Sep 18, 2010 | Dumpster diving, No retail shopping |
Dumpster diving. I have to say, I really love those two words together. It never ceases to amaze me what retailers will throw away, expensive stuff, stuff that could be used elsewhere or repurposed. The corporate blockheads force them to throw everything away...
Sep 18, 2010 | Abandoned places, No retail shopping |
Just thought I would share an interesting photo. Out in the middle of nowhere, dumped in a field, I found almost an entire house full of discarded furniture. I thought this was funny (in a not so humorous way) that a living room set up was thrown in one place. Sofa...
Sep 18, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print
I’m disappointed. I can’t shop at Aaron Brothers now because of my challenge, however I do recommend the place for art canvases, especially when they have the ‘buy one, get one for a penny’ sale. A friend of mine forwarded me an email about...
Sep 16, 2010 | No retail shopping |
Forward… FIRE! I efforts to save money, not be wasteful and make sure my kids are full after a meal, I told them no more kids meals. Yes, they’re cheaper, but I have to buy extra food because the fast food kids meals just aren’t enough to fill them...
Sep 15, 2010 | No retail shopping |
I didn’t really have any shopping challenges yesterday. I think this might qualify for my most boring update. :) I did have to shop at the grocery store yesterday. It’s retail shopping no matter how you look at it. The nice decor, the well lit aisles...
Sep 13, 2010 | No retail shopping |
I had to pick up a few things at Kroger yesterday. It was enough groceries to warrant the use of a cart, but few enough to use the express lane. Most of the time I remember to bring in my green bags, and this time was no exception. Some of the items included two...
Sep 13, 2010 | No retail shopping
Not much to report on the shopping front, so I thought I would just share a couple of photos. Recycled art project: These were donated to FFS, cute bags of flour that were used for a school art project. Plane trip: I’m sure glad they told me that I can’t...
Sep 11, 2010 | No retail shopping, Recycle
I love to ride in Elizabeth’s car, as it’s nice and clutter free, unlike mine that my kids help keep in a state of ‘trashed’. She picked me up to go somewhere and she had a bunch of plastic water bottles on the floor. Of course, I had to ask....
Sep 10, 2010 | No retail shopping, Thrift store |
My friend bought me a sweater from Plato’s Closet a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t think to try it on because I was familiar with the brand and it was my size. The person that owned it before me must have washed it and dried it (high maintenance sweater)...
Sep 9, 2010 | No retail shopping
Flashback. As a child I was taught to buy a lot of stuff we didn’t need and saving money was not mentioned at all. My parents always had new cars, with car payments, and the justification? Buying a used car was buying someone else’s problems, although I...
Sep 8, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
I was reading in Romans yesterday morning in The Message version of the Bible. I had to do a triple take. Did they actually use a brand name in the Holy Bible??? Romans 8:3-4 (The Message) 3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal...
Sep 7, 2010 | Ideas, No retail shopping, Save $ |
Insomnia. I don’t like it, but when I get it, I deal with it. Sometimes that means watching TV at 2:00 am. Infomercials. Are you really awake and seeing this or is this some crazy dream? Maybe I’m still asleep, becasue there’s no way that could...
Sep 6, 2010 | Ideas, No retail shopping, Salvaged |
So my friend Diane calls yesterday and says, “I thought about painting the kids bathroom with black and white stripes. I painted over wallpaper, what do you think?” What I think is that’s a great opportunity to brainstorm great ideas and use...
Sep 5, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $
Although most of my ideas are pretty good and most of them work well, occasionally I implement one that doesn’t work. In my recent cooking efforts, I needed to steam some seafood. I have awesome Le Creuset cookware, and a steamer insert, but I don’t have...
Sep 4, 2010 | No retail shopping |
It’s time to start shopping for my son’s birthday. He prefers a gift instead of a big party, something of Lego Star Wars. Off to eBay! Want to see something scary? Ouch! Can Legos really cost that much? Why do all Legos have to be themed now? Where...
Sep 3, 2010 | No retail shopping
Wow. Day 100. It seems like I just started the challenge, but it also feels like I have a long way to go. I have two kids birthdays and Christmas right around the corner. Not sure how I will handle those. Updates: I did hear from the guy with the AC filters and...
Sep 3, 2010 | No retail shopping |
Grocery shopping is retail shopping, and even though it’s allowed in my challenge, I still feel like I’m shopping. I suppose the challenge here is to find new ways to grocery shop. I decided to actually use one of my cookbooks and some cooking magazines...
Sep 2, 2010 | No retail shopping
There weren’t any leftovers, but I got this cute little container at KFC. I haven’t been there in a really long time, and now the sides come in reusable plastic containers. Yes, I saved it. I can’t get one of these and not use it for something....
Sep 1, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $
One of my favorite websites, and has been for many years, is toothpastefordinner.com. A collection of funny little cartoons that are way to close to reality. My subject today? Leftovers. For just about everyone, they either love them or hate them. After spending...
Aug 30, 2010 | Ideas, No retail shopping |
I saw a friend yesterday doing a random act of kindness. He was giving something away that he didn’t need anymore, and giving it to someone that could use it. She kept insisting that she needed to pay him, and he was insisting that she doesn’t need to....
Aug 29, 2010 | Abandoned places, No retail shopping |
Sometimes we lock up our stuff in an effort to protect it from potential thieves. princeton, tx 2009 Some stuff is left out in the open, sitting there for years. princeton, tx 2009 Other times stuff is placed on the curb for trash, sometimes in hopes that someone will...
Aug 29, 2010 | No retail shopping
I spent the entire day, and part of the evening, cleaning (and painting) my garage. Where on earth did all of that stuff come from? I had a few things I didn’t even recognize! And why do I need all this junk? I got rid of several SUV loads of stuff, donated...
Aug 27, 2010 | No retail shopping
I had to stop and ponder the question yesterday, “Is this really a challenge?” There are times when it feels like one, but for the most part, it’s really not too challenging. A challenge should make you feel like you’re missing out on...
Aug 26, 2010 | No retail shopping |
I snapped this photo a couple of months ago… I call it ‘sign of the times’. I love hearing on the radio when someone announces that the recession is over or almost over. I still have many friends without jobs and also many that are underemployed....
Aug 25, 2010 | No retail shopping |
Where does the time go??? It’s been that long already? Today I’ll just do a few updates on the challenge. What have I learned? Many good things, but mostly that there are good alternatives to a lot of the purchases I would have normally made without the...
