72% Grocery Savings

I had another major grocery savings tonight. Not a 78% savings like a few weeks ago, but almost as good! All of this for $19.

On our drive home, Mike asked me what I'm doing differently than I did back when he was working? It's a couple of things, really. The most helpful thing is that our nearest store is quadrupling coupons and accepting competitor's coupons. It's a one stop shop. The other thing is that I'm not taking the little 25 cent coupons for granted anymore. Because I spent so many months shopping at Walmart because they price matched, I used to ignore the 25 cent coupons (because they don't double them at Walmart). But now I clip all those little ones.

And it's a good thing I did! See all the toilet paper in the picture? 20 rolls...all FREE. The paper towels? Free. Both were 99 cents and I had a 25 cent coupon for each, which were quadrupled, so free free free. Not the plush, high quality toilet paper, but who cares? It was FREE!

The sugars were only 50 cents after coupons and I'll go through those easily this month with all the baking I do during the holidays. The rolls were also 50 cents after coupons. The lettuce was free. The milk and eggs were $1 each. What really drove the total price of the bill up was the tortilla chips (that we need for a pot luck tomorrow night) and the 2 things of ice cream that Mike bought for $4 each. That's actually why we went to the store in the first place. Eating my homemade apple pie without ice cream was killing him. (I've created a dessert snob) Before we left, I printed a competitor's $6 off $30 purchase coupon from The Good Deal Gal's blog and decided to walk around to see what other deals I could find to charge up to $30.

So is anyone else out there saving big money manipulating the coupon and store sales? If you're overwhelmed with the potential complexity of it all, read about how I keep myself organized in this post.

What am I doing up at midnight for the second night in a row??? I wrapped all of our Christmas presents and somehow got lured onto my computer before turning in for the night. How do I let this happen? Off to bed for me...

Over Achiever

Is that one word or two? Overachiever? I'm not sure. Anyway...

I am one. At least at this exact moment. This weekend, I have been a creative whirlwind.

I mentioned that I make my own Christmas cards, right? Well, I've never waited until Thanksgiving weekend to make them. Until a couple of days ago, I didn't even have a design in mind. (all of you procrastinators just gasped with sarcasm, didn't you???)

I conceived the idea for my Christmas cards on Wednesday morning and was semi-motivated to get started. Sticking to Mike's non-household-budget "spending freeze," I was determined to only use supplies that I currently have to make my cards. Which means the cards were a rainbow of colors, using leftover cardstock that is Christmas-y or winter-ish.

After rummaging through my supplies to use up what I have on hand, I began printing the main message of "still merry" on the cards. Around card 8, my printer went on strike. Grrr........

Plan B. I borrowed a pretty scripted "celebrate" stamp from a friend. Stamps take so much more time than hitting PRINT on my keyboard, but what are you gonna do?

And so, on Thursday morning, the assembly line began. Stamp, stamp, stamp, stamp, fold, fold, fold, fold, measure, measure, measure, measure, cut, cut, cut, cut, punch, punch, punch, punch...THIS is why I usually begin my cards in September.

I even did a little insert with our picture on one side and a short update on the other. (my printer fixed itself, then broke again, then fixed itself...I cursed myself for printing my own pictures to save money...)

But, lo and behold, in two days, I have not only finished making my cards, but they are stuffed and in labeled envelopes, ready to be mailed.

Now, I have to forewarn some of you that you won't be getting a card from me this year. I know, I know, it's sad, but I got over it, so you should too. I went to buy stamps the other day and when I realized that I'd be paying a week's groceries on postage for 120 cards, I axed half of you. Sorry, but it had to be done. And those of you that live locally, expect your card to be hand-delivered next time I see you. If I sit and clip coupons and scout out the sales in the grocery fliers to save $5, you'd better believe it's worth it to NOT mail a dozen cards to save the same $5! Feel free to call me cheap, just not to my face. Because my husband's unemployed...I may have a weak moment and burst into tears on you, appearing oversensitive, and no one needs that guilt!

Where did that rant come from? I just wanted to show off my cool card design and brag about my ADD super efficient holiday weekend! Anyway, I hope you have all thought about making or sending cards, emails or e-cards this year. Your friends and family will appreciate them!!!

Expressing Thankfulness

Is anyone else REALLY excited about turkey tomorrow? I look forward to this indulgence all year long.

I usually throw out some random, useless facts to discuss around your holiday table, but I thought I'd do something a little different this year. I just came across this great list of ways to express your thankfulness this Thanksgiving season.

Because if you practice a thankful attitude, you will have a more cheerful heart. And if you complain less, you will be more content. So look inside of yourself this weekend and focus on the blessings in your life.

Some suggestions for helping your family have a heart of gratitude:

- After your Thanksgiving meal, go around the table listening to each person say what they're thankful for from the past year. To take this a step farther, record what everyone says in a notebook and keep a log each year.

- Create a "thankful tree" or a "thankful turkey" and add either leaves or feathers made from construction paper with things written that you're thankful for.

