The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge - Week #43

Welcome to Week #43 of The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  This week we save forty-three dollars. Our total saved to date is nine hundred forty-six dollars.  


We are officially nine weeks away from finishing this year's challenge.  Let the countdown begin!

 

If you are new to the challenge, welcome aboard!  Jump in and save the weekly amounts with us. You'll have over four hundred dollars saved by the end of this year!  Alternatively, you can begin this week as your Week #1.  Save one dollar this week, two dollars next week, etc.  Whichever works best for you is great.

Whether you're starting now or you've been saving with us from the beginning, please let me hear from you. I'd like some feedback about your own experience with The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  What worked best for you?  What advice would you give others?  Any ideas for improvements?  How has it helped you? What have you learned? The Suggestion Box is open.  I look forward to hearing from you.

 

I Need an Attitude Adjustment! - A Collection of Favorite Quotes From My Pinterest Board: Watermarks

For those times when I really need an attitude adjustment:

Whenever I need an attitude adjustment (yes, it will happen), please make me read this post again. Okay?  Thanks!


Enjoy the little things in life....

...for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things.  

Enjoy the little things in life...on Pinterest  

Image Source: Melissa Ann via VisualuizeUs

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You can't always get what you want.

You can't always get what you want.

You can't always get what you want.

But if you try sometime

You just might find

You get what you need. The Rolling Stones

You can't always...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source: Things Make Me Happy via Tumbler

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(A little note about the next pin: Every now and then this blog forces me to edit my pins.  I pinned the quote below with a different image from a tumbler source two years ago. Upon further inspection, I found the link did not go directly to the image.  Hence, I found an EVEN BETTER image with the same quote and a good link source.)

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Life isn't about...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source: Relax and Succeed The Blog with Scott McPherson

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Always remember...

... you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  Winnie the Pooh

Always remember...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source: Jenn via Daily Bits of Wisdom

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One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. Henry Miller

One's destination...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source: Art Revolution

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You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.

You are confined only by the...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source: the BERRY

 
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She stood in the storm & when the wind didn't go her way, she adjusted her sails. Elizabeth Edwards

She stood in the storm...on Pinterest Watermarks

Image Source:  Little Bits of Lovely

 

P.S. If you need an attitude adjustment, please feel free to read this again.  Almost everyone needs it every now and then.  Hang in there!

 

 

Count Your Blessings - Free Printable Quote

Every now and then, somebody tells you something that you never forget.  Today I want to share one of those somethings with you.  Whenever I get stressed or depressed, I try to remember these words from my friend, CF.  This isn't exactly word for word what she told me, but it is pretty close.  I think you'll understand the message when you read it.

Use this free printable quote for any non-commercial purpose you like, and always remember to count your blessings!

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The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge - Week #42

Welcome to Week #42 of The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  This week we save forty-two dollars. Our total saved is now nine hundred three dollars.  A hearty congratulations to all participants for surpassing yet another milestone:  over nine hundred dollars saved!

If you're new to the Challenge, welcome aboard! If you are want to catch up with us, go for it!  Save the weekly goal amount PLUS an extra seventy-eight each week to reach our final challenge goal of one thousand three hundred seventy-eight dollars by the end of this year with us.
If that is a bit out of your budget range, no worries! Try one of these options:
A)Save the goal amount plus an extra forty-four dollars a week and you'll have one thousand dollars saved by the end of this year's challenge. 
B)Save the goal amount each week plus twenty-two dollars extra each week.  You'll wind up with about seven hundred fifty dollars at the end of the year.  That is a very worth goal!!!  
C)Save the goal amount each week with us without committing yourself to any 'extra' savings.  You'll have over five hundred dollars saved by the last challenge week!!
D)Begin this week as Week #1 with one dollar saved, next week as Week #2 with two dollars saved, etc. as shown on the chart. You have over sixty dollars saved by year's end AND you'll have established the savings habit.  KEEP IT GOING.  
Choose the option best suited for you, or get creative and discover your best method.
Whether you're starting now or you've been saving with us from the beginning, please let me hear from you. I'd like some feedback about your own experience with The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  What worked best for you?  What advice would you give others?  Any ideas for improvements?  How has it helped you? What have you learned? The Suggestion Box is open.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge - Week #41

Welcome to Week #41 of The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  This week we save forty-one dollars. Our total saved is eight hundred sixty-one dollars. It never ceases to amaze me that we started so small and will finish with such a large amount saved.

If you're new to the Challenge, welcome aboard! If you are want to catch up with us, go for it!  Save the weekly goal amount PLUS an extra sixty-eight dollars and thirty-three cents to it each week to reach our final challenge goal of one thousand three hundred seventy-eight dollars by the end of this year.  

If that is a bit out of your budget range, no worries! Try one of these options:

A)Save the goal amount plus an extra thirty-six to thirty-seven dollars a week and you'll have one thousand dollars saved by the end of this year's challenge. 

