This is so strange I could have sworn I wrote a post yesterday?!? Weird.....

Well, Happy New Year's Eve. What are your plans for the evening? If you don't have any, don't feel bad because neither do I. For the five years we've been married, we've only went out once (to a friend's house.) I would like to start having a party on this night, or going to a friend's house once DH has only one job.

It doesn't sadden me that we don't go to the big parties of the year where we don't know anyone. I don't really dig the over-crowded bar scene and the cost of alcohol is way too high for my taste. Plus it saddens me the waste that comes from all the party hats and noise makers....

Last night I went through all of our files and threw away the unnecessary paperwork and put the 2002 paper that was missed with the 2002 box. I thought we were more diligent with that, but I was wrong. This year we will be though. I still have to gather everything that we have so far for our tax appointment in February. It won't be hard. I will just have to tally up some figures and that's about it.

Frugal/Simple Thought for the Day: More on junk mail; Our dining room table use to be over-run with mail. Now as soon as DH gets home with it, I throw the junk mail out without even opening it (unless I suspect there may be coupons for something I, or someone I know would use.) The bills get placed in the bill slot (and also written down on a sheet of paper that tracks date paid, check number, etc...), and any personal mail (letters, cards, etc...) get placed on the desk to be read by both of us and respond quickly to, if necessary.

Spyros wasn't feeling well yesterday (and still neither one of us is today) so he found someone to replace him at work last night and this morning.

Today we cleaned, took down Christmas decorations, used the "new" vaccum cleaner Mom and Joe gave us (it works great... it's a Hoover Hepa-something or other and it sure does have some power!), and we just finished watching Bruce Almighty (borrowed from Mom and Joe).

After deciding we didn't want to do anything else, DH ran to the video store to use our free rental coupon, to hopefully rent American Wedding.

Other then showering, watching the movie and maybe reading, I think our day is pretty much set....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Although junk mail is a pain, before tossing it out make sure to check for any valuable coupons you can use. (That's how we got the free movie rental.)

We didn't end up seeing my SIL (and Family) and FIL, because SIL and her daughter were sick and they didn't want to travel and infest others, so....

We went up to my Mom and Step-Dad's a day early. We chatted and ate on Friday. Saturday we chatted, ate, played electronic Uno (where the cards shoot out at you ((sometimes)), it's very fun!), watched two movies (Daddy Daycare and Holes) and opened presents.

Mom made us each a pair of Slippers (Spyros's first pair since he was a very young kid. His feet are a 15, and we've never found a pair that fits.), an Afghan that matches our slippers, a pair of PJs each, some candy, and some cold hard cash, that we will be depositing into our savings.

We also went to Shopko on Saturday. Mom and Joe (SD) got me another pair of PJs (the shirt originally $18 down to $4.50 and the pants $20 down to $5) and Spyros a pack of socks. Unfortunately we have to return the socks. DH has been looking for ankle socks, but the two styles we have tried so far haven't fit.

I also got another pair of the PJ pants (which are actually more like lounge pants) and a pair of jeans. Spyros had bought me two pairs of jeans for Christmas, but one didn't fit, so we'll return that pair when we get home.

Today is supposed to be 45 and sunny. It will feel like Spring to us here in Wisconsin. We'll be loading up the rest of the boxes from Mom and Joe's basement, and then head back home to begin fixing up the house more to sell.

We're going to be busy: painting 3 rooms, cleaning carpet in 2 rooms and the hallway, ripping out carpet in our bedroom, doing general cleaning, organizing the garages more, and whatever else....

Frugal/Simple Thought for the Day: Try not to depend or plan our Holiday spending on bonuses. Take them (and any other money you receive from Birthdays, etc...) and deposit it directly into your savings.
While it's nice to buy yourself something you didn't receive because "you deserve it", think of how much nicer it will be when you have the money in case of an emergency (car trouble, house problems, etc...) or as part of your retirement fund.

While drowsing yesterday we did find some time to watch Spy Kids (rented from the library). A friend of ours said we should see Spy Kids 2, and since we hadn't seen the first one, I thought perhaps we should. It was actually very good. I could see how children, as well as pre-teens (or even young teens) would like it.

