Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas

I originally started this blog because my sister has her own (much better) blog, and I wanted to join in her link-up parties.  It's really the only kind of party I get invited to, so I should probably be social and join.  Plus, the fact that I don't have to find a babysitter, get dressed, leave the house, and pretend to be social is really quite appealing to me.

So I started this blog, so I too could participate in the wonders of Thrift Blitz!

If you are thrifty, you should start a blog so you can join the party too!

I think there is a blogger contract somewhere that says everyone with a blog must write a Christmas post, or at least share their post from previous years. 

So, in the interest of jumping on the Christmas blog bandwagon, here are my tips to having a thrifty Christmas.

1.  Watch for bargains all year long.  Find a savings site, or Facebook group (my favourite is www.savingsguru.ca), and they can do the work for you.  If you spread out the purchasing through the whole year, it's easier on the budget.
2.  Avoid trendy toys.  If everyone wants it, the price is higher.  Plus, who knows if your kid will like it six months later (not to mention that a lot of them are tacky).
3. Jump at online price mistakes.  They won't always be honoured, but when they are, you can score big time.  The trick to these is to not hesitate.  If you see a rock bottom price (and you know you have someone who will love it) - buy it.  That price might only last a few minutes. 

I bought these wooden toys made by Hape, from Amazon during the summer.  The toaster cost $6 (regular $27.99), and the mixer $10 (regular $29.99).  I didn't expect the order to be honoured, so was thrilled when they showed up.










3.  Don't spoil your kids rotten.  One or two gifts is enough.  Christmas should not stress you financially.  That stress will effect your relationship with your children and/or spouse.  You don't need that.
4.  Do you and your spouse really need anything?  Consider not buying for each other, or getting something combined instead.
5.  Don't assume Black Friday, or other major sale days will have the best deals.  Know your prices (or research your prices) so you know if you're getting a bargain.
6.  Redeem your store loyalty points for Christmas.  My favourite loyalty programs are Shopper's Optimum (for gifts and stocking stuffers) and PC Plus (for special Christmas food and treats).
7.  Buy used.  Especially for your baby.  You can find almost new toys at thrift stores that are much more budget friendly than buying new.  Plus, it's good for our world, and that's trendy, so get on it.

The bottom line is: Christmas should be a joyful celebration.  When I shop early, and get bargains, it alleviates my stress, and I can enjoy myself so much more.

I hope you all have yourself a thrifty (and merry) little Christmas.

A Tale of Two Parades

It is December.  I have children.  Because I birthed them, I have an obligation to take them to Santa Clause parades and pretend to be happy about it.
This past weekend, I had the horrendous experience privilege of attending two different Santa Clause parades with a toddler and a six-year old.  Before I give you my profound insight, let me share a word about toddlers:

Toddlers do not listen.

Toddlers do not stay still.

Toddlers do not understand consequences.

Toddlers believe Santa will bring them presents no matter how they behave.

Toddlers cuteness is the most effective defence mechanism EVER!

So knowing all that, the logical thing is to take them outside after dark to a crowded street where candy is thrown at them.
 
Before the first parade, we spent the afternoon at a party, ensuring the children were full of candy and the toddler was terrified of Santa, and missed her afternoon nap.  When we arrived home, I was informed by the six year old that we were going to the Hanover parade. 

Note to pastors:  In the future, please don't announce your super fun parade plans while the kids are sitting in the service.  Apparently they hear it.  Apparently they don't forget it.  Apparently they think if you say it, it means we have to go.

I decided to do what I was told (and leave my husband in a quiet house so he could study), and we bundled up and went to the parade.

I strongly recommend just staying home, but if you must go to a parade with a toddler, below are some tips I learned.

1.  Make sure you arrive in town before the road to Tim Horton's is closed.
2.  Make sure you have something other than your toddler's hood to hold all the candy they will score.
3.  Stand with strangers, or your friends might find out you aren't the super mom you want them to think you are.
4.  Put a leash or your toddler. (I didn't.  What a fool I am).
5.  Remember that people who judge us for putting leashes on our toddlers probably don't have toddlers.
6.  Don't even try to take pictures.  Try to find the toddler instead.

But we survived.  The kids loved the parade.  I didn't see most of it.

But we decided to do one the next day anyways, with much more success. 

So, how do you have a successful parade with a toddler?

1.  Make sure it starts right beside your house, and runs directly in front of your porch.



The reason I only have one awful picture to share with you?  Toddler.

After the parade, we saw Santa and went roller-skating.  There was laughter.  There were tears.  And there was blissful silence after they finally went to sleep.

 

 

 

 

It's my late anniversary edition!

It's been a bit over a year since I started this blog.  And while I don't stick to a schedule like good dedicated bloggers do, I enjoy writing when the mood strikes.  So to honour this significant anniversary (which I actually missed by almost a month, but does that really matter?), I thought I would reflect on my year of blogging.

Why I started this blog:

1.  My sister told me to - you didn't see that one coming did you?

2.  My sister has a thrift blitz episode on her lovely blog, and I wanted to be able to brag about my finds.  Like my windows, my yellow china, and my radio.

