Double blogger?

I did it! As I mentioned here, I was thinking about starting new blog to document our move from Minnesota to New Mexico. Here's a link: MN2NM. I guess I'm a double blogger now! Hoping to still do periodic posts here, but you will probably see more from me over there.

MN to NM?

Wow, it's been awhile. We have been deep in the process of unpacking, organizing, and getting connected in our new home- Albuquerque. Things have been going great so far. People here are really friendly and we've been able to make a lot of connections.  Having a toddler really helps with meeting people- you just go to a park and start talking to the parents of the other kids! The fact that the high has been at least 50 almost every day helps with the whole park thing. Back in Minnesota, we didn't really make it to the park from November through most of April because of the weather. Which brings me to the topic of my post:

I'm thinking of changing the focus of my blogging, and maybe just starting over at a new blog. This process of relocating/moving across the country and getting settled has taught me a bunch of lessons. And I continue to learn new things about our new hometown, the process of getting to know a new place, and the nitty gritty logistics of moving and making new friends. While being thrifty is still a big part of our daily life, this process of going from MN to NM and making it our home is a bigger focus right now.

So don't be surprised to see a new focus on this blog or maybe even a completely new blog taking its place! More to come.

Almost ready to move

We are still here in the Twin Cities. The moving van takes our stuff to Albuquerque (otherwise known as ABQ) on December 21. Hard to believe that by New Year's we will be in our new city and on January fifth we will move into our house there. For those who don't know, ABQ is known for a yearly hot air balloon festival. Here's a picture:

http://www.blog-city.info/en/img1/12536_972005Hot_air_balloons_Albuquerque-sm.jpg

Meanwhile, the Christmas season is in full swing. Because of the timeline for our move and everything that has to be done, I got most Christmas-related stuff finished in November. It feels great to have the cards sent, presents bought and wrapped, etc.

A few of my past blog posts that are useful this time of year and some strategies that we've been using because of our upcoming move.
- Take a look at this post from last year. Now that the year is nearing the end, make sure you take care of any financial or tax-related to-do's before 2012 hits.
- Love me some Shutterfly. I've taken care of our cards and a gift or two, and saved some major money with their coupons.
- Craigslist is our friend! (See all posts I've done about Craigslist here) sold a few pieces of furniture and a chandelier in the past couple weeks. We've also bought three area rugs for our new home. The home in ABQ is all tile with no carpet, so we're basically collecting area rugs at this point.
- We have hit the Room and Board Outlet recently to look for rugs and a couple other things for the place in ABQ. No purchases but it's fun to look.

In other news, we're almost at 4000 disposable diapers avoided by using cloth. Awesome.

Merry Christmas, next time I post it might be from ABQ!

Taking a blogging break

We got some big news this week. My husband is being promoted/transferred for work. We have just over a month to move to Albuquerque New Mexico! In light of this, I am going to take a blogging sabbatical. If I come up with some thrifty moving tips, maybe I will share. However, my number one tip would be to get your employer to move you (as we are) so you don't have to deal with the cost/hassle of moving yourself!

Have a great month or two.

Two firsts in my "blogger life"

It's been an exciting week in the life of this blogger. First, my real-world as well as blog-world friend Badger Girl invited me to participate in a Pick Three Recipes blog game. See an upcoming post this weekend for the three favorite recipes I have shared on this blog thus far.

And secondly, my husband and I are going to opening night of Much Ado About Nothing tonight for FREE just because I'm a blogger. Talk about thrifty! The Guthrie Theater posted a request for local bloggers to contact them with our email addresses and blog url's. Next thing I knew, I got an email from them offering me tickets for tonight. They said I'm welcome to blog, good or bad, about my experience at the show, as long as I share a link to the blog post with them. So, be on the lookout for that post as well.

TGIF.

Almost a year...

It's hard to believe I'm closing in on a year of blogging. My first post was June 6, 2010. For those first few months I had the (crazy) idea that I would post every single day. I'd even jump out of bed at 11:45pm and write a quick blog if I realized I hadn't posted yet that day. Thankfully, I have left that mindset behind. My current goal is two to three posts per week.

Which leads me to my question.... is there any thrifty-related topic you'd like to see? Something that has caught your interest that you'd like me to do some research about? I had one friend ask about extreme couponing, so I might dig into that and give you guys a full report. More slow cooker recipes are on the way as well.

Until then, enjoy the fact that Spring is finally here. We finally have leaves on the trees here in Minnesota!

No longer thirty. Still thrifty.

I've been off the blogging bandwagon a bit lately, I'll blame it on travel, being under the weather, and the run-up to my birthday. Yes, it's true. Today I turned 31. No longer thirty, but darn it, I am still thrifty. There are several blog posts running through my mind, the key is to find the time to get them (and accompanying pictures) put up here.

Until then....

Saying No

Discussion Book

A discussion topic in our baby and me class today really got me thinking. We talked about saying "no" to our kids and how important it is to teach them they can't always have everything that they want. Saying no helps them to develop self-control and self-discipline, two very important life skills. The discussion also centered around how culture and the media focuses on saying "yes" and always getting more stuff with instant gratification.

What a lesson. If more people had learned this lesson as kids said no to things they couldn't afford, maybe we could have avoided the mortgage meltdown and financial crisis! A recent post on one of my favorite blogs said it well, too: I Am Not Giving My Kids Everything

How does this tie to being thrifty? We can sometimes say no to ourselves when looking for the easy way, which might be the more expensive way. We can try to raise our kids to not expect piles of presents and material things for every holiday, but give them an unlimited amount of love and attention. We can talk to our kids about the family budget and why we make the spending decisions we do, which sometimes might mean saying "no" to things they want.

