

2010-10-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

Head over and ck out JustTvNuts.com and leave that costly cable bill behind ya! Whoohoo!

Thrift Blogging: Ms Cheap

2010-08-04T15:40:00.000-04:00

Here's a post from Ms Cheap about coupons with several links to sites that do internet coupons. ALWAYS print these out before you go shop when you are searching for a particular item. We do the beauty school for hair cuts and color services~it's OK, I promise! Remember the students want to please and there's an instructor~ but the greatest thing is VERY LOW cost hair care. Can you imagine paying $3 for a cut? NO JOKE~our school offers clinic coupons and even has certain days like Thursday for free manicures~how cool is that? GO FIND THIS KIND OF THING in your area! THINK what you can do with that extra ka'ching!

Ponzi Schemes Avoided

2010-07-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

If it's too good to be true, it probably is! Please view Clark Howard on this timely subject. We don't need to lose a dime on bad investments! Go HERE!

Wooden Knife Care 101

2010-07-27T11:59:00.000-04:00

My pics don't give justice to my GREAT knives!

Do you have wooden handled knives in your kitchen? Do they look good or are their handles cracked and parched looking? Are they your favorite knives, but you think they don't last very long as the handles give out long before their blades?

If you have wooden handle knives then you need to know that proper care is the key to preserving your cutlery for years to come!

I didn't know this until I married my hub almost twenty years ago, but we have knives that we have owned all this time ALL because...

Proper Care Tips:

1. Hand wash your knives ONLY. Don't soak them in water or use the dish washer with them. The moisture will cause the wood to swell and the handles to become brittle and possibly crack which is a risk of harm.

2. Oil the blades when sharpening. You can use a sharpening stone to keep the blades nice and usable. This makes them versatile. Who wants to try to cut with dull stuff?

3. I no longer use a wood block to store my cutlery, but I do have a wire drawer for them which provides ventilation and keeps them dry. Dry knives will last longer.

Remember that keeping your cutlery lasting for years will require just a tad bit of planning. We put them separately from the sink and hand wash and dry them putting them away almost immediately so they are READY for the next use!

Happy cutting!

Curtains and MO for a BUCK!

2010-07-21T16:31:00.001-04:00

Custom kitchen curtain

I blogged some time ago that I was hoping to make some curtains for my kitchen with some fabric I found at a garage sale for a $1. I've finally gotten them done and want to encourage you in your creativity to SAVE $$ wherever you can! Just think what savings you can enjoy if you use what talents God has given you. WHAT can you do? Do you crochet, sew, knit, embroider, garden, scrapbook, make cards, food preservation canning, paint, clean, or WHAT that can save you money and add loveliness and good things to your home and life?

OK, so what did I make for a buck? How about four pair of curtains (CUSTOM) as each window is different!
One table cloth AND one table runner! NO JOKE! ALL for that yard sale buck, some time and thread.

WHAT did I save?

Curtains at Wal-Mart of similar style are $9.99 a pair x4 = $40.00
Table cloth $9.99
Runner $7.99
HOW about over $50 bucks SAVED! Oh yeah!!
I love when I can do more for so or SEW much less!

TOS CrewMates were buzzing about JoAnn's Fabrics giving discounts for homeschool teachers~check it out in your neck of the woods for additional savings! Oh yeah!

Give me a shout out on WHAT you can do to SAVE MONEY~

Truly Thrifty

2010-07-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

SisterT isn't one for gimmicks. In fact, I so dislike the hard sell that I will walk AWAY before my money can be snatched out from under my eyes~I do think that solidly researching a product is useful though.

Today I went yard sale shopping and found myself at a home with OF ALL THINGS, canning jars. These were older jars, dirty OF COURSE, and no lids or rings. There were several boxes of jars of the quart and pint variety and since we are beginning to get in our garden produce, I thought that getting jars at a savings would be smart. So I asked the gentleman running the garage sale how much he wanted. OK, HERE is SisterT's take on a MAN running a garage sale with no lady of the house in sight: OFTEN the prices are not as good and they don't know what is a good price. I realize this is a generalization, but I have found it to be true too often. As I expected, the gentleman gave me a price that was too high. I asked him would he consider less. (TIME TO BARGAIN...) and he said, "why, do you think it's too high?" Now, gentle reader, you KNOW I wouldn't have said such if I had thought his price was fair! Then I replied, "well, I'm not going to argue about it..." I did not purchase jars, but I did purchase a pressure cooker WITH THE WEIGHT which is something I had looked for, for quite some time. The pressure cooker was $4. It was clean and sturdy. A good deal!!

I went to several sales and found items I didn't want to purchase for the prices they were asking, and in more than that ONE case I walked away. There was a hanging light...I don't even WANT a hanging light, but I did like the globes and could use them on the lights my husband had made for our bedroom for the sconces, but I didn't want to pay the BUCK! I walked...later on, we were out again and happened to drive by the site of that sale...LO AND BEHOLD...LOL...there was a FREE sign on several boxes by the street...OMgoodness, and there was my light...how cool is that!! AND A pair of American Eagle leather slides IN MY SIZE...soo cute!! I had failed to see them b/c often yard sales don't carry my size 11 shoe size so I don't even look!! WOW!! OK, so I know, I am thrifty...I am in fact, cheap...but isn't it amazing that I got just what I wanted...now it's my joy to get them washed up and globes on those lights~amazing!!

When you are shopping do you pay the first price you see?

I have learned that even the secondary market is divided by best pricing. Garage/yard sales tend to be cheaper than thrift stores and Craig's List. I also think that some garage sales are over priced in some items. Another case in my shopping today was happening upon an estate sale by a family member...something done quite different than a non emotionally involved party. The dear lady who was there manning the sale was obviously having a hard time letting go of her parent's items. She had not only priced them waaaayyy too high~1970s floral couch with a urine smell she had marked $75. Don't get me wrong, the price might not have been high for something clean and undated..dunno...but for ME it was too high...I'm sure she had missed the smell because she told me her parents had lived in that house 69 years and they had grown up there...it was obvious she was still grieving...I felt for her and offered my sympathy... ... ... and gently left...

There are all kinds of situations at these kinds of sales, but often the bargains are out there for the hunting! I call our absolute bargain our "deal of the day." Oh yeah, we had one..how about a nice brown recliner for $5??? You cannot hardly beat that UNLESS it too had had that free sign!!

So I want to remind you to pay what you know to be the best price and what an item is worth considering your research. I knew that the canning jars could be purchased WITH rings/lids for just a few dollars more...so his deal wasn't worth it to me TODAY...

Go ahead and hunt up your deal of the day and it will surprise you what you just might find...I call it, the thrill of the hunt...you go!!

Downsizing Doesn't Have to Mean Loss

2010-07-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

Our economy continues to tank for many of us. Frankly we are not living on the money we once did, but have learned how to make not only our ends meat but do some extra stuff along the way that if we had not learned solid strategy we might be living in a vehicle or shelter it got so tight along the way! Boy, aren't we blessed~yes, but it was also taking a cold hard look at WHERE our money was traveling off to while we were left holding the bag wondering IF we would ever see the light of day!

My ideas are extreme for some of us, yes, I admit. But if you find yourself either wanting to build wealth OR to maintain your home and well being while your money is tight, then you will want to read further. Having some money tucked back for the just in cases won't happen unless we intentionally do what it will take to accomplish a little savings and curb our lifestyle so that we can save!

You know, if you were facing a job loss~loss of income, how would you deal? Would your car and home go quickly or could you find a way to make it on less? The designer lifestyle is all fine and good when we can truly afford it, but if we are living paycheck to paycheck when we really don't know HOW LONG our economic viability will last us is just plain crazy...You know it! So do I! But like so many, we waited until...UNTIL the job downsizing happened before we made efforts to preserve our home. I offer ideas for deciding HOW to prioritize where your money goes~yes, spending reflects priority! AND we can make sure we are OK until things improve for us economically. Listen, Hub and I have maintained and in some ways flourished on less than 1/2 or his previous income without losing ONE thing except some preheld ideas about money and living...AND vehicles were paid off and even a NEW TO US one was purchased with cash!

OK, so join on up~GoogleFriend me and read on...I don't think you will be sorry.

Even if you are not looking at loss, but just wanting a more secure future, these ideas can help! Hey, be sure and leave me a shout out and tell me what's on your mind!
Blessings,
SisterT

Coupons For LOADS of STUFF~Food too!

2010-07-05T16:36:00.000-04:00

I am NOT a huge coupon person ONLY because I generally find things cheaper or don't use the name brands hardly at all, but I've realized that money off IS MONEY OFF and some of you may have need of these~there's a few here that I could use...so with no more ado...
Check THIS out!

Bargain Hunting~

2010-06-28T01:20:00.000-04:00

Looking for the best prices includes the ACTUAL looking and shopping for prices while comparing the features of an item. What is it, how is it made, and how much are three of the many many questions we have to ask ourselves before we settle in on a purchase. Good deals are not always as they seem. If something requires spending more money even though it's a great sale, it's not always such a good idea. Think about clothing for example. If you hate to iron or find dry cleaning expensive, then fabric content is more than just a feature of the comfort and wearability in a garment~it's an essential to its value. When I see a leather coat for instance. If it is genuine leather and will need dry cleaning then I know to calculate these costs into the total decision to purchase it or not.

This weekend we hit some yard sales for deals on items we NEED! I love finding good quality items for pennies on the dollar or our spending. We needed some glass storage jars for spices, coffee and other items like that so when I came across vintage jars with old coffee pressed logos I thought about how cute they'd be in my country kitchen. At .15 cents each they are truly a deal~

Finding a bargain entails hunting, and the better we are at knowing prices the potential BETTER the BARGAIN!

Making the Harvest Last

2010-06-11T12:50:00.000-04:00

So the garden has begun coming in with the fruit of all the labor~whether it's your own labor or the farmers. How to preserve the goodness has been a challenge for folks for years. Last year we froze loads of our stuff. It was so delish this winter to pull our fresh fruit and veggies from the freezer to eat and enjoy~whoot! and so healthy!! Well, freezing is easy, no joke. But if you want to preserve food without a freezer canning is the way to go. I have canned freshly made strawberry preserves which are to die for! This year, I am going to do a combination of both. Our freezer is just so big and we have more shelf space than freezer. If you want to reduce the sodium and KNOW what's in your food, home preservation is the way to go. I think in the morning we are going to hit the strawberry you pick. Wonder where yours is near you? Search engine it~it's what I did!!

Here's a link about canning and harvest dates. KNOWING when the foods are available makes it possible as a first step!

http://www.pickyourown.org/OHharvestcalendar.htm

Here's to preservation for later enjoyment!
SisterT

Still Thriving With NO Green$

2010-06-10T23:18:00.000-04:00

So with the economy like it is, most of us are making it with the changes that we've accomplished. I am finding new ways all the time to do things on LESS~I need new kitchen curtains. OK~sooo, I pulled out some fabric I have that I had purchased for $1 and got: ONE table cloth, ONE runner, Two window curtains and ONE curtain for under the cabinet. Whooot! Then to beat this absolutely cheap situation, I wanted some new curtains for the bathroom~enter left over fabric that had been 10 CENTS from a yard sale: it made THREE king sized pillow cases, and ONE pair of bathroom curtains~ You know, this is all good and they are just perfect...WHAT can you do to save a buck and enhance your life? At this rate, I can save enough for a trip...or if things are really tight, SURVIVE!
SisterT

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

2010-05-24T16:53:00.007-04:00

Whoohoo! It's nice and warm here so last week hub and the kiddos worked in the yard to get our garden planted. We are in the northern midwest so snow and coldish nights are definitely garden killers for young tender plants. Some things worked for us this year and others did not.

WORKED:

Making the patch bigger by over 50%.
Tilling it up and tilling it again. Breaking the soil down twice helped with grass removal.
Purchasing healthy veggie plants instead of starting our own~READ what didn't work and plans for NXT YR!
New way of "staking" the tomatoes and fencing the area to keep Peter Cottontail OUT of it!
Raised bed for lettuce and celery. **WANT spring onions nxt year!

Didn't Work:

Growing our own starts in the basement despite light and soil. Just too cool and forgot some crucial watering!
Tilling it all with our own small tiller. Thank God for a Christian brother who helped with his tractor!
Buying plants, while it worked, the plan is this summer to construct a "greenhouse" of sorts...pics will follow!

Gardening is a process that can take years to cultivate the patch~soil and growing conditions.

What a journey, and I can't wait to get into those FRESH VEGGIES~while not totally FREE, certainly lower in price and Oh SO healthy!

SisterTipster<3

LESS IS MORE~PROMISE!

2010-05-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

I have found myself all cluttered up in JUNK and stuff...so off to the donation center it went today...HOW can I clean home when every surface and spot is full to the BRIM? I can't. Staying organized and tidy brings ORDER to our lives. Order brings a sense of being OK. Less really is more!

I promise that as we declutter and spring clean that order and a sense that all is right with the world are results of our efforts. What a good feeling to be able to bless someone else with items we no longer need in our lives! Sooo while spring has sprung on the outside, let's take advantage of the great weather and reorder our lives~somehow it will make tending to our financial house a little easier!
SisterTipster<3

DEBT FREE Why?

2010-05-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

Debt is being discussed more and more in our world. Isn't the USA touted as the world's most indebted country of all time? I've just read this folks! And WHY would it be so important to become debt free both nationally and personally?

Debt causes a vaccum of want and ultimately need as the amount owed is called for by the lender. Talk about pressue from this vaccum! Just imagine if our creditors asked us to repay our debt in one payment or possibly two? WHAT would happen? Would we forclose or forfeit the debt for a return of some sort of value to the lender? This is what happens in home foreclosure. Houses are confiscated when money is requested by lenders, and it's not available! When the lender wants his money that is owed him it is huge stress because pressures increase!

But if we can find a way to become debt free~to live within our means no matter the meager wage or income, then we can be free of such pressures. This is true for us personally and nationally! Our nation will have to repay as will each of us for what we barrow from another! We must be sure that our debts don't increase because what we get for our borrowing needs to remain valuable so when we have to repay, the value is still available! If we lose value, then we lose big time as we have nothing with which to repay our creditor. We must MUST must find healthy and innovative ways to reduce our debt. This will take sacrifice on our parts. We cannot be lured into spending what is not ours to spend~either personally or nationally no matter how good it all sounds!! WE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE for our spending!

It's so important to become debt free and avoid debt by living within our means. This won't be easy when all around us is all kinds of advertising to GET OUR MONEY today and in the future! That's really what debt is~ someone who guaranteed our money into our futures for a HUGE PRICE!

I got really excited seeing a friend's pics of her prepared and newly planted garden. Go Jennifer!! This was absolutely awesome and what a cost saver!! I know there is hard work and an initial outlay of funds, but in the end, so worth it! Making anykind of plan to use what we have, make what we need less and save some can help whether it's the summer garden we just planted, using found objects to save money in needed items or making and selling things, it can all help! The idea is to save and KEEP more than comes into the home. We must learn and learn well~our future is at stake here!

Remember to KNOW how much you owe, make a plan to pay it down as quickly as possible, and find ways to make the money we have last longer AND SAVE SOME!! THRIFT busts up debt!

It's so important to become debt free for so many reasons and the future absolutely depends upon it.
The old saying:

Live like nobody today,so you can live like nobody tomorrow!

Make a plan! Stick to it!
Blessings
SisterTipster<3

Mother's Day On a Budget

2010-05-06T02:40:00.000-04:00

It's the last few days before Mother's Day and the budget is busted and there's little time to make an elaborite something special. What to do?

If you live in the same city or town as your mother, cook what you know she will enjoy and invite her over Sunday. Deck out the table with whatever you have that's pretty~we're on a budget with little to spare so go digging and use what you have. Special linnens, dishes, and a few extra pretty touches like some home picked, garden grown flowes arranged in a pretty container for a centerpiece. OK, no flowers? No problem. What about a candle or several for the table? Only go this route if you already have candles. Centerpieces can be whatever is pretty and will adorn the table. Bowl of fruit? How about checking out what is available around the house that will be pretty. The idea is to make the table special for mom.

IF your mother lives out of town, TODAY is the day to get that card in the mail. DO IT! Don't delay! To get there by Sat it's crucial that you move on it NOW! AND let the kiddos make the card or cards. Grandmothers generally LOVE cards handmade from their grands. You can make your own envelope to mail the card(s) in if you don't have a "stray" one lying around.

Ideas on the cheap:
Do a pedicure or manicure for your mother. These are sooo luxurious and relaxing. Make mom a coupon offering the gift. Present the "gift" card on Mother's Day.

Gift basket of items she'll love. I recommend Dollar Tree for inexpensive shopping. They have the filler for the bottom of the basket and the basket along with celephane for wrapping the basket after the gift(s) are enclosed. For $3 extra, you will have a handsome pleasant presentation for your gift.

Ballon I know this sounds silly, but recently my mother had surgery and my kids bought her the cutest mylar FROG balloon. This was almost 3 mo ago, and he's still up and flying. This was a Dollar Tree purchase that she has really enjoyed.

Potted plant Do you have an attractive plan mom would enjoy? Use some tissue or gift wrap to adorn the pot with some ribbon or a bow. Use a straw or some other small stick to intert a gift tag for her.

Family pic Get out the camera and take some family shots. You can purchase inexpensive frames from my fave store OR you can even get a small photo album from the same store to make a mini scrapbook. These are loads of fun, and whether mom lives next door or across the country, she will love it!

Book Is mom a reader? Do you already own a nice book in good condition she'd enjoy? Think about this one. It's really a great deal for the busted budget.

Gift of service If mom is near, have the kids and yourself DO something for mom like cleaning out her car and washing/waxing or some yard work like planting some pretty flowers that will bloom until winter. Does mom need something or want some other service done for her home? Cleaning out places like attics and garages or washing windows will be appreciated.

OK~What are your ON A BUDGET Mother's Day ideas?
Leave me a shoutout!
blessings
SisterTipster<3

Vacation~Staycation~Location~Relaxation!

2010-05-03T03:01:00.000-04:00

It's soon to be summer, and many families will be vacationing this time of year. Are you planning a trip or excursion? I was thinking that in this economy that WORK still creates a very "dull" boy (AND MOM) sooo getting away can be as important as ever before!

Where ya going?
Pick the destination is important AS FAR in advance as possible. For travelers, tickets are generally cheaper if advanced purchased...but many of us can't quite decide if we want to lock ourselves into a PLACE, DATE and TIME sooo far into the future~ but there are other things that picking and chosing a head of time will do for us.

Go a head and dream up some places you'd like to go. FAR or near, having an idea is good because then we can get some info on the area, attractions, and accomodations. I mean, think this way, if you love love love, let's say...Disney...then going in the hottest time of year~May-Nov IMHO (because FL is still HOT these months) might not suit you, but in Dec or Jan if the heat is an issue...what else is there so you can decide if you want to see it too? When we travel, we will think up other places and plans so that we get more for our travel dollar. Last year hub had a national convention he attended in a large city and we made some stops to other places nearby that otherwise we wouldn't have gotten near in a typical year...and it saved us too...in gas and time...but you can do this same thing in a vacation. Traveling by car does make this a bit easier, but in flying, you can still plan with your rental car at your flight's destination. You can order travel brochures, and I like to pick them up as we travel. We live one mile off of a major interstate, and because all up and down all businesses have the travel brochures of WHAT TO SEE AND DO kinds, I always look them over on both ends of our state. Doing this gives me ideas of what is there and what sparks our interest.

