Upgrades?

We finally saved up the money to redo the old and yucky garage door. I forgot to take a picture of it when it was on but you get the picture. Ha! As near as we can figure, the garage door was the original one so it was about 28 years old. It was wood so it would swell every time it rained. At the end, it was about impossible to lift when it was wet. It won't be missed!
And this is our beautiful new door! We had $700 set aside for the door. We, of course, got it on clearance and had enough money to spare to by a garage door opener. I won't know what to do with myself when I only have to push a button to open the door. It almost feels as if we are catching up with technology. The only bad news is the power is out in half of the garage. Hmmmm, it looks like we may have to hire someone to come in and fix this one. We have $58 left from the $700 so I'm not sure if that will cover it. The guy next door is pretty handy and out of work so maybe we can work something out with him.
And this is why I don't want Den working on the wiring. Note to self, self do not take a picture of Den when he is bleeding all over. It pisses him off! He dropped the new garage door on his ear and it was sharp.
I told you this house was trying to kill us!
And to all the vets, thank you for all that you are doing and have done for my family! God bless all of you!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Can you believe it!!

I'm so excited!!! I'm having my first sponsored giveaway. They like me, they really like me!
My new favorite person Jess from CSN Stores offered me the chance to review a product or to giveaway a $40 gift certificate. I keep telling you that I love you most and have chosen to do the gift certificate giveaway! Feel the love, feel the love.
I've been checking out the track lighting department and I feel another Dennis project coming on. I think Den needs to check this one out. I'm just saying, I think this is something he needs to look into!
So here is the dealio, if you follow my blog, you get one entry. Just leave a comment on this post. If you pop on over to CSNLighting, pick out your favorite light, come back and tell me which one you like, you get an extra entry. And for the best way to win, post about this on your blog (with a link to the track lighting) and get FIVE extra entries!!! I know this is amazing, I can hardly contain myself.
I'll pick a winner in one week! That is June 4th, Sluggy!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

So my big and beautiful booger for the day is .............Sock a Month 9! It is so much fun to look at all of the different socks. This one is my favorite!
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

I Have Issues!

Remember, how I told you that we were going to get a refund from Anna's wisdom teeth? So I called and yes, they(the oral surgeon's office) said that they had been paid by us, our dental insurance and our health insurance company. Hmmmmm, and now they won't send the money back. There were a few problems in the beginning that they were trying to straighten out. The dental insurance company wanted their money back and sent us a bill. Yeah, that was a fun call! I said why do I have to pay the bill and you too. They(dental insurance company) called the oral surgeon's office and said they worked it out. It doesn't feel worked out to me!
Anna had the surgery in January. They said in March that we would getting our money back and now we are pushing June. I feel like I don't have the right to complain because we were never supposed to get our money back in the first place. Our health insurance approved it afterward so we caught a break or so we thought. Any ideas of how to handle this one? I did call the oral surgeon's office a few times(very nicely, I might add) and they said that the woman that does the billing only does the bills in the middle of the month. So, we would have to wait for her to cut a check.
The transmission is going on Den's car and this would help quite a bit and not to mention paying for some college bills and tithing to the food pantry. But maybe, I'm spending money(well, hoping to spend) that really wasn't mine to begin with.
Any ideas,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!!

This is a fun one! And unfortunately, I think Den and I are leaning towards the old couple now! When did I get this old?
Thanks for stopping by,
SonyaAnn

All Kinds of Frugal!

I've passed cheap on to my kids! I'm so proud and I wish I had a metal to give DJ. I doubt that he would wear it though. Hmmmmm, maybe I could make him one out of an old juice lid!
This is my beautiful little wagon. I had two but they don't have a very long shelf life. I got two years out of the two of them and then well, it was looking like they were headed for the burn barrel. In walks DJ, he took both of them apart, painted it with some old paint in the garage, and reassembled one with all of the good parts. And the amazing thing is he didn't crush/break/ stomp any of the left over bits. The poor kid is a bit clumsy at times and usually destroys something on accident. But this time he fixed it. Who knew? I'm thinking about a bunch of little projects he can work on. I'll make him regret showing me this talent yet!
I just hope that he carries these cheap values into adulthood. He is pretty tight as it is so I think he will be alright. It's Anna and Den that need a good dose of frugal!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Growing up?