- If you're hosting the Thanksgiving meal, provide disposable containers for your guests to take home leftovers.

- Read Psalm 100 in unison

- Give your kids money on Thanksgiving Day and instruct them to help someone else in the name of Jesus and tell the family what they did on Christmas Eve.

If you have other fun ideas, leave a comment and share them with us!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

12th Day of Christmas - Advent

Is the 12th day already here? I hope you enjoyed this series and are more excited about Christmas than when we began two weeks ago. Only 29 days until Christmas...are you ready???

For this post, I saved the best (and most important) for last. For those of you who are Christians, the focus of your family's Christmas needs to be on Christ. With kids and lots of hussle and bustle, this has to be something very intentional that you choose to do.

Here are some great ways to refocus your family's attention on Jesus.

1. The Jesse Tree. This idea originated from Isaiah 11:1-2, which refers to the fact that Jesus would be born from the line of David, whose father's name was Jesse. Instead of re-typing the whole premise, check out this link for Simple Mom's explanation. You can also reference http://www.jesse-trees.com/ or check out books like "The Advent Jesse Tree" by Dean Meador Lambert or "The Jesse Tree" by Geraldine McCaughrean.

2. A traditional Advent Calendar. Advent means to celebrate that which is coming (the birth of Christ). There are many ways you can celebrate using an Advent Calendar. If you want to do something a little deeper than opening a door each day and pulling out a piece of chocolate, purchase (or make) a calendar with pockets or larger holes behind the doors. Write out notes to stick in each pocket. The note could contain a passage of Scripture, a family activity or challenge or a fun fact about the true meaning of Christmas.

3. An Advent Wreath. If a daily calendar is too much for you, consider an Advent Wreath, which is celebrated for the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. The instructions for what you need for this project come from Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time by Donna Otto:

- Buy or a make a wreath and place four candles around or in the wreath and one candle in the center of the wreath

- On the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent, a prayer is said and some conversation about the use of the wreath is suggested. Usually the head of the family is resonsible for this time, as well as the lighting of the candles.

- On the 4th Sunday before Christmas, light the first candle. This candle is the Prophecy Candle. Verses to be shared are: Luke 1:30-31, Isaiah 2:1-5; 11:1-9; 40:3-11. If you do this before a meal, the candle can be left burning throughout the meal.

- On the 3rd Sunday before Christmas, light the second candle. This candle is the Bethlehem Candle. Verses to be shared are Luke 2:24 and Isaiah 7:13-14.

- On the 2nd Sunday before Christmas, light the third candle. This candle is named the Shepherd's Candle. Verses to be shared are Luke 2:8-20, Matthew 2:1-12 and John 5:30-47.

- On the Sunday before Christmas, light the Angel's Candle. Verses to read are Luke 2:1-7, Matthew 2:13-23 and John 3:16-21.

- On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, light the Christ Candle, the candle in the center. Select appropriate spiritual readings to focus on the birth of Christ.

4. The Advent Book - this is a beautifully illustrated book that walks you through the 24 days of December before Christmas.

5. Check this out:

Thanks for hanging with me during this 12 Days of Christmas Series! I hope you got some good tips and will be able to incorporate some of the ideas that were shared. Go enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow and remember to wear your comfy, stretchy pants!!!

11th Day of Christmas - Christmas craft ideas for kids

Does anyone else love Christmas crafting with their kids? Most of these take less than 30 minutes to do and your kids will enjoy spending quality time with you. Pick one or two and put a time on the calendar to do these this December!

Edible crafts:
* Snowman Pretzel Sticks
* Cinnamon Ornaments - Last year, Ryan's teacher had them put a paperclip through the top before baking them and added a ribbon to hang on the tree. Ryan tripped while carrying his ornament home that day and it shattered into a million pieces. We'll try again this year!
* A mini-"gingerbread" house made from graham crackers (this one's easy for even the 1-year olds to help create)

* String popcorn on a long string to make garland for the tree

Christmas card ideas:
* Handprint Santa
* Thumbprint Reindeer

Other crafts:
* Gift bags - either Reindeer or Snowman
* Rudolf Handprint

* Paper Snowflake Cutouts, just like when we were kids - just fold a square piece of white paper in different directions and let your kids cut on the folds to create a "snowflake" to hang from the ceiling or in the window

There are a bunch of additional ideas on the Family Fun website. Again, don't be overwhelmed by these ideas...just do something fun and crafty (and Christmas-y) with your kids. You'll be glad you made those memories for them!

Do you have a favorite Christmas craft? Leave a comment, post it on your blog and paste the link into Mr. Linky below or link directly to a site that explains the craft.

