Well in case you haven't guessed I love to save. My favorite sites are www.couponing.com , www.couponing101.com , www.cutclipsave.com which I just found thru here on someones blog who no longer blogs here, www.budget101.com and www.allyou.com a WalMart site. Those are just a few I get my coupons from for shopping which I still use my www.dollartree.com, and www.familydollar.com  which I plan my groceries and clothing buys from each day.

I tend to go by what the coupon says when shopping. I never clear a shelf of jeans or food or other. Clearing a shelf is a clear ethical violation in my opinion for coupon use. I am self declared frugal and tightwad woman who just happens to be a coupon queen as well in my state of Minnesota. Others claim they are coupon queens and frugal, but I know different. They may want to be a coupon queen, but they don't have what it takes to be a coupon queen. They don't spend hours hunting down bargains on the computer, or searching for printable coupons while their children study nearby making you multitask between mom and coupon queen like me. They don't ask a stranger at the local dump and recycle center for the coupons they are throwing away, because I don't want to go back into the bin. They don't plan every hour and minute of the day with sites of stores. That is what it takes to be a coupon queen like me. I will even go out in a blizzard to get the store deal with coupons. Yea I do it in the lull of the blizzard, but still if they want to be a coupon queen like me that's what they have to do.

a woman in the library system in my town claims she is a coupon queen like me to the point that she was chosen to teach classes on how to be a coupon queen, instead of me when all know it is really me and not her. Long story short she had to refund all class attendees when her teaching did not work. They had to come to me for clarification on how to be one. To this day people still stop me in stores and thank me for teaching them how to coupon responsibly and legally.

E.L.F. Cosmetics at www.eyeslipsface.com  is a makeup company that has cheap good makeup for the new woman in your family and you can use an online coupon for extra savings. Oh yes always ask for refund if the product you purchase is found to be damaged in the package, or bad tasting like it has expired. Always check expire dates in any grocery store you visit. If you have a coupon for the product that is expired make sure the manager knows it, so you can get rain check on the item you want, but they are out of good dated items. I got a rain check on a good deal on cheese slices that are usually $4 each for 2/$5. If it hadn't been for the new program extreme coupon I would have gotten it when it was on sale for 2/$5 when all the products were not expired, but someone cleared all, but the expired ones the immoral idiot! No etiquette just left it for whoever like found it. Like we want food poisoning. Etiquette requires if you know products are expired but don't say anything to a manager it is the same as attempted murder, and punishable by law, because we have a moral obligation to report it to manager, so they aren't left with the lawsuit of attempted murder. All grocery stores now have cameras in every isle, so there is no hiding who did the clearing shelf and leaving the bad. Come on woman you know who you are show some coupon use morals like I do. And she calls herself a coupon queen. I at least have morals and etiquette when I coupon.

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My daughter has her own cats now, and when I visit her we go shop, but she doesn't buy much cat food. I always think those poor kitties of hers must starve, and I tell her not to forget he cats at home. She told me that she takes the bus to a thrift store that helps out animals by rescuing them from being abandoned and abused and that is where she gets her cat food for the month. She also goes to her vet who gives her coupons for free cans of cat food. She buys dollar store cat food otherwise for a dollar, and that doesn't go that far, so she gets good sources for cat food. I wish our vet did that for our pets....she is ingenius don't you think. My youngest child wants a guinea pig now....I wonder what that will cost me. Well it is back to craigslist and freecycle for guinea pigs maybe?

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Well I don't know when the bus became my best friend, but I can tell you that I am saving on gas prices. My gas station ran out of gas today to boot, as a lot of people came to town to buy gas and lottery tickets. I saw the gas truck yesterday filling the tanks, and now the station is out of gas. It goes without saying that the buses will never run out of gas. My pass is$ 22 a month for me and my youngest children ride free. It comes in the morning around 8 am and we can ride to the city for the day, and shop and save. I use coupons at Family Dollar in town, but when you get 20 percent coupon for Salvation Army that is when I take the bus, otherwise I walk to the store a mile away with a cart for the trip back home. Ten blocks total in town to the store. I can say if gas prices keep going up I will keep up with the busing and walking. It is a savings and exercise. I am saving $389 a year. We never did go very far even when our car was working. 

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I use Craigslist it is at www.craigslist.org, or is it com? Well what the heck let us go on by saying that there is a freebie section where peps in you state can post what they don't need or want, but they can't sell it. Giving away dirt for instant is  way of getting rid of a yard mess when the city you live in is insisting on a clean yard. Also, try www.freecycle.com. They have several listings of what you can trade for free, but the only thing is freecycle you have to trade otherwise people no trade or contact you.