A STAYCATION is that trendy new term for a close to home day trip kind of thing. When I was a kid, it was called "taking a ride" or "going for a ride to see what we can see." My parents were masters at this, and believe it or not, my favorite travel ride was down a road called "Stagecoach Road." It was AT THE TIME, a two line bath through the woods that I imagined covered wagons traveling and carriages of years a fore me...I love trees and nature too so peering into the woods as we had to go so gingerly because it wasn't well maintained, but Oh the adventure!

Nature trails can do the same thing for a hike which can often be found in state parks. Hub, kids and I have really just a few times, but LOVED going camping close to home but getting away from all the stress of life. Sometimes just looking at something different for a night or two CAN really help in the long run. I like to camp in fall and early spring. In some parts of the country, I've camped in dead of winter and even over Christmas. Imagine Santa arriving in a camper or campground? Folks in the state parks are friendly and it's a nice place to unwind.

Sunday drives used to be quite common but with gas prices it's a difficulty, but we can budget for these if we aren't traveling. Take an hour or two and really SEE your community. Ride slow and LOOK at what is around you...I often ride through our small town just to see what is going on around me, and to look at what folks are doing to their houses. I look at renovations and paint schemes, and even landscaping. Since nothing really is new, I like to get ideas of what appeals to me. Something to see...and I like going and sitting in a park too. When the kids were littles I'd take their bikes and turn them loose. It was fun to see them with other kids and playing so hard. Hearing birds sing and feeling the gentle wind is soo relaxing. Nature has her own scent too!

OK, so if getting out and about or around isn't your thing, I suggest personal home spa times. Head over and soak the feet, pedicure time! Read a book or lounge on the yard to relax. AND if this didn't work, hit the couch! A cool glass of tea and a good pillow work too~

Just remember that Vacation time is a time to either go or stay, but R&R are essential!
SisterTipster<3

Convenience Foods on the Cheap!

2010-04-14T13:56:00.001-04:00

Without a doubt, foods in the box, bag and pouch are easier and FASTER but definitely not cheaper and in some ways less healthy, which definitely ISN'T cheaper!

Soo what's a thriftmonger to do to save TIME and money and EAT FAST?

Figure out how to make up the foods inexpensively in a way they are available quickly!

Weekly menu planning can save time when figuring out the grocery list. Once a good list is made, be sure and check out the pantry shelves to see just what's there for the eating. What is there that "NEEDS" to be eaten meaning that if left another day, it could spoil or become less desirable? Eat everything well within dates and at its peak. This is optimum usage and thrift.

But how?

When a menu is made, the guess work is taken out of the week. Menus not only plan the shopping but the preparation and eating as well. A well balanced diet is easier achieved by planning. When a plan is made, groceries and other household goods such as tissue paper can be anticipated and purchased saving time, energy and GASOLINE by avoiding unwanted trips out to pick up this or that. Is a holiday coming or a celebration in the family this next week or after? Plan for it. If it's going to be costly, such as a birthday party, buy a few extra items each week and "squirrel" them back for the event. It can take the load off of the week where it occurs. I purchase holiday items this way too. I've begun shopping a month or so ago for Christmas...yes, it's only April, but the prices may never be better! (Remember to know prices, even of foods and purchase foods (EVERYTHING!) when they are in season to get the best quality and prices.) Menus are good, but methods of preparation are needed too to get the food items on the table....

but HOW do I save time here?

Easy. By planning and work, foods can be prepared days to weeks in advanced and stored in safe ways that prevent spoilage so that they are pull out items ready and CONVENIENT! Convenience is WHAT we all crave! Foods that are quick and good...as well as cost effective.

Chop foods a head of time. If you are having beef stew and know that you are only using a few fresh carrots, then WHAT else will you make with carrots to prevent ruin? I like to make carrot salad (grated carrots, mayo, 1tsp sugar/honey and dried fruit and/or nuts.) I also like to fix them on a plate FRESH so my kiddos can much on them. IF prepared, they make a great crunchy snack that is very enjoyable~healthy too, and this is a win-WIN!!

Salad fixings such as tomato, cucumber, broccoli and onion, peppers~REALLY whatever you like, can be chopped ahead of time and placed in glass jars, plastic ware (don't like this stuff, but I do use some of it!), and or other storage devices~for iceberg or Romain lettuce, unwashed, I wrap it in paper towels and store in a plastic bag-it's best if torn from the head and washed as it's used and not cut even a head of time, because it will turn brown~ewww!

ANY veggie you can chop a day or two in advance of a meal, while chopping something else is better! When doing summer squash, I would always chop up some for the stew pot, and also for the fry pan. Nothing better than some fried squash. No, I didn't precook this, as it doesn't retain its texture and flavors. Onions for all uses can be prechopped as well as peppers, celery, cabbage...a word about potatoes: LOVE 'EM, but if you want to prechop, put them into water and in the fridge, or otherwise they will turn brown. It your recipe doesn't call for peeled potatoes, you can always scrub the skins a head of time though! Do as much as you can while in the kitchen preparing other meals AND clean as you go.

Oh that DREADED WORD~cleaning!

I find that if I wipe and swipe up and around as I go,,,rinse and load, wash and dry as I go, there's less mess after the event. I like to polish out my sink as I go too~MULTI-TASKing is essential to convenience. Never go into the kitchen to just do ONE thing. Accomplish as much as you can when you are there, so you can go on with the day as quickly as possible.

Eating at home, Eating prepared foods and not grocery-store-fast food-WANNA BEs is how we can save MORE money EVEN by not using coupons~yes, it's TRUE~by with planning and preparation!

WHAT TO DO ABOUT taste?
No doubt, home cooked foods and convenience store foods DO NOT taste the same! As good as something tastes, it's not taste that's as important is the nutritional value to our bodies! If you are just becoming acquainted with home cooked meals, then give yourself some adjustment time. It takes time to adjust, but the wholesome flavors of REAL foods will catch on in your taste, AND as you tell yourself it's healthier and frugal, it will become more satisfying! I don't CARE how good a fast food burger is, we'd ALL be hard pressed to recreate it at home UNLESS we have a chemistry set with all the right ingredients. READ those labels! No wonder we get sick and are fat!

Planning and prep work will make the inconvenient foods that are healthier and less costly a GREAT DEAL both in terms of our purses and health!

HOW long can we refrain from heading out to a restaurant JUST BECAUSE? (challenge here!!)

OK...plan that menu, and set a side just a little extra time~it will yield HIGH in savings!
SisterTipster<3

TV for Less

2010-04-07T16:26:00.002-04:00

When you come into our living room, you will see the television over in the corner on top of the family three drawer chest. It's a larger screen older model that really takes up space. Why I keep it, I really don't know. Guess it's an icon of former times in our family because today we generally and this goes for weeks on end, do not watch it. But what do we do? We compute! LOL! In fact, the computers have totally replaced our television lives for the small screens of monitors and laptops. The sound is better, the picture is better and WE DON'T PAY A CABLE or DISH BILL either! Money Saving Plan 's Money Saving Mom has a guest blog about not paying a cable bill, but I go a bit farther than she does in saying that I HATE network TV with the exception of "occasional" news~how about once or twice a year? So with this said, I know I'm wierd. I am different. It's true. But living on my budget doesn't mean I have no entertainment. I have loads of it. I have online entertainment! I have all the FREE stuff out there that my handy-dandy search engine finds for me, PLUS I have Netflix. Netflix is affordable at $9.99 mo for unlimited monthly rental ONE at a time! OK, so it works out pretty good for us. We replaced the ONE EYED MONSTER for the four screens of life~we read on these screens; we listen to audiobooks on these screens; we watch live streaming stuff that cable subscribers watch (C-Span) when we want, and more! There are several free movie and TV programming sites too!

Hulu

Free Movies Online

YouTube

I LOVE YouTube! There is a wealth of stuff that people upload continuously~it is always being changed! If you want news, short film, videos of every kind they are there for the watching! I've seen loads of everything from television programming to film.

The television need not be mindless. It is also educational as well because our eyes are a gateway to the mind. If we remember this, the fact that we can CHOSE our programing as well as save money by not paying cable or dish bills makes my habit a win-win! (FORGOT to mention if you like the big screen and want to watch something as a family, you can use a patch cord to plug the computer into the TV~how cool is this???) Whoo HOO!
SisterTipster<3

Gardening GETTING UPs

2010-04-05T15:05:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year to don on the old clothes and hit the outside for garden prep. Some are already ahead of Sista because you live in a warm climate and haven't dealt with snow and the coldish nights of spring~but even if you were like me and had to wait for snow to mealt, it's all greened up out there now~start digging up that grass and planning the plot of gardening for the year!

What do you want to eat from the garden?

This is a question I asked myself this year. Last year we got LOADS of tomatos which were divivne, but boy oh boy there were loads to process for the freezer~do I want to do this again? YOU BETCHA! Love tomatos and we ate them all winter~in soups, sauces and stews!! Wish we could have kept them fresh all winter for a good ole "mater" sandwhich, but not possible as you all know~not in my sun deprived climate, but you might be able to bucket grow some and keep them inside, we can't. Then we had loads of fresh basil. Not that I dislike basil, but HOW MUCH basil do I need is the better question. I had too much and too much celery too~sooo folks, look at WHAT you want to eat and how much! I KNOW I want tomatos as we eat them a lot~but maybe you don't like them so much. Grow less, unless, ofcourse you are sharing, which is wonderful to do. Don't ever waste the bounty~I'm sure you wouldn't~ Decide on what to grow along with how much you want and need. Plan the garden first. Get good quaility plants and seeds. We had a funny thing happen last year. My husband planted "squash" as it said on the package, which turned out to be a Japanese PUMPKIN!!LOL!! OK...so sometimes the cheap seeds will surprise ya! But they were good to eat and make great pumpkin pie~

Once you know what you want to eat so you know what you want to grow, make a plan for your garden. Will it be in the ground or pot gardening? We do a combination of a raised bed for leaf lettuces, celery, herbs and spinich. The rest of the produce goes into the ground in a tilled up plot area with a wire fencing which comprises of a double wire that is about 4 inches and then about 8 inches off the ground to deter vermin. It really helped keep the bunnies out of our squash and peppers this last year. WE DO HAVE A BUNNY too! He's cute, but a pain...wonder if he's fit in my stew pot? OK, just kidding! (My hub would eat him though!)

The location is important according to how much sun is needed for the plants. Remember too that soil prep is really important. We have clayish soil so we like to turn in compost each year. We have an almost antique tiller that my husband repaired that does a good job. If you don't have a tiller, a shovel is much more work, but will do the trick. Have you ever thought of asking for a broken one on FreeCycle and repairing it yourself? Sometimes this can work out well if you can do this kind of thing. Once the soil is prepped, it's time to plant. Besure you let any plants you are transplanting wilt just a bit so when you go to handle them, they will not break. Water well after transplanting them, and be sure to keep it well watered throughout the growing season. If you want organic foods, refrain from using fertilizers, but use good composting and manure to pretreat the soil before planting. I like to put egg shells into a milk jug with water and let them set until some of the egg shell disolves. I use this "treated" water on the plants, which they love! Of course, it's a bit smelly, but in the garden, it's just fine.

OK..so what are you going to grow in your garden?

My hubby is planting:
tomatos
lettuce (leaf)
herbs
peppers (bell, banna, hot and mild)
green spring onions
cucumbers
celery
spinch
squach
egg plant

I want to plug FreeCycle which is a YaHoo group where it's owned by local people for the purpose of recycling what is no longer useful for ourselves but for others. I am a member here in our community and have given and recieved some much needed and useful items. I have recieved tomato, peppers, pond lilies and raspberry starts and this year, strawberry plants. This is absolutely wonderful and WHAT SAVINGS!! We are soo blessed! Hunt down your local FreeCycle and join up! Remember to always thank each person who shares with you. I always am so thrilled someone shared with me!

Here's to gardening!
SisterTipster<3

Being Positive About Change

2010-03-22T15:49:00.001-04:00

Keeping our chin up despite CHANGE that our government is handing us will help us all to stand stronger as challenges come!

Where do you draw your courage, energy, strength when times get tough? Are you facing tough financial woes like downsizing, job loss or a housing crisis of your own? Are things just a bit tougher than before, but you are OK right now, but concerned about the future?

Is your strength coming from within, without or from above? It's not really easy to face "devastation" or challenges when things seem bleak, but looking to any positives can help us succeed and plan.

1. What do we need to accomplish?
Identify what needs to happen. Make a goal. Ask ourselves: IS it possible? If in doubt. evaluate according to resources and reserves. What do I have to accomplish what needs to be accomplished~already or what I can GET to accomplish the goal? My reserves will include my WILL, my willingness to go for it, and my determination~do I really REALLY want to do it? Must I do it? Should I do it?

2. Make a plan.
    After clear assessment of the goal, then figure in all the steps needed to accomplish the goal.
    1. Make the steps reasonable.
    Why would I set myself up for failure? Sometimes a goal is purely unreasonable. Like: Millionaire before age 50 when I have no clear cut process or even ambition to achieve it. Evaluate again! Is this possible or probable? For Sister T, the reality of ME becoming a millionaire is highly improbable since I am doing nothing to achieve such a goal, but with a sound plan and desire, it could occur~I'd certainly be closer with trying than without trying!

     2. Make the steps measurable.
   How will I know if I am accomplishing my goal if I have no way to measure my success? Lists, charts and journals are some ways to document what is really going on. I recommend a notebook to record expenditures so that ALL spending is recorded for a debt busting lifestyle. HOW will I know what something costs and I have gotten the best price IF I don't ever write it down? I won't! I need to have a record of a measurable step in the process of reaching my goal...

    3. Evaluate the plan for success or failure.
How frequent am I accomplishing what is needed to reach the goal? WHAT is really going on, the trend of the steps in the plan towards accomplishing the goal?

3. Work the plan with determination! As the plan is worked, feed on the successes and learn from any mishaps. Mishaps are not necessarily failures, but opportunities to LEARN HOW to succeed better! Stay focused and positive despite obstacles and issues. Put up some signage around for your eyes to inspire~is it a new size in weight loss? Post up that dress you desire. Is it burning the mortgage early? Put up a picture of your home with the word, FREE over it! Visuals and words can encourage us. Use Scripture to enhance the positive effects of the mind over the goal. God's Word is amazing and inspiring!

Change can be good, and it can be bad, but either way, our interior motivation needs to be positive so that we are better able to accomplish our goal..
What are you planning? Keep positive~All things are possible to him who believes...
SisterTipster<3

Unusual Uses~repurposing for savings!

2010-03-18T01:59:00.000-04:00

Do you have something you use that isn't made for that use but works really well and saves you chunka-change? I have a couple that you might want to try. Figure it this way, if it's something you already own or something else you don't have to purchase, this is some built in savings for the pocketbook.

Try coffee filters to cover cooking in the microwave~if you already have these, they are way less costly than plastic wrap and papertowels.
Borax laundry booster for flea control in carpet. This little box of powder works well as a deodorizer for the trash cans and also whitens clothing (original use) in the laundry~but NOT only does it kill fleas, the borax will kill bugs off all types!! Borax is safe for children and pets too~just don't let them eat it~(follow directions~)
Try some vinegar or rubbing alcohol or even amonia (don't mix any of these and use them seperately if you try them all) to clean glass in the home...works great and no other product needed. You can polish out the windows or table tops by being sure to use opposite strokes as you clean so that all smudging is removed.
Facial tissues can be duplicated with toilette paper. This is an old tried and true, especially if you get some soft tp...
Dryer sheets (used ones) make GREAT dusting cloths that are disposible like some bought brands. These are essentially free as they are tossed after use!
OK..here's one: you are eating an orange, lemon or grapefruit and removing the peels. Set them in a pretty dish so their aroma can waft for a day or two. You will be surprised how nice this will gently and naturally smell. Also you can place these in a cleaned out trashcan (with liner) OLD plastic grocery or superstore bags for an improved scent.

WHAT kinds of repurposes are you into? Share them and let's have some fun!
SisterTipster<3

Coupon eBook on the FREE~

2010-03-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

Thank You Saving Money Plan for this FREE Couponizer's Ebook giving essential info on couponing. While this eBook is written to promote the use of couponing, I must say that using coupons needs to come with great wisdom and moderation! I am not a HUGE FAN of coupons as often there are less costly options for the same comparable products, but there are instances when having a coupon is a SAVER! I use them and SEARCH for them for things like hair cuts and items such as computer products, and other stuff that is needful. I look for the lowest prices on most foods and generally purchase store brands or from the thrifty dent can store. A "dent can store" is my description for the store that sells foods that are sooo discounted because the packaging is damaged~of course the inside is fine!! AND so hence the name, but the savings are awesome! See if there isn't one in your neck of the woods.

I did find this helpful and believe a solid use of coupons is effective in items that otherwise you would not find another way to save. Be sure to compare pricing. It USED TO BE the larger the bulk there was savings, but not necessarily so. Take the handy dandy notebook and calculator to get price per oz or pound. Also when chosing produce, find the nicest, heaviest, prettiest FRESHEST looking~feel and smell it!

Coupon when necessary!
SisterTipster<3

We've Been Dooped!

2010-03-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am MYTH busting! Yes~ Let's figure out HOW we've had our minds set into a mode that has enslaved us to debt~for if we figure this out, we can overcome the negatives of debt and spending ourselves to the poorhouse!

My family had a conversation at the dinner table the other night. It's was quite interesting as I heard my husband discuss unique marketing strategy by some of the most well known out there with products that when done at home or created without industry were not as popular. Case in point was the Ronco food dryer~do you remember that one? I bet it's still around, and all cuddos to Mr. Ron as his dryer does make nice dried food. My mother remembered buying me one~sooo I am speaking first hand on this whole thing. It worked nicely, but it was really too small for the large batches of food we were drying. You can't tell the tree that is producting to "slow down" so the dryer can catch up, so my husband built a dryer that was huge but did the job. Years ago in the times past of our world, before preservation of refrideration and canning, drying was done~hence the principle he used. So with this said though, when it came to making money, the marketed item was a small neatly compact item ANYONE could countertop use~but imagine that little ditty trying to dry enough to feed and WHOLESALE FEED a large family~the large families of the past~NOT! Sooo when he began to market the idea of a dryer, he had to make it fit into our neat little "concept" of how our world works! Of course, I am sure~he made money! Now I don't have the figures for sure~but the real point is that something that is useful and good could not have sold had it not been packaged in a way USEFUL for the larger segment of the population~women who might dry a little food like beef jerky or some fruit roll up type stuff on occasion~as the dryer would not handle large volume or probaly long long usage. With all said, the marketing, packaging, and even products are put before our eyes...take the shopper television channels~pick any other them. Ever listen to what the people on there say? "ARE you buying for yourself or someone special?" "Oh, yes! You deserve ____ nice for yourself!" "Yay, you!!" OK!OK!! Anybody figure out that this is a crafty work to make us think we are spending (the perception of) to make ourselves better?

