FRUGAL LIVING IN COLUMBUS,OHIO
Frugal living is a lifestyle
that involves careful
planning and spending
as well as avoiding
waste. It's not about
being cheap; it's
really about being
practical and making
the most of available
resources through
various methods of
saving money, reusing
existing items instead
of buying new ones,
and finding bargains
and good deals.
The premise is that
a person shouldn't
pay more for something
if he or she doesn't
have to.
Want to get an idea of how much your tax return will be? Try out the H&R Tax Calculator, it's free to use.
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Tonight we need to make a run to Kroger to pick up some milk. Might grab a few other things in there. I'm thinking about some chili tomorrow done up in the crock pot. Chili and cold weather go hand in hand! Here's a different way to make chili using baked beans. Of course I'll tweak it to what I have on hand. No tomato juice so will use crushed tomatoes. instead of ground beef I'll use 1 pound (not 2) ground maple sausage. Maybe use just 2 cans of baked beans. And I'll use a jar of salsa which has bell peppers, onions & tomatoes.
Any leftover chili could be thickened up and used over hot dogs. I know, how do you thicken chili? Either mush up another can of beans and/or add a can of tomato paste.
Hot dogs are not good for the diet but I have them and don't want them to go to waste!
Any processed meat like hot dogs, bologna, sausage should be limited in your diet.
What kind of beans are used in baked beans? Most of the time it's navy beans. It got it's name from the early 20th century because it was a staple food for the US Navy. ------------------------------
Columbus doesn't have school today. It's Professional Development Day, a learning day for educators.
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I am so ready to start my Spring cleaning or in my case I'll call it Spring Weeding, weeding out clutter. I've got my honey keeping an eye out for boxes at work so I can start getting a supply of them. Don't want to go to the nearest shopping center and look for boxes because security around here will stop you and say you are stealing them from the dumpsters! Been there done that and that is one of the most stupidest things I've heard!
On top of weeding out I have so many other projects I want to do this year once I get done with decluttering like painting the basement, bathroom, maybe kitchen and living room. (want to tone down the yellow paint in the living room). Carpet & padding in basement. Remove couch & love seat from basement and get rid of it. Due to a damp basement, I don't think it would be in our best interest to keep them. I do have a dehumidifier I want to use down there. While it did work it started getting frost on the coils. So Tony took it to work and said the reason it was doing that was because it was collecting dust behind the coils. He got it all cleaned up for me. I think I spent like $5 on the dehumidifier at a church sale.
And another project I would like to do is remove carpet from the living & dining room & hallway. I'm willing to take my chances with the condition of the hardwood floors underneath.
If all goes well this is what we should find underneath. Our house used to be a rental, so the question is this, did the rental have hardwood floors that possibly got messed up by tenants over the years or did it have carpet?
One day, and I'm not saying this year or when it would be, I would like to chisel out all the tile on the kitchen floor. Not a huge fan of tile floors. They crack and the grout gets so dirty! Would like to get a sheet of floor vinyl that looks like wood and install in there. You can find this at stores like Rite Rug and could possibly find remnant sheets that would work for small areas that are even cheaper. Here's what a vinyl floor looks like:
I've been looking through so many yellow paint colors that it's not funny. Finding the right yellow isn't easy! I'm really liking this yellow called Blonde by Sherwin Williams.
The Blonde paint seems to be a popular color when compared to other yellow colors. ------------------------------
They let Tony off work early today at 1pm due to him having too much overtime. That's ok, he still ended up with 17.5 hours overtime!
Went to Kroger this afternoon. Found some multigrain bread for .79 cents each. Also found some 7up 2 liters products on sale for .88 cents. On 6 bottles I found .30 cent coupons. So double that to .60 cents off and it made each 2 liter only .28 cents each!!
I've been seeing a lot of coupons for Sierra Mist and Coke on 2 liter bottles. Been snatching them up in hopes of $1.00 or less sale in the near future.
