For His Sake

Tonight is the eighth and final night of Hanukkah. It's my favorite night, the menorah looks so pretty with all nine branches lit and glowing. We turned out the lights and sat for a few moments, looking at the burning candles and contemplating...

I noticed something in scripture today that I've never noticed before. In Isaiah 43:25, it states this, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

"...for mine own sake..." Did you catch that part? Blotting out transgressions and not remembering sins seems like something that would definitely benefit me. But here it says that it's not for my sake, it's for His.

He loved us when we were unlovable.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

For His own sake.


Amazing love.

Merry Chrisamerry!

One of the kids in my extended family used to say "Merry Chrisamerry!" with much joy and enthusiasm when she was little. Those days are long gone, but I still love the abondonment to the season that this symbolizes to me.

So, along with my prayers for each of you to have a wonderful holiday, filled with love and joy, I also wish to you and yours....

MERRY CHRISAMERRY!

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Last Minute? It's Not Too Late!

It's not too late to get a gift card from Amazon.com! Did you know that you can print your own gift card? Or even email it to someone? So it's still not too late if you have that certain someone that you just haven't found the right gift for; or maybe you need just a little something extra for someone.

Click the icon or link above, and see what options are right for you!

Happy shopping, and happy holidays!

The Light of the World

• And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch (John 10: 22-23)

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication.

Almost two hundred years before the time of Christ, Israel was in crisis. The once united kingdom of Alexander the Great had fallen into the hands of four successors, and Judea was caught in a power-play tug-of-war between two rival factions for quite some time. Under the rule finally of the Seluceans/Syrians, Israel was forced into assimilation into the dominate Greek culture. The temple was desecrated, and it was forbidden to teach their children the basics of their religion and culture.

A small town priest name Matthias, and his sons, the most famous of which is Judah, the Maccabee (hammer), staged a rebellion that sparked an overthrow; and freedom, for a time at least, to practice their religion and exercise their faith.

When the time came to cleanse the temple and restore the worship rituals ordained by God, they were unable to find enough of the special, pure oil used to light the seven-branched lamp, or menorah, that illuminated the holy place. While they embarked on the eight-day process to make more of this special oil, they decided to go ahead and use the one-day supply of oil that they had, so the people could see that the temple was back in use. By a miracle of God, the oil lasted for the complete eight days, and the rededication of the temple was completed

A special nine-branched menorah is used during Hanukkah, to commemorate the miracle that took place when the Temple was rededicated and restored to proper use. Each night the middle candle, the shamus, or servant candle, is used to light the other candles-one candle on the first night, two on the second, and on through the eight candles that are lit on the last night.

"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch" (John 10: 22-23)
The "feast of the dedication" referred to here is Hanukkah; and Solomon's porch was the colonnade that lit up during the feast with a number of special, oversized menorahs. It was during this time that Jesus openly acknowledged that He was, indeed, the Christ.

Hanukkah means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it's a cultural holiday, for some, a religious one. As a believer in Yeshua Ha'mashiech, Jesus the Messiah, Hanukkah speaks to me on several different levels. First as a commemoration of the miracle that took place, and also to acknowledge that miracles do happen, but they happen in God's timing and at His discretion, not ours. Secondly, as a time for personal reflection and dedication. And lastly, to commemorate the coming of the Light of the World.

This season as you celebrate Hanukkah, for whatever reason; may the peace of God shine round about you and yours.

Until next time...

My Husband Likes Crunchy Peanut Butter

• The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
• She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Today I went back to our small town Walmart to buy more groceries. We haven't been home in three months, so I'm out of everything here. Last time we were home, I threw out a lot of old things from the back of the cabinets, and took a lot of current items to Georgia with me. It takes a lot to restock a pantry and fridge from nothing, so I was buying an extraordinary amount of food.

As I walked up and down the aisles, looking at prices and brands, I tried to make it a point to buy some items that my husband is especially fond of.

For instance, my husband likes crunchy peanut butter. I prefer Jif smooth, he likes the crunchy. I bought both today.

