Yeah, guess what I got today!! Thank you so much for all you did in organizing and pulling off this swap. You did a tremendous job!!! Hooray!!! The edible treats were greatly enjoyed...by my daughters. I'll enjoy my special treats come Spring! The stickers now adorn my gardening journal and I'm saving my tea for a day of Winter sowing! Thanks! Cherie

I went to the store the second day of the sale, just in case they had the drapes in stock. They had the right size, but in a color that was a shade darker than what I wanted. The sales lady talked me into buying them, but seeing them in the room, I think they're just not going to work, so I ordered color choice #1 last night. I may call around to more local stores, just in case they have them in stock and I can just exchange them. But, I'm sick, and we're still iced in, so, it won't be anytime this week.

If breastfeeding is important to your friend, I would tell her to not give up. It took me 6 weeks to get my baby to latch on properly. I had to supplement with pumping milk and bottle feeding it to him, but he is OK now. He was a preemie and was started on formula and pacifiers in the NICU without my permission. Even if the baby can't latch on, she can pump the milk from her breasts and bottle feed. You can get a manual pump for about $30. WIC will even pay to rent a hospital grade pump. Their is no substitution for breast milk. Formula is basically life support to keep a baby alive until they can eat solid food. Read the ingredients... you can't say most of them. That is not food. But, then again, I don't eat stuff I can't pronounce (unless it is ethnic food made with ingredients I can pronounce). Most people don't think about food and what it really is and don't mind giving their babies formula. Of course this is a personal choice, but if the desire is there to breast feed a baby, it will work out for them eventually. I had 6 weeks of very frustrating times, but my baby gets real food only nature can create.

Technically speaking, it's not legal to change an addressee on a postage affixed envelope. In reality, the post office isn't too picky about it. Technically, you're supposed to take it to the post office and have it replaced. Like I said, I don't think they're too picky, and have done it before. But we are talking about an organization who sued the Boy Scouts for putting their fundraiser brochures on mail boxes! Ob $aver thought: My favorite is paying bills online. Between postage, envelope and check fees, it's realistically 50¢ per bill saved. I'm saving $25/year easily, plus the gas of going to a mail box. Another favorite is my little "pantry". I hate going to the store and people who have to run to the store every day for something are nuts. Worst case, I can always make a can of soup. Plus I have a few groceries in case of a storm. Another phrase I enjoyed came from one of the spouse-swap programs where the minimalist/frugal wife's motto was "Do I need it? Do I love it? Does it make me money?" If not, toss it. Oh, and I was proud of myself... My washer was dumping water all over the floor and I thought I'd have to replace a washer after only 26 years of dependable service. Hey Joyful, shouldn't that have been under warranty??? ;) Being crippled up like I am these days, I can't do too much but I was curious to see if there was a chance of it just being a hose or something, plus I couldn't really wreck it, so, after tearing it open, sure enough, all that happened was two hose clamps lost their tension. A trip to the auto parts store, 2 - 25¢ hose clamps, maybe an hour, well, couple hours of "work" (more play and confidence builder) and I saved the cost of a new machine and disposal of the old. So what would that be? Anywhere from $100-$500 per hour pay, tax free, and I'm washing away again. Maybe I'll get another 26 years out of it? Well maybe not, but I'd expect a couple years of use anyway. Oh, other little things, like making a non-electric humidifier out of an ice cream pail sitting in front of the heat register. Cut holes in the top to keep the cat from playing in there. Plus I had to set it into a dishpan because she got mad and tipped it over! There's so many things, I can't think of them. But I enjoy reading others ideas too. I guess I try to make money spending an investment. For instance the Frugal Gazette books to me are an investment since they give you ideas and motivation. Use the library for movie borrowing & rental. Bought a few dozen popular movies for $1 each and share them with a lot of people. Shop for things on the internet to see what they'll cost, then know if it's a good buy when you go out. I had to buy a new dryer and saved $200 by buying a floor model at the "BB" Store. Researched things I wanted and checked reviews and the like. My $5/mo ISP has paid for itself so many times it's hilarious.