Okay the blog post will probably be all over the map so try to bear with me. My coupon world is out of control...kinda. It's gotten huge! I donate my expired coupons to a military organization that gives them to military families and can be used for up to 6 months. I send an entire manila envelope every 2 wks.
With Maddie being involved in so much with the royalty court there is more people involved in our lives, which brings up Christmas gifts??. It's too hard to narrow down so we made a list of people and searched the homemade gift ideas and have included 24 people the total price for the homemade gifts was $7. (Pat Catan's had a great sale at the beginning of Nov. plus me & Heather combined our purchases to be able to use a bigger coupon.) We decided to go with clear bulbs paint their names on them and add scrap ribbon inside them. I think they turned out really cute. She is also attaching special name cards with why they are special to her. One of her teachers is also on the list. The kids don't usually do teachers at the high school level, because one there is too many teachers and two it's not cool. But this one teacher has made a big impact on Maddie and she feels it's important to acknowledge that. I found a Christmas mug on clearance for 46 cents and we filled it with hot chocolate packets (free) and some of my peppermint chocolate coffee stirrers that the kids say taste great with the hot chocolate and wrapped it in cellophane. Looks cute!!
On the line of saving and coupons Brian and Brandon love the auctions in their free time. Me and Brandon do the auctions online @ Listia, which is super cool. It's with credits not cash. The seller usually pays the shipping (postal service and the flat rates are awesome right now).
All the extended family shopping is done for Christmas and the plan is to finish my kids and the grandbaby up on black friday.
I found a really cool Thanksgiving idea on pinrest with a thankful tree and adding leaves everyday in November for things you are thankful for. The kids weren't hip on the idea at first but they've come around. I love it!! I'm thinking of doing a Christmas tree for December of giving. With the idea of giving of your time, giving a word of encouragement. That type of thing. I think it's especially important as they get older to focus on others sometimes instead of all the holiday rush rush.
An additional side note that I don't know if I previously mentioned was the weight group that I previously belonged to left our town because of a business decision. It was hard on those of us who attended regularly. We were able to form our own group that isn't as structured but helps one another by discussing healthier choices talking about different exercises yet still weighing in every week. It's completely different but is still working.