He likes bean dip--I think it's only purpose is a supporting role in 7-layer Fiesta dip. But I bought bean dip.

I bought his favorite cereal, some coffee and coffee supplies (not a coffee drinker, myself) and some other snack items that I know he likes.

I know it may seem like kind of a stretch to connect the verses above with what you buy at the grocery store, but do you honor your husband's taste and preferences in food and other everyday necessities of life?

I'm not talking about making him a king and the rest of the family servants. No need to feed him steak while the rest of you eat beans. (Unless you like beans!)

I knew a gal once who split a can of soup with her two kids everyday for lunch so they could afford nicer food for her husband. She and her girls drank kool-aid so she could buy soda for him. She did without in every area, so he wouldn't be discontent with what he had. The clincher for me was the time he asked her to wash clothes in the bathtub so they could take their laundromat money and order pizza, because he didn't like what she had in the house to eat. Personally, I thought she was nuts.

If you de-value yourself over and over again, eventually everyone around you will assume that you aren't worth much.

That is NOT what I'm writing about.

Those of us who are married to good, solid, self-sacrificing men, need to make sure that we don't take that for granted. We may not be able to afford lavish spending, in grocery or any other area, but that doesn't mean that we can't take the time to honor our husband's likes and dislikes to the extent that we as a family can afford to do so.

My husband doesn't like chicken and dumplings, which is one of my personal frugal favorites. Does that mean that I never make chicken and dumplings? No. It just means that I make sure I have leftover potroast for him. Or something else that he likes. (He'd rather just eat oatmeal for supper than chicken and dumplings, and sometimes, he does!)

My husband is such a good person, and sometimes I don't think I appreciate him enough. But today, in my small way, I made sure he knew that I thought enough about him to get him some of his favorite small pleasures. Crunchy peanut butter. Bean dip. Summer sausage and cheese log. Coffee.

Such a small way to say, "I love you".

Until next time...

There's No Place Like Home

I'm home!

Home, for me, is rural small town in Louisiana. It's not a tiny town as some would say, but still small town enough that you see people you know or at least recognize almost anyplace you go.

Our house is in the country, it once belonged to my grandparents. We have no dishwasher, no garbage disposal, not a whole lot of cabinet or countertop space in the kitchen. No cable tv or highspeed internet. We do have satellite for the tv, but we aren't home enough to warrant satellite internet, so it's dial-up for me for the next couple of weeks, unless I take my lap-top to town and find a wi-fi spot. (I think there are two, one at the library and the other at a local coffee shop.) My house tends to be cold in the winter and hot in the summer. None of the floors or the carpet match. It gets a funny smell when we haven't been for a while. My mattress is lumpy. We need to replace the tub surround. I took my best pots to Georgia with me, so I'll be cooking with the leftovers for the next two weeks.

This town has Walmart, and two grocery stores from a regional chain; no national grocery chains. We did get a new Walgreens a year or two ago. No CVS or Rite Aid, or any major retailers to speak of.

But it's home.

I had to make a quick run to the grocery store to get a few things; we haven't been here for awhile so my cupboards were bare. (Almost literally). Prices are higher here. The store doesn't double or triple coupons except on very special occasions. But the gal who checked me out knows me. I went to high school with her younger sister, and we used to go to the same church.

On the way home from the store, I was able to get gumbo for lunch. From the drive-through.

My momma cooked supper for us last night, and invited us for leftovers again tonight.

It's good to be home.

Tomorrow I'm going to take my mom to Walgreens and show her the ropes about stacking coupons and applying for rebates, then we may hit Walmart and see what bargains we can find there. Next week we may venture out to find the closest CVS--I think there's one in a town about 50 miles south of here.

Oh, yeah, that'll be after my sister and one of my nieces comes out and we sort through the bottles of free nail polish I brought home with me from Georgia.

Did I say this already? It's good to be home.

I'll let you know how the bargain shopping goes.


