I live in the northeast. I knew I had packed away our cold weather gear prematurely. I guess I was just hoping, hoping, that we were all done with winter. We weren’t. This picture was taken on Saturday this past week …

And this one was taken on Wednesday.

Some links from my Reader for your reading pleasure …

On Money

Are You Obsessed With Your Finances | Frugal Dad

Is It Really More Expensive To Eat Healthy Foods? | Being Frugal

12 Ways To Stretch A Dollar By Not Spending It | The Wisdom Journal

Money, Stress And Your Health | Get Rich Slowly

Do You Pay For Things You Throw Away – Ladies Only Version | Almost Frugal (Guys, steer clear. You’ve been warned.)

On Life

Seeking Pleasure Without Conscience | My Super-Charged Life

Taking Care Of Me | Small Notebook

10 Ways To Instantly Become More Attractive | Simple Mom

5 Surprisingly Simple Foods To Cook From Scratch | Living Well On Less

Why I do what I do ~ Chloe had hiccups today. After we had gone to the grocery store I noticed they were gone. I asked her where they went. She said she spit them out at the grocery store so someone else could step on her hiccups.

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: Lovin’ Some Citrus
2. Good Reads: Candy Corn – Yea or Nay?
3. Good Reads: Great Perspective

I’m thrilled to share with each of you that my site has been spruced up! I’ve still got a little tweaking to do, but if you have a moment and you’re viewing this in your email or a reader, would you click over and take a peek? Jo-Lynne from DCR Design created a new header and a few buttons in my sidebar – she also did the color matching on the site. I’m thrilled with it and definitely recommend her. I can’t wait to add a few more elements.

A sampling of the good reads from my reader this week …

• Have A Complaint? Don’t Get Mad. Get Satisfaction. from Being Frugal
• Graduate School Loans – Should You Avoid Education Debt? from Five Cent Nickel
• Stop Faking It from Bible Money Matters
• Where To Find Coupons from Mommy’s Idea Book
• How To Make An Ottoman Slipcover from Remodeling This Life

Why I do what I do ~ The girls were arguing earlier and I heard my younger niece (3 years old) say, “You’re making my face sad.” Apparently her feelings were fine – her face was just annoyed.

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: Gearing Up
2. Good Reads: Lovin’ Some Citrus
3. Good Reads: Great Perspective

A while ago I posted about homemade laundry detergent. I still make it faithfully and I’m also still very happy with it. However, I have a couple more tips to add to the original post. I added the tips to the end of that post but thought I’d print them here as well in case there’s anyone out there using the recipe or considering trying it out.

• Instead of regular Ivory soap I started using Ivory with Aloe. It cleans exactly the same but smells really nice.
• I find it VERY helpful to grate the soap with my food processor. Then, leaving the grated soap in there, I remove the grating blade and put the chopping blade in, then add the other ingredients and turn it on. It mixes it and makes it very fine, so that I have no problem at all with the soap dissolving in cold water.

In case you’re wondering where I was this week (my posting was light and I was rarely on Twitter), I was painting my bedroom and bathroom for a couple days and then cleaning up the mess for a couple more days. MANY THANKS to my parents for the free paint!

A few links for your reading pleasure …

• My blogging friend Emily, who is the girl at Remodeling This Life, wrote an honest post called Running Up Debt. If you’re in over your head or if you’ve been there – you must read this.
• At Gather Little By Little, Stew shares 10 Principles For Saving Time – Part 1 & Part 2. My favorite tip was “Push A Little Harder At The End.” This always gives me that boost I need to finish.
• Clever Dude said I’m Tired Of Buying And Spending. Me too.
• The Festival Of Frugality was up at Think Your Way To Wealth this week and I was an editor’s pick!

Why I do what I do ~ Have you ever had your hand held by one that’s much smaller than yours? Have you ever had an almost-4-year-old look you deep in your eyes and tell you they love you? Have you ever been told you’re beautiful by a child that is being completely honest? I wish I could bottle up the pure love of a child.

