22 Great Graduation Gifts from Etsy

I love all things homemade and handmade, so etsy really is a weakness for me. So much so that I try to stay away from it so I don't things unnecessarily.

But now that graduations are happening all across the country, I thought that etsy would be a great place to go to get something for a grad that was unique and meaningful.  So I thought I'd share a few of my finds with you.  Keep in mind that there are LOTS of things at these shops similar to what I've featured...just click through to check out their shop! 

Cute pillows for the dorm bed - modest pillows

Unique recycled zipper bracelets! Love them - Rezipit

Custom state necklace for those moving away from home - also cufflinks, keychains and others - from sudlow

Some inspirational wall hangings - from Cottage Sign Shoppe

Art inspire mug - from Brookish

Customizable state pillow - all states available - from love, california

mustache mug - lots of fun choices here - from LennyMud

Rock, paper, scissors pillows - there were so many fun choices here it was hard to choose which one to feature. =) - Yellow Bug Boutique

Vintage Map Keychain - so many maps available - Daisy Mae Designs

Mardi Gras bead mosaic - you pick the school! - Bayouland Beads

Silk dyed ribbon bracelet - customizable - D2E Gallery

Awesome glasses pillow - from Pillow Throw Decor

Dr Seuss keychain is just part of a larger graduation collection- from White Lilie Designs

Personalized state map - from Cedar House Keepsakes

Personalized all purpose bag - from The Palm Gifts

Personalized Laundry Bag - great for him or her! - from Cre8iv Gifts

Personalized Cosmetics Bag - from Connie Stitches

Great compass money clip - from Quaint and Curious

Compass map necklace - customizable - from Sora

Science/Geek Magnet Set - from Art Altered

Spine Keychain - perfect for aspirations in medicine - from Anatomology

Custom-made college sign - you choose the school! - from MannMade Designs

What unique gifts would you recommend?  Have you found anything on etsy lately that you want to share?

As a side note, none of the shops I  mentioned have not sponsored this post in any way - I just like their stuff.  =)

How to Be Productive When You Are Sick

I have been sick for the last four days. Between a slightly heavy workload at work and just not feeling well, I haven't been able to post here very much.

There are certainly varying degrees of being sick and if you are sick with something like the flu or strep throat or some horribly contagious flesh-eating disease, please stay home and get better before dragging into the office, not doing anyting production (including getting better), and risking getting others sick.

However, if you have a cold that you don't feel justifies staying home or are just stuck in the middle of allergy season, you probably feel obligated to go into work (or get regular tasks done around the house if you stay at home) without letting your compromised immune system defeat you.

But usually - you just aren't at the top of your game.

Here is a list of things you can do to be productive even when you aren't feeling top-notch:

• Clean off your desk.  Do you have a corner that keeps collecting things and you just never seem to reach the bottom of that pile?  Are you always looking for things and need a better system of organization?  Have you been wanting to go through that junk drawer at home (or work) but always seem to busy to do it?   These small tasks can be tackled, accomplished in a relatively short time, and if you don't "do your best work" you don't have the same consequences as really messing up an important report you might have otherwise worked on.
• Clean out your email. Is your inbox (at work or home) excessively full?  Unless you regularly visit and purge your messages, you probably have a lot of messages that you don't need. How to get started?  Find a chain of replies back and forth and delete all but the newest one (as long as no one broke the chain).  Find those about projects or events that are past and hold no information that will need to be revisited.  Delete those personal emails out of your work inbox. Your server, IT people, or just your home computer, will love it if you will go through and delete some of them.
• Learning. Read up on something pertaining to your job. Whether it is a newsletter pertaining to your profession, a financial report for your business that you haven't had a chance to look at, a motivational book to help you be a better leader/mother/wife/friend, or some information on an area where you need to expand your knowledge, reading is a great task that you never feel you have time for but would be great while you aren't feeling super productive.
• Complete those administrative tasks.  You know, the simple paperwork you have neglected to do because bigger things always come up.  Right now while you don't feel like doing those bigger things, work on the small ones. File some paperwork, update the charts/graphs on the bulletin board, send out those emails you've been meaning to. Scan documents, make file copies, shred those confidential papers you have piled up. If you're at home, organize your photo files - I know you've been meaning to do that forever.
• Make new plans.  If you need time to sit and brainstorm, that time is sitting in front of you right now.  Now if you are heavily medicated, you may not have the clearest train of thought at the moment, so this wouldn't be for you. But if you are just tired and need to slow down to feel better, start planning. Think of how to improve your tasks, your department, your home.  Think about your child's next birthday party plans. Pull out your checkbook, a pen, and some paper and re-evaluate the family budget. Make a shopping list of things you always forget when faced with making a shopping list. Once you are feeling better, get moving on these new schemes!
• Do get some rest. The best way to feel productive tomorrow is get some rest today.  So although you might feel you can really knock everything out, take it easy until you are back to full strength. 

What about you?  What do you do to feel productive when you are not feeling at the top of your game? 

We Sold Our Son's Old Furniture

We recently bought our son new bedroom furniture.  He had outgrown the nursery stuff and even though it was the convertible furniture that grows with the child, it really wasn't going to do the trick.  We didn't know what we were doing when we bought that stuff for our oldest child so we didn't fully think it through.  Let me take that back - we did think it through and it worked great for his needs when he was little and we lived in a totally different house.

But this house?  That furniture was not going to grow with him in this particular house that we live in now.

So we used money that I thought we had to hold onto for a debt repayment (seems like it's better to let the military take it out of your check rather than sending them a check - we've been told by several people that they misplace it for a while all too often), and bought Patrick new furniture. It's gorgeous, well-made, and really and truly will be with him for the rest of his life. I mean - he can take it to college and do whatever he wants to with his furniture and his money after that. We won't be buying anymore though.

I had hoped to get $500 - $800 for the three piece set (crib/toddler bed/full size, dresser, and armoire) that was in super condition.