Until next time...
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Happy Birthday To Me

It's my birthday, and it's a milestone one, too. I won't say which! To those of you out there who know---shh, don't tell. I really don't think it's right, anyway.

Where did all of those years go? Sometimes I feel like I'm just now hitting my stride of adulthood. My mom should be this age, not me. (She says she feels the same way, too!)

Needless to say, I hope I get many more!

Blessing to everyone, until next time...

Why I Have a Membership at Sams Club

• 
  
  She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar
  

Click 'n' Pull

Recently someone an a 'frugal living' blog was asking who had a Sam's Club membership, and asking if the savings was worth the membership fee. I have to say that for me, the answer is a resounding, "Yes"!

I've shopped at Sam's Clubs for years. When we lived in Alaska, they were cheaper by far than any of the other grocery stores on many items--anyone out there who's ever lived in Alaska, you know how expensive everything is there--at least 50% more than in the lower 48! So when I was looking at available affiliate ads to put on my site, I jumped at the chance to apply for a Sam's ad. And while looking at their on-line shopping, guess what I found? The coolest thing, called, "Click 'n' Pull".

To do "Click 'n' Pull" you have first have a Sam's Club membership, which you can apply for right on-line. If you already have a membership, register your card to set up an on-line account with Sam's. (It takes all of 30 seconds). Locate your Sam's Club by entering in your zip code, and choosing the store you want to use. Then shop the "click and pull" section of Sam's online. Make sure when you add things to your cart that you put what quantity you want. Then check out with your cyber cart (no payment due at that point). Staff at your local Sam's Club will pull your order for you, all you have to do is go the customer service desk and pay for it. They will email you when your order is ready for pick-up, but the website states that if you get your order in by 5:00 p.m. one day, you can pick it up by 7:00 a.m. the next day for a business member, or 9:00 a.m. for an advantage member.

Is that not the coolest thing? Perfect for someone with small kids, or someone who is disabled, or who just doesn't have a lot of free time! I love this idea! I haven't used it yet, but I am definitely going to test it out.

If you'd like to purchase a membership, order something on-line, or do the Click 'n' Pull, clicking through from the ad on the sidebar will help support this site.

And lest you think I only bring up Sam's because of the ad, I've been shopping at Sam's Clubs for years. I got my first Sam's Club membership many years ago, before my son was born (he's 21 now!). I let it lapse for a while, then reapplied, and have had a membership at Sam's since 1991.

When I first got my Sam's membership, I lived about 50 miles away from the nearest Sam's warehouse store, so a trip to Sam's was not a regular part of my grocery shopping, but a "several times a year" stock-up trip. I lived in a small town, and there were two reasons I liked shopping at Sam's. First of all, the prices were decent--maybe not the same as a steeply discounted sale item, but at or slightly below the everyday prices at the local small grocery stores I had regular access to. The second, and for me most important reason to shop at Sam's, is that Sam's stocked items that I just couldn't find in my small town. And what's more, I could afford to stock up. We would take an ice chest, maybe two, and fill it with frozen things, stock up on cereal, peanut butter, canned vegetables, and whatever we could find that I knew I would use regularly. It was not uncommon even then for us to spend $100 a trip at Sam's for our stockpile. (more like $200 now, when we're at home) It still saved us money, though, because our weekly budget was smaller for weeks afterward while we used out of the stockpile .

Another way it saved me money was because it kept me out of the fast food lines after work. Just knowing that I already had what I needed at home to make a meal helped me resist that siren call. Even then, I loved what I call "home cooked" convenience food, and things that helped me make my own home-cooked convenience foods--frozen entrees, boneless skinless chicken, or frozen chubs of ground meat, that I could use to make a good dinner for my family.

My situation is little different right now. I live in a city with many multiple sources of groceries and household items. I've discovered couponing and sale-chasing with a vengeance. I'm not working an outside job at the moment, so I do have a little more discretionary time, not just to cook, but to shop for the best bargains, too. So, given the change in my circumstances, do I still go to Sam's Club? You betcha.

