Is there such a thing as eating out frugally?

My husband and I don't eat out often -- perhaps twice a month at the most and many months, not at all -- mostly because we're hard to part with our money. A middle-of-the-road restaurant -- Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden - costs us $40 to $50 for dinner for two, including a drink or two for Jeff and a decent tip for the server. That's a lot of money for one meal! But I've discovered a way to eat out for a reasonable price and at a discounted rate! I go to Restaurant.com , put in my zip code, and find participating restaurants in my area. I buy a certificate for the restaurant of my choice -- often paying as little as $10 for a $25 gift certificate -- and print it off right then and there. We go out to eat to a nice restaurant and when the bill comes, I hand them the certificate and most of our meal is paid for! I save at least 50% and sometimes as much as 75%, depending on what specials Restaurant.com is offering. I'm always amazed at the number of local restaurants that participate. I've also used this service when we travel. In fact (don't tell my son!), when we hosted my son and daughter-in-law's wedding rehearsal dinner, I purchased a $50 gift certificate (for $20) to apply to the bill! Shhhhh...don't tell! If you're watching your dollars, this is a great way to still enjoy yourself but at a discounted rate. If you go out to eat anyway, why not save money doing so!!

Decluttering books

I recently spent two weeks cleaning and reorganizing my quilt room. Besides the fabric stash, I discovered I also have a book stash. Back in the day, I used to sell audio books on Ebay, but fee increases from Ebay, PayPal and the Post Office priced me right out of that market. Now the audio books have contributed to the overall book clutter in our house.

I am big on library book sales. We have an exceptional library in my town -- number 8 in the nation for a community of this size -- and this exceptional library happens to have exceptional library book sales twice a year. We used to take two cars so we could fill both. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding.

I have a lot of books I want to get rid of -- those I've read and those I'll never read. I've seen blogs talk about the PaperBackSwap web site, but I assumed it meant I send you a paperback, you send me one in return. I don't normally buy paperbacks, so didn't think it would be useful for me.

Last week I had a few minutes and actually went and read the web site. I was so wrong about this site! Here are some things you may not know:

First, it is an absolutely free service. No fee to you to list your books, no fee to you to receive books.

Most important, it accepts ALL books - NOT JUST PAPERBACKS! It accepts fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, quilt books, audio books -- any book that has an ISBN number!

You list 10 books, and get 2 credits. You use your two credits to request 2 books from someone else.

Everytime one of your books is requested, you receive another credit (when you ship the book). Thus, you can go get another free book.

There are over TWO MILLION titles currently listed.

When one of your books is requested, you pay postage. You CAN ship Media Mail, which is the least expensive way to send books via the USPS. When you request a book from someone else, that person pays shipping, so it all evens out.

For actual paperbacks, they even provide you with a "wrapper" that includes the shipping label.

You have the OPTION to purchase postage that you can print on your computer (there is a reasonable fee for this). No special labels required. This allows you to print the label with postage and stick the book in your mailbox for your mailperson to pick up. No trips to the post office. If
you prefer to buy your own postage, no problem.

A few days ago I joined, and grabbed 5 books from a nearby bookshelf and posted them. In 15 minutes, I had two requests. I still need to post 5 more to use my original two credits, but now I have two more credits for the books I'm mailing out! That's four free books.

Check it out for yourself. If you have book clutter, but you're an avid reader, this may be the way to go! And don't forget -- there's cookbooks listed, quilt books, craft books, audio books and more! (In fact, soon there will be a LOT of audio books! LOL)

And if you use the link below, I'll get another credit - and another free book. I'll forgive you for contributing to the book clutter in my house!

