My cousin, Rachael, is a budding photographer and invited us to be her subjects. She has a great eye for lighting and got some fantastic shots. Here are a few of my favorites:
Do You Black Friday?
I’ve been one of those folks who gets up at 3am to stand in line for the really great deals. But year after year I was frustrated by the rude “adults” who act like 3 year olds, pushing, and shoving and stealing things out of people’s carts when they aren’t looking. And often the thing I got up early for was sold out before I could reach it.
Source: Plasticjungle.com
Not all my Black Friday shopping has been a bust. 5 years ago I stood in line and snagged a lovely pair of black boots which I finally wore out, and my husband purchased a new suit at rock bottom prices–which is still good!
I have a hard time passing up a good deal. My hands get sweaty and I have trouble thinking clearly. In hindsight there wasn’t anything I purchased at that time that I couldn’t have lived without. And sometimes living without is a happier existence, because I’m not left with the clutter.
So this Black Friday if you come to my home, you’ll find a peaceful family, listening to Christmas carols and sipping hot chocolate. After the chores are done, we’ll bring out the board games and read some books aloud. It sounds so much better to me than fighting the frenzy at the store.
If there are some Black Friday deals you can’t live without, many stores are now offering the same deals online, so you can shop at home without fighting the crowds. To take full advantage of Black Friday deals, shop with a plan. Know what you are looking for, for whom, and how much you have to spend. If what you went to the store for is sold out, ask for a rain check so you can pick up the deal later. Finally, don’t be dazzled by good deals that don’t fit in your plan. That way you can feel good about your purchase and know it won’t send you over your Christmas budget.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I have so much to be thankful for this year! We tried to make you a video as a family. And after the 3rd take of adorable kid bytes and youtube eating it every time…we gave up to make sweet potatoes and fold laundry. But for the record:
I’m thankful for: my family, our home, and our hope for the future
Brandon (4) is thankful for panutbutter samwiches and Grant.
Dub is thankful for his new balloon, steak and Grant.
Heather is thankful for Grant and Mom.
Caleb is thankful for steak and legos.
Heidi is thankful for friends and family.
Darren is thankful for his Godly heritage and our free nation.
And if Grant could talk–Milk would be high on his thankful list, lol.
So from all of us to you, Happy Thanksgiving!
Vote and be Inspired
The Fall Transformation Challenge is over at Fit Yummy Mummy and the finalists are posted. You can pop over there and see the amazing before and after pictures. It’s fantastic what is possible in just 12 weeks! Click here to see the photos, read the essays, and vote for your favorite finalist!
Replay of the radio show available
Hi friends, if you were busy during the radio show and missed it, you can listen to a replay here. Vickilynn just joined the private Grocery Shrink email group too. If you own a copy of The Grocery Shrink ebook, you are eligible to join and can ask her questions there. Vickilynn is an expert on cooking from whole foods and making it tasty!
Join me on the Get Real–Get Prepared Radio Show
I’ll be a guest this Saturday 6pm Central (7pm Eastern) on Vickilynn Haycraft’s show: Get Real–Get Prepared. I would love to know that you will be a listener. You can click here to listen in on Saturday. You might remember Vickilynn for her books, Wrapping It Up!: Making Sensational, All Occasion Wraps
If you have any questions you’d like me to answer live, you can add them as a comment to this post.
Guestpost: The Pros and Cons of Layaway
Stacey Makes Cents is back today to talk with us about layaway. (Hey–I’m a poet :).
By now you should know that Barry and I are NOT fans of credit cards. If we don’t have the money for something, we don’t buy it. For some people, this is a problem at Christmas time. I try to combat that problem by buying Christmas gifts all year long – when I can find them on sale, at yard sales, and used. However, I know that most people are not planning freaks like I am. Shocking, huh? If I can’t plan for something, it makes me want to go nuts. I would like to give you a challenge this Christmas. Here it is…..ready? Don’t put any of your gifts on a credit card. I know, I know. Some of you know you have the money to pay for it and just put it on the credit card for points. But, here’s a thought – if you have the money to pay for it, why don’t you? Why use a credit card if you have the money in the bank? Points for pondering. Some of you have good intentions on paying off that card, but you get carried away with the holiday festivities and find yourself in a bind once the bill comes due in January. Then you have to pay interest, making the decision to put the gifts on your card a very bad one. Oops.
For those of you who didn’t plan and don’t have the money to buy all your gifts at once, there is a program out there that can help, without the interest rate of a credit card – layaway. Layaway is a good alternative for those of you who don’t want to use credit cards this Christmas. Several retailers are now offering layaway again and it’s become very popular around the holidays.