I was watching a couple episodes of The Duggar's last night. The youngest daughter Josie had on a set of faux pigtails. This was a great idea for people who have baby girls with little hair and can't wait for it to grow and start putting it into pigtails. They run about $20 to $25 though for the headband and two pigtails. ..
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3:20pm
Decided to try out the Nespresso espresso maker to see if it worked and it does!! Should've got my reaction to me trying to drink coffee, lol. YUCK! cough, cough, gag! I even diluted it some by running it a couple times, filled my cup half full of milk and added a teaspoon of splenda. I'd rather eat oatmeal than drink this stuff! I think I'd get the same taste if I licked my dirty floor. I'll stick with my diet cola thank you very much. I've never liked coffee unless it's a coffee toffee cappucino from Speedway. This will be good for Tony who sometimes only wants a cup or two of coffee.
Many times I've seen cream marked down at Kroger. Here are some recipes that look easy to do to make your own butter. Pure butter, no added oils and whatever else the manufacture's put in there.
Butter made with cream and yogurt.
Here is another butter recipe kids can help make. You use a jar with lid, 2 marbles and heavy cream filled half way. Shake until butter forms. It could take up to 20 minutes to do it this way without the food processor but it would give your kids something to do :0) She has a video as well of her kids making it.
You can make butter like the first video without adding any yogurt and using just cream. This recipe doesn't require any overnight sitting and can be made right away.
You can freeze butter! So whip you up a couple batches and store them in freezer containers. Can last 9 months to a year on average, sometimes longer. It's best if you wrap butter in foil then pack into freezer bags. Butter can absorb flavors from other foods easily is why you would want to do this.
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This next recipe of mine doesn't involve butter, lol. I started doing the oatmeal mask which became very messy. Once dry it started to crumble and flake off. Plus it was messy and sticky to apply.
So instead, I filled an old, clean sock with about 1/4 cup ground oatmeal. I poured hot tap water into a large bowl and soaked the sock. Then would squeeze the sock many times to release the oatmeal. Once done I poured it into an empty peanut butter jar with lid. Now at night before bed, I dip my finger tips into the jar. It feels a little slimy. I rub the oatmeal water all over my face and neck. Then I sit in front of a fan til it dries. You can feel it tighten your skin. I leave it on my face overnight. This morning I used a diaper wipe to wipe my face just in case it left any kind of residue behind and nothing showed up on the wipe which meant it's either on my pillow or it all absorbed into my skin. My face and neck feel really soft and smooth.
You could also use a sock filled with oatmeal in your bathwater if you have dry skin, chicken pox, eczema poison ivy or other skin problems of the sort. It is much better for you than things they sell on the store shelves because it's all natural.
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Want to see what a certain paint color looks like on your walls before actually painting them?
Try Valspar's Virtual Painter. You can upload your own photo of the room you want to paint and choose thousands of colors to see what it would look like.
How many grams of fat should a person consume daily? It really depends upon the person's age, weight, height and so on. Here is a basic guideline for people with a certain amount of calories consumed each day.
The United States Health Department states the following on their site:
A 1,600 calorie per day diet: 18 grams of saturated fat or less, 53 grams of fat or less.
A 2,000 calorie per day diet: 20 grams of saturated fat or less, 65 grams of fat or less.
A 2,200 calorie per day diet: 24 grams of saturated fat or less, 73 grams of fat or less.
A 2,500 calorie per day diet: 25 grams of saturated fat or less, 80 grams of fat or less .
A 2,800 calorie per day diet: 31 grams of saturated fat or less, 93 grams of fat or less.
Keep in mind that most women should have a diet of no more than 2,000 calories/day, men no more than 2,500/day.
If you are trying to lose weight, 30 grams of fat.
If you are a young teenager about 40-65 grams of fat.
Consuming more than 65 grams of fat a day is unhealthy.
No more than 40 grams per day for a child.