So this lovely house was my dream home. I do still love it and if anyone has an extra $4 million and wants to buy it for me, I wouldn't turn it down.
I had a conversation with Den the other day about what we wanted as a dream home and it has definitely changed. This could be that we have more attainable dreams now. Or it could be that maybe our ideas are shifting with everyone elses. I never was into the McMansion. But I would have loved to move into a beautiful home.
What we wanted now it is a green home, something cheap and small. We were more interested in the land than the home. Maybe an acre or two and a garden to tend.
So would this be that we are finally realizing that we are broke or is it we are becoming more environmentally friendly with maturity?

But I'm still not giving up on traveling in an RV all over the country!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday

I'm repicking a booger! It's our very own Pam. She has started a new blog! It's called The Thrifty Things. Go there and check it out!!
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

I'm Cheaper!!!

This lovely little single cup Keurig Brewer goes for and amazing $139.95! And according to US News this is one of the hottest top ten products that have taken off because of the recession. Hmmmm, people are spending $140 to make one cup of coffee.





Or you could just make one pot of coffee, freeze it in seven cups and then have your kids throw it in the microwave when they get up. Four minutes and I have a hot cup of coffee. All I have to do is add sugar and milk. I like my way better!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!!

This is by far the funniest one yet! I cried.
Thank you for coming to see me,
SonyaAnn

A Vacation?

We are going to try another cheap trip. I really hope that it doesn't turn out like the last trip did!
I would actually like to get there this time. But if I had to guess, this trip will probably end up getting canceled. And it will once again be because I'm an idiot. We are going here. And while it is far from posh, it is better than sleeping in a tent. Sorry, not trying to offend the tent lovers, I'm just not a camper.
We are going to use Donna and Dennis' time share. We paid $185(?) and we are going to bring our own food since they have a kitchen. I have been saving our gas rebate cards and have $75 in free gas coming my way. So the only thing that we will need to pay for is any little fun thing that we want to do. I have $200 set aside for this little voyage. I'm wondering if this will be enough. But that really isn't the problem. We had to book the timeshare fast in order to get one in the summer. Well, I was with Donna and just booked it without looking at our calender. And now you see the problem. DJ's DC trip is on Thursday so we will have to come back two days early. Which is fine with me but we didn't know until later that Anna starts summer school on Monday so she will have to drive her own car and drive back on Sunday. Have I told you about the time that Anna got lost in Antioch, one mile from our house?
It's just looking like this one isn't going to work out. But I bet any money that we will still try! I'll keep you posted!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

It's All Me!

So I have been keeping track of all of our grocery costs and yup, most of it is my fault! How did this happen and why am I admitting to it? I've diligently written down everything on the calendar. And by the way, this is a really good tip. Just write the price on the day and forget it. It is much easier to do that then to dig through the receipts. Anyways, my little trips here and there to get a "deal" are costing us the most. So I'm going to try and work CVS and Wags only when it is on sale and we REALLY need it.
So the good news is our total from the last four weeks is $454.19. We are under the $480 that we have budgeted so I'm happy with that. And I have $12 in Jewel cats, $3 in WAGS cats, and $8 in CVS cats. It is more like we spent $431.19 with the cats. I think that I can do better, I''ll let you know in another 4 weeks.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

And my beautiful booger for the day is Debbie from Beautiful Dee's! Her blog is just bright and fun, I love it!
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

I'm Full of It Lately!

I'm just chocked full of tips lately. I love this one. I'm kind of known for giving unique and useful gifts. And this is why I'm having such a hard time keeping the Christmas shopping under control. I keep trying to outdo myself.
We reuse all of our Christmas gift bags because we exchange gifts when we are together. But with Birthday gifts, we just send them off and I don't get the bags back.
I hate spending the money(even though it is just a $1) for the bags. Yes, everyone in the family recycles but I like to be a rebel and mix it up every once in a while. So I go to the dollar store and buy cheap little purses($1 each) for the girls and use them as a gift bag. How much fun is that! I haven't spent anymore on the bag than I would have and they get a purse instead of a paper bag. I bet the bag will be loved almost as much as the gift card in it.
Thanks for stopping by,
SonyaAnn
PS-I'm off to clean so I won't be able to get back to you for a bit! Have a great day, I'm sure that I will be. And I'm still in need of a sarcasm button!

Welcome MSN Readers!

I feel so honored to be mentioned in an article written by the great and vivacious Donna Freedman! Today is a good day.
Thank you so much for stopping over and here are a few links to my Santa's Secret posts( here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here! I have been working on this for a while).
Thank you so much for stopping by,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!!

I'm not sure how this really ties in to BMW but it sure is fun. And is he driving in circles or is she going balcony to balcony?
Have a great Wednesday,
SonyaAnn

A Tip and A Complaint

Now is the time when the poor folks living on the frozen tundra(Antioch IL is part of the arctic, I'm pretty sure) start taking the plastic off of the windows. I have found if you pull the plastic away from the tape, the plastic can be used again. If you take it all off at once(plastic and tape), the plastic tears and it likes to stick together making it useless.

