$2 Date

Have you ever heard the old wives tale that what you do on New Years Day is what you'll do all year long? Well this year I didn't want to take any chances! And what do I want to do this year? Spend time enjoying my family, and save more money! So we spent the day at out local state park, including a picnic lunch. We had a great time, David had never been to this park and it's one of Bear's favorites. Going to State Parks are a wonderful time. Not only are they cheap-in our case just $1 a person!-but the are so informative. You can learn so much about the history of your area. And the monies made on admission go back into the parks to help with up keep so others can enjoy. Add in that going for a walk and "exploring" is healthy and it's a total winner!

You can go here to find more information on State Parks in your area: http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Valentine's Day is coming!

I love Valentine's Day! I know people say it's too "commercial", and to a certain degree I think they are right, it can be. But it's also one of the most simple and sweet holidays. It's easy and cheap to show someone you love them, and it's IMPORTANT. Especially now, with so many families facing hard times, it's necessary to tell the people who love and support you the most just how much they mean to you. They are the ones you can always turn to, and the ones who take this journey with us. In this economy, with some many outside stresses, the relationships with our significant others aren't always as cared for and nurtured as they should. With the pressure of getting out of debt, performing well so you can keep your job, kids, housekeeping, and other things that need our attentions, it's easy to lose sight of what is really important and what you really are fighting for.

I stumbled across this blog, written by a lady named Cher and her husband. I think it's wonderful and so, so important. She offers such great ideas and inspiration-on a budget!! So go check it out, and share the love!

http://www.blogger.com/Love,%20Actually

Vacation

We're here at my parents house in Florida this week. We drive in yesterday, swung by the airport and picked up my brother, and made it in around lunch time. Last night we went to see "A Christmas Carol", it was mine and Matt's favorite book growing up. The movie was cute and stuck very closely to the actual Charles Dickens novel, which is always nice. Today we had a huge breakfast and now we're sitting in the living room, playing Wii. I'll be taking lots of pictures, but just wanted to post real quickly and say that I am not gone, just busy with the family. Hope you're all having a great weekend and getting ready for the big day!!!

Halloween Par-tay!

I love Halloween!!! It's so fun and festive, I love the colors and the costumes. Some great friends and neighbors helped me host the party this year. It was a blast! David was a good sport and helped me transform the garage into a "cave". I bought several black table clothes from the Dollar Tree and David was great enough to thumb tack them to the ceiling of the garage. It was a little time consuming, but was only about $12 and made a huge impact on the decorations!

The final product!

Our friends Monica and Travis made a "Mystery Box" game that was a huge hit! The boxes had slits cut in the top and each player had to stick their hand in and try and guess what body part was inside. The boxes were actually filled with things like pasta, peeled grapes and jello! FUN! Here is David after sticking his hand in.

We also had a "Witch's Broom Race". I made brooms out of paper bags, and each player had to "sweep" their balled up newspaper across the finish line. It was hilarious to watch.

And finally-all the food!

11/1-11/7 Weekly To Do List

Well, last night was the big Halloween bash and I think it went very well. I have some pictures but I'll make another post about that. I got everything on my To Do List done, since it was all party prep. But this week I need to start getting ready for the Holidays, since they are right around the corner. I love this time change, I feel so much more productive when I get up early, and being an hour ahead is nice!
I also wanted to mention that I've been a fan of www.flylady.net for years, and she's started her annual "Cruising Through the Holidays", so be sure to check that out. Over the years I've adapted it to help me with my household management. I've never had a problem with clutter, so I don't need that aspect of her plan, but I follow her routines and daily missions to help me stay on top of my housework. She also has a Blog Talk Radio show here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flylady. Those ladies are so insightful and practical!

This week I need to:

1. Clean out and vacuum the truck.

2. Clean out and inventory the chest freezer.

3. Wash and vacuum couch cushions.

4. Go to the DMV and have the motorcycle registered.

5. Spend an hour working on my recipe and idea binders. (I probably should do a post about this, too!)

So, that's want I want to get done this week, along with all the general daily cleaning.

80 Days Until...

CHRISTMAS! Have you started shopping, making lists, putting together a "game plan"?

I love my Mama, she has the best ideas! Since David and I, and she and my Daddy are all trying to save more and pay off debt, we've decided we'll draw names for Christmas this year. We asked my brother and sister, and they are fine with the idea, too. To make it even more fun, we've made it into a game. We each drew a name from a hat, and we have to spend $20 or less on that person. The person who spends closest to $20 without going over wins! We're all so excited about this, not only does it mean that we'll only be spending $20 each, but the contest to spend $20 makes it so much fun!

*If you notice on my "October Goals" post I changed the Christmas Savings Goal. Normally I budget $50 for each of my 5 family members, so only spending $40 will saves us a lot, and we can lower the amount we need to save for Christmas, and add more to Debt Payments!