Only One More Week Left Until Christmas!

 

My grandmother's bowl filled with old bulbs off her old strands.

I have made some serious progress in the last week!

Friday evening the oldest and I attended the annual Bunco Christmas Party/Taco Bar Potluck/Gift Exchange/Have A Good Time.  My oldest is now a substitute player and all the subs as well as the regulars attend the Christmas party.  Boy was it a full house this year.  And tons of fun!

We have decorated our home and set up our tree as you may have already noticed.   On Saturday the youngest and I went to the antique mall and shopped for a couple of new vintage ornaments to add to our collection.  The oldest had a school function that day and we really missed her.

Saturday night was our annual Horse Doover Nite where we eat lots of wonderful appetizers and decorate the tree.  It was a wonderful success, mainly because the tree it up and decorated.  Mission accomplished!

88¢ a pound!

I stopped at Albertsons to pick up a ham on sale and found beautiful looking New York Strip steaks on sale too.  They came home too.  Instead of our usual rib eyes we'll be enjoying those and I will enjoy the extra $8 I saved.  In fact, I put it toward a second ham for the freezer.  Easter is covered.

I got my rear in gear and finished wrapping gifts.  They are all nestled under the tree and ready to be opened.

 

My stash of new and recycled gift wrap items in the tote on top of those
drawers and rolls of wrap next to the how water heater.

Then I finally got the opportunity to sit for a couple of evenings at my sewing table and finish making the final gift on my list.  I worked from May through the end of September to gather all of the things I needed to complete this project (I even had to bid on eBay for some of it) and by then I needed a break to decompress.  After Christmas I'll share more about this project.  The recipient faithfully reads my blog every day so I can't give away the surprise.

I like to use the Brach's stars instead of kisses.

I plan to bake this weekend and relax on Saturday for some pinochle with my gal pals.  Then back to work (although, it really isn't) to get the final preparations done.  Which will include one more trip to the grocery store for fresh produce.  And most likely a bottle of wine.  Then feet up and wait for Santa. J

How are things coming along at your house?

How I Eliminated A Sizeable Chunk Of Debt In 2015

At the beginning of 2015 I had set some fairly lofty goals for myself.

Number one was to eliminate a fair amount of debt acquired when I opened my business, subsequently closed it after acquiring a large medical debt and then undertook a big move to Arizona in hopes of improving my health and circumstances.  When the move fell through there were some added expenses involved in that as well as we changed gears once again.

Fortunately the grand total on that debt was not insurmountable.  However, I wanted to eliminate it from my life.  Sooner, rather than later.  I came up with a plan of attack and got right to work immediately, cutting expenses and adhering to the plan.  And it worked!

Every month I put an allotted amount of money toward paying down debt - one medical, one personal and two business related.  I began by selecting one to pay off in full and then paid just a few dollars more than the minimum payment required on the remainder.  I chose the smallest of the three which was my medical debt.

After applying two months of budgeted payments in January and February I used money from my income tax refund to pay off the balance.  One debt down and two to go!

Before doing this you want to do the math.  Make sure any fees are less
than what you otherwise would pay in interest and make sure you can pay
it off in full before the offer ends to avoid interest.

I went to work next on my second smallest debt which was my personal debt.  I used a 0% interest balance transfer to move 80% to another account.  I paid off the remaining 20% with more money from my tax refund.  Then I began applying large payments every month until the amount was paid off in full in August.

Next I selected one of my two business debts.  They were both for the same amount so I just picked one.  Once again I transferred a fair amount of the debt to a 0% interest credit card offer.  I made payments a few dollars above the minimum required on that account until I paid off the remaining balance in December.  

One thing I have learned is that you always want to pay more than the minimum required payment no matter what.  It reflects much better on one's credit report if you do.

Use debt reduction calculators to assist you in figuring out
 whether this is a good option for you and to develop a budgeted payback plan.

My plan going forward is to pay off the 0% percent interest account off in full before it expires in August 2016.  

In one year's time I was able to eliminate my personal and medical debts and almost half of my business debts which was far more than I had originally anticipated.  The two 0% interest transfers made a huge difference with my progress too, as all of those payments went directly to the principal amounts.  Not only can those offers allow you to acquire the things you need but also get rid of the things you don't, like debt.

I know by sharing this with you I am really putting myself out there.  But the reason I decided to write this post is to give hope to anyone who is feeling a bit overwhelmed with their financial situation.  Debt can always be dealt with and you mustn't ever give up hope.  Once you get started and begin to see progress you'll be further inspired to stick with it and conquer that debt.  Nothing feels better than to make that final payment.

Brownie Bites

This is a quick and easy treat to make and add to your goodie plates this holiday season.  The variety you can make of these just makes it fun and delicious.