But no matter what, every year I have to paint the trim somewhere in the house. Murphy's Law is at work every time. Why can't it pull the paint off at the top of the window? You know, the part that is under the blind that no one can see! Damn Murphy!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Zote, rehashed!

I'm so sorry that I ever said that this amazing soap was stinky. This is a retraction, who knew? I'm completely over the citronella smell. I'm used to it now and it seems to make everything smell more clean. I'm using less laundry soap and then scrubbing one really dirty article of clothing with Zote and adding that to the load. A $3 box of laundry soap is now lasting for a few months. It's been almost eight weeks and I still have about a third of a box left. I'm using about one bar a month so I'm guessing that my laundry cost is about $2 a month and the clothes have never been cleaner. But part of that could be because I'm scrubbing some of the articles more.
And I have also been taking a small sliver of it, tying it in an old sock and putting it in the dryer. It really helps with the static cling. So is this a old sock tip or is it a laundry tip? You can chose.
My friend is allergic to mosquitoes and I can't wait to experiment on her. It is supposed to be a great repellent! We shall see.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

On Sale

I just wanted to let you know that my book is on sale for $3.99 until Sunday night in honor of Mother's day. This is the cheapest that it has ever been. Like I've said before its not the best book ever written but I still love it with all of my heart. Go Here if you want a copy! Shipping is $4.99.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn
I had to laugh. The email that I got from Publish America said, "Offer expires Sunday night when moms become regular parents again.

Friend's Friday

You aren't going to believe this, the washing machine isn't working properly! The lid won't close. You have got to be F****** kidding me. It looks like the release is stuck. Nothing some WD-40 and a butter knife can't fix! I'm off to operate, AGAIN!
My booger for the day is.......Cindy from Cheap Cindy! Stop over and say Hi.
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

Rrrrrrrrrrrr!

I'm telling you when it rains here it pours! First, it was the DVD player and then the shelf in the kitchen and now the dryer!!! UGH!! I had gotten off cheap with the first two but not now. It was $60 for an igniter assembly. The only good thing was that Den was able to fix it so we didn't have to pay a repair man. But still another $60 that we need for other things! My cousin's saying, "if you are going to pay a repair man make sure that its good and broke before they get to it. Make'em earn it." comes into play a lot in our house lately! So when Den doubts himself as he has something apart, I remind him of that. That should be our family motto or you get what you get(meaning if its not on sale, forget it).
Honestly just stay away from me, it may be costly!
Thanks for stopping by,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!!

Need a laugh, go here!
Have a great hump day,
SonyaAnn

Hurry!

What I'm about to tell you will shock and disturb you. No, it is not a bedroom secret! I'm a bit cheap. I know, you would never have guessed it.
Since yard sale season will be opening, I thought I would just remind everyone to stock up on Easter baskets. My kids have been using the same basket for Easter since they were very small. But I try and collect a few as interesting planters. They don't last long but for a quarter, I'm fine with it. Or you could make your own gift baskets. Yeah, I know this is nothing new but just give me a second! Here are a couple of place(here and here) that give you some neat ideas that you could use to fill the jars.
A friend of ours just lost her father to a tragic accident. So I wanted to send a little something over. I know this is terrible but I got some bagel and rolls that were marked down at the end of the day. I found that small piece of cloth in the drawer and grabbed a basket. That cost me $5. Now I just pray that she doesn't find my blog! But it's the thought that counts, right?
So if you are out and about looking for deals, don't forget about grabbing a basket or two. A thinking of you basket goes over very well.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Another cheap fix!

And this is the inside of one of our kitchen cabinets. Contrary to public beliefs, I do not keep small kitchen appliances in our bedroom. And I'm not even going to let Annie Jones comment on the cheese grater!
Anyways, we seem to be getting more than our fair share of things breaking around here. It just may be our year. I was unloading our barely working dishwasher(this is Anna's job but I had a second load and she wasn't home so I had to do it.) I put some of the bowls on the shelf and it came crashing down. CRAP!!! I had snapped four of the five plastic clips. And of course, we don't have anymore. As I unloaded the cabinet, a little thought crossed my mind(at this age I only get small ones). I went around and took one clip from four shelves. I took the clip off of the back corner so that the working selves were still stable. I treated this little problem like I would if I lost the lug nuts from a tire. How's that for using my noodle? So the next time you have a problem, think like me and make four more of your cabinets unstable!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn