Here Comes the Sun

 As I cut a brownie for TopDad in the kitchen I noticed the living room wall was glowing.

I grabbed my camera and headed outside to catch a glimpse of the sun which has not been seen in over a week!

And there it was, just setting in the east casting its golden glow over all creation. Such a treat!!

The boys are saying: Finally!

There's something to eat in the house.

January's Frugal Plans

When our two youngest sons were about 5 and 7 they went on an errand to a corner store a few blocks from home. After they'd been gone longer than necessary for the errand I sent an older brother to find them. Lt. Lehi brought them home safely. I questioned the two boys about why they had been gone so long. Their explanation has become one of those anecdotes of family lore.

"Well, we were walking home and saw a giant pile of sand and accidentally played in it."

I accidentally spent more than I planned to on Christmas this year. Oops!

January is going to be a month of frugality to make up for it.

#1 I asked TopDad for just half of my usual household allowance, with the other half going to pay down the debt I accidentally incurred in December.

#2 I will be creating meals out of what we have in the freezer and pantry. The ONLY food I'll buy is fresh milk, cheese, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. Plus some cat food when theirs runs out, and my vitamins as I run out.  I will be making all of our baked goods: bread, cookies, muffins, etc.

#3 I made a list of expected expenses related to birthdays this month and next, including shipping costs.

#4 I typed up a list of ideas for date nights to avoid spending money.

#5 I made a list of things I will not be buying in January: clothing, shoes, books, movies, music, haircut, perm, toiletries, etc. I will use up what I have, do without, make do, etc.

#6 I won't go shopping - no thrift stores, no Etsy, no Amazon Prime, no malls (not that I go there, but wanted to be inclusive), no shopping! No trolling for treasures!

#7 I'll purchase stamps (I'm old-fashioned and like to send cards and letters), and minutes for my phone only if I run out. (Which I'm not anticipating.)

This is what I'm planning for January. Some call it a Spending Fast; others call it a No Spend Month.

What I'm hoping is that I can permanently lower my budget and finish paying off the last of the total credit card debt before the school year is over at the end of May.

I welcome your support and/or suggestions.

Something Clever

I saw a pillow for sale (in a catalog, I think) and said to myself, "I can make that." So I did. For JET for Christmas. He loved them.

Big pillows, staged on my queen sized bed.

Rail Fence patchwork 

This one is similar to the one that gave me the idea. That one had even stripes, I made my stripes asymmetrical.

I used the same flannel fabric for the backs, a different side for each pillow.

The only thing I bought were 22" zippers to make the covers removable for washing. The fronts were made of pieces of denim from jeans that the boys and TopDad had worn, plus some brown from an old stained denim tablecloth. The backs were from some flannel that I've had so long I don't remember where it came from. The pillows forms I inherited from my mother.