FREE Christmas Cards from Shutterfly!!

I have never used Shutterfly but Christmas seems like a GREAT time of year to try them!!! FREE is def. my middle name! I also have never sent Christmas cards before but it does seem like the time, now that Minnie is here and we have so many cute pics to choose from right?

Shutterfly also has so many neat things for Christmas presents such as photo calender's, photo coasters, mugs, jewelery, and prints.

Not only do they have great Christmas cards ~ (it will be hard to pick just one to send out) but they have super cute Greeting Cards and I'll keep them in mind for next year's Birthday Cards. They have so many great gift idea's for this Holiday Season to choose from!

Shutterfly is offering a special offer for Bloggers. Bloggers can get 50 free Holiday Cards by going here....50 Free Holiday Cards!!

Yes this IS a shameless plug but this time of year, who DOESN'T love FREE stuff!?!?!

Unfinished Business...

1) You may (or probably not) be wondering ~ How'd the "No Spend Month" end up? How'd we do? Was it successful?

For me, it was a range of emotions and thoughts throughout the month... until about 1/2 way through I had seriously feelings of "entitlement" like I deserved things and why NOT buy them... uh.... because I have WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH as it IS!?!? (and I'm not speaking of the toilet paper shortage. That WAS in fact a JOKE friends :) As the month wore on though it became more and more interesting to see what I could substitute for what we were out of (cloth napkins for paper). I also found that we went through WAY more flour and sugar than we EVER do because I was baking more and making more bread.

It was also interesting to see our friends and families reactions ~ from "I could NEVER do THAT" to "we are going to adapt a portion of what you guys did from now until Christmas to really try and cut back"

Husband and I have yet to really sit down and go through the receipts for last month and compare them to last May (we figured we'd compare the bank statement from before the summer and our three month VACATION ~ side note: oh sweet summer how I miss you) and see how we really felt we did. We are both certain it is just the grocery trips and the Wal*Mart which we already knew going into No Spend Month but just as soon as we get a few spare minutes alone together we have plans to go over it.

2) I wanted to post regarding the comments in my Please Weigh in and Comment post ~ your opinions did not go ignored :)

I'm now a FIRM believer in Falsies Mascara thank you VERY much GA and HB

I gave the Magic Erasers another whirl and while I do think they miraculously take scuff marks off my walls and doors they also take off the finish. I tried them again on my gas stove and wasn't thrilled and they took way more elbow grease than I was willing to exert on my shower. Grrrr....

I was however PSYCHED with the cream of tarter pointer Tracy Michele and since I can buy that crazy cheap at our local "Family Store" (The Apple one for those of you around here) I will continue to use that.

This week I did run out of hand soap at the kitchen sink and purchased a Mrs. Meyers. Love it. When the bubble bath runs out of the downstairs bath I will replace that with a Mrs. Meyers as well. Big fan.

Still haven't made a trip to the "big city" to replace my body lotion but have plans to do that this weekend... the drier weather is making my legs scary and really there is nothing as good as the Bath and Body Lay it On Thick. I miss it.

Whoever commented about the not shaving biz...sorry. Not an option. LJC has tried to convince me for YEARS to give it up and I'm just NOT GOING THERE :)

PLEASE weigh in...AND COMMENT

Through No Spend month as you know I've been using things up, getting creative with replacing things that we are out of and not buying the latest and greatest :) (not that I really do anyway...) BUT... Inquiring minds want to know...

Girls: What kind of mascara do you use? Do you love it? WHY do you love it? (I especially hope the Boy-z girls respond because they have the BEST eyelashes :) How about razors? I LOVE my intuition. I've had two in the past oh... 6 years or so and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them but the cost of replacement blades is OUT OF CONTROL. I might have to look at another option... and that option LJC is NOT, NOT shaving. :) sorry.

What kind of body wash and lotions do you use? Does it have to smell good? Just work? Is it on clearance or do you care about buying au natural because of all the nasty chemicals and things they are putting in our body care products these days??Same thing goes for toilet cleaner, bathroom cleaner, counter cleaner... are you budget conscious, environmentally friendly or do you just use what your mother did because that's what your mother did?

In case of an EMERGENCY

It's good to know our parents will take care of us...TP and Candy Corn from the Country'Rents... container of popcorn stolen (with MIL knowing :) from her pantRy! :)

NO Spend...Doing without

• I have bubble bath as soap in my downstairs bathroom ~ if you come here, use it sparingly, it foams up like CRAZY and lingers on your hands for HOURS...
• I have sponges I keep sending through the dishwasher ~ I really should haul out a dish cloth
• We're out of popcorn, wine, block cheese, CHOCOLATE and I'm down to my last brownie mix
• I have no more body lotion (pictured below) and have been using Husband's $1.98 purchase from Tar-jay clearance LAST month, that I gotta say...just wasn't worth it


• I have no more body wash and have been using shampoo....anyone notice?
• Husband wants me to say he's been walking to school everyday but that's a lie...
• We're dangerously low on toilet paper ~ here's hopin' the leaves stay green through September....:)

In the words of H.B. "I just don't GET it..." :) :) :)

NO SPEND month... Day 12

So... how are we doing??

So far "ok" :) I won't say good because I'll come clean about the $1.88 I spent at Wal*Mart on a particular "seasonal" candy item that was most DEF. NOT needed

I also have to confess that I didn't go without and I did replace my black Teva's that I've had since 1999 with a new pair... costing me $16.79...REGULARLY priced at $24.00

I did have to make the bi-monthly trip to the Wal* Mart...buying diapers and formula and some other essential items. But... if I am being honest and I AM trying... I did not NEED the gallon freezer bags, I only NEEDED the quart size... so.... +$2.18 and I didn't NEED the chunky fruit mix for Minnie at $.98, I just thought she might like to feed herself some fruit. So.... total so far on things that we ok I DIDN'T need $21.83

However... we have done well on going to Cabela's and Husband got a pair of sunglasses... that he did need considering soccer coaching started this week and his old pair was broken tragically in a wiffle ball game this summer... but he used a gift card. And there was a deal too good to pass up on a Birthday/Christmas present for a family member that he ALSO used his gift card on. Does that count as money spent?? It was Husband's self-less-ness of using his gift card so I think not. :)

We have also been doing really well on eating things that we already have in the freezer or pantry. We packed a lunch to bring to the local "September-fest" instead of eating out and a special thank you and shout out to Mama H and Momma S for our lovely dinner last week of ham and corn chowder and leftover draft party salad :) yum! :)

I'm cooking a turkey this week and I'm excited to see how many different ways we can eat it and for how long :) So... so far so... ok... could be better but I wouldn't be sporting these cute shoes for the rest of no spend month :)

NO SPEND MONTH!!!!

You may have seen it done here... or perhaps here

So apparently all the cool kids are doing it :) and we are jumping on the bandwagon.... the month of September will be a NO SPEND month for us. Nothing unecessary, extra or frivolous. I think Husband and I do a fairly good job of this already but we can DEF. do more and be better...

We do have some things that have already been budgeted in and will be exempt... the annual trips to the fairs and perhaps a pair of clickers at the local September-fest but that's it. There is also a birthday for one of the kids in the pic below at the end of this month and she *might* have cause for concern RE her b-day present. Here's hoping we already shopped for you, huh Sky?? :)

I'll give random updates to let you know how it's going through. I'm excited!