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. I Tried It – Homemade Laundry Detergent
2. Good Reads: The Office
3. Good Reads: Lovin’ Some Citrus

I don’t have a lot for you this week for links because I have had trouble keeping up with my Reader. With that said, I’m giving you 5 fantastic links. I LOVE these blogs and these are some excellent posts. Have a great weekend everyone

Lane & Tom’s Shared Nursery Tour from Small Notebook – I especially love the rain gutter bookshelves. Rachel is a genius.

Fighting The Tyranny Of The Urgent At Home from Simple Mom. From the post: “there is a regular tension between things that are urgent and things that are important — and far too often, the urgent wins.”

On Smarties & Instant Gratification from Remodeling This Life. From the post: “Until fairly recently in my adulthood, I was all about having everything I wanted NOW.” <– Me too!

Frugal Living Could Change Your Life posted by MoneyNing at Frugal Dad. It DID change his life – and I think it’s changing mine too.

Frugal Living Is Not A Sprint. It’s A Marathon. from Being Frugal. Lynnae is spot on. There’s no perfect formula to get rich quick – it takes time and endurance.

Why I do what I do ~ Earlier today my niece said, “Auntie Nicki, I want to watch the cloudiness and the meatballs.” Translation: “I want to watch the movie Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.”

photo credit: racheocity

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: Great Perspective
2. Good Reads: Lovin’ Some Citrus
3. Good Reads: Candy Corn – Yea or Nay?

Since cutting our cable and getting rid of our DVR, David and I have drastically cut down on the number of TV shows we follow. The Office made the cut though. It started back up again this week and it still cracks me up.

Here were some of the highlights from my Reader this week. Enjoy!

• Frugal, Kid-Friendly Recipes from Moneywise Moms
• Rice-a-Roni Alike from The Train To Crazy
• 4 Money-Saving Tips For Using Your Dryer from Almost Frugal
• Watch Movies & TV Online For (almost) Free Using Your Computer from Wealth Pilgrim
• How I Learned To Control My Money from ChristianPF
• Teaching Honesty by Me at Blissfully Domestic
• What Does Your Marriage Teach Your Children from Simple Mom
• How To Request A Credit Freeze From The Credit Reporting Agencies from My Two Dollars (Useful info in the scary case of identity theft)
• What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your Bills from Being Frugal
• Reuse: Some Projects At Our House from Smart Family Tips
• Do You Know These 10 Tips For Even Better Homemade Chicken Stock? from Kitchen Stewardship

Why I do what I do ~ It’s funny when kids attempt to copy an adult phrase but mix it up a little. I overheard recently, “Oh for goodness shake.”

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: An Autumn Snowman
2. Good Reads: French Toast
3. Good Reads: Lovin’ Some Citrus

As I sit here writing this post I’m on the couch, under a blanket in my cold house, looking out the window at my snow-covered yard – all while eating a Florida orange. I love that I can have sweet citrus in the middle of the winter in the Northeast. Oranges, navel oranges (thank you Emily), tangerines, clementines – YUM! Thank you to my warm-weather friends

Ok, enough of that rambling nonsense. I read a LOT of really great things this week. Here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

• How To Lose Weight Without Spending A Lot Of Money from Being Frugal
• How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off from Cheap Healthy Good
• Barriers Of Mindful Health: The Obstacles To Overcome from My Super-Charged Life
• How To Create A Paperless Kitchen from Simple Mom
• Are You Saving Money Just To Save, Or Saving With A Purpose from Frugal Dad
• Bloggers To Watch In 2010 from Smart Family Tips (She included ME!)
• Your Most Important Financial Decision: Choosing A Spouse from Moolanomy
• Your Debt-to-Income Ratio: What It Is And Why You Should Care from Five Cent Nickel
• Resources And Ways To Cut Your Debt Load from ChristianPF

Congratulations to …

• Beth at Smart Family Tips for completing her first year of blogging!
• Kelly at The Centsible Life for completing her first year of blogging!
• MckMama from My Charming Kids on the great news of expecting her 5th kiddo!