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My Spending Fast continues

I continue to do well on my spending fast, despite the fact this is my birthday and I'm known to buy myself birthday presents! We went to the Appalachian Festival in Cincinnati on Saturday. I spent $6 for a little leather pouch for Brayden to keep "treasures" in -- and .75 for two such "treasures" -- a marble he loved and a pretty rock he loved. I bought Mary's Mother's Day present at the Festival (Brayden's portrait done in silhouette - it was wonderful!), but I don't consider that a non-essential. I did go out to breakfast with a friend on Thursday, but spent only $4 plus $1 tip. So, to date, that's under $15 of unnnecessary spending. I guess anything over "$0" is not a true spending fast though. I've been getting some nice freebies in the mail these days. This week I received coupons for freebies from Thomas' English Muffins and for a fruit juice. I received money off coupons for several other items, and received free samples of the True Time drinks and Huggies Diapers. I found the best way to find free samples of products you normally use is to simply do a Google Search for "Free Sample" and see what comes up! Today is my birthday and, as is pretty standard for my birthday, I plan on doing only what I feel like doing. It may be nothing, it may be quilting, it may be working in the garden. Whatever it is, it will be exactly what I want to do. I love birthdays!

A Mother's Day Tribute to Three Mom's

I'm having a great Mother's Day. I received a "Happy Momma's Day" from my grandson this morning. How cool is that? I just want to say Happy Mother's Day to the three very best Mother's I know. First, my step-mother, Barbara. She knows how much I appreciate all she did for me when I was a teenager, though, like many step-kids, I didn't appreciate it at the time. She brought structure to my life, she taught me what a mother should be, and she showed me just how much patience and love of life one single person could have. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Second, is my friend, Karen. I know she'll read this. Karen was my kids' babysitter when they were 3 and 4 up to when they were 6 and 8 and we moved to Ohio. Karen taught my kids discipline and manners. She is the only person I have ever met that can take 6 kids under 6 years of age to an amusement park or beach by herself. I am so grateful she was in my kids' lives -- and so grateful that she is my friend. Happy Mother's Day, Karen -- and Happy Grandma's Day! Lastly, I want to give a nod to my daughter -- a new Mom, but a great Mom. She's a single mother who works hard to make a good life for her son. Despite being sometimes overwhelmed with taking care of her house and holding down a highly responsible job, she always has time to play with Brayden, and she always has time to give him lots of kisses and hugs. She wants a good future for both herself and her son, and she's working hard to get there. I'm so proud of her. Happy Mother's Day, sweetie! And Happy Mother's Day to both my kids. Thank you for being exactly who you are. On this Mother's Day, I'm thankful that my kids have made it to adulthood safe and sound and that they are both adults that I am proud of. They both make it so easy to appreciate being a mother. Big hugs to you both.

Baby boomers theme song - FUNNY!

Staying Positive

I found this on The Random Ramblings of a Working Mom blog (who found it on the Internet) and thought it worth posting. It was a good way for me to start my day of babysitting for Brayden. Things to Keep Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because your words become your actions. Keep your actions positive, because your actions become your habits. Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your lifestyle. Keep your lifestyle positive, because your lifestyle becomes your destiny.

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American Idol's cutie-patootie is gone

OK, pardon the ramblings of an ol' lady here, but I am sincerely going to miss Jason Castro on American Idol! I haven't seen the elimination show yet (I have it on DVR to watch tonight), but it's hard to get on the web and not find out who left.

I admit to being a Jason fan. Was he the best? No, unfortunately. But Jason has talent and with the right manager and song writer, I do think he'll go far in the music industry. Besides, HOW CUTE IS HE?!?!?! lol! I didn't care what he sang, I just wanted to see him do that shy smile thang of his!

Best singer? David Cooke, by a long shot. His rendition of "Teenage Wasteland" (or whatever the title was) would make me go out and buy his CD on that song alone. (Let's not forget I've been rockin' and rollin' since the 70's!) The other David is really good, but I honestly haven't heard a song yet that would make me go out and buy a CD of his. Syesha? She's great, but in more of a Broadway singer style than a pop singer. She has surprised me the past few weeks, but I think it's obvious she'd prefer to be in theater.

And YIPPY! So You Think You Can Dance is starting back up on May 22! I love that show! I am just in awe of those hip-hop dancers that are suddenly confronted with the technique of ballroom dancing! I'm really looking forward to watching it.

So now the question is -- do I influence my grandson to become a future American Idol contestant, a dancer, or a NASCAR driver... decisions, decisions. I guess I better let him decide!