A general recommendation for kids 9-11 is 2,300 calories a day.
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Once I get into Spring cleaning mode and start weeding out more stuff I want to turn part of my coat closet into a pantry closet. It has a large shelf off to the side of where you hang coats. I could put more shelves in there somehow use it to store dry food. AND I want to put a keyed lock on the door to keep kids out of it. Right now they have access to too many foods that they are sneaking off with. So gonna fix that problem!
All varieties of beans are rich sources of protein, fiber, and the essential amino acid, lysine. Lysine is missing from most grains, which is why the combination, “rice and beans” makes a complete protein. Many beans also contain folacin as well as some minerals..
Another thing is I am trying really hard not to buy as much of is boxed convenience foods (ex: hamburger helper) or ready foods like entrees unless I check the nutritional label and it's like a lean cuisine or weight watchers. Do not get Hungry Man entrees! We loved those things until I checked the nutritional label and it scared me!!
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5:45pm
Getting ready to head out for a few. Got a library book to pick up and a few to drop off. Then once I get home I'll show y'all what my honey found in an apartment he was punching out today. Punching out means getting the apartment ready for a new resident for those who aren't familiar with those terms.
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6:45pm
Why do people have to be so rude. I saw someone sitting for a minute waiting for someone to back out of a parking spot at the library. As soon as that person backed out someone whizzed around the corner and took that spot. That takes a lot of nerve!
Anyway here's the pics of what my honey found for me today.
3 mixing bowls, 2 Lysols, softsoap, 2 salts, metal coffee travel mug, grippie liner. 2 storage containers, garnier shampoo, pomegranet candle, box of staples, lotions. 2 jumbo jugs of clorox, 1 jumbo jug of softsoap. Large bottle of Palmolive dish soap, 3 hand towels & 2 bath towels, one of which still has the tag on it. This is a Nespresso D110 espresso maker. About crapped myself when I saw how much they cost. Anywhere from $265 to $300!!!
I wanted to show you the gerbil playpen I made. We take the gerbils out of their cage every evening and let them run around in it and get some exercise.
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9:00pm
I am guilty of giving into my sweet tooth and have a habit of wanting cookies. I was looking for something at bedtime that everyone could eat, could satisfy a sweet tooth, have as a snack and be filling at the same time. Something that would stick with you not having you wanting more snacks within the hour. And I would like to start making oatmeal for breakfasts in the morning.
Starting tonight I am trying to get everyone into a habit of liking and eating oatmeal. I, myself, do not like eating oatmeal but are forcing myself to eat it and like it. I got both kids and myself to eat it by adding in some Splenda and cinnamon.
Eating oatmeal daily with your diet is very good for you!
Over 40 studies show that eating oatmeal may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. According to Quaker, all it takes is 3/4 cup of oatmeal each day to help lower cholesterol. The soluble fiber in oats helps remove LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining the good cholesterol that your body needs. In January 1997, the Food and Drug Administration announced that oatmeal could carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet.
The soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs a considerable amount of water which significantly slows down your digestive process. This result is that you'll feel full longer, i.e. oatmeal can help you control your weight.
New research suggests that eating oatmeal may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. In fact, the American Diabetes Association already recommends that people with diabetes eat grains like oats. The soluble fiber in these foods help to control blood glucose levels.
With the exception of certain flavored varieties, the oats found in your grocery store are 100% natural. If you look at the ingredients on a canister of rolled oats, you will usually see only one ingredient... rolled oats.
According to recent studies, a diet that includes oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure. The reduction is linked to the increase in soluble fiber provided by oatmeal. Oats contain more soluble fiber than whole wheat, rice or corn.
.Oatmeal contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron. .The fiber and other nutrients found in oatmeal may actually reduce the risk for certain cancers.
.Oatmeal is quick and convenient. Every type of oatmeal can be prepared in a microwave oven. Even when cooked on the stovetop, both old-fashioned and quick oats can usually be made in less than 10 minutes. And what about instant oatmeal… a hot breakfast in under a minute... incredible!
