Santa

Today we saw the all important bringer of gifts, Santa. We went to the mall hoping there would not be a huge line and thankfully we were third in line. Abby was so excited to see him and was anxious to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. This morning she told me she was going to ask him for presents.....then it was a big bike. Whew! Thank goodness we got the bike ordered.

I'm anxious to see her riding it and ringing the little bell! Seriously, I got a really, really good deal on the bike.

And, speaking of ride-on toys, here's another appreciated Christmas gift for my oldest:



Yep, they are lookin' good and the bug is almost finished!

You need to see this if you're an online shopper!!!

If you know me, you know how cheap/frugal I am. I like to get a good deal on what I'm buying. I found this site, ebates.
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=zqbfC0eIHH2ADDR%2FialDmA%3D%3D


This site gives you CASH BACK for shopping through them. For example, I went to this site where you then shop from tons of retailers like Old Navy, Wal Mart, etc. and you get a % back of your purchase. Pair this with a good coupon promotion and you have some GREAT DEALS!!!!

So click on the link and sign up. They give you $5 to start just for signing up. What's it going to hurt you to check it out. We all love a little cash back!

All for less than $11

Yep, you read that right....all for less than $11. I went to CVS and Walgreens and got this stuff....mostly for stocking stuffers.

Here's how:
Walgreens:
2 Turtles @ .99 ea = $1.98 - (2) $1.50 Q = $1.02 profit
1 Lindt chocolate bar @ $1.50 -.75Q =.75 final cost

= walgreens doesn't give money back so they adjusted it and I pd .25 for tax


CVS:
Robe $14.99 - $2 Q = 12.99
Candle $2.99 - $2Q = .99
Colgate $2.99 - $1.50Q = 1.49 get a $2 ECB back
Mascara Buy 1 Get 1 = 4.79 -(2) $1Q = 2.79
Nailclippers $2.99 - $1 manuf coupon - $1 Cvs Q = .99
2 lint rollers @ .99 ea = $1.98 - (2) $1 Q = .02 profit
Eyeliner (marked at 75% off) $1.75 - $1Q = .75

=$20
-$3 Q for CVS purchase
-$3.79 ECB
-$4.00 ECB

=======$9.21 +tax

Its kinda confusing at first, but once you get the idea.......everything can be cheap!

Christmas Gifting

Yes, 'tis the season for gifting. Who doesn't love to receive a gift, right? I think many of us have forgotten what Christmas is about. For me Christmas is celebrating family. I can remember tons of Christmases spent with my family, not just my parents, but the huge family gatherings. I do remember opening gifts and seeing what Santa brought, but honestly, I couldn't tell you about half of the things I got! I just remember time with the family...the food, getting picked on by older cousins, picking on the younger cousins, etc. Anyways, what I want Abby to remember is the family time.....not the gifts. Its hard as a parent to get just a few things, of course I want to give her the world. I know she will not remember or even keep most of these things that are gifted to her.
I do have some things that were given to me as a kid, but you know, they were handmade gifts like dolls! I love that I have these things to share with Abby.
I know I've said this many times before to family, but if you're going to give a gift to Abby especially, set a budget and only spend half. The other half can be given to her to put in savings. Really, I'd rather her have a big savings account than a huge pile of toys.

Dear Santa,

If you happen to read this Santa, there are only a couple of things that I have been thinking about.....
A pair of Lucky jeans. ( Or a cheaper pair of Converse jeans from Target)
This cute sweater dress from Bluefly.

These baskets have a perfect spot in my craft room. I've been watching this in the clearance section of Smith and Hawken. I'd also like to have a few rolls of ATG tape since I'm nearly out.

There really isn't anything that I'm dying to have this year. I'm more focused on what to get the munchkin for Christmas. She really wants a bike, so Santa will deliver one Christmas morning.

So Wrong and yet so Right!!!

Yes, I absolutely love these nachos. Especially if it's with Rico cheese. I don't know what it is about this processed cheese from a can, but I love it. I know for me, one who likes to buy organic and natural foods for my family, its hypocritical to eat these, but I can't help it.
Today, Abby got to experience the joy of the nacho for the first time. She LOVED it.
I guess its okay to indulge once in a while. I don't eat it every week/month. I'd have to say it was a good day!