Why I do what I do ~ My daughter’s favorite breakfast, which I have tried to change and break her of many times, is toast with peanut butter and jelly. Every morning she gets jelly on the front of her pajamas and says, “Oops, Mama you need to clean off the ‘jellyness.’”

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: Not A Morning Person But I Like The Morning
2. Gratitude And Giving
3. Good Reads: An Autumn Snowman

Lately, Chloe has been obsessed with taking pictures. We don’t have an expensive camera, so we let her use it as long as she’s supervised. She gets some of the cutest pictures from a much different perspective than we have – like the one above. She was in the back seat of the car on a long trip the day after Christmas. So cute.

Here are a few of the things I enjoyed reading this week. I’ve begun sharing things in my Google Reader as I find links that are useful, interesting or just funny. If you’re interested, feel free to subscribe to my shared items here. I’ll still post my favorite links each week right here on my site though. Happy Weekend!

• 15 Uses For Incredibly Inexpensive White Vinegar from The Simple Dollar
• How I Ruin Antiques from Remodeling This Life
• Tomato Basil Soup from Skip To My Lou (My favorite kind of soup. I WILL try this recipe)
• Financial Baby Steps: Save Up $1,000 And Become Debt-Free from Simple Mom
• 101 Way To Cut Your Spending This Year from Being Frugal
• Wrapping Paper Storage: A Frugal Alternative from Amy Loves It
• Cloth Diapers vs. Disposable Diapers from Cash Money Life
• Homemade Bleach Wipes from Blisful E
• My Real-Life, Practical Daily Routine from Small Notebook

Why I do what I do ~ Yesterday Chloe asked me if she could go outside and play in the kiddie pool. It’s January. There’s at least a foot and a half of snow on the ground. I told her that it’s too cold for the pool. A minute later she came back and said, “We could go in the pool with our boots and snow pants. Then we wouldn’t be cold.” What a little thinker

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: An Autumn Snowman
2. Good Reads: French Toast
3. Good Reads: Gearing Up

I’m gearing up for a busy week next week. I’ll be baking and getting ready for Thanksgiving and visiting family. I’m hoping to do a few thankful crafts with the girls and emphasize family and gratitude with them. I love Thanksgiving – a holiday all about enjoying yummy food with my family and taking time to reflect on how blessed we are. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t get much better than that

If you have a minute, check out some links I’ve enjoyed over the past couple weeks:

A friend of mine sent this link to me. Thanksgiving On A Budget from Epicurious. If you’re trying to figure out how to have all the things you love with a little less money then this link is worth checking out.

Amy from Amy Loves It is going green. She’s said goodbye to paper towels. I’m not too far behind her. I really don’t like spending money on things I throw away!

I love this post from Almost Frugal – The ABCs of Frugality.

Fortuitously Frugal has a post that I really identified with this week – Behind The Times And Loving It. I hear ya sister.

Check out the list of gift ideas and tutorials at Curiositys. I know for a fact that I’m making one of those things for a gift!

Want to know How To Make A Gift Bow Out Of Any Paper? Head over to Lifehacker and find out.

Smart Family Tips has a great recipe for a soup mix base. It’s a dry soup base that you make in bulk and then simply add broth when you need a comfy homemade soup. Great idea!

Congratulations are in order …

for Clever Dude – he and his wife are DEBT FREE! They paid off $113,000!

for Kate from Curiositys because she and Mike are expecting their FIRST BABY!