Coupons from manufacturers can be had with a simple email or phone call to their 800 number. The trick is to praise them to no end. Just make sure you give your actual address as some email accounts don't print out their inbox emails.

List of freebies that can be had:

dirt

children books

clothes that people have outgrown

apartment furniture

bibles

food that people have leftover from harvest

beauty supplies

costumes

cars

trucks

RV's

Campers

moving signs

garage sale signs

cats

dogs

etc....

You get the message. I hope you like freebies like I do.

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How many ghosts does it take to fill a hot tub......?

Answer none they float and would not be able to get into the water! HAHAHAHAHA!

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www.Dollartree.com you can order in bulk online from them for everything your family or business would need in life. I am using it to order my home school supplies. Erasers, Pencils, Math sheets, Writing sheets, etc....another thing if there is a blizzard don't expect delivery of the items until the storm clears. People have been known to die 5 feet from their car/vehicle because they couldn't find it in the storm and that goes for house and apartments too. The postman is a person too, so why should he risk his life for your frugal lifestyle. Those who are lucky enough to live in Arizona still, and yea I really miss it in the winter lol. Order what you can on-line, and save your sanity for trying to find what you need when the store is out and they have to order more for you. Bypass them and use the site to order it yourself.

Here is a list of what you can order in bulk on-line:

Crayons

Paper

Toilet Paper

Food

Kitchen cutlery

Cleaning supplies

and the most important Halloween Candy.

It is a short list, but you can go check it out on-line.

Another link is www.familydollar.com sign up to be a member and you will get advance notice to sales that are upcoming, and fliers in the mail with special coupons. On the outskirts of town of Moorhead, MN there's a Super Target now. I was just there visiting my daughter and we went to get Halloween Candy for a dollar too. Another link www.tightwad.com a warning tho most of the super list coupon area is ineffective except for my coupons it is good, and you can print them off at the library in any town, as the site for my coupons is safe. Coupon use at WalMart is iffy now at best. The cheapskates are constantly trying to make you pay more even with coupons. I like my DL WalMart for emergency picnic supplies in the summer for the Sams Pop that is 78 cents for 2 liters. Especially when Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are closed for the 4th of July. Not WalMart the only thing I will God Bless them for in life. Here is another on-line link you may like if you are a book enthusiast www.half.com it is an Ebay link. I count Ebay as an excellent Winter garage sale saver for kids clothes, and adults. What I don't make aka sew, knit, or crochet I buy here for books and clothes cheaply. I recently lost 90 lbs and I'm in size 16 jeans again after 22 years, so I entered an auction on www.ebay.com for a lot of jeans that started at one penny for 18 pairs of Wranglers. I lost of course because someone beat me. It did have a reserve that had to be met, and I could have met it, but someone wanted it more than me and went over the reserve price the little turd! Still a good site to go to in the Winter. If you are a grocery store shopper like Cashwise foods like my daughter uses. Go online to their site at www.Cashwise.com plan your trip ahead of time they even give you a list to make of what you need that can be printed out at the library for a dime, or cheaper yet 6 cents on campus library, if you are a student. Well I will keep thinking and finding links I and my family like that you may find useful in your life. by for now and no I am not going on Hiatus anytime soon. Frugal and Tightwad Tanya

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Well living a healthy frugal lifestyle is what we should all be about especially us moms. Gyms are ok, but you get a lot of people there who judge by the way you look. I tend to glare when that happens to me. Scholarships can be had at the YMCA. If, you really want privacy try Snap Fitness an all night gym. I think that the yearly cost outweights the spendiness of the gym and is total a good price for living longer and healthier. A membership there for a year is 300 dollars. I tend to think that is more a frugal price than 500 dollars or 450 dollars like other places. If, you aren't shy you can try a Planet Fitness for 10 dollars a month and 120 dollars a year for membership. It is a more younger crowd of college kids, but if you don't mind that go for the cheapest.

Colleges now have fitness centers on campus, and all students can use it free when classes aren't in session. MSUM in Minneapolis has one for their Fitness courses and majors. They also have a clinic with doctors and all right on campus. Eating healthy is the best way to stay well. Living frugal and tightwad for health and body may be tough if you are poor, but not impossible. If, you are an adult who is auditing a college course in writing or something you can gain access now with the same priviledges the regular students have at college. Meaning you can use their gym for free, and the health facility too. You may have to pay for meds, but it is free with your student card that is given to you for picking their school to audit a class. You don't get graded, but you pay tuition and that is where the catch is....aka they have to give you total access to campus and that can only be had now with student id cards. Last year alone several older students audited classes used the same facilities for the duration of their class time as regular college students do. In closing treating our bodies bad for years doesn't have to hurt the budget to get healthy and fit, so we can live longer for our families. Think about what you can do frugally and then follow your own advice on staying healthy and living healthy.

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Well let's get back to it. My family would say I live the green lifestyle of crafty creativeness. I am relearning crocheting. I am in the process of crocheting a scarf for winter and a baby quilt for my first grandson. I have several thrift stores that I go to in the lakes area and in Fargo, ND within an hour from us. I get yarn on sale at thrift stores. I can get multiple color products in various amounts of yarn. I get mostly black yarn for mittens about a dollar for a huge amount where you would pay $7 for the same amount in WalMart and other stores.

My crafting doesn't stop with thrift store finds, as I like to branch out. I hit garage sales in the summer for items that I can use in my crafting and art. I am now apart of an art community that we display our items we have made. People who are my friends say I have some of the most unique crafts made. I tell them I get my supplies at thrift stores and garage sales. I hardly ever go into stores that are not second hand anymore. In my younger days I thought WalMart was the bomb diggity, and now at 43 I know better. My children and my hubby all tell me thank you for my homemade gift. My hubby loves his mitts I make him. I am trying my hand at darning socks next. Again staying thrifty and green by buying from thrift stores for supplies. I also reuse old worn out mitts, as long as they are not moldy.

We are looking to get back to the land so to speak, so I am researching for free at the library on land up near Bagley, MN where my family has origins. Any 20 to 40 acres would be fine for our family, as I miss having a farm of animals around me. I miss having a horse I can see daily. Our idea is to live frugally and tightwad on our land. Renting or owning we don't care. My youngest I am home schooling, as she just can't stand regular school. You know a child is miserable when she comes home crying, because kids make fun of her home made mitts, and clothes with thrift store finds for lunch companions such as Transformer lunch box minus the matching thermos I got at a garage sale for 75 cents.

My guru Amy Dacyzyn the Tightwad Queen of America I assume self proclaimed, as all of us in here would like that role of Tightwad Queen or King. She inspires me to this day. I recently discovered YouTube online and caught up with her now in 2011 still living a tightwad lifestyle. Her daughter is a post grad student now and living the way her mom and dad lived and Amy said "she was the one who complained about their lifestyle growing up".

Living green to me is reuse, refuge, and recycle. I intend to remain true to that way of life. I will keep you updated of course, and I hope no one who used to read my blog last year is offended by long absences.

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I make two loaves a week and all it cost me is 79 cents a loaf. I use WalMart flour, Family Dollar store baking soda and yeast at 50 cents and 34 cents each. I use my oven in the late evening when fuel is the cheapest usually around 10 at night, since we moved to Fargo, ND last 6 months ago. We rent a three bedroom on rental assistance, but we pay for everything utility wise. Fargo housing doesn't pay for heat, so we keep a space heater too. But back to baking bread, and sweets. Bread is the easiest in the oven it only takes a half hour with rapid rise yeast. Try late night baking it is fun, because there is no distractions. Making my own saves me $5 dollars a month, and in this economy every penny counts!

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Well if you do flood like we do in the midwest, evacuate with as little clothes as possible. The phrase "clothes on your back" comes to mind. Food is easy to get, but if you must evac with all clothes garbage bags that are new and clean and washable is the way to go. For kids get the small kind as their things tend to be small.

We didn't have to evacuate this year last year we did tho. It was a caotic mess. Organize is all I can say and keep an emergency junk food kit too from the dollar store buys. A heads up to all in the five state area of Minnesota. You can now use food benefits card SNAP in all Family Dollar Stores now whereever they may be. I am not sure about the money part of it though.

But back to flood evac news. A makeshift rain gear can be had from garbage bags sewn together and v cut a whole for the head and arms, but be careful with infants. Well luck to all and sorry for the long break. I have been EXTREMELY busy.

your frugal and tightwad Tanya

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Hi well it is Christmas time soon, and I tend to start serious toy shopping at the Family Dollar Store at the end of town. I get dolls for $5 a piece, and crafting items for preteens at that price too. My adult child gets a gift basket filled with goodies, and kitchen things to cook and bake.I don't even have to wait til Black Friday to do this shopping. It is just when they have the most toys in the store. For Instance, the store has a flyer with all their sales items every day. Now they have a Christmas toy book/flyer. It is given out in October, November, and December. By December though it has been dwindled down. The teens in my family all get prepaid cell phones, you know the ones you have to buy minutes for each month, to add minutes to their current plan. All my children have these for safety winter reasons. The crafting bone in me gets giddy when I hit the Dollar Tree in Fargo, ND. I get tons of things for my craft room/dining area. I should really make craft closet, so my dining area isn't such a busy mess. I intend to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for Black Friday adult shopping. I got a coupon for 15% off my entire purchases. My adults in my family will really love what I get them there. I have a $200 cash fall this year that I have been saving for Black Friday shopping for Christmas. This year should be a nice Christmas. I even buy a present for the charity giving tree in the area. I use Black Friday for that shopping, otherwise with our finances I couldn't do it. My dh finally got a job he can do with his disability, so our bills are now paid in full. I can hardly wait til tomorrow. Yipee! Frugal and Tightwad Tanya