We listed it on Craigslist for $800, hoping that would leave us room to bargain down to the minimum of $500 if needed. When we got a few bites for each individual piece, we were about to split up the set and sell it piece by piece although we guessed we'd fare better with the set. 

Then I posted a link to the Craigslist ad to our community Facebook page. You know what?  Some people who had moved in just one street over a little over 2 months ago wanted to look at it. 

They came over that evening, purchased it the next day, and Chip helped them load it into their house on the third day.  For $650.  Hooray!

We got rid of it for the upper end of what we wanted for it and they have a beautiful new bedroom suite for their little one.

That $650?  We used it for our YMCA membership.  Chip has been wanting one for several years now.  The military (E6 and below) gets a discount and he will get to use the gym during the day, as they have childcare while you work out.  And since the kids take swim lessons there and do recreational sports throughout the year, we'll save money on those activities by paying member prices rather than non-member prices.

I think we'll get our money's worth in the end.

And now I have no excuse not to go to the gym.

Ugghhhhh.

Inexpensive and Practical Gifts for Graduates

Photo Source: hhsara

It's that time of year again. Time for high school seniors to walk to "Pomp and Circumstance," cross a stage and receive that long-awaited diploma.  Some will go on to college and some will go straight into the work force. All will be making major life-changing moves into the "real world" though.

And so the graduation invitations start pouring in. But you're on a budget. What can you do?

Here are a few inexpensive gift ideas that will suit a new graduate perfectly:

Any Graduate:

• A copy of The Tightwad Gazette, The Debt-Free Graduate: How to Survive College Without Going Broke by Murray Baker, or another similar favorite would not necessarily be the sexiest gift they received, but it would keep on giving if they dared to open the cover and learned to live within their means. 
• A mop bucket filled with cleaning supplies that you score from pharmacies for cheap or free.  Include anything from sponges, glass cleaner, a dustpan, cleaning clothes (think bag o' rags), a toilet brush, all purpose cleaner, some Bar Keeper's Friend, some Magic Erasers (make your own), vinegar and baking soda, scrubbing brushes, cleaning wipes, and whatever else you'd like to include. These will all need to be purchased by the grad but aren't a lot of fun for them to spend their own money on, so this will be a huge help. 
• A bin, basket, container (whatever you can find for cheap or free) - something that can be used as a shower caddy/tote - and fill with toiletries - also gotten at pharmacies and the like for cheap or free.  Think shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, disposable razors, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, handheld/makeup mirror, shower poof, lotion, sunscreen, nail clippers/file, tweezers, flip flops (for a community or shared shower) and any other item you might can think of. Again, they will need to buy anyway, so this will help offset their living expenses. 
• First Aid Supplies - whether you buy a prepackaged kit or make it yourself, this is yet another in the category of the last two of things they need anyway.  Include alcohol, peroxide, bandages, gauze, ibuprofen, Tylenol, Pepto, cotton balls, antibacterial cream, sunblock, tweezers, aloe, and anything else that you have in your medicine cabinet. 
• Tool Kit - This one you can opt for an actual tool box as a package or, for a less expensive route, just a bucket or box.  Include hammer, small panel nails, screw drivers (Phillips and flathead), pliers, screws, hangers like Command hooks, batteries, adjustable wrench, tape measure, utility knife, a small level.  These will be invaluable!
• Office Supplies - Always a help to college students, but this gift is still perfect for those who will be setting up their new apartment/home away from the nest. Everyone needs pens, highlighters, tape, paperclips, stapler, staples, staple remover, correction fluid, post it notes, scissors, stamps, envelopes, notebook, day planner, rolodex/address book, and maybe something like a flash drive. 
• Laundry supplies - Grab a laundry basket and fill it with laundry detergent, bleach, fabric softener, a roll of quarters, a mesh laundry bag, AND (most importantly) instruction on how to launder basic items and treat stains.Throw in a word find, Sudoku, or crossword puzzle book too.
• A case of Raman noodles. Trust me on this one. 
• A water pitcher with filter, filter refills, and a few reusable water bottles. Throw is some flavor packets if you so choose. 
• Sewing Kit - this was one of the seemingly most strange gifts I got when I graduated high school and I still use it today, 15 years later.  Get a sewing organizer or just any plastic container with a lid. Include scissors, needles, safety pins, straight pins, a sampler of thread, and anything else you think would be helpful. I love mine still and have fixed so many holes/buttons/seams, etc in a pinch. 
• A recipe book.  It can be How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman or it can be a binder full of the student's favorites (and some new ones to try). We've all got to start somewhere, right?  And there is nothing like home cooking. 
• If it is a family member, like a child or sister, give them a day planer or calendar with birthdays, anniversaries or other important dates filled in. Include surprises like, "Dinner with brother"  or "the day sister comes to do my laundry." 

Photo source: aprilbell

Those Going to College: 

• A basket full of food they can cook in a dorm room.  Think microwave pasta (include a can opener) Mac and Cheese, popcorn, Ramen noodles, PB&J, Nutella, nuts, crackers, oatmeal, soup, pudding, hot chocolate mix, tuna, and the like. Throw in a sponge and dish soap as well as some ziploc bags too. Their choices are limited in what they can cook in their room, but give them a basket of ideas to help!
• Umbrella. Seriously. They'll be walking all around creation in wind, rain or shine. And unfortunately, many people don't think of one until they need it (too late!).
• Some small select dishes like small tupperware, cereal bowls, a handful of utensils, a couple of microwavable plates, and a few cups should do. It's not like they'll have a lot of room to store dishes. 
• Bed raisers (you can find them many places, but I like these adjustable ones) Sounds odd I know, but real estate is at a premium in a dorm room.  These gems will allow you extra storage underneath the bed with little effect on the space available in the room.
• Baked goodies - wait until they arrive and send them cookies or brownies or whatever else they would love. You can do this anyway even if you've already given a gift for graduation.
• Test Survival Kit (credit comments section here) - I had to include this because I thought it was adorable and genius at the same time! " How about a “Test Survival Kit” with all of the things that make for a great cram session. You could include notecards (LOTs of them), highlighters, colored pens, page flags, maybe even a few self-laminating sheets for those formulas or principles you will use over and over again. Also, a cram session would not be complete without some form of caffeine – think Starbucks Via packets or Mountain Dew. AND if you really want to make it great, top it off with a baseball cap and body spray – because they will more than likely roll out of bed with just enough time to make it to class the next day."

