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Home > Archive: May, 2007

Archive for May, 2007

Bridal Shower Attended and OH MY GOD!!!

May 30th, 2007 at 05:28 am

I attended a Bridal Shower this evening. I do not know the bride or the groom. I do slightly know the mother of the groom. Apparently, both the bride and groom are young and expecting.

I have attended many Bridal Showers over the years. Some large, some small, some lavish, some thrown together. This was one for the books. OH MY GOD!! The mother of the bride, grandma, and aunt went in together to give a gift of 12 miss matched dish towels to the bride. Yes, all three on the "gift". No they were not heirloom they were new.$ 3.99 at Wal-Mart maybe.

I realize that not everyone has tons of cash, but please!!! Some thought could have gone into the gift. And, no they are not paying for the wedding. The brides family has spent exactly zero on the event.

I might also add that the oldest car in the parking lot was probably a 2004. The clothes they wore were current. They all three had enough money to have their nails and hair done, so.........I am just floored by the lack of class and creative energy.

Now, I am probably just a little more upset than I normally would be, because my gift was recycled and I had prior guilt before arriving to the Bridal Shower. Since I didn't know the couple and I don't have tons of cash, I regifted kinda.

I took one of the four picnic baskets we have and filled it with a bottle of sparkling grape juice (their under age), nine different cheese samples I had, a box of deli crackers, and a cleaned and presses tablecloth and matching napkins. The basket already had service for two in it including plates, silverware, cups, and wine glasses. Yes, the basket was new, it still had the tags on it.

I felt bad because I probably spent more in wrapping, tape, and giantic bow than I did on the gift. Needless to say, my gift was the nicest one there.

Please don't get me wrong, you don't have to spend money on a gift to make it great. Coupons made on the computer for free babysitting, cleaning their new home, etc would have been nice. A new laundry basket filled with household items for their new home bought with coupons would have been nice. A family recipe book or better yet family recipe cards in a box would have been nice.

Anyway.....that was my evening!!

Free Movie Rentals

May 28th, 2007 at 02:37 am

We started "borrowing" movies from other families. We have several different groups of friends, co-workers, etc that we trade movies for the weekend with. To make it easy and less confusing, we always borrow 5 at a time. If they dont have 5 you want, you take five anyway, so you always know how many to return. We have often borrowed movies with no real interest in the movie and have ended up enjoying it immensely. Rules are easy. They must be returned on Monday. If you cant return on Monday, no matter what the excuse, then we dont borrow anymore. We have yet to lose or get one back scratched. One family did have one get lost, so the other family replaced it with the same new movie on monday. One couple we know borrows movies from their entire softball team at each game and returns at the next game. It works well for us. You might try it at church, work, clubs, gym, salon, daycare, etc.. Just an idea to help you all save money!!

Vacation cheap or expensive??

May 26th, 2007 at 06:42 pm

We are not a small family. We have 7 children. Our family does a great deal of vacationing, because we feel it is extremely important. My point can be made easily for most people. Think about your favorite vacation as a kid, now ....what did you get for Christmas that year? Isn't it amazing?? Its not about what gift you received, but whom you are with that creates lasting memories.

One of our vacations is a group event each year down to the beach. We share a 6 bedroom house with two other families that we have known for years. The house sleeps 18 comfortably and we generally have 21 people go. Please keep in mind that 9 of those are teenagers that could care less where they sleep. Most of the boys love sleeping on the decks listening to the ocean.

We eat unbeleivably delightful meals of red snapper, steaks, italian feasts, shrimp, etc. As a group, a great deal of wine drinking also happens.

The week is spent swimming, sand castle contests, volleyball games, kite flying, deep sea fishing, reading, cooking, and just relaxing.

Our family cost for our 8 days beach vacation totals for 9 people are:

One third of rental: 900.00
Gas for two vehicles: 380.00
Food split three ways: 241.00
Fort passes for day: 12.00 ( kids free )
Swimming: free
Volleyball: free
Kite flying: free
Touch football : free
Reading: free
Tour of USS Alabama and sub: free ( hubby Marine)
Collecting sea shells: free

So total comes to 1533.oo divided by 9 equals 170.34 a person.

