Frugal Pooch

And now it's time to say goodbye...

2011-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun ride, but all good things must come to an end. Not to worry though, I will always be on the look out for snacks, toys, and good coupon deals! Thanks for reading and giving all your great feedback--it's been a real pleasure!

me on the lookout

Au revoir!

Midway-month Fantastic Freebies

2011-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

May still has another full week left, but I thought I'd give you a look-see at what I have so far in my freebies.

- Full size Suave Professionals hair spray

- Full size Cottonelle moist wipes

- 1 Colgate toothbrush

- 3 Oral B toothbrushes

- 1 trial size Dove deodorant

- 1 trial size Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner

- 1 travel size Aveda Hand Relief

- Misc feminine products

If you buy any of the Aveda products, I can't recommend enough that you put your name on their mailing list. Give them your email address and your mailing address. At least once a month I get a coupon for something free there. Plus they always give hand massages when you go in :) I got a hair product and hand lotion last month, hand lotion this month, and I just got a coupon for a free full-sized body wash for next month. You really can't beat it!

Happy freebie-hunting!

Final garden update

2011-05-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

We're on the home stretch, and it's only appropriate that I give you a last peek at my "garden" since some tomatoes are starting to show up! I have a teeny tiny green pepper too, but it didn't photograph very well. As of my count this morning, I have 9 of these little guys between all four of my plants. Should be a good summer!

Ponderings

2011-05-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I am thinking I should go on the next space shuttle launch. Since the shuttle launch kept getting delayed, that gave me plenty of time to think about the reasons I should go into space.

This is Laika who went up on Sputnik 2

I am in my physical prime. That's what my vet said.
I am the best candidate for testing the survivability of blue toys in space.
I could totally rock a space suit

I mean, if these fellas look this good, imagine how yours truly would look?? I think the phrase you're looking for is "devastatingly good-looking".

Ride 'em cowgirl

2011-05-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is just degrading. What do I look like? A pack mule? Dismount and hang up your tack please, young lady.

Oil-vey

2011-05-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

Get it? Instead of "oy vey"? That's why you come here, folks. For the cheap laughs, good times, and crazy dog antics.

But I digress.

If you cruise any of the big name frugal blogs on the internet, you've likely stumbled upon the oil cleansing method for face washing. Since I'm gradually trying to replace things in our home that contain way too many chemicals, this was perfect. It meets both of my goals: It decreases the amount of clutter in our home, and it doesn't contain artificial ingredients or chemicals. Please don't misunderstand, I haven't gone all "granola", but just trying to be more mindful of what we have in our home.

Ok, back to the oil cleansing method (OCM). It's just what it sounds like. You use oil to clean your face. Sounds counterintuitive unless you had to sit through chemistry class--in which case you know that "like dissolves like". So, with the right types of oil, you can quickly and easily clean off dirt, oil, and makeup.

I've been using olive oil and castor oil, but you can also use jojoba, grapeseed, or sunflower oil in place of the olive oil. You choose the "recipe" that best meets your skin's needs*.

Normal skin - 1:1 ratio

Oily skin - 3:1 Castor oil to olive oil

Dry skin - 3:1 Olive oil to castor oil

You mix the oils up in a small, clean bottle (I used one of the travel size shampoo bottles I had). Massage about 1/2 teaspoon of the oil onto dry skin for a minute. Wet a wash cloth with very hot (not scalding, though) water. Lay the wash cloth over your face and let the hot water steam your pores for a full minute (this part feels delightful!). When your minute is up, use the wash cloth to wipe off the oil. And you're done! You only need to do this once per day. I do it at night to remove makeup, and then just splash my face with water in the morning.

The best part of this is that it removes makeup (including eye makeup) and I haven't needed a drop of moisturizer since I started using it. Talk about frugal! Prior to using the OCM, I used a combination of the products pictured below on varying days. I also needed prescription creams for my face for eczema in addition to moisturizers.

Since using the OCM, I haven't needed any of those products! Just the oil and a wash cloth. It's been a great frugal, natural option!

If you try it out, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

*I've tweaked the "recipe" for my skin to more of a 1:1.5 castor oil to olive oil. My skin needed a touch more moisture than what the 1:1 ratio provided.

Please stay seated until the ride comes to a complete stop

2011-05-16T13:23:00.001-07:00

Yes, dear readers. The time is coming when this ride will come to a stop. My mom has decided that this just isn't the season of life for her to be keeping up with a blog, so Frugal Pooch is going by the wayside. There are about 7-10 days worth of posts left to go up, and then we'll be signing off for good. Just thought I'd give you a heads up that things are coming to a close. It's been fun!

Oh the hypocrisy

2011-05-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

I don't understand all the rules here. Technically, I'm not supposed to play with my baby sister's toys. Not even one. She, on the other hand, is allowed to touch all my toys. Whenever she wants. I don't get it. I don't hold her toys (except for this one time.....and this other time), why is she allowed to hold my toys?

I just want to hold it...

My mom made her give it to me when I used my very best posture. Thank goodness for moms!

(Meanwhile, Fod was being amused by the torment I was experiencing. Older brothers--so typical.)

"It all sleeps the same"

2011-05-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

A few days ago, we talked about how you're not that important...you know, in the general sense. Of course you're important to your close friends, family, and loving, faithful 4-legged friends. But often, the material things we think we need are really just projections of what we think others think we should have. In reality, those others don't care. Having an SUV because you have 2 kids, car seats, strollers, and want to fit groceries in the car too? A full-size sedan would do the trick for a much lower price tag (not to mention cheaper gas and maintenance). Don't get me wrong, if you truly love your SUV and it makes your life exponentially better, is within your budget, and fits your family's needs, then by all means. But often times, we have our priorities a little jumbled (more on that later....there's a post coming up next week on developing your priorities!) and don't really need that SUV.

Textbook specimen of "loving, faithful, 4-legged friend"

I've given the "you're not that important" speech and "you don't really NEED" that speech to myself 100 times, so I'm well acquainted with the gist of it.

Enter: Our master bedroom bedding. All speeches immediately fly out of window.

I hate it. I bought it a while ago with the intention that it would last for about a year until we could save up to buy some new bedding. Now, I'd really like to get that new bedding, but we have other priorities on our financial goals list. So, I have to wait. Impatiently.

While I was drooling over the Pottery Barn catalog the other day, it occurred to me. Who cares what kind of bedding we have? You know, other than me? Who? We like to have friends over...when people come over to our house, do they see our bedroom? No. When guests stay in our home do they stay in our bedroom? No. Is our bedroom used for entertaining, visiting, hanging out, or any other time other than sleeping/showering? Nope.

Hm. Interesting.

So, I am bent out of shape about needing new bedding because Jack and Fod care? Not likely. My husband must care! No. He says it "all sleeps the same". Do any of my friends or family care what I am sleeping on? Um, no. So, it's really just me that has an issue with this bedding? Yes, because I'm not that important.

Don't get me wrong. I still fantasize about getting under some freshly laundered Restoration Hardware 800 thread count sheets that match my newly bought Italian vintage-washed duvet. Not that I've thought about this. But now, it's much less painful to wait until we have the funds in our budget to buy the bedding. I'm not that important, but our family IS--and keeping us out of debt is a great reason to remember my place on the totem pole.

Personal space?

2011-05-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

My mom: "Jack, get off of me"

Me: ?

My mom: "Jack, please get off of me. I don't like when you stand on me in the morning."

Me: ?

My mom: "You need to work on not violating people's personal space. You're too close."

Me: Too close? I'm not sure I follow...

You're not that important

2011-05-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Really. You're not.

As a cocker spaniel, I am, by definition, very important. You? Not so much.

Hahaha. I'm joking.

Kinda.

In the grand scheme of things, though, you're really not that important. Before you get upset...hear me out...

Think about the biggest barriers to your squaring away your home, work, and financial life. Go head. I'll wait while you think.

Done? Ok. Chances are, most of the things you came up with revolve around your perception of what others think you should be doing. For instance, your housekeeping may be falling behind because you think you're supposed to be devoting more time to work, or to taking your kids to activities. Or perhaps you have a really large house and it requires a lot of time to clean/maintain because you think that at your station of life you "should" have a large house.

Think about the last time you went to a store. Let's say Walmart, Target...something of that sort. How many people do you think you passed in the store? Is 100 a fair guess? How many of these questions did you think about the people you saw?:

- What kind of car do they drive?

- How big is their house?

- Do they use name brand laundry detergent?

- What kind of diaper is that kid wearing?

- Are they paying with cash or credit card?

- Do they take their kids to 5 extracurricular activities per week?

- Did they buy those clothes at a thrift store? What brand are they?

The list could go on forever, but you get the idea. Did you think any of those about anyone you saw? Probably not. Yet, when we're in stores making decisions for ourselves, we think other people care about what brands we use. Of course we do--that's what smart marketing people want us to think. Otherwise, why would things like Tylenol stay in business when you could buy Equate Acetaminophen? Perceived status, that's why.

So, taking it a step further...if you didn't think any of those things about anyone you saw in the store, what are the chances that any of those folks thought those about you? Not likely, huh? Probably because they were too busy thinking about themselves and what you'd think of them! Irony at its best!

I mean this post with nothing but love and encouragement, so if you hear too much cynicism as you're reading it, I apologize. I merely mean it to give you a healthy dose of something we ALL need--perspective! If you're having trouble paring down your budget to get out of debt (and this can be applied to many areas of your life), think about the types of things you honestly notice about other people. Most of us are so trained to be consumed with what people think of us that we don't actually think about what other people are trying to impress us with! Go figure!

So, enjoy the liberation of knowing you're not that important (to the average Walmart shopper) and are free to make decisions that are best for the people in your life who DO think you're important--your family!

Quickie Update

2011-05-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Not much to report on the garden, but I thought I'd let you see the progress at least. LOTS of blossoms, so I'm really hoping for some good produce in the coming weeks!

Gentleman Prefer Blondes

2011-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

But I think probably everyone prefers blondes. Golden retrievers? Yellow labs? Yep, everyone prefers blondes. It seemed only natural that I give it a whirl as well. And lucky for me, I walked right into an opportunity.

