I Love Thrift Stores

So, I've been floundering through the season, cheating here and there due to sickness, surgeries and other unforeseen obstacles. Birthday season and the Holidays are in full swing at my house and I have a few good things to report. Since I'm usually writing my failures, I thought I'd share the successes for a change.

1. I got Christmas for everyone from thrift stores and/or online classified ads.
2. What I bought new, I bought before our experiment started and on sale.
3. I have everything I need already in my house for my part of Thanksgiving dinner (potatoes, stuff for rolls, green bean casserole, pie goodies), but I did get a turkey today for $6.
4. I got a VCR at the thrift store and we are enjoying all of our old videos.
5. I've already made all of my neighbor and family gifts.

I just wanted to check in to let you know that we're plugging along. I always have more ambitions than I am capable of executing, thus the infrequent blog posts. I'm actually considering abandoning it for good. I have so many other projects that bring true value, that this one feels like I'm creating another chore for myself.

Not to end on a low note, I want to wish everyone a fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Celebrate as much as you can, look for quiet time too. Don't do so much that you don't have a few evenings just to sit with your family and enjoy close family traditions. This is my favorite time of year and I'm determined to get the most out of it.

Apples for Apples

I made my first microloan last week and it couldn't have gone to a more promising holiday project. If you're wondering what a microloan is, go check out my other blog where I explain in more detail. Last year I wrote about Wendy's fancy schmancy apples during the holidays. This year she's my first microloan venture as she turned her concept into a business and will be selling her apples all season long.

If you are interested in purchasing one of Wendy's awsome apples, leave me a comment or come visit us up at the Rennaissance Holiday Bizarre on Nov. 13th from 5-9. I also have a bunch of really cute applesauce ornaments you can mix and match to make the perfect addition to any tree.

As a Give Away, for each Fancy Schmancy Apple or set of Applesauce Ornaments purchased, we are donating an apple or a can of applesauce to a local food pantry. Our goal is to donate 100 apples and cans of applesauce this season.

Swine Flu

Well, my No More Grocery Shopping Spree did not factor in the flu. So, there was a trip to the store for cough meds. I've got other fever/cold/allergy preparations on hand, but cough medicine was a must, so when I went I stocked up. Other cheater items included Popsicles, Sprite and fruit juice. But, on the whole we have survived pretty well with what we have here in the pantry and food storage.

On a more positive note, I saved a ton of money last month by not going to the store for anything other than emergency swine flu supplies. Even driving a bit further for my milk and produce I still saved a lot of money. Now we're on to another month and I'm hoping to keep expenses down to the point that I can keep going for another several months on the cash we have on hand.

Sorry for the infrequent posts. I have some exciting things going on and will post about them soon. School, swine flu, business prospects, marriage and mothering tend to take up all of my time these days. Thank goodness for kids who can cook and fold laundry. Not that they do it all the time, but hey it helps to have someone pick up the slack every now and then. And I think I've already mentioned that Don is a much better home maker than I am.