10 WAYS TO MAKE INSTANT OATMEAL INSTANTLY MORE EXCITING
Add fresh or frozen fruit. Sliced bananas are particularly good. A little fistful of frozen blueberries not only add flavor to instant oatmeal, but your mouth will marvel over the inviting temperature / texture differential when you bite into each little berry.
Add dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dates or sweetened shredded coconut.
Add chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds. Finely chopped nuts can create a tasty crumbled topping.
Add a tablespoon or two of your favorite granola. Mushy boring oatmeal is yesterday's business. Today you can easily add a delightful crunch to any bowl of oatmeal.
Add a dribble of pure delicious maple syrup.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Never be afraid of more flavor.
Add a little dollop of yogurt. Flavored yogurts add taste and all yogurts add a smooth creamy texture.
Crush a little handful of your favorite dry breakfast cereal onto your oatmeal. Cap'n Crunch oatmeal anyone?
Stir in a couple teaspoons of your jam or fruit preserves and turn your oatmeal into a fruity fiesta bowl.
Add a single tablespoon of ice cream to your oatmeal. Your mouth will go crazy with pleasure as the cool ice cream mingles with the warm oats.
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It's very hard sticking with a diet and eating new foods while giving up foods that we've loved for so many years!
It helps me when I write about it to better understand what to eat, what's healthy and what is not. It sticks in my head helping me to remember.
Another thing I started this afternoon was this:
I got out my jumbo cupcake pan. 3 cups for each child.
In each cup I placed individual servings of snacks that were around 3 grams of fat or less.
Between after school and bedtime these were all the snacks the kids were allowed to have.
At the moment I don't have a whole lot to choose from til I make a list and stock up at the store with more healthy snacks. But anyway this is what was in the tray tonight:
This way the kids can visualize how many and what kinds of food are good for them.
Of course the animal crackers and nilla wafers went first because there was more of them. But they had the same fat amount as the ritz crackers.
One day I could put out 3 chips and 10 animal crackers. Let them see what they would rather have. More than likely they would choose the 10 animal crackers because it is more. And realize hey, if it's fatty foods I don't get as much of it.
One day I could put in the cups some fruit or veggies and say you can have as much of those as you want. Or do you want those 3 chips or 5 Ritz crackers?
I was watching tv Friday and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this commercial for a vibrator!!!! Come on now, kids are watching these channels, especially music channels. I think it was on VH1.
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1:00pm
Just threw supper in the crock. Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, sauteed mushroom slices & mashed taters.
Throw bread crumbs, mushrooms and onions in food processor and pulse. Add to a bowl with sausage and egg and mix with hands and then scoop 1/3 cup out and shape into rectangular patties.
Mushroom gravy mushroom slices- .45 cents mushroom soup- .49 cents Select Harvest broccoli & potato soup- .75 cents (threw in this soup as well because it was sitting on the shelf and no one was wanting to eat it. Didn't want it to go to waste.)
Mashed Potatoes $1.00
I made 8 salisbury steak patties so this will make 2 meals.
Make patties, fry in skillet. Add soups in crock pot with a little water. Add in patties and cover. Put on low for a couple hours. Saute mushroom slices. Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy and mushrooms on top.
Total cost for 2 meals $5.06 8 servings @ .63 cents a serving.
During the Winter season Tony is required to plow and salt at work so we call him Plow Boy after this song from Cletus T.Judd. This morning me and him went to his work so he could salt with the plow truck. The boys are still at their friend's house til about 1pm.
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This morning we had to stop in Kroger. I needed some nacho chips for some taco salad and I found a small container of sour cream for .69 cents. I browsed the produce section looking for those orange manager special stickers. I got a package of red diced bell peppers for $1.19, a package of whole peeled garlic for .99 cents. They all went into the freezer.
The Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile will be at the Henderson Kroger Friday Feb. 25th from 1-4 which sucks because you think kids would like something like this. Should of had it on Saturday when kids aren't in school.
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Oatmeal Facial .. Pour ground oatmeal into a bowl and add a little water and apply to face for about 9 minutes. Makes your skin feel soft.
You could also add in these other ingredients you may have on hand: yogurt, honey, egg, olive oil, mayo.
Oatmeal can be used on its own without any other ingredients to treat acne. Boil 1/2 cup oatmeal in 1/3 cup water and allow it to cool, creating a thick paste that can be applied to any area of skin affected by acne. Leave the mixture on for 20 minutes and then rinse with warm water.
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2:05pm
Was tired of just sitting around so decided to go cook supper ahead of time for this evening and I also made tomorrow's supper as well.
I made the sauce for the taco salad. 1 pound maple sausage and 2 cans tomato soup.
Then I made up some salisbury steaks from another package of maple sausage. I put my homemade bread cubes in the food processor and ground into bread crumbs, added a little parmesan cheese. My kids wouldn't eat mushrooms or onions so I threw them also in the food processor with the bread crumbs and ground them up really good. Then put it all in a bowl with an egg and the sausage and mixed with hands and shaped into long patties. I did reserve some sliced mushrooms for the adults. I then fried them up in a skillet til lightly browned on each side and then put in the fridge for tomorrow. Tomorrow I will put a couple cans of mushroom soup with a little water in the crock then add in the salisbury steaks. Serve with some mashed potatoes.
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2:15pm
Have a house full of kids since about 12:30. I guess the kids decided to invite the friends they spent the night with to our home. There are two of them added to our two is four kids running around. So much for the peace and quiet. Time to make a run in the near future to see if the streets need salted or plowed at Tony's work. We have to play weatherman and constantly watch the radar on weather.com.
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I thought of another things to recycle and save money at the same time. Each week we get the Sunday Dispatch and end up throwing it in the trash. I'm thinking about trying to find a paper shredder and using the regular part of the paper (not the ads or colored parts) and shredding them up and using as gerbil bedding. It would save on the cost of having to purchase bedding and reuse what we have anyway.
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4:45pm
Just returned home. Went and checked the streets at Tony's work. They looked fine. Then we went around looking for a box to make what I'll call a gerbil playpen. Something where we can get them out of their cage and play with them without the worries of them getting loose. While on our adventure to find a box we found an oil heater sitting next to a dumpster in a shopping center. Snatched it up and currently have it plugged in to see if it works. Then as I was cruising through another shopping center (Northwest Plaza) and was checking out the store fronts I saw that a Volunteers of America thrift store was moving into one of them in the near future. :0) :0) :0) :0) Another thrift store, I was happy!
Here's the oil heater we found- Tony's been wanting one of these! So let's hope it works! They run about $25 to $40. --------------------------------
Oh, while out driving I remembered something else I thought they should invent. I've had this in the back of my mind for many years but just had a brain fart the other day when being put on the spot for ideas. Maybe Jonathan could do it for his invention convention.
I know I have a hard time driving at night sometimes, especially on back roads where there are fewer lights and during the rain. I know over the years that they have used reflectors in the road to help people but after awhile they have been known to loosen from the asphalt and have actually been flung by car tires into other cars or people injuring them. My idea was to make glow in the dark paint to paint the road lines with. The sun would charge them during the day to illuminate it at night. They have glow in the dark paint that is fade resistant to the sun. They make glow powder which can be mixed with the paint they currently use on the roadways. Depending upon the strength of the product the glow time can last anywhere from 8 hours to 22 hours. They do make white and yellow glow powders which are the normal colors found on our roadways.
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I also had another idea but it's something we can't make. What if they took all these junk tires accumulating in places, sometimes causing mosquito infestation problems along with the risk of tire fires, and ground them up into fine particles and somehow use them in the asphalt in the roadways. The rubber would flex with the different road temperatures maybe causing less cracking.