My mom was trying to color her hair and get rid of her roots that had grown out so that her hair would look nice for a wedding she's in. And, um, well, there was a snafoo. A really really bad, bright orange snafoo. Her hair was an amazingly bright shade of orange...but only in certain spots. You can imagine her horror. So she and my baby sister headed out to get hair dye to cover up the catastrophe. They came back with stuff that smelled so so yummy.

Specifically "Vanilla Icing" by a candy company called "L'Oreal".

My mom didn't eat all of the candy and then just tossed it in the garbage. If she didn't want that delicious-smelling stuff, I sure did! So I stuck my head in the garbage and got it. Yep, I did.

And now my ear is a gorgeous shade of dark ash blonde. I feel jipped. I don't know what that stuff was, but I don't think it was candy.

Thankfully, my mom was able to wash most of the dye out of my ear and I'm only left with one small spot. I would not recommend L'Oreal for your next candy purchase, no matter how many coupons you have.

P.S. If the aforementioned bride is reading, all is well, and my mom's hair is now a naturally-occuring shade of auburn. Crisis averted.

I got a new bone

2011-05-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Let's cut to the chase. I got a new rawhide. And I love it.

But my mom also wants me to tell you that she's almost done spring cleaning. But if you've been following her spring cleaning list, you already know that. She also wants me to confirm for you that our house is no longer icky (like it was before).

Now back to the important part of this post. I got a new bone.

Show Me the Money: April Summary

2011-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

April was really good. Especially considering the only ways I earned money was through selling a few items and Swagbucks. I didn't have time to do any surveys this month, so none of the income is from those avenues.

The numbers?

Cash: $284.00

Gift Cards: $5.00

Between visitors and getting back into home management after my shoulder surgery, I just didn't have the time to visit the survey sites. I'd say $289 was a pretty good haul for so little time and effort! This brings the yearly total to $1610!! During April, I primarily clicked through my MyPoints emails, took the daily polls on Swagbucks and clicked through Swagbucks TV, and (of course) used Ebates for all the online purchases I made.

Be sure to check back regularly because I have posts coming up on MyPoints, CashCrate, and Surveyhead that you won't want to miss! These are all websites I've used for a while and gotten paid through, so they are definitely reputable. If you're looking to stretch your budget a bit, or just earn a little money to throw towards your debt snowball, these are great ways to do that.

If you need to catch up, you can read the other Show Me the Money posts here and here.

I'm getting a nanny

2011-05-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

My friend was here visiting not too long ago. I had warned her that we live in a rather affluent area even though we ourselves are not busting at the seams with money. While we were out at dinner one night, we overheard a conversation that went a little something like this:

Crazy Rich Lady: "Oh my gosh! Where do you get your hair done?"
Glitteringly Rich Gal: "Right around here."
Crazy Rich Lady: "Really? I've always gone to Beverly Hills. The girl there is super sweet and never charges me more than $450."
Glitteringly Rich Gal: "Oh honey, just stay in the Valley. My girl does a great job and never charges more than $425. It's a really good deal."

I wish I was making this up.

Approximately two weeks later, my mom heard a conversation while she was at gymnastics with my baby sister that went a little something like this:

Plastic Surgery Princess: "Oh my gosh. I can't possibly live without my nanny."
Yuppy Mamma: "I totally know what you mean. It's just easier if you get one nanny per child."
Plastic Surgery Princess: "You're right. I mean, I HAVE to see my personal trainer at least 4 days a week. And by the time you add in nail and hair appointments, it's just easier to get the nanny to take care of the mundane stuff."
Yuppy Mamma: "Uh huh. I mean, we gave our nannies off for Christmas and I could barely get my hair done in the morning with a toddler underfoot. If it weren't for our nannies, I'd never get any "me" time."

SO, I was thinking, I should get a nanny. I mean, if we're living in the land 'o endless money....when in Rome and all that. Right? My budget for a nanny is a bit scant, but I think I found the perfect one...

Contrary to what Fod would have you believe, no animals were harmed in the making of this post (though their dignity may be a bit bruised).

Putting like things together

2011-05-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

When we moved to our new house, we took a little bit of extra time to really think about where we wanted things and to properly organize. It really didn't take much time above what we were already doing and in the past 4 months it has really paid off in organization and preventing the purchase of unnecessary items.

We had the benefit of doing this during a move, which I think is always a great time to evaluate your needs and what you currently own. When else do you have the opportunity to literally touch absolutely everything you own? During this "touching" you can have a quick mental evaluation of whether you should keep it, sell it, or give it away. This is also a good time to properly place like items together.

In our last several houses, we didn't take the time to do this, but this time we did. Mind you, it's nothing major, but it's really helped make sure we don't buy duplicates or even triplicates of items. Trust me, I'm sure we're not the only ones who've done this. you know. Where you keep a bottle of Tylenol in the master bathroom, in the kitchen, maybe one in your purse...and next thing you know, you own 6 bottles of Tylenol. Or rolls of tape. Or pairs of scissors. Or dental floss. And the list goes on and on. Try this at your own home (even if you're not moving). It'll probably boggle your mind to discover how many pens and pencils you actually own. If you're spring cleaning, you can do this as you work your way through each room and it'll be done in no time!

This will definitely save you time and money in that you'll know exactly what you have and where it's located. Rather than checking 3 different rooms in your house to find hand lotion, you'll know you stashed it under the sink in the hall bathroom (or where ever).

What item(s) do you find you end up with too many of?

Please stop her

2011-05-03T18:22:00.001-07:00

I am staying out of the way of all this spring cleaning. My mom has gone nuts. Plus, my dad just left for a work trip, so my mom is full throttle on the cleaning and organization. She's already burned through 2 bottles of her new cleaner.

So, I am staying clear of it all and hanging out with my friend, Abby. I'm just hoping that all this cleaning, organizing, and de-cluttering means more time to shop for snacks, toys, and rawhides.

Fantastic Freebies: April Edition

2011-05-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

This was a FANTASTIC month for freebies. At this rate, my stockpile isn't going anywhere! My only complaint is that there weren't any dog snacks in the mix...but I did get to eat some of the free popcorn, so that almost made up for it.

Here's what my people got:

- 1 box (4 count) 70 watt lightbulbs

- Sample pack from Playtex

- Sample pack from Always

- 2 Orville popcorn pop-up bags

- 2 pack Kirkland cleaning wipes

- 1 travel size Into The Wild body lotion from Bath & Body Works

- Dove Men's Care body wash

- Dove Men's Care deodorant sample

- Baby Talk magazine

- Fitness magazine

- 2 samples Fekkai shampoo and conditioner

- 1 sample Jergan's body lotion

- 5 packets Oxy face wash

- Free makeup bag + goodies from Target (this included Nivea lotion, Neutrogena lip balm, and a few other things)

- 1 travel size Smooth Infusions from Aveda

- 2 full size Post-It pads

- 1 sample Stevia

- 2 samples Cover Girl foundation

Ok, typing all that up made me hungry. Back to the popcorn...

Stake your claim

2011-05-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

My people staked the tomato plants this weekend...

....while I frolicked in the yard.

There are some itty bitty peppers on a few of the pepper plants (stay tuned for a picture of those later this week) and some blossoms on the tomato plants. Here's hoping for some tomatoes in the not-too-distant future!

Linked to: Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy’s Finer Things, Getting Freedom and Smockity Frocks

Financial Goals Update: April Edition

2011-04-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

guest post by my Mom

April was a great month, but not because of our financial goals. As I mentioned in my last update, we knew we weren't going to make huge headway on our mortgage like we had in the first part of the year. This month definitely proved us correct there. BUT, it was for a great reason. We had the opportunity to make donations to several good causes this month. These funds may have otherwise been used to pay down our principle, but instead went to very worthy causes. A good month, indeed.

So, here's our update for April:

:: Tell Wells Fargo where they can shove our mortgage. As of the end of March, we have paid off 19.35%!!

:: Add to emergency savings. Done! We met this savings goal in February.

:: Pay for only 50% of gifts out of pocket - This one is still a success, though I didn't have to buy any gifts this month. I have quite a few (as a result of a recent baby boom by friends!) to purchase in coming weeks, so I'll be sure to report back in May!

How did you do this month?

I'm sold

2011-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

You know I'm currently spring cleaning. I am pretty sure I've also mentioned that I am trying to start replacing my conventional cleaners with more environmentally-friendly ones. This is two-fold in that I've been wanting to switch so that the cleaners used are safer around my daughter and pets, but also because it goes hand in hand with de-cluttering. Using products that serve multiple purposes means that there is less clutter in our cabinets and house. It's a win-win in my book.

While reading Organized Simplicity, I was excited to try using vinegar and baking soda for my cleaning. I had been using baking soda in my bathrooms, but hadn't used up all my all-purpose cleaner until just recently. So, when I finally used up the last bits of Lysol, I took the plunge. Unfortunately, I really didn't like the smell of vinegar and I found that using baking soda in other areas of cleaning left an icky, white residue. Not really what I was going for.

On several other blogs, I had seen folks mention Basic H2. It's an organic cleaner that literally has hundreds of uses. Literally. Crystal over at MoneySavingMom uses it, and I've been pleased in the past with her recommendations, so I decided to try it.

And I LOVE it.

These are the products that were in my cleaning cabinet prior to using Basic H2:

And this is what's in there now:

Notice most of what is left is actually laundry items, not cleaners. Basic H2 comes as a concentrate. I bought the starter kit and so it came with 3 spray bottles. You dilute the concentrate slightly differently depending on the use (i.e. 1/4 t. Basic H2 + 16oz water for all-purpose cleaner, but only 1-2 drops of Basic H2 + 16oz water for the window cleaner dilution), which is where the spray bottles come in. I also added a few drops of my favorite essential oil to each bottle since Basic H2 doesn't have a smell. I like it to smell "clean" after I'm done doing the work :)

I think what I am most impressed with is just how many uses there is for this stuff and how little you need to clean. One bottle of concentrate makes the equivalent of over 5,000 bottles of Windex! It cuts grease wonderfully on my stove, and cleaned up some dirt spots on the upholstery on our couch. It can be used to dust wood furniture, clean windows and mirrors, do floors, and clean toilets. As best I can tell, it is THE ultimate all-purpose cleaner and best of all, it's non-toxic!

Have you tried Basic H2? Found any good uses for it?

