I forgot to tell you. Last year, there were fabulous sales on turkeys after Thanksgiving that we bought one and made it the day we put up the tree. It snowed too: it was a great day.

So we decided to buy 2 turkeys this year. On Saturday, we ran into the store to pick up something for some impending guests, and noticed that good-sized birds were going for around $5 each! It was a great deal but we were in a hurry so we didn't get one.
We went back the next day and they were all sold out. We went to the next store, and their's weren't on sale at all. We're very bummed.

I think I'll try BJ's tonight. I need to use my 3 month free membership card with them.

I only went into one store for Christmas presents this weekend, and it was enough to turn me off of the whole shopping season. It's so crowded and people are so pushy, just to see nothing.

i did manage to buy 3 really nice presents for $15, and a stocking stuffer for my mom. I'm glad that I made a bigger dent into my shopping list.

I keep buying apples because they are still on sale, but we can't eat them all now. I chopped up 5 more apples last night and have them in the freezer right now spread out nicely on a cutting board. I'll put them in a tupperware tonight for storage. It'll be much faster when I want to make apple muffins or apple bread to not have to spend the time peeling, coring and dicing apples.
And the best part is I'll have apples all winter long at sales prices!

I have about 2 pounds more to go...I'll do one more pound tonight.

I also have to make lemon squares and banana bread tonight for Thanksgiving. We're driving out of state tomorrow, and I'll be busy on Wed. making apple pies.

Last year I remember buying so much food the week of Thanksgiving, and not because I was forced to, but because there were such great sales.

Where are all the great sales? The flyers this week were full of turkeys and hams, ok, but the rest were products they were advertising as being 'on sale' but they were the regular price! I hate it when they do that.

So, all I bought were eggs, some flour, and frozen pizzas for dinner last night. I made my own bread since we went out for a surprise brunch with visiting family.

I'm having 4 teeth pulled tomorrow, which will not be fun. At least I'll eat a lot of soup and liquids, which are cheap.

The other good part is that I'll use up $250 for this. I have way too much money in my medical reimbursement fund that I need to use up before next Friday.
I'm told that aspirin and contact lens solution bottles count, so I may be doing some stocking up to get all of my money back, or I'll have lost it.

I won't join that program again, the little percentage I may save doesn't make up for the worrying and risk of losing the money

I bought quite a few belt buckles last night, and made two belts. I hope enough belts sell to make up for my costs incurred. I figure if they don't sell I can always give them to my sister who loves these things.

I forgot the extra rice I made for dinner out on the counter all night, so I couldn't bring it in for lunch today. Grr....sometimes I don't know where my head is. So, it's soup again today.

Also, apples have been on sale since it's that time of year, so I made a triple batch of apple muffins and froze most of them.

They only need about 30 seconds in the microwave to thaw and heat up for breakfast. They're nice for taking with you out the door (as I had to do this morning).

For the rest of the apples I didn't use, I peeled and cut them up, froze them on a cookie sheet, and then put them into a tupperware for storage. The next time I need apples for a recipe, most of the work will already have been done and I paid the sale price for apples.

I need to make belts this week (a sample one by the 17th), that I'm going to sell at a Holiday craft fair. I'm way behind schedule. Going to a specialty sewing store tonight for better buckles.

I've been sewing drapes for my extra bedrooms - I'm trying to keep the cold air out.

I started sewing a handbag for myself. I just need some fusible material to attach a silk ribbon, then I'll be done for a cost of about $1!

Also, my mother was complaining about a draft coming out of her laundry closet. I have some fabric which is the color of the room the closet is in, so I want to sew her a draft dodger as a surprise, and bring it up for Thanksgiving.

I better get busy!

The spouse isn't going to do the original part time job he found. It's ridiculous- he has to pay all this money up front and hope that he makes it back.
We'll also never see each other if he does it. He'll call today and cancel his training.
I'm thinking about doing something part time after my day job - we'll have to discuss it.

I want to start my Christmas shopping this week. That way I can take advantage of sales and spread my dollars out over the holiday season.

My husband has an interview next week for a job just for the holidays. Hooray!!
It means not spending our evenings together, but it would only be for December, and we definitely need the holiday money.

I insulated our big walk in closet this weekend, all by myself as my husband was working. My staple gun decided to stop working as I was putting up the vapor barrier though, so I'm not quite finished.

Our big closet runs the length of the wall behind our bed. Since we don't have a headboard, you can definitely feel the cold coming out of the wall. Also, from looking in other walls in our old house, we know that there's no insulation in the exterior walls (aside from what we've put in). I'm so glad that I put this in - I can't believe there was none! I had enough leftover from when we did our attic that all this project cost me was about $5 for the vapor barrier plastic sheeting.

All I need at the grocery store this week is eggs and cat litter.
I can't believe it! I've never pared down this much. It's a combination of not much being on sale, stocking up in the past and using what I already have.
This will bring my grocery spending average way down.

To celebrate, I made molasses cookies last night which was super cheap. Yummy.

I'll have day off of work tomorrow. My plan is to make curtains for my two extra bedrooms upstairs. One window has blinds, but the other is bare. I bought some really heavy fabric (on sale and with a coupon) to help keep the heat in and the cold out. I might switch them in the summer to something lighter, but this should help with our heating bills tremendously.

I've made all of the curtains for our house. It was actually cheaper to buy a brand new sewing machine and nice fabric, than to purchase them ready-made.

So the dentists say I need all four wisdom teeth removed. Yeehaw.
Since I scheduled it to happen a few days before we lose our insurance, it will only cost us $200, but I'll miss 2 days of work and be miserable.
Maybe I should have had them removed when I was in my teens. Alas.

I'm in so much pain - I think I need one of my wisdom teeth removed. I've had it since Friday, but it's severly worse today. I can barely eat, can't close my mouth all the way and am speaking with an impediment. Not good for business!

At least this happened now, and not in December when we won't have any health/dental insurance.

Just when you think you're getting ahead SLAM, in comes something new to pay for.

I was very naughty this weekend. I went out to lunch with an old friend of mine who wanted to see my new house. We could've stayed at home and I could have made something. Alas, I was too tired for that. I hate it when my body wimps out on me.

HOWEVER, I spent $44 on $86 worth of groceries. I totally cleaned up! The grocery stores in my area have been a offering buy one get two free deal lately, and I've been reaping the benefits!