B)Save the goal amount each week plus nineteen or twenty dollars extra each week.  You'll wind up with about eight hundred at the end of the year.  That is a very worth goal!!!  

C)Save the goal amount each week with us without committing yourself to any 'extra' savings.  You'll have over five hundred and fifty dollars saved by the last challenge week!!  

D)Begin this week as Week #1 with one dollar saved, next week as Week #2 with two dollars saved, etc. as shown on the chart. You have over seventy dollars saved by year's end AND you'll have established the savings habit.  KEEP IT GOING.  

Choose the option best suited for you, or get creative and discover your best method.

Whether you're starting now or you've been saving with us from the beginning, please let me hear from you. I'd like some feedback about your own experience with The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  What worked best for you?  What advice would you give others?  Any ideas for improvements?  How has it helped you? What have you learned? The Suggestion Box is open.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy saving!

DIY Photo Game for Kids with PicMonkey - Makes Memories Even More Fun!

I just love playing with my grandchildren. I take lots of pictures whenever we're together.  Photo memories are so important! A Photo Game is free and easy way to share some fun AND give a gift that reinforces a good memory.

How did this Photo Game happen?  

While editing photographs of the grandkids using PicMonkey online photo editing software, I was inspired with the idea to use some fanciful overlays to make the photo into a game for them.   The idea of the game is to try and find all the different flowers, critters, etc.  Just keep track of how many you used and what colors they are when making the game.  That way you can help the child know what to look for when they play the game.

One of the fun overlays for the Photo Game is called Buggles. In this photo example,  I used Buggles to add the snail, then a different overlay to give the snail a mustache.

As I said, this photo is used as an example only.  I put many different overlays onto a single photograph for the Photo Game.  That makes it more fun.

I took this shot of GERONIMO's family while we were on vacation visiting the Tyler Rose Garden.  GERONIMO is the kid on the left sitting by his father.  Baby brother is in the stroller. GERONIMO likes bugs so his game has lots of them!

GERONIMO Photo Game

Last year we visited a local carnival.  COCHISE really enjoyed driving the train!  He also loves hippos and stars, so I put lots of them into his Photo Game.

COCHISE Photo Game

Another fun place we visited during vacation was the Discovery Science Place in Tyler.  Tinkerbell had a blast  shopping at a pretend grocery store for kids.  Her favorite color is pink and she loves flowers.  I put over 20 flowers into her game. Then I added a hot pink scalloped frame.

TINKERBELL Photo Game

My grandchildren love their Photo Games.  To save money and time, I send the photo to their Moms online instead of printing out a hard copy. What a fun way for me to do something creative for them that gives them enjoyment too!  Of course using the photo reinforces their memory of the day the photo was made and what a great time we had.

Wanna make a Photo Game for a child you love?  Tell me all about it.  Maybe you could even share the photo with us!  Have fun!

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Dish Towel Tutorial - October Edition: Pretty Pumpkin - 12 Months of Pretty Kitchen Towels

Happy October everybody!  Are you ready for the crisp fall weather and everything pumpkin?  It's time to introduce the October Edition of our 12 Months of Pretty Kitchen Towels series: Pretty Pumpkin!

  

 

I found the bright white, gold, and red flowers on soft orange background cotton print in the mix with some fat quarter packages at Walmart. It was perfect for the pumpkin applique!

 All 12 Months of Pretty Kitchen Towels are made of plain muslin.  For the basic tutorial on how to make a dish towel, see Dish Towel Tutorial - May Edition: Ribbon and Ruffles - 12 Months of Pretty Kitchen Towels. 

 This month we stayed with the red grosgrain ribbon trim and golden embroidery of the month name "OCTOBER".  A bit of scrap brown cotton print was used for the pumpkin stem.

Admittedly, I am no artist when it comes to drawing pictures.  Fortunately for me, The Nerdy Nanny was kind enough to draw a pumpkin with a fabric marker on my orange print cotton cloth.

The free printable pumpkin template is available in pdf version just below this photo. Use tracing paper or pellon to trace around the edges and along the veins and stem.

Link to pdf version in google docs:

FREE PRINTABLE PUMPKIN TEMPLATE

I'm having so much fun making and sharing these pretty kitchen towels.  FYI, I've been informed that they are referred to as TEA Towels by some people around the world.  If you make yourself a TEA Towel or two, or a whole set with this tutorial, please tell me about it.  Share some photos too if you can:) 

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The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge - Week #40

Welcome to Week #40 of The 52 Week Money Saving Challenge.  This week we save forty dollars. Our total saved to date is eight hundred twenty dollars. 

Whoopee, another milestone!  We have achieved over eight hundred in savings AND we are only twelve weeks away from crossing the financial finish line for this year.  Way to go!

If you're new to the Challenge, welcome aboard! You can start with forty dollars this week and add a bit extra each week if you want to catch up with us. Alternatively, you could begin this week as Week #1 with one dollar.  Whatever works best for you is fine. Happy saving!