So what do you have to add?  Do you give any great, inexpensive gift ideas or any that are particularly practical?  Did you receive anything that really blew your socks off?  Leave us comments so we can all have more ideas!

Free Prescriptions at Publix

Publix has been offering a certain selection of free prescriptions for a few years now, but in case you never got the news, didn't live in a Publix area until recently, or just simply forgot, I wanted to remind you.

In efforts to help families manage healthcare costs, Publix offers a selection of some of the most often prescribed medications at NO COST to you.  There is no limit how many times you use this service, who your insurance provider is (or if you have one), or how many you need filled that day.

Here is a current (5/7/12) list of prescriptions you can currently get for free at the pharmacy inside your local Publix grocery store:

• Lisinopril - An ACE inhibitor, lisinopril is used to prevent, treat, or improve symptoms of high blood pressure, certain heart conditions, diabetes, and certain chronic kidney conditions. Get a 30-day supply of this vital prescription FREE* only at your Publix Pharmacy.  * Maximum of 30 days supply (up to 60 tablets). Lisinopril-HCTZ combination products excluded.
• Metformin - As part of the Publix Pharmacy Diabetes Management System, you can get up to a 30-day supply (90 tablets) of generic immediate-release metformin (500mg, 850 mg, and 1000 mg) FREE.
• Antibiotics - Get up to a 14-day supply of the following generic oral antibiotics free:
• Amoxicillin
• Ampicillin
• Cephalexin (capsules and suspension only)
• Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP)
• Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR)
• Penicillin VK
• Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules only)

So if you are prescribed one of these, make sure to go to Publix to get it. Even if you have a low cost insurance plan, this will keep you from paying that low cost AND from filing it on your insurance. =)  Win-win!

School Uniforms - Pro or Con?

Photo source: Sophia's Style

We live in an area where all schools, public and private, wear uniforms. Although some of the private schools force this, the public schools' uniforms are not a strict policy that you have to purchase through the school or have the school name or emblem embroidered or anything. In fact, it is more of a set of guidelines that you have to follow.  Here are the requirements:

• Shirts must have a collar
• Shirts must be of a specified color, depending on the school
• Shirts cannot have any characters or logos on them of any type.
• Pants/shorts must be of a certain length.
• Belts are required.
• Shirts must be tucked in
• Pants must be of a specified color, depending on the school
• Girls can wear skirts/jumpers/dresses of coordinating color
• No light-up or character shoes.

And the school that Patrick current attends, and Abigail will attend next year, requires gray, navy or white shirts and khaki or navy bottoms.

How do I feel about it?  Some days I love it and others I hate it.

PROS:

• Easy to pick out what to wear the next day
• No peer pressure (or greatly reduced) based on clothing at school
• Uniforms can be found easily at consignment shops or swapped among classmates when outgrown.
• No need to have more than 5 pairs of pants - can wash each week without fear of "wearing the same thing" boredom
• Don't have to buy as many play clothes
• Typically don't worry about them not adhering to length/exposure guidelines of the dress code
• Help identify intruders in the school
• Helps reduce gang affiliation in school, as gangs are often identified by clothing color.
• All pieces match, so you get more outfits out of fewer pieces

CONS

• Still have to buy play clothes because they a.) don't want to wear uniforms after school and b.) they still need clothes for the weekend.
• Cannot express their individuality in their clothes
• Must make sure they are cleaned each weekend because they cannot go to school in anything else

I think overall, I'm for them.  It definitely makes things easier as a parent. But I know they don't get the excitement of picking out that "first day of school" outfit.  Then again, they don't have the pressure of having the "right" clothes either.

So what do you think?  Do your kids wear uniforms?  Did you? 

What Some People Do For Money - A Look Into Some Bizarre and Odd Jobs

Photo credit: ngould

Have you ever thought about what extremes you would go to for money?  I mean, is there a particular sum of money that would make you do something a bit (or a lot) crazy?  I am not talking anything illegal like murder or selling yourself.  I'm talking about things that are legal and legitimately loony.

What if you really needed a job?  Does needing to provide for your family make you take a job that you wouldn't ordinarily consider?

Well here are some...let's say...interesting choices for employment that you might not have known were available:

1. Armpit Sniffer - Seriously.  You know how deodorant companies brag about how much odor their products eliminate and/or prevent?  Someone has to test those claims. Professional sniffers are well trained to understand everything about the human body and the role of the sweat glands. A single sniffer is said to sniff around 60 armpits an hour and they take three sniffs per pit to assess the intensity of the body odor, all the while using their clipboards to note down offensive odors on a scale of 1 to 10. (source)

2. Breath odor evaluator - Similar to the armpit sniffer, these people test the effects of products like toothpastes, gum, mouthwashes, and mints.

3. Beer Tester - These people littler taste and spit out beer all day long to examine new flavors and varieties.

4. Video Game Tester - Every little boy's dream.  These people sit around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week playing and replaying games testing for glitches in the game play.  I wonder if these people are at all interested in playing their own games when they get home.

5. Gold Ball Diver - Those water traps on the golf course would fill up quickly if someone didn't get in there and retrieve those balls from time to time.  So people suit up with a mask, tank and flippers and dive (not so) deep to reclaim those balls. Although this may sound like a dream job (some make between $50K-$100K a year), it doesn't come without hazards including broken glass, fishing lures, barbed wire, alligators, snakes, and deadly algae.

