Monday, Money saving madness

     Whew!  The open house is over and I am so happy.  It went well, people were pleased.  I am glad it is done.  Don't know if I will do it again.  It is so much work and it adds to Holiday stress.  We will see.

     Now my car is full of leftovers that must be sorted and brought in.  Every room in the house is a mess as I have done nothing but work on the open house. I only have 6 pairs of pants to hem and 3 zippers to replace in the shop, some curtains to hem and set of missionary pants to alter unless anything else comes in that is it.  So that is nice as I can get those things done in an hour or so.

     It is so nice to realize I have nothing right now that has to be done. I want to get my house really clean and organized as we will be leaving on Thursday and won't be home for a week.  And then we will be home for a couple days and onto our other daughters until after the 1st.  I want to come home to a clean house.   I have three days so that should be enough to get a sparkle in an few places.

Here is the lobster ornament Sluggy sent us for Christmas.  As we put up no tree this year I will hang it above my computer and put it up next year.  I also received a box of my favorite goodies and some surprises.  I miss them so much. Hub's asks about Sluggy and her husband all the time and we plan on another excursion sometime this next year.

     Don't you love the backside of Roscoe's bottom.  I tried to get him to hold for the picture ,but he just wanted to eat the ornament.  When does that puppy chew phase get over?

I have plans within plans for today and Hub's birthday is on Wednesday, but I am going to have the nephews over tomorrow evening for cake and ice cream.  They can open their gifts.  We started a fun tradition for them when they were very little. They come over on Hub's birthday and Hub's would have a pile of wrapped gifts in front of himself.  He would get the first one and be ready to open it and then say, "Well this one is not for me it is for Alex."  The next gift would be for the next boy and so on.  Now the family has 4 boys.  This is fun as hubs gets to buy boy toys and he loves it.  A few years ago the nephews parents told the boys they were going to Uncle Hubs birthday and they were so excited because that was the party where they got a toy.  The parents cringed thinking maybe we had started a bad tradition.  But Hub's loves it.  AS they get older it is harder and harder to get out of them what they want.  Last year I threatened socks and underwear.  This year I told them I had found underwear with unicorns on them and sparkles. Decisions were made rather quickly after that threat.

Money saving madness December 9th-15th 2018

1. ate all meals at home except one (hub's ordered a pizza)
2. picked up steaks at 75% off .
3. picked up cottage cheese marked down
4. Used coupons from Joanns for purchases needed
5. fed food scraps to the chickens
6. used clothesline for heavy laundry
7. Did almost all holiday baking with storage foods purchased at rock bottom prices
8. pulled out mom's box of flannel and blankets and found enough fabric and 1/2 started blankets to make at least 12 nice quilts and blankets for upcoming babies.  So will not have to purchase anything but batting.  Which I will look for at second hand stores.
9.Went to second hand store and purchased large oval embroidery hoop for a quilting project.  $1.99
10. Took a sister in our ward to second hand stores to find a bed for one of her children, found a nice frame and a free box spring.
11. found a nice quilted piece for a baby quilt 1/2 price at second hand store .69
12.Did all my normal things of reuse, cut in half, recycle, use it up I usually do to save a few pennies.
13. found a nickle cleaning out Hub's side of the closet.  Does that count Slug? Or do I have to be making a fool of myself in front of the MacDonald's window?


Things to accomplish today?????

1. clean out car and organize leftovers
2. get Sluggy's box mailed
3. start laundry
4. clean up cat area and replace with new litter
5. get gift card to a ward member and pick up gift card for nephew
6. get kitchen really cleaned and all Christmas cooking things packed up to take to Daughters place.
7. clean our room and bath change sheets
8. clean hall and front room
9. clean dining room
10. clean and change sheets on spare room downstairs
11. clean family room
12.clean and organize shop
13. get sewing done
14. get all presents wrapped  (yuck)
15. make a German chocolate cake for hubs

This is a list to do today and tomorrow and I will do what I can. In any order that I please.  Well Sluggy's package is top priority slightly ahead of the cat box......Hee, hee


Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim