Welcome to another thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage. I am glad you've found me! Each week I share my thrifty and frugal projects, ways of saving money, and my blessings from God.
I am so glad you dropped in for a visit today—or tonight!
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Hey Girls!
I'm smack dab in the middle of the busiest week of the year. I'll bet you are, too. It seems nearly everyone who plans Christmas events thinks the first week of December is the best time. So guess what the rest of us do? Yep, scurry from activity to activity. We've been busy with Bible studies, dance practice, Walk Through Bethlehem, and we still have our Tree Decorating Party, a progressive dinner, the town Christmas parade, Michael's Police Explorers' meeting, church, another dance practice, and our church's Christmas production all in the first ten days of the month—not to mention a visit from Grandpa Rick to replace a ceiling fan! Whew! Some of that isn't even on my bucket list!
Well happy Christmas season! I hope you find time to put your feet up and sip some eggnog or cocoa and visit with your family, read a good book, or simply dream in the glow of the Christmas tree lights. God bless us every one!
Laura
Dreaming of a White Christmas
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Here's my thrifty week:
- I invested in about six cubic feet of real estate. This sparked an interesting conversation with my youngest about cubits. She thought I was saying cubit feet. A cubit is the average length of a man's arm from elbow to fingertips if I remember right. That's what happens when you raise your kids on the Bible. ~smile~
- I ordered a gift card from Swagbucks for 2200 bucks instead of the normal 2500 bucks. The first $25 card you order each month is reduced in price.
- I earned enough Swagbucks to get the next $25 gift card, but I'll order it in December to get it for 2200 SB. If you're interested, click to learn and earn more. (Yep, it's a link that will help me earn more SB too. It doesn't cost you a penny.)
- I earned more Swagbucks that I'm saving up to buy some nifty gift cards for my girls. Click to learn and earn more. (Yep, it's a link that will help me earn more SB too. It doesn't cost you a penny.)
- We attended the Journey to Bethlehem. An evening of positive, encouraging, uplifting entertainment for free.
- We came home and ate spaghetti noodles with butter instead of going out to eat after the Journey.
- We rented Christmas movies on Sunday afternoon for $.75 each.
- I bought two packages of tissue paper (35 sheets each) at the dollar store to be used with the gift bags we saved from last year.
- While cleaning out our filing cabinet (the source of some of the real estate), I found the packing tape and Scotch tape that I bought a couple months. I use two of the drawers for school books and extra supplies.
Money is tight this year. It often is. That's okay. I know God will show me how to make it stretch. He always does.
Well, that's my thrifty week.
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What are you doing in your home this week?
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A peek into my life...
I've been listening to this amazing,
worshipful, Christmas CD by Chris Tomlin.
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A peek into my life...
I've been listening to this amazing,
worshipful, Christmas CD by Chris Tomlin.
 |
| ADORE |
ღLauraღ
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a short shoestring budget!
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Busy lady and busy month..
ReplyDeleteAll of the activities sound fun.. ENjoy and all else will follow.
I agree, everything is planned the first 10 days.ha Our Sunday school party is Saturday night, WMU is Thursday night, Senior citizen party is Sunday after service.. whew.. made me tired to type it.ha But, my asthma is flared up, so not sure what I will be able to attend.. Doctor said,no parties right now.. Having to stay in and do oxygen, breathing treatments, predisone.etc. No fun for sure, But, I am watching some wonderful Christmas movies and drinking LOTS of hot chocolate [and of course adding the marshmallows.] lol
Ah, I'm sorry about the asthma. I pray for complete healing in Jesus' Name!
DeleteDo try to enjoy your forced rest and relaxation. I know it's fun to be out and about, but cozy nights with Christmas movies and lots of hot chocolate sounds wonderful, too! Try to watch The Bishop's Wife and Christmas in Connecticut—both black and white movies from the 1940's. It's not Christmas time without them for me!
Sounds like you are bustling and staying very busy! I just put my calendar down a few moments ago from trying to figure out what all is going on here, so we don't miss anything that we really want to do! We have all 3 been fighting sickness, so I am keeping it surrendered to the Lord as to what HE wants us to do. He has a way of showing us through circumstances many times. Enjoy the season, my friend! Oh, it is truly heartwarming, just to look at the lights and remember that wonderful night so long ago when our dear Jesus was born! Sending you love and hugs!
ReplyDeleteWe have the lights on our tree and will be decorating it tonight! I've got a light cold, but I'm believing to be healed quickly.
DeleteBlessings to you!
Laura
Hi Laura! You are busy my friend. :) We had a gull weekend planned but my hubby is sick and in bed so unless he makes a miraculous recovery, we shall be home this weekend. I have plenty to do around here though. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou did very well this week and I love your discussion about the cubits. I too ordered a gift card from Swagbucks at the reduced rate. I am finding that I have less encrave available to me to earn point there though...I wonder what is up with that.
I find the same about 'nCrave, Debbie. I don't know. I had to do a few surveys, but they take awhile since I am not qualified for a lot of them. I think it might be either our low income or the fact that I'm not a shopper.
DeleteI'm wondering if Bath and Body will give me a card if I take the e-gift card to the store. It would look nicer as a gift. Have you tried it?
May your husband be healed completely in Jesus' Name!
