FREE Christmas MP3 Downloads!

I read about Amazon.com's free Christmas mp3 downloads on this Houston frugal blog and was so excited to have access to free AND legal downloads! Enjoy!

Christmas Book/Activity Advent

Call me crazy, but I am going to try to do this Christmas Book/Craft Advent with the kids this year. Luckily, our library system has most of the titles. For the others, I have requested them through the interlibrary loan system. I just hope they get here in time!

Edited to add:

Thanks to The Crafty Crow for bringing the Christmas Book/Craft Advent to light.

I saw Twilight!

Okay - I did it. I went to a movie at midnight on the opening day, something I don't think I've ever done. I'd like to say it was for my 15 year old's sake, but actually she backed out and I still wanted to go! Then, at the last minute, she changed her mind. (I wasn't gonna let her miss school to do so, so it was a tough decision--we came to a compromise, she is sleeping through first period and off to school after that!) Here's some background, and here's some reviews. Like one reviewer said, don't go into it comparing it to the book--you might be disappointed. And, overlook a few corny (IMHO) scenes. Then, you just might enjoy it!

Buyer Beware!

Homeschooling and Frugal has a great article posted here about how product prices aren't necessarily changing, but the amount of product you are paying for is. I always shop by the price per unit--this is one way to catch them in the act! In fact, by doing so, I realized this weekend that the Walmart brand of lemon juice concentrate is now more expensive than buying the name brand in bluk at my local Sam's Club. A few months ago it was just the opposite (by a large margin).

Letting It Go

It's been real, and it's been fun...lately, though, it's not been real fun. I enjoy posting about great deals and how to save money, but I've found an even more rewarding blog theme--my family! I've started a new blog to chronicle the lives of my favorite people, and, well...something has to go. I will post here now and again when I see something really worthwhile, or if I decide to enter one of Scribbit's Write Away contests. Most of my blogging, however, will be reserved for my family. Thanks to everyone who stops by to comment--I'll still be here, but probably not nearly as often. See you 'round the blogosphere!

Freebie Friday: FREE Mason Jars

Now that the big harvest is over, Mason jars are hard to come by. When you do find them, they are a bit more pricey than when you bought them back in the summer (unless, of course, you got them at clearance prices at the end of the summer or from a garage sale or friend). In any event, you can obtain jars for FREE from the grocery store by scouting for goods sold in these gems. Okay, so they aren't free, but it's like getting them for free if you have a need for the goods sold inside of them anyway. For example, at Walmart the store brand salsa is bottled in a Mason jar that accepts a regular size canning lid (but not the ring). After you empty the contents, you can use these jars to vacuum seal your leftover Halloween candy! Or maybe store some rice, pasta, or raisins. The possibilities are limitless! Note: The threads do not line up correctly with the rings to use them for traditional canning (water bath or pressure).

How Many Cups in a Pound of...

Check out this helpful website that lists a variety of goods sold by the pound and approximately how many cups are in a pound of that product. I found it very useful when planning menus and calculating how much I needed of something. It's also good when trying to compare prices.