The same vacation by one of the other families that went with us are:

One third split of rental 900.00
4 airline tickets: 1472.00
Rental car for week: 272.00
Food split for week: 241.00
Deep sea fishing for 4: 800.00
Wine/Alcohol for week for 4: 367.00
Krispy Kremes for all: 172.00
Ferry ride to USS Alabama: 24.00
Meal in Mobile one night for 2: 111.00
Movie rentals for week for one son: 36.00
Matching t-shirts for 4: 48.00

Total for same week vacation totals :
4443.00 divided by 4 equals 1110.75

We all had fun! But there is a huge difference in the cost. We drove for 10 hours there and back, they flew. They drink, we dont. You can find time and money for vacations, if you try. They are one of the most important things you can do for your family!

Get Free Samples while waiting for ?????

May 25th, 2007 at 10:20 pm

So, my life is spent hurrying and waiting. I have found that I don't wait well as a rule. When I am on the computer and waiting for something to download, print, etc...I spend my waiting time on getting free samples from all over the world. One of my favorite sites is Freebie Empire. com. I get samples of food, health products, makeup, free dvds, t-shirts, etc... Most things are 100% free with no shipping. However, some have terms or you need to complete an offer to get a free sample. I avoid all of those. Walmart.com also has free samples. I have found that it makes my wait much more pleasant and I get to try new products. I average 3-4 free samples a day in the mail. If the product is something we will not use, I give to our local women's shelter. I often sign up for free samples when I am hold on the telephone, also. Just a suggestion and hope you all can benefit from it!!

Top 10 reasons why sex is financially rewarding

May 24th, 2007 at 07:18 am

10. Good sex keeps you healthy. It is the best exercise in the world. Saving you money on medical cost and gym fees.

9. Good sex keeps you from spending money as easily. You want to keep your clothes off. Face it, it is much harder to spend money naked than fully clothed.

8. Good sex makes you want to spend TIME, not money on the one that you want.

7. Good sex makes you crave your partner and not starbucks. You will save a fortune on not splurging on little things that make you happy for a brief moment. The knowledge that your cravings will be filled for hours at home will stop you from spending on little expenses through out the day.

6. Good sex makes you eat less. You will save thousands a year on lower food comsumption bills.

5. Good sex makes you want to plan for your future. It is so much easier to plan for a great future when you know what one aspect of your life will be.

4. Good sex is a great way to cut down on entertainemnt expenses. Do you really need the dinner, movie, and the perfect outfit?

3. Good sex is a vacation everytime. Do you really need to spend thousands seeing Mickey Mouse in his little red button shorts? Or would you rather see your mate without any pants on at all?

2. Great sex saves you hundreds on utility bills. You create your own heat in the winter and ice cubes are now much more exciting in the summer.

Tie for the number ONE reason...depending on if you are career minded or family minded.....

1. Great sex puts you in a different frame of mind. Your co-workers wonder if you have successfully gained a new promotion or if you know something that they don’t know. It will drive them nuts, putting you in a position to out perform them. They will spend their time worrying, why you have the confidence to get the job done.

or

1. Just the thought of you having sex will make your children run and hide. They can't ask you for money if they are hiding from you.

How to get a house full of furniture!!

May 23rd, 2007 at 07:23 pm

No matter what your income or your living arrangments, everyone needs furniture!! Some pieces are well worth spending good money on. Other peices of furniture are really not that important. We have spend a great deal of money on classic furniture for our bedroom, living room, and dining room. We have learned over time, that children can break or tear up just about anything. The first time a child carves his name in the foot board of his bed is always fun. Please remember also that at some point the children will move on and away. Two of ours are in college now. One in an apartment and one in a dorm. You will lose their bedroom furniture when the leave, plus they will need furniture for their new home. We found a great way to get furniture free for the circumstances as they arose. We joined a free site called Freecycle.org.
Please remember it is org and not com. The site was designed for people to pass on items and not send them to the dump. It has grown to millinos of members over the years and has expanded over time. Most items are great. People moving, older folks downsizing, and some folks just getting new and passing on used. The site is not just furniture, it is anything. Over the years we have received, twin beds, full size beds, queen bed and mattresses, new bass guitar, lawn mower, shelves, computer games, plants, swing set, kitchen table, etc. We also offer items as well. The site is broken down by state and then by areas or cities. If you have what you need and are getting ready to buy new, please remember this site. Offer your items for free. It will save you time and the earth, by not sending out in the trash. If it is broken, someone out there can fix it for their use. So dont be afraid to offer things that have stopped working. A friend collects bicycles from the site in all kinds of shapes. Some are rusted, others need new spokes, tires, etc. The bikes go to the local jaycees whom fix them or use them for parts. Each year they supply over 300 NEW bikes to kids for Christmas. I hope this has given you a few ideas on how to help yourself or others. Kisses