Brownie Bites

1 box brownie mix - made according to package directions

Assorted toppings

Mini cupcake papers

Mini cupcake pan

Carefully spoon brownie batter into paper lined mini cupcake pan.  Top with nuts, chocolate chips, vanilla chips, fruit, etc.  Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes until done.

Remove to rack and allow to cool.  Enjoy!

How simple is this?!

Vintage Ornaments

When my grandmother passed away in 1999 I inherited all of her Christmas stuff.  As time went on I shared a lot of it with other family members so all of us would have a little bit to enjoy.  My favorite items are the beautiful vintage European glass tree ornaments.  Most were made in Germany during the 40s and 50s.  I think they are so pretty. 

This one is my very favorite.

Quaint and charming.

When the girls and I discussed getting new ornaments the other day while shopping for tree lights I suggested that instead of these new ones we could start something new and shop for vintage ornaments.

The fun is in the search, I think.  Plus they are so pretty and unique.

 

I made these little drums when I was in high school
out of toilet paper tubes, felt, ric rac trim and toothpicks.

Last Saturday, while the oldest was at a school function, the youngest and it went searching at our neighborhood antique mall.  We had a blast.

Our tree is a love mixture of vintage and handmade ornaments.  I especially love the handmade lace snowflakes a dear friend made for me this year.  I will definitely treasure them.

My grandparents vintage tree topper.  Made in Germany.

Pretty, pretty tree. 

Simple elegance

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Savory Pot Roast With Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

We followed our meal plan fairly closely and used up the leftovers throughout the week.  I love that we were able to do this and minimize waste.

I fed our kitchen scraps and some extra veggies we had I the crisper drawer to the chickens.

I made a homemade day planner for 2016.  I printed the calendar off  my computer and made the cover with a sheet of cardstock I had.  I reinforced the edges with a strip of packing tape to make it more durable.

I took advantage of the loss leaders on sale at Albertson's this week.  I purchased and 11 pound ham for 88¢ a pound, three New York strip steaks for our Christmas dinner on sale for $5.99 a pound and four packages of cream cheese for 97¢ each.  I may go back this week and get another ham to put in the freezer for later on down the road.

I used items I had in my stash to make two gifts for an exchange at our annul Bunco Christmas party.  I paired a handmade hanging dishtowel I made with a dish cloth and added a bottle of hand soap purchased on clearance from Bath & Body Works.  I also used gift bags and tissue paper I already had in my gift wrap bin.

The youngest and I went to the Antique mall to purchase two vintage ornaments for our tree this year.  We found two lovely ones in very good condition, one for $3 and the other was $2.

While at the antique mall I also found a bag of 4 yards of vintage red pom pom trim for $5.  I was excited to find that and have several projects in mind for it.

We watched some Christmas movies and listened to Christmas music on Youtube for free.

We set up our Christmas tree on Saturday.  I went ahead and bought a set of lights for $7.98 to replace the set that died and were tossed out last year.  We decorated the remainder of the house with items we already had.

How thrift were you last week?

Only 2 More Weeks Left Until Christmas

Holy cow!  How are you doing getting ready for the big day?  Feeling the pressure?  Me too!

It is coming up so fast and even though I have been steadily working on stuff I'm still behind where I originally planned to be right now.  It always seems to work that way.

I still have one gift to complete, a few items to purchase for stockings, and some more wrapping to do.  We haven't decorated inside our home yet, but I did manage to gather up all the fall décor and get it put in the storage bin.  Now I just need to get it out to the garage.

I hung our cute Christmas shovel by the door.  Our little tree from our RV days is now sitting on a little table on our front porch.  That is as far as I've managed to get.  My neighbors on each side of us have put me to shame.  Their homes are decorated so nice right now.  Lots of trees in windows too I notice as I drive home each night.  Saturday will be our day to really get things going.

I cleaned, filled and primed my great-grandmother's kerosene lamps and have them on the mantle.  They look so pretty when they are lit.

We've also started our holiday baking and movie watching.  I'm attending my first party on Friday and we are hosting one here for family on Saturday evening.  We are excited about that.

Now to get that last gift finished up and all my wrapping done.  Yikes!

Hand Painted Dollar Tree Ornaments

Over the Thanksgiving break the girls spent the afternoon painting Christmas tree ornaments.  We had found ornament kits at Dollar Tree.  They even included paint but it was limited to three colors and terribly difficult to open.  We opted to use our own acrylic paints instead.

Once the girls finished painting them we let them dry overnight.  I sprayed each side with two coats of Varathane I had in the garage to seal them.  Then we tied the gold string, included in the kits, onto each one after they were completely dry.

The girls each selected an ornament to give away and one to keep for our tree.  I think they did a wonderful job on these ornaments.  It was a super fun project for them to enjoy.