3.  My Facebook posts were basically turning into mini blog posts, and that's kind of annoying.

4.  I've always liked writing, so I thought, what can it hurt?

Why I plan to continue this blog:

1.  It makes me appreciate the weird things my kids do.  Yes, they still make me crazy half the time, but I am more often recognizing the makings of a slightly exaggerated story that needs to be written.

2.  It gives me a creative outlet.  My job, although I like it, has no room for creativity at all, and I need to express that part of me.

3.  Part of me must be a narcissist, because I love it when people tell me they like what I've written.  I always wonder why people publish and share blog posts and claim they're writing just for themselves.  I write because I enjoy it, but I hope people read it, and I hope they like what they read.  And I hope someday, I might have more than two followers!  How will I ever know I'm loved unless there are lots of little faces on the side of my blog?

4.  It's just me.  There are no deadlines, or expectations.  I can write about what I want, when I want, and that's kind of freeing and wonderful.

5.  It's good practice.  If I ever decide to write something more than a blog, I will be a bit more ready.

6.  It gives me an in to "Writer's Jam", which is a writer's group, but jam sounds way more fun.  If I stop my blog, they'll probably kick me out, and as I sit with these writer's, I'm inspired to do more, and that's a wonderful feeling.  Plus, the eggnog provided is a lovely motivation to keep on going.

7.  Life and kids keep on providing me stories.  Because ordinary jobs like cleaning your fridge just suck, unless you look at it from a different angle.

So the bottom line is, the internet is stuck with this blog for a while longer.  And soon my children will do something else that is worthy of much more than a tweet.

There's Nothing New in this World - or is there?

You know that saying, "there's nothing new in the world"?  Well, it's not true.  I came up with a completely absolutely brand new idea, that no one else has ever thought of.  I know this because I spent three minutes searching on google, and we all know if something does not show up on the first screen of google, IT DOES NOT EXIST!

So, dear world (or three readers who happen to find this), I present to you -

CLEANERCIZING!!!

Since this is a completely absolutely brand new idea that no one else has ever thought of, I will provide complete details on how to keep up with this new trend.  FOR FREE!  TODAY!!!

If you send me just 5 payments of $50, I will send you a paper copy of the instructions below, plus a package of random stuff, and YOU TOO can be an exclusive CLEANERCIZER!

For JUST 5 payments of $100, I will include all of the above, plus a CLEANERCIZE hat! 

Really, if you send me money, I promise to send you something back.

Please find below, as promised, the complete CLEANERCIZE method!!!  It is available for a limited time only (the life of this blog, or the life of the internet, whichever ends first), so act fast, so YOU TOO can be an official CLEANERCIZER!

CLEANERCIZE Tutorial

1.  Decide your house is at the point where cleaning is inevitable (aka - you have no clean clothes or dishes, and you cannot find the remote control).
2.  Try to convince your children to clean the house.
3.  Fail.
4.  Suck it up, and get off your butt.
5.  Pick your background music (something you thought was awesome when you were in high school is ideal).
6.  Sing loudly.
7.  Shake your body.
8.  Stop whenever an adult walks in the room.  You know you're sexy, and it will be too much for the other adult to handle.  Be respectful.  CLEANERCIZING is a personal endeavour.
9.  Try all those awesome new dance moves you've been thinking of.
10.  Dance until the cleaning is done.

CLEANERCIZE FAQs

Q:  Who should sign up for CLEANERCIZE?

A:  Anyone who hates cleaning and exercise.  Because if you hate them both, the obvious solution is combining them into one incredibly empowering experience!

Q:  How did you come up with a completely absolutely brand new idea that no one else has ever thought of?

A:  One evening, I was in the kitchen cleaning.  It sucked.  I turned on music, starting dancing like an idiot while cleaning, and thought "I should call this CLEANERCIZING and write a blog post about it, because this has clearly never been done before."

Q:  Shouldn't it be spelled cleanercise?

A:  Yes.  But you will find that on google, and I wanted a completely absolutely brand new idea that no one else has ever thought of.

Q:  Can I target problem areas of my body with this method?

A:  Absolutely!  Whichever area of your body you would like to work on, just move that more.  Want to tone your butt?  Shake it!  Want to find some abs?  Clean while hula hooping (if you include a video of yourself doing this in the comments, I will give you 5% of the profits made from this post).  The options are endless!

Q:  How many calories does it burn?

A:  All of them!  If you follow this program, you will find that since the cleaning is never done, the CLEANERCIZING is never done, therefore you will Never Ever stop!

Q:  Why do you call it CLEANERCIZE instead of cleanercize?

A:  Obviously things that are written in all caps are much more official and exciting.  To read it properly, imagine the sham-wow infomercial man yelling "CLEANERCIZE" at you.  Now re-read the entire post, with Mr. Sham-wow's voice in your head.

Now tell me you're not ready to send me $250!

Disclaimer:  Any resemblance between CLEANERCIZE and any existing exercise program is purely a result of me not researching completely.  But I doubt your business will be threatened because of this blog post.  If it is, you may need to start looking into another line of work.