6. Furniture Tester - Did you know that there are professional couch potatoes? Yep - there are some people who get paid to sit on furniture and tell you just how comfortable is it.

7. Foley Artist - These people work for the entertainment industry. They take everyday products and create sound effects for film, radio, and TV.  You've seen those TV shows where in a recording studio someone is using a sheet of aluminum to make the sound of thunder or something similar - these people do that professionally. But they do much more.  They add in all of that ambient noise that really isn't there (or not clearly captured) during filming - the sound of rain, the wind, the street noise. 

8. Gum Buster - This is one that I did not realize had it's own name attached to it.  These are people who are contracted to remove gum from public settings - park benches, stadium bleachers, picnic tables, lamp posts, etc.  Although this sounds unappealing, with a pair of gloves, I bet you could get used to making money doing this pretty quickly.

9. Animal Reproduction Assistant - Okay, so this isn't the name of the two jobs that fall under this category, but I wasn't going to add the name of one of them to my search engine results.  Let's just say this: often in the world of farming you have to help animals mate when Mother Nature is not moving things along naturally.  You have to - um - handle the bulls in such a way to obtain their contribution to the process.  And then you have to add it to the cows so that little baby cows can result. That's the simplest way I can explain it - I think you get the idea. If not, go google it on your own because I'm not going into any further details.  Farming can be a rough job.

10. Chicken Sexer - Baby chicks are divided into males and females while they are still little and yellow and fuzzy.  This is because their diets are different depending of whether they will be used as egg-layers or dinner. So it takes someone some serious investigation that involves squeezing the poop out of the chicken and then looking for a bump inside their little booty to tell whether you have a little guy or a little girl chick. Sounds just strange.

I have to say that I've never had a particularly strange job, but during one assignment as an engineer intern I had to do a time study on a custodian. That means I had to follow him around his tasks for 8 hours timing how long it look him to do each task with a stop watch. It was completely mind-numbing.  I had a friend who, also as an engineer intern, had to measure length, width, and depth as well as the location of each pothole in a parking lot and plot them out in precise detail to determine the wear and tear of the asphalt in the company parking lot.

What about you?  Have you ever had any strange jobs?  Do you know of any not mentioned here?  Please share with us all!

Make Good Use of Travel Time

Do you love to read as much as I do? I absolutely adore books and the worlds they allow me to visit. I can read 2-3 books at a time (provided they aren't too similar in plot) and often do. But as life got busier and busier, I found that I was spending less and less time with one my favorite old companions - books.

But I found a solution, and since this blog is what it is, I will tell you that this solution is FREE.  Hooray for free, right?

I read on my daily commute.

Before you call the state patrol on me, let me clarify.  I "read" audiobooks every day on my drive to and from work. And thanks to our local library, I have thousands of titles available to borrow and pour through on my otherwise mind-numbing 35-minute commute (each way).

Photo source: ESwift

I have found a lot of great books this way. In fact, there is one particular series that I really enjoyed but didn't like the first 1/3 of the (LONG) first book in the series. Had I been reading it in a book, I don't know that I would have finished the book, as I really wasn't enjoying it. But since it was all I had to listen to in the car (other than a radio station sated with commercials and music I was tired of), I stuck with it and ended up LOVING the series. 

It doesn't matter what genre you enjoy: biographies, science, self-help, history, crime thrillers, trashy romances, or even a series about sparkly vampires - you can get a hold of any of these courtesy of most local libraries and get your reading done while you are in the car.

Here are a few ways to use audiobooks:

• Enduring a daily commute (like I do)
• Enduring a long road trip (we listen to family-friendly fiction like Chronicles of Narnia while we travel 6-1/2 hours to my mom's house to visit)
• Studying - some textbooks can be found on audio and you can soak in some extra study time while traveling
• Using a self-help/motivational book to pep yourself up for a day

And I'm sure there are others.

So don't just walk past those chunky cd boxes in your library (you can also get some on MP3 in some libraries). Stop and glance through them. You might catch up on your favorite author or find a new one you really like.  I know I have done plenty of both!

I would be remiss if I didn't include this warning though:  you might find when you arrive at your destination that you don't want to get out of the car because you're engrossed in what is going on in the book. It's like that book you can't put down at night and end up reading all night. I have been known to sit in my garage listening or drive around the block a few times to finish a particular intense scene. =)

Have you ever used audiobooks?  Does your library have a good selection?  What are your favorites to read/listen to?

The First Steps I Took Toward Getting Out of Debt

If you've been here a while, you've been walking through this process of getting out of a monumental amount of consumer debt with me.  If you're new here, please know that we're not there yet, but we're getting there!

The point is, this process has been going on for over 2 years now and we're at least a year (or more) away from being completely debt free. In all of this time, I have been telling you about the here and now, but I want to revisit what we did to start this long (and sometimes seemingly endless) road to financial freedom.

1. Had an emotional breakdown. Yep...that's right. I lost it. I don't remember what set it off, but there was that day, that moment when I realized how much trouble we were really in.  And I cried. And I blamed. And I fussed. And I fumed.  And then I got over it.  I think the breakdown was an essential part of my process.  I had to go there before I could move forward and I think the raw emotion that was set off made me realize just how big of a deal this really was. So go ahead - have a breakdown. And then get ready to move forward.

Photo source: zd

2. Sat down with spouse and the online banking statements and looked at what we were spending. Yet another important step that many people miss.  People will tell you to "make a budget" - but how in the world are you supposed to know how much to budget for food if you have no idea what you are currently spending.  Categorize it and write it down.  If you are spending $800/month for two people to eat, you can deal with that later. You might even get it down to $200/month. But before you can know what is doable - what is reasonable - you have to know what you are currently spending.