Hugs,
Laura
Laura, don't want to sound like an idiot, but what is Journey to Bethlehem? I've never heard of it
ReplyDeleteOh no Laurie! You don't sound like an idiot. I hadn't thought about it. It sounds like I want to go on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land!
DeleteJourney to Bethlehem is an outdoor interactive play that is put on by a church some distance from us. There is an indoor production that features music and skits, then you go outdoors with a group of other attendees to the main event. The group is called your family, and you have a couple from your church dressed in period garb to take you on a journey to Bethlehem, at the time of Jesus' birth, to be counted in the census and pay taxes to Caesar.
You walk a path lit by torches that goes up and down the valley and stop at campfires along the way to talk to characters along the way. It's a great way for the Christmas story to come alive. Ultimately you end up in a "stable" seeing Joseph, Mary, and Jesus along with a shepherd who explains salvation.
This year we were surprised to find we knew not only the shepherd but the Holy Family, too!
We've been going for years, and it's a great part of our celebration. Some folks call it a walk through Bethlehem.
God bless you!
Laura
You have had a busy week, although it does sound fun. I also redeemed my Swagbucks for a gift card. I used it to buy some Christmas presents.
ReplyDeleteBusy bee! :)
ReplyDeleteI got a good price on mark down 1 lb. of fresh bacon, .99
I cooked it all at once, and put it in the freezer to pull out when I want some scrambled eggs.
I got two more large size boxes of formula, buy one get one half off. I had an extra $5.00 coupon to use as well. It came to 75 per cent off the second box that way.
I saved .50 on two packs of TP
My son had a tablet in layaway for me, when it went to pick it up, it was $20.00 off the sale price that he'd put on layaway for, and he bought a new card for it for less and upgraded the memory first thing. The money he saved me more than paid for the card.
We got a sheet of bogo food coupons in the mail. I take drinks from home, and we enjoyed a nice sandwich meal out when we were viewing the lights.
I got a bag of snacks half price, 50 cents.
I got two packs of weiners $2.00 off each, no filler, gluten free ones. Planning on cutting them in slices, and putting them in corn bread in a muffin tin, for mini corn dogs for the in laws Christmas Eve feast :)
Guess that's it for tonight :)
Annie, you've been wonderfully frugal! Congratulations.
DeleteI had forgotten about the corn dogs like that. I think I did that when my kids were little. I used to have a lot more leftovers!
Happy Advent!
Hugs,
Laura
The upcoming week is the last full week of classes and then 3 days of finals (3 classes-the other two there aren't finals). Haven't done much of anything else...my husband has to go in and have esphogaus (sp?) surgery on the 21st, so we cancelled the Christmas celebrations/dinner with family. Its all good, God's got this. smiles
ReplyDeleteFather God, I pray for your perfect peace to permeate Linda's heart and mind. I thank you that you've made it possible for her to continue her studies. Father, I pray that you will bring perfect understanding of concepts and will help her remember the things she's learned when she takes her finals.
DeleteI thank you father for the miracle of successful surgery and recovery for Linda's husband. Thank you that all will be well. Thank you for the finances to pay for the surgery and the time off from work. I ask it all, with thanksgiving, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Hugs to you Linda!
Laura
We are loving that CD also!!
ReplyDeleteI played it over and over and over last year. I am enjoying it in the van this year.
DeleteThanks for talking back Julie!
Håfa adai from Guam!
ReplyDeleteI served a five-course meal Sunday to 13.
-- Everything not opened or used was returned to the grocer.
-- I incorporated into each course items already in my pantry.
-- Place card holders were cut from tree limbs.
-- Centerpieces were sticks hot glued around jars that held battery votive candles.
-- I cut up two loooong linen curtain panels and made two 73"-round tablecloths.
-- I deconstructed an antique yo-yo quilt for placemats.
-- I cut up a cotton oxford cloth deco shower curtain and made 16 table napkins, which means I mitered 64 corners!
-- Bandanas from the dollar store served as the men's table napkins.
-- I embellished the men's table with Levi's jeans pockets cut off of my husband'a old ones.
-- I made potholders for my daughters with the rest of the jeans; part of their Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Kelley~
Wow Kelley! I am impressed! I cannot imagine doing all of that in a week! You were super thrifty. Congratulations! Happy Christmas from the middle of the USA.
DeleteBlessings,
Laura
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI am a new reader and I just wanted to say you have blessed and encouraged me so much through your blog. I have been going through your Thrifty Week posts and just gleaning everything I can from them. I have been a reader of Laine's Letters for about a year, and she was so inspiring to me as well. We are $14k in credit card debt, living on just hubby's income as I try and stay home to homeschool our two boys. We live paycheck to paycheck and I don't feel that I have been doing all that I can to stretch it all the way. Your posts are breathing new life into my mission. Just this weekend I listed something online to sell and made $130! Now I can get food for the family. :) Hugs and blessings,
Sarah
Oh Sarah, I am writing of my journey for you and other ladies like you. Homeschooling is a sacrifice in many ways. Loss of income from Mom requires that she finds some pretty creative ways to make things stretch.
DeleteDon't give up! God has worked some miracles for us along the way. I've had to learn to be humble and thankful. I need to keep improving on that. ~smile~ Even when we had four months without income, God provided gifts along the way that sustained us. If you're reading through the thrifty posts, you'll read about them at the beginning of 2016.
The secret is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Hugs to you!
Happy Christmas,
Laura