Lesson 144: Shop Local This Christmas

Piggy-backing off my friend Stephie's post yesterday on shopping for Christmas through companies that support good causes, I wanted to give you encouragement to shop locally and through small businesses as well.

Here's a few of my favorites this season:

INTERNET OPTIONS:

1. bee small studio: Our friend, Todd, from VT and his wife, Becca, have written a 31-day devotional entitled Looking to Jesus. It's available through their website for $12.99. In addition, they have a set of 8 plates, essentially prints that visualize the book's major theme of growth in the Christian life.

I ordered Mark Plate 8, the Forrest Print, as a gift for ordination. We love it!

2. AmandaLeighKnits on etsy: Another college friend, Amanda, knits wool hats in her free time, you know, when she's not chasing her busy toddler or feeding her newest girlie!

Baby not included.

I particularly love the customized ones.

Tell me that is not an amazing keepsake!

3. Support Blogs: Do you read every post ever written by a certain blogger?!?! Wanna give back?!?!? Chances are your favorite blogs have ads in their sidebars or included somewhere in posts. If you must shop at Target or amazon this season (I will admit, I have frequented both), see if it's possible to enter the site through a blog. In most cases, the blogger makes something every time you click on an ad. They definitely make a percentage if you purchase through their link. (Note: The cost to you does not increase.) It's an easy way to shop and support your favorite blogs!


CLOVER / CHARLOTTE SPECIFIC:

4. LB's Produce: My friend, Lawson, runs an adorable specialty foods and small household items store on Main Street in Belmont. Let's just say, last week, I attended "Girl's Night Out" in her store and purchased enough to receive a free gift.

My personal favorites are the flavored olive oils / balsalmic vinegars, her Amish Peanut Butter, and her glutten free baked goods mixes. The cookies and cream is to die for!

Oh, and there's the okra chips. Yum.

Seriously, this is the place to go for all those people you have no ideas for!

Check out her website here.


5. Katie Taylor Photography: Katie is a recent graduate from Erskine College with a degree in Art Education. She is building her photography business in the York County / Charlotte Area. What a wonderful gift a photography session would make!

I am obsessed with the princess clothesline!

This season she is also offering customized Christmas cards. (Might be a bit late for this, but if you are a New Year's card sender ... it could work for you!)

Give her facebook page a look!


In the comments section, I would love if you would link up either your own business or your favorites!


Lesson Learned: I am thoroughly amazed by anyone who starts and runs their own business!

Lesson 131: Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Wells Fargo loves to fill our mailbox with unhelpful fliers and pieces of information. For some reason, I dutifully open each piece of correspondance and glance over it, gauging its importance.

Last week, I found a stray Wells Fargo letter under the driver's seat in our 4-runner, while waiting to pick Samara up from school. I almost tossed it, as it was addressed to Mark, but habit overcame and since I had time, I opened it.

Inside, I found a letter explaining the rewards points for our Wells Fargo credit card. First of all, I don't carry this card, only Mark. Early in our marriage, when overdrafting was a regular threat, he obtained the card as overdraft protection. According to Mark, we haven't used the card in over two years.

Second of all, neither of us was aware that the card had rewards attached to it. Yet, the letter was informing me that somehow we had racked up over 8,000 points that could be turned in for rewards on their website.

With low expectations, I searched the site when I got home. I was prepared for a $5 gift card to Starbucks or i-tunes.

What I found was significantly better.

Rather than forgetting about the points, I went ahead and spent them. Using 7,500, I was able to get three $25 gift cards to Amazon, Pottery Barn, and Gap.

I know in the scheme of things, this is not a huge benefit, but I'll tell you, it felt like money was falling out of the air.

Christmas shopping has officially begun!


Lesson Learned: I like earning rewards when I am unaware that it is happening.

Lesson 121: How I Learned to Save Money and Decorate My Home

Develop a plan. Narrowly focus. Have a mission statement. Set goals.

How easy to agree that these are smart ideas and yet, completely ignore them with small, seemingly insignificant details.

Is it relevant to have a mission statement for your home decor? Is it helpful to set goals pertaining to decorating? Seriously? It sounds a bit excessive.

This is something that people with too much time on their hands, have time for.

Friends, that's what I thought too.

I too went through life, haphazardly making purchases for my home, spending money on sale items that I didn't love, picking up yard sale scores that required too much work, and never, never, never being satisfied with my home!

Spur of the moment acquiring was not working.

Yet, I kept buying into the magazine's experts, "You want a fresh look? Buy a pillow!"

Buy a pillow. Buy a pillow! BUY A PILLOW!!!!

Y'all, I have a box of beautiful, wrong pillow covers. I spent a lot of money to fill that box. 

This is how they keep the decorating industry going. Their answer is always to buy more and more and more.

Replace. Refresh. Change. Update. This time it will work!

I'll tell you right now, this does not work!