We also went through the first set of boxes that we brought back from my Mom's house. So far we have another large box to donate and a few items to give to friends/family.

I want to clean up the back hallway a bit more (hopefully today) before we go to my Mom's tomorrow to get the rest of the boxes. I want to set up a table to start working on my craft items again, and also rearrange it so I can start selling on eBay in the New Year.

We are going to my FIL's today, to see him and my SIL and her family. After Nichole (SIL) being with her husband for five years (married for 2), we finally get to meet him. So that should be interesting....

I still have to bake two different kinds of cookies and peanut butter bars to take up to Stevens Point tomorrow. So I best be going.

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: It's always best to plan ahead, so start thinking of those New Year's Resolutions. I'll be posting a detailed list of ours after January 1st, so you can see what challenges we're going to be tackling. Perhaps we'll have some of the same ones....

DH and I now not only share a last name, but this wonderful cold too. Just one of the many perks of being a couple.

Since Spyros has to work tonight, I am writing later then normal having stayed off the computer to be with him during the day, while drowsing on the couch, and the dentist chair, and the.... (Yes, we have a dentist chair that really works. It's very comfortable and good for the back. Although it's large and bulky and takes up a lot of room....)

We opened presents from each other yesterday, shortly after he returned from his insane trip. Other then running out of gas on the freeway (this being the 6th time since we've been married) and having a friend bring him some gas, he said it really wasn't too bad. The longest he had to wait in line was five minutes.

I got some much needed jeans and (sexy, but comfortable) underwear, two different smelly lotions, two CDs and Charlie's Angels 2 DVD. Spyros opened four t-shirts, two tank tops (to wear under shirts), and two pairs of cargo shorts.

Since DH is a big and tall man, we rarely find clothes for him at yard sales. I spent a little under $45 for all his clothes, including sales tax and shipping charges, so I think it was a pretty good buy.

He had left the prices on my items (make it easier to return, although he's usually very good at picking stuff out), and he found one of the CDs at a used CD store and the undies were buy 3 get 3 free. This really made me happy seeing that he tried to find good prices!

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: If you buy presents from the store make sure to keep the receipt, and always look for the best sales price. This is easily done by shopping early and watching the big sales. (After Holidays and the change of the Seasons.)

Hello everyone. We're glad to be home!

First for the bad news: I have a head cold. I'm stuffy, runny and fevery all at the same time. What joy. (This was the gift I got from my 14 month old nephew, Brennan.)

Other then that the trip was pretty enjoyable. (Although I think if we stay that long again with that many people in the tiny house, we may get a hotel room.)

Friday night we got up and went out to eat at the Honey Bear. They have the best fish fry I have every had, and I have had a lot since Friday night fish fries is the thing to do in Wisconsin. No trip is complete to Eagle River unless you go to the Honey Bear. Even the 3 hour or more waits in the summer is worth it, and I really am not patient when it comes to waiting to eat!

When we got back, we unloaded the van and then went outside (in the snot freezing instantly to your face) weather, to get some beautiful pictures of the bridge, water, and lights.

Saturday saw us running to Pamida (Wal-Mart, Shopko, Target like store) to get a couple last minute gifts. Then we went to the grocery store we're my father was playing Santa.

When we got back to the house, everyone else had arrived. We chatted, ate and opened about half of the presents. Sunday saw us chatting, eating, and opening up the rest of the gifts.

Then Monday while my father was in surgery for 4 hours to get 3 of his 4 shoulder muscles reattached, Spyros and I went up to Bond Falls in Michigan to get even more beautiful pictures of the water falls and surrounding land. We had a picnic lunch in our van and then headed back to Eagle River.

When we got back my Dad was out of surgery and everything had gone well. He was nicely drugged up too! We rented a couple movies (Old School and the Italian Job), ate more and drifted off to sleep.

Tuesday we ate some more and then left around Noon to head back to Madison. We got back about 4pm and promptly had to spend time with our cats. Spyros went to bed around 5pm because he had to work last night. I did laundry, picked up the house and watched some TV.

All in all an enjoyable time. And we got some wonderful presents too!