Perception is not necessarily reality! We've all been brainwashed into thinking about the "AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE" while the rest of the world hates us for our greed. Look at our living standards. We whine and cry that our homes are not HGTV perfect, but WHO told us or who tells us what is IN for our homes? Yeah, the merchandisers and marketers! I USED to watch it! TRUE, but when I realized that the color pallets changed often, the styles changed often then I found myself with discontentment and anguish over what I didn't or don't have! BUT whooooooo was telling me this? Programming me to think that I had LACK in my life???~oh yeah, those same people who want me to haul my little hard earned money out my house to their store and BUY their stuff~and mo stuff until I can't move! Also think about this. Who is it that owns these things and sponsors them? We are being lured into debt.

Food is enhanced in restaurants to bring us back. CAN YOU MAKE A BURGER at home taste like a fast food one? NOPE, no matter what you do~the freshest beef and other ingredients~it's not the BEEF in the burger that lures us,,,,we can get and make that...it's the (unknown)stuff that enhances the flavors to bring us back! AND just like Phillip Morris enhancing his tobacco to bring the smoker back to his back of cigarettes, so we are drawn to the restaruant thinking our lives are better~we are richer, more affluent. Ha! Yeah, ever see that movie, "Size Me Up?" where the producer lived on MickyDs for an extended time getting a baseline health test prior and during the trial. Let me say, it was an eye opener for me and certainly a great case to stay away from fast food. OK...sooo with this all said, what can be done?

CHANGING our thinking is the KEY~true key to becoming debt free. First looking well~very well to what we are doing in our homes where money is leaking out the cracks of our foundations~could be literal, but I am speaking figurative here! Cracks in our foundation are those areas in our lives where we fail to see just what is needed to live healthy and a whole life.

I read other thrift-monger bloggers who tout couponing and bargain buying in areas I think are silly. SILLY! AND what do I mean by that? Silly in that the perception of savings IF I've spent money I could have otherwise saved is truly silly and wasteful. Case in point are all the drug store products that simply are not necessary when there are other less costly items to use in their place. As a general rule, the drug store or pharmacy center is more pricey~they are counting on getting you in there with the coupons for things you may not even need~how many shampoos or other items does a family need a month? THRIFT will also begin with using less and taking care of what we have! How far can we take a bottle of shampoo before we need to replace it. Do this will all essentials. Toilette paper is one that if the children can be trained a good bit can be saved. I realized the other day that this particular brand is a tad thicker so less is needful...it's also a cost saver!

SSSssoooooo perception must be dealt with! Don't forget to follow what you love! If that paint on your wall makes your heart sing and it's clean and neat, why change it to align to some fashion guru who you will never meet much less who will come to call? AND as for the fast or sloww ww food restaurant, do your wallet and your health a favor and find other entertainment for living! We are blessed with a $1 movie theater! What's in your area to enjoy? Think parks, gymns, walking tracks, pools and more!

Let's not be dooped any further and bust perception into line so that we can all truly become financially sound and live richer fuller lives!
SisterTipster<3

Beating Boredom...Creatively

2010-03-05T16:03:00.003-05:00

Do you find yourself bored without the money for trips or excursions like you once had? What about just being thrifty and not spending? Is BEING ON A BUDGET getting old?

I experience this quite a bit and on our budget; it's a challenge to stay on track! Recently I was bored, but so was my mother who is with us for a time....

She's a doll maker, so naturally our efforts centered about this craft.

I had purchased over two years ago three doll kits from a thrift store. They have set around my house for eons, and honestly WHEN was I going to do it? AND I have been bored lately so I decided to tackle them~with my mother with us, I had the perfect opportunity, right?

After looking at the kits, mother said that they were from a famous doll maker, she THOUGHT, Tasha Tudor. If you don't know about Tasha Tudor, she is a woman who lived 1915-2008 from Vermont who lived her life as if she were in the 1830s. She lived a simple back to the basics kind of life with no electricity, growing her own food and making all the textiles for her clothing! Wow~a living historian of sorts who loved dolls. Tasha Tudor and Family will share most about her, and I have THREE of her doll kits! (I have received an email from Nataly who works for Tasha Tudor and Family who says they have no current knowledge of these dolls and can't find them in old catalogs. I have no idea who made them if not at least marketed by Tasha Tudor in some way. I will say that I did find Nell "Tudor" on the website, Cellar Door Books which I have yet to gain additional information. As you can see, Nell is exactly like the doll attributed at Cellar Door Books. Hmmm.... Thanks Natalie for trying to find info for me ;-)) Sooooooo it's off to make these "girls" up!

I don't want to get into the HOW of making these dolls UNLESS you personal message me or leave a comment asking, but I am having some huge fun...

...and btw~I am also crocheting some too...I am making DISH TOWELS of all things! I know we can buy them for a buck at the dollar tree, but let me tell you that quality, and I mean TRUE quality will outlive any dollar dish towel with these 100% VERY absorbent dish towels...Soooooo my thrifty tip is to BEAT BOREDOM with whatever you've got (I had these doll kits) and DO IT! What joyful satisfaction I've gotten, AND...saved money because I used what I have as well as ridden myself of some clutter~Anddd oh when was I EVER going to make these dolls? Maybe NEVER if I hadn't started on them~so go look and see what you've got...AFTER of course, you see what all I've been doing! (BTW~teaching both kids these skills too. This is homeschooling at its best!)
Thriving with No Green$,
SisterTipster

Meet Sally Tudor. She's all done and I completely hand sewed her body, dress our quilt. Also I crocheted her trims and shawl.

This is Meg Tudor who is still in kit form. This way you can see what is done (sorta) to make a doll. Each one is completely hand sewn. I did not make the head, hands and feet, although I could have given the proper stuff as I have done it in the past.

Me making the quilt for Sally Tudor. It's a pre-printed quilt meaning I didn't piece it, but used a printed fabric and quilted the top's motif. It has quilt batting between two 100% cotton layers.

Meet Nell (she's like the ike the one shown on Cellar Door Books site link above) in her birthday suit. LOL! But you are able to see her body which is muslin and totally hand sewn by me. The quilt my Mother did~

The very BEST part of all of this crafting is that I owned it all before I got started...NOW..go find something to occupy your hands creatively! It's sooo much fun! Give me a hollar and share your creations and let me know if you want to make a doll too! Hugs! ;-))

THE PLAN to Plan

2010-02-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Often our money mimicks the condition of our lives. This is ONE BOLD statement, I know~but have you ever known someone who. . . I could say, never has enough or always is doing well? Either extreme is a picture of our lives in a sense. Think for a minute about housing. Can we rent with poor credit, buy with poor credit, and we certainly have nothing to LOAN with poor credit? I am often overwhelmed with the need to control our finances, which does mirror my need to control my life~my life of spending and saving~which with all of life needs a GOOD PLAN and a clear and concise balance.

After talking with my dear friend, Debbie today, she said to me~make a plan. Write down what needs to be done so you aren't overwhelmed~~~BUT HERE COMES THE WISE PART cause we ALL know this, right??? BUT "don't write more than five minutes! Then get up and do the plan!" What sage advice because I often get BOGGED down in the needs of my life~my financial world to the place that action becomes snuffed out in the planning phase and sooo I stay in my rut!

What about you? Are you soooo planned up that action is eluding the doing of the plan? Let's get out that handy-dandy notebook and plan~write down a few things that need to be done TODAY. Just a few accomplishable items that are needed. Nothing big, nothing that will take hours~just a few things that can be done in a few minutes~AND then DO THEM!! I started with my list, and I've been up~up and doing~IT'S FEELING GREAT!!

Remember to plan to plan which is important, but DOING will accomplish the plan! WHAT needs doing in your world. I have a list. Do you? Let's get going with a five minute list and then doing a few minutes at a time and by this evening I can bet we will have all accomplished MORE than we dreamed! SATISFACTION IS ON THE WAY!!!

Planning and doing~a few at a time!
My money will be safer as I take care of my life. (HOW many times have I purchased the item I already OWN because I was disorganized or some other malady that taking care would have managed??~OUCH!! this is painful to realize, but a huge key in money management!)

I will focus on:
SATISFACTION IS ON THE WAY!
SisterTipster<3

CREDIT Temptress~

2010-02-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

Our family is working to become 100% debt free~IN THIS ECONOMY, which is not easy feat! But we are working hard at triming our budget and I am ever sooo tempted! The temptation is insidious too! We need dental work~ALL OF US...with no dental insurance and no prospects of having it either~it's CASH up front or CREDIT! Yesterday I went to the dentist who says I have three~THREE cavities that need work, but two are in wisdom teeth~WON'T BE FILLING these bad boys~and ONE that needs work ASAP! Sooo what do I do...who's got $150 in their hip pocket for an hours worth of work? UH???? Well, sooo I am coming back the first of next month with cash in hand. I refrained from the CREDIT LURE to go a head~and incure debt! Oh I have other needs too, and since it isn't something like open heart surgery or other thing that without I will die, I am waiting, and saving...

DELAYED GRATIFICATION is such an ugly concept for some of us! I can still (always will) remember my toddlers SCREAMING "I WANT IT NOW!" and hitting the floor in loud yells! In time they learned as we all must, that WAITING IS SOO worth it.

What do you have that needs some time to gather up the funds? Is it dental like me or another "necessity" of life? Is it a desire and not a need? We must evaluate the necessary items from the desired ones and control our impulse to have it immediately.

WALK AWAY first.
THEN think long and hard, "Can I put this off?" "Do I need it?" and "Do I need it now?"
ACT at this point AFTER considering the questions and their HONEST answers! None of this, "I'm dying for a capiccino RIGHT NOW!" stuff!!!

Delaying our desires and some of our needs will help us to widdle down debt and bring greater abilities to withstand the CREDIT TEMPTRESS who wants all our money in high interest payments and service charges! CHUNK HER right out the door by waiting for what you can so you can save and then go CASH WISE through life~
We will be RICHER for it!
SAVING MY GREEN$,
SisterTipster<3

A Store's EYE VIEW~

2010-02-02T00:43:00.000-05:00

I went shopping today, and one of my huge BUDGET BOOSTING strategies is to primarily STAY OUT of the stores for fear my pockets will become empty of any money I have~well, let's just say I spend less if the "temptation" isn't present, OK?

But today, I knew I needed to get into the fabric store to check out the pattern books for my daughter~I'm not picking her patterns, she will pick her own; it's that I wanted to scope them out a head of time so I could advise her on what might be appropriate or in line with her budding skills in sewing. She's learning how to sew with some simple curtains made of ONE $3.88 flat twin sheet for both panels. This is on the cheap for sure! AND I'd shopped for curtains for those window, and they were going to run about $40 per window!! WOW~what savings, but the best part is that she is learning a valuable skill FOR LIFE! As part of her homeschooling credit, I planned to let her make herself an Easter outfit for church. As part of the incentive, she can design it herself using the pattern books and a WHOLE STORE full of luscious fabrics! (NOW you know why I was "scoping out" the fabric store, right???lol) Oh, I saw all kinds of goodies I think she will like, but I refrained as her having some choices will make the skill building experience more enjoyable for her! My mouth watered though...I love fabric and actually looked for ME! I didn't get anything though~I have some fabric WAITING ON ME already!!

LESSONS HERE: Teaching a skill to a TEENAGER-YIKES can be fun IF they believe they are in control. LESSON #2: Don't get MO fabric if you have fabric ALREADY~use what I've got!

While I was there, I also had the chance to view some things about the fabric and hobby store which is right next door~HOW convenient for those of us with a crafty/creative bent??? There were people coming out of the hobby place which sells decor items gallore~with CARTS loaded...the lot has 3x's a many cars~~~the fabric store had a few cars and few shoppers. I am amazed, but not surprised as many don't know the art of sewing these days nor do they desire it. Let's face it~it is work and when there are low cost clothing items available either new or on the secondary market (consignment/thrift/yard sales) WHY would a person go to this trouble? There are several reasons to learn to sew. Do you know how? Is it a skill you'd like to acquire?

REASONS to LEARN:

1. You can make wearable items for yourself or your family. These can be as ornate or plain as you wish~you can give them a special touch!

2. IF the secondary market goes away or prices increase or you have financial difficulties, you can use the skill to either sew for yourself or family OR even it's a potential skill set for hire. Seamstresses and tailors can be in demand.

3. There's something special about the process. I can't explain it, but trust me! When I get to create an item from a concept~there's nothing like it!

4. For our children it gives them good eye hand coordination and will teach more self sufficiency. For a child in high school it can count in the Home Ec class credits for high school.

5. Specialty fitting can be achieved. Have you ever seen someone in ill-fitting clothes? NOBODY looks good in something that fits poorly! Our bodies are all unique and need special fitting! This is accomplished with making a garment. I detest hiking skirts on full hips, and shoulder seams that are not on the shoulder properly! If a waist is high or too thick these can be altered for as the garment is made as well! It's endless~what about one arm slightly longer or some other "issue" in fitting. These can be adjusted for and accomodations with make the person look a ZILLION BUCKS!

I want to encourage you to consider getting out your machine~dusting it off: soft clean rag/can of air to blow dust out of the bobbin compartment, and oil it properly. READ the manual if you don't know how to do this! Do you have fabric like I do?? Dig it out and make a plan. Do you need to head to the fabric store like I did to check out patterns (BTW, I visited the store's website for coupons, and I HAVE THE DATES OF THE $1 PATTERN SALE~whooohoo! ALREADY!!!!) Plan and then get going on a simple project if it's your first OR revisit the skill for a sew quick pick up!

Sew~WHAT are you going to make?
SisterTipster<3

It's a LOVE THANG~

2010-01-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

The month for LOVE is on its way and quick! Are you prepared? The estimate for card giving is in the billions. I saw a quote that men will spend more on this holiday than any other~great news for the florist, but what about our budgets? Don't we want to keep spending in line and give too? I love giving~it's fun to show love and care! So what am I going to do this year for my family to show them how much I care?

I want to take care of our money first by living as frugal as possible. This could be the sweetest gift for a spouse~the lack of financial worries~but to do something tangible...

Ask yourself what does he or she love or enjoy?
What hobbies or things do they like?
What can we afford to do?

Here's some ideas:

A home made special dinner for two (OK~the kids might want to help with this, so let them fix it!)

Hunt coupons for favorite items or foods~restaurant coupons are useful too.

Instead of cut flowers, how about a plant?

Bath products~coupons again or these can be home made... (Eppson salts is nice.)

Hand made cards or other goodies~my hubby loves peanut butter cookies...here's an idea! ;-))

A special trip to somewhere like a quiet place to sit and talk where there ARE NO kids for just two~a cup of tea or coffee with desert (coupons again and if not available, this is less than a whole meal.)

Go for a walk or ride together~just the two of us to talk and reconnect. Sometimes a trip around the block does wonders!

Is there an item that is wanted for the home~LIKE FRUIT TREES and BLUEBERRY BUSHES (HINT HINT!!) that can be gotten for the spouse. I can't tell you how many times my hubby has given me something for the home that IF he had not done, I'd still be waiting~so with this method I get these done FASTER and sometimes BETTER!

Give some music~does he/she have a fave that they would enjoy in their collection?

Gift of service~I LOVE my truck detailed~love it! Love it! Love it!

Foot rubs, back massages, and manicures and pedicures hit the list for great ideas!

A tool for garage projecting~does he have a hobby that he loves? Now it might not be tools related, but something like music or plastic model construction, but whatever it is, can you give something he would use?

Slip a note onto his/her pillow so they get to read your LUV thoughts before slumber! You can put this into a lunch bag too or in the car on the rearview mirror...how about the wind shield? Won't e missed there!

How about something warm and snuggly like an afghan or throw or quilt for watching TV or computing? NOW is the time if it's going to be hand made! If not, start shopping the sales~

WHAT are you thinking of for Valentine's Day for your family?
I'm thinking NOW so it will be loving on the 15th as well as the 14th!
blessings
SisterT

Curtains~and NEW out of the OLD

2010-01-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

I keep reading that purging old stuff seems to be the craze in life "simplification" techniques. I will wholeheartedly agree that clutter can "kill" but if we bought the stuff or saved it for some "reason" then why not find ingenious ways of using it instead of pitching it out. OK, I'm not talking about true trash, but I am saying if you find you have something that is useful and LOVE, find a way to use it.

I am in a new home since last year, and honestly it has taken this year to figure out how I want to see it decorated and made functional. I think this is true of anyone moving into another place, especially if the floor plan or space offered is different from the previous abode. So it's taken this time for me to decide how and what I want to do...so in the mean time, I didn't pitch out all my stuff that is potentials for our home's look. I am still deciding on some things, like a silly pair of kitchen curtains. I have two windows; one that is a full sized window, while the other is a shorter smaller version. I also need to have a curtain for under my sink~my style is old timey farmhouse, so my sink base is open under the center for a box of cleaning supplies (old antique apple crate on casters) and the trash can while the pipes are present for the sink and dishwasher as well...so hence the "look" is needful.

I have recieved from Freecycle a muslin pricilla curtain with a huge ruffle, that I thought I might remake into a plain muslin curtain (NO ruffle), but after serious consideration: I hung the thing up and LOOKED at it for several days, I don't like the color with our paint scheme....ha! So....now what? Well, I am looking into my fabric "stash." Yes, I have one of those...and any serious seamstress or crafter has a stash of the items of the trade. So I've pulled some green plaid~light gray-green with white! This is just fabric so curtains will have to be made, but BEFORE I go to this effort, I am going to hang the fabric at the window and LOOK AT IT for a few days to see if it will be the "bomb" in my kitchen... I have gone through telling you about my process, so you can understand why I think hanging onto things we love or have use in our home will save tons! Obviously if storage is a huge issue and creative ways aren't possible to make storage, this will not work for you, but all of us who have a stash of good useful STUFF I say USE IT~now what am I gonna do with that muslin set of HUGE curtains? I am planning a quilt and it would make a lovely back. Sound silly? I own it~it is a good color for what I'm planning, and IF this doesn't work, I can either donate it or make cleaning rags! There's a good use for my curtains for sure~and I'm glad this "pack rat" didn't pitch everything that wasn't IMMEDIATELY known to be useful or else I'd be shopping this morning SPENDING MY MONEY on a set of curtains instead of writing you and planning a sewing project. There are many pluses for sewing projects: one is cost savings when you have a much of the items needed already AND as homeschoolers, this can be a teachable moment. I have curtains "on the brain" anyway, because Girl Thing One is learning to sew by crafting curtains out of $4 flat twin sheets for her bedroom. Incidently it's $4 PER WINDOW verses the $20 from WalMart. I priced them for her at $10 per panel which would equal $40 for the room~ha! We are doing two pair of curtains for $8!!! Amazing what a little STASH and know-how will do for ya...

So don't just THROW it all out...Find ways to store and USE and repurpose items! I had to laugh at a recent thrifty recipe for a desert that while was semi-homemade (all the items are processed: cake mix, candy bars, fluffy stuff~choc syrup and more) when I calculated the cost...ha! What expense when totally homemade is healthier and less costly! The art of truly cooking and making do is soo lost, but will yield WONDERFUL benefits for our family is savings!

