Way back in the day when Jim and I were newlyweds and we were watching every penny, I did the math on just about every single food product I put into the cart at the grocery store to make sure I was paying the least amount possible per ounce. Outside of food shopping, however, it was all about spending the least amount of money, plain and simple. I used to get the hairsprays and shampoos that cost under a dollar, I only bought clothing on sale or clearance (and usually out of season!), and housewares, when absolutely needed, were purchased (while cringing, usually) at a discount store whenever possible. Once…
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You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours.
When you’re done here, scoot on over to my review blog to read about my attempts to incorporate natural sweeteners (instead of artificial!) into my diet: you can enter to win a $100 Visa gift card and get the scoop on winning $1000 from BlogHer and Crystal Light Pure Fitness! Jim, the older boy, Julesie and I saw “Inception” on Friday night (It. Was. Awesome.) while the younger boy was still at scout camp. Practically immediately after the credits started to roll, the older boy was trying to figure out when he could go back and see it again, and with whom. His plan? To see it with one of…
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It’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know!
We recently had some problems with our stove. Basically it became more and more inconsistent when it came to…working. The problem? When we pressed the “preheat” button, the desired temperature lit up on the electronic display, but only for a moment. It then turned off, before the sensor “caught” and we heard the whoosh of the gas coming on, to begin the preheat. Eventually it would work, but only after we repeated the process ten or twelve–or twenty–times. After we discussed the fact that the stove was getting so unreliable, it would probably stop working altogether at the least convenient time ever, like when we were entertaining* or when we…
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The Focus Is On Family, As Usual.
Focusing on family this holiday season won’t be any different from the norm around here; we usually spend the eight days of Hanukkah doing lots of family activities: board games (Risk, Life, etc.), movies, entertaining, and all that kind of stuff. We don’t focus on the gifts–and in fact, for the last many years, it’s been like pulling teeth for the grandparents to get my kids to make wish lists because they hate doing that–but still, we usually have a loose budget for the holidays. Not this year. Although we are totally fine (really), our belts are tightened this year when it comes to extras, and we join so many…
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Participate In A Swap Meet, Without Actually Meeting
Though I don’t make much time to read anymore (shame on me!), I think I might have to change that up a bit. Part of the reason I got out of the habit is our book availability situation. We don’t (and haven’t for the last 14 years we’ve lived here) have access to our town’s library, because we live in an unincorporated area. (well, we can get INTO the library and use the facility, but we cannot borrow books) There is an option for families like ours: pony up some extra cash to “buy” a library card. No dice. It has always been cheaper for us to have the kids…
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Eats On the Cheap: Easier Than You Think!
Once upon a time, I was to be a contributor for a Chicago restaurant blog. I was really excited about the opportunity, because I was going to be the Suburban Restaurant Girl (official title. not.). I was asked to write a few articles ahead of the launch date, so I did. They paid me (in pennies, I think), and then the blog–in that format–was killed before launch. Almost a year later, the company started a new blog, and the writers it had already contracted with for the old one were told that they would only need one writer and if we were interested in the job, we had to send…