…is once again published on Tuesday. Monday was kind of chaotic with very little sit down time. Work was crazy and the two younger kids needed to be Algona by 6:15 for the Live Greeting Card Windows that are done every year. They are all really neat to see!

The last two weeks have been focused on trying to stick to the spending less freeze. This is really a lot harder than it looks to do. I made a trip to Menards last weekend to get things we needed around the house like light bulbs, a drain snake to get hair out of the drains (ick!), Damp-rid for the basement, dishwasher detergent because the homemade stuff is not working with this dishwasher, windshield wiper fluid that can handle the cold, and a few odds and ends to fix some minor things around the house. I also made a trip to Dollar General for a few toiletries that we ran out of and could not make ourselves.

In my excitement last Monday because it was my birthday, I didn’t tell you all what I got for my birthday! Both things were really cool and I was very surprised! My kids got me an Iowa State solar light that will sit outside during the nicer weather. I love it! Right now, it is looking really good in my living room. Rob totally surprised me by telling me to pick out the Kitchen Aid mixer that I wanted and he would pay for it!

I didn’t get a fancy color or model. I got the Classic Plus and that will be enough for me and my needs! And he also saved 15% off because I had a coupon for Kohl’s! This will be a great help in the kitchen as I needed a reliable mixer that could handle bread dough as well as making all the other goodies we like.

For those that say kitchen appliances are not real presents, you need to spend a little more time with me. I will take them any day over fancy jewelry!

For our frugal accomplishments for the last two weeks:

1. I again downloaded a bunch of books for free for my Kindle from Amazon.com. I highly recommend doing this because even if you do not have a Kindle, you can still download the books into the Amazon Cloud Reader and read them on the computer. Or you can download the Kindle app onto your electronic of choice and download the books that way.

2. I received a bunch of free items that I signed up for in the mail. Some of these items will be used as stocking stuffers while the rest will be put to use right away. I also signed up for several more freebies!

3. I filed AFLAC claims on the kids who were injured in the last month or two. I like AFLAC as a supplemental insurance because they do help to cover the extra expenses in dealing with injuries such as gas to drive to appointments and time away from work.

4. I have been making more of a conscious effort to reuse items especially in the kitchen. I have been washing out resealable bags to use again. I also have been reusing aluminum foil that is not dirty, but simply used to cover items.

5. I mended two shirts, one ripped seat in the double recliner, restuffed and mended one Pillow Pet last week. Everything looks pretty good and will have a longer life because of it.

6. I have been continuing to hang laundry on the clothes rack to save electricity and money from using the dryer. I have a system set up now and it works great. I still throw the jeans and towels in the dryer because of the time to dry them on the rack is much longer.

7. I made another bucket of laundry detergent. I love the cost savings from that!

8. After the Danz breakfast last Sunday, we were able to bring home two of the extra egg bakes that were leftover. We have two meals now in the freezer and I am so very, very grateful for them and the person who let us take them home!

9. From the mixer we got from Kohls, we also got $40 in Kohls cash! I used this to order some more Christmas presents for the kids.

10. We saved some money when Shali, two of her friends, and myself went on a college visit to the University of Northern Iowa. The end of the tour/visit is the cafeterias at UNI so we ate there as part of the experience and for free courtesy of the college. I highly, highly recommend eating there! The food at UNI is superb and plenty of it!

That is about it for now! Sometimes I really don’t think this is much, but every little bit helps the big picture.

Remember: “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do Without!”

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

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