Here's a recipe for a truly HOMEMADE chocolate cate desert:

Chocolate Cake from scratch

I wouldn't recommend bought icing for this cake, but researching
All Recipies.com Chocolate Cake section for some truly homemade frostings~
YUM! and cost effective as most of us already own this stuff, plus it is "healthier" ~ OK..how do I justify chocolate cake as healthier?? hahaha!

So I am off here to get that green plaid fabric up on the window...I need to SEE before I sew!
Working on that STASH of STUFF that has SAVED me!
SisterTipster<3

Having It ALL Means....A Wonderful Friend!

2010-01-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my friend last night who shared with me her secret for living...of having a nice home and some of life's nice additions. MADE SENSE TO ME! What she shared was that in her life, when her children were small, she economized and has continued to do so all of their lives. She said that they bought second hand good quality things: furniture, kid's clothing and more...that NOTHING was bought without knowing what a bargain was and then finding one! THIS kind of validation makes this ole SISTA T proud, and my friend doesn't even KNOW I write Thriving! NO KIDDING! Much less, live this philosophy myself...I am so blessed with a like minded friend~I COULD have friends who encourge me to be a spend thrift or worse YET to buy and spend MORE than we can afford in items that are just going to be "second hand" once I get them in the door~~~I really can't afford this kind of friendship or lifestyle...

Are your friends validating your need to economize? Are they encouraging you to do what is right and in the best interest of your budget? REMEMBER that love seeks the good of others, and this means not only do we have to look out for our friends, but be aware that our friends should look out for us as well. A friend who isn't interested in my best good isn't really my friend...

We are sooo blessed when we have friends who are truly THAT~A FRIEND!
SisterTipster<3

Thriving and Surviving...

2010-01-19T02:18:00.000-05:00

Tough economic times don't mean we can't thrive in this economy. We just have to be more creative and smarter to keep our money in our pockets. I issued a challenge to lower our heating bills for Jan from our Dec bill...HOW are you doing this? I am making "draft dodgers" for my doors, but right now I have towels to keep out the chill~we've cauked and weather stripped too! We are cooking with our oven more, and keeping the thermostat lower~

Remember it's the small things. We have a five light chandelier that I try to keep OFF as much as possible. WHERE is your money going? If you know this, you can plug the DRAIN on your finances!

REMEMBER to sign up for the contest and let me know your savings HERE~ by leaving a comment.

Thriving and Surviving!
SisterTipster <3

TEAM WORK Challenge!

2010-01-06T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am offering a TEAM WORK Challenge to everyone to lower the light bill by a percentage of usage this season...ha! AND IT'S miserably cold, so it's a HUGE challenge to find ways to lower the costs...HERE IT IS:

Compare your Dec electric bill with your coming Jan bill...Did you go up or down? If you went down, leave me a message with the amount your lowered and you will be entered into a contest. I will draw the name of one participant for a prize~TBA! (Any ideas??? WHAT would YOU like to get as a prize??)

Spending less will require the cooperation of the entire family.

Get with your spouse and then approach the kids. Get everyone together and gain their cooperation~their help! Provide incentives~What can you offer your family for their help? Can you take the savings and put it towards something EVERYONE will enjoy? Is everyone invested in the saving results?

OK~HERE'S the CHALLENGE and you won't do it alone~it will take the entire family! But it's so worth it to teach thrift to everyone in the home~littles need this info too!

the CHALLENGE IS ON!
SisterTipster<3

STAY WARM FOR LESS~

2010-01-03T16:04:00.000-05:00

OK..we are going to pay for energy with low down temps, but utilizing as much for less is the best way...
Here's a link to some tips:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/

Be sure and crank up your own with some "goodies" and dinners to double duty the heating!
I like door draft dodgers AND have shades on my windows. The best thing is to have good insulation and then windows and doors. Heavy drapes help as well as heating blankets and heaters in spot areas as overall heat is kept low. You can also vent safely the dryer into the home with a water trapping system. This will keep the lint out of the air, but as the dryer is used it will bring extra heat.

STAY WARM everyone! AND SAFE!!!
SisterTipster <3

Waste NOT Want NOT~

2010-01-03T01:51:00.000-05:00

I was flabbergasted the other day as we were hauling off a box spring to the recycle center (LANDFILL) because of a zillion reasons I needed to do this, but while I was hauling off this little article, lo and behold there was an ALL WOOD entertainment center, a huge plastic storage bin, a nice looking white bathroom vanity cabinet, and IF I were to continue the list, you'd be SURE I had dug in the dump~but folks, I did not even leave the seat of my vehicle, but THESE were what I could see that were of good use~I was amazed. Just amazed at how wealthy we are as a society and how disposable it all has become. IN my defense, I confess hauling the box spring to the landfill was not my first attempt at disposal. I had gone to a local charity who no longer accepts them, so since I was out of town and was hauling the mattress of the set back to my home with me, I needed to "place" it somewhere in short order, otherwise I could have FreeCycled it on the Yahoo Group give the time. But I had not the time, and this is probably the story for some of the items I mentioned, but maybe not all. I really don't know why those items were there! I know that you can't scavenger at the dump, as the sign says,,,so IF it goes there and someone needs it, it's GONE unless of course your friendly attendant happens to take a liking to the offering!

Sooo I was absolutely amazed at how much usable STUFF was there, and it really makes me aware that we ALL have too much~ME TOO! Soooooooo while I want to divest and clear out the clutter in my house, life AND MIND~how can I do this without wasting perfectly usable items others may need?

Ask family and friends. Pass the joy around.
Donate if possible.
Set to the curb for a time with a sign: FREE to see what happens.
Repurpose the item.
Recycle the item.

I really hated to throw away the box spring. I know someone might have used it~but apparently there is an issue with such in that area~so off it went! I know that gifting something usable to someone who needs it is a wonderful thing not just for giver and receiver, but for the article of stuff as well!

OK~It's the NEW YEAR~Let's remove the clutter from our lives and make a simpler life for 2010!
Blessings,
SisterTipster<3

Money Money Money~

2009-12-31T00:34:00.000-05:00

The New Year is upon us, and boy are the retailers hitting us hard with all manner of temptations! I lost my lap top after a short year and half of heavy use about a week ago and so we went shopping before and AFTER Christmas for the best deal possible~ha! There were some "lures" out there for inexpensive models, but find them at the store or sales help to discuss the options. I am thinking I can do without for a month or two and keep shopping the prices to see when it will be the best price to purchase. This is an excellent strategy with most things that we need to purchase that are not emergency items that are NEEDED right away! I have been with my parents, and they have taught me so much about thrifty living over the years. It's been great to feast away on television, something I don't usually do because for several reasons we don't have it~one being cost. But let me say that what I have watched has made an impact on my thinking. So much on the channel about home shopping that it showed me some current thinking, and since we are selling a home, this is beneficial. There was a couple home shopping who declared that they were willing to wait to get at the price they wanted to pay. Hmm....and then there was another couple with a beautiful wife with great big eyes who laid her head on hubby's shoulder: "Please buy me this house!" She said this twice~it was powerful to see that she was able to negate her husband's concerns over the home for what she perceived as the home for them. Don't get SisterT wrong, I am not dissing this gal for knowing her own mind, but watching the emotional connection at work to something as huge as HOME PURCHASE was amazing! So is our money somehow attached to our emotions?

I know food is for me...I love it when I'm sad or happy~celebrating or mad...love it soooo much! But my money???? Does it hold the same? I am guessing that it does for many of us. So much is tied to our perceptions and beliefs about wealth and well being. Our emotional side is spoken to on so many levels by retailers...the perfect example was a home shop network where the hostess urged buyers who had called in with "Oh you deserve it so much! This is for you? Wonderful! HOW NICE to give it to yourself..." I began thinking long and hard that I was being "led" straight to my money to exchange it for the feel good of those kinds of purchases. When my budget became the issue that NEEDED and DESERVED strict management, I gave up such indulgences~how much is ENOUGH?

With enough, the emotional tie is not so strong to pull my money out of my pockets~logical and rational thinking is really needed in these economic times. But we don't have to go so bare bones UNLESS WE NEED TO~there are ways to do on less~

REMEMBER to pay a fair price if not a very low price for most items!

To do this we must know our prices first then shop til we find the best price. Don't settle or purchase too quickly, but wait and watch. Prices often fall, especially AFTER Christmas, but not immediately! Retailers played a trick this year and lured in with some deals, but kept many prices the same as before~KNOWING PRICES is crucial~then shop and wait! I am thinking it may be mid February before prices drop on my laptop. Winter Semester students will have returned to school already and Christmas long gone...new models will be out as well~hmmm....

I dye my hair. No secret but to some this is a waste. But I want to share some of my tactics for hair care that may not readily be known. I do one of two things generally. I either purchase a box home job for about $4 (I need two) equalling $8 OR I hunt down a beauty school. I could go without, and I've done this too, but I like my hair colored....IF I were in danger of loosing utilities or home or some other malady, this would be extravagant for me, but so far so good...and I save loads. If you are afraid of the academy thing, just remember that the students WANT to please you, and if they mess up, the instructor will help them fix it. What's better than an instructor making sure it's GREAT for a fraction of the cost? See how emotions will spend our money? Here I am spending on something like a dye job for my hair...silly I guess, but why not IF I can afford it. Thriving isn't about total denial, but about finding ways to live on less~for me, dye jobs are living LOL! It's an essential~and I FEEL better when it's done. We are talking emotions now!

Eating out is a budget buster isn't it? But I like to do it. I prefer eating out to home cooked food, but it's got to be an emotional thing, because really our home food is pretty good. . . I think it's like a date or celebration for me. Emotions are spending my money again, so this is one we reign in a good bit. One of the TV couples spent something like $250 a WEEK on eating OUT~OMgoodness~this is huge! AND NOT ME...I hope it isn't you either, but if you do splurge, just be sure you can afford it. We must all make those DECISIONS that effect our spending and our well being!

So since M O N E Y is so important~let's think about ways we are spending and how we can find new alternatives to the amounts. Any resolutions out there? I am going to use the beauty academy for haircare this next year. I don't spend much on this as it is, but the savings will be there~maybe I can reroute my money towards a "pro" pedicure!!

Happy New Year~AND tell me what you are doing with your MONEY in 2010~HEY, WE should be CREDIT CARD FREE this YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!! whoohoo!
SisterTipster

It's Merry!

2009-12-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of days out, and we're celebrating TODAY...in fact, the whole rest of the week aside from some needed house cleaning maintenance will be done!

Did you finish all you wanted or needed or should or would or might or CAN do this year? It's a tough year for many, but focusing on the Lord and His blessings takes the stress out of what is in His control that we WANT to control...like how much we give, how things look...all that STUFF stuff~

God is God.

God is Creator.

God is Savior.

God is Lord.

Awesome to think on Him this season...and yeah, it has little to do with RED except for His blood~the work of His suffering on the cross of Calvary and redemption for mankind~GREEN, that favorite color of God's in much of His living earthly creation! Just think~we might have been GREE TOO as we are very much alive except that it's His breath of life that created us as living souls separating us from the rest of His work!

RED/GREEN~Certainly Christmas colors~and ones to remind us of our heavenly Father~the God of Heaven who sent His Son, Jesus Christ born in a manger in Bethlehem.

Wishing you a Merry Christ~mas!
O Worship the King,,,all glorious above!

SisterTipster

SHOP the SALES ~ Online Circular Ads BY STATE

2009-12-19T12:53:00.001-05:00

This is is HUGE help when looking for the BEST PRICE~and it's the Christmas shopping season; WHO doesn't NEED all the HELP we can get??

Sales Circulars by STATE

Circular Ads shop by store

Sunday Saver weekly ads

Merry Christmas!
SisterTipster

BEATING UP the HOLIDAY BLUES!

2009-12-08T12:19:00.000-05:00

Anybody struggle with this? I admitt to struggling to stay on the positive side of things during the holidays. It's funny...OK...not soooo funny to read all the giddy-happy blogs out there when some of us are faced with real challenges in our finances or other issues~like family loss, loneliness or isolation. Some have lost loved ones in various ways: death, family discord, distance, and more. . . Some have money issues: like WHO doesn't in this economy, where we want to do more, but simply can't and even MORE~shouldn't! Some are struggling with health issues: illness and disease and aging are things that can compound holiday blues!

HOLIDAY BLUES are because we have EXPECTATIONS that cannont be met~for whatever reason!

Expectations are fueled by several factors. Our own thinking along with what is put out there EVERYWHERE this time of year urges our expectations to soar~think about it this way: When we go into the malls, stores or just drive down the street, what do we see? Lights, decor, sounds, smells in some cases~all these elicit emotion. IF we are bound with limits in our lives, limits like wanting to visit family that are miles and hours away with NO POSSIBLE way to go home or perhaps has passed away these will pose a HUGE ISSUE in our feelings of being OK, being happy and being satisfied. More people deal in depression this time of year. It's not just family things either, it's money. Do you or your children want things you can't give them? Do you have financial needs that you can fix? When expectations exceed limits of what CAN be done~there is a huge problem that arises. Depression can creep in~sadness and despair.

I offer these suggestions for the Holiday Blues.

1. Focus on someone else besides ourselves. Looking to the needs of others will bring untold blessings in satisfaction and joy. What can we do? Can we share our time, energy, goods? We ALL no matter our situations in life are in the US so fortunate. We are a wealthy people, and just because some don't live the HGTV life doesn't mean it's not a worthy one! SPEAKING OF HGTV~NIX it if it's causing pain. Are you unhappy with what you don't have? CHANGE FOCUS: look around for an elderly person, a person who is ill, isolated or down. They are the unexpected. Sometimes the ones who look "all together" are the ones coming unglued. REMEMBER everyone has issues no matter how "well off" they may appear!

2. Become a giver rather than a receiver! I know in a thrift blog, this has got to be an oxymoron. But truth is, we all have something to give. Give time and energy. Give hope, encouragement and love. Notes of encouragement, homemade items, loan a book, spend time, listen, share, reciprocate, BE THERE in the life of someone else~Make it a priority to give always~and give humbly. Don't give because "so and so" is poor. Oh, HOW I HATE to see this ! Charity is not founded in selfishness, but in love, and when we give if it's with a wrong motivation~TO MAKE ME feel better, is this not more selfishness? Yes, giving will bring satisfaction, but the receiver KNOWS when this attitude is present. Anonymous gifts are wonderful. I have given this way and received this way. Actually for me it's frustrating to receive this way as I want to express gratitude, but can't! But for the giver, when I have given this way is richer and fuller~a real blessing inside between God and me~no one else! AND WHO'S watching anyway? We must become givers even if it's small things!

3. Consider humility and pride for a moment. Are we living in expectations and ideals that really are not our own? Who am I or who are WE that we should EXPECT to have it all! I know this is a novel and unpopular idea, but there is no great rule that says SistaT is going to have_______! YOU CAN PUT WHATEVER you'd like in that spot! I may NEVER have or get or become...humility says I am satisfied and have a sense of being OK in the world whatever condition I find myself in~oh another novel idea! But humility verses pride will carry us to a joyous Christmas and take the blues outside our doors!

4. On the heels of pride is arrogance. Ever considered that pride is a part of arrogance? When we consider our needs and wants above what has been given us so that we feel we are somehow, inherently "deserving" OH BOY! We are set up for the blues! A correct view of ourselves before the Lord is essential here. We are all given uniqueness by God. But He did not promise utopia here on earth. In fact, Jesus said, "the poor will always be with you." Was He talking about ME?? He might have been! AND who am I to throw it back at Him the situations and "place" He has placed me! Dangerous ground that will lend itself to blues, but if we remember that we are His children, and He will do according to His will for our lives, we can feel secure in our circumstances.

5. Faith~I don't want to discuss chasing the blues without the power of faith in our lives. While all the negatives are against humanity, God has given us a gift of faith to believe in the impossible. To believe that He can and will take care of us~to HOPE! Hope not meaning some wishy-washy reality, b ut in asurance of God's goodness in our lives! Faith lends itself naturally to HOPE~there's got to be a reason Faith, Hope, Charity will lend themselves to JOY! The reason is simple, they are hinged upon each other in a supernatural way that God does His work! By FAITH...the patriarch did God's will! We can lean on faith during the Christmas season to have more joy and get those blues right out of our life!

6. While focusing on others, focus on God. This is the birthday of the Savior. It's not just the holidays, by HOLYDAYS! I suspect the origins of the word mean just this, but our culture has secularized it~but NO! This season is the time to remember the Lord and His goodness! Some suggest particular Bible studies that are marketed. I suggest a good Bible read! I think that the book of Psalms and the Christmas historical account are essential to study during this time of year. Who can be down when we realize that God sent His only Son to earth to bring peace and goodwill to mankind~no sort of holly-jolly feel good accounts for this!! NONE! And we can be part of bringing this as His followers~by showing love, joy and peace from within, having cultivated it in our own lives to others who without Him are lost. God~the wonderful Creator of this universe! Do we really believe?

CHASE those holiday blues right way from your heart and life! Recognize them, but push them OUT!
Merry truly MERRY Christmas!

Shopping AT HOME

2009-12-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking about online either, but looking in our own homes for items and gifts that we know the folks on our lists will enjoy. I have received gifts from others this way, and while everything does need to be clean, neat and in good condition (working)~DID I HAVE TO SAY THIS?? Well, sorry to report, that I have seen well intended people give away JUNK...so I think I did need to say it...and it's one thing to give away something of less use, or not in such good condition as "can you use this?" verses, "here's your Christmas gift from me..." kind of idea. But I do look in my own home for items that I no longer use or need and will share them if it's an appropriate gift meaning it would be useful or enjoyed without reservation, and IF the item is in new or very good condition meaning it looks new! Now I do have a few on my list that my close relationship is just so close that IF it's something that I know they will LOVE even if not perfect, I will give it, but this is only a person or two...but generally speaking shopping in our own homes should be done very tastefully! I have been blessed this way as well~and have been VERY grateful to received well thought out used items! I am VERY thankful to get any kind of gift someone thinks of me with! I have been given some lovely items that I adore~if you gave me something I want to let you know, as I hope you already do, that I LOVE IT!

I got tickled today at daughter who is "teen-weeding" her bedroom meaning her tastes are changing...well, I've been gifted a few items that I love and SHE'S NOT SELLING lol! So look around your home. Think of what you use and don't use. Evaluate your own situation and then make some selections. Get it ready, but cleaning it or finding a proper way to package it~write a sweet note if you want to and wrap it up! Whoola~a free Christmas gift that took little time and no NEW cash to spend.

Remember that our time equals money too, and while crafting gifts is great~THEY COST time and money! I am all for making stuff; I am all for gifting with affordable gifts~meaning if you can reasonably AFFORD IT: don't have to go in debt, rob Peter to pay Paul, or have to do without a necessary items such as rent, gas or electric not to mention FOOD~go a head and purchase gifts~just remember to know your prices and pay as little as you can and shop all year or after season too!

Hope your Christmas is Merry! Remember there is loads of pressure to spend right now! REFRAIN and stick to your guns or budget~LOL~
God bless,

Saving GAS

2009-12-05T15:57:00.003-05:00

Saving Money Plan sent a link fuel economy.gov sharing how it's suggested to save on the expensive fuel we use in our vehicles. I have some ideas to share and if you have any, drop me a comment~I always love to hear from you!