Now for some of the things we received. If you don't feel like reading my materialistic rambles here, please scroll down....

Spyros got some Thinsulate gloves, a gift card to Gander Mountain (Hunt, Fish, Kill; I swear they say Kill and not Camp), Pasta Pots with the latching lid (I'm excited about these since my old pot is well, getting old and I really like the lids), Soap on a Rope (one can never have too many of these, especially since he usually drops the soap in the shower), a Mystical Fridge Poetry set, Cordless Drill and Drill Bit Set, and a couple other things.

I got a Water Fountain that plays 6 different sounds and the water looks like it's streaming down a wall, Stones that you heat up and put on your back, (or any other place that needs attention), Homemade Bath Salts, Candle Snuffer, Picture Frames (that will match our bedroom once it's done the way I want), Fragrant Lightbulb Ring

When we went to Pamida I found some Fall/Pumpkin things that I liked, so my Darling Husband picked up 8 beautiful cloth napkins and 3 pumpkin kitchen towels. They were on sale at wonderful prices.

DH will be off soon to finish his shopping for me. I told him he was nuts and should wait until after Christmas, but he wants to have our first Christmas (after 5 years of marriage) all by ourselves tomorrow. Since normally we're at some family members house.

So while he's shopping I'll be home lying on the couch trying to get rid of this cold....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: When we ask for gifts we try to ask for things that we need, but will still enjoy. This helps to cut down on clutter. If I were ever to receive a pack of toilet paper, I would be more happy then getting a gift I would be donating to Goodwill within a year!

This will be my last blog entry until next Wednesday, so make sure to check back then to see how our trip up to Eagle River went and to view the highly anticipated thought of the day!

DH is sleeping right now and if he's not up by 2pm, I'm to wake him up so we can pack up the van and get going.

I still have muffins to make, packing to do, and a few other chores before we go. I also have to be quiet so I don't wake Spyros up, it should be a treat....

So much to do, so I'm going to go. Have a good few days everyone.

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: At least once this weekend take a 30 minute breather and do nothing (or just what you like.) Sit and breath, gaze at your Holiday decorations, or take a reading break, and most importantly enjoy it with your complete being.

The second batch of split pea soup is in the slow cooker, the dishes are done, and I'm taking a computer break. After the break I will be making cookies and peanut butter bars. Tomorrow will see me making apple struedel muffins (per DH's request) and lemon poppy seed muffins.

I still have to wrap a few presents for up North and I need to write a list of things to pack so we don't forget anything. I am one of those avid list writers. I really enjoy crossing off items, it gives me a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

I also want to go through some of the boxes that we brought back from Mom's house, not only to get rid of more stuff, but to cut down on the smokey smell. I love my Mom dearly, but I hate the cigarette smell that sticks to everything after only 10 minutes in her house. The boxes have been there about four months so they are definately aromatic.

Linda (MIL) came over yesterday and we all chatted for awhile. It doesn't sound like my SIL's marriage is going too good. Her husband said he loves her, but is no longer in love with her. He also refuses to go to counseling. I wish her the best....

I made Spyros over-analyze it with me this morning while we had bowls of cheesey-broccoli soup. Yes, I know it's a general woman trait, and most men don't enjoy doing it, but it runs in my blood so my husband must share the burden.

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Don't be afraid of those To-Do Lists, they can be your friend (or at least helpful so you don't forget anything.) But don't forget to put at least one fun thing to do on it and keep it for as close to the end as you can possible stand. Doing the fun thing will be such a sweet reward!

Thanks Denny for the kind words. I enjoyed looking at your blog also, and getting a glimpse into your life.

It's late and my bed time is near, so this post will be short. Early to bed, early to rise. I'm much more of a morning person then a night person.

We took the new minivan in to get the brakes done. $650 later, we're good to go. The back brakes were completely shot and the front needed new pads and rotors (?). I'm glad we had the money to pay for it, but it's so frustrating because just when we get our savings account to where we want it (or even some extra in it) something always comes up. But I just tell myself to be thankful that we have the resources, unlike so many other people out there who are not as fortunate....

