WIP Wednesday 10/5/11

I've stayed busy with my crafts this past week.  I finished up the table runner and the lap quilt.  Both are now listed in my etsy shop.

I finished the top of the jellyroll type quilt for sewing club at church.  I've taken it in.  We will have sewing club next Tuesday.  The other gals finish up the quilts.

I am currently working on an order for 24 dish scrubbies.  They are purple but for some reason they always show up as blue in photos.  Since taking this picture I have cut my black netting for an order for 12 of those.

 And, I've started on another toothbrush rug.  Who would have figured that it's been so long since I made one that I forgot how to start the first stitch??  I had to take it to church and have the lady who taught us how to make them tell me what I was doing wrong.  All I was doing wrong was holding it backwards.  I was trying to start it the same direction that I crochet, but the rugs work the opposite direction.  This one is made with flannel strips I had left over from other projects.  What is in the box is all I have, so I'm not sure just how large it will end up.  It may have to be put aside until I get more materials if it comes out too small.

 I have some washcloths to work on for an order.  As much as I would love to make, make, and make more items to put up for sale with the Christmas holiday quickly approaching, I also need to start getting my handmade gifts made too.  I need to get cracking!

I am linking up with each of the blogs below:

31 Days of Tracking Spending--Day 4

Here were are to day 4.  So far so good on keeping track.

I did ask hubby about his spending yesterday.  He claims all he bought was the 2-2 ltrs of soda.  hhhmmm

This is Tuesday which means bowling league.  This is something that no, we really can't afford, but at the same time, something we've enjoyed together for a few years.  Not something we want to give up.  Something we both enjoy and can do together.

Otherwise, not much spending.  He bought 2 more bottles of soda.  I bought my daughter a fountain drink.  And, he bought a pack of cigarettes.
Cigarettes.....one expense we both need to get rid of!

I'm also keeping up with my earnings paperwork so far this month too.

Check out the linky with over 700 others who are also doing the 31 Days Challenge HERE 

Opening of the Time Capsule--Homeschool week of Sept. 26

I'm pleased with the school work that was accomplished this last week.   We actually did get to sit and work most days of the week.

One highlight of the week was Monday, September 26 when we went downtown to the Memorial Hall for the reenactment ceremony of President Taft placing the time capsule in the cornerstone of the building 100 years ago.  After the reenactment we went inside and watched as they opened the time capsule and showed us the contents.   I love history, especially local history.  This was about a 3 hour event with lots of history.   The first photo is "President Taft" delivering his speech.  The second photo is just some of the items out of the time capsule.

Another highlight of the week was volunteering out time to help  with the German fundraising dinner at our church.  Jasmine did many things, although her main job was to serve drinks.  We love to do our part to help out.  We got to listen to German music played on the accordian and try many new foods.  Jasmine says she did a lot of socializing with people as they came to get drinks.   She also says "idea development" as she had to think of what order she wanted to fix drinks and such.

I think that's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed the post!    I am linking up with the Hip Homeschool Hop.

31 Days of Tracking Spending--Day 3

Ooops....I forgot to ask hubby about his spending today before he went to bed!

I know today I shopped at Walgreen's.  Nothing too exciting this week on sale so I used my $2 register rewards towards Halloween pencils and activity books.  Not too much spent.

I am in the Spooky Celebration today and bought some sachets on special from one gal for a total of $5.  I plan on purchasing from another gal this evening.  So yeah, pretty much needless spending, but I do like to support other work at home persons when I can.   I'm up to present at 8 pm CST if you see this and would like to stop in.  I also present again on Friday at 3 pm CST.  Just click the button to check it all out.  Loads of fun! 
 

I will have to remember to ask about today and tomorrow when he gets off work tomorrow.  Want to bet he tells me he can't remember??

Click over to see the whole linky with over 700 31 Dayers here!!!!

Mailbox Monday 10/3/11

The mailbox itself wasn't very full this week but I got some nice things.

Magazines:  Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes and Business Week
a few other pieces of hausernet mail
local coupon packet
5-$5 DelMonte Fresh fruits and veggies certificates won from Frugality is Free
20 Free Crave coupons and $2 off Whiskas coupons sent to me by a friend.
Myblogspark Pink Together package--I will be giving a package just like it away on my blog.  Awesome package!  Giveaway is up!!!
250 "Nightclub Flyers" from UPrinting that I won in a blog giveaway. ---I was expecting paper so I am so pleased that they are of postcard quality and I love the design I put on them for my blog.
In my email:  $25 paypal from sidetick and $30 total paypal from gather.