3. Segregated the necessary spending. Here it is. The power bill. The credit card minimum payment. The mortgage. The car payment. These are all of the minimum payments that you have to pay everyone in order to live right now.

4. Noticed what our income was. Now, compare this to your necessary spending. If the spending is above the income, big changes are coming.  If you can cover the initial necessary charges but not the "extras" your road might just be a bit easier.

5. Started making cuts. First cut out all of the extras. The shoe shopping each weekend. The convenience store snacks. The manicures (I know...that one might hurt). Cut it all out. You can get them again later, but the key here is to make progress and make a lot of it at one time. Then once you are down to the bare bones, cut it down again. Do you really need those premium cable channels? Do you really need cable at all? Do you really need that weekly detail job on your car? Can't you do it at home? Now that you've done this twice, take a break. You'll find more cuts later, but too much at one time can be simply too much.

6. Found extra cash. This may come from freeing up some of those previous purchases. Maybe you'll need to sell some extra "stuff" you have. Maybe you need to get a side job. Just find cash.

7. Read a good "getting out of debt" book. We chose The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. It was inspiring. It was embarrassing. It made sense to us. You can choose a different one if you want, but this is the one that really hit home for us.

Photo source: ekki

8. Got moving. After deciding on a plan based on the info we read, we had to get moving. Putting it into action was exciting and inspiring at first. We were having a blast making changes and seeing those bills decrease.  We learned to live without things we thought we needed. We found that we could make even more cuts in our budget.

9. Reduced our debts.  Of course we were paying them down. We also called for lower interest rates, refinanced our home, took out a low-interest loan to replace a high interest one, snowballed our debts, threw every extra paycheck at our debts.

10. Rewarded ourselves. I will honestly tell you that we could live more frugally than we do. Plenty of people live simpler lives than we do. We still occasionally go out on dates and pay for a sitter. We still pay for summer camps and sporting activities for our kids. We have made huge cuts but continue to reward ourselves for the strides we have made. As long as they are in moderation and we keep it under control, it makes us feel a little more "human."

11. Made adjustments.  I hate to tell you, but your plan will not go as you want. Not all of the time. We were sailing along smoothly and then BAM! Chip lost his job. That really threw a wrench in our plans and seriously decreased our income possibilities. We had to adjust. We had to modify our plan. We had to make more cuts. We had to refocus. At some point something (and I hope it isn't job loss for you) will interrupt your plan. You have to reshift and keep going.

12. Stuck it out. This is the hard one. This is the day-to-day feeling after a few months of being "gazelle intense" (Dave Ramsey term there) of just being tired of this whole process. I find ways to remind myself that we've come so far...that's why it's so important to me to show myself how we're in $25,000 less debt than we were 2-1/2 years ago. I have to try to remember what the future will look like when we arrive at that debt free goal. Sometimes it's easier (like when we sent a huge check to a credit card) than others (you've seen our dining out numbers, right?).  But it is a process. This is, to me, by far the hardest of those steps. And the one that lasts the longest.

Photo source: _TekToNik

But I have to keep my eye on the prize. I have to remember where we've come from. And you do too.

So if you're starting out on this journey, let me tell you Welcome to the Club. You aren't alone. You aren't as dumb as you might feel (I know I did). You have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, you have less to be ashamed of now that you're starting your journey than you did when you were ignorant of your bondage to debt.

We're going to do this together. Some will do it sooner. Others will take longer. But we'll all finish this race as long as we keep running, or jogging, or even walking. The finish line is out there even if it isn't in sight. Forward progress is the goal right now. It will get us there.

I Am a Proverbs 31 Woman - And I Have a Full Time Career

Photo Credit: pepo

There is a blog that I read that I sometimes agree wholeheartedly with and at other times, balk at when I read the titles of the posts. It's okay. I like reading differing opinions - in the comments as well as in the body of the post. It keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking. I should go ahead and state that it is a highly conservative Christian blog written by a woman. I am a pretty highly conservative woman myself so this isn't something completely foreign to me.

However, there are times when I frankly just feel judged. You know, you read the post and something just jabs at you. And then you read the comments and find everyone agreeing with the writer and no one offering any differing opinions. Is it because I'm just that wrong (I don't think so)? Is it because this blog only captures a certain audience (mostly, but not entirely)? Does this writer moderate and delete the comments of those who differ from her (I don't think so)?

This is one instance that I just have to share. I have to write my point of view. I have to state my case (even to those of you who aren't part of that same audience).

The writer of that blog wrote:

It is impossible to have a full-time career, a solid marriage, secure and godly children, and a well-run home with nutritious food.  Nobody is superhuman.

While I will nod in vehement agreement that no one is superhuman, I felt slapped in the face. You see, I have a full time career...and because of that, I'm obviously lacking in one of the other categories because it is impossible based on her opinions (which so many agree with in the comments) that I could do all of those things well. Forget that she has never met my husband, my children or seen my house or our refrigerator and pantry.

I will not claim to be superwoman, but as I state in the comment section:

...I am a full-time working engineer. I have a solid marriage with a man who loves me and respects me. My children love God and love learning about God. Their father and I are far from perfect, but we strive daily to show them how to seek God and love others as we are commanded to do. My home is well run - the bills are paid on time every time; the house is clean; there is currently one load of laundry waiting on me; there is a fully stocked fridge of fresh and healthy food as well as some treats that may not be healthy but are also not altogether terrible - and those are limited in their consumption. The beds are made, the kids' chores are done, everyone is dressed, their homework is finished, we attend church services and functions at most every chance, and our children are also involved in extracurriculars. Additionally, we are not raising children who are materialistic. They are generous and loving. They are giving and fun. There is plenty of family time spent absent from technology. There are lots of cuddles to go around. There is plenty of husband-wife time. There is even room left for me to have a bubble bath with a good book at the end of the day.

