favorite christmas gifts

It's very rare that I post twice in a single day but I really wanted to share with you two of my absolute favorite Christmas gifts that I received this year!!   I'm still giddy about them and can't stop telling friends about them!

The first one was from Mr. Steady and I hinted big time to him that I would like it.  Meaning:  I printed out the information and where he could order it and wrote, "I'll be sooooooooo happy if this is the only thing I get for Christmas!".  So, it was pretty much the only thing I got for Christmas from him and the boys and I WAS soooooo excited! 

What Mr. Steady gave me is this Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM lens.  I've been taking pictures of everything the last few days trying to get used to it and learn more about how to work my camera on Manual versus the Green/Auto option!  I think it would be fun to do a 365 blog like The Frugal Girl's but am afraid it's too much of a commitment.   Maybe that can be a goal for the future?

My other favorite gift is equally special but actually much more thoughtful and it is very unique!  My sister gave me these 3 Letterpress state prints from 1Canoe2.  One day (soon I hope!) they will hang on my dining room wall and I will share a wonderful post about my horrible wall that has turned into something spectacular!  Each of the prints she gave me are states where my husband and I have lived...Texas (birth-2008), Virginia (1995-1996) and now Georgia (2008-present)!

I  received many wonderful gifts!  Lots of gifts that were wants and surprises and a few things that I needed but didn't want to spend money to buy for myself.  But if I had to choose 2, then these are my favorites!   

What about you?  
What are some of the favorite things you received for Christmas?

books read in 2011

I LOVE to read.  I wish that I was a faster reader because even though I'm CONSTANTLY reading, I read only an average of one book every 2-3 weeks.  My goal for 2012 is to read 20 books.  I read 18 this year, so that will challenge me to read a bit faster in the new year.  Here are the books that I remember reading this year!  Some I loved and would enjoy reading again, while a couple on the list I gritted my teeth and finished simply because I kept thinking, "it'll surely get better...."  No such luck on a couple of them.  Anyway...here's what I remember!

Jane Eyre
Still Alice
The Happiness Project
The Hunger Games
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Kitchen House
Little Bee
Sarah's Key
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Freedom
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
I'll Walk Alone
Big Girl
Sing You Home
A Paris Wife
The Glass Castle

My absolute favorites on the list?
Jane Eyre, Still Alice, AWOL on the Appalachian, A Paris Wife, The Glass Castle.

Least favorites?
The Happiness Project, Big Girl, Freedom, I'll Walk Alone

What about you?  
What have been your favorite books and/or least favorite books that you read in 2011?

sealed pot challenge

If you are a reader of Saving For Travel then you have probably heard about her Sealed Pot Challenge!  I joined the challenge a couple of weeks ago, but didn't take the time to make my "pot" until yesterday!  So now I'm all ready to start filling it up with extra coins and cash that come my way!

If you're unfamiliar with the Sealed Pot Challenge, here is what it is in SFT's words:

"All you need is a pot (I'm recycling my tatty margarine tub from last year, but may embellish it-the one in the photo is from Google images), make a hole for cash (if not supplied), seal it up (to avoid raids) and fill it with left over coins until 3rd December 2012. Then we all open them together.

What you do with the proceeds is up to you! This year I'm putting them towards Cornwall, others are buying Christmas presents, some give to charity.

It's not a competition..I think it's fair to say we were all blown away with how much we'd saved this year...we just blog about it from time to time to support each other."

I haven't yet decided what to do with the money that I save in this challenge.  I'll probably wait until we get closer to summer or fall to decide!  Maybe I'll use it for a much wanted Girls Weekend with my best friend or sister?  Maybe a family weekend in the mountains?  Maybe for an overnight date in Atlanta with Mr. Steady? Or maybe there will something that I'll have my eye on by the summer or fall.  Who knows!   From time to time, I'll let you know how I'm doing with "socking" away money into the pot!