Nitty Gritty Details: Part 5

2011-04-28T09:08:00.001-07:00

In my last installment, I pointed you in the right direction to find some good ways to earn Swagbucks. Did you find it helpful? If you'd like to go back and read the other parts in the Nitty Gritty Details series, you can find them all under the tab labeled "Series" at the top of your screen.

Ok, so next up is MySurvey.com. This is probably my favorite survey site. The surveys are rarely very lengthy, and even if they are lengthy they tend to give you a very realistic idea of how much time the survey will take. For instance, when you fill out a screener survey (screener = a few quick questions to decide if you fit the demographic they need for their survey), you will then see a prompt that says something like "You have qualified to continue with this survey. It will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Would you like to continue?". Easy enough, right?

When you sign up for MySurvey, you will be presented with a LONG list of of profile questions. These are to make sure you are given the opportunity to take surveys for which you qualify. Blessedly, you don't have to do these all at once, because it gets a little monotonous. BUT, once you complete them (and you earn points for each one you complete) you really have a better chance of getting surveys that will earn you big points. I filled them out when I initially signed up for MySurvey and then have updated my profile about every six months just to make sure I get all the surveys I am eligible for.

Ok, so now you've filled out your profile. Now what? Now you go to "My Surveys" on your dashboard (the screen you see after logging in). That's where you'll see what surveys are available for you. When you create your account, you can also set it up so that you receive email notification every time there is a new survey available for you. I have this option set up as there are not always surveys everyday, and I'd rather not waste my time logging in for nothing. Plus, I will frequently wait until I have 3 or 4 surveys available and then do them all in one sitting.

As you complete surveys, you will receive points. You can then use the points to cash in for various "prizes". They have actual prize items, cash (via PayPal or check), and gift cards (including my personal favorite, Amazon!). While it's not a huge selection of items, I generally stick with Amazon gift cards or cash, so it's always a good fit for me.

Go check out MySurvey and let me know if you try it and like (or dislike) it!

Stay tuned for the next installment where we'll be covering on of the most lucrative points programs, MyPoints!

Well bless her heart

2011-04-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned, this joint fell-a-part in the last 8 weeks. My mom has been trying to get things back on the straight and narrow this week. You can follow also follow her spring cleaning progress here.

Can't be that bad, you say? Oh but it can. It so so so can.

Please let me preface this with: I can't believe I'm putting these pictures on the internet.

Here are my 'before' pictures:

The kitchen after the Easter feast

The laundry disaster area

The much-neglected master bedroom. Frightening, n'est-ce pas?

*cringe*

More laundry disaster

Not to worry. There will be a huge improvement by the time I post pictures on Friday. I am not letting the woman rest until she cleans this place up. Instead, I have offered to do the sleeping for her. So, I will be laying on the couch while she cleans. I'm just that kind of friend.

Spring Cleaning Overhaul!

2011-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

There will be some major spring cleaning coming up this week. If you look at the top, there is a tab called "Spring Cleaning" (catchy name, huh?) where you can see the master list my mom made for herself. She'll mark things off of this list as she does them so you can see her progress. That way, as the week plugs along, if you aren't really into spring cleaning, you won't be bothered with lots of updates in the actual blog feed. But, if you'd like to follow along, feel free to check it out. I'll be posting an update about her progress here on the blog at the end of the week.

Are you doing any spring cleaning this week?

I love Jesus too

2011-04-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

My people get all excited about Jesus, so since today was Easter, you can imagine the festivities. They went to church, had a giant meal, and then put all the leftovers in the fridge.

This is where my day got remarkably better.

I'm not entirely sure who Jesus is. (Does He save dogs?) All I really know is that on holidays involving Jesus, there is some large plate of meat. I only know of Christmas and Easter, but if there is another Christian meat holiday I am missing out on, please let me know. Immediately. I am completely on board with meat holidays.

Enter: My mom getting a beverage and not making sure the fridge door was completely closed.

Was anyone other than me unaware of the giant, very lonely ham in the fridge?

I love Jesus too. Because where there is Jesus, there is always a big plate of meat.

Amen.

Garden Update

2011-04-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

This post is to bring you up to speed on the current status of my plants. I had been posting the pictures of my plants several weeks after I actually took them, and I am trying to fast forward to their current appearance (we actually planted them in March).

These plants all say they should start bearing fruit around the 75 day mark. We are at approximately the 35 day mark, so nearly halfway. I am hoping to see some deliciousness on those branches around the first few weeks of June.

It has also come to my attention that I need to pull off the "suckers". After further investigation, it turns out that "suckers" are the itty bitty branches that grow in between the big fruit-bearing branches on the main stalk. They "suck" extra nutrients that would otherwise go to growing the fruit.

I thought it had something to do with lollipops. I stand corrected.

Whack-a-Mole

2011-04-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

Critters are playing mind games with me. My people called "pest control" a few weeks ago because these fast little critters were digging up our yard. The critters stopped for a while, but they're baaaaaaaaaaaaack.

They dig up huge holes in our yard and pop their little heads out. My mom calls them "gophers" but that sounds like a crazy name to me. Who would name something "gopher"? Go where?

In any case, Fod and I have oodles of fun stuffing our snouts in the holes and chasing the little speed demon around the yard. It's a completely fantastic game.

I also love the California air. It's 100% sniffalicious.

See?

2011-04-21T22:20:00.001-07:00

An avid reader of my blog was concerned with my naivete regarding the planting of tomatoes. Specifically, putting 4 plants in one pot. I believe the exact words were that he was "embarrassed for me".

Fear not, Reader.

Those baby veggies didn't spend more than a night or two shacked up in a 4-man pot.

The peppers are doubling up, but each tomato plant has it's own 12-inch pot (as per, Swagbucks, which would never lead me astray.).

See? All is well on the veggie front.

Birthing a Cocker Spaniel

2011-04-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

I think they're making fun of me. Again.

Every night, my mom gets in bed a bit early so that she can read before she goes to sleep. Let me just tell you, it's fantastic. I like to be in bed too, and I especially like to hang out with all my pack members, so this is really exciting--sleeping AND snuggling with pack members. I particularly enjoy laying up against my peoples' legs. I really don't care if they need to roll over or anything. I just hold my ground. Even if it means I end up laying between my mom's legs. Like she's birthing a cocker spaniel.

Snuggling + My peoples' bed = Best sleep of my life

Getting Behind

2011-04-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Obviously you already know my mom hurt her paw. Thankfully she had a lot of help from friends and family, but let's be honest, you can't ask you friends and family to help declutter your closets. And let me just tell you, it's frightening how quickly a house (even an organized one) can fall apart.

My mom's paws are both pretty much functional now, so she's trying to get back into the swing of things and really clean up the house. Plus, she was ultra motivated to clean after reading Organized Simplicity. She's made her spring cleaning lists and I will be sharing them with you a piece at a time. With before and after pictures. Obviously.

I am just hoping Fod and I can handle her zeal for cleaning and organizing. Because the freezer cooking almost killed us both.

Freezer Cooking: Final Tally!

2011-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Final Tally:

- honey cornbread - This one didn't get done. Maybe next time!

- world's easiest christmas candy - 1 full batch

- chicken/broccoli casserole - Didn't get to this one either.

- marinated chicken (have made citrus chicken marinade, Italian chicken, and teriyaki chicken x6 meals)

- beans - black-eyed peas and pinto beans, x8 meals

- homemade granola bars - 24 bars

- thai peanut sauce - We couldn't find the correct supplies to make this, so it'll have to wait for another freezer cooking day!

- freezer jam - 6 cups

- pizza dough - 2 frozen pizzas

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins - 24 muffins

- scones - 16 scones

- chicken tetrazzini x4 meals

- brownies x1 batch

- sweet potatoes, cooked for my baby sister

Freezer Cooking: Status report

2011-04-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

My mom and her friend managed to get most of the list accomplished today (they'll post the final tally tomorrow morning with a breakdown of what got completed). Not too bad considering everything was done around my baby sister's snooze schedule. For the record, they never do anything around MY snooze schedule. Just sayin'.

The updated list:

- honey cornbread

- world's easiest christmas candy

- chicken/broccoli casserole

- marinated chicken x 6 (have made citrus chicken marinade, Italian chicken, and teriyaki chicken)

- beans

- homemade granola bars

- thai peanut sauce - We couldn't find the correct supplies to make this, so it'll have to wait for another freezer cooking day!

- freezer jam

- pizza dough

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

- scones

- chicken tetrazzini

- brownies

- sweet potatoes, cooked for my baby sister

And I'm spent.

So is Abby Cadabby.

Freezer Cooking: Mid Afternoon Update

2011-04-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

The updated list:

- honey cornbread

- world's easiest christmas candy

- chicken/broccoli casserole

- marinated chicken x 6 (have made citrus chicken marinade, Italian chicken, and teriyaki chicken)

- beans

- homemade granola bars

- thai peanut sauce - We couldn't find the correct supplies to make this, so it'll have to wait for another freezer cooking day!

- freezer jam

- pizza dough

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

- scones

- chicken tetrazzini

- brownies

- sweet potatoes, cooked for my baby sister

Me supervising the muffins.

Freezer Jam!

Home made granola bars--they smell yummy!

Freezer Cooking: Lunch Break

2011-04-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

The updated list:

- honey cornbread

- world's easiest christmas candy

- chicken/broccoli casserole

- marinated chicken x 6 (have made citrus chicken marinade, Italian chicken, and teriyaki chicken)

- beans

- homemade granola bars

- thai peanut sauce - We couldn't find the correct supplies to make this, so it'll have to wait for another freezer cooking day!

- freezer jam

- pizza dough

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

- scones

- chicken tetrazzini

- brownies

- sweet potatoes, cooked for my baby sister

Our supplies

So far, all the chicken is in its respective marinade--enough for 6 meals.

Beans in progress

Beans are in the crockpot, and my people are taking a lunch break. And are not feeding me lunch. I am not happy about it.

The Berry Best

2011-04-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

This morning my mom and her friend went to get all the supplies for their freezer cooking extravaganza. My mom had some of the items on hand, but there was quite a bit she still needed to pick up. One of their stops was to a fruit stand to get strawberries for making freezer jam.

Since we live in the middle of farm fields, the fresh produce here (including strawberries) is fantastic--in both taste and price!

Can you believe these berries??