So - although I am not perfect; my family is not perfect either - we're quite put together. We get our stuff done. We serve the Lord. And to say that this is not possible because I work away from the home, is quite a far reach from reality.

I understand, and honestly agree, that no one will raise my children like I will. I agree that time is the best thing I can give my children. I believe that it is mainly my responsibility to maintain our household (not that I do the work, but make sure it is done).

But I want to point out something that a huge trend of Christian women are missing these days, I believe.  You know the Proverbs 31 woman that everyone quotes?  You know, she cooks and sews and gives and volunteers and raises godly children all while pleasing her husband?  Read between those lines.  You know what else she does?  She buys a field with her earnings (verse 16), she trades (verse 18), and she sells items she has made (verse 24).  She is a business woman. Yes...she is at home much of the time. But is this what the writer of the proverb is praising?  Could it be that she is at home doing these things because it was socially unacceptable for women to work or be formally educated?  It appears that she is working hard and earning her own money to care for her family. Notice again...the field is bought "with her earnings" (again - she has earnings, people).

It actually never says that she stays home and cares for her children. She might have to hand them off to a relative to do all of this work and these business dealings - at least some of the time that would seem feasible.

It simply says that she does whatever she can to take care of her family.

So why is it that working outside the home is thought of as "lesser" in some Christian women's circles?  The Proverbs 31 woman did it...at least some of the time. There is no way she did all of that from home.

So if you want to stay at home and raise your children, I say good for you. More power to you. I'm so excited that you have that option in your life. On some days, I wish it were me as well.

But if you can't stay at home...or just don't want to...I think that is certainly your decision to make as well as long as you talk it through with God.  Just like I have.  I think as long as you are doing everything you can to make sure that your children are being taken care of by people who have similar values as you and that you are making sure there is food on the table for everyone to eat...you also are a Proverbs 31 woman. You are not selfish...no matter what some corners of society tell you.

You are taking care of yours.

Good for you. Carry on and be at peace with God.

The Best of 13 Uses

Becoming a new Friday the 13th series for 2012 (yes, I can call it a series when there are three such occurrences this year), I am introducing you to 13 posts that feature a list of 13.  In January, we saw 13 Ways to do different tasks.  Today we will look at 13 uses for ordinary items. 

I hope you learn something new...I sure did!

1. 13 Wonderful Ways to Use Epsom Salts 
2. 13 uses for receiving blankets 
3. 13 Unusual Uses for a Hair Dryer 
4. 13 Uses for Those Stray Lemons in Your Fridge 
5. 13 Ways to Use Vinegar 
6. 13 Uses for Dryer Lint 
7. 13 Amazing Uses for WD-40 
8. 13 Uses for Cucumbers 
9. 13 Unconventional Uses of Duct Tape 
10. 13 Uses for a Bottle of Vodka - this site is not written in English-as-a-first-language style, but you easily get the message. 
11. 13 Uses for a Lanyard 
12. 13 Uses for Homegrown Tomatoes 
13. 13 Alt Uses for Your New Mason Jar

Quick Check In

So you don't have a real blog post today because I mainly blog from work during my breaks. I spent yesterday at home so I didn't get much done. I got one blog post written for Friday that was quite time-consuming so the day wasn't a total loss blogging-wise.

But I wanted to tell you something really quick that might just make you happy.

The first good news is that tomorrow morning I will pick a winner for the Char Crust and Spiffies giveaways. If you haven't entered yet, get to it...just a few hours left.

The second good news is, regardless of the lack of blogging this week, you will have four (yes, FOUR) new posts tomorrow.

The third set of good news?  Three of those four are NEW GIVEAWAYS to enter!

Hooray!

So come back tomorrow for some great chances to win awesome prizes and another blog post that will have some interesting info for you.

Have a great evening!

He Is Risen Indeed

Happy Easter.

It Is Finished

Taking time today to honor what Jesus did you you and me.

How My Inattentiveness Cost Us $400

Photo credit: bodgie

Two weeks ago Chip was out of town for two days on orders from the National Guard.  So I had to drive Patrick to school (Chip normally does it).  Wednesday went off without a hitch. We got to school on time, sat in the carpool line for just a little bit, and got to work in a timely manner.  The afternoon - once again - went great.

Thursday we got to school alright and had no problems with the drop off. As I was leaving, I prepared to turn off the road that his school is on to make a left onto a busier highway. This was a frustrating task, as the person who sat opposite me in the intersection (who was going straight - both by his lack of blinkers and in reality), sat and wanted me to turn left in front of him, like I had the right of way. Of course I didn't, but I was needing to get on my way to work, and other drivers' stupidity is one of my pet peeves (because you know, we all drive better than everyone else - myself included). After I finally waved like a crazed lunatic enough to indicate to this person that he, in fact, needed to go first before I could go, he finally proceeded forward and made it through the intersection so I could make my left turn. I was frustrated and probably whipped my car around faster than I would have normally. My mind was on the idiot and his lack of driving skills and knowledge as to the rules of right-of-way. A few hundred yards down the road I see them standing on the side of the road throwing their arms in the air and flagging me down.

Cops. Both on foot on the side of the road.  One with a radar gun in hand.

This was not good.

I look at my speedometer immediately and see I'm traveling just over 40 mph, well below the posted 45 mph.

But obediently I pulled over.

What I didn't realize?

I was still in the school zone.  And it was school zone time.

It wasn't the school zone for my son's school, which is about 2 miles down the road I had turned off of.  This is another school that is located some unknown (to me) distance down the other side of the intersection where the idiot other driver had been coming from. 

Posted for school hours was 25 mph and I was clocked at 41mph.

The officer asked if I wasn't aware of the school zones and I told him that no, I was not because I typically did not make this drive in the morning. He left with my license and I hoped for the best, although I was certain I wouldn't get it because it was a school zone.

And I was right.  I was now the owner of a speeding ticket - my first in about 7 years.

