| I Heart DDP |
I've been having a long long love affair with DDP (Diet Dr.Pepper). Unfortunately our affair is threatened by the fact that my budget can't afford name brand soda. Hariss Teeter and Wal-Mart have good generic versions, but they don't compare to DDP.
So today I was beyond happy to find that Hariss Teeter had DDP on sale 4/$10. Not a good deal I know. BUT each box had coupon stickers on them for $1 off at the register. So I was able to buy 4 12 packs of DDP for $6. I was so happy I went back to the store and did it again. So I have 8 12 packs of DDP which will last me a long time.
8 12 packs / $12 = $1.50 a 12 pack. $0.48 cheaper than Wal-mart's generic 12 pack!Labels: bargains |
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| Books, books, books! |
I've been reading so many non school books over the past two weeks (and not studying for the GRE...need to do that soon). I've read and am reading:
The Feminine Mistake
My Year in Radical Islam
The Historian
I have some more, but these are the ones I've finished/am near finishing.
I have a lot of thoughts running in my head about the first two and am planning on doing a post about them soon.Labels: book reviews |
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| Merry Christmas |
 Luke 2:1-40
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. (2) This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. (3) And all went to be registered, each to his own town. (4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, (5) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (6) And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. (7) And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (8) And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9) And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (15) When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (16) And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (17) And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. (18) And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (19) But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (21) And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (22) And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (23) (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) (24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” (25) Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (26) And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (27) And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, (28) he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, (29) “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; (30) for my eyes have seen your salvation (31) that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, (32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (33) And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. (34) And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (35) (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (36) And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, (37) and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. (38) And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (39) And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. (40) And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.Labels: Christmas |
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| Christmas Gifts and Frugal Confessions |
I don't like homemade gifts. I was going to write a post about it, but decided it sounded a bit snarky/snobby. So I'm just going to give my gift giving philosophy and what gifts I am giving this year.
Gift Giving Philosophy
Gifts are my love language. I show my appreciation/love for people through gifts. I can't help it. I enjoy holidays, birthdays and other celebrations not for what I get, but because of what I can give. It gets me all ooey gooey inside! That said, I don't buy gifts for someone unless I want to and can find something for them. I'll give gift certificates if I think that will fit the person. Simply put I never give because I have to.
Who was on my list?
I babysit a lot. I have been so blessed by babysitting jobs and wanted to show my two 'main' families my appreciation. So I have two families and three children that I needed to give gifts for. I also needed gifts for my mom, dad, niece, roommate, my supervisor, angel tree child, friend at work and my three friends at bible study.
That's a lot of people for someone who's anti-homemade gifts and is on a low budget. So I make a shop early, have a general idea of what I want to get and check out black Friday ads to see if there's anything worth me getting up for. I don't have a total budget or a budget per person...I just know how much extra money I have and don't spend over (it helps that I don't have a credit card and only a debit). When the money is gone-it's gone!
What I got:
Babysitting family 1 (15 month old boy): a free night of babysitting and 4 Sesame Beginning books. The baby LOVES the Sesame Beginning DVDs and I was ecstatic to find them at the dollar tree! Total cost: $4 (plus one evening)
Babysitting family 2 (2 year old and 4 year old boys): free night of babysitting, hat with my school's name for 4 year old ($11), long sleeve shirt with a trolley on it from Gymboree ($10--clearance), and Duck Duck Goose board game for both ($7, clearance). Total: $28 and one evening
Mom-National Lampoon Vacation box collection ($40..split w/ my dad so my part was only $20), Bath and Body Works set ($13--clearance! A few days ago they put all of their Christmas sets 50% off), book on CD-- she wants to start listening to books, so I found one on the holy land ($7-clearance at Barnes and Noble). Total:$40
Dad- Fantastic Four Monopoly Game ($10), ornament with my school's mascot ($10--75% off at the campus bookstore). Total: $20. I know this sounds horrible, but I NEVER know what to get my dad. He works all the time and on his hobby is playing xbox 360. So my mom gets him games and between my other brothers and sisters... he gets a good amount of stuff :)
Angel Tree- The girl I picked off the angel tree this year was 7 years old and wanted a Barbie styling head ($15- Toys R Us Black Friday special) and a play purse. I couldn't find the play purse, so I improvised and got her a toy cosmetic kit ($5) and a tote bag with scripture on it from the dollar tree ($1). From the dollar tree, I also got her a make your own merry go round kit ($1) and bible stories on CD ($1). I also gave her Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume ($5) and a make your own teddy bear kit ($10?). Total: $38
Supervisor- I LOVE my boss. He's absolutely hilarious and doesn't mind if we slightly goof off at work. He always seems to be eating, so for Christmas I got him a mug from World Market ($4), A brownie from Starbucks ($2) and a Starbucks gift card ($5). Total: $11
Friend at work- I don't know her that well, but work a lot together and study some too. She also helps keep me sane when we encounter crazy people through our job. She's going abroad in the spring, so I gave her a goody bag with different English treats (she's going to London) from World Market ($4) and a $5 starbucks gift card. Total: $9
Roommate- My roommate is a saint. He deals with my moodiness, cleaning rants and my late night singing. He probably deserves a less hormonal roommate, but since I can't do that- I gave him: an espresso kit from World Market that he has looked at often ($10-sale!), a hard-backed novel set in New York--where he wants to move to after graduation ($1..Dollar Tree), New York Times mug ($5) and a sleep mask-don't ask! ($3). Total: $19
Niece- Okay, my niece is my budget buster. She's my only one and we have a very special relationship. Because of this I tend to buy stuff that I'll know she'll love all year long and hold them until Christmas. This is where after-Christmas specials are handy. I will be giving her- a light up stage thingy ($15, Toys R Us black Friday sale), Bitty Baby-American Girl doll ($50), large Castle you can color ($12-clearance with HSN), Books ($14..a mixture of Disney Store and Goodwill picture books that are in new condition), three DVDS ($5..Goodwill). total: $96
Bible study Girls- I attend bible study/church with three girls. They are AMAZING and call me early on Sunday to make sure I get to church and really keep me in line. I gave them a huge lifesavers ornament that has candy inside ($1 each), a Christmas mug ($1 each..Dollar Tree), and an individual serving of hot chocolate ($1 each). This was a good pick me up during our hectic exam time! Total: $9
TOTAL: $274
I also gave took my niece shopping for the people on her list (She's three). For my mom, dad and sister (her mom) she spent $17. Movie gift certificate ($10), Bath and Body works set ($7..LOVE the clearance).
Grand Total:$291
Final thoughts
The wonderful thing about Christmas is that everyone celebrates it in their own way. This is just how I do my gift giving. Gifts aren't the center or end-all-be all of my Christmas. However, they are a part of it. My grand total was close to the amount I make in one month. However for the first half of the year I was working full time. I also get babysitting jobs out of the blue and that extra money is what I use to get gifts, etc with. Divided out among the year, I spend about $25 a month on Christmas gifts. I just wanted to show that you can give the gifts you want at the prices you can afford. You don't have to go into debt or use a lot of time making gifts people will never use.
Merry Christmas!
Labels: Christmas |
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| And sometimes... |
It's good to be a kid again for a while. To sleep in your old room, wake up whenever... have your mom make all your favorite food---and fill up your car with gas! Man, why did I have to grow up. I'm home for break for two weeks. My Christmas break is longer but I have to go back early to work.
Besides being lazy (hey! I'll be the first one to admit it) over break I plan to/have already:
- Babysit (4 days)
- Read as many books as possible (including frugal ones!)
- Watch a lot of bad-butchered by the critics movies (thanks to Redbox...love $1 rentals!)
- Plan my spring break
- Finish up Christmas stuff
Labels: Christmas |
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Name: Renee
Home: United States
About Me: I'm 22
I like to read non fiction
I love politics
I like good beer
I pay too much for purses
Being happy is the only goal in my life!
See my profile...
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Background by EM
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posted by Renee at 
