Well that explains my email notifications. It showed alot of people posted (I checked personal emails after I came on here). Very weird, I kept trying to come in and out but no posts after mine. Trainlady pm'd me too but it also doesn't show up on FC. I am glad everyone is back though, I missed all of you alot the last couple of days. So far, we still have electric. What a trip that was being without for so long.
Kerosene aint cheap here in the city... $2.50 a gallon! and that's if you could find it. When I bought the heater in 1999 I also bought a kerosene container and filled it up... so I knew who sold it back then. The folks in this neighborhood only knew of one place to buy it and it sold out quick from what I heard. Our place still had plenty. As I told dh when he was moaning and groaning about this, God does watch out and provide for us... you just have to listen. Other than the little conveniences like TV and the internet, we got along just fine. His mother who lives one block over was heating with her gas stove but the pilot light went out or something so she sent a neighbor over to get us last night and we brought her home to stay with us. So Christmas morning we were all here at my house. She had refused to leave her home till she had no heat.
We will be wrapping gifts here in a little bit to take to our friends and neighbors across the street, dh is at his mom's right now... she really wanted to get back to her own home. I can relate.
Well take care everyone and we'll talk again soon.
Anna
__________________ We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
I was meaning to log on earlier, but the morning got away from me. I made my step-daughter a small blanket. I was doing the last of the stitching this morniing. We had ham and turkey for Christmas. I really didn't do anything frugal today. We will be eating left-overs for the next couple of days, so I guess that is frugal.
We are going to watch a couple of the movies the kids got for Christmas tonight . We will see who makes it to the end of the first movie.
It's a nice quiet day-after Christmas here. It feels good. I've added up everything I spent on gifts this year. It was $300 over budget, but still $100 less than I spent last year. I guess that's some progress.
The good news is we have lots of food left-over. Plus my mom sent her left-overs home with me. I've put cooked turkey, beef, ham in the freezer for future meals. There's also lots of cheese that I shredded and froze. All the leftover cookies are going to be sent to work with DH.
Do you have any Birthday, Anniversary or Thank you Gifts coming up in the next month or two that you can wrap up the candles and use them? A bottle of sparkling fruit juice with a candle would make for a romantic evening gift. You could add some cheese and crackers if you wanted as well.
I regifted gift certificates and free with purchase items this year. We bought gifts for 30 and spent $600. It would have been less but Hubby decided he wanted to buy jewelry for me and our oldest.
Braved the crowds at Target today with gift card in hand. 50% off is still not cheap enough for me to get next years stuff. They did have some great deals though. Got dd2 two ballet leotards. Each was $1.50 on clearance. Also found her goody bag gifts (bday not until May). Little purses with Disney princess on them. Filled with candy beads to make necklaces. Thats it-done.
JC Penny had leather coats for $40 and looooong lines until 1pm. Too bad, they looked horrible on me. I looked PG and I'm not. Sorry good price does not = bad taste in my book.
Hope you are all snug and warm at home. We have been out running errands all afternoon. Dh took me to the Goodwill and let me loose (we are still carsharing since we only have the truck and the roads are too nasty for me to drive). Anyways, I bought several long john bottoms, tshirts, and sweatshirts for at home also bought a bunch of quart size "canning jars" with the handles they are for drinking but I am going to fill with my candle wax and sell as "Storm Candles". Those were really handy for us, as the handle was convenient taking from room to room. For those of you who are "handy" if you can find these, you can also use a taper candle, drip some wax in the bottom and set the taper candle inside. This jar also helps with keeping down air drafts from blowing the candles out. I have seen these at Odd Lots and Dollar General stores occassionally.
Anyways, I spent $39.00 there but I think came out ahead versus buying all that stuff new.
We also went out to lunch (not frugal) dh was very hungry but probably saved as much as our meal by not going to the grocery store hungry.
Well everyone, off to do laundry. First thing I do with used clothes is wash them, so I'm off to take them out of the washing machine. Take care everyone.
Anna
__________________ We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
My mom was here, she just left on the Greyhound a few hrs ago, I miss her terribly. Frugal was that she bought lots of food and I now have a freezer, shelf, etc. full. Unfrugal is that it's not low carb and so I can't use all of it just yet.
But we went shopping quite a bit and enjoyed our short time together. Dd was loaded down with all kinds of stuff that she just loves and the day before Xmas Eve her in-home therapist came and asked me if I wanted dd to have a bike. I said, I guess she could use one. She said she had one from the Salvation Army's toy drive, she had gotten some gifts for her patients and so she had one really nice one left. I said great. So, she dropped it off and we decided to say it was my mom that bought it. So, that was frugal and it is a very nice, very nice bike.
Well, my nieces had a great xmas and I hope to get them this upcoming weekend so that I can buy them there shoes and my niece her uniform pants. My sister's kids in Colorado had a wonderful Xmas too and so did we. I have eaten so much thanks to my mom and will have to start over in my diet but that's okay. I hope it won't be 2 yrs before I see her again.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Today was quiet here just went to church and watched football. Then tonight my dd had her friends over and I made them homemade pizza and snacks so that was frugal because I didn't order out. I've decided now that Christmas is over I'm not going to spend any extra money, I'm gonna save it (wish me luck.) My sisters and I are suppose to go to Texas in the spring so I need to save money for that.
My husband got full time at his job so starting in Jan. we will have healthcare benifits plus eye and dental which is fantastic. He went to friends of uor for the night to go hunting tomorrow morning so maybe he'll get a deer for our meat for winter. If anyone has any great recipes for cooking deer meat let me know. I dread the winter months the bills are greater and it just seems like the money doesn't always strech far enough. Hopefully with dh's job things will be easier this winter. Plus for fun I've started scapebooking and have all the supplies for it (my sister got me some things for Christmas) Also our neighbor gave us a DVD player for Christmas so I thought we would rent some from the library and save some money that way because they are only 50 cents and they have a pretty good selection. Well I think I'll close now. You all have a great night.
Hi everyone, we had a great christmas. Frugal for today was staying out of the stores...Actually I feel horrible today. I have a cold plus aches and chills. No energy what so ever. The kids had fun today playing with all their new toys. Hungry Hippo is a big hit with Evan. lol
I have one to babysit tommorow, the way I feel I am secretly hoping she cancels. However she has a luncheon so probaly not. Least I have the rest of the week off.
I would like to go to the mall Sears always has nice pjs and that was one thing I really wanted for xmas and didnt get any. Last year I got a pair to wear to the hospital for after the baby and I think I paid 5.00 for them. However they are way to big now. SO hoping I find a deal like that again.
I think dhs and my hot gift this year was getting 50.00 in shell gas cards. Thats always something you can use.
He did get me the seal a meal, still have not decided if I will keep it or not. I think I am going to go to bed now. Sure hope I feel better tommorow.
Leighann
so she sent a neighbor over to get us last night and we brought her home to stay with us. So Christmas morning we were all here at my house. She had refused to leave her home till she had no heat.