 



I invite you to join us at the Spooooky Celebration which starts today!  I present this evening.


I am linking up with afrugalfriend:

31 Days of Tracking Spending Day 2

Sunday's are pretty good for not spending a lot of money.
Spending wise we bought a Sunday paper, put money in the offering plate at church and hubby bought a pack of cigarettes.

However, once home from church we sat down and he got online and we got several bills paid.  We paid the cell phone bill, electric bill, cable bill and gas bill.

The gas bill has been low over the summer months....the electric bill has been high.  The cell phone bill is something we argue over as that bill is in his mother's name with her, a family friend, and the 3 of us on the plan.  He pays the part of his mom and the family friend.  Originally this was due to him not being able to get a plan in his own name.  I'm sure after 3 years this is different and we need to pare the plan down to just those of us in this house.

I got myself a button created for this challenge.  It's not fancy but serves my purpose.
If you want to know more about the challenge click over to The Nesting Place.

2011 Pink Together Campaign Information and Giveaway

Visit PinkTogether.com to connect with a unique online community of people who have been touched by breast cancer and share a passion for the cause. Individually we are strong, but together we are stronger.

General Mills will donate $1 to the Komen organization for each Message of Hope that is sent to someone who has shared their story on PinkTogether.com (up to $25,000) during October. This is in addition to a $2 million donation General Mills is making to the Komen organization. 


This year, for the first time in its five-year history, at PinkTogether.com consumers can choose how $1 million of this donation will be shared between two important Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. Visit PinkTogether.com from September 19, 2011 through April 14, 2012 to make your choice. Results will be announced on Mother’s Day 2012 – Sunday, May 13.

Meet the 2011 Pink Together Survivor Ambassadors, and hear their amazing stories of courage and survival on PinkTogether.com and the Pink Together YouTube Channel.


General Mills will also be turning the packaging of participating products pink in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. 

General Mills has put together and awesome prize pack through myblogspark that one of my lucky readers will win.  Prize pack includes:

• A 16 oz. box of Total cereal
• VIP coupons valid for one box of Cheerios and Multigrain Cheerios cereal and one cup of Yoplait yogurt
• Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook Pink Together Edition, which includes a collection of more than 150 delicious recipes with complete nutrition information and a 32-page Pink Together Survivor Ambassador bonus section that shares inspirational personal stories of survival as well as recipes
• Water bottle and removable silicone awareness bracelet
• Drawstring sport backpack
• Rhinestone ear buds

Enter below!

Disclaimer:  The Pink Together prize pack, information and coupons have been provided free of charge by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

31 Days of Tracking Spending--October 1

I've decided to take part in the 31 Days of Change hosted by the Nesting Place Blog.

Since My husband and I are having a hard time staying on track of keeping track of where all the money is going to I have chosen to blog each day of October on tracking our spending.

No, I'm not going to go in to detail on how much was spent each day here on my blog.   That would be going a bit to far being public.  However, I will mention some things we spent money on, and how I feel about that afterwards.

Today was the German fundraising dinner at our church.  Basically we blew about 3 months worth of entertainment money in one evening!!

I shopped at Wal Mart too.  Some of my shopping was for supplies for craft orders, so that amount won't count against what we spent.

Steve is already trying to just give me an estimate on how much he spent on his lunch and things today while at work.  We've been discussing this since I decided to do the challenge----that I want exact totals, and exact on what was bought!

I hope to have a button and such for these posts soon.


Find Day 2 HERE 
Find Day 3 HERE
Find Day 4 HERE
Find Day 5 HERE 
Find Day 6 HERE
Find Day 7 HERE 
Find Day 8 HERE 
Find Day 9 HERE  
Find Day 10 HERE
Find Day 11 HERE 
Find Day 12 HERE  
Find Day 13 HERE 
Find Day 14 HERE
Find Day 15 HERE 
Find Day 16 HERE  
Find Day 17 HERE 
Find Day 18 HERE 
Find Day 19 HERE 
Find Day 20 HERE 
Find Day 21 HERE 
Find Day 22 HERE 
Find Day 23 HERE
Find Day 24 HERE  
Find Day 25 HERE 
Find Days 26 and 27 HERE 
Find Days 28 and 19 HERE

Check out the linky with over 700 others who are also doing the 31 Days Challenge HERE 

Preparing for the Spoooky Celebration--Shop Hop 10/1/11

The Spoooky Celebration starts Monday at 1 pm and goes until 10 pm.  I have my time at 8 pm Monday.   The celebration continues on Friday, also 1 pm to 10 pm.  I have my presentation time at 3 pm on Friday.   I hope you will check it out and plan on joining us in the fun.   5 pm both days you can have fun going through the haunted house.  There are live prize drawings both days as well.
Just click the button to see all the information.
 