Freezer Cooking: Early Morning Update

2011-04-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's our master list. We've already added something to the list this morning, and that habit may continue if the mood strikes us! I'll link up the recipe as we make each item, so be sure to check back!

- honey cornbread

- world's easiest christmas candy

- chicken/broccoli casserole

- marinated chicken (have made citrus chicken marinade, enough for 2 meals)

- beans

- homemade granola bars

- thai peanut sauce

- freezer jam

- pizza dough

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

- scones

- chicken tetrazzini

- brownies

- sweet potatoes, cooked for my baby sister

I better stay out of the way

2011-04-16T21:49:00.001-07:00

My mom and her friend are freezer cooking tomorrow! They'll be posting throughout the day to keep you updated on their progress, so be on the lookout for all the yumminess! Here's their (ambitious) list:

- honey cornbread

- world's easiest christmas candy

- chicken/broccoli casserole

- marinated chicken

- beans

- homemade granola bars

- thai peanut sauce

- freezer jam

- pizza dough

- pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

- scones

- chicken tetrazzini

- brownies

I'll be sure to have my mom post the links for the recipes tomorrow as well, so stay tuned!

I, on the other hand, will be staying on the couch. Out of the way.

Seriously?

2011-04-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Can someone please just get me a La-Z-Boy? Because that would be much easier.

Really.

Show Me the Money: First Quarter Summary

2011-04-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

guest post by my mom

If you didn't catch my first installment of Show Me the Money, you can check it out here.

I've mentioned I'm on a quest to encourage other people (and by "other people" I mean the 3 of you who read this blog) to think outside the box and find ways to expand their budget through alternate sources of income. Saving money doesn't always come in the form of coupons or freebies. Sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and get creative.

Ok, so between gift cards and cash (i.e. eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist) here's how we did during February and March:

Gift Cards - $15.00

Cash - $215.00

For a total of $1321 generated in the last 3 months, for pretty minimal work. While January was a particularly good month, March was really slow since I was out of commission due to shoulder surgery. This type of thing ebbs and flows depending on how much time you have, but for our family, it's well worth the minuscule amount of effort I have to put into earning this money.

So far, April has already earned us more than February and March combined, so I am looking forward to giving you an update on more of the details of what types of things we've been unloading to generate the extra income in the next installment of Show Me the Money!

How does your garden grow? And a confession.

2011-04-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

My people decide to do some potted gardening. Since they are renting their house, they're not allowed to dig up the yard and plant a garden. Quite frankly, Fod and I could have a "garden" dug up in the yard in about 10 seconds, but my people voted against that. In any case, they decided to try their hand at planting a few peppers and tomatoes in pots and see how these little guys like the California weather. Our area gets rather cool at night, so we'll see.

We got the basics: Plants, pots, soil, and water.

Here's where the confession comes in.

While the actual planting of these goodies was not an impulse buy (we had already discussed it, budgeted for it, and decided to try it), the actual purchase of our supplies was an impulse buy. We hadn't done any research on growing in pots, but we were out running errands and were already in the store, so it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and buy the items and make an educated guess until we could get home and do a little internet searching. I'm sure the folks at the store could have helped us, but I'm also rather sure they'd be trying to up-sell as well. Can't blame them. So, for the last few weeks, our plants have been a little crowded--4 tomato plants in one pot and 4 pepper plants in the other.

You'll be pleased to know that the plants have since been split up to 2 peppers in a pot and each tomato plant is in its own pot (which, per the internet, is how it's supposed to be....and the internet would lie to us, right?).

I'll be posting pictures of our progress during this summer season. Hopefully this yields us lots of fresh, yummy, tomatoes and peppers and helps save us some dough at the grocery store.

For now, I've sniffed the plants lots and have seen no evidence of tomatoes or peppers, so I'm not convinced, but my people claim it'll work.

Any great tips for first-time growers?

Linked to Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy's Finer Things, Getting Freedom, and Smockity Frocks.

Booking It: March/April Update

2011-04-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. I apologize for nearly making my Booking It posts semi-annually. Having a busted paw recently has really set me behind the power curve.

The Millionaire Mind - It's no secret by now that I'm a fan of Dr. Stanley. If you haven't read any of his books, definitely start with The Millionaire Next Door. Then check this one out.

To Train Up a Child - This was a quick easy read. Not particularly well-written but the ideas were solid.

The Power of a Praying Wife - This has been a great daily devotional type read. Obviously, I'm not a wife, but my mom is, and so we read it.

Organized Simplicity - Love Love Love it. I think I especially enjoyed it because it's in line with what our family is trying to accomplish right now. Even though none of the ideas are overly novel, it was wonderful encouragement and really well written. Stand by for some posts about my spring cleaning efforts coming up.

Redeeming Love - :sigh: I don't even know where to begin. Just go read it! FAB book!!

I see no other 4-legged critters

2011-04-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

You know the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs"?

Well it rained a ton here a few weeks ago. I got super excited because the weatherman said it was "raining cats and dogs". Perhaps he meant a different town.

Because when I ran to the window, all I saw was water. No cats or dogs. No animals at all.

Just lots and lots of water.

Fantastic Freebies: March Edition

2011-04-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

March was another great month for freebies. Here's what I got:

- 2 Kirkland (Costco brand) piddle pads

- Purina One Beyond food (yay!!!!!)

- 2 packets Miracle Whip

- Maybelline FitMe makeup (approximately a week's worth of foundation)

- sample packet of Post-it note file tabs

- Dentek floss picks

- Doggie treat. I can't remember what brand, but it was delicious and supposedly good for my teeth. I should probably try another one, or 2 (or 6) to make an accurate judgement on that. Could we get some more snacks over here please?

- Bath & Body Works Country Chic lotion (travel size)

- Aveda Hand Relief (travel size)

Did I mention it's exhausting to catch up on all these blog posts?

To Yard Sale or Not to Yard Sale

2011-04-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

If you follow Dave Ramsey at all, you know he's a big advocate of yard sales. I am too--in fact we had a big one last fall (You can read more about that here, here, and here.). But is it always a good idea to have a yard sale? Recently my people have been giving some consideration to having another yard sale after reading the book Organized Simplicity. We have some things laying around the house and were trying to decide the best way to move them from our home.

Some things to think about before planning a yard sale:

- What is your time worth? Will the amount of time you put into planning and executing your yard sale produce a good return on your investment? When we had our yard sale we had just finished up paying off debt and were really trying to beef up our savings. It was well worth any amount of our time (within reason) to make a little bit of extra money to build up our buffer.

- How much do you have to get rid of? If you don't have much to put out, will you be able to make it worth your while? Perhaps you have several large/big ticket items, so not having to tote them to a drop off point would be ideal for you. However if you only have 20-30 small items, it may not be worth your effort (again, depending how much you need the money).

- Do you live in an area that gets a lot of traffic? One thing that made us consider doing a yard sale was the fact that we live in a neighborhood chock full of people who yard sale shop. Nearly every weekend there are families in our neighborhood having yard sales and they always get a lot of traffic. So, in our case, even if we only had 20-30 items, we could probably get enough traffic to sell at least half.

- Do you have enough storage space? Several frugal living blogs mention the idea of keeping a box in the garage (or other storage area) that you can place items in as you find them in your home. Then, approximately every 6-12 months you can put together a sale. Do you have enough storage space to keep your yard sale items?

My people decided not to have a yard sale. Quite frankly, the amount of effort that would have gone into it just wasn't worth it. We'd rather have all of the items out of our home immediately by dropping them off at a donation center/thrift store rather than have them take up space. In our last home, we had more than enough room to store items for an annual yard sale. Now, it's just not space we're willing to give up. In addition, over the last year we've really worked hard at decluttering our home, and so we don't have oodles of stuff to unload (thankfully!).

Minimal selection of items + Lack of storage space = Definitely no yard sale for us!

Have you had a successful yard sale recently or do you have plans for one?

Financial Goals Update - February/March

2011-04-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

guest post by my Mom

Since things have been a little crazy around here following shoulder surgery, I haven't been able to give a proper financial goals update. Thankfully, despite the craziness, we've been able to make some really fantastic headway on our goals. We are being realistic and know that the next several months will likely not provide the same results, so we are just enjoying the progress we've made and grateful that God has totally provided above and beyond!

Here's our update for February & March:

:: Tell Wells Fargo where they can shove our mortgage. As of the end of March, we have paid off 19.35%!!

:: Add to emergency savings. Done! We met this savings goal in February.

:: Pay for only 50% of gifts out of pocket - This category was a winner. I had to buy 3 gifts this month. I used points to purchase gift cards for 2 of the gifts. The third gift was purchased using "cash back" that I got from using my debit card.*

*Many banks are starting to offer rewards on their debit cards as well as credit cards. Our bank does this and so we are able to avoid the credit card trap while still using the same type of points reward program.

Fantastic Freebies: February Edition

2011-04-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

You'll need to forgive the blurriness of this picture. My temporary photographer doesn't have the same attention to detail that my mom does. He tried though, and that's what counts.

January was pretty darn weak as far as freebies went since we were in the process of moving and changing addresses. Thankfully though, February and March made up for it. This is what I got during the month of February:

- 2 P&G coupon booklets

- 1 Maybelline Fit Me foundation sample (this one was really good because it's a solid week's worth of foundation for me)

- Nexxus shampoo, conditioner, and styling product

- CoverGirl Natural Silk foundation (approximately 3-5 days worth for me)

- 1 Colgate toothpaste sample

- 1 Wisp sample pack

- 1 dental floss

- 1 OralB toothbrush

- 1 Aveda eye cream

- 1 Aveda Hand Relief (travel size)

- 1 sample Vaseline Intensive Care lotion

- 1 sample NatureMade Vitamin D

- 1 dose Bayer aspirin

My efforts at using up my stockpile may backfire a bit if the freebies keep up like this! (in a good way, of course...)

The Nitty Gritty Details: Part 4

2011-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

I realize there's been a delay in my posting, so if you need to catch up on Parts 1-3, you can check them out here, here, and here.

I promised you a Swagbucks explanation for this post. In the meantime, though, Crystal over at MoneySavingMom.com posted an excellent series on how to maximize your earnings through Swagbucks. So instead of beating a dead horse, here are the links for her posts:

15 Ways to Earn More Swagbucks (Part 1)

15 Ways to Earn More Swagbucks (Part 2)

15 Ways to Earn More Swagbucks (Part 3)

I especially like the last post where she gives a breakdown for how to earn enough points to get an Amazon gift card each month--super easy!

