Frugality and me

These questions are via Biblical Womanhood, via Frugal Homemaker. I thought this looked like fun to ponder.

1. What is the best resource for frugality you've found (book, magazine, website, etc.)? Definitely the Grocery Game Message Board. Before I found them, though, it was the Tightwad Gazette. That started it all with me. The message board just keeps me up to speed in the hot deals and helps me refine my organization skills.

2. What is the best deal you've gotten recently? Four FREE Cranium games at Target. Hello, Christmas! Love that coupon stacking thing!

3. What is your best idea for a creative and inexpensive gift? Food! I'd love to be able to give everyone fudge and chocolate-dipped cookies and Oreo Truffles. I just read a recipe for Cherry Snowballs I'm itching to try. It means more to me to give things like that, things I had to work hard to produce. I'm much better at peanut brittle than I am at buying something for my mother. Anyone know where I can get an impossibly cheap iPod?


Let me say that the worst thing I've done for my pocketbook is have a teenager! Okay, she's worth a heck of a lot in intangibles, but between braces, boot camp graduation, a D.C. Educational Forum trip, and a car, we're pretty much busted. Like, for years into the future. Thank God the army will pay for college, because my parents sure expected us to. And I have to tell the folks The Well. Is. Dry. I'm afraid I'll soon have to get a j-o-b soon to pay her off. And that's so not what I wanted to do. I've taken on so much volunteer stuff that it would be a complete overturning of everything to do more than the weekend/occasional church job I have now. And in addition, I didn't work very much when she was in school, so I'd like to give her little sister the opportunity to have Mom be a Homeroom Mom and a Presence on Campus for her too. So either it's get radically frugal or w-o-r-k.

Ick.

Good thing I have a freezer bursting with food and two free turkeys to get smoked. At least we'll eat. It's a start!