How does layaway work? Each store will have their own policy, but basically you pay a small fee (most stores charge around $5-10) and the retailer holds the item for you while you pay it off in installments…..interest free. I’m a fan of this because I don’t like the high fees that credit card companies charge. The only fee for this program is your up-front charge for participating. Even though I am a fan, there are several disadvantages that you also need to keep in mind. Below I’ve listed several pros and cons about layaway so you can make the decision yourself.
-You are able to pay for Christmas gifts, interest free, even if you don’t have all the money immediately.
-You avoid credit card interest fees. The fee is usually lower than interest rates, unless you’re only buying one or two small ticket items. The fee should be less than 10% of the item.
–The store holds your gifts so you don’t have to find a place to hide/store them at home. A big plus if you have inquisitive children…..or spouses.
–You get a better selection. You can put your items on layaway before the holiday rush starts. You won’t have to brave the crowds or pick from what’s left.
-You avoid the January blues when a credit card bills comes due. You can actually ENJOY the New Year.
-If you change your mind about the item(s), you don’t have to return it to the store. You can just give it back to them (some stores MAY charge a cancellation fee).
-If you find a great sale but cannot afford the purchase at the time, you can “lock in” the price and pay for it in installments….interest free, did I mention that?
-If the item goes on sale later for a better price, the store will usually let you take advantage of that sale. Some stores limit this price adjustment to one time.
-If you don’t complete the sale you don’t have to worry about credit card companies calling you in the night threatening to eat the bread off your plate.
Of course, there is the flip side to the coin.
–Limit ONE to the price adjustment (in most stores).
-If you cannot afford it all at one time, should you really buy it?
-If you have NO discipline, layaway could cause you to spend more…..especially if you dream big.
–If you miss a payment, your items will go back on the shelf and you’ll be out of your service fee and perhaps have to pay a cancellation fee. Most stores aren’t so hard core that they keep your money. It will usually be refunded, although sometimes it’s returned in store credit.
–If the store goes out of business, you’re in trouble.
Barry and I will always prefer to shop with cash, but if you don’t have that option then maybe layaway is for you.
Remember, don’t use your credit card this holiday season. Are you with me?
Stacy and husband Barry are debt free bloggers and recently gave their debt free scream on the Dave Ramsey radio show. You can read more about Stacy at her blog: www.Stacymakescents.com
Straining Yogurt
Here’s a quick video I filmed of straining the yogurt I made in my slow cooker. Since I made the yogurt during the day. I refrigerated it overnight. It still strained, but slower and a lot less whey came off then when I strained it warm. You can click here to get the slow cooker yogurt instructions.
Amazon Price Watching
I love it when you ask questions! That helps me write a post I know you can use :). The answer is Yes! I price watch on Amazon by filling my cart with what I’m interested in and just not buying it. Amazon saves my cart if I’m logged in. I can log in every day and if the price has changed there will be a big yellow box at the top of my shopping cart screen with all the price changes in it. Sometimes the price goes up and sometimes down.
Waiting hasn’t always worked out great. I once found green twin size duvets for $11, thought about it for a few minutes. Price checked other discount stores online. Found out it was the deal of the century and went back to buy and the price had increased to $35. All my checking took maybe 30 minutes. I bought plain white ones on sale a little later at a local store for $14, so all in all, it worked out okay.
I do the swag buck thing too and earn a $50 gift card once a month or so. When I’m ready to buy at Amazon, I click buy later on any item I’m not ready to pay for yet, and then check out.
The beauty of this watching game is often I decide I can live without the item after all. That is the biggest money saver of all :).
Boy Duvet’s
I haven’t had a sewing post for awhile. Dub and Brandon have new twin beds with drawers in the bottom. I finally gave up on ever building the lovely storage beds from Anna White and put these in my shopping cart at Amazon. And waited. And waited. And then one day the price dropped down to $135 a bed with free shipping and I snagged them. The price had gone as high as $239 each while I was watching them. What a surprise! I’m now very patient with buying items on Amazon and watch the price fluctuations and buy at the bottom.
Darren put together the frames and I built all the drawers. It was very satisfying. I’ve decided I like to build when it’s all precut, presanded, prefinished and predrilled, lol. Ana would be disappointed to hear that.
Now the boy’s have a tidy room, with floor space to play, but no curtains and no bed covers.
I purchased a gray flat sheet and a white sheet from Wal-mart for $5 each and have cut them into wide strips that I am piecing together to make horizontal striped tap top curtains. While I sew I am chanting, “Please don’t look like jail curtains….please don’t look like jail curtains….”
I also purchased some fun fabrics on sale at fabric.com to piece duvet covers. I’ve come up with two different designs, patterned and random. I’m leaning towards the patterned one–what do you think?
I used a virtual quilting method I figured out with power point–fun and less messy than sewing. But nothing real to show for it when I’m done.