I have to confess...my "pot" was super hard to make.  (insert "eye-roll") I took an empty cracker box and some of my favorite paper that I bought in Italy 10 years ago but never use because I've been saving it for something special...but since I'm going back in April I can get more! :)  And then...I wrapped the box and made a hole in it!  I'm worried that the hole is too big and that I might be tempted to turn it upside down and get quarters out. But, I'll just have to use some self control if tempted.  So...that's my Sealed Pot!  I'm transferring some change into it that had been in an "open pot" and expect that to be about a $3 deposit to get my challenge started!

january no spend challenge

I'm joining Carla at My Half Dozen Daily for a January No-Spend Challenge.  Want to join me?  You can challenge yourself to a week, two weeks, or the entire month.  It's up to you!  And it's up to you to set your own "rules".   Since everyone's goals will be different, everyone's challenges will be different.    My goal will be to spend 10% less in January 2012 than we did in January 2011.  My goal is for our total expenses (fixed and variable) is $6688.

My rules are pretty much the same as Carla's:

1.  Track every purchase.

2.  Continue with the Sealed Pot Challenge.  Any loose change at the end of the day goes into the pot.

3.  Plan menus based on what we have on hand.  Shop from a list and shop with a plan.

4.  Find some free entertainment!  Enjoy all of our Christmas goodies.  Go for a hike on nice days.  Enjoy the fire pit on cold ones!  Go to the library.  Study my Italian lessons!

5.  Clean and purge.  Spend time going through the house and eliminating clutter and things we no longer want or need.  Donate instead of spend!  It's a free activity and it will feel good to get it done!

6.  Exceptions:  If something of necessity comes up (medical, Rx, car problems, etc.), I will address it in January versus waiting until February!  Charitable giving continues as well.

7.  No stocking up!  Stocking up the pantry on New Year's Eve is a no/no.  The goal is to spend less...not to spend it all in December and/or February!

I'm really looking forward to starting the year off this way!  The end of each year is always an expenditure whirlwind!  Between the boys Birthdays (Oct/Nov) and Christmas, our 3rd quarter is always spend, spend, spend!!!  And why you may ask am I participating in this challenge when a budget is in place already?  Because I've learned that even though we have a budget, something always comes up.  Either someone gets sick, or the house floods, or a car breaks down.  By coming in under budget on some months, this helps with our "cushion".  That way when something "comes up" we have extra money and hopefully won't have to take it out of savings.

it's the first day of winter...

...and we have our air conditioning turned on!  Can you believe it?!?  On the bright side, it's cloudy and overcast outside so even though it's hot and we need the A/C, from the inside looking out, it looks like it should be cold!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!  I'm going "unplugged" until after Christmas.  Hope you all have a great holiday!!   See you next week!

Love,
sp

to coupon, or not to coupon...

...that is the question.   I have not used coupons in several months.  Probably since May.  I didn't take the time to do cut coupons and plan my grocery trips around what was on sale in the summer.  Then in September we found out my youngest was allergic to most anything that comes in a package, so that eliminated a lot of what I bought with coupons.  I had decided that it wasn't worth the time to clip the coupons and watch the sales for our household items.  But now I'm second guessing myself.  I went back and read a few of my posts on how much money I was saving with coupons and saw that a lot of what I was buying was household stuff and not all packaged food. 


what is the grocery game?
grocery game update
a more productive day
february recap

How many of you use coupons simply for soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.?  Do you find that the time spent planning with the coupons and sales is worth the savings on your household items?

weekly money check-up

1.  The most I spent this last week was $328 on a new microwave oven.  More details about this in a future post!  :)

2.  Today I am thankful that my back is getting back to normal.  Back pain is never fun...you don't realize how much you use your back in the course of a day until you're unable to move it!

3.  Money can't buy happiness.  One free thing I did last week that made me happy was to work in my yard.  I would trade inside chores for outside chores any day of the week!  I worked a bit on removing vines from our willow tree, refilled bird feeders, sprayed for weeds and planted 100 daffodil bulbs. 

4.  I will consider this week a success if I complete some Rosetta Stone lessons.  I'm not sure why I'm procrastinating so much in doing this!

5.  One of my holiday traditions is opening one gift on Christmas Eve!  It's always new PJ's to wear Christmas morning!

Want to join the Weekly Money Check-Up?  Go to My Pretty Pennies and check it out!

only 6 more days!!!