This conclusion was not easily reached. I fought and fought and bought and bought. I was convinced that small, ok items would come together and create something spectacular, regardless of opposing evidence. 

Then, one day, I saw them.

I saw them, and I immediately fell in love with them.

I mean, I fell hard.

But, I could not afford them. I could not have them. They could not be mine.

I was crushed!

Oh how I wished that I could return all those random pieces of furniture, those almost right, but not quite right pillows, those inexpensive, but meaningless pieces of art, just to have the funds to bring these wonderful friends home with me!

I left the store and dreamnt of them for months.

Months and months.

I could not get them out of my mind.

And so, I began to save for them.

Gasp.

I made a decorating goal, and I began to work towards it.

That was in October. (Last October.)

I began to sell all the so-so items. Instead of immediately spending the earned money on another pillow, I saved it. I saved gifts. I saved random baby-sitting money. I spent less in other areas.

I kept saving.

I kept not buying.

Until graduation. Then, I was so excited and proud of Mark, I just had to spend some of the money on a perfect gift for him. By some, I mean, it completely depleted my savings. Oh well!

Providentially, I too received a few graduation gifts. And so, I bought them!

Two days after graduation. Seven months after first spotting them. They finally came home with me.

I didn't feel one bit of guilt. I was still in love. Five months later, I still am.

I love them, because they are beautiful.

I love them, because they are fun and interesting. 

And I love them, because they taught me to save.

They taught me to break the cycle of fast, off-the-cuff purchases. They taught me the concept of delayed gratification. They taught me to be thoughtful, intentional, and wise, even in something as small as home decor.

The discipline learned has effected the way I spend money in all areas of life from the rest of my house, to my wardrobe, to my children's toys, to my grocery list. Our family's spending has been revolutionized!

So, how do you save money and decorate your home?

Make a goal to only bring in items that you truly love.

Over time, your decorating task will be finished.

You'll love your home.

And, I promise you will spend less money.


Lesson Learned: Goal setting, even in and perhaps, especially in small life details, can help a person spend money with wisdom. 



P.S. I wrote this post before the whole Martha Stewart vs bloggers, "experts" comment. I had even italicized the word before it happened. I just think that is funny to point out!

Lesson 82: Inside My Fridge

It seems that one of the unwritten rules of fulfilling a role as a stay-at-home mom is to find ways to lower your families household budget. Naturally, a SAHM is the ideal person for such a task, as she is the one who sees every nook of how the day-to-day events of the house are managed.

Through very extensive (not really) internet research, it seems that there are two main ways to lessen a budget. The first is simply to consume / acquire less. The second is to heartily use what you already have.

Feeling ambitious (for about ten minutes), today I decided to take a small step in the maximizing what you have category.

I rearranged our refridgerator. (Remember when I cleaned under it? Oh such bad memories.)

Our new fridge is different from the old, in that it has less drawers for sorting items. Really, there are only two main ones on the bottom. Also, the vegetable drawer seems to be smaller, and so currently our veggies have been living in tight quarters.

I did not think to take any before pictures, but I will quickly show you the afters. This isn't a post that is meant to say, "Look what awesome thing I do consistently," but more as a, "Here's a little something that I'm going to attempt. Wish me luck!" Does that make sense?

Ok, so ... here's the overall view. (Note: I did not visit the freezer. Yikes!)

Before we moved, I threw away any old, moldy, expired items and condensed multiple items. So, the more empty ketchup bottle got emptied into the fuller one.

The goal of the fridge rearranging is, as I said, to maximize what we already have. Recently, I have not been doing a great job keeping up with a meal plan, so I usually go to the grocery store with a list, but not specific meals. This is very typical in summer, when we usually grill some meat and have fresh fruits and veggies as sides.

Unfortunately, in the small, dark drawer, all our vegetables were crammed together. We were forgetting what we had, and then, they would go rotten before we could eat them. So, my goal is to use the narrow second shelf entirely for vegetables. Then, when we look in the fridge, we can quickly decide what options we have for sides and hopefully, not waste so much.

Not wasting is basically the same as saving money, which means I could, in theory, do a really good job in one of my new roles a SAHM.

I also decided to put the vegetables in a plastic container, because all the plastic grocery bags are irritating to my eyes. I don't know ... just go with it!

Question: Is this a bad idea? As in, is there some reason why it is better for the vegetables to be in the specified vegetable drawer? Will they ripen more altogether? What if we plan on eating them all in one week anyway? Are you impressed to know that the cucumber in the picture is from our garden?

The vegetable drawer is now being used to collect all our various cheese, bread, and lunchmeat items. These get spread throughout the fridge when there is no organization. As a result, we buy a double of these items which unnecessarily fills our fridge and is sort of a waste of money.

Another check for not wasting!

The fruit side is still being used for fruit.