TIPS on SAVING GASOLINE
1. Coast when you can. Obviously if someone is behind you or you are on highway getting run over, you can't, but when in your neighborhood or other slower traffic areas, just take your foot off the gas and let your vehicle do the work.

2. Keep your car tuned/fuel injectors clean. It's amazing how much gas can be saved with car maintence!

3. Tire inflation~keep those tires at the proper air psi. Too low and they create a pull against the engine to use more gasoline.

4. Keep a log of your gas milage, and try a higher grade of fuel. I know this sounds silly, BUT sometimes paying more means going further on what you have . . . and getting to buy less amounts overall will cut costs.

5. Make trips out of car rides to do it all when you are out by planning and making circles of your places you have to go so you are not zig zagging around but always in a path moving towards the next destination and then ulimately towards home. Don't make trips that are just up and back one stop trips unless it's just absolutely necessary~PLANNING is key here!

6. Clock mileage and find shortest routes. My friend, Donna sent this to me to add,

One way to "clock" your mileage is to do it before you leave the house... check Google maps or some other trip program and find out which is the shortest route from your home to your destination(s). Using the mapping programs also allows a person to plan out multiple stops for a day trip out and about and get the best gas mileage by making the trip as short as possible... You can even print out your itinerary so you don't forget any stops too...

THANKS FRIEND!

7. Park closer to the highway or roadway and walk into stores/places. This is GREAT on so many levels!

8. Can you walk or take a bike to a place you'd normally drive? GREAT for pocketbook and heath!

9. Just don't go unless it's a well planned trip and you are ready to get it all done. Keeping our vehicles parked certainly saves money on gas.

10. Car pool with others who are heading in your direction. Rides to events and other things~even giving rides will help overall. It's up to you if you accept a "few dollars" for gas from your rider. I've never been comfortable, but it's not unexpected from riders to share something.

11. Slower speeds. Oh HOW I HATE this because I like to fly, but honestly leaving a bit early and taking your time will get you where you need to go without sucking down that gas even faster!

12. SHOP pump prices. I have seen gas prices fluctuated between little towns and even on ends of bigger cities. KNOW those prices and fill UP when you see a great price!

13. IF you have public transportation options, use them. We don't~not even a taxi service in our area, but we do have good sidewalks and well, I have a bike WITH A BASKET I might add...

OK..now it's your turn. Thanks Saving Money Plan!

Merry Christmas!

HS BLOG Awards are UP!/HUGE Grocery Savings~HOW!

2009-12-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the winners~I am thankful to have been nominated!

YOU WINNERS ROCK!

To see the list click HERE!

ON TO Budget Boosting~

Do you have a scratch and dent food store in your area? I know it sounds rediculous, but honest, there is such a thing! Dented cans and crushed boxes~hurts nothing inside the package! The savings is huge too! Hubby just came home with 12 pk cartons of 8 oz name brand yogert for $1.49 each! Do I need to say we love yogert and it's now filling the bottom of my fridge? He bought all they had, as it will store and we will eat it ALL! The sale up the street at the grocery was 10 for $3. Figure that I have 24 for $3!! WHAT savings is THIS?? HUGE! Figure the cereal he bought as well~name brand healthy/expensive stuff usually $3.50 a box and up... He paid $1.79 or LESS per box...the extras will go on our food shelves in the basement until we get to it~oh yeah, and we will! Cinnamon bagels your thing anyone? They are $1.50 per bag or more in the grocery store, but here they are FIFTY CENTS a bag! My freezer is getting the overflow on these as well! There are other deals as well, but I just want you to consider HUNTING DOWN such a store in your area. They are not generally a fancy store, sometimes in a dismal part of town to keep the overhead down. The grocery carts are old and rusty, but work quite fine...I KNOW it's not fun to get so honest, but my money is on the line here! I'm not touting methods that are SPEND to SAVE in nature! NO WAY!!! I want us all to find REAL and USEFUL ways to SAVE that are truly savings! If I spend more then WHAT have I saved? A rusty grocery cart doesn't bother me, and we've never gotten "bad" food from these stores~I've shopped one in every place we've lived~AND SAVED!

Keep to your budget. Remember that retailers are working to make you spend on EMOTION in the holidays~REFRAIN and soothe your spirit with knowing you are doing what is BEST for your family! Look for frugal ways to give. Perhaps another post on this next time~
Until then, Merry Christmas to you!

Free Serious Life Magazine~THIS IS AWSOME!

2009-12-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

You will enjoy Serious Life Magazine FREE online HERE! Editor and writer Brent Riggs produces a wonderful magazine that is top rate~Go check out this issue~You won't be disappointed! PROMISE!
Merry Christmas!

Teeth Whitening on the Cheap~

2009-11-30T03:09:00.001-05:00

I just have to share this video with you all~I have really found it "helpful" and hope you will too.

PLEASE don't use these wacked out methods~I am rolling on the floor laughing, and HOPE you can see just how silly some people will be in just goofing off.

I do use peroxide and my tooth brush to whiten my teeth. I don't drink coffee or smoke which are huge pluses. I did realize that youthful teeth do make SistaT look a bit younger (I'm told I don't look the zillion years old that I am lol!)

Remember it's just a few weeks until Christmas~keep focused and on budget!

Talking Turkey About Thanksgiving, Shopping and Stuff~

2009-11-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

It's over for now. I am glad too...it's a ton of work to cook up all that food, clean up, and then EAT it ~LOL, but I am thankful that we had that opportunity once again to celebrate God and His goodness.

Yeah, it's not about thanking the Indians as some say today, although I am sure the grateful pilgrims were thankful to God and their friends, the Indians for the wonderful harvest and being ready for the harsh winter of Plymouth.

Now that the turkey at my house is cut off the bone..what's left of him, that is...is not put in the freezer (who can eat another bite of it?) and the carcass is boiled into stock and chilling in the fridge for me to debone and defat then freeze, I have a few thoughts about the coming holiday season and all that it will entail for many of us.

First I want to encourage us all to stay on track with our budgets. I know that's a "dirty word" this time of year with all the pressures of 'giving' and decorating and such! But please, PLEASE find in your heart IF YOU NEED TO like I do...a WAY to give yourself permission to do Christmas on less this year. There will be some areas you won't be satisfied with for sure, but soothe those thoughts with the knowledge that debt is decreasing and that you are making headway in a more frugal, controlled lifestyle. Relish this thought when the doubts and fears of inadequacy loom large. I know I sound so completely convinced and secure on my blog! I know it looks like I "have it all together," but you have to understand dear reader that I am COMING from my own place of struggle and issues learning well how to manage these places too! Please forgive me if I sound smug. I don't intend to, but rather I intend to inspire us all to press onward towards our goals~each of our individual goals of becoming debt free and financially sound.

In this I want to also say that you will find pressures all around you as we navigate the holidays. I stay out of the malls and shopping centers as much as possible because as I cast my eye around I begin often to WANT what I may not have NOW...maybe in the future, but not now...you know, delayed gratification is something to be strived for in this life! It's so hard though when I am tempted by the sights and sounds AND smells of shopping "experiences." WHO can go into such places without succumbing to the urges to pull out our hard earned cash? I am NOT suggesting that you never shop. I am just suggesting that we all be aware of the LURE of well place and planned marketing~CALLING OUT to us~to get us to spend. Ever been near a cosmetic counter in a department store and smelled and lushious smells? I LOVE to go and "try" the perfumes and colognes. But this is exactly what is wanted. Then I will WANT those things that my budget RIGHT now won't allow me. . . In time, anything, well, relatively anything can be gained. But it might take some time if we don't cave into using credit if cash is tight or bills are due. First things should be first. I am going to suggest that we make a list of things we need to spend our money on that we should be doing with it...carry it around and if tempted,,,,did I say that UGLY word, tempted?? But yes. Tempted to spend what we don't have for what we really can do without in lu of items or services we NEED because of an instant rush or feel good. An example is needing dental work. I have no dental insurance. I pay full-boat retail~no insurance breaks, so it's very costly to go. How I have procrastinated and spent on other things, things that if I had saved I could have these areas taken care of rather than waiting. Waiting on PAIN, I guess, because I know if I get into pain, I will FIND THE MONEY and go~but why not plan strategically and take care now? It's not a fun thing to think about is it? Make that list. Is it dental, medical, unpaid credit cards or loans, unpaid obligations, tithes, for some: child support . . .it can go on and on WHAT FIRST THINGS our money needs to attend, then the things that are nice, but not necessary lastly.

I love wonderful things just like the next person. I'm not trying to make us feel guilty, but to bring an awareness of a distinct way our money can be sifting through our fingers out of our grasp.

I did do some Black Friday shopping. I did. I compared price and quality, and did it online. I was not tempted by the atmosphere or any other factors other than our need to make some well planned purchases. The only drawback was the almost $9 I payed in shipping, but let me say that my truck would've used that much gasoline, so I am good there! As far as one other drawback, and it may bite me . . .will have to let you know. . . I could not assure the quality of the product by careful examination as if I had touched it in a store or seen it first hand. ALL descriptions are not equal as we know! So we shall see if this is something I will do again, but I did take my needs list and shop for those items~a new jacket for both children @$7 each wasn't a bad deal. They both needed one. I've seen thrift store jackets that expensive or price!!

Each of us has to evaluate our own situation for our own individual goals. You may not be where I've been or where I am now. I've had more, and I've had less. The big thing about it all is not so much in WHAT WE HAD, but what we got to keep~the security of savings~which with debt isn't any at all~just debt. Remember to evaluate and have a hard conversation with a sobering list~baubles are pretty, and I like them~but they don't hold value, and when my teeth fall out, I guess I will be gumming the turkey and smiling my toothless smile ;-( all the while the junk I've gotten gets dusty and decays. First things FIRST! Even during the holidays! Try not to succumb to pressures~lift up our eyes toward Heaven and keep on doing the best we can~WE CAN OVERCOME!
Still with teeth~survived BLK FRI and HOPING to enjoy a blessed Christmas

Thanks~GIVING

2009-11-25T02:43:00.004-05:00

I have read all kinds of inspirational and tipsy type stuff over the holidays. It's all over the web, no kidding! So in the interest of originality I want to share my personal thanksgiving~just where I'm coming from this year for a day of Thanks!

I'd first like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am a Christian by the grace of God, and so thankful He is present in my life.

I am thankful for a ~~good~~ GREAT husband! I don't say it often enough, but I have one wonderful Christian husband and father in my life. We are so blessed to have him, and I love him!

Two wonderful blessings called teenagers~YIKES! LOL in my life...I saw a quote off a signature (sorry I can't remember the name, but will give her credit when I figure it out ;-)) "Raising teenagers is like nailing jello to a tree." Ya think she can relate????? I have wonderful children who are blessings from God. I am learning more about ME than I will ever teach them~I love them.

I have two wonderful parents. My father has who is retired, worked all his life to provide a honest living for our family. He's been the best he's known how to be. I admire him for his hard work and abilities to lay his hands to do most anything. There's a certain genius in this, I think. My mother is the inspiration and driving force that has always encouraged me. She has been a life long learner and is very creative. It's her drive, initiative and abilities that I draw much of my strength. I MISS HER soo much as I live waaaaaaaaayyyy too far away from her. This is the bitter pill of following and serving, but I know God knows. I know He cares. I know I must...

My brother was a force in my life that while gone for over seven years continues to impact me. I don't think one ever totally get "over" a loss in the close family tie. He was the brightest spark of our family and certainly MORE than I will ever become. I miss him everyday. I can still hear his voice sometimes speaking when I think about how he sounded, and I can't wait until the day I will see him again. Life stinks sometimes, and his loss was that for me. I live on because I know he would want it~he said so... and because, I do~I am thankful I was not an only child for as long as I had him in my life . . .

My brother's children are much of an extension of him for me as well as their own special unqiueness! They also live too far away, but I love them! I am so proud of the men they are becoming! I am thankful beyond words for them both!

My children who do not live with me bring special thanksgiving in my heart. This may sound strange if you don't know me personally, but I have children who I call "mine" who for the reasons known to God that I did not get to raise but for a short time in their lives, but who forever changed my life. I am so thankful for some boys who called me "Mama" who continue to love me, and I have been able to know as they grow up! Fostering is a hard road, but rewarding, and I am thankful.

I am thankful for my heath, both the good times and the not so good. I am thankful for the Lord's presence in my life.

I am thankful for friends~WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU FRIENDS?? Never a day goes by without your encouragment. I am so blessed to have some very close long abiding friendships~when a person has just one, Oh how rich! I am sooo amazingly blessed!!

Our church family is so loving. We love each other~there's such an encouragment and strength! Blessings abound here for me~I love you all and thank God upon every rememberance!

Furry Friends are in my life~a big ole dog and two furbaby kittens! I am blessed to have them "tolerate me." ;-))

Today is the day before the day of Thanks~Thanks to God for His unending mercy and grace, coupled with love! AND LOOK what He is doing~WOW!

I wish for each of you ALL God's wonderful goodness today, tomorrow and in the coming holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to the HOP~Thrift Style!

2009-11-23T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Blog Hoppers!
Thriving With NO Green$ is all about ways to save money and reduce debt. It's been my mission to share and learn how to become debt free in this economy working with one income and loads of debt! We have been blessed to reduce our debt load by over $25K and will be debt free except for our home mortgage(s) in 8-10 months. There are over 100 posts dedicated to frugal, thrifty budget living! I hope you will find something of use here in your journey to survive and THRIVE in this economy!
Thrifty Tip: Avoid GIFT cards for gift giving. I know this sounds silly, but in my experience, while they seem convenient, there's some real draw backs.

Drawbacks include:

1. Relegating the receiver to purchasing at a certain establishment~Cash goes everywhere!
2. Rules using gift cards can make them a pain. Some stores have limits upon which cards can be bought and used.
3. Some gift cards expire or have fees!

If you want to give a generous gift of money this holiday season, send either a check or cash. I know that cash may not seem wise, but it will make the receiver more able to better redeem the gift!

Here are a few posts you might enjoy:

50 Ways to Leave Your Debts Behind
Black Friday Hype
Thankfulness Cures the Blahs!

Happy Thanksgiving and I am thankful you hopped in~

BLACK Friday HYPE!

2009-11-23T00:05:00.001-05:00

Call SistaT a scoffer if you want to~but I am not buying all the Black Friday Hype~now I do believe in BEST PRICE SHOPPING, but...

If you are going to spend more than you planned or can afford OR EVEN NEED then stay home!! PERIOD!

I know I sound really mean here~but it's going to take some absolute diligence to stay in our budgets this holiday season. Case in point is that when I walk into the stores, the sights, sounds, smells LURE MY MONEY right out of my pockets IF I am not prepared with my handy-dandy notebook with my comparative price shopping and list.

DO BLACK FRIDAY for items you are looking for that you KNOW the quality and price are RIGHT where you need them to be~otherwise forgo! Truly leave the madness to others this year!

Marketers are pushing even the 'web-shopper' into peep status over the sales to wet appetites. RESIST! Let's pay our bills ON TIME~get what the home NEEDS and then make sensible purchases!

Don't be caught off guard with gift giving! While there's some you can do this year with the time left to get economical gifts together for your family, PLAN NOW for next year! Seriously. While you are making or have made the list for this year, make next year's list of things you will needs AND after Christmas and all through the coming year while you thrift shop find items for those areas. Do you do Christmas cards? Purchase them after the season. Do you "collect" a certain thing for your decor, after season is the time! Of course, SistaT isn't one to encourage all the lux of some of this, but I too have my pitfalls where I have areas that I have to work with. I am a collector of many things, but never if ever to I pay full-boat retail. AND then sometimes I just do without. It's choices!

OK...BLACK Friday is on it's way~merchants are salivating for our money! Are we going to LET them have it? If so, let's make SURE it's in our best interest~not the interest that we will pay long after the shiny has worn off of our newbie item!
Maybe I'm not doing BLACK FRI~the jury is still out...I am looking it all over...I may just stay home and read a book or ...

How LOW Can You Go?

2009-11-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

I ask myself this question a lot. Actually I wonder about this too. Just read the following post which illustrates how low some will go...Is THIS SistaT? I really am NOT into cold showers folks! PROMISE! While I will appreciate a nice "scruffy" bath towel, repurpose throwouts into useful things, and make do with loads of things, HOW FAR can I go?

It takes the whole family too willing to economize. It makes no sense to turn off the hot water heater for brrrr...cold...brrrr....showers...if hubby isn't going for it~OR using oil lamps or not any electric lights if you are having to purchase glasses due to eye strain. Everyone has to agree, and everyone has to appreciate and tolerate. It will take everyone doing their part of lower everyday bills.

Small changes are easier and more tolerated than huge ones that eventually lend themselves to feeling deprived. Feelings of deprivation will only throw us BACK into trying to compensate and OVER compensate for those ilks. Think about it. Are there areas you absolutely don't feel you can life without? Cable, internet, cell phones, house phone, fancy ride, manicured lawn, designer duds, "real" jewlery . . . I know the list can go on and on~for each of us, it's something different. For me, I like eating out. BUT I can say that in one month of this, a huge hit will occur in my budget. Am I willing/able/wanting to reign in all my economic issues so that I can save more and have more? MORE? It's an oxymoron isn't it to have less that lends itself to MORE~

But MORE, how?

More freedom from debt. We are still in debt. STILL~but it's so much better since we have reigned in our spending and our outgo. The light is at the end of the tunnel, and in about 8-10 mos we will be done with those credit cards. We tore the things up almost four years ago and with systematic efforts, we have made headway. We have paid down nearly $25K plus~but the real blessing is that through these economic times of recession ect...we continue to carry a second home's mortgage along with cash as we go renovations to our current home. We don't do credit cards for anything~EVER! They are history in our lives! We tore them up~and because we are paying them off, we have an open to purchase, we will not use them~Oh yeah~it's a pain to wait for what we want~that's another LOW~WAITING~but I can do this~YOU can do this! The freedom in knowing that we will have ALL our money for our own uses and not be paying high interest any longer is sooo wonderful! PEACE OF MIND is such a plus! Every dollar will be ours~yeah!

So how LOW will you go? How far will you go to lower your debt to become financially FREE? It's something to consider and think about as we are heading straight into the Christmas season. Remember to do what you can afford, and make the season about the true REASON!

Figuring out~HOW TO GO LOWer!

Family of 15 With Electric Bill of $65?

2009-11-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

I subscribe to ChoysterCash eNewsletter which hits my email several times a week. This morning, she postedhttp://www.generationcedar.com/main/2009/04/secrets-of-a-large-familys-power-bill-savings.html to share one family' journey to HUGE savings! It's pretty extreme the methods . . . if you think SisterT is rough~man o man! But hey, this family might be living in a mansion with a Rolls~ha! Dunno! I think the BIGGER point here is that any efforts we make will take our money into a place WHERE WE WILL WANT to spend it verses it just being spent on essentials.