Do I still buy the same things I used to there? Yes and no. I live in an apartment, and the only freezer I have is the one over my refrigerator, so I don't stockpile frozen entrees. Because I live only a couple of miles away from one of the cleanest, nicest Sam's Clubs I've ever been in, I can go more often, so I buy smaller quantities. I don't automatically buy something just because it's there, I never did that anyway. I look at prices, I think about how often those same things come up on sale, and whether it's something that I regularly have coupons for. If it's an item I know the local stores use frequently as a loss leader, I don't buy it at Sam's. If not, I do.

There are still things that I can find at Sam's that I can't always find at the grocery stores. Boneless skinless chicken thighs, for example. You can use these for anything that you might use boneless skinless breasts for, but I think they make a moister, tastier end product than boneless skinless breasts. Lots of other frozen products, too, that are just not to be found in the freezer section of many stores. Most Sam's Clubs have nice fresh meat and produce sections these days. (I can remember when Sam's did not have these--I'm old!) Some weeks when there aren't any good sales elsewhere, I go to Sam's for my regular shopping. I recently bought a huge pack of fresh boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins for way less than what I would have paid anywhere else (sorry, I don't remember the price, I just remember how impressed I was at my deal!). They also always have lots of good "party food" featured during the holidays, both fresh and frozen.

Besides groceries, over the years we've bought everything from books and movies, to gift items, to all kinds of household products. When my first "newlywed" cheap set of pots wore out, my next "inexpensive" set came from Sam's. They were white enameled with a pretty pink & purple flower design on the side. I thought they would do me for a couple of years until I could afford something better. Three of the pots and two of the lids are still in use, almost twenty years later! At any rate, Sam's is definitely worth it for me. Check it out, and see if it might be for you, too.

Happy shopping, until next time...

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New Goodies to Request

Need help getting in the holiday spirit? Request a free Christmas lapel pin. You can also order more of these at a great price.

Arby's has a coupon for a free roast beef sandwich with any purchase. You can also sign up for Arby's Extras and get emails about future promotions.

Request a sample of "Clean Ultimate Perfume ", or one of Jessica Simpson's fragrance, "Fancy" from Elle magazine's Elle Extra.

Get a free shampoo sample from Paul Mitchell.

Sign up for your sample of Tide Total Care.

And last but not least, while you're surfing, don't forget to see what free samples are being offered at Walmart. (these change regularly)


Happy surfing, these will make you look forward to getting the mail!

Until next time.....

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Freebies in the Mail

My Mom was telling me on the phone earlier today about all of the "goodies" she's gotten in the mail this week, and I realized I hadn't posted about my mail freebies in a while. No picture today, as a lot of it was checks and coupons, which don't really make for an interesting photo op! So, with no further adieu, here is what I've gotten in the last couple of weeks:

$3.99 check from Rite Aid, this was my single-check rebate from October.

$2.29 check from Hunts, this was a money-back offer on ketchup--the offer was a peelie on the ketchup bottle

Chex Mix bar and $1 coupon from Betty Crocker for being on their newsletter email list

Kotex sampler pack from Walmart--this had 4 samples plus a $1 coupon

Splenda w/fiber, 2 samples plus $1 coupon, plus a code for 10% off of an order from Splendlife.com

Tide Total Care sample, plus $1 coupon, from P&G Brand Sampler.

$3/5 coupon from SoyJoy--I emailed them a while back when I tried to print a coupon from their site and couldn't get it to print for some reason--and they mailed me a coupon!


$3 coupon for Crest Pro-health rinse & toothpaste, and a $3 coupon for Oral-B Professional Care powerbrush, these were also from Proctor & Gamble.

And last but not least, from Vocalpoint I received two sets of coupons, one for Del Monte fruit naturals, and one for Crest Weekly clean intensive cleaning toothpaste. Each of these comes with one coupon for me for the item free, and 4 or 5 $1 coupons to share with friends and family.

Most of these take just a minute or two to sign up for, and they sure do make it fun to check the mail!


Until next time...