New Years goals

So many people are talking today about their New Years resolutions. I don't like to say resolutions. How long do resolutions last anyway?

I make goals. I seem to keep up with my goals. {somewhat}

I am keeping track of some of my goals on my side bar. I have my financial and some personal goals.

For financial goals, I really hope to pay off student loans this next year. I am going to look for a part time job to assist this goal! I really want them to go away. Badly! Next year, we will attack the mortgage.

For personal, I hope to get in even better shape than I am now. I lost 18 pounds recently, and hope to lose 5 more. I also want to run a 5K or 10K. I walked my last 10K. It felt great, but I want to at least run a 5K!

Spiritually, I aim to read the entire Bible this year. My church is emailing us the daily scriptures to read. Having someone there to remind me should help keep me on track. {I've tried this before, but life got in the way and then I was so far behind that I gave up} I also plan to spend 20 minutes per day on my devotionals. I want to really strengthen my daily walk with the Lord.

I wish for everyone a very happy new year!

Free Arby's shake coupon!!!

Free Arby's shake, no purchase required. Expires Jan 2nd!


http://lsm.fishbowl.com/images/messages/Arbys/24185/20/2256591292594782decemberemail_now.JPG

Today's freebies

I got to the grocery store just in time! Oh boy that snow is really coming down now!

Today I combined my coupons {doubled} with sales and received for free:

* 1 bottle of Coke
* 1 bottle of Sierra Mist
* 2 bags of frozen veggies
* 1 bag chips

yes, most of it is junk food, but it was free and it will make some kids happy tomorrow! We always have a New Years Eve slumber party.

reusing jars...

Here at the Happy, Simple Life home we do a lot of recycling and reusing. I have been known to go through kids' trash cans to remove recycleable materials. It is just too difficult to take that soda can to the mud room and place it into a recycle tub. I ask too much of my children! =)

We send all that we can to the recycle center. We save the plastic tubs and jars for the food bank. They reuse them to distribute bulk foods to their clients.

As for glass jars, and some plastic ones, those find many new homes around here.

I use them for everything from scrapbooking supplies to nuts, candy and bulk tea. I just love how pretty they look sitting on a shelf. The best part is that you know exactly what's inside.

I also like to put a small candle inside of a glass jar. The light that comes from it is so pretty and makes my kitchen look "homey"!

I am also saving baby food jars for a craft project. Then I found this lotion recipe. I was thinking of making that for a Mother's Day gift for my friends and family. I normally just make cards, but thought this would be a nice frugal gift!

You don't cook for your kids? and decluttering

I was talking with a neighbor yesterday. We were talking about cooking. She said she doesn't cook for her kids. "If it doesn't come out of a box or a can, they don't eat". Her kids are 6 and 12. I asked if they've ever had a home cooked meal and she replied "oh yeah, when we go to a restaurant"! WOW! This is the neighbor always upset over their lack of money. Well, I'm not here to judge, but if you maybe cooked some meals instead of eating out and heating up convenience foods, you might get control of your finances. I can't say that of course. We are neighbors. You just don't want to have bad relations with neighbors.

On an unrelated note, I woke up this morning with the decluttering bug. I just started in the closet and then went to the dresser and night stand. It feels so good to get stuff out of here. Some of this stuff hasn't been used in a long time. Better to find it a new home!

In January, I did the ole turn your hangers around in the closet bit. {you turn all of your clothes hangers backwards. After one full year, any hangers that haven't been turned around haven't been worn and should be donated} I actually have been donating some of my clothes this past year, so I didn't have as many backwards hangers as I might have had. I did find 3 today. All three items went into the Goodwill bag. So far I have 3 bags today. I need to get my family to clean out their closets.

The best part of donating is that if you donate 2 or more bags, they give you a coupon for your next thrift store purchase. Yay!

Sunset magazine article

I just finished reading the newest edition of Sunset magazine. {January 2011 edition} I usually enjoy their articles, since it just features the part of the country that I live in.

This month, they had an article about a woman and her family. It was a human interest story about her minimalist lifestyle. I'm all about a simple way of living, so I couldn't wait to read it.

It's titled "The Zero Waste Home". This family only sends to the landfill a few handfuls of garbage annually. Seriously. She shops with glass jars and buys nothing with wrapping. Everything from bulk foods to meats and cheeses go into the jar. The cashier figures the tare of the jar and then charges her for her purchases. Wow!

I totally got her homemade cleaners and toiletries. I really understand the compostable toothbrushes. I understand the reusing of jars to store bulk purchases. I even go with the rule that if you get something new, something old must be donated.

What I don't follow: Not letting the kids have many toys or books, taking all of those glass jars with me to the grocery store, not putting pictures on the walls, and not keeping the things that the kids made in school. Now don't get me wrong. I don't keep all of my kids' precious treasures, but I do have many of them.

I was really into her story until I went to her website. I was at the doctor's office, reading this article, and I couldn't wait to get home to check out her blog. I thought I would have found another inspiring frugal/simple lifestyle blog to read. I was disappointed. Check it out for yourself: http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/. Then go to the library and read the article. The article is great. Really.

You saved HOW much using coupons?

I have read several blogs and many frugal books where the author says coupons don't make sense. Or they don't use them because it takes too much time to clip or print. Sometimes the argument is why "waste" their time? There will never be coupons for what they buy.

I thought about this and decided to keep track of all of the coupons that I use. So for the entire year of 2010, I wrote down the amount that I saved with every coupon that I used! It could be grocery coupons, restaurant coupons, retail or renting a movie.

So, for 2010....the amount that I saved was......$1,053.92!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!

I knew that I was saving a lot, but until I added every month together, I really had no idea it would be this much.

I can't wait to show hubby this figure!

Merry Christmas!!!