I made split pea soup today and will be making another batch tomorrow to take up North with us. I also made cheesey broccoli soup for us to enjoy here, and paired with French bread that we tore chunks off of, it was a perfect lunch.

Frugal/Simple Living Thought of the Day: Find a good mechanic before you need one. Ask your friends and family for recommendations. And don't forget to get more then one estimate the first time you go to a new mechanic. It is a lot less stressful when you have a dependable mechanic that isn't swindling you.

I think our errand day will be changed from Monday to Tuesday, because DH usually has more mail to deliver on Monday. Since today is errand day, I just finished looking at Pick N Saves website to find the weekly specials. The free item this week is 3 candy bars, which works out perfect since we are giving our BIL (Dave) a movie basket (popcorn, soda, candy, and $ for a rental or two), and we still need to pick up the candy.

After the grocery store we'll be hitting the library to return books and pick up some more reading material for our long weekend up in Eagle River. We may also borrow a movie or two to watch while we're up there.

DH wants to go to BonFalls (up in Michigan) since he's never been there, and I always say we should go when we're up there. He will get some wonderful pictures if we go. I just hope it's not too icy, since there are some stairs and it would make getting around difficult.

We have to drop off our minivan to get the brakes done, so I guess our order of errands will end up being reversed. Mechanic, library, groceries. We wanted to wash the van today and vaccum the inside, but that will have to wait until after we get it back.

I put a ham in the slow cooker along with cut up potatoes. Last time we had potatoes that way, they were delicious because they soaked up the ham juice. I'm going to use the rest of the ham to make a double batch of split pea soup and take it up North this weekend. I also plan on making lemon poppy seed muffins, peanut butter bars, and some cookies, so I'll be a busy little baker on Thursday.

Nichole (SIL) will be coming to Janesville (where FIL lives) only, so that means I won't be cooking a turkey and all the fixings on the 26th. This is somewhat of a relief. I wouldn't have minded cooking, but not having to is even better!

Frugal/Simple Living Thought of the Day: Make sure to take care of any car repairs right away. The longer you wait, the better chance it will end up costing you more. The safety factor is also a big concern.
And changing your own windshield wipers, oil and other fluids, and checking air pressure are all very easy to do. Get a book from your library or ask someone to show you how, if you don't already know.

We had a nice time at my Mom's and Step-Dad's, but as always, it was way too short.

When we got back last night, Spyros laid down for his nap and I unloaded most of the boxes in the van. I also put up the Christmas tree and decorated it. I feel in a much more Holiday mood now.

Today I finished decorating and wrapped almost all of the gifts. When DH got home we left for The ShoeBox, and we bought him a new pair of hiking boots (since we plan on doing a lot more hiking and picture excursions.)

Our house was off the market as of Friday, and today our old realtor called and said that a realtor from his office has a potential buyer. That means tomorrow we'll be showing our house.

The back hallway is full of boxes and the house is not as clean as it was before, but oh well.... Positive vibes would be great, so if you have some please send them our way.

I really have too much on my mind right now, so tomorrow I'll write a more detailed post and leave you with the much anticipated thought of the day!

Until then....

We're going up to my Mom and Step-Dad's when DH gets home from delivering the mail. We'll be bringing them a few things that we have of theirs, and picking up a load of our boxes from their basement.

I am so excited to be going through them and being able to get rid of more things. And as I mentioned before I'm happy to be getting the Christmas decorations so the house can look more cheerful.

This is going to be a short post since I still have to pack and straighten up the house a little. (I hate coming home to a messy house, even after a mini trip.)

Simple/Frugal Thought for the Day: A great way to tackle your clutter is to act as if you are moving. Be merciless with items you get rid of. It's even better if you can box the remaining items up and keep them boxed for a month or more. After the time is up and you start going through your items, chances are you will get rid of even more stuff.

I once read somewhere that if you move 3 times, you end up getting rid of 90% of your stuff over the three moves. Something to think about!

Just got back from an enjoyable trip to Madison. Before leaving DH wanted to hear The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, but I said don't worry, we'll hear it when we're in town.

So we left. After stopping three times for some outdoor pictures (DH's hobby), we were off... And I finally got to ride in the "new" minivan. (Very nice ride, but closer quarters then I'm used to. It feels more like a car then a minivan.)

