One thing about me is that I'm cheap. No, not cheap. Frugal. No, careful with my money. No, no, careful with God's money. Yeah, that's it.



I've been this way for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I would get hand-me-downs from my older cousin who bought brand name clothes. I always enjoyed getting her Gap and Banana Republic outfits because I figured I wouldn't be able to afford such fancy items. Then when I started shopping on my own, I realized you can get super cheap…

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I'm so rarely ahead of the curve however just last week some 28 yo friend of my youngest sister was hollering at me on Facebook about "my alleged parental indignation" over not being ALLOWED to take my kids to see a Harry Potter movie, at ten in the morning on a summer's day. My sister had gone to a movie theatre that had a bar and reserved seating and was gushing about drinking cocktails at ten am while watching Harry Potter with nary a kid in sight. Her friend chirped in, "I hate kids and…

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It's an inevitability that every parent has to experience. A rite of passage, the "supermarket shakedown" is one that indeed shakes your maternal/paternal resolve to the core. This unique meltdown of sorts is atypical in that it is usually precipitated by the perpetrator's viewing of candy-coated confections, promptly followed by an unequivocal "No!" http://bit.ly/pp9UhB



 

I've noticed that money is a popular blog topic. Given the recession, I guess it's no surprise. I'm finding it very interesting to read about…

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So, it's one of those rainy days in sunny San Diego.  I'm holed up in the house with two little girls and bored out of my mind.  What do I do?  Well while my two daughters partake in a PBS-feast, I log on to the Internet and start checking out some "sales."  Dangerous?  Yup.  Especially when you can find some great deals, i.e., no added costs (taxes) and free shipping.  But what else?  How about finding even more… Continue

Now, who couldn't use that?

Christmas is days away people. DAYS.

I know this because my 12 year old is counting down every single bloody day.

Has she told me yet what she wants? Nope.

The girl has everything she could ask for, including an awesome mom, so this year, she really doesn't know what she wants.

Know what she's going to do? She's going to leave it up to me and then 3 days before Christmas she'll have her heart set on something that I…

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I picked up these earrings a few weeks ago at The Limited while Lexi and I were out school shopping. They were on sale for $6.99, which I easily covered with the $23.00 of The Limited in-store credit I’d been carrying around in my wallet for the last ten years. TEN years. I can only imagine the look on Whitney’s teacher’s face if I were to mention that, I know I promptly misplaced that bright, yellow…

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Purchasing Eau De Parfum travel size versions of high end fragrances are a perfect alternative for perfum lovers on a budget. These smaller versions are typically called Travel Purse Sprays, Roll-Ons, Rollerballs, or Portable Fragrances. They range in size from 0.20 to 0.68 ounces. Price can range from $18 to $70, depending on the brand and quantity. Some manufactures sell their travel size versions in pairs or more -- not a necessary purchase if you're trying to budget. Remember, when it comes… Continue

The photo above was taken at our local Super Walmart this weekend. I spotted this shirt as we headed for…

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While I was busy searching for a new car seat at Target.com, I discovered their Green shopping section. What a great find! I decided to add to my cart a new, cute Thermos for packing lunches. Target has a wide variety of products included, from baby care products to furniture.



It's a little tough to find...Click on See More, and then go to the… Continue

I was thinking the other day about perceptions, and it’s so true that life is what we perceive it to be. This holds true for any area of your life. Think about it, if you perceive your body image as that of a fat, no good person then you will feel like a fat, no good person. Reality is you need to look at every area of your life and perceive it to be a positive place. Yes you may not be totally happy with your body image, yes your life may appear to be in a rough place right now. So many people… Continue

Cherish the special people in your life with personalized hand stamped jewelry from Charitable Creations Jewelry . From personalized hand stamped jewelry to one of kind designs, you're sure to find (or create) the perfect memorabilia that will last a lifetime. Here you will find a wide variety of designs and media to choose from. All hand made with only the best… Continue

Charitable Creations Jewelry has everything you're looking for. From personalized hand stamped jewelry to one of kind designs, you're sure to find (or create) the perfect gift for everyone on your list. At Charitable Creations we keep our prices affordable so everyone can enjoy high quality sterling silver jewelry that shows off their personality and beauty.

Most importantly, when you shop with… Continue

By Marianna, Green Mama’s Pad



When I started on my green journey, one of the first things I changed was all of our personal care products. Everything from shampoo to body wash to lotion. I learned that all of the items we were using were loaded with chemicals that were not doing us any good. Some of the dangerous ingredients you will find on traditional products are formaldehyde, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and sadly, so much more. I want to quickly take a look at one of these to… Continue

I woke up this morning to a 13 month old with a slight cough and a refusal to eat. Had to be the Swine Flu I thought. We've been out and about so much lately she must have gotten sick from the thousands of strangers who approach us daily, because for some reason people love babies. They especially love to touch them.



I understand most people mean well, but how I am to know that the man with the crumpled shirt, tousled hair, half eaten tuna… Continue

I have mildly been into the Black Friday Deals. While I like saving money, and who doesn't, I am not willing to camp out to save a few bucks on something I probably do not need anyway.



In the past I have showed up 20 minutes early to stores such as Target to get the free bag of goodies and a few videos. This year, Target had no early bird incentive. It seemed that there were fewer stores with incentives. Is it the economy?



I have to wonder if the lack of wonderful early… Continue

Because I'm employed full-time and both my kids are in camp this Summer, the only days I have to shop for my weekly menu and necessities is Saturday and Sunday. Ideally I would like to save Sunday for relaxing and/or spending quality time with my kids, so I've decided that I'm designating Saturday as "Shopping Saturday".

You can go to my blog to see what I was able to get this week here.