What are your favorite ways to earn points quickly and easily?

Putting things back together

2011-04-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

My mom is starting to be able to use her paw again. Quite frankly this couldn't come soon enough.

I'm exhausted.

I've been taking care of my mom and my baby sister. See that princess castle in the background? It's a lovely estate called "Washing Machine". I designed it for my baby sister. I have been single-handedly keeping this place together for the last month and I'm pooped.

Thankfully, my mom is on the mend and is starting to be able to do things around the house and take care of my baby sister. Plus, she can get back to my blog too--and that's the most important thing. So, just bear with her. She's slowly getting back into things and has a back-log of posts to get back up to speed.

Be sure to stay tuned!

Not again!

2011-03-01T07:19:00.000-08:00

Remember how I told you that sometimes my mom's paws fall apart? Well this is one of those times. She's having surgery to fix it tomorrow but will be out of commission for at least 6 weeks. The real bummer? She's right-pawed and she's having surgery on her right paw so typing is a challenge. Thankfully, her ability to rub my belly and scratch my ears is not impaired.

Needless to say, I'm letting you know about this because it's going to negatively influence my blogging.

And we all know the world revolves around me, right?

I am going to try to get some guest posts lined up, but in the meantime, please pray for a speedy recovery so that my mom can get back to blogging and getting me snacks.

Friday Fails

2011-02-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

guest post by my mom

Do you know how I know my Friday was a "fail"? Actually, if we're being honest, most of my week was a fail. I didn't stick with my daily chore sheet, and our household definitely suffered as a result! We didn't eat as well, I didn't get to exercise as much, and our house isn't as clean. All in all, a good reminder that I need to stick with my list.

You know how else I know that my Friday was a fail?

1. Because I'm posting about it on Saturday.

2. Because MyBlessedLife doesn't even do Friday Fails anymore.

And the winner is....

2011-02-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

Luckyseattlemom!

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered!

Don't worry, you still have time to buy books from the web show. Or, better yet, host a web show of your own! If you'd like to host or buy, start here.

Thanks again for participating!

Todays the Big day!

2011-02-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day to enter the big giveaway! The entries will close tonight at midnight (PST), so don't miss out on your chance to win the $25 gift certificate for Usborne books. Even if you don't win, you can totally check out the web show I'm hosting and still buy your favorite books!

Don't forget the giveaway!

2011-02-23T19:05:00.001-08:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Tomorrow's the big day and the winner will be announced here on Friday. Don't miss out!

Buy some books, kids love this stuff! (and a giveaway!)

2011-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Ohhhh! This week's gonna be a good one!! Make sure you tune in all week so you don't miss your chance to win our great giveaway!

Usborne Books has a great selection of educational and fun books for all ages. Want to check it out a bit? I'm hosting an online show! You can bop on over and peruse my show and purchase anything you like. This show will be open all week, so take your time looking and making your purchase.

Since this show is happening all week, this post will stay at the top of my blog, even though there will be other posts during the week, so be sure and scroll down to read the current post for the day.

So, let's get to the good part, right? The giveaway! On Thursday there will be a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Usborne Books! Want to enter the giveaway? Between now and Thursday, leave a comment mentioning your favorite item you saw on the show website (don't forget to leave a valid email address!). That's it! The winner will be drawn Thursday and announced here on Friday, so be sure to check back!

Happy reading!

The Nitty Gritty Details: Part 3

2011-02-22T19:48:00.001-08:00

guest post by my mom

Did you miss Part 1 and Part 2? You can check them out here and here.

Now let's talk about MyCokeRewards. This one is quick and easy. When you buy Coke products, they have a code on them. It's either under the cap or inside the box (if it's a 12 or 24 pack). After you create an account, you simply enter the codes on the MyCokeRewards website. You can peruse their rewards catalog and see what's available. This site doesn't provide any way to exchange point for cash, but some of their rewards would help stretch your gift-giving budget. You could make calendars or photo books for parents or grandparents. Or use the points to get movie tickets that you give as gifts or take a friend to the movies for a birthday outing. The available items might not necessarily be things you want, but think about other folks in your life--is there anything a friend or family member might like to get for Christmas?

With many of these points programs, it's simply a matter of thinking about how you can best focus them to get the most out of your budget. Instead of thinking outside the box with some of these extra income ideas, consider just changing your box.

Next up: Swagbucks!

The Nitty Gritty Details: Part 2

2011-02-20T13:16:00.001-08:00

guest post by my mom

Have you tried out Ebates yet? Did you like it? If so, there is a similar program called ShopAtHome. The programs really aren't any different, except that ShopAtHome requires you to reach a $20 threshhold before you can cash out. So, most times, when I am buying something, I simply check both sites to see who gives the most cash back. Easy peasy.

Ok, on to our next program: Pampers Gifts to Grow.

I know what you're thinking. "But, Jack, I don't have a baby!"

Not to worry. The beauty of this program is that you really don't need a baby. I have a baby sister, but she doesn't even wear Pampers piddle pads. In fact, my mom didn't even register for the program until my baby sister was a few months old. Of the over 2000 points my mom has accrued, only 37 of those points are from actually buying diapers or wipes.

So, all you need to do is sign up for the Pampers Gifts to Grow program. Don't have a baby of your own? Do you have a niece or nephew? A godchild? Best friend's kid? Any of them will work. Simply enter that child's info and then when you get coupons in the mail for piddle pads, simply pass them along to baby's mom, or use them to buy piddle pads for baby shower gifts.

Once you've signed up, be on the look out for point codes. These are pretty easy to come by if you follow blogs like MoneySavingMom or DealSeekingMom, as they regularly post promotional codes. If you're antsy to get your points going, try the codes here and here.

Enough chit chat, now go ahead and pop over to sign up!

Next up: MyCokeRewards

End of the Year Update

2011-02-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

As you may recall, I had a list of a few things I wanted to get done by the end of the year. While I didn't finish them all, I have continued to plug away at the list and still plan to accomplish them all. So, I thought I'd give you a quick update.

- Get all photo books up to date - I am making year books to keep up with the goings-on in our family for each year. I have a few years of back log, so I need to catch up.

- Pare down to no more than 10 emails in my inbox - Did you read this post? You should. I didn't know Gmail could do so much, so I've been picking away at this one. DONE!
- Write Christmas letter and mail out cards - Ok, well get my people to do this. DONE!
- Come up with a weekly goals sheet - I like what MoneySavingMom andLifeAsMom use, so I'd like to get my mom to make up something similar. There will be a post on what I come up with. DONE!
- Upload all pictures to DropShots - DropShots is a great website for backing up your digital photos and videos. I have a TON of pictures, so it is taking me quite a few weeks to upload all the pictures (I have pictures starting from 2002). You can get a lifetime membership for $99. Totally worth it--I love their site.

The major holdup in finishing up this to-do list was uploading the pictures to DropShots. Not because I had problems with their site. No, just because it took a really long time to upload all my pictures. I had 127,825 pictures.

Yes, yes, I did.

One of the things I especially love about DropShots is that when you upload pictures to their site, it organizes them by date. This is great for working on my yearly photo books! Now, I can get those checked off my list as well!

The Nitty Gritty Details: Part 1

2011-02-18T08:57:00.001-08:00

guest post by my mom

As promised last week, this is the first installment in a series of posts on how to maximize your results with various "points" programs online. Originally, I had planned for this to be a one-time post, but as I began writing, I realized that there was more to each program than was realistic to include in a single post. So, with that in mind, I will be discussing a few of the programs in which I personally participate, within each post.

Please don't feel like you need to participate in all of these programs, or even any of these programs. There may be other ones out there that are better suited to your lifestyle and current family/work/personal situation. This is just to give you ideas and encouragement: You really can have a significant impact on your budget through these little avenues. I don't mean to give you the impression that you'll be making a full-time income from home--not at all! But these are definitely a great way to stretch your budget dollars to help you get out of debt, stay out of debt, and reach big goals.

Ok, so let's get started!

The first program up is Ebates. You can click on that link to sign up. It's a quick process--just name, address, and sign in info. To be honest, I have no idea how Ebates makes their money. In fact, that applies to most of the programs I will be talking about. I'm sure it's some sort of involved marketing scheme, but the fact of the matter is it works and pays out. So, I am a happy camper. Ebates is also probably one of the most basic programs since it doesn't really require you to do much of anything extra. Once you've signed up with Ebates, you can see what stores they have to offer. At this point, any time you want to make an online purchase, you go to the Ebates website FIRST to check and see if the store you will be purchasing from is listed. When you find your store listed on the Ebates site, it will also say how much cash back you will receive for purchasing through their site. Once you click on the site, you will get a notification saying "You're on your way to getting cash back!", and it takes you to your shopping site. Let's do a practical example for clarification:

I want to buy boots. I have scoured the internet and have found that L.L. Bean has the best deal on boots. Instead of going straight to the L.L. Bean website, I go to Ebates first! I find L.L. Bean listed on the Ebates website and click. Then, I am taken to the L.L. Bean website where I shop as usual. My boots cost me $100 and so I just got $2 credited to my Ebates account since it was 2% cash back. Two dollars doesn't sound like much but as you make little purchases around the internet, they really add up. Do you buy photo books or prints online? Shutterfly is 8% cash back. Snapfish is 6.5% cash back. Kodak is 7.5% cash back.

Once you've opened your account and familiarized yourself with what stores are available, you can get creative. Were you going to buy a new printer, some printer paper, and cartridges from Staples? Instead of going to the store, purchase through Ebates and get 3% cash back. Then, choose "in store pickup" and you won't pay shipping! So, you've gotten your cash back, you get your items same day, and you didn't have the added cost of shipping. You can do the same thing with little items. I regularly use the photo department of Walmart or Target. You can upload your pictures to the site and do 1- hour pick up. If you order through Ebates and pay online, all you have to do is pick up and you've gotten your cash back. Walmart and Target are especially great for using the in-store pick up option.* You can apply the same idea to buying a gift off of a baby or wedding registry. Buying something off of Ebay? Use Ebates! You can even get cash back for buying gift cards from your favorite stores!