The Bread Outlet store was our first stop. After comparing ingredients we settled on a 2.5 pound loaf of multi-grain bread. Normally they're $2.50 (still a good price and cheaper then at a regular grocery store), but they had some on special for $1. So we grabbed all 18 that were left, and they are now chilling in our freezer. We go through a loaf a week so it will be a few months before we need to buy more.

We got four punches on a frequent buyers card. (For every $5 you spend, you get a punch.) After you get 12 punches you get $5 off your purchase. The wonderful man who checked us out said people often come to the store asking for that bread, because it's that good. We chose well!

Next came Big Lots (a closeout and discounter store). We picked up a few Christmas presents and some soap on sale since we are getting low on our Walgreens stash.

Then came Target. We had to return the electric toothbrush we bought last time we went to town, since the brush head was too big. We picked up a different one, along with another Christmas present and a pair of pj bottoms for me. (They're fuzzy striped and low riding, not something I normally wear or would wear around others, but DH likes them.)

When we got to the car DH's song was just beginning! And it finished when we got to our next stop at the (evil) mall to pick up two more presents. We got 2 stamps at one of the stores that also has a frequent buyers card. When this one is finished we get 15% off our purchase.

JoAnn's was next to pick up some more presents that we got for "free" because we had a gift card. We really don't like JoAnn's any more. The people are always snotty, and the lines are always long because they never open enough lanes.
From now on we are going to be shopping at Michael's instead.

The last stop was Menard's to purchase a folding step stool (free with gift cards.) I've been wanting one for awhile since I often wait for DH to get home before changing light bulbs, etc..., but with the stool I won't have to wait.

I was really hungry since I wasn't feeling good when DH ate lunch, but instead of stopping somewhere to eat we waited until we got home and put in a pizza. This is one of our biggest downfalls, eating out. But for the past month we've been really good.

Frugal Thought for the Day: Make sure to ask about frequent buyer's cards. If you're going to be shopping there you may as well get the freebie or discount!

With so many people having quizzes on their web pages/blogs, I do enjoy participating. Some of them are so vague that they could fit anyone, but when I find one specific and that fits, well....


You are 'Deck the Halls'! Let's be honest, it
isn't Christmas you are celebrating, is it? In
fact, you know full well that there were no
shepherds in the fields in December, and that
the date of Christmas was put at midwinter
specifically to coincide with the older
celebrations of Yule and the birth of Mithras.
An unashamed Pagan, you take great glee in the
number of carols referring to holly, evergreens
and Winter's end, and will sing them with
gusto. You know where they really came from.
And you do enjoy the seasonal celebrations,
regardless of their name... A merry Yule to
you!


What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

The chill is definately in the air. DH was running around the house singing the Christmas song, The Happiest Time of the Year (Don't know if that's the actual title?), while getting ready for work. I think the cold is getting to him!

Yesterday was a nice relaxing day at home. We had chili over baked potatoes for lunch. Then I cut DH's hair with clippers that we've had for about five years.

DH got a nice Christmas bonus that we will be putting directly in savings. It's so sad to look at the pre-tax amount and then the amount that you actually get.

I found a new forum/website that I really enjoy. Frugal Families

There's 10 messages on the Madison Freecycling site. Very cool! We're going to put a couple items up, and then see if anyone has any size 15 down-hill ski boots. It's a long shot, but one never knows....

Simple/Frugal Thought for the Day: Get outside and enjoy this crisp weather with a loved one, or take the time to walk and meditate by yourself. Then come back home to some hot chocolate or a slow cooker full of comfort food.

The snow that was supposed to begin last night and cause treacherous driving conditions has begun at 9:30am. This means that most people (who work 1st shift) are safe at work. This also means that when they get out of work, the dangerous conditions will be waiting for them.

Mother Nature while wonderous, can be so cruel.... Ying/Yang, Man/Woman, Day/Night.

While I look out the window by my desk, I see a blonde squirrel scampering around. Perhaps looking for more food to store for the long winter months, or maybe enjoying the days before snow covers the ground.