CASE IN POINT:

Daughter: "It's just going to make the towels all scratchy!"
Mom: "Yes, but hanging them outside while we can will save on the electric bill."
Daughter: "I don't like it."
Mom: "I will spend the money I am spending on gas to haul you to ___ ___ ___ ___ to dry them then."
Discussion was closed~towels went on the clothes line in the nice sunny breezy 50 degree day.

I realize as someone living on a budget, it's NOT EASY! No, it is not. But any changes we make will be just that, changes we make and for the better!

I've heard it said that money is made in small amounts~while so true, a penny saved is a penny earned as well!
BTW~how low were you able to get your turkey per pound? 39Cents per LB is what we paid at
Bellefountain Kroger. Search for your own Kroger Turkey special
Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankfulness Cures the Blahs

2009-11-17T23:37:00.001-05:00

Do you ever feel like the task at hand is too big to be accomplished? Do you wonder if you will ever make it? Sometimes life does seem to dole out its share of ups and downs. Perhaps living on the budget plan is difficult when all around us is the call to spend and have more. Perhaps family relationships are stressed and strained making the family gatherings anything but a good time of peace and happiness. Perhaps...you fill in the blank here. Got a problem? Got an issue? Got a need?

It's the season for thanks...but finding it in our hearts might be tough. OK. It IS tough. But I want to suggest some ways to overlook and LOOK AROUND the garbage in this life to what is really, truly important. I SOBER my thinking with the thought of my passing and what possible inscription will find its way on my toombstone. I don't think it will read: BEST HOUSEKEEPER! or BEST DRESSED! or Trophy Wife or Hummanitarian or this thing/attribute or that. I think that more likely it will read: my name, birthdate and date of death along with MAYBE: Mother, Wife, Sister, Friend. . . or perhaps a Scripture. I don't believe that all the description of this world's cares that can drag us down like how our home looks or how we dress will find our way onto the final tally card before the Maker of all things, God. It's all just a "thang!" And for some of us, not a thing to concern ourselves with.

So to be thankful will require a focus shift from what to who. It will take us from the place of things and situations to people and the Creator. THANKFULNESS. Beging truly grateful for all we are given.

How do I become thankful when I have needs and wants? How do I become thankful when I just feel low?

This focus shift will requrie some work on our part. Do you journal? This is a good way to get your feelings out. Do you have a friend who will listen? Another way to take it off your mind. Do you make a list of all the good in your life? Do this! WRITE it ALLLL out. It's surprising how wonderful life is when we take the time to see~ Make a to do list of goals~make it short and long range in plans. These are just some ideas for shifting our focus to a place of being Thankful.

Turkey and dressing, beautiful table decor, family gatherings are all GREAT, but a thankful heart will bring us peace and joy~something that is much more satisfying than what can be gained by other methods!

Curing the blah with a thankful heart! I am thankful for each of you. Keep working your budget. Keep planning and thriving in this economy! WE CAN DO THIS!

Merry Christmas~FREE/Truly FREE Credit Report

2009-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know! Tending to the CREDIT SCORE might not be the thing any of us wants to do this Christmas season, but if we are wise . . .

I have found two; ok actually MORE YouTube really funny videos on free credit report offerings~ B U T Beware! These are NOT FREE but actually sign you up for a monthly service free for "credit monitoring." HA! AND SISTA ain't laughing, folks! $14.95 per mo is too much of my hard earned CASH when I can monitor it myself~especially since I don't use credit anymore! SO WHAT does a Sista do who wants to know her credit score and not get scammed and spammed. I headed to the Federal Trade Commission's website who is the gov. regulatory agency for credit reporting. You can read all about what they advise us to do
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm to truly FREELY access that all too valuable credit report.

NEED a SOBERING reality to keep the budget in check this HOLIDAY Season? Go get that credit report! Oh yeah...it will really make us think long and hard before we haul out the plastic and spend away on stuff that~OK...won't go here~but you get the point.

But I do want to share a very very funny youtube video on the scamming (hook you in type free report company) who has some very creative marketing~just beware and READ the fine print on some of these FREE offers! This is an example~but enjoy and I truly do applaud their creativity~but don't appreciate the WE ARE GOING TO SIGN YOU UP and IF YOU DON'T CANCEL=YOU WILL BE BILLED, blah, blah, blah!

Bite the bullet folks and check out your credit report with the FTC website's instructions and SAVE SOME MONEY this Christmas by thinking frugally using thrifty measures! Christmas is a celebration of the Savior and Goodwill and Peace on Earth~let's find ways that will keep these the focus on Dec 25th and on into the New Year!

Yippee! Whoohoo! WOWsy WOW WOW!

2009-11-11T04:36:00.009-05:00

Thank You!
for nominating me.
You may enjoy~
Frugal Fall Fun
Darn Those Socks!
50 Ways to Leave Your Debt

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I always want to hear from you!

Remember voting ends November 21st.

God bless you!

HOLIDAY Countdown

2009-11-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

With 6 weeks out, we need to consider how to best stay in our budgets and have a meaningful Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year holidays!

Here's some ideas:

Plan your meals and begin shopping.

I make bread dressing so it's about Sept that I start keeping bread ends and crusts for it along with tortilla and cracker crumbs and pieces...I have a bag in the freezer I throw it all in~those old hotdog/hamburg buns~crumbly saltines: all this kind of stuff...even potato chips and tortilla chips are good crumbled up in dressing!

I look for my turkey on sale, buy early or at the best price I can find (KNOW those prices!) and if it's too big, I have the butcher cut in half. I wrap and make twice. Don't over cook what your family will eat just becasue the 49cents a lb turkey is a 22lber!

Cranberry sauce on your list? Shop NOW...prices are sure to rise!

Do you make pumpkin pie? Hunt those supplies now!

I could go on and on about various dishes, but the whole thing is PAY LESS for what you are going to serve! Don't get caught off guard!

I asked the question on the fan page about how much debt reduction have you experienced. Next post I will share our numbers~It's amazing how we've been blessed!

Please remember that no matter the economic situation, the real blessings of the holidays is not measured in material things.  The food, gifts nor the decor will not matter as much as the love and family ties that are strengthened by the celebration of God's goodness in our lives! 

Be encouraged, the debt will go down as the THRIFT practices increase! You can take your savings and apply it towards debt~whoohoo! Debt FREE living is on its way!

Counting down to the holidays~making MY LIST and checking it thrice!

FREE eBook Thriving On Less

2009-11-07T01:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks Choyster Cash and MoneysavingMom for this read:
Thriving On Less
Who can't live without some more info on this great topic?

Deal of the Day Magazine Subscriptions

2009-11-07T01:14:00.001-05:00

If you like your favorite magazine on the cheap and delivered right to your door, then look at Best Deals Magazine for low cost subscription rates! Each day, there is a deal of the day~Here are the deals for this coming week: All pricing good until 12MN EST!

Monday Nov 9th Taste of Home 1 yr subscription $5.79
Tuesday Nov 10th Weight Watchers 1 yr subscription $6.98
Wednesday Nov 11th Body and Soul 1 yr subscription $5.29
Thursday Nov 12th Boy's Life 1 year $5.29
Friday Nov 13th Ultimate Motorcycling $3.89
Saturday Nov 14th Girl's Life $9.49
Sunday Nov 15th Mac Life $6.89

In addition to the daily deal there are weekly coupon specials:
SHOP N SAVE AT BEST DEAL MAGAZINES
Take An Extra 15% Off Most Titles
Code: PXSS1115 Offer Expires November 15, 2009
250+ Magazines under $10 with this coupon!
60+ Popular Magazines - Just $3.99 with this coupon!
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TAKE AN EXTRA $5 OFF $30 ORDER COUPON
Code: MNDSS1115 Offer Expires November 15, 2009
TAKE AN EXTRA $7.50 OFF $40 ORDER COUPON
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TAKE AN EXTRA $10 OFF $50 ORDER COUPON
Code: MQPSS1115 Offer Expires November 15, 2009

You could do all your Christmas shopping with such inexpensive GIFT subscriptions that will come all year long! Check out the titles of your choice~

Shopping Around SAVES!

2009-11-06T16:59:00.001-05:00

I've preached it; I've lived it! But hey, here's the testimony of Pat a friend of mine who told me that in shopping for some of the children's toys for her grands that she is finding a difference in pricing among the same chain stores in differing communities! WOW! Yeah, I knew that~becauuuuuuse like Pat said, it will be priced according to the supply and demand of an area. If you have a community nearby where you see more stores with more competition, prices are likely less...not always, but could be...especially if there are others of the same chain in the area. She saved over $20 when just "passing by" stores that were identical for the one in her community, but stopped to check the prices. Now it might not be a best practice to drive and use this costly gas at almost $3 a gallon just to check prices, but if you are passing by, stop and see. You might save some hard earned cash and make Lincoln go a little further this coming season~AND hey! NOW is the time...shop shop shop shop and shop some more until you find that lowest price!

In my home, we are going to hit sales AND hit the after Christmas market when in January everything will be less~ALL electronics will be for sure! WATCH AND SEE~got older kids? Give them a gift certif (homemade) promising a certain cash amount and teach them to shop...the money will go further and the child will learn~HEY, this is a win-win! Anytime we save and teach we have done a GREAT JOB!
Begin shopping NOW!
Christmas is less than 6 weeks out! SAVINGS begins today!

The Economy and a DEPRESSION?

2009-11-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

I recently was introduced to a book that the title really shocked me! It talked about a "second depression" like was experienced in the 1930's. . . IS ANYBODY hearing any of this in the media?? NO! But folks, not to be a doomsday prophet, LOOK AROUND~unemployment is at an all time high since the depression that literally had people in soup kitchen lines and starving! Ever watch the movie, Grapes of Wrath? This is one of the saddest movies about a family looking for economic viability after losing their home; from place to place they wonder, looking and working~being cheated and down cast! Now I am NOT saying that we are in such straights, but I am so fearful we may head this way that I am continuing to write about tried and true old timey ways of making it with less!

OK..so what I am saying isn't fun or popular! I understand that if you aren't in economic straights right now and life seems secure you don't think you need these ideas. But rest assured that if you ever do, SisterT will be sharing right on, as now that unemployement has reached somewhere around 20-25% it's NOT getting better! Read the economic forecasters, the journals! No one is predictiving a good outcome~and while some markets have improved, people are still losing jobs, losing homes and businesses. Outsourcing over seas~ha! EVEN THE proposed North American Alliance will suck jobs out of America and if a leveled playing field is established then think what kind of conditions Americans will live in to compete with Mexico!

Soooo what to do?
SAVE and become Thrifty! I know it's not a fun topic. I know it's not fun to think about every nickle and penny. But IN THE END, there will be peace in knowing your family will not be on the streets! I am never more amazed at the women I see prefering foreign made items to those that are produced by American workers or yet~cottage industry! We've BEEN SUCKERED folks by our own greed! Sorry, but this frugal blog can't dance around the issues any longer, and we must address our situations before we LOSE THE FARM~literally! Wise economic decisions can be a blessing for years to come as can poor decisions reak havoc for just as long! Sometimes it's longer!

Please consider your spending and saving habits~your lifestyle! WHERE can you cut your excess? What can you make do, live without, find a new purpose for, recycle, change and just flat get rid of?

These are not easy questions, and they are intensely personal. I ask you, what's better: A NEW bauble or paying the light bill? Sound silly? It's not. There are people everyday who are in the situations of having to ask for help because their money doesn't go far enough, and when that high bill comes in~"what they hay, I can't pay it anyway...so I'll take my poor kids to the fast food joint (because I don't want them deprived!) and pray to God somebody helps me pay the light bill! YOU THINK I AM KIDDING? NOT! And listen, turning off lights when not necessary is only one stategy for lower the light bill.

I am CALLING YOU to ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now is the time! NOW NOW NOW!
If you would like to speak with me concerning any ideas or how I can help leave me comment where I can contact you.
Saving NOW

Christmas LightsTrade In/Discount

2009-10-30T02:40:00.002-04:00

You can trade in your old Christmas

LIGHTS for a discount on new ones!

Home Depot's Light Deal

Christmas truly is right around the corner!

Let's save every way we can!

Taking care of Lincoln, so Washington will take care of me ;-))

50% off Payless COUPON good through 10/31

2009-10-29T18:35:00.001-04:00

Don't MISS OUT~

Take advantage of HUGE savings!

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091016-tows-payless

Print the Coupon AND Head on over and get yourself some shoes! Whoohoo!

Post 100~It's ALL About Saving!

2009-10-28T02:44:00.002-04:00

This is Thriving's 100th post!
Let's celebrate!
I would like to offer a FREE Frugal Consultation to a randomly drawn winner if you will leave me a comment and tell me where you have shared this give a way with others.

Drum Roll Please~

You CAN WIN a FREE Consultation with me to discuss debt busting and budget boosting in this economy~how do you need to tighten up or buckle down?

Don't be misled~there are many out there who are telling you HOW to SPEND your money, but few are telling you HOW TO SAVE IT~

Leave a comment with your contact info. I will randomly chose a winner on Nov. 1st so you can get going on a debt busting/budget building plan for your family.

I am looking forward to hearing from you! Pass the word!

Square Foot Gardening Post

2009-10-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

If you are short on yard, but long on desire for a garden this coming growing season, here is a link Square Foot Gardening to show just how it is done. We had a traditional garden in the yard kind of garden, along with a raised bed in an old car-top carrier for our leaf lettuce, spinach, celery and basil. This kept the bunny out of our patch because it was up high away from his reach . . . and hubby had strung some wire about ear height to prevent him from WANTING to come into the patch to get the tomatoes, peppers, squash and pumpkins.

Enjoy planning NEXT year's harvest~

Sick!

2009-10-24T11:19:00.001-04:00

Anybody wondering about this "panandemic" swine flu H1N1?

If we don't have it, we sure are sick! But what is swine flu and how is it treated?

To find my information I went to the CDC (Centers For Disease Control). I didn't want to deal in the hype and hyperness of all the media stuff~frankly I generally gain all my information through research, not news broadcasts of sort, not that they don't contain some truth, but I wanted to go to the most authoratative source possible. With this in mind, I'm not going to try and assimilate or verbage the info on their website, but give you the links so you can go to it yourself. Each of us has to make our own, and we hope it an informed, decision about our health care...that's what the professionals say, right?

Here's the link:

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
Here you will find a US and World map showing numbers of confirmed cases, and even suggested measures to prevent contracting this strain of flu this year.

For questions, please call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) TTY: 1-888-232-6348 or email cdcinfo@cdc.gov to reach English or Spanish-speaking representative, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (from the YouTube Channel.)

CDC's recommendations for home care and OTC medications.
Remember to use these at your own risk and at the advice of your physician.

Cruising around YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/CDCstreamingHealth
Here you will find all sorts of topics covered from emergency preparedness, illnesses, to vaccines. It's also interesting to note that there are links to 15 governmental entities such as The US State Department, The White House, NASA and more~pretty neat place for info . . .

It's my prayer that we all stay

healthy this flu season.

I want to share some of Sister T's "comfort measures," with you, NOT TO REPLACE your doctor's advice please, and use your own judgment or risk here. Obviously if you have an allergy to something I suggest, please don't do it~Stay safe!
Be sure to check out CDC's Homecare Measures to assure you are doing what's best for you. Call your doctor is you feel you need to do so! There have been death associated with Swine Flu.

1. Hot tea (caffience free/herbal variety) sweetened with honey helps a sore throat.

2. Ramen noodle fan? I am! Cook 'em up according to instructions and you can add fresh onion and celery, even poach eggs in the broth PRIOR to adding noodles~for a little zing: add black pepper! The hot broth is salty and very soothing to the throat, inflamed sinuses, and chest.

3. Rice Buddy: Now this is not a fancy-schmancy heat pack~but frugal SistaT's version on a dine: Got an old sock? One with no holes, ok? Fill with rice to taughtness, but leave enough room to tie the end. Heat in the microwave no more than about 3 min to make hot. HINT: these will burn and smell awful~so less is more! BE CAREFUL~the Rice Buddy gets hot and can burn you. Do not use on young children!

4. Hot Shower: With water as warm as is comfortable, take a nice long hot shower to moisten your sinus and bronchial passages and the deal with achyness.

5. Vitamin C: We like the drops for cough with a menthol kick, now don't use if you are allergic or have another contraindication for use!

6. Hot rubbing creams: I live all the ones that get really hot and smell really strong. . .I have been known to rub my forehead and even into my scalp when my sinuses where so inflamed~now use caution here and don't do tihs if it's unsafe for you. . .Vicks Vapor Rub is similar~I use what I have on hand, which right now is Icy Hot. My favorite is a cheapie called "Arthritis Hot." It's really hot. Somehow this stuff seems to decrease the inflammation of the areas and this relieves the pain.

7. Nice tissues: Ever have a "raw nose" from blowing? Invest in good quality tissues for an event like the flu. If you have to deal with a "raw nose" or soreness and irritation from blowing and wiping, then use some Vaseline. It's an old product that STiLL works! Hey, again~if you are allergic: don't use!

8. Comfy Blanky: Do you have a favorite throw or afghan? Now is the time to hunker down and stay warm and cozy. Take a nap. REST!

9. Humidifier: This is one of the best investments our family has made. We have a cool mist humidifier that we will run all winter as our winters are dry, but when we have nasal, bronchial cough and congestion this is a lot of relief. Last winter I dried out so that my eyes became scratchy. This was absolutely miserable! The humidifier helps! Beats chemicals in the eyes!

10. Stay hydrated: Drink, drink, drink! I recommend good water! I don't drink loads of juices and other drinks unless it's for nutrition. In fact, just remember that juices are loads of sugar and calories. Now if you need these~dive in! (Consult your doctor, please!) But for me, I don't need the calories unless the juice becomes my calories...

11. Honey and lemon: Now this could be mixed in tea, but an old time remedy was to put honey on a spoon and then put a drop of lemon juice smack dab in the center. This can soothe a cough! There are precautions about honey for infants. I don't have the details, but research this if you plan to give to a young child. I do recommend something that I've done that helps my allergies concerning honey. Find a local source from a local bee keeper. You will get the added benefits of fresh homegrown honey as well as the benefit of local pollen desensitization for eating something that the bees made with local pollens. IF YOU HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIES~consult your MD first!

These are my comfort measures to stay well or to relieve us when we get sick. I try my best to lay off the antibiotics until the last resort because they actually weaken the immune system further opening the way for infections. I learned some time ago that most of my illnesses were viral and antibiotics do NOTHING for a virus.

Please remember I am not trying to be a doctor, or practitioner of any kind but share what I have personally found to be helpful when I am sick...and right now, I am sick. I found out a few days ago (after the symptoms hit us!) that we'd been exposed to the swine...so stay well!
Here's my earlier post Ways to AVOID Getting Sick!

An online self assessment as seen on CNN: Microsoft's H1N1 Flu Assessment Quiz

Time to heat the Rice Buddy~

Pumpkin Carving? SAVE Those Seeds!

2009-10-22T01:12:00.000-04:00

I love roasted pumpkin seeds, and they are really good!
Here's a recipe from Mom Fuse Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!
Enjoy, and if you are carving the pumpkin~save these...we like pie so we use it all...

EASY PUMPKIN for pie
Here is Libby's pumpkin pie recipe AND loads of tips

even a tutorial on how to make homemade pie crust!