Yippee!  My boys have a countdown on my iPhone that reminds us to the second how long until Christmas!  I am super excited for this week to be here!  We have pretty much all of our shopping done.  I left a little room in the budget so that I can go shop for a couple of things when my Mother-in-Law arrives Thursday.  There are just a couple of things left on the boy's Wish Lists that I'd like to pick up.

I was able to get some of my things finished on yesterday's to-do list.  But after planting 100 daffodil bulbs my back started hurting again so I didn't make it to the sewing room to hem my jeans.  I'll do that today!  But I was able to sit and make out our menu for the rest of the year!!

Tonight:  Chicken and Pasta with pesto and tomatoes
Tuesday:  Tacos, Chips, Beans, Rice
Wednesday:  Mr. Steady and I have a party to go to.  Kids will have leftover tacos and fruit.
Thursday:  Lasagna (Want to make ahead on Wednesday)
Friday: Mr. Steady and I have a party to go to, so we'll send the boys out to eat w/their grandma
Saturday:  Soup and snack stuff (cheese, crackers, dips, etc.)
Sunday:  Turkey and all the extras for Lunch and then leftovers for dinner
Monday: Venison Stew
Tuesday: Either steaks or hamburgers
Wednesday:  "Brunner" (breakfast for dinner)
Thursday: Something easy and allergy-free - soup or peanut butter roll ups
Friday: Something easy and allergy-free - soup or peanut butter roll ups
Saturday:  Osso Buco
Sunday: Chili


Then things to do this week:

Grocery Store
I'd like to stock up and have everything on hand for the remainder of the year.

Christmas Traditions:
We still need to go see Christmas lights, make gingerbread houses and cookies for Santa!

Shopping:
Just a couple of last minute things to buy! 

Dining Room Wall:
Continue working on the collage for my dining room wall.  I got a couple of things finished for it yesterday, but would love to have it completed, or at least my final plan made, by the end of the year!

Rosetta Stone:
I have 10 lessons to complete in order to reach my December goal.  I'd like to complete 6 this week.

Yard Work:
If my back is up to it, I'd like to work in the yard.  It's supposed to be a great week to be outside.  Want to:  Work on removing vines from the willow tree, blow leaves off yard, lay pine straw, have my son and/or Mr. Steady mow the yard, refill bird feeders, spray for weeds, and fertilize azaleas.

I also would like to work on finalizing our 2012 budget and goals.  And seeing where we stand with our goals for 2011! 

Have a Happy Monday!

sunday catch-up

I've been lying low (literally!) since Tuesday.  I hurt my back exercising on Tuesday morning and have not been able to stand up straight until today!  Lucky for me, I was able to catch up on my Bible Study and even read ahead a bit!  (I'm such an overachiever...ha, ha!!)  And with some help from my children in hauling the clothes to/from the washer I was also able to stay caught up on laundry!

Since I'm feeling MUCH better, I wanted to see what I have left on my weekly to-do list and get it knocked out.  So for today, I'd like to accomplish this:


Hem Pants
I have 2 pair of jeans that need to be hemmed.  I'm wearing one of them to a party Friday night, so this has to get done this week.  Note...I obviously didn't wear the pants to Friday night's party.  Since I was unable to sew with my back, I wore something else.

Work in the Yard
I have bulbs that I need to plant this week.  I also want to fertilize my azaleas and trim some bushes.  I'm still tackling my woods and want to continue working on cleaning up the vines all over my Willow tree.  I need Mr. Steady to mow and then we need to order/lay pine straw in the flower beds.  

Work on Dining Room Wall
I have a fairly blank wall in my dining room that I haven't liked since we moved in 3 years ago.  I've been collecting stuff to hang and would like to work on this project some this week.

I would also like to think about the week ahead and get my to-do list for this coming week made today so that I'll be able to hit the ground running tomorrow.  Figuratively speaking.  I'm not trusting my back just yet for another run!  :)

What are you doing on this Sunday afternoon?

mid-month check in

It's "officially" the middle of the month and I want to take a look at my December goals and see how I'm doing.  The boys get out of school today for the Christmas Break and won't return to school until January 3rd...soooooo today I would like to get as many of my To-Do's checked off as possible!