DH always looks longingly at the white chocolate covered pretzels that come out during the Holiday season. So yesterday we bought some pretzels and white chocolate, and I figured I would make them when we got home. Melt the chocolate, dip in pretzels, easy right?

Well they didn't turn out like the stores. They're a light brown from the pretzels slightly melting, and the chocolate is caked on in big chunks. They still taste good. DH read the directions and found out that you should use a double boiler (which we have, but is at Mom's). So next time we make them, we'll know.

I called Alliant Energy yesterday (our electric company) to question our bill. It said that we don't have to pay this month and have a $15.99 credit for the next bill. While I'm perfectly happy with not having to pay, I called just to make sure this was correct, and it was!!!

They estimate what your bill will be from past months/years (and only check the meter every 3 months or so), and since we have once less person living with us and we are really trying to cut down on utility costs, we used a lot less electricity. (When FIL lived here he used a space heater, which I know used a lot of energy.)

Frugal/Simple Thought for the Day: Be careful when you're driving, especially in dangerous weather. Drive at whatever speed is most comfortable, even if cars are passing you. You're family and friends would rather have you (and the car) home in one piece, then you home at your usual time.

DH got home really late yesterday from delivering the mail, so we did errands today instead of yesterday. First stop was the library (As I have said before utilitze your library, you're paying the taxes so get the benefits.) Had books to return, magazines for the free magazine exchange, and books that were being held.

Then off to the bank. We were able to deposit some extra money since the kiln sold (yeah! Now it's out of the house) and DH helped a lady today take down a metal gazebo/screen room (it took about 1/2 an hour), and she gave him some money. This was nice, because he really didn't feel as if she had to pay him, just doing the nice neighbor thing.

Finally came grocery shopping. We had to get some staples and the rest were loss leaders. The free item of the week is a six pack of AA batteries. This is funny (in the ironic way) since this past weekend we purchased AAs for an item at the house that needed new ones. If we had only known....

I'm on a baked potato kick, so we had them with broccoli (on sale) and cheese for lunch. I also got another bag while at the store since they were on special, and potatoes can last awhile.

Simple Living Thought for the Day: Help others out willingly and don't do it for money. (Of course if they do decide they want to give you some, that's not a bad thing...) You never know when you may need a helping hand.

It is sad though, how often times in our society if you go to help someone you don't know they often look at you with fear or distrust (especially if you're a man trying to help a woman or the elderly). Although it seems like the world is full of horrible people (since this is usually all you hear on the news), most people are good.

Just use common sense with the situation. If you're home alone and you're gut feeling is telling you the person is not right, offer to call police/ambulance, etc... for the person or tell them your toilet is not working right now.
If someone is motioning you to pull over, do so in a well lit, public area, etc...

I was going to post yesterday, but the numerous times I tried, blogger was down. Oh well...

Our garages, for the most part, are cleaned out! There are still some misc. items that we have to get rid of, but yesterday DH took the final van load down to his dad's house. He also exchanged vans with him, so we now have a "new" minivan.

FIL is also taking $500 off the debt we owe him, for the difference between the two vans. Although I think we're getting a better deal! We traded a 1 ton bare bones cargo van (that we rarely use) for a nice minivan (which will be used much more often on trips and errands).

He may also be taking $1000 off since DH has been helping him with a small claims court deal he's been doing regarding the house he just bought this summer. The seller (who is also the realtor that sold him the house) did repairs that were not up to code. FIL was not told about them, until after the sale of the house, when he had to get them fixed immediately.

I'm not sure if he'll take the $1000 off even if he doesn't win the case, but I can pretty well bet he will....

The house is still up for sale, but in a few days when the contract is up with our realtor, we're going to take it off the market until January. We'll do some more painting and cleaning in between time, and hopefully this time we will have a quick sale.

Frugal Thought for the Day: Check out this site and sign up. Freecycle
People post items that they want to get rid of for free. You never know what treasures you may find that you have been needing. And what a great way to get rid of your own stuff without having to spend money to take it to the dump.
(Wish we would have know about this before we started cleaning out the garages!)

Errand day yesterday. First stop was Sun Prairie to get our check back for the apartment we were going to lease. We like Leroy (landlord) and think we may have him try to sell our house in January since he is also a realtor.