I have a homemade oatmeal face mask on at the moment.
Tony came in the bathroom to see what I was doing and he jumped when I turned around. I then went into the living room and scared the crap outta the kids, LOL!
If ya wanna scare your kids one morning put on one of these facial masks then go in and wake your kids up by getting right in their face, LOL!
Oh yeah, had to make some goofy faces.
This would be so cool for Halloween!
Ready?
LOL
Here goes....
......
.......
................
.. Too funny huh!
The kids keep wanting me to take it off because they say it's scaring them.
Now where did all their little friends go??? Maybe this will keep them away!
I'm still laughing!
Another 15 minutes to go til I wash off, oh yeah so loving this.
Jonathan wants to join the Invention Convention at school. Now we need to come up with an idea. I wanted to do a button on the tv that when pressed would make the remote control beep so you could find it when lost. But after looking at some invention convention videos I see someone has already done this.
Soooo... if you have any ideas for an invention, please send them my way!! It doesn't have to be electronic and can be anything you can think of that would make life easier. It cannot have a patent.
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10:25am
Ok I just glanced in the fridge and it's time to use up some stuff. I have a bag of stir-fry veggies, a package of sliced mushrooms a couple packages of salad, maple sausage and some leftover shredded cheese. I also have my ham and bean soup in there thawed out as well.
So need to figure up a meal plan for a couple of days.
maple sausage, shredded cheese and lettuce- Taco Salad. Need nacho chips.
Stir-fry veggies- Stir fry veggies with teriyaki sauce over brown rice.
Maple sausage, mushrooms- salisbury steak with mushroom soup gravy with sliced mushrooms. And mashed potatoes as a side. (have a 10 pound bag of potatoes also)
Ham & bean soup with cornbread and salad.
My tip when using fatty ground meats is when draining I also rinse off the meat with hot water to help remove more of the fat.
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I seen that this new show is coming on tomorrow at 3pm on Food channel
One day of cooking, up to five days of eating! In every episode, Rachael will show you five meals you can put together in a single day. ..
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Earlier today my mind was drawing a blank when put on the spot for an invention idea. I remembered something I always thought they should make. If you have a house full of boys you know how disgusting the toilet area can get. Someone always dribbles or overshoots the whole thing in the middle of the night for a backboard shot because they are peeing blind in the dark. Gosh sounds like I'm talking about basketball, lol. So I want something that fits onto the toilet lid hole with a rounded back like a urinal. Maybe even make it glow in the dark for the middle of the night pee breaks. It would need to be glow in the dark because not everyone has an outlet in the bathroom that stays on once the light switch has been turned off. So having a night light in there is out of the question.
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4:20pm
Finally, after 2 days, I got my latest cupcake done. It consists of a jumbo cupcake (bottom) and 4 mini cupcakes. I'm so glad this one is done! I've never had one give me so many problems. I had to redo the top as I wasn't happy with the first one I made.
I saw a glimpse of the news preview on channel 6. A picture on there looked like UV so upon further investigation of checking out their website I found it was UV. Apartments are being burglarized. Campus Crime Alert.
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8:00pm
Both kids are spending the night at a friend's house. Boy the house sure is quiet. It doesn't feel right.
This morning I will work on getting a casserole dish made of chicken enchiladas. I was only able to find small corn tortillas at Kroger last night. Don't they make full sized ones like the flour tortillas? If so I sure as heck couldn't find them. I looked in bread, refrigerated and the foreign food section of the store.
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I just saw a commercial on tv for Space Bags. I remembered making my own years ago to save lots of money. I recommend that along with rubber banding the bag to also use some duct tape to hold it. Using a heavy duty trash bag would help also.