One thing to keep in mind is that you get paid on the total amount of your purchase before coupons. So, if you're making a photo book purchase from Shutterfly and you have a 20% off coupon, your cash back will reflect the total before any coupons were applied. Pretty nice, huh?

Ebates pays out approximately once every 3 months and you can choose whether to have your money delivered via PayPal or get a check in the mail. I really try to check if I can use Ebates before making any purchase. Even if I only make $0.03, every little bit adds up. In fact, I just got my most recent check yesterday!

What are you waiting for? Go sign up!

Stay tuned for Part 2: Pampers Gifts to Grow

*Please make sure that the store you are purchasing from allows for in-store pick up prior to making your purchase. As always, do your research first!

My fellow countrymen...

2011-02-17T19:35:00.001-08:00

...please remember to vote! (The poll is on the righthand side of the blog)

I know there are more than 4 of you out there who read this. If you don't vote on what I should blog about, then I just lay around the house.

While that's not much different than the norm, I typically at least manage to stay awake for about 15 minutes out of the day to blog. Let's keep that going, shall we?

Stop the presses!!! A Giveaway!

2011-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Oh yes. It's true. This cocker spaniel has just entered the big time. You will likely see me prancing around in Prada, wearing big sunglasses, and sipping a decaf triple latte with extra whip.

Or at least something very close to that.

Yes, dear readers, I am having my first giveaway! The week of February 21st, be sure to stop by my blog for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Usborne Books. This company sells children's books and they have a fantastic selection for all ages! Don't have kids? No problem! They're great gifts, and heaven knows, kids like to read!

Don't miss out! This is going to be oodles of fun!

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of February 14

2011-02-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

This week is pretty basic. Not that much different from every other week! Everyone in our house has been sick, so we're sticking with simple meals as we get our steam back. You'll be happy to know, my immune system has not suffered any insult. Perhaps my people should consider eating Eukaneba. It's delicious, and clearly wards off all sorts of ills.

Breakfasts: oatmeal, cold cereal, yogurt, fruit

Lunches: PB&J, leftovers, homemade applesauce

Dinners: Sandwiches and fruit

Soup with homemade bread

Hamburger Helper and green beans

Taco salad

2 dinners out!

Repercussions

2011-02-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

Turns out there's a definite downside to reading to my baby sister.

She likes to read a lot. Even when I don't feel like it.

And when I ignore her she brings me books anyway.

Bear with me

2011-02-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

No not Lola.

You'll notice I'm making a few changes around here trying to make my blog more user-friendly. At the bottom of most posts are tags which make things easier to search. Also, if you look on the right side of the page, you'll see a poll. I'm using this to find out what YOU want and like. Please take the time to participate! I'll change the poll about once per week.

Show Me the Money

2011-02-11T12:29:00.003-08:00

guest post by my mom

Ok, so you’ve heard me talk about MyPoints and Swagbucks, and Pampers Gifts to Grow and numerous other “points” programs. But let’s cut to the chase….how much do you really get from these? I think if I had found a blog post discussing the nitty-gritty numbers, it might have inspired me to start using these methods to stretch our budget sooner than I did. So, I thought I’d share it with you in case you’ve been hesitant to jump into the crazy pool.

With the start of the new year, I began a little income experiment. I started keeping a spreadsheet of all the "income" I generate. Given that I am a stay-at-home mom and don't work outside my home at all, this is a pretty good challenge. The things I include in my "income" are:

:: Gift cards - These are generally used for gift giving occasions (whether I give the actual gift card to the person or use it to buy their gift). I count these as income because it is money that would otherwise come out of our monthly budget. Money that does not leave our account can be used for other things, and we weren't expecting to keep that money, so I've counted it as "income".

:: Cash - Actual money generated from survey companies or any of the points programs where I can turn my points into good 'ol Benjamins. Also under this category are items that I've sold on Ebay, Amazon, or Craigslist.

Those are the guidelines and I plan to see how much is saved/generated during the course of the year (Wow. Does that scream nerd or what?). So here's the tally for January:

Gift cards - $305 in giftcards

Cash - $891 This was an unusually high month because we had some big ticket items that we sold. I definitely don't anticipate a repeat of this every month.

For a total of $1196 generated since January 1, 2011. (!!!!!) Yes, I just about peed myself too when I saw that number. Like, I said, it's not a typical month as far as selling items went, however the gift cards are a pretty good representation.

You want to do it now too, huh? Go sign up at the links above, and check back next week when I give you some pointers on how to get the best bang for your buck for each point system. For additional points programs, read here.

Booking It - January & February Update

2011-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

I am combining January & February since LifeAsMom posts on the 10th. I hadn't read much to report by January 10th, so I rolled it until February.

Broke - Glenn Beck. Does that scream "republican" too much?

Truman - Oh how I enjoyed this one! McCullough is such a great storyteller. He does such a wonderful job of combining sometimes-boring history with fun tidbits. You really do walk away feeling like you know the person he's writing about. This one took up the bulk of my time--it's an 1100 page book, but totally worth the read.

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question - A great classic on personal accountability. It's a quick easy read. Also a great reminder that much more would get accomplished if we worked hard at changing ourselves for the better rather than changing everyone else around us.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting! - This one was a delight. Honestly, I love these people and I don't even know them. Do I agree with all their beliefs? No. But I really do admire and respect their stick-to-it-iveness. They have so may people criticizing them and in the face of it, they remain exceedingly committed to their faith. It was particularly interesting to get some of the back story on Jim Bob and Michelle's upbringing. I liked getting to see what makes them tick. There are also some recipes in the book that I'd like to try. None of them seem even vaguely healthy, but they do sound yummy.

Wordless Wednesday: Exhaustion

2011-02-09T17:12:00.001-08:00

This post is linked to Wordless Wednesday

I'm a helper too

2011-02-08T14:08:00.003-08:00

My mom is always telling my baby sister what a good helper she is. I'm a good helper too. For instance, every day after lunch my mom cleans off my baby sister's tray.

I can totally help with that. My mom didn't even have to ask me to get on the chair and lick the peanut butter off the tray. I did it out of the kindness of my heart.

I'm a helper too.

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of February 7

2011-02-07T13:14:00.003-08:00

We have lots of leftovers from our Super Bowl snacks, so we'll be having a mish-mash of leftovers this week.

Breakfasts - cereal, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt

Lunches - PB & J, fruit, leftovers

Dinners - Taco salad

Hamburger Helper and baked cauliflower

Beans and cornbread

Soup and cornbread

Leftovers

Most importantly, I will be eating the awesome-smelling food I got for free.

Fantastic Freebies: January

2011-02-06T21:00:00.004-08:00

January was iffy. But considering we just moved to a new town, it's ok. Since January was our "getting settled" month, my mom wasn't great at keeping track of all her freebies, but February will be better.

So, here's what she got this month:

- 3 books (yay! She can use these to Book It)

- People food (Kashi cereal--who names food "Kashi" anyway?)

- The best smelling dog food ever. It made me want to eat it right out of the bag. But I couldn't eat it since she had to take a picture of it. So, instead I posed with it.

Impromptu Freezer Cooking

2011-02-05T08:23:00.003-08:00

My people had a reasonably mellow schedule this week, so I was able to get my mom to do a little bit of freezer cooking. And I do mean a little bit.

She made a big pot of what I think is Eukaneuba. It looks about like what I get in my dish each day, so it's probably the same thing. She used a scooper to put portions of the Eukaneuba into freezer bags and put it in the box in the kitchen where they keep the cheese.

Oh man. This one was my favorite. CHICKEN. I totally know chicken when I smell it. She put taco seasoning on it and made it in the crock pot and shredded it. This was my favorite thing to smell while it cooked. Seriously, someone could make a fortune if they made chicken perfume. I would totally date a girl if she wore that. And I might lick her.

She made homemade cinnamon applesauce, like Crystal.

Like I said, only a few things, but every little bit helps.

Can we please go eat the chicken now?

Financial Goals Update - January

2011-02-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

guest post by my Mom

Without further ado, here's how we did in January:

:: Tell Wells Fargo where they can shove our mortgage. 3.63% gone!

:: Add to emergency savings. Definitely an A+ here this month. We're nearly done with our initial goal!

:: Pay for only 50% of gifts out of pocket - This went well. I bought a few gifts and was able to pay for some using money earned from surveys and MyPoints. I bought 5 gifts this month and only paid for 1 out of pocket!

This month was mostly characterized by using our stockpile to come in under budget. Our new home is smaller than our last and so we don't have as much storage space. As a result, we need to be more selective about what we stock up on. So, we're spending the next few months paring down our large stockpile of toiletries and pantry items (these are items that we moved with us from our last home).

Hellloooooo February!

Wordless Wednesday: Role Reversal

2011-02-02T19:05:00.003-08:00

I used to read to my baby sister. Now that she's a big girl, she reads to Fod.

Then Fod and me played the crazy game while she carried her new books around.

All in all, a good day.

Best day ever

2011-02-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

I got poo'd on.

By a bird. Seems bad, right? Au contraire.

It resulted in the best day ever.

At first, my mom was upset and she made me stay in my crate until she could clean me up. No problemo. I love my crate. THEN, I got a bath. How could the day not be fantastic?? I hope I get poo'd on again soon.

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of January 31

2011-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

Ohhhhh this is gonna be a good week. The Super Bowl is at the end of the week and you know what that means. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks. Welcome, February. So glad to see you.

Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Breakfasts - blueberry muffins, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal

Lunches - PB & J, fruit, yogurt, leftovers

Dinners -

Black-eyed peas and honey cornbread

Spaghetti, marinara sauce, and baked cauliflower

Soup and honey cornbread

Tacos

Leftovers

Super Bowl - Mini hot dogs, veggie dip with homemade bread and sliced veggies, Hot wings, and homemade Oreos.

My mom assures me that "mini hot dogs" have nothing to do with actual dogs. Plus, they involve bacon and I love bacon. This is going to be a fantastic week.

Daily Routine

2011-01-30T14:07:00.005-08:00

guest post by my mom

There has been a lot of talk around the frugal-blogosphere about daily routines, home management binders, housekeeping notebooks, etc. Essentially many folks were trying to organize their 2011 better than their 2010.

A noble cause, indeed.

We all want to have a clean, tidy house and lots of time to spend with our friends and family, so I wanted to jump on the bandwagon too. Crystal and Fishmama both had great ideas for daily housekeeping lists, but nothing that really fit my needs/season of life. I don't have 6 kids and I don't homeschool, therefore I needed something different.