Next was U.S. Cellular. With the new plan our minutes jumped from 600 to 1000 and our free nights and weekends now start at 7pm instead of 9pm. We also got a new phone for free (well we had to pay $30 but after we send the rebate in and get the money back...). This phone seems to work a lot better then our last one due to calling two people, and one saying we sounded much clearer and the other one saying we were so loud! So I guess we'll tone it down a notch when we talk on the phone.

Half Price Books was our next stop. I use to work there, so it was nice catching up with some of the people. We got all of our presents for 4 nephews and 1 neice for $38. We were a little sad because a new guy checked us out (instead of a person I had worked with who was trying her fastest to get the register paper put in), so we didn't get the unspoken past employee discount. But the price was still good for the 10 items we got.

Then we stopped at Target to get some stuff for the house like a new shower curtain, tp, special light bulb, etc...

And our last shopping place was Petsmart to pick up some cat food. We also wanted to see if our friend was working, but we learned she had just left. So we called their place and were invited over for dinner.

We had a delicious potato tot casserole and yummy apple cobbler. We also got to see Santa Clause 2, which was very funny, and enjoy some nice conversation.

All in all a good day with good prices, a tasty dinner and time with friends. (And I think I only got annoyed with two people's driving abilities, which is quit good for me!)

Spyros really wants to go for a nature walk/picture taking excersion, but it's really over-cast. We may just end up going to Token Creek again instead of the new place he wants to visit, since he wants to visit the new place on a sunny day.

If we do stay here, we'll probably load up the van to take to Nick's (FIL) and/or sand the bedroom upstairs to get ready for painting it.

We're very excited too, because we get to go up to Eagle River the weekend before Christmas to see my Dad and Step-Mom (and step-sisters, BIL, and nephew). It's been two years since we were up there and I think three Christmas's since we've been able to be with that family, so this will be really nice. We'll actually have three complete days with no travel time, and two days with travel time. This will also be a nice break for Spyros.

I am in a really good mood and think the month of December will turn out to be an excellent one.

So Frugal/Simple Thought for the Day: Call someone you love and invite them over for a casual dinner. Nothing says love like sharing a meal and conversation.

Thanks David for the advice on getting rid of the kiln. Hopefully though the man interested in it will come on Saturday to get it. He's building his highschool daughter a ceramics room because she likes to make pottery. I think that is so cool!

We raked up leaves and mulched them yesterday, and just in time too since when I woke up this morning there is snow on the ground. It's good to have all the yard work done for the year and the cement slab by the garage is clear of leaves so when people come to look at the house it will look better.

I feel so bad for DH. All this week he's been going to bed late (two to three hours), because we've been doing chores and yesterday his Mom came over and we talked until 5 pm.

We were going to go to town and get some items we need around the house, but that may have to wait if Spyros is too worn out.

Frugal Thought for the Day: Do your own yard work instead of hiring someone to do it. (If you're at all physically capable.) It will save you money and it's nice to look around and see what you have accomplished.

I'm embarrassed to write this. We had 4.2 tons of garbage total that we brought to the dump. That is over 8,000 pounds.

The small bit of happiness I get is knowing that only one of the trips made to the dump was our stuff. The other five trips was all stuff that had been left at the house from DH's family. This is still horrible though.

I should clarify when I say garbage. I don't mean bags of half eaten food and dirty tissues. It was old doors with holes, rusty nails, busted house siding, old cabinet doors, etc...

And items such as minivan seats had been put in the paper for the asking price of free, but no one called, so to the dump they went.

Since the deal fell through on the house, I really want to go up to Mom's and get all the stuff that we stored in the house, since at that time we thought we would be moving up to Stevens Point. I want to go through it and donate more stuff or sell it on eBay.

I would also like to put up some Christmas decorations, and some of the Christmas presents that we bought early are in the basement.

Maybe next weekend we'll go up for the day...

We had some calls about the kiln that we put in the paper for sale. We have to call them back today. I really don't like talking on the phone, so I let the answering machine get it and then have DH call them back. I know this is naughty, but I really don't like talking on the phone!!!

