The selfish philosopher rages.

Adding up the savings.

I sat down today and started adding up my receipt savings. I saved in one month about $350.00. How great is that! I also sat down with my family so we could go over chores. We decided this year that we would each decide what chores we were going to do and stick to them. I also started a budget. I found out that in three months I will be losing my job to downsizing. So saving is going to be extremely important until I am able to find a new job. I am thinking about getting together with friends for a coupon trade. This way we can al benefit. I am also going to buy in bulk this year so that a group of us can go in together to save money. I will be making more meals this year and trying to go back to organic. We are already planning our garden so that we can get the most out of it. I will be canning a lot this year so that I can have lots of organic veggies!!! So to everyone, send any ideas you have and we can save money together.

Ways to save money for the new year.

Ok so I know that money is a big issue for most of us and finding ways to save is crucial. So here are some f my favorite websites and money saving tips.

www.mysavings.com - this site has great freebies and also allows you to compare sale ads for your area. I have gotten free makeup, cups, food, magazines and more.

www.cellfire.com - this site allows you to download coupons right to your kroger card. And for those of us that may sometimes forget coupons this is a big help and no carrying around coupons.

www.chacingonashoestring.com - great site if you are looking for deals on movies, food, and what sales are going on at local walgreens, etc.

Next, I am a big believer in making your own laundry soap. I can make enough for about 3 months for about 3.00 total price. This is a huge savings if you do a lot of laundry like I do. I also refuse to buy bottled water. I use a filtering system and fill up jugs of water so that all i have to do is put them outside to get cold and they are good to go. I also compare prices online on big purchases before I buy so that I know I am getting the best prices.

I also use freecycle websites so that if I have something I don't use anymore than I can give it to a good home. I also use it to get things I do need that someone else may be getting rid of.

This is just a short list but I will post more later.

Then new year!

So 2009 is almost over and 2010 is almost here. Now what? Ah yes time for the resolutions....or not! Well I decided to start losing weight but didn't wait until the new year. I got the YOUR SHAPE for the wii and got started. I LOVE IT! I have already lost weight and feel better. After New Year's Day I am going to start a body clease to get rid of.....well last year! lol I also see A LOT of people paying for memeberships for people to help them save money. What I don't understand is why? It is so easy to do yourself or get together with a group of friends and cut/trade coupons. I would love to hear ideas on what you are doing. But I would like it to be from people who don't use the pay websites. Ok so next.....I am making a BUDGET! I downloaded a program and it lists everything you will need to manage money. I want to start getting things ready for college. We have two that graduate the same year.

I also would love to hear everyones ideas for keeping the house clean. Do you do certain chores on certain days? Clean a little everyday? I would love to know. I work and have two teenagers and a two year old. And well.... I clean and then i turn around and it is messed up again. Ok well off I go to clean.....clean....oh man......forget it! lol just kidding I will get a little bit done today.

Christmas

So the tree is up along with the rest of the decorations. I still need to shop but I am trying to find ways to make some great homemade and inexpensive gifts. With three kids, it would be nice to give gifts to our family that mean something more than just something I picked up at the store. I want them to bew able to make gifts that the family will love!! So any ideas??

Recipes

OK so it is that time again......yes you know what I am talking about! It is almost Christmas! So I would love great ideas on making homemade presents. I need a fudge recipe, rum ball recipe, and cream cheese frosting recipe. I would love to hear about everyones favorite holiday recipes also! I am having Christmas here and would like to try some new recipes along with my old. I also need recipes for mixes that i can put in jars to give as gifts!

Happy Halloween!

What happened to Halloween? Remember when we were young and stayed out until 10 or 11pm. We had big pillow cases filled and EVERY neighbor passed out candy! Well this year it seemed like there were hardly any kids. I also noticed that a lot of the houses were not even passing out candy. I miss the old days with the Halloween parties at school, the parade through the classes and then the parties where every parent brought actual food to class along with snacks so we could stay in the class room. Why do things have to change so drastically??????