I have grown to dislike the pumpkin from a can. I like the taste and texture which is different when fresh. It was my mother in law, Margret who told me years ago how she prepares her pumpkins for pie~Thanks Mom!
So many have said to me, "it's that easy?" when I have shared just how easy it really is~

Steps to Preparing Fresh Pumpkin:

Wash the outside of the pumpkin.
Heat oven to about 350 degrees F.
Cover a cookie sheet or baking pan with foil to catch drippings.
Stab or place holes with a knife all over the outside of the pumpkin~about 4-6.
Place pumpkin into the oven and bake it WHOLE until it's outer skin is brown.
Remove and let cool completely.
Slice open, remove seeds and strings.
Scoop out the "flesh" of the pumpkin~no cutting needed: you can literally scrape it off the skin.
Put into zip lock bags and freeze or measure and make pie~yum!!

I like to put our fresh pumpkin into a food processor or mash with a potato masher to smooth out the texture. But boy is this yummy in homemade pumpkin pie~AND Oh so healthy!

HERE's another Tip:

Buy your pumpkins when they go on sale after the season. We've paid as little as 25 cents each!

THIS IS A Cost Saver for sure!

Thankfulness ALL Year Long

2009-10-21T14:33:00.000-04:00

It's the season to be thankful. Of course, we should be thankful all year long! What are you most thankful for? As a woman working with her family (hub and two kids) I am thankful that we finally saw the situation we were in and where we were heading! I attribute this realization to God who has shown us why it is wrong to be in debt and overly concerned with the possessions of this world.

So with Thanksgiving in sight, I want to share some frugal ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving. Let's keep the course for a wonderful season of thankfulness!

1. Mindset~This is the hardest part, I think. Am I truly thankful for what I have? Am I content and fulfilled with the blessings I have been given? Commit now that each day leading to Thanksgiving to think of something or someone that you are thankful for~begin a log or journal. Write them down if you want to, but purposely begin a "thankful journey" towards the holidays.

2. The Celebration~Menu plan. Guest plan. Decorate plan.
If we get ourselves in gear NOW, things won't sneak up on us to rob us of some of the joy of the day~Ever get caught rushing around at the last minute and feeling rushed? I have~not this year! Let's commit to planning NOW.

Watch for the sale of your favorite "turkey"~is it turkey for you? Last year we didn't have an oven (we were in temporary housing without an oven, but we were able to borrow a large roaster from our church which made delishious turkey! STRESS over!)
Are family and friends coming to your home? Plan it now~I would begin the preparations of cleaning and how to set the table or even just seat everyone. Do you need extra tables, chairs, dishes, pots and pans? Borrowing and lending is an economical way not to hit the rental shops for items needed. Do you verbally invite by phone or do you send written invites? Plan these now! Or you might be like our family, celebrating with just us. This is nice too, but I've had it both ways. I'd say that having family around is wonderful. I'd even encourage it, if it's possible. You can invite those who would enjoy your company for the celebration: friends long from home who are new to town, singles, anyone who would enjoy joining you for Thanksgiving.
A lot of emphasis is placed on decorations today for every holiday. I enjoy a pretty table with linens and candles. Not everyone thinks like this, so if you aren't into it, or prefer the disposables, then by all means go a head~but just remember that using the more convenient items like this can be more costly. Look around NOW for table covers that are inexpensive. I have found some of my prettiest ones in thrift stores and at yard sales~sheets: for around $4 you can have a twin flat sheet of almost any color to adorn your table . . . sheets wash up nicely too and are easy to reuse!

Ideas for inexpensive table decorations:
I like to use what I have. Do you have a fresh bag of apples or other fruit? A pretty basket? You can combine these along with some fall leaves from your favorite colorful tree and have a nice centerpiece for the day~I am all about being able to GET RID OF IT after the fact too~but these are not items that I would be wasting or filling the landfill with~my kids would eat the fruit and the leaves will generally fall anyway off the tree and end up in the compost~so it's easy this way...

Do you have any pine cones? I love these, and as a southern gal, seeing these all over the yard: Have the kids made a "turkey pine cone or two or more! All you need are some color construction paper (several colors) and pinecones. They are really cute for the table!
Another idea is to put pinecones or like this year, I am using Buckeye nuts in a basket for a centerpiece. Candles are nice. . .what do you like? Do you have some goards or small pumpkins you have not prepared for eating yet?
With apples in mind, you can use an apple as a holder for a floral arrangement. Core out the center and stick your flowers inside. This is quite pretty, and you can use pumpkins for this too if you have a huge table. You can also use a canning jar for a country vase~got any ribbon or yarn? tie it around the top!About.com's table arrangements Hey, it's almost funny, but I found this exact picture~I didn't know someone else has done these!

Thankfulness is truly a matter of the heart and mind, and being prepared so that stresses don't jump on us will make the holiday nicer!

Being thankful today for ALL my blessings,
I am on budget! Are you?

Mending and Making Them Last~Sock "Darning"

2009-10-20T02:55:00.005-04:00

Clothing is a huge expense in our lives. Let's face it! Since Adam, we have needed some type of clothing to cover us, and with the costs rising and our resources shrinking, we need to find ways to put some extra life into the ones we have for just a few more wearings!

Do you know how to darn a sock, sew on a button, mend a broken seam? These three ESSENTIAL skills are cost savers in the home.
My mother, Betty says that if we mend and fix then we get more life to an item and then we can save our money for items when we find sales or in the thrift stores.

Consider this for a minute. You have some socks that belong to your hubby. He's got a hole in about 5 of the socks in his collection. BTW~are you buying the same color and style? This is a huge saver too! I can see the need for specialty socks for say, athletics, but for everyday~make an easy match: same color and brand. This will make matching and cleaning easier too~so much less time! But there is a hole in five of the pairs of socks. Do you just throw it out? Sometimes a sock will literally discentegrate, but let me say that you can fix this too with the right methods. The idea is to use it up~EVER hear me that THAT before?? We want to use every little bit we can so that we can utilize our resources, our money to the fullest extent.

Great Reasons to Mend~

Here's How:

For a hole that needs "darning:" You will need a light bulb, perferably a burned out one so if it drops you have lost nothing useful other than your "darning tool,"(you can purchase a "darning egg" which is a wooden egg, but this works fine. Just be sure not to break the bulb as you work!), a darning needle, and some matching soft fine yarn (match the color of the sock. The match is they key to success as well as "darning" in a smooth way!

Here's that video which the news report referred to ;-))

Darning socks is really a cost saver and will prevent having to throw even the store version away~Did you catch what was said about the commercially made ones? hmmm...anyway, these can be "darned" too!

I will post again about sewing buttons and seams~for now, hunt down those socks that need attention and "darn" them!

darning socks=saving green$

Winter Preparedness~Furnace and Fuels

2009-10-18T14:43:00.000-04:00

Heat!

I love to be warm. In my first home, which was a 1968 mobile home which I payed cash for and sold two years later for the same, was heated by fuel oil. It had a huge tank that sat behind the house and each winter at least twice I'd call the "fuel man" to come and put in what I needed so I could run my furnace and stay warm. This was in my early days of singlehood and I was so proud of my home! That little trailor was so unlike the modular homes of today. It has roll out windows, no carpet~but tile flooring and acutal paneling and wood cabinetry. I loved it except that it was only 8 feet wide~CAN YOU IMAGINE? God has really blessed me in the 25 years since! But in those days I had to put plastic over my windows to shut out the winter chill, and I also had to roll up towels at the doors to keep out winds. I used insulated curtains too!

While I no longer live in such a tiny home, praise God with my family of four, I do still use some of those methods to keep us safe and warm each year! Let me say we are blessed with double glass high efficiency windows with storms so I am not rolling the plastic out, visqueen over them anymore! But if you have old windows, invest in a good heavy plastic and cover them up. Use roll shades instead of miniblinds to block drafts and for more insulation, use insulated drapes. This will keep the cold from coming in and heat from escaping!

For door drafts: I like weatherstripping, but if I can't do that, I use a rug or roll an old towel to keep out drafts as best we can. There is a roll type insulated curtain you can purchase to insulate door areas, but I don't have this system. We do have old doors in this home we are redoing, and hubby is trying to redo the back door...it sticks and while has fresh paint, it's not tight in the frame. I was given a beautiful antique door, farmhouse style with custom stained glass work from a dear friend. Hubby has promised to rework the antique door and weatherstrip it for us this year! The kicker is we have 6 exterior doors LOL! Our home was originally a duplex! So it's three on each side!! Well, I am excited to be replacing this kitchen door for this very pretty one!

Exterior light and electrical covers. Think of the draft that this can let into your home! Be sure they are covered with approved covers~we don't want any fires! I can feel the air flowing through a couple of mine...I need to see to this quick!

Furnace filters. Replace and clean this area~it's amazing how much dirt can accumulate here! (I couldn't resist this pic~it's a good example of what kinds of filth loom in areas we don't think about! The best furnace filers we ever had are the electrostatic ones...love those for getting out time little stuff!)

Ducts and duct covers. I was looking at our church duct covers and realized they need cleaning...I need to purchase some as some were too destroyed as part of the overall poor condition of our home, but before I install new ones, I can reach as far as I can to vacuum and clean the duct with a damp cloth. NO water! Just a way to wipe the surface for a fresh duct...of course there are pro duct cleaning services~I like to do it this way!

Wood burning stoves and fireplaces require maintence too. Have you had your chimney inspected? It's wise to do this every so often and cleaned to build ups don't cause fires. Do you have all the wood you will need? If not wood, wood pellets or coal or whatever? Now is the time to prepare! I do have a gas cook top stove so this would help some, but no real heat source...we are working on this though as I do own a Ben Franklin stove that would be great somewhere in our home...stoke the stove and letter roar!!

I like to have additonal heat sources available to me in case our gas furnace or lights go out. Last year in KY was the worst ice storm on record and many people were plain miserable! I don't have a generator, but it's a good idea if you live in temps like we do that get into the below single digits!!

Being prepared now makes winter months go more smoothly when icy winds and chills are present. Check on your windows, heat source, doors~weatherstripping and if you have an additional heat source! Better now than sorry!

Frugal Fall Fun

2009-10-16T00:07:00.002-04:00

Simplicity is best. Boy, I wish I had learned this a few years ago before I had run myself ragged and worn out chasing that star that fleeted across the sky in my life! Today I am much more laid back, perhaps in some ways, too much so, that I am enjoying a quieter simpler life. The sparkles and glitz that once caught my eye no long hold attraction for me as I am quietly living my life in contentedness and thrift. Oh, I have some needs, like everyone. . . I even have some hefty wants! But I am no longer driven by those desires to HAVE, but more in the way of becoming and being~
With these thoughts in mind, I want to offer some suggestions for some family enjoyment for this time of year. It's getting quite cold in some parts of our nation; my friend L. in MT has already seen winter's first snow, while my dearest friend, T. is still swealtering in northern FL. No matter what area of the country, Autumn is here~colors are changing; it's time to have some fun!

1. Campfires and roasting marshmellows.

2. A cup of hot tea or hot chocolate with a friend.

3. A drive to savor the gorgeous landscape painted in the colors of Autumn.

4. Finding an apple archard or stand if an orchard isn't nearby, making some homemade apple treats:
apple cider, apple sauce, apple butter, apple fritters, pies, pancakes, cobblers, crisps...CARAMEL apples and candy apples~or just a good ole FRESH crisp apple~oooh how I love the smell!

5. Walking on wooded trails.

6. Riding bikes~what about a race with the kids?

7. Making a fort out of raked leaves or jumping in them!

8. Going to a "corn maze" for some fun with the kids!

9. Climbing a tree~yeah, I won't...but my kids like to do this!

10. Star gazing on a cool clear night~You can gaze at the clouds and sunset or rise too!

11. Transplanting a tree now that the sap is down.

12. Hot soup: potato, tomato, French onion, Taco, Veggie, cheese . . .YOUR favorite in a mug!

13. Camping in a tent~now I am not one for this, but I love the idea!! I do like to camp in fall, as we have a hardshell camper.

14. Carving a walking stick from a fallen tree limb.

15. Plant flower bulbs for spring!

16. Open up the house and enjoy the cool weather! (Of course if it's freezing outside this is out!)

17. Press a pretty Autumn natual leaf in a book.

18. "Pick" some Autumn leaf branches to decorate the mantle of your home...find pine cones, and nuts~natural beauty for the fall season. . .

19. Grill hot dogs over an open fire in the yard~Campfire stew is awesome too.

20. Begin an afghan or quilting project so that when it's cold, you will be well covered as you work!

WHAT ideas for FALL Fun do you like to do? What's your favorite?
Falling for Autumn frugally in fun,

Making Dirt

2009-10-15T04:56:00.000-04:00

I've posted a good deal about our garden and our wonderful tomato harvest this year and some of our methods for growing in the garden in our back yard. I want to discuss composting as a great way of making soil for enriching the earth for growing medium in the garden.

There are many ideas on composting, but I like cheap...uh...oh...well, I think frugal sounds better~so it's frugal and easy!

I am going to list some links with good methods with summaries of how they are done so at a glance you can take a look to see what will work for your space for composting.

EPA on composting
I found this site to have a lot of information that was even geared geographically. There is a list of publications and also FAQs.

EPA on Organics for Composting
Very informative about what makes great compost!

Composting 101
Nice website that is informative~has bins to chose from and loads of information. This writer is in MT so growing is an issue and this is discussed. How Composting Works is very informative on how to create the place and how it's done.

OK~here are just a few good sites. Remember to prepare the garden will require some prep. Composting 101 suggested putting the compost pile or bin or receptacle near the garden~makes sense to me!

We have a friend who gardens who has prepared his garden for spring by spreading manure for it to 'set' all winter. This will enrich the soil as well. But my FIRST recommendation before adding these is to have the soil tested by your county extension agent. You will want to know what your soil needs FIRST!

Getting READY for a full harvest after a full season of growing which is AWESOME for my budget!

Homemade Laundry "Soap Box"

2009-10-14T01:26:00.001-04:00

There was a little debate going on today over the most economical way to have laundry soap for doing clothes. Apparently the Duggar Family have put on their website the "recipe" for homemade laundry soap that I've seen around for several years, and even seen some YouTube demos on how to make it...guess she's economizing too~which is GREAT!

Well, the questions were something like "did it really work" and "how many loads?" I have never made this stuff. I have seen the demos like I said from YouTube, but it looks like "goop" to me, and well, up until recently I had my favorite 'brand' and was unwilling to part with it...but then the economic crunch came, and I got on the band wagon to economizing~hence my 200 loads for $15 at Sam's Club which I use 1/2 the amounts so I am getting 400 loads for the same price equalling 4 CENTS a load!!!!!!!!!! and IF I were to use the full amount, just double it to 8 cents a load! This is amazing...and I don't have to cook and gloop and glop...and slop....sorry folks, but SisterT while she is thrifty, and Oh soooo frugal...has a few limits...ever found some of those supplies the recipe calls for? Fels Naptha soap??? PLEEEEEEZE! OK...so IF you think it's GREAT~leave me a shout...otherwise, I am NOT going to try this one...sorry folks... not me.
You can read all my laundry tips HERE !
Counting my time as money too,

Using It UP~Oatmeal boxes and Coffee Cans

2009-10-13T04:17:00.001-04:00

I really hate to throw out stuff that can be re-purposed. I have a couple of neat uses for ~

Oatmeal boxes:

1. Cookie/candy give a way containers. Line with wax paper and decorate with Christmas paper. Use to give away your fresh baked goods for family and friends. Let the kids decorate them for a personal touch!

2. Store dry goods. I have stored extra items such as bulk macaroni and dried beans. They stay very nice. It's food grade, so it stores things very nicely.

3. Child's drum. Let your child decorate with construction paper and with the lid on, tap for a drum sound!

4. Sewing thread storage. Do you have loads of the stuff and have no where to keep it? Here ya go!

5. Small toy storage for a child's room...remember that drum? Well, this box can be decorated and small cars and other toys can be stored inside it.

Coffee Cans:

For metal cans~

Party lights~I like to take an "all" and punch holes for a pattern. Then I turn the bottom right side up and place a candle over for a neat outdoor party light to line my walkway...

Food storage~everything from bake goods as gifts, to anything that will fit.

GREASE trap~I like to pour grease off my cooking into a coffee can with a lid so I can store it until it's pretty full or before it goes bad and then toss.

Kid's cooking fun~ Take an empty metal coffee can, punch some holes~you can use the can opener or an all, but make some holes so the can will breathe near the rim of the top. Be sure the label is removed. Scrub the bottom. Take a sterno can and light. Place this on a sturday table and place over it the can with the holes with the bottom facing the top. Prepare grill cheese for the 'stove' and set on top...flip when heated through...This is fun for an outdoor camp out!

For plastic coffee cans~

I like the way they stack. Store sugar and other dry goods in these. Label with a permanent marker.
Use as a huge scoop to remove water in larger quantities such as in a pool or decorative pond. The handle makes this nice!

You can use as storage for food items...but I don't care to use them as gift givers because they aren't as attractively shaped and are more difficult to decorate, but they make wonderful rice, flour, bean, pasta storage and MORE! Remember these stack really nicely!

What are you doing with these?

Winter Time Prepardness

2009-10-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

There's already snow in some areas of he United States in an early blast of cold frigid temps! I am looking at my home and thinking I had better get it in gear to make our home winter ready...we live in a climate of snow and ice~blustery winds with a chill of often 30 below...it's harsh condition such as these that require some measures to keep us warm and safe in winter.

My hubby has been doing repairs to our home's siding and windows. If you don't know, we recently purchased our home, a repo that was a great deal financially for our family with the goal of becoming 100% debt free in five years, so that an older home with needed repairs was the way to go in this "buyers market." But along with this purchase came needed and REQUIRED repairs. (Be sure to calculate these costs into your home's sales price if you are looking to purchase a home like this...but for the handy, it's very economical...more on this another time!) So we have a cracked window and a storm window missing. Today, the window is going to the glass shop and the storm will have to be replaced. It's not salvagable! Along with these, I am going to put up a check list of things, some maintence, and others just plain ole housekeeping to get us ready for winter...STAY WARM!

Evaluate your bedding situation.
Do you have enough blankets and comforters to keep the beds warm at night? We turn down our thermostat at night, and this makes for cooler sleeping and needed bedding. Do you purchase or make your bedding? Begin crocheting or quilting or even shopping for what you need. We like electric blankets. I invested in one for each bed several years ago. Also consider if you lose power. If you do or don't have an alternate heat source, covers on a bed will make a great difference in comfort and possibly survival...

1. Crocheting a blanket.

2. Quilting a blanket.

3. Purchasing a blanket, quilt or electric blanket.

Links

for Crochet:

Crochet Pattern Central
For warmer blankets, I like 100% cotton yarn:
Peaches and Cream 100% cotton yarns
Wool and Acrylic yarns
Lion Brand Yarn

for Quilting:
Love to Know~Quick and Easy Quilting
I've made something not unlike this quick and easy quilt which I have heard called a "cheater quilt." The biggest difference in the size of the project is this~the size of the pieces of fabric (front and backs with batting) you are working with. I made both my children 'cheater quilts' about seven or eight years ago.