It's amazing the amount of guilt and remorse that ticket brought about. I was convicted of not only speeding, but being so inattentive that I didn't know the posted speed limit accurately. And in a school zone, no less.

Well, last Thursday was payday and since this check was not going to our mortgage this month I signed on to see how much my ticket was going to be.  I knew it'd probably be bad because it was a school zone.  I kept repeating this to myself to prepare myself for what I was to find.

$367.60. Plus $29.00 to pay it online.  For a total of $396.60.

That was my punishment for being rash, inattentive, and flustered.

No, I'm not angry.  I deserved the penalty. I was speeding. I was unaware of the school zone. Were they speed trapping me?  Absolutely - but I was speeding, so I have no reason to be mad at them.

I'm frustrated with myself though. Although we did have the money to pay it (thank goodness), that's $400 that I cannot use to pay down my debt. That's a probability that my insurance could go up.

I hate stupid decisions/mistakes. I hate how stupid I feel for making them.

But the fine is paid now. Time to go send everything ELSE to my credit card.

It Will Be A Good Three Months for Debt Reduction Around Here

Photo credit: SailorJohn

I have been the most terrible blog host this week. Barely speaking with you, my faithful friends. I've just had a lot on my mind. At work. At home. In my sleep. But I felt I could at least tell you what is going on around here and I decided to brag about what the next two months SHOULD look like around here for our debt reduction plan.

This past month was great.  Scratch that.  It was really, really good.  But it could have been better.  You'll see how in a couple of weeks when I do my financial update/disclosure post.  We have spent far too much money on food - mainly on eating out - this month. It's our downfall. A true weakness. And you would think that knowing this, we'd try to make more of an effort in this area. This month, we have just thrown all caution to the wind and eaten out far too much.

So although we sent OVER $3500 TO OUR CHASE CARD this month (WOO HOO!), that victory is still slightly clouded by the fact that it probably could have been closer to $4K had we been more careful with our eating habits.

Sigh.

However, another good point to make - Chip was on orders for the National Guard two extra days this month.  We won't make any money in as take home pay seeing that we had to pay a babysitter those days which we were both at work, but it will automatically withdraw the extra amount to apply to our Army loan.  That should knock it down about another $200.  I'll take all I can get!

Additionally, we closed on our mortgage refinance.  So we have taken on slightly more debt (since there were closing costs that got rolled into the mortgage, our mortgage principle is now higher than it was last week), but at a lower rate. And it will take us about 18 months to save enough to pay for the closing costs.  Not too bad.

Why am I telling you this again?  Well, because of the refi, we will skip April's mortgage payment and that amount we previously were paying toward our mortgage ($1615) will go to our Chase card as well.  Booyah!  Another blow for the debt in April!

And lastly, we will once again have a mortgage payment.  We will also have the addition $250 that we are saving due to the refinance to send to Chase on top of our normal payment. What else will we have in May?  A three paycheck month which means another chunk (maybe $1800-$2000) to Chase. 

That's over $7000 to Chase in three months!  It should be down to right around a $5000 balance then. 

The original balance of this credit card was over $17,000.  That hurts to say, but it was.  And now, we are moving full speed ahead and I am LOVING it!  Soon we will be done with this card altogether!

Taking Advantage of Lower Mortgage Rates

Photo credit: danzo08 (loved this toy!)

Five years ago this June we purchased a new home in Savannah, GA. We had just moved to town and at the height of the real estate boom, locked in a decent mortgage rate of 6.25%.

Fast forward through the economic downfall and the real estate crash.

In January 2010, we refinanced our mortgage at 5.0% in a fixed 30 year mortgage.  It made us so happy to save about $156/month. Yippee!  The closing costs were not that bad and we found that with that $156/month savings, we would recoup the closing costs in 19 months. Less than two years?  Yes...let's do it!

Guess what?  Mortgages are even LOWER now.

So guess what we did?

On Tuesday night, we closed on a refi at 3.875%.  That's going to save us another $180/month.  Closing costs?  We'll pay for them in 20 months.

So there is no plan to refinance again once we've made up the closing costs.  Otherwise that would be a terribly vicious cycle.  But honestly, based on the current laws, the mortgage rate can NOT get much lower for a fixed rate loan.  So we're very pleased to be locked in where we are.

Could we get a lower interest rate with an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage)?  Sure.  In fact, we played with that idea. But the problem has already been stated.  It can't get much lower. In fact, I'd personally be surprised if it stays this low much longer (although I'm certainly no expert).  We could also go with a shorter term loan and come out better.

But right now?  We're in a load of debt and the focus is keeping our expenses as low as possible so we can get rid of this debt!  Then we will boost our emergency fund.  THEN we will start doubling up on payments to our mortgage and knock it out.

Immediate future?

We'll skip the first month's payment (April) because that's what you do with a refinance. The money we save there will be sent to good old Chase Mastercard. Sure, we could knock time off the mortgage by doubling up on May's payment, but the goal again is debt depletion.

We will get back money from our escrow account.  What is that for?  It will be sent to our timeshare company to buy our way out. Yep - that's what we're going to have to do and frankly, it sucks, but we aren't willing to be stuck with more maintenance fees for a property we aren't using.  So we're buying out of it.

Still, we're making headway.  And hopefully in the next few years, we'll be living the dream because of it!

What about you?  Have you thought about refinancing lately?  What would you do with a skipped mortgage payment or a refund of your escrow account?

When Natural Consequences Just Aren't Enough Discipline

This could be a tricky post to write. But I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

There are a number of means and methodologies about disciplining children. Some people believe in corporeal punishment. Some people think it's child abuse. Some people believe in exclusively reasoning with a child. Others swear that's completely ineffective.

I don't think there is any one correct way to discipline children. I mean, personalities are so different and what works for one child may not work for another.