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Well to start with Thanksgiving Day is what I like to call the hectic start off. I go a month ahead of time, and see where I can get real cranberries at a good price, and take what I can home canning them for Thanksgiving & Christmas. Instead of the can of Cranberry Sauce, I go for the real sauce. I know most can't stand the poignent taste, and aroma of Cranberries. I use what I don't cook on the Christmas tree. Still I keep them frozen. Here is my recipe for Cranberry Sauce.

take:

1 pint of Cranberries canned

3 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Mix all ingredience in a pot on the stove once the cranberry are purried with a blender, and thawed. You have to freeze the canned cranberries in order for them to stay good in waiting. When the pot comes to a boil remove it from the burner, and pour the sauce into a serving bowl, and walla homemade cranberries. You can always use the can at the store too. Mine is just what my family likes.

Pumpkin Pie-

take:

1 can whipped cream

1 can pumpkin pie

1 pie tin from the Dollar Tree, General, Family Dollar, or whereever it is cheap.

Then spread the pumpkin pie after opening the can in the tin, and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream spread out over it. Serve. I wanted to make it as simple as I could for ya. This can't get any simpler. In all I say delicious.

The rest is history, as we all have our traditions.

Well happy holidays from Frugal and Tightwad Tanya

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Avon Rep like me I go to my brochures to afford Halloween for my kids that are young enough to afford the $19.99 costumes like wizards, Snow White, princess and Pirates, because I get them at a discount being a rep for Avon. My older kids go to their friends for Halloween parties, and use make up to look scary, that is their costumes. I never have to worry about money now that my business is started. I hope to sell, so we can get off welfare and disability. Did you guys hear about what is going on in Social Security. That is scary in itself. Well my birthday is next month too. I will be 41 yrs. old. Cool! I think I will celebrate frugally, and financially sound too.

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For meat that is from Sam's Club that is sold the day it is sell by date. I freeze it right away, then when I need it. It is usually gamy, so I make hamburger out of it. I would not suggest using it in hotdishes tho. Buy hamburger in bulk at regular grocery stores, so the hamburgers don't taste gamy. These tend to be on sale during Superbowl time, and football season. The sell by date isn't on the same day you buy it like at Sam's Club. Well let's discuss what I put in Chili tomorrow for my family.

Frugal and Tightwad Tanya

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I read that you can get three ringed binders for 79 cents on a KMart receipt if you buy $20. of there KMart supplies of non school, or regular items. Well I can do you better for price. Dollar Tree has 2 for a dollar, plus tax. The binders are 79 cents each that is 3 dollars after tax. Minnesota has no sales tax on clothing state and store wide. Canadians come down to here, but they save a bundle of money on our mall clothes, but for us US citizens that are frugal I tend to stick to the dollar stores, Kmart sales, WalMart,  and JCPenny's. The store sales are worth it to me during this month of back to school in August I saved $500 shopping in these stores. My girls all wear generic brands. Any one of them want a name brand jeans, or shoes I tell them get a babysitting job, because we are not made of money. Rent went up again, so we are looking for a house now to buy with the money we saved this year we can afford a downpayment. Well lets see how you all do savings wise. The challenge I give you is to save at least $200. on  total school supplies. Good luck to you all.

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Well I have to say that I know that now any landlord in my town doesn't care about anyone, but themselves. Our laundry machine is in constant disrepair, so I now only pay 1 dollar to dry, instead of 2. I continue to dry them on a clothes line after their dryer has had a broken go at my laundry. Thank goodness the washer isn't broken. I would love to hear about how others are fairing with their landlords in the USA. Frugally and Tightwadingly yours, Tanya