Cheryl's Cheater Quilt Method:

Chose two coordinating patterned or one solid, one patterned fabrics.
Purchase 1 and 1/2 yards OF EACH TWICE~this may sound silly, but let the fabric store lady cut two pieces of your fabrics 1 1/2 yds each.
Do this for both top and bottom. You should have six yards total.
Purchase batting whichever loft for a twin bed.
Bring home and wash the fabrics to preshrink and release dyes.
Take one of the either top or bottom fabric 11/2 yd pieces and cut down the center vertically.
(You should have two long 1/2 width pieces of your fabric now.) Do this for the other as well.
With right sides together, stitch the salvage edges of one top side fabric to the other side so that when pressed and opened, the pattern is facing each. You will do both sides of the unsplit 11/2 piece with the split 1/1/2 pieces. This will make your top or bottom a double width of the fabric width your purchased either 36" x2! Press open all the seams! This will lay ever so nicely on a twin bed as the seems will fall to the edges.
Do the other fabric the same way.
When both are stitched up, then go to your bed or the largest bed in your home OR on a large table or carpeted floor. I like to use a big bed.
With right side facing the bedspread, lay the bottom fabric down on the bed. You will see the seams of the bottom where you have pressed them open.
On top, lay the batting for the quilt you purchased.
Then facing the ceiling, lay the top of the quilt top onto the layers.
Use quilting pins to secure all over.
Begin at the center and work to the edges to smooth any wrinkles. Pin as you go.
When you get to the outer edges, roll the top over the bottom for a "rolled edge" where the top is seen on the bottom. Pin all the way around to secure your quilt.

The first handsewing you will do is to hand sew with a 'whip stitch" around the edges of this quilt. Short close together stitches with double thread in the needle will work to secure the blanket tighter and will be less likely to come apart.

There are a couple of options for securing the inside of this quilt:
1. You can stitch around (quilt) any repeating motif in the pattern. For my daughters, there were butterflies, so I did a certain colored butterfly.
OR
2. You can use a very large bore needle and yarn, running it through all layers and tying it in square knots.
OR
3. You can use flat buttons of any shape, color or variety if you like. If you have them too ;-))
OR
4. You can hand stitch lines like a grid pattern to hold the layers.

Once your quilt is all secure, you are ready to place it on your bed. These are very nice, and I have found much more durable than purchased comforters which with washing generally come apart.

For purchased blankets, I suggest shopping sales. I like yard/garage sales and thrift stores as well. To match color schemes, I have made covers for my blankets and comforters to keep costs down.

Stay warm and let's all get prepared for winter's chill with checking on our bedding for the season!

I have an AWARD!

2009-10-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

Thank You The Mama Zone for this Award!

Go by and visit her blog~wow!

I am impressed by what she's got going on!

Here's My List of The Best Blog Award Winners:
On Building A Better Blog...Brent Riggs
Learning By Living
Homeschooling Hearts and Minds
Creative Learners
Train Up A Child
Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer
Stretching A Buck
Cents to Get Debt Free

The Best Blog Award rules are:

To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Please check out my Reading List on the lower right too~AWESOME as well!
Blessings to my picks!
YOU are GREAT and I have gleaned so much from each of you!!

TRACK those Expenses!

2009-10-10T14:17:00.000-04:00

I seem to say a lot about how to be cheap and frugal to save all we can so we have all we can, but along with all the thrifty measures you can take, it's soooooo wise to keep track of all of your money by tracking where your money is going. I have encouraged keeping a list of shopping prices in that handy dandy notebook, but what about tracking where the money is actually going each day, week, month and year? It's essential to know where a "leak" is occurring before it can be fixed. When we know where our money goes, then we are more prepared to make the decisions needed to either slow or stop the money going out of our lives...

Several Choices to TRACK $
I can think of several ways to track your spending. There are several computer programs designed to track the trends for you in the form of spread sheets and IF you already own one,,,go right on a head and USE it! But if you don't have Quicken or another one...then you can use Excel to create your own spread sheet, OR purchase a ledger style tablet to put in a notebook...but I have an even more economical idea:

Notebook paper or spiral bound notebook. You will want to track over the next month and year even...so a notebook, or a way to keep up with each month is essential. KEEP up with the papers! I like a notebook. For less than $1 you can economically have a way to keep up with the "bills" and expenses~everywhere money is spent. A stapler is handy too. Staple receipts to the back of the page. A stapler is multi purpose, so it's a good investment.

Set your pages up for each month.

Begin NOW~start the month you are reading my post.

Write the name of the month on the top line. To the right put the year.

Skip down a line.

Take a ruler or straight edge and make a line so that you have five (5) columns.

Column 1; DUE DATE
Column 2: ITEM
Column 3: AMOUNT DUE
Column 4: DATE PAID
Column 5: CATEGORY

The column are useful to track the money going out of the home. The most important column is CATEGORY. These can be as you set them up in your budget: Mortgage, Rent, Utilities, Food, Clothing, Fun...you can list these any way you want. Be sure that you cover even such things as Fuel, Insurance (health, life and auto), Care Maintence, and Gifts. Don't make separate columns for each of these, but devise a code for them, and WRITE IT DOWN in the notebook, just in case you forget...It's essential to track all the spending so you can see just where the funds are going.

Sometimes it's going to be tough in catagorizing the expenditures. When going out to eat, is this necessary so it would be food, which it is, or is it fun, which it is? IF you are trying to lower your expenses because there is not enough to cover each month, then categorize it under fun and keep that category on a strict "budget" meaning you a lot just a certain amount either weekly or monthly so you can pick and chose what you want to spend your FUN MONEY on~it might be eating out or you might want a movie rented or at the theater...THIS method gives you choices~AND the money is there...in the budget for such, not stolen from the essentials.

I will talk more about budgeting and categories next time. For now, hunt up and repurpose a notebook not already used UP! This is a great way to save, even if it's just the $1 start up cost!

Free Shampoo Coupon

2009-10-10T02:18:00.000-04:00

Head over to
https://herbalgiveaway.safeprocessing.com/
for a 12 oz bottle of shampoo!
Whoohoo!

Fitness on a Dime or Less

2009-10-10T02:11:00.000-04:00

I'm old enough to remember when aerobics and fitness centers became the rage for middle America! Women donned on leotards and tights for a jazzy workout to pop hits and golden oldies crunching the bod so that fitness could be obtained. Today there are other places that offer getting fit, but generally they all have one thing in common~A FEE!

It doesn't have to cost anything to become active and get healthier.

Thanks Nicole for the tip on how to get fit economically.

Nicole told me that she's a power walker~a runner who uses a local park with a walking path to get fit each day. This is saving the cost of a membership or home equipment and provides outdoor recreation and fun not only for herself, but her children. You go, Nicole!

Tips:
1. Walk the neighborhood.

2. Park at the back of the parking lot and walk further into the store.

3. Make an extra round around the grocery or superstore pushing that full cart of items. WATCH out for pedestrians! lol!

4. After church, make a trot around the Sanctuary. Wait until everyone is gone and peddle on by the pews...

5. If you have a staircase, go up an extra time and down each day...then add as the weeks progress...then start carrying items...

6. Lift canned goods with your arms to tone and strengthen. You can use 4# sugar bags also~be sure to work up to this...

7. Ride your bike around the neighborhood.

8. Mow the grass/edge/clip bushes/sweep sidewalks and porches.

9. Take up an active hobby~skating, rollerblades or ice skating or even skateboarding..BE SURE to wear protective gear...nobody wants to get hurt!

10. Play with your children. Go play chase, hide and seek, freeze tag and more...Red-Rover, jump rope, hop scotch, kick ball, base ball, volley ball, soccer, foot ball...pick your favorite.

Fitness does not need to cost the arm and leg we are trying to make healthy...Let's do it on the cheap!

Thanks again Nicole for the great idea and tip!

Using It UP~Cardboard boxes

2009-10-08T14:34:00.010-04:00

Ever notice how much cardboard comes into our homes? There's packing boxes, shoe boxes, boxes for appliances and gadgets, all kinds shapes and sizes! So what are we going to do with all that cardboard?

Here are a few ideas, and if you have one or many~let me know...

USES:
1. Organizers. Small boxes can be cut down to fit whatever item needing storage. Cover with pretty paper or fabric of a finished look.

2. Shelving backs. I love bookcases, and my husband has build quite a bit of those for us, but I don't like the backs open where books or other objects can fall right out...but stapeling cardboard to the backs with a stained finish or even wallpaper or painted surface, this will finish off the look of the piece and keep things looking nicer...

3. Signs for various usages. I have used large card board box panels for yard sale signs. They can be a large as you are willing to cut and display for your event. It can be used to point the way to all sorts of possibilities.

4. Gift giving. Wrap up your old boxes in gift wrap for a holiday box.

5. Postal shipping. Use your box to ship something to someone else!

6. Moving? Save your boxes! This can cost a lot if you don't have enough!

7. Furniture. Sounds goofy, I know, but if you need a side table to hold lightweight items, cover with a sheet or decorative cloth...THERE ya go! Here's a link for a cool chair!

8. Children's blocks. Save up small boxes and let the kids build with them as blocks.

9. Forts/Castles and puppet stages. Again, this could be child's play, but it's a good use and economical! More ideas!

10. Fair/Carnival/Party play. Use the box for games such as "Go Fish" or other carnival came...Toss the Beanbag into one...it's endless! (See below for the fishing game idea.)

Use up those cardboard boxes...To store them empty, break them down and lay flat. You can store them behind, and underneath things OR even in garage rafters....You can never have too many boxes!

Fishing Game

Large box~big enough for a person or two to get into...the bigger the person~the bigger the box needed.
Fishing poles~make these from willow branches or other soft limbs. Tie string or yarn onto the end of the "pole" and attach a hinged clothes pin to the end of it. This is so when the player "fishes" a prize of either wrapped candy OR a small carnival prize can be attached. Another variation is to have either colored disks (poker chips will work) or even colored note file cards. Attaching a different color means a different prize that the 'fisher' could win! The prizes are displayed and the color chip or file card bearing "fisherman" redeems their prize from the displayed prizes categorized by colors: however you desire, but here's an idea: red~biggest prize: maybe a stuffed animal (Do you have loads you need to get rid of???) blue: 2nd place prize (carnival toy~oriental traders type small items (the bulk carnival prize stuff) yellow: 3rd place prize~piece of candy only. Have fun with your boxes!! AND it's carnival season~whoohoo!

Using It UP~Cardboard boxes!

Falling for the Garden!

2009-10-06T12:33:00.001-04:00

I've written a great deal about our garden efforts this year and the wonderful harvest from it! 54 qts of tomatoes are just waiting for my pot this next year along with squash, peppers, and in a few weeks~celery! I've had all the tomato and summer salad greens (spring mix and spinach) with cucumber a gal could enjoy FRESH from the patch! But Autumn is here, so now is the time to prepare for NEXT year's garden and bountiful harvest!

We have an overgrown and wieldy mess out there NOW~

Pull it out~chop it down and put into the compost.

One of the best things I am doing NOW for the future is composting!

All of our garden refuse will be chopped into the composting area so it can decompose...

We are tilling up our bed now, will put into it leaves and manure for the winter rest of the land...

Our yard does not have hardwood trees, but evergreens so we will offer to rake some leaves for some leaves for our bed...

We are falling for our garden this Autumn so our garden will produce for us next season!

Money Mindedness~

2009-10-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

If debt or other money issues are looming it can be HUGE in our lives! I've lived with this, and my attempts to become debt free are paying off over time~DEBT didn't happen overnight, so becoming FREE won't either! It's taking steps and processes and planning!

The VERY FIRST STEP is to identify your money values. Everyone has a value. We all think about money and how it effects us. For me, I am interested MORE in security than in freedom. I WANT to know that our mortgage, utilities and essentials are covered first! I don't care one ioda if I ever get to playland wherever IF my life isn't secure in a form of comfort! Now how does this effect my money spending and saving? You won't find SistaT on her way to playland if she's worried that the rent/mortgage or electric/gas bills are in jeopardy! NOPE, not me! But I have known others who would head out for fun and all that knowing full well that in two weeks the bills were coming due and that they would be short. For ME this was crazy behavior, but for them it was satisfying the value of freedom. I realize that juggling and 'making do' are strategys some employ~hey, hate to bring this up, but ever found someone ya know asking for a loan or 'help' because of this or that circumstance? We ALL find ourselves in perile occasionally, but some will make this a habit or annual occurance. Ha! AND I'm not laughing, but scoffing at the game they are running. "Who do ya think you're fooling?" as the old song says, cause it sure ain't me. But trying NOT to judge here...truly trying NOT to judge...how can belief effect our habits.

Do folks who prey on others for their funds find themselves feeling like they are owed in some way, or so pitiful that they are more needy or less empowered? What about the cool $50 dropped on some habit or pleasure or indiscression (cable, internet~non essentials) WHEN the essentials such as kid's Christmas or basic living expenses are left lacking?????? One experience Sista had a few years ago was a lady who had some kids who would pizza night out all week long until the stamps and check were gone...THEN she had HER teenage daughter call Sista up for "some cleaning supplies" or "some fruit for the kids." DID THIS WOMAN not come to terms with the idea that she would NEED to clean and feed them beyond the pizza delivery man's tip in the weeks to come after the money and resources ran out??? This is a sad true tale. Wish I could have made this one up, because what that young lady and the other children learned about financial responsibility was NOT good! Our values get passed right on down to our children...right onto them for their futures!

So what do you believe about money? Is it a tool to be used and USED UP? Is it a means for security to find ways to make life safe and comfortable making sacrifices here and there? Is it a means of freedom so that the burdens of life are lessened? Each of these AND MORE values are at the core of HOW we TREAT our money.

If you've read me very much, you know I am all about living on the cheap. Why? Because if I live like nobody right NOW, maybe I can have some security in these uncertain times...I don't want to worry about my lights or water or heat or phone or or or being shut down on my family...all because I valued something ELSE more!

You might not be "into" my really strict and frugal methods NOW...but isn't it better to impose well thought out and implemented strategy before you are juggling to keep on the juice and a roof? Think about the future~evaluate your values where money is concerned, and TAKE ACTION~today! Don't wait until some untoward economic hit smatters your lifestyle.

Livin on the cheap~Reaping on the SECURE!
What is your Money Value?

Mortgage Issues In THIS Economy??

2009-10-02T17:26:00.000-04:00

There's loads of talk about short sales, foreclosures and bankruptcy being solutions for many...but the fall out is HUGE~hence why I am a proponent of buckling down to PAY debts as best we can: living and loving on less so that IF at ALL possible, mortgages can be taken care of and paid. These are tenuous times for all of us. . .hardly is there an American who has not felt the economic crunch of job losses and the declining economy. Even if you haven't experienced an economic shift, none is secure! I really do advocate that everyone attempt to live a life in more simplicity and frugality. Better to do it long before a disaster when savings can be built and appetites for "things" isn't fed, than when all havock breaks loose and there are so much change that have to be made just to stay afloat!

Access your mortgage situation. Find every way possible to pay it if AT ALL possible!
Find new money in the forms of creative jobs and living frugally. Saving really does equal more disposible cash~less utilities, food costs and all other expenditures will equal a little bit more to place on the mortgage situation.

I have heard of stories of ugliness from mortgage lenders when folks have tried to "negotiate" differing terms...FIND a WAY~ do what you can do! Work a good solid plan to manage debt. Consider consumer credit counseling and QUIT spending on anything but essentials! ESSENTIALS...I know I am saying hard and irritating words~but losing a home is so traumatic, and as you will be able to SEE Clark Howard on Shortsales, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcy the answer will not be in a ONE of those IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!

These are tough times, and the old trite saying still holds TRUE:

When the going gets tough, the TOUGH GET GOING!

Busting Debt,

Using It UP!~Prescription Bottles

2009-10-02T16:34:00.001-04:00

Anybody got any of those laying around? Admittedly we have several that come in the house each month, so I can really get overloaded with them, but I've found a couple of ways to either use them or prevent MORE from coming into my life...
less is MORE, right?

My pharmacy will take my "used bottle" for my refill. They will "relabel" and refill...hey, while it's only a few cents to them, as my wonderful pharmacist once told me, it also keeps them out of the landfill. Please don't confuse ME with the recyclers who are not throwing anything away, but I try VERY hard to use UP what I have. . . It's just plain smart this way...and any money my pharmacy saves just MIGHT be a penny they can pass on to ME! Rising costs for everyone, literally means rising costs for everyone!

Another use:

I use them to store itty-bitty stuff...like:

beads
screws
dried seeds
sewing needles
earings
tiny parts to stuff we are repairing or "tinkering" with~this is educational for the kids...have 'em take a part something to try to learn to "fix" it...it might work AND save some $$!
I've seen them used in crafts for kids, but I really don't recommend this as I feel that over familiarity with medical bottles for young children can cause trouble in that they might think the pills are game just like the item in the craft was... Some will make "fun~pills" as a gag gift...I say not for kids! But if you want to share a funny with an adult...go get some pretty colored jelly beans and make up your own label...BE SURE to wash out the bottle first so if there is any residual medication, it won't be in there! ewww...be careful here!!
beebees for air guns
lead for mechanical pencils
buttons
wind up any stored ribbons and lace...
rubber bands
board game pieces~dice and tokens...WHO doesn't need this kind of help when it rolls around in the box!
pennies~My daughter says that a medical bottle can hold about 100 pennies...
paper clips
tacs
small rocks~the tiny nuggets can be kept nice
store broken chains or other jewelery waiting to be fixed
glitter storage~who wants THAT floating around the house...when it's poured off the page, it is easier to go into a prescription bottle with its wide mouth than the original container...

How are you making use to Use It UP!~Prescription Bottles??

All about thrift,

Lovely Award!

2009-10-02T03:52:00.001-04:00

Thank You, Anitra for this award~GREAT friends are wonderful to have and I am blessed to have you!

She blogs at If Mama Ain't . . .
She is hosting a McKlinky give a way list~go check out the freebies there!

Now as recipient of this lovely award, I am to share this with my friends I love~
I will notify my buds to head on over to pick up this wonderful award~thank you again, Anitra for thinking of me!
blessings,

Using It UP!~Kitchen $ Saving Tool

2009-10-01T01:02:00.000-04:00

You aren't going to believe this, but if you already use one, then YOU KNOW how great this little tool is for getting EVERYTHING out and wasting nothing in those jars, cans, bowls, pots and bottles~

THE Rubber Spatula

Yes, that's right~ Sorry to mention something so simple, but just using a rubber spatula will help you empty to the greatest extreme EVERYTHING out so nothing gets left behind~

This is a simple, but huge Using IT UP tip!

Drag it out or if you don't have one...it's worth the investment!
Let's waste not~Using It UP!

Time=Money$$

2009-09-30T14:56:00.000-04:00

Time equals money! We all KNOW this! Many money saving strategies equal time. Have NO TIME? Pick ONE area and work it for a while to evaluate the results ~ A good one is meal planning and shopping strategy. Menus4Moms has it going on with a frugal plan just for the busy Mom! Save time and MONEY the easy way with preplanned menus and shopping lists.

Saving Time means SAVING $!