Oreo Turkey Craft

What you'll need:

- Oreos

- Whoppers or Junior Mints

- Candy Corns (bags are 5/$1 at my nearest store)

- Frosting (for "glue")

- Mini chocolate chips for eyes
- Red Licorice for the gobbler (we omitted)

Instructions:

- Unscrew an Oreo

- Eat both halves

- Unscrew another Oreo and start over

- Press 3-5 candy corns (into the side of the Oreo that has the cream left on it) as "feathers"

- Eat a few candy corns

- Spread some frosting on the side of the Oreo that doesn't have any cream on it

- Lick the frosting knife. Twice.

- Use some frosting as "glue" to press the feathered Oreo side to stand up on a flat Oreo

- Eat another Oreo

- Press a Whopper or Junior Mint into the intersection of the cookies as the "head" of the turkey

- Eat a Whopper (or Junior Mint)

- Put a little frosting on the ends of 2 chocolate chips and place them on the head as "eyes"

- Toss a handful of chocolate chips into your mouth

- Put a little frosting on a broken candy corn and place it in front of the head as a "beak"
- Allow the turkeys to sit for a while so the frosting can dry

- Eat another Oreo while your turkey dries. Or make another turkey. Or both.







ENJOY!

10th Day of Christmas - Theme Days

I'm a big fan of Theme Days. You may remember last month when I declared every day for a week a Colored Theme to teach Kaylin her colors.

Last year, I had high hopes of doing several different Theme Days in December, but they didn't happen. Well, one did. We had "G Day" - kind of by accident, and it was fun. I recently ran across a homeschooling blog that had ideas for every letter of the alphabet (plus teachable, pre-school activities) and I can't find it for the life of me. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please leave me a comment with the website address!

Niki at Free to be Frugal just posted a link to watch 101 Christmas Classics at this site. (you'll notice that movies go along with most of my theme days...)

A few other ideas for "Theme Days" include:

- "S" day (stir fry, sledding, The Santa Clause movie)

- "H" day (hamburgers, hot chocolate, Home Alone movies)

- "C" day (cinnamon rolls, chicken fingers, Christmas cookies, A Christmas Carol movie)

- "P" day (pink piggie pancakes, PB&J, pepporoni pizza, popcorn, Polar Express movie)

- "Green" day (wear green, add green food coloring or pureed green veggies to foods throughout the day, make Wreath Christmas Cookies, watch The Grinch)

- "Starbucks & Stories" night (go grab a drink and tell everyone about your favorite Christmas stories)

Do you have any other ideas for Theme Days? Tell us in the comments.

8th Day of Christmas - Homemade Gifts

I like doing homemade, personalized gifts when I can, but sometimes the whole concept of the "time value of money" makes certain things SO not worth it.

For instance, I don't knit. I've heard it's pretty easy and mindless, but still - how many hours does it take to knit a sweater? I can't imagine. But then again, I scrapbook, so I shouldn't be one to discuss the idea of spending tons of time on projects!

As a general rule, we can assume that homemade gifts are less expensive (and often more thoughtful) than store-bought. If money is tight this year, but your gift-giving list is still pretty long, consider making something for your friends and family.

Here are some ideas for homemade Christmas gifts:
- a family photo in a frame
- an online photo book - there are tons of companies out there, but Inkubook is offering a free digital scrapbook to get people to try out their site - you only have to pay shipping! It's not the easiest site out there, but it's FREE, so potentially worth the hassle. (They have a "cookbook" template option and I'm in the process of making a "Family Recipes" cookbook with all the pictures I've taken for recipes for my blog - how fun is that? Now I'm SO glad I've blogged my favorite recipes over the last few months!)
- month-by-month calendars with family pictures printed for each month and important dates typed into the calendar (I usually print these from home, but when time was tight last year, Kinko's did a great job for me)
- write a letter or a list of all the reasons someone means what they mean to you, print it on nice stationary and frame it
- if you sew, you can gift people with a quilt, an apron, tutus for little girls (or try the no sew tutu I made), the possibilities are endless
- if you're a scrapbooker, make a mini scrapbook for someone, filled with pictures and memories
- along those same lines, if you do other paper crafts, make an assortment of greeting cards that are blank inside for the recipient to give to others - 2 of each type: birthday, thank you, get well, Christmas, all occasion, etc.
- there are tons of beautifully layered gift-in-a-jar ideas from cookie mixes to soups to cocoa - click here, here and here for recipes and other details, or google "gift in a jar recipes"
- make a jar of scented bath salts
- there are countless ideas for themed baskets filled with things the recipient enjoys: an assortment of coffee or tea with a mug and accessories, baking goods with a wooden spoon or rolling pin, bath/relaxation kit, a movie theme with a DVD, popcorn and other munchies, get creative and when all else fails, google ideas!
- this blog also has another dozen homemade gift ideas and this site has another 34 homemade gift ideas for all ability levels

I'll link again to the huge list of recipes for cakes, cookies and candy that I posted before. All would make great homemade gifts for extended family, neighbors or as hostess gifts for parties you attend!

What kinds of homemade gifts do you plan to give or have received over the years? I know there are lots more ideas out there...come on...out with 'em!