Both of those blogs are on my favorites list and I highly recommend them

Why I do what I do ~ I was contemplating whether to share this on here or not. I’ll share but I don’t want any family members calling to ask if it “means anything” because it doesn’t – deal? Ok, so our local newspaper does a feature called Letters To Santa. Kids write their letters to Santa and the paper publishes them as a special insert one day. We don’t make a big deal of Santa in our house but this year Chloe’s been talking about him a lot (she drives reindeer around the house) so I thought I’d try to transcribe her letter to Santa. I sat at my computer, ready to type as fast as I can  because my daughter is a chatterbox and I thought for sure she’d write Santa a novel. Here is the exact copy of her letter:

Dear Santa Claus,

Your reindeer are very soft. (Mommy asks- what do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?) A baby. (Mommy says- ummmm, is there something else you’d like for Christmas?) No, just a baby.

Love, Chloe

David and I could NOT stop laughing. Of all the things. I said, “Sweetheart, Jesus brings babies, not Santa Claus. You’re going to have to ask him for something else ” … “but I only just want a baby Mama.”

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Apple Cranberry Stuffing
2. What To Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Welcome to The Festival of Frugality #203. Tomorrow is Veterans Day here in the United States. So in honor of our veterans, this is the American flag edition.

photo by tibchris

First I’d like to highlight the Five Star posts. These are the Editor’s Picks:

J.D. Roth from Get Rich Slowly shares The Curse Of A Big-Win Mentality. He writes, “We are a culture that loves to celebrate shaving $200 off our monthly mortgage with a new $300/month car payment.” So true.

Oops! Did you screw up dinner? No need to throw it out and order pizza. You can find 5 Quick Fixes To Salvaging A Good Meal at Wise Bread.

There’s a tough one at Gather Little By Little – How Much Does Your Vice Cost? We all hold onto something that isn’t really helpful or doesn’t make like easier – we just like it. What is it costing you?

photo by audreyjm529

Here are the rest of the fantastic submissions. Enjoy!

FrugalMaman from Fortuitously Frugal has some great ideas for Homemade Gifts including some delicious-looking gift baskets.

Paula Wethington from Monroe On A Budget shares Ideas For Christmas Gifts Under $20. This is a thorough list with some great ideas.

Head over to Make It From Scratch to see how to make a Little Girl’s Headband. She shows us how ‘doting mom,’ ‘environmentalist,’ and ‘crafter’ can be a winning mix!

Thinking of buying a digital camera for someone for Christmas? The Dough Roller shares The Best Digital Camera Bargains of 2009.

photo by ice.bluess

David Carlson of Dual Income No Kids talks about Being Frugal With Splurges. You can treat yourself without going overboard.

Siobhan Hanlin of Facets Of The Fabulous was able to survive University without a single credit card or overdraft. Go check out How To Survive University Without An Overdraft.

Is your wife a little more conservative than you are when it comes to investing? MoneyNing will tell you How To Get Your Wife To Invest.

Paul Williams from Provident Planning wrote Why We’re Not Buying Life Insurance (Yet). I admit, I was skeptical when I read the title. However, his reasoning is pretty sound – check it out.

photo by wolfsavard

Madison from My Dollar Plan encourages us to Make The Most Of Open Enrollment, the one chance per year when most employees can make changes to their benefits.

Patrick from Cash Money Life shares How To Lower Your Auto Insurance Bill. It’s a necessary expense but you have the power to shop around. You could potentially pay 30% less than you pay now!

Mrs. Accountability from Out Of Debt Again asks How Much Do You Care About Expiration Dates? Do you throw things out immediately or are you willing to drink milk the day after “the date.”

Ben from Money Smart Life shares about Open Enrollment Deadlines. This is a popular topic for a reason. With the exception of major life changes, this is your opportunity to review and change your benefits at work.

photo by clickfarmer

Have you ever tried to go a week without spending money? PT Money shares his Results Of A Week Without Spending. I’ll give you a little spoiler: he ended up making money!

Tyler from Frugally Green asks What’s Your Environmental Net Worth? If you were to calculate “the sum of your environmental contributions minus your grievances,” how would you add up?

Jeff from Good Financial Cents posted Should You Buy Life Insurance At An Early Age? He says this is the most important question: Are you supporting individuals whose livelihood depends on your income? If the answer is yes, it’s time to look at life insurance.