FINANCES

Track spending.
Tracking is up to date I'm happy to say!!

Christmas Gifts.
Don't go over my budgeted amount.  We budgeted a significant amount of $ towards Christmas and there is no reason for us to go over.  To do so would be over indulging.   I'm still within my Christmas budget, but it's always at this time of the Season that I tend to blow it.  All of the gifts are bought and I start thinking of fun little "tuck ins" that the boys would enjoy.  All of those little things add up and usually send me over my limit.  But I planned ahead this year and left some wiggle room for this.  So, even with my extras that I will buy over the next week I'll still be under budget.  (Assuming Mr. Steady didn't go overboard with what he's getting for me!)

PERSONAL

Be mindful of Food, Drink and Exercise.
I think I'm doing well with this.  Since my youngest has his allergies we don't keep too many sweets in the house.  I've been meeting my friends to workout in the mornings (about 3x week) and am happy with my choices.

My Blog.
My blogging has been a bit sporadic and I'd like to challenge myself to blog 4 days a week.  So far, so good!

Vacations.
Make lodging reservations for Italy.  Done! Can't wait!

Complete at least 10 lessons of Rosetta Stone. - haven't done any yet!

Make reservations for one-on-one trip Washington D.C. - still need to do this!  While Mr. Steady and my youngest are skiing, my oldest and I will be taking our 1-on-1 trip to Washington D.C.  Just need to find a reasonably priced hotel near a Metro Station.

Make reservations for one-on-one trip ski trip.  Done!  We've got this entire trip planned minus the rental car.  My husband and youngest son will go to Colorado and ski for their 1-on-1 trip in February.  Flight, lodging, lift tickets and equipment rentals have all been reserved!

Come up with 3 vacation ideas for Mr. Steady's company's 2012 Award Trip- Still need to do this.

FAMILY

Christmas Guests.
My mother-in-law is coming to spend 5 or 6 days with us and I'd like to have our meals planned and prepped as much before she arrives.  Started thinking about meals and have some ideas...just need to finalize and shop/prep as much as I can before she arrives!

Christmas Traditions:
Make cookies for Santa before 7pm on Christmas Eve! - not yet

Make Gingerbread houses with the kids! - not yet

Drive around and see Christmas lights! - not yet

Finish my Advent Stockings (5 days late...I know!)  I finally finished this on December 8th!  I normally hang little stockings up the banister of our stairs, but the ribbon was worn out and I couldn't come up with any creative ideas.  So, I used what I had and hung them all on a little tree down in our basement.  I'm hoping to come up with a different idea for next year.  Maybe I'll remember and work on it in the summer?!?

So how are you all doing with your December goals?  Can you believe it's already the 15th!?!

learning to sew

I learned how to sew because I wanted to save money.  About 15 years ago, my husband and I had moved into a new house and I wanted new curtains REALLY bad.  But...we couldn't afford them.  So, what did I do?  Instead of putting something I couldn't afford on a credit card, I learned how to sew and make my own.  My mom gave me one of her old sewing machines and I signed up for a class for $20 (1997 pricing...) which met once a week for about 8 weeks.  My first class project was to make a dress.  Mom helped me with this and it turned out okay.  Okay enough for me to wear it once or twice, realize it looked like a beginner made it and then it was donated to someone who probably repurposed it for the fabric.  After the dress, I tried making a skirt for myself which turned out better than the dress.  And then I tried to make a pair of overalls for my nephew which turned out really bad.

Anyway - after making the clothes, I realized that for what I was spending in fabric and time I could just purchase the item off the rack for less money.   And honestly, I really didn't like making clothes.  But I did like making stuff for the house!  I made curtains, pillows, duvet covers, etc.  I really enjoyed it!  These days, I don't make a lot of stuff for the house...mainly because I'm indecisive about what I want, but I DO do a lot of hemming and mending and by doing it myself, that has saved me a ton of money.   I use my machine mainly to hem khaki pants, blue jeans, and sew badges/patches onto Scout shirts.  I have easily saved more than $200 this year by doing this myself.  And that's $200 that I can put towards something more important to me and my family...like vacations!

So if you find you're spending a lot of money having someone help you with your projects (insert whatever project it might be...), I encourage you to learn how to do it yourself!  I took my class through the city's recreation department and it was very inexpensive.  My machine is more than 30 years old and works just fine for what I do with it.  

What types of projects do you do yourself in order to save money?

this week!

I'm expecting this to be a fantastic week!  The kids only have school for 4 days and then they'll be out of school until January 3rd.  It should be a fun week for them too, as they may have a couple of quizzes, but it's mainly a Review Week in their classes!

Here's what I'd like to accomplish both today and for the week:

TODAY:
Plan meals for the week
Hubby is out of town for 4 days this week, so it'll be easy stuff all week

Grocery Shop
It shouldn't be too big of a trip.  Mainly we need food for lunch and breakfast.

Laundry
As much as I can manage before 4:00 or so!  I'm tackling it in my kitchen today instead of on top of my bed.  It's getting folded on my kitchen table and will be ready for the boys to put away as soon as they walk in from school.

Book Club
Yea!  One of my favorite days of the month.  Today we'll have lunch and discuss The Kitchen House.

Bible Study
I'm behind on my homework and need to read 3 days of assignments.

THIS WEEK:

Work Out
I met my friends for a 3 mile run this morning and want to meet them at least 2 more days this week.  I have a feeling I'll lack the motivation to get out of bed and meet for our morning runs while the boys are home for Christmas Break.

Budgets
I finished our November numbers and just need to get them into the computer.  And also finalize the Decmeber budget (I know...I know...it's mid-December and I still haven't done this)

Hem Pants
I have 2 pair of jeans that need to be hemmed.  I'm wearing one of them to a party Friday night, so this has to get done this week.

Christmas Gifts
Everything has been bought and wrapped.  I need to put bows on a couple of gifts and I need to mail 2 or 3 packages still.

Work in the Yard
I have bulbs that I need to plant this week.  I also want to fertilize my azaleas and trim some bushes.  I'm still tackling my woods and want to continue working on cleaning up the vines all over my Willow tree.  I need Mr. Steady to mow and then we need to order/lay pine straw in the flower beds.

Christmas Cards
Finish up and mail.

Work on Dining Room Wall
I have a fairly blank wall in my dining room that I haven't liked since we moved in 3 years ago.  I've been collecting stuff to hang and would like to work on this project some this week.

So that's it.  Not too much going on, luckily!  It should be a fun week to tackle these pending projects!

How does your week look?    A busy week or a relaxing one?

my bloggy secret santa

  

What an awesome surprise I received in the mail this week!  Last month I posted about participating in  Serendipity's Bloggy Secret Santa.  It is a fun way to "meet" fellow bloggers and spread some Christmas cheer!  I received a very fun package from my wonderful Secret Santa.   I had mentioned in a post some of the things I like and she put a great deal of thought into it!  She knows I like love chocolate, so she sent a yummy chocolate bar!  She also knows that I love to read and by reading my blog she found out that I am traveling next year....so she chose for me Erma Bombeck's book When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home.  I LOVE Erma Bombeck -- she's a hoot!  And since she knows I like surprises and (I found out from her blog...) she enjoys crafts, she made for me some very cool coasters! 

 It was such an awesome surprise and she really put a lot of thought into it!  It's perfect!  So, who was my wonderful Secret Santa?  She is LBC Teacher at Homeowner by 30!   Check out her blog -- I think you'll love it!

So, how about all of you other bloggers who have Secret Santas?!?  Have you received any goodies yet?  Have you mailed yours?  I have mine still to mail...it's on my to-do list for this week.    I am sad to say though that the person given to me "to gift" isn't blogging so I haven't really gotten "to know" her.   Her last post was over a month ago.  Hopefully, when she receives her gift from me she'll have a little nudge to start back!