1. Take a large garbage bag (any size but I like the big black ones, hold more)
2. Fill with all your clothes
3. Put the vacuum hose just inside the top and hold the edges of the bag around the outside of the nozzle about 3-4 inches up
4. Turn vacuum on and suck out all the air... takes 30-60 seconds
5. Twist the bag 3-5 times below the nozzle so it's nice and tight
6. Remove the nozzle.
7. Tie off the top and put masking tape on the outside with a label.
Could save you around $70!
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9:15am
I've got 2+ dozen cupcakes baking in the oven. Got a couple more ideas I want to try and one I'm still working on trying to figure out how to decorate.
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10:40am
I am getting sooo flustered. The credit card company started calling again today, 2x's within one hour. They just sent me a bill within the last couple of days and that bill still shows we haven't made a payment. I'm going to have Tony call them this evening to straighten things out through customer service. You can not talk to their bill collectors when they call here that's for sure because they won't stop talking and start demanding money and won't listen to your side of the story. I don't want bad credit but damn it, ya know when you send someone a payment, it clears the bank, and they are still demanding money saying you haven't paid it, is pissing me off royally!! Hell we paid the bill on the 27th and I just got the recent bill a couple days ago. On the 29th they started demanding we pay January's bill and late fees along with February's bill that hadn't even arrived yet. This sh*t is so crazy. I wish I could just pay off the credit card and do away with it. I can't with doctor bills. We got it awhile back to build our credit up so we could get a house. And they keep adding crap to our bill that we did not sign up for that causes our bill to go up and up. Things like a payment protection plan and stuff like that, that could run $15 a month. Why are they allowed to sign you up for stuff like this without your permission??!! I know I didn't sign up for it. I never signed any paperwork for it. I just send them a check every month. Oh well will let ya know what happens this evening.
10:56am
Credit card place just called again!! GRR..GRRR...and double GRRRR.
That's 3 times in an hour and a half.
1:13pm
4 x's. I used to enjoy having a phone but now I'm about ready to scream if it rings! And you know if I answer it, it will get me nowhere because it's not in my name. Just like one time I tried to call the mortgage company and ask them how much was owed for the one month. They refused to tell me because I was not on the loan. It's just so frustrating being the wife that pays the bills and these people will not have anything to do with me calling customer service and asking them questions.
I'm tired & irritated at the moment. You try your damndest and you still get screwed. Think I'll just go into the kitchen and work on my cupcakes as a stress reliever. I can't turn off the ringer on the phone because someone else important could call like the school and I cannot take a nap with it ringing. Yeah at the moment I feel like reaching out and touching someone. You would too if someone called you 15 times total and the day ain't over with. That includes the other 3.5 days they had happy fingers on the telephone dial.
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I'm not one who likes to watch reality tv shows but I found one today that I really like. It's called You're Cut Off on VH1
It's about really rich age 20 something girls that still live at home with mom and dad who wait on them hand and foot and buy anything they want. The parents want them to learn what it's like to get out on their own in the real world instead of relying on them. They are sent to an urban house and are made to live with a total of 8 girls in a 2 bedroom house. They have to learn how to cook, clean, get along with one another, make do with what little clothes they have. They have no money and are not supported by mom and dad. They are made to live like average Americans and get jobs to pay for things like food for the house.
I am so loving this show and seeing these spoiled little brats have to live like how we live day to day.
If you go to the link I provided above you can watch a couple full episodes.
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3:30pm
Taking a break from cupcakes at the moment. I will have to say this recent cupcake has been the most challenging trying to put it all together! When getting flustered I have to walk away from it for a few. So time to work on supper. I didn't make it earlier because I didn't want it to get soggy.
My name is Sherry, 39yrs old, from Columbus, Ohio. I am married, a SAHM, and have 3 children ages 9, 10 and 20.
I have been frugal/thrifty all my life.
I would like to share on this blog how we get by day to day on one income with a family of 5 with a dog and a cat. You will also hear about my everyday gripes about daily life and the cost of living. Hubby says my favorite saying is, "and that is another thing that pisses me off!"