So, I took ideas from both (plus a few others I found on the web) and made one that fit what I'd like to accomplish in any given week. I've been following it for about the last 6 weeks and it's great! I really didn't want to write about my new to-do list until I'd had the opportunity to actually follow it and see how things went. The first few days were rocky. I had to refer to it a lot to "remember" what I needed to do. I have my list right next to my calendar. It's super easy to take a peek and see what needs to be done, and keep myself on task.

Now, things are in a pretty good groove and even busy days filled with the unexpected, don't turn my world upside down. The house stays clean and tidy, dinner gets made, laundry stays done, and I have time in the evenings to relax. I chalk up much of the new-found organization to the decluttering we did, but I'd say, even by itself the list was a great implementation in our house!

Oatmeal Packets

2011-01-29T15:47:00.002-08:00

My mom made oatmeal packets. She got the recipe from FishMama and tweaked it a bit. My baby sister eats oatmeal pretty much every morning for breakfast and my dad eats it about half the week. So, we can burn through oatmeal pretty quickly around here.

For the price of a box of 10 instant oatmeal packets (around $3.50 at our grocery store), we can make over a month's worth of homemade oatmeal packets. Plus, there are probably fewer preservatives. The large tub of generic quick oats cost $1.98 and the brown sugar was $1.50. We already had the little baggies (which we can reuse) and the cinnamon.

For each baggie, I put 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, and a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon (though definitely not the 1/8 teaspoon that Fishmama calls for). I also did not include milk powder or salt--I make the oatmeal with milk instead of water when I cook it, and let's be honest, who really needs more sodium??

This is me making oatmeal packets. Well, you know, supervising.....from a different room....on the sofa...

Here's the finished product:

My mom made 16 packets and didn't even use half the oatmeal. A very frugal endeavor and super easy for morning routines!

She's trained

2011-01-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

"C'mon Jack, let's get a snack."

"Mmmm. Good, huh?"

"D'ya want another one?"

Oh yes. She's trained. She's gloriously, fabulously trained.

Financial Goals for 2011

2011-01-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Let me assure you, these are not MY goals. These are my peoples' goals. My top goals are:

1. Eat more snacks.

2. Train my baby sister to get me more snacks.

3. Get a new blue toy.

But my people want to use my blog to tell you about their financial goals for 2011.

This year, my people really only have one big goal: Tell Wells Fargo where they can shove our mortgage. They have some other minor goals, but really, 99% of their efforts this year are going towards this single goal.

So, instead of giving detailed monthly financial updates, I've decided to take a different route. I will update you on what percentage of our goal we've completed and what things we did each month to come in under budget. Coming in under our budget is our best way to intensify our efforts, so hopefully we'll make some great progress (and can show Wells Fargo who's boss :) ) while not scrimping on the fun and milkbones.

Their other two minor goals are:

:: Add to emergency savings - They have a specific dollar amount they would like to add

:: Pay for only 50% of gifts out of pocket - This one requires some clarification. They aren't looking to scrimp on gifts, just that they want to be able to use alternate methods of income to pay for the gifts, rather than using the money in their gift savings account. Any money left over at the end of the year in the gift fund will be donated to charity. This is a great encouragement to come in under budget since it means the "extra" money will benefit someone in need!

Tune in each month to see the progress!

Build it up to tear it down

2011-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

You might remember all my stockpiling from last year. I got some phenomenal deals from Medco and a few other places.

If I had been thinking straight, I would have stockpiled some rawhides. That would have made more sense.

Anyway, now that we've moved to a new house (which I LOVE), we just don't have the same amount of storage for a ginormous stockpile. This lines up perfectly with my people's financial goals for 2011! (More on that later) We're stretching our dollars around here, and what better way to cut back than to use up what you have? We've gotten all sorts of freebies, trial size items, etc., so we're going to use some of those up to make room in the closet. The money saved will be used towards extra principle payments on my people's mortgage. We built up a great stockpile when the prices were hot, and now we're using it up and paring it down to make for less cluttered cabinets. Hopefully, by the time we've used up some of the stockpile, I'll have found where the best deals are in our new town.

As for those rawhides? My birthday is in June. Please buy me these. The stockpile should be cleaned out a bit by then and we will have oodles of room to store rawhides, snacks, and blue toys. There's no need to hold back.

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of January 24

2011-01-24T12:43:00.002-08:00

The menus are starting to pick up around here a bit. A bit. We're also going to do some bulk cooking/food prep, so stay tuned for that as well.

Breakfasts: yogurt, cold cereal, homemade oatmeal packets, and pancakes

Lunches: PB&J, yogurt, fresh fruit, leftovers

Dinners: Spaghetti, marinara sauce, and baked cauliflower x2

Cheater Beef Stroganoff and green beans

Taco soup x2

Salad wraps

Soup and sandwiches

Declutter Challenge: The Final Results

2011-01-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

guest post by my Mom

Remember all the 8 million posts last year about decluttering? We had our hearts set on streamlining life, removing clutter, and having a really smooth move. We worked really hard to pare our home down to just items that are used, loved, and/or have super sentimental value. I definitely wouldn't call us minimalists, but we had gotten to a point where sheer laziness was letting stuff pile up in our closets. We weren't using the items, but we also weren't funneling them to folks who would use them. That's pretty wasteful. And lazy.

So, we hit the decluttering hard last year. During the final weeks of our move, I wasn't able to keep count since we were packing and then living out of hotels for about 2 months, but at this point, I think it's safe to say that if I didn't meet the goal, I got awfully close.

The interesting thing, is when we compared our total household good weights from our move in 2009 with our move this year, we were 2000 lbs less. The crazy part? When we moved in 2009, we didn't have a baby. So, in theory, we "should" have more "stuff". Right? No, we have a full TON less "stuff"!

And we don't even miss it.

And we moved into a smaller house and aren't cramped.

And it's less to clean and maintain.

And so I have more time for my family.

If you've been worried about jumping into decluttering, let me tell you, I can't encourage you enough. It's a little bit addicting once you realize just how much you don't miss the stuff you give away/sell. If you have a bunch of stuff in closets or your garage--how much good is all that stuff doing for you? You don't see it and don't use it (which is probably why it's in a closet). Do you really need to keep it? Probably not. Start small, maybe a linen closet or the junk drawer in the kitchen. I promise you, you'll enjoy the benefits of a less cluttered life!

Crips vs Bloods

2011-01-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

guest post by My Friend

Kind of.

Ok, well not really.

But it IS East Coast vs West Coast.

In the blogging community there is a lot of talk about grocery budgets. People always seem to want to know how much your grocery budget is and how you are able to feed x people on that budget.

While it can be interesting to see what other people do, comparing your budget to someone else’s is generally not a great idea for a number of reasons:

1. People eat different things. I don’t eat a lot of meat so my budget is lower because of that. Jack’s family on the other hand – well you may recall the Great Lunchmeat Caper of 2010 .

2. Number of people in your family. There is only 1 of me so any one meal I make probably lasts longer than a meal in Jack’s family. Of course this also means that I tend to eat the same thing over and over again which sometimes results in wasted food.

3. Pets, babies, and other family members that require special products. I don’t have a dog around to help me eat what I cook . Also, I don’t have a baby! Babies often have special requirements – diapers, baby food – there are all sorts of possible items that could raise the grocery budget.

4. Regional variation. I live on the East Coast. Jack’s family lives on the West Coast. I discussed this with Jack’s mom and we both agreed that there were probably some regional differences in what things cost but neither one of us had any idea what the differences might be. So, we conducted a little experiment (what can I say – we both have research backgrounds – nerdiness makes us happy).

Here is the basic setup. We each went to a few popular stores in our area to record the prices of some commonly purchased items.

West Coast – Vons and Commissary

East Coast – Kroger, Harris Teeter, and SuperTarget.

The items we decided to compare:

Produce:
Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Cucumber, Iceberg Lettuce, Banana

Meat (price by pound):
Boneless Chicken Breast – Perdue, 85/15 ground beef

Grocery:
White Mueller Pasta – Thin Spaghetti, Skippy Peanut Butter, Prego Pasta Sauce

Personal Care:
Pantene Shampoo, Crest Toothpaste, Secret Deodorant

For each item we chose the smallest and most basic variety (so we chose the small tube of Crest Cavity Protection, not the Crest Pro-Health versions.

What did we find? Well the results were actually quite surprising!

	Store
Item	Commissary	Vons	Harris Teeter	Kroger	Target
Green Pepper		$1.59	$1.49	$0.99	$0.79
Red Pepper		$2.49	$2.99	$2.49	$3.99
Cucumber		$0.99	$0.99	$0.99	$0.79
Iceberg Lettuce		$1.99	$1.99	$1.19	$1.49
Banana		$0.59	$0.59	$0.49	$0.57
Boneless Chicken Breast - Perdue		$6.99	$5.49	$3.65	$3.49
Ground beef 85/15		$4.99	$4.49	$3.65	$3.54
White Mueller Pasta - Thin Spaghetti		$1.69	$2.50	$1.79	$1.22
Skippy Peanut Butter		$3.69	$2.79	$2.99	$2.04
Tomato Sauce - Prego		$2.99	$2.45	$2.11	$1.92
Pantene Shampoo		$4.99	$4.59	$3.82	$3.49
Secret Deodorant		$2.99	$2.99	$2.57	$2.34
Crest Toothpaste		$4.49	$2.99	$2.99	$2.79
	20.49*	$40.47	$36.34	$29.72	$28.46

*The Commissary doesn’t permit the reporting of exact prices, so only the total is listed.

Here are the highlights:

- It’s not particularly surprising that the Commissary was the cheapest given that it’s subsidized by the government.

- Get a load of that Crest toothpaste. Yikes, Vons.

- Target cheaper than Kroger? Who knew?

While you definitely don’t need to evaluate as many stores as we did, if you’re having a hard time sticking with a specific grocery budget, it may be because your set budget isn’t realistic for your locality and circumstance. Jot down a quick list of the items you usually buy and compare some prices in the stores in your area. The results might surprise you.

When it comes to grocery budgets one size does not fit all. You need to evaluate your needs, your stores (including coupon policies), and your budget goals.