I finished the table runner and the lap quilt.  Both are now listed in my etsy store:

Christmas Table Runner 

Lap Quilt 

I'm working on getting more items moved over to my zibbet store.  I need to have all of them moved over before my first presentation time at the Spoooky Celebration.

Hey....by accident when I sold a book on half.com and went to print out the packing slip, I found out that there is a link to just the books that I have for sale.   I've added 2 more books to my listings.  You can check them out here:  Half.com / Shops / marsha32 / Books

Thanks to Ruthi's ( a bitosunshine) Shop Hop post last week I am now also linking up on the 1st and 15th with Pixel Berry Pie Designs Shop Hop Linky as well.   Click both buttons to hop along and share with others, or show your support.

 

 

Frugal Friday's Linky**Budgeting Beauty--How To Save on Essentials**

 This week I've been asked to share saving tips on how to budget beauty.  I am happy to pass these along with the links.  There are some great tips given!



When it comes to shaving our budgets, most ladies put beauty products in the "need" category. A study commissioned by Mintel validates this assumption, reporting consumers spent $2.32 billion on shampoo and $1.71 billion on conditioner in 2010 alone.
So what's the best way to save on essentials without resorting to dollar-store cosmetics? Here are nine tips to keep both your beauty and your budget intact.
1. Hair Products
Consider extending the life of your shampoo (and hair color) by using dry shampoo or baby powder in between washes. When using shampoo and conditioner, check out these great tips and best bargain buys from DailyFinance.com.
2. Hand Soap
Foam hand soap is all the rage these days, and one of the easier beauty products to DIY. Refer to EHow.com's recipe for specific instructions, but ultimately all you need is a lot of water, a bit of soap and a few drops of essential oil.
3. Makeup Brushes
In addition to extending the life on pricey makeup applicators, regularly cleaning your brushes is just the sanitary thing to do. And if you really need replacements, consider a tip given to me by a MAC Cosmetics artist; buy art brushes at craft stores for a fraction of the price!
4. Foundation
Whether you're a liquid, powder or mineral foundation girl, you can use less of this beauty staple by applying a base before application. The Magic Perfecting Base by L'Oreal is a favorite among top fashion magazines, and is available for less than $12 from Walmart and Target.
5. Fragrance
Let's be honest -- designer fragrances are among the most expensive beauty purchases, with $80 buying less than 6 ounces of product. If you can't part with your signature Chanel scent, buy gift cards at a discounted rate for retailers selling your fragrance and enjoy immediate savings.
6. Body Lotion
Moisturizing is a must for anyone who wants to avoid the shar pei-look at 50, but lotion gets pricey when you see the words "illuminating," "firming" or "age-defying" on the label. Unless you have a serious skin issue, consistent use of most drugstore moisturizers is sufficient.
7. Hair Color
Prolong your color-treated hair between salon visits using household ingredients. Brunettes can use a strong pot of cooled coffee and blonds can use a lemon juice-water mixture. Apply the treatment after shampooing, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse, condition and style as usual.
8. Hair Accessories
Today's trendy hair accessories can be homemade for a fraction of salon and department store prices. Channel your inner domestic goddess and create one-of-a-kind hair candy with beads, feathers and artificial flowers found in craft stores.
9. Less is More
There's no need to wear your entire cosmetics collection every day of the week. Consider giving your wallet a break by opting for the basics during mellow workdays or lazy weekends. For tips on how to pull off the "au natural" look, refer to Real Simple's step-by-step instructions.

###
Andrea Woroch is a nationally recognized consumers-savings expert, and is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.
For all media inquiries, please contact Andrea at 970-672-6085 or email andrea@kinoliinc.com.





Now it's your turn.  Please link your frugal type posts from the past week in the linky below.  The linky remains open until next Friday so post any day of the week.