We only have two children and by far do not consider ourselves child-rearing experts no matter how awesome we think our kids are (and they are, by the way).  But even across our two offspring, we see two very different people and have learned that two very different types of punishment are required to be effective for our children.

Our older, more passive people-pleasing child just gets upset at the idea that you are mad or upset with him. A stern look is enough to put him in line and when things are really bad - time out. That's all he has ever required.

Our spitfire little princess who is strong willed, very opinionated, and not swayed by what anyone else wants or thinks requires a totally different form of punishment because you cannot make the child sit in time out short of tying her to the chair (which no, we do not do).

Our son's school however introduced us to the concept of Natural Consequences.  Let me rephrase that. They introduced us to the terminology "Natural Consequences" as a form of punishment. We already incorporated them into our strategy without realizing it was a whole concept of discipline.

The gist of it is this: let whatever could happen actually happen and let the child learn from their mistakes. (Exception of course: If it is a safety issue, take them away from the situation but give some form of discipline that matches the crime). For instance, if a child doesn't eat their dinner, they go hungry for the evening.  If they are playing with a toy incorrectly after being redirected, let them break it. If they are leaning back in their chairs, let them fall.

I have to say, it can be very effective.

But not always.

Here's the deal, at least in my eyes:  there are some areas where natural consequences are perfect.  If you tell them that they might pop a balloon they are playing with and they continue to do so, let them pop it and then be upset about it. If they draw on the walls with crayons, they should have to clean the walls off themselves. Those natural consequences work beautifully.

But they also need to know that there are times in life when the punishment may not be equal to the crime - it might be much, much worse.

As a small child, if they shoplift, they should not only not get to keep the items, but they should be mad to  return the items to the store with a full apology in person to the owner/manager. If they are older and shoplift, I think it is awesome when I've seen kids have to stand outside the store they stole from with a big sign indicating "I SHOPLIFTED FROM THIS STORE" or something similar. Shame can be a powerful teacher and deterrent.

If a child is continually running late, a natural consequence might be for them to miss the activity to which they were supposed to be getting ready. However, this may not be possible. It might be an event that the whole family is required to attend. It might not be effective. It might not be an event they wanted to go to in the first place and therefore, this would not be punishment for them. Instead, maybe they could use some of their precious free time to help you clean the house. Put them to work. Some sweat and hard work in a task that they see no value in will be torture to them. Will this be abusing your power as a parent?  Some people would think so, but not me. Nope - I get a semi-clean house out of it AND they are miserable as they "serve their time."

Here's the deal:  As an adult if either of the above scenarios happen, consequences much worse than the natural ones will occur and that former child needs to understand that they have to follow rules or be subject to the ruling authorities.  In the former case, a shoplifting adult goes to jail and/or pays a large fine. Much worse than being made to the return the items. In the latter, an adult who is continually late for work not only does not get paid for that day (natural consequence) but could easily get fired if it is a recurring problem for them, which is worse than not getting paid for that particular day.

My point is this - natural consequences do have a place in the discipline spectrum. But they should not be the driving force in all instances. I feel that children need to be made to listen to their authorities (parents, teachers, etc) and obey just because those are the rules. It's life. It's reality. And if they are not taught this at a young age, they will be challenging that authority time and time again as an adult. And those consequences can be severe.

Wrapping Paper Storage and Organization Solution

I work for a gift wrap manufacturer and therefore probably have more wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, gift tags, gift bags, and whatnot than most sane people.  As an employee I get a lot of free stuff as a perk, and even when my closet of supplies is full, it's hard to say no. My neighbors are fully stocked as well since I bring home more than I can handle.

My previous solution, and I regret that I don't have a photo of this for you, was to use our old vacuum cleaner box to store the rolls of paper and a cardboard box (let's say a 14 x 14 x 10) to store the tissue paper and ribbons and goodies.  The bags were stored in another larger bag. All of these were in the coat closet next to our stairs in the downstairs hallway.

I got tired of the chaos that would ensue each time a birthday party came up and I needed to dig through Christmas paper to find a juvenile boy gift bag. So I decided to organize.

My first attempt was to use some hooks and bungee cord and go vertical up the wall in the closet.  It was a good idea, but the rolls were too heavy and not stable in that set up. I tried to do it spending as little money as possible, but with that failed attempt, I was reminder that it is often cheaper to buy the right tools for the job in the first place! So I bit the bullet and paid just under $35 for this beautiful find at a home improvement store:



What is it? It's an adjustable pantry organizer. It comes with several deep and shallow shelves and some bracing rods (which was key for this project), and it mounts to either a wall or a door. It's over 6 feet tall, 17 inches wide and only 6 inches deep. It was perfect for the small closet and since it was only 6 inches deep, it didn't come out too far into the usable space of the closet.

So I went to work.  With a drill in hand, after about 30 minutes, I had this:

Please ignore the bags behind the organizer. That's my current gift stash and the next area to be organized.

You can see in the pictures that I used the shallow shelves to hold the gift wrap and the bracing rods several inches above to keep them upright. I then used the deeper shelves to store my ribbon, tissue paper, gift tags, and bows.

The "everyday" paper (aka - non Christmas paper) is stored on the bottom and the Christmas paper is up top. This was for two reasons. First of all, I'm more likely to access the everyday stuff most of the year, so it is easier to get to at the lower level. Also, as an industry insider, I know that this paper will always be 24" or 30" tall. The Christmas paper may be 24", 30", or 40". That extra height extends upward into my closet and doesn't affect the shelf height for the ribbon.






The Christmas paper is mounted so that the bottom of it is right eye-level for me. I can pull the rolls out from the bottom and put them back the same way.




So this set up is really working for me.  It keeps everything organized and easily accessible and it takes up vertical space that was not getting used otherwise!  Hooray! Now I have to figure out something similar to do with all of the gift bags!

Go visit We Are THAT Family and see what is working for everyone else too!  You just might get some brilliant ideas!