Chillaxin'

2011-01-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

My baby sister always has these things in her mouth. She's been eating them since she came home. I think they're called "paci's", but I'm not positive. Maybe they're saying "taxis". Who knows?

My baby sister at 10 weeks old with her taxi.

My baby sister last week with her taxi.

Evidently she really likes these things. So, what do you do when you get a recommendation from a friend (and we are definitely friends!)? You try it for yourself. Obviously.

And I am feeling amazingly relaxed right now.

200th Post!

2011-01-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

Way back when. When I was a wee lad (just a 6 month old pup!). How could I have known that I'd grow up and have my own blog?

More importantly, I really miss that moose toy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

I feel like there is probably something wrong with these boxes. I just can't quite put my finger on it...

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of January 17

2011-01-17T19:48:00.003-08:00

This week is another super simple one. Since my people moved to a new house, they're slowly trying to rebuild their pantry while still staying within their weekly grocery budget. That means we're doing fewer meals with meat, and more soup and sandwiches to keep the budget low. That way there will be a little wiggle room to stock up on the staples--without running out and blowing several hundred dollars in one haphazard trip.

Breakfasts: cold cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, blueberry muffins

Lunches: Peanut butter and jelly, sliced veggies, fruit

Dinners: Tacos, guacamole and chips

Soup & bread

Spaghetti and marinara sauce & baked cauliflower

Enchiladas

Black-eyed peas and cornbread

Celebrity Status

2011-01-16T18:55:00.004-08:00

Ok, so remember how a few weeks ago I may have been lying on a bed when I shouldn't have? Well now, I can truthfully say it was because I was rehearsing.

Yes, rehearsing. I'm going to be on NCIS! My people just found out that NCIS films where we live and I could TOTALLY be a dead body on NCIS! Can you imagine the ratings they'd get with their first dead cocker spaniel? Wow. I probably will be hanging out with Mark Harmon a lot.

This post brought to you by: Rust-Oleum

2011-01-15T08:48:00.003-08:00

My people bought this table when we moved in because our regular kitchen table didn't fit in the space. They got it for $10 off of Craigslist. Here's what it looked like before (please excuse Fod):

Not very pretty.

But a few coats of spray paint later??

Ta Da!

All told, it cost us about $15 (table + spray paint) and fits our needs perfectly!

The Crafty Cocker

2011-01-13T19:58:00.006-08:00

You'll recall that my people met Dave Ramsey and I did not. Hrmph. I'm not holding a grudge.

Instead I'm holding the glue.

I made a debt-free frame!! Financial freedom is crockpot living, not microwave living. Just because we're nearly debt-free (watch out Wells Fargo!), doesn't mean that our efforts stop when everything is paid off. Our family has long term goals to reach and so we're going to keep our motivation high. We wanted to put our picture from our trip to Financial Peace Plaza somewhere we'd see frequently to keep the wheels turning.

So, some cut up credit cards, a cheap frame, and a little glue, and....

VOILA!

Thanks Craft Sylish for the great idea to fluff up my blogging station!

Oh how I love my new yard

2011-01-12T20:25:00.002-08:00

Indeed, it's hard not to flat-out waller in it.

So I gave in.

You can find more Wordless Wednesdsay here.

Photo book lovin'

2011-01-11T10:21:00.001-08:00

Warning: I am about to shamelessly plug Shutterfly (again). Mostly just because they are awesome. But also because I love them.

My people have recently started making a yearly photo book. My mom used to make traditional scrapbooks, but those really get bulky. Plus, the supplies can start to take over your house. I know there are lots of companies that encourage digital scrapbooking and sell products of that sort, but really, I've found that Shutterfly's photo books more than fit our needs. They have several pre-made photo book layouts where, in a matter of minutes, you can have a really awesome looking photo book. Seriously, there's not an excuse to NOT use them because they're so easy. BUT, if you have time.....boy can you get sucked into the options. There are so many different backgrounds, layouts, borders, etc. that it can be a black hole. A fun black hole, though. Plus, pretty much every time I've ever ordered from Shutterfly, they've sent new coupon codes with my order. So, after the first time, you'll have more coupon codes than you know what to do with. Shutterfly doesn't (generally) limit how many coupons you can stack, plus if you use Ebates you can get cash back making your out of pocket even smaller.

What? You don't use Ebates? Go sign up now. You're welcome.

Now that you're done signing up for Ebates, go have a ball with Shutterfly.

Menu Plan Monday (for the people): Week of January 10

2011-01-10T12:34:00.002-08:00

My people are keeping it super duper simple this week since they're still in move-in-mode. Hopefully there will be some freezer cooking and legit menu planning in no time. I've already put Snickerpoodles at the top of that list.

So, we're not "assigning" meals to specific nights kinda like how my friend does it. Here's what we're eating around here this week:

Breakfasts - cold cereal, yogurt, fruit

Lunches - sandwiches, fruit, veggie slices

Dinners - soup and cornbread

spaghetti and salad

chicken fajitas on the grill

leftovers

DNA Tests for 3 easy installments of $29.99!

2011-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

What a bargain!

Yes, folks, I am expanding my business to include DNA testing. I assure you, my accuracy is amazing. I used myself as a willing test subject. It turns out, I am half Clydesdale and half Monarch butterfly.

You can see the resemblance, no?

What do you mean you think I'm making it all up??

Au contraire! This is legit business, folks.

Let me introduce you to my friend Gatlin:

What a winning smile. Such a handsome devil.

Anyway, Gatlin's people got a DNA test for Gatlin (no, they didn't use my service). Yes, I'm serious. Go Swagbucks "dog DNA test". It's eye-opening to say the least. Gatlin's very "official" DNA report states that his parents look approximately like this:

What kind of Mickey Mouse operation are these

folks running? (It is of note that Gatlin's DNA test said that he's a mix of about 9 breeds). But really? A Schnauzer? Yorkshire terrier?

After seeing these results, and the obvious demand for these services based on the number of doggie DNA labs listed on the internet, I feel confident I can carve out my own little slice of the Doggie DNA industry.

My first paying customer? Fod, of course.

His parents? Actually, he's a pure-bred.

So who's up next??

Type A's Need Not Apply

2011-01-08T19:38:00.001-08:00

Budgeting is hard work. It's not easy. It requires forfeiting a lot. And about a billion revisions....during the first week. This isn't a test and no one gets a 100%. Don't let anyone make you feel like a failure for not creating the "perfect" budget.

There's no such thing.

:: Take it slowly - Each month is different and presents different issues and obstacles. If you need to, budget by paycheck instead of by month. Once you get the hang of that, then stretch it to the month.

:: Establish a Finance Committee - The committee might consist of just you and your dog. Or you and your spouse. Or just you. But set aside some time each month to evaluate how your month went. What do you need to tweak for next month? What worked well? Did you over-budget for some areas and under-budget for others? Designate time out of your month to really hash out how things went.

:: Give yourself a healthy dose of grace - Your budget likely won't work the first few months, especially if you're trying to create a zero-based budget. Don't beat yourself up. You'll only get discouraged. Find some like-minded friends (even if they're just on the internet!) to help you stay positive and encouraged.

But most importantly....keep at it!

Holla' at Holiday Inn Express

2011-01-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'd like to give a shout-out to the fine folks at Holiday Inn Express. Nearly all HIE's are pet-friendly and they really mean it! Everyone said 'hello' to us, we got to see other dogs in the elevator, and they even gave us snacks when we checked in!! We also stayed at a Sheraton, Hilton, and Marriott along the way, but HIE was the paws-down winner.

Hilton was a close second just because you can get your own personal doggy bed and they also give you a "snack pack" when you check in with all sorts of provisions. The only down side is that everyone didn't talk sweet to us at Hilton the way they did at the HIEs where we stayed. The HIE employees seemed to REALLY like us. But honestly, what's not to love?

Anyway, if you're looking to take a trip, I highly recommend getting your people to let you stay at Holiday Inn Expresses along the way. The pet fee is minimal and they're super nice!

P.S. If you work the system right at HIE, you can get your people to bring you a hash brown or a sausage link when they come back up from getting their free breakfast in the morning, too!

Fantastic Freebies: December Travel Edition

2011-01-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

This month's freebies are mostly items collected from hotels since we were on the road. Not pictured (but still free) from this month were 2 single-load Tides and 1 72-count box of Pampers baby wipes. Pictured above are a few shampoos, conditioners, soaps, make-up removal cloths, a sponge, and 2 single loads of dishwasher detergents.

Most of the toiletry items that we collected along our travels have been used already, so this is what's left. The beauty of it is that using these items have stretched what we have for the month. These are items that would have been thrown away by the hotel staff; instead, we just took them with us.

Minimal? Yes. Helpful? Absolutely.

Now that we're settled in our new home, I hope to have more/better freebies to share with you by the end of this month.

Did you get anything good for free this month?

"Hi Jack"

2011-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

my baby sister and me riding cross-country

My baby sister and I are good friends. We're SUCH good friends that her first word combination was "Hi Jack". My mom seems a little disgruntled that she won't say "mama" very much. She says "dada" all the time. But for me? Oh yes. I get a FULL GREETING!!

I'm Booking it....again

2011-01-04T19:36:00.001-08:00

You didn't think I'd let my mind go to mush did you? Oh heavens no. I'm going to be joining in over at LifeAsMom for Booking It 2011. I'm plan to dip my toes in both sides of her reading plan. I'll be reading some of the books she has listed, as well as a few of my own.

This year, I plan to read through the Bible again. Maybe in 90 days. Maybe not. I haven't decided yet. Plus, each month, I plan on reading (at least):

:: 1 non-fiction book (so my brain doesn't rot)

:: 1 financial book (for encouragement to stay the course, and personal improvement)

:: 2 pleasure books of my choosing

Please share in the comments if you've read anything good lately. I'm always open to recommendations!

What?!?!? No pets?!?!?

2011-01-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine my surprise when we rolled up to Financial Peace Plaza in Nashville, TN only to find out they don't let animals (except service animals) in the building. I tried to explain to my people that I DO provide a service: I let them pet me and write my blog.

They didn't buy it.

Alas, they went into the building and met Dave Ramsey without me. My mom was so excited she couldn't even talk, so my dad got to tell him we're debt-free and thank him for the motivation and encouragement via his books, website, radio program, etc. It was a pretty cool day for our family.