Quality-V-Quantity During the Holidays.

Hey there!!! With Christmas just round the corner I wanted to share something.  Do not forget what the holidays are all about.  Sue it is nice to get a gift from people, but the important part is the time spent.

Especially with kids.  Most of the time people can not remember what they got for Christmas when they were little but what they do remember is the people.  They remember that they always spent time with their loved ones.  That family was there.

Don't have a big family or really any family?  Again it is about quality.  Spend time with your favorite people.  Make the time count with the people that matter the most to you.  That is the big picture here.  For me and my daughter it is time with my parents.  Unfortunately since my Mom passed this year it is a little harder but that means the time with my Dad is even that much more special.

No matter who is there or what you do I sincerely hope you have a blessed and happy Holiday season.

Thanks for visiting talk to you soon.

Get Money Back From Shopping

I hope you are doing well with your savings and debt reduction.  It is such a great feeling to know that you are getting closer to living the way you want.  You should really be proud of yourself for taking this journey.  No matter how far you have gotten just be proud of yourself that you are continuing to work on it.  Some weeks will be easier and some you may have to make some adjustments due to an unexpected situation.  The goal is to keep going.  I have paid off 2 cards I have about $600 in savings and I am about to pay most of the balance off on another.

Today I am going to tell you how I get money back when I shop.  I like to use Ebates. You can check it out by clicking this link http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=beL25MhNpsK0Et5ppi%2FbBQ%3D%3D&eeid=28187 ( if you sign up I get a referral for this one)  You can shop at a ton of stores online and then depending on the store you will get either a percentage of your purchase back or a set dollar amount.  So far I have gotten back about $30 and my next check is already up to $16 from just making the purchases I already wanted to any way. Also I like that they have a reminder button you can download to your computer so if you are on the site of a company they work with it starts flashing so you can be reminded to get money back.

I have gotten money for buying things from Victoria Secret, Fingerhut, Amazon, Ebay, Kohl's, JcPenney, Jelly Belly candy, and I even got money back for doing my Taxes online with Turbo Tax.  It is really nice to get money back for buying things you need anyway.  Also during Christmas it is great because you can get some money back on all the gifts you buy so it doesn't seem so bad afterward.  Who couldn't use some money back after Christmas.

You are doing great.  Keep up the good work.  We are in this together and I know you can do this.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take a moment to wish every one a very merry Christmas.  This time of year is such a great time.  It is a time to slow down and be with family and friends.  I get to enjoy being with everyone.  I love the excitement of the year and being with my daughter.

Today we spent time with my parents.  We don't see them much any more since they moved up north from us.  We are lucky to still have them around so I love the time I get to spend with them.  It is a time to just relax and take in the world around us.  You know that the new year is right around the corner and so many possibilities are coming.

I have heard people say " who cares about the new year it is just going to be the same stuff another year longer".  Well I like to think that  it means we can look toward something new coming.  New year dreams, new adventures, new blessings, a time for new ideas.  I like to think of it as a fresh time to get going.  It is like how nature takes time to rest during winter and them blooms bright come spring.  Well that is what we can do with the new year. We come back refreshed from all the stuff that has happened over the past year.  Brush it off and think of the amazing adventure ahead.

With that said I hope you have a very blessed week ahead and smile as you look forward to all the possibilities  that are headed your way.

Happy Holidays from our house to yours.

Just a Little Chat

So the holidays are upon us.  For me that means shopping for my daughter, parents and a few friends.  It is a time to just be with family and enjoy,  we can start to look forward to the next year as well.  It is a fun time of year.

Some people get all stressed out and are so caught up in the shopping they miss out on the joy of the season.  I like just slowing down and enjoying what is going on in my life.  My daughter gets so excited about Christmas still which is nice to see at her age.  We take time to pick out the gifts for everyone together.  She is very particular about what she wants to get people.  We help buy gifts for a needy child each year and she likes picking stuff out for them.  I think she would spend every last dollar I have on them if I would let her.  I feel blessed to have raised such a caring child.

As we get closer I want to slow down even more and enjoy the time.  It seems like each year it goes faster and faster, before I know it she will be 18 and graduating high school and off to college.  I want to enjoy every last second I can.  Even though this year has been so rough, when I stop to think there is still so much to be thankful for.

So as the holidays roll through take take the time to enjoy the people around you.  Slow down and just take it all in.  It is going to go by no matter what so why not just enjoy it.  You will not get time to do it again.

A quick moment

I thought I wouldn't write but I had a quick second.  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I hope you get to spend time with family and friends.  No matter what your circumstances may be, be glad that you get to spend this time together.  There are some that do not have this privilege.  Make it count and tell them you love them and enjoy every second you get with them.

                                                      MERRY CHRISTMAS

So Christmas Is Here

So Christmas is here.  People are excited and can barely contain themselves.  It is a great time of year.  We get to relax for a day and just take it all in.  It is the prize we get for making it all year long even through Thanksgiving when Black Friday hits and people lose there minds. 

So what is really important about Christmas.  Well it is a time when we as Christians can teach people about the birth of Jesus Christ.  We can touch the lives of others and hopefully help them learn about what Christmas is all about.  Now if you don't believe in God I am not here to preach to you and make you feel bad.  I am just saying that it is a chance to get the word out to people about a wonderful savior that is here. We can reach out to families that want to know more about what this season is about.

It is also a chance for family to spend time with each other.  We get one day to sit with each other and look back at all the amazing things that happened during the year.  I saw an idea on Pinterest and it was to put a slip of paper in a jar telling each time something good happened then on New Years eve take them out and read them so you can remember how good the year really was.  Me and my daughter have been doing this so I can not wait to pull them out and remember the awesomeness that was 2013. 

Christmas is a time of togetherness.  So make sure that you slow down.  Take it all in together.  Make sure you say I love you to the people that really matter most.  Even if you had a rough year there is something to be grateful for, even if it is just that you made it through the year and now have another to turn things around.  Just take the time to enjoy it.  Even if you don't have a ton of gifts to give you get to be with people you care for and that is worth more than anything you can purchase.

I probably wont write the next two days so I hope you guys out there have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.  I hope your time with your family is the best part of your year.