i am thankful

I've been reading blogs from other frugal folks, watching the news, and going through the information sent to us from our bank. They all say the same things.

• Have a budget
• Use cash
• Save while paying down debt

We've been doing all of the above for four years and I'm just now realizing what a blessing it is. I believe we were pointed in this direction intentionally. I can't remember exactly how or why we started using cash only but I know it had something to do with ATM fees. The cash-only system needed a budget to give me an idea of how much cash we needed. After hearing a few different places that even with debt we should be paying ourselves (aka saving) first, I started a college fund for the big kid and IRAs for the Baron and me.

I've never been as pleased with the Baron's job (USN) as I am now. I know things will work out and we will be provided for but I do hope the economy will be on the rebound by 2013, when he's up for retirement.

Even my bland social life with my blah schedule paid off. I had all the time in the world last year to clip coupons, chase deals, and stock up. Now, with the Baron deployed and the competition for deals on the rise, I can stay home and live off what we have.

I want to put out there how thankful I am and how blessed I feel to have been given the opportunity to learn about budgets and frugal living. I think the crunch is still a part of our lives, but we've been living differently for so long, we haven't needed to make drastic changes.

my pre-lent economic stimulus

I went on a bit of a spree the past couple of weeks, which inspired my no-frivolous-spending-for-Lent decision. To inspire others to do a little stimulating of their own and to prolong my shopping glow by just a bit, I thought I'd share my recent purchases.

I already posted about the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book I received last week. To supplement this new love I also bought the following; Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper, a Cambro 6qt storage container and lid, and a Polder oven thermometer. I also took advantage of a free shipping code at Williams Sonoma and picked up the All Clad measuring cup and spoon set. This is something I really needed. I went with quality in the hopes of never needing to replace them. I learned it is hard to find good quality (highly rated on Amazon) kitchen products that are made in the USA. The Cambro was the only item out of these that wasn't made in China. Boo.

I ordered the girls Easter gifts (shhh, the wee one is playing with them now but they are going to be put away before the big kid gets home) from Gifted Imaginations. They were offering 25% off and free shipping over $65. This was the best price I'd seen on the Haba stroller. I was happy to replace the broken (after just a few months) junky Walmart kid's shopping cart with this cute Plan model. I figured I could put the standard chocolates, PJs, and books in these rather than inside Easter baskets.

sorry, mr. president

I dug through old posts and found the people who commented to get in on the Pay it Forward project. I have a list of names and a general idea of what I'm going to create for each person. I'm excited to finally get started on this.

I'm giving up spending money, for Lent. I'll buy the essentials, but no more frivolous spending. I feel a bit guilty after the lovely address the President gave last night, but we've got financial goals that need to be met. So, good-bye Amazon. So long, Ebay. I'll miss you, dear Slickdeals.

Much of my time (wasted) online is spent scouring for deals. Now, I'll have all the time I need to complete my project list. Wish me luck!

who am i kidding?

My social life is already dead. This past Sunday marks a year in this lifeless place. Three more years until my escape. There is no permanent library. There are no fun parks nearby. Sure we have a couple of museums, but I haven't bothered to check them out. I'm not even sure if they've totally recovered from Katrina. There is a Discovery Center but going there reminds me I have no friends (and no money.)

We don't have a babysitter. We couldn't afford one anyway. My only social outlet is PTO and chatting up the cashiers at my local stores. I am a shopping addict of a different kind. I entertain myself by clipping coupons and shopping with as little money out of pocket as possible. Then I come home and take pictures of my booty. It's sad, like a hunter displaying his kill.

I do the occasional craft but that leaves me shut up in a room, keeping scissors and pins out of small hands (and eyes and mouths.) I like to use my two year old Nikon D50 to make myself feel like a fool for spending so much money on something I know nothing about.