As the header of this blog says, being thrifty is not just about saving money, it's also about thriving, flourishing, and prospering. Saying no in a loving way can help all of us do just that!

Shamrock Shake Price Differences!

From Source

Does anyone else love Shamrock Shakes? These minty, electric green delights are only available at McDonald's during the month of March. I might have already had three of them this month.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the fact that prices at McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are usually more expensive at airports and malls. What I didn't realize that individual product prices could differ over just a few miles. My first two shakes were from a McDonald's in one town (Chanhassen) and my third one was from a McDonald's just one town and less than five miles away (Excelsior) but was 20 cents cheaper.

Lesson learned: it might be worth it to price compare at local fast food restaurants if there is an item you buy repeatedly. I will probably save at least a dollar this month by the time I reach my Shamrock Shake limit. Between this and Easter candy, it's a good thing I added a gym membership last month!

I (finally) won something!

I'm "friends" with several businesses and organizations on Facebook. And I have entered several give-aways. I've left comments about cloth diapers and on blog posts, I've answered trivia questions, you name it. Well today I finally won something!


The Guthrie Theater posted a status update to call their box office and the first 19 people would get free tickets to tonight's show. I saw the update four minutes later and gave them a call... and won! So my husband and I are seeing The Winter's Tale tonight, thanks to my in-laws who can babysit last minute. Did I mention they're really good seats, and worth $60 each?

So keep trying, you might just finally get something for free!

What's next?

I've been spending some time brainstorming about possible topics for future blog posts. Anything you'd like to see?

Possible topics:
- DIY poster framing
- More crockpot recipes
- Finish the bathroom remodel series
- Everyday cleaning tips
- A week of menus based on what's on sale/coupons
- Thrifty Valentine's Day
- More travel tips

2011 Resolutions? Not so much.

Well being that this is my first post of 2011 and since it's the first Monday of a new year I'm guessing you might be expecting me to post about my resolutions for 2011 or to share a list of thrifty resolutions you should make for 2011. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not really a resolution-maker. Maybe that's a bad thing, but I have never really gotten into it, and neither has my husband.  Instead I will share some links to what others have said about 2011 financial resolutions. Happy resolving!

Money Magazine
CNBC
US News and World Report

Three Financial Terms Kids Need to Know

From WSJ.com

Now that we have a baby, my husband and I talk about what we want to teach her about money. Some of the important lessons, in our eyes, include being a "saver" rather than a "spender" and starting to save early in life, not trading individual stocks (using index funds instead), taking advantage of company matching dollars, and paying off your credit card every month. A recent column in the Wall Street Journal illustrated what one dad wants to teach his kids- Direct deposit, dollar-cost averaging, and index mutual funds. Some important topics.

Three Financial Terms Kids Need to Know

Thrifty topics- what am I missing?

Hard to believe I've been writing this blog since early June. I'm trying to write about varied topics so there is something for everyone- men, women, parents, students.... But what types of posts am I missing? Is there anything you'd like to know more about? Let me know!

100 Thrifty Posts

Wow, this is my 100th blog post. Hard to believe I've been a blogger for over three months now. It's been a lot of fun so far. I still have quite a few ideas up my sleeve. Here's a preview of some of the topics:

• Changing your own oil
• Monthly budgeting process
• DIY- Bathroom Remodel
• Shutterfly photo books and enlargements
• DIY- Picture framing
• More Thrifty Recipes
• Coupon finds
• More on cloth diapers
• Further adventures in making baby food

What else would you like to see me write about?

Spending=Happiness?

Artwork from the New York Times

I read an interesting article in the New York Times today.  Studies have shown that when we spend our money on experiences instead of "stuff," we are happier. To paraphrase a quote from the article, it's better for your emotional health to spend money on a memorable vacation with a loved one than on a new couch. It has also been found that the anticipation and planning for a purchase is a big part of the enjoyment you get. I agree with this article. For me, half the fun of a trip or a big purchase is the planning, research, list-making.... you get the idea. And my husband and I definitely spend more of our discretionary money on experiences than "stuff," which is why a lot of what I write about is how to save money on that stuff!

Article about spending money and happiness

Two months of Thirty and Thrifty

It's hard to believe that this blog has been going for two months now. That's over 60 thrifty posts! I've had a lot of fun and I hope you've enjoyed my writing so far. Maybe you've even learned something new.

What suggestions do you have? Any topics you'd like me to cover that I haven't yet?

Looking forward to your responses!

My thrifty influences

If you've been reading my blog, you might be wondering how and why I became thrifty. There have been two major thrifty influences in my life; my mom and my husband.

My mother, who was/is a stay at home mom like me, showed me how to be thrifty by example. Some key things I learned from her (and continue to learn) include:
-A family that eats dinner together stays together
-How to plan menus
-The importance of sticking to the grocery list when shopping
-Using coupons
-Shopping TJ Maxx, Marshall's, dollar stores, Aldi
-The art/science of rummage sales

My husband is also a very thrifty influence. It must be his finance background! Some key things I have learned from him include:
-Using mint.com to centralize our budgeting
-Buying and selling on ebay and Craigslist
-Creating and sticking to a budget
-It can be fun to do home improvement projects

Who helps you be thrifty? Or is there someone in your life that gets you off course?

30 and Thrifty?

In looking at the definition of thrifty in the blog title (from Webster's College Dictionary), what words jump out for you? Flourishing, prospering, and clever were the big ones for me. Our family leads a thrifty life. At the same time, we are flourishing, prospering, and have developed some clever tactics to do so! Read on for strategies, tips, and insights into how to be thrifty while at the same time enjoying your life.