Kris from Cheap Healthy Good shares Sandra’s Money Saving Meals: A Review. Does the show grate your nerves or have you found it helpful?

Cheapskate Sandy from Yes I Am Cheap shares Finance 101: Understanding Your Flexible Savings Account (FSA). Is this a benefit they offer in your workplace but you have no idea what it is? Check it out.

photo by pcfishhk

Looking for a place to stow your tons of cash (or your tirelessly saved pennies)? The Smarter Wallet compares some of The Top Online Savings Accounts in a clear and easy-to-read manner.

FMF from Free Money Finance busts some Car Care Maintenance Myths. Does the oil really need to be changed every 3,000 miles? Probably not.

Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians has seen first hand that you can Cut Costs By Being Resourceful. His wife share a few ways she has seen people save money where they live in Papau New Guinea.

SVB of The Digerati Life shares how to Create A Home Budget, Using The Envelope Budgeting System. She explains the system and lays out the pros and cons for you.

photo by PhotoDu.de

Tom at The Canadian Finance Blog discusses what it would take for the Costco Wholesale Executive Membership to be a good purchase for you.

Bucksome from Bucksome Boomer’s Journey To Retirement is Calling All Shoppers! Are you planning on getting some great deals on Black Friday? Plan ahead for success!

Find some Simple & Cheap Ways To Spice Up Your Everyday Food at Fabuluosly Broke … In The City. Quickly spice up any meal with these great, fresh ingredients.

RC from Think Your Way To Wealth shares a foundational frugal truth: Save Money By Practicing Moderation In Your Life.

photo by Beverlykahuna

Cecil Dellison of Clear Choice Credit Cards asks Do Credit Unions Offer The Best Credit Card Options For You?

Ray at Financial Highway thinks credit cards have been given a bad name in the personal finance world and wants to show you how to choose the Best Credit Card

Wojciech Kulicki of Fiscal Fizzle shared about Writing An Awesome Personal Executive Summary and how that relates to personal finance.

David of Credit Card Offers IQ shares about the Quicken Rewards Visa Credit Card.

Credit Shout suggests Using 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards To Reduce Debt.

Thanks so much to everyone that participated!

Why I do what I do ~ Chloe: “Mommy, how do babies hatch?” Looks like I still have a few years before the birds and the bees chat

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Frugality Is Not A Contest
2. Good Reads: An Autumn Snowman
3. When Frugality Begins To Pay Off

When Autumn arrives I am certain of two things:

1. I will be purchasing candy corn and eating it.

2. I will be eating it alone while my husband holds back involuntary gags. It is a season-long controversy in our home.

So, what’s your take? When you see those yummy candies appear on the shelves for 99 cents do you scoop them up and tear them open in the car or do you equate eating candy corn with eating a candle?

While you ponder my deeply urgent question, be sure to check out some of these links. Happy weekend everyone!

• Check out these Surprising Uses For Your Dishwasher from Real Simple Magazine. There are some REALLY good ideas in there.
• Jeff from My Super-Charged Life posted Improve Your Marriage: 50 Acts Of Simple Love.
• Check out A Dozen (or so) Ways To Make A Few Extra Bucks from Gather Little By Little.
• Kitchen Stewardship presents My First Roux (And A Cream Of Potato Soup Recipe). Perfect for the chilly weather!
• Tsh at Simple Mom says that What’s Healthy For Kids Is Healthy For Adults – and I agree.
• Netta posted her Quick Kitchen Fixes for Fruit Dip and Hot Chocolate.

Why I do what I do ~ Chloe just woke up from her nap, walked up to me and said, “Mama I just woke up last year.” I smiled.

Candy Corn photo by Juushika Redgrave

YNAB-You need a budget. Yeah you do.

Rent movies from Netflix. Try for free!

Use coupon codes to get UPrinting Discounts on printed products.

Related posts:

1. Good Reads: An Autumn Snowman
2. Good Reads: French Toast
3. Good Reads: It’s Getting Cold