Simple Living Thought for the Day: You don't have to answer the telephone everytime it rings, (like DH feels he must). If it's an emergency the people will most likely leave a message. Don't feel as if you have to read the paper right this second, answer the phone, etc... Too much information will stress anyone out.

The weather looks good and as long as DH doesn't get home too late from delivering the mail, we will be making our final trip to the dump!

When we get back, I'm going to total all the weight of the garbage from the six trips and see how much it was. I'm sure it's going to shock us, and hopefully serve as a reminder for us to not accumulate stuff.

A co-worker from DH's job has read Your Money or Your Life after DH recommended it to him. He started following the system the end of November and is still going strong.

We also lent our copy to my MIL. Hopefully she'll begin the process when she's done reading it. We'll see....

It's nice having people that you can talk to face to face about simple living. Although I also enjoy and have gotten a lot of useful information from the website too. The Simple Living Network aka Your Money or Your Life website

I'm waiting for the internet cable man to get here to boost our connection. We've been having troubles getting online for awhile now. They said he would be here at 8am (not between 8 and Noon), and it's already 9am. Annoying!

Simple Living Thought of the Day: If you say you're going to be some place at a certain time, be there. It shows disrespect to that person and wastes their time. If you can't commit to a certain time, don't. Just let the other party know ahead of time.

We took the van load to the dump today and then loaded up the van so we can take the last (yeah!) load tomorrow. We had .86 tons. That's right, almost a full ton. Isn't that horrible?

Then we're going to load up Nick's stuff and hopefully take it down to him this weekend, and then exchange vans.

We got a call from the realtor today, and he said that the deal is essentially dead. He's been calling them repeatedly and they haven't returned any calls.

So when the contract with him is up, we're going to list with a different realtor. He's been okay, but our thoughts are that he's used up his contacts so we may as well go with someone else.

We're both upset. We were holding on to a slim chance that the deal might still go through. Ugh....

Simple Living Tip for the Day: Don't let 20 (or 10 or 5 or 2) years of stuff accumulate. Keep on top of it. If something's broken and won't be fixed, get rid of it. If you haven't worn it in a year, out it goes. It's a daily process that must be done or it gets out of control. Then your kids (or relatives or friends) will have to go through it all one day, and that's just not nice!

After we went to Pick N Save yesterday to dispute a charge (we got $3.07 back) we went for a walk and played/read in the park for three hours instead of sitting at home. It was very enjoyable, and something we are going to be doing more often.

We didn't end up going to the dump today since DH got home late from delivering the mail and it was really windy outside. So hopefully tomorrow.

I normally pick up a Shopper Stopper paper to check out the weekly sales ads for Pick N Save, but decided to check online today to see if they had a website. They do, which is great because I would just get the paper to look at the sales and then throw it away. Now I can just go online and write the items down, so less trash each week.

We're going to try to go into DeForest only once a week (Monday) and deposit DH's check, pick-up/drop-off library books and go shopping. So we save time, gas and put less wear and tear on the van.

We try to do things like this all the time (combine errands), but it's good to look at what your doing every so often and re-evaluate it, so you can try to make your system better.

We're probably going to have to go to DeForest an extra time this week though, since we just decided to start this today (after we got back from town!) and I have to determine if this week's sales ads for groceries are worth a trip.

We also changed our cable internet today to a different speed (actually higher then before) and will be saving $10 a month. In October they changed their plans and we heard a commercial about it, so DH gave them a call.

We went to US Cellulars website to see if they have any deals since our contract with them has been up for awhile now. We currently have a plan with 600 anytime minutes a month, but they have a plan now with 1000 anytime minutes for the same price, so we're going to switch.

We have never gone over our 600 minutes, so we don't need 1000 minutes but the plan for the next lowest minutes is 400. We would go over that amount and we figure we may as well get the 1000 minutes for the same price and not have to worry at all about the minutes. Not like we do now, but...

So a couple Frugal/Simple Tips for Today: Check online to see if the grocery store you frequent has a website. You can save on trash and won't have a paper sitting around.

Call your phone company, cable company, etc... every six months (or less) to see if they have any better plans or extras available. You never know what you'll get until you ask.