The top shelf has consistent lunch items on the left, eggs in the middle, and leftovers and thawed meat options on the right. I'm thinking that if the leftovers are always in the same place, then Mark will remember what options he has, and he'll actually eat them, which means ... ?

That's right, less waste!

Finally, the side board is not overly organized. It simply holds all the small items that can easily get lost in the rest of the fridge. I do keep the cream purposely on the far right, because it definitely gets used the most ... in the morning ... before I have my coffee ... which means I need to just know where to look for it ... no hunting!

So there you have it, the inside of my fridge. My hope is that in keeping food in its proper place, we will have less fights about what to eat and less old food to throw out.

Look at me fostering peace and stewardship in my home.

Or at least attempting to ...

Lesson Learned: Seriously, does anyway know the answer about storing vegetables out in the open? That's sort of the lynch pin of the whole operation!

Lessonm 58: Chrismas Shopping with Rewards

According to Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages, there are five basic ways that humans demonstrate love towards someone else and recognize love from another. These five "love languages" are quality time, words of affirmation, touch, gift giving, and acts of service.

My whole life I have been a "quality time" type girl. If you want to show me that you love me, you will make a concerted effort to spend focused time with me. Similarly, the best way that I know how to demonstrate that I love you is to make time in my life for you. (Note: This does not translate to time on the phone or via email. I am terrible at both of those things. However, I am almost always willing to make a road trip to see you if you are near.)

Lesson 57: Grown-Ups Go to the Dentist

$200.

The cost of one regular dentist appointment.

Growing up, we learned from our parents, our teachers, and the Berenstain Bears that we should go to the dentist twice a year, brush twice a day and floss once a day.

As obliging students, we happily went along to the bi-yearly appointments that someone else set up for us, lied about our flossing habits, and freed our orthodonisized pearly whites of lingering plaque.

Our teeth were sparkling. A+ for dental care!

Then ... came ... graduation.

With graduation came different freedom. Freedom from school. Freedom to explore the world. Freedom from our parent's dental plans.

Suddenly, the $200 was coming out of our own pockets.

$200 buys a plane ticket to a friend's bachelorette party. Sorry dentist, I'll have to miss you this one time.

$200 covers the cost of the aforementioned friend's bridesmaid's gown. Sorry dentist, turns out I won't be seeing you at all this year.

$200 secures a moving truck for a first big post-college move. Sorry dentist, but I'm in a different state now.

$200 pays for my totally unwarranted speeding ticket through Winchester, VA on the way home for Thanksgiving. Sorry dentist, I'm basically broke, and well, dental student clinics are kind of creepy. I value my teeth too much to trust them in my mouth. 

$200 purchases Christmas presents for the whole family this year. Sorry dentist, but I just care so much more for my family than for myself.

$200 is enough to bring home that on-sale Pottery Barn rug that I've been obsessed with for months now. Sorry dentist, but I really love this rug. Paying for teeth is boring. Paying for rugs is fun.

$200 is 10 family dinners at our favorite pizza restaurant. Sorry dentist, but we need to invest this time in our kids and our marriage. Do you want us to become a statistic? Also, let's be honest. I've survived this long without you. What's six more months?

You get the picture. Seven years of dental distance pass ... 

$200? Oh ha, that's the cost of the consultation where the dentist tells me that I have to have a root canal.

$1300. That's the cost of the root canal without the crown.

$1000. That's the cost of the crown. Well, it's the anticipated cost if my gum bone isn't too low requiring further mouth bone surgery. In which case, who knows?

x2. This is the math that one should do once they add up the above three numbers and multiply it by two, just in case a person without dental insurance actually requires two root canals.

Why, you may ask, am I sharing such personal financial information on my blog? Because I don't want you to make the same mistake!

Go to the dentist.

Brush your teeth.

Floss.

(Acquiring dental insurance isn't a bad idea either, though it usually won't cover everything).


Lesson Learned: Mother, Teacher, and Sister Bear were right all along!

Lesson 52: Momma Black Market

Driven by Walgreens around 6 o'clock lately? Seen a line of overtly "momish" cars complete with car-seated backseats lined up, though no one entering the store to shop? Wondering what is going on?

You have no idea.

This is where the momma's come to haggle and hustle, show their wares, and score some deals!

This is our watering hole.

What in the world am I talking about?

Lesson 35: An Update on the Lazy Couponer (Back to School Series)

As you know, I am a self-proclaimed lazy couponer.

Here's a brief recap of the rules of lazy couponing:

1. One main couponing website: SouthernSavers.com
2. One main store to shop from: Harris Teeter
3. One main source for coupons: newspaper
4. Cut all you would buy if it was free.
5. Plan your trip and shop.

Though the original post was called "The Lazy Couponer," recently it would be more accurate to label me a super lazy couponer. I hadn't cut my weekly inserts in over four weeks!

Lesson 24: The Lazy Couponer (Save and Have a Life)