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They call me the Frugal Coupon Queen of my area of the USA in Minnesota that is unofficially. I know I don't use what society calls normal stores. I use dollar stores almost all the time KMart, and Walgreens sometimes, and WalMart seldom. If, I do use KMart, Walgreens, and WalMart I use coupons. Frugal T thats what they call me. You can use coupons from fliers in any store that has fliers. I like Family Dollar stores. They have fliers and use manufactured coupons too. I have cut coupons for a long time before the Internet, and now I get coupons On-line. Family Dollar has a website that has them sometimes. The one an hour from me really likes my business. I am word of mouth business for them. The store clerks always call me Coupon Queen, or Frugal Queen of Minnesota.I guess it is a compliment. Our Christmas gifts are from there. Coupons is what I use year around there for gifts and food. I cook from scratch too. I have recipes that I get from the Dollar Stretcher and Tightwad community. I now know that struggling is going to always be in our future, unless we win the lotto, so I utilize the stuff like you would not believe. Try Tightwad Tess website as well. I recently found it On-line, and I thought it was cool to know someone else is nicknamed tightwad too.

I got an MP3 player for $20 dollars last week at the Family Dollar. It is much cheaper than most places in town for that electronic stuff. Cabbage Patch Kids can be had there for $20 dollars too, if you are lucky enough to find them there. A $100 dollars goes a long way at the Family Dollar Store enough to get all my family birthday gifts and Christmas gifts during the year, and bring home supper, and breakfast too. We have a lot of fun shopping there. I shop the Dollar store in every town that has one. Backus, MN just had Backus Days, and they are about 400 if less population. The town has a Family Dollar Store. We got picnic supplies from there one day last year.

What you can get at the Family Dollar. Here is a short list:

1. Tide Laundry Soap-$3
2. Silverware four for a $1
3. Purina Cat Chow-$4
4. Tampax $3
5. Chips $1
6. Dinty Moore Stew $2
7. Crackers $1.50
8. Macaroni and Cheese $.79
9. Liquorice $1
10. Plastic, and Paper Cups $1
11. Coca Cola 2 liters $1.09

There is a whole lot more I could say about what is in the store this is a very partial list, and I haven't even gotten to the boys toys like Spiderman stuff for $5. Well that is why I am called the Frugal Coupon Queen by some. I know where to stretch my dollar, and save money with coupons. Bye again from Frugal and Tightwad Tanya also known as the Frugal Coupon Queen to some aka Frugal T.

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Well this weekend was a learning esperience for our family. Never take a trip three hours away and forewarn your family you're coming to visit. My Grandma had a Pulminary Attack. I couldn't go when she had it, as my father didn't want to much company at the hospital, but we did send a card with forever stamps that are a yearly cost, and you never have to pay postage again in your life with how many letters you actually write, and stuff like buying a stamp. It should have been a wake up call that my grandma hates my family, when we got there, and my friend of the family told us our grandma went out, and my uncle told me at the cemetary that she went to the casino for two days on the spur of the moment. My aunt is up from Arizona, so we visited her instead. She loved seeing the children again, and me. She wanted to know if we were moving back to AZ. I said no. We visited 8 graves of family members who died in the past this weekend, and chatted with some family that loved seeing us.

The car ride was one major "skunk" fest too. The new plan is never bring chocolate, and caffeine for snacks again. The chocolate melted, and the sugar rush sent me to the bathroom every other town of the three hour rode trip, and the children were bouncing off the car walls with overly too much sugar high energy. 16 bottles of water next time for sure instead of pop. They didn't even want to eat the sandwhiches I made for the trip. We stopped in Akeley, MN for a picnic lunch. Chaos was the word I would use. Ants everywhere, and children running around to check out Paul Bunyun Statue and Babe the Blue Ox. I wanted to make our visit to see how grandma was doing as burden free as possible, so we ate before we went to grandma's.

Car ride games consisted of identify how far away the skunk smell was from our car, and singing along to our own limericks, which were interesting to say the least. Next time travel scrabble, yatzee, and boggle will have to go, because the songs made me car sick with the smell of skunk too. The youngest child had to pee every top of the hour, so we pulled over to the side of the road using car doors as cover to let her pee, and for the rest to stretch their legs too. That is very important part of the trip planned rest stops anywhere. I never use actual rest stops when there is mother nature abound. I suggest trying it. It is much safer than public roadside restrooms.

Well we did have fun visiting with those who didn't flee when hearing the message that we were coming to visit. Next month my oldest daughter is getting married with the family and only us in attendance at the courthouse in our county, so I will tell you how it went for us. Bye for now!

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Well I have made it thru winter, and spring is officially here. April 1st joking day. What is my joke well it is this writing style font of course, as I usually write with another font. My health is good as can be right now. We are all happy it is spring. We can hit the thrift store and garage sales soon I hope.

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I was sitting in a restaurant last week with a friend, and when it came time to pay the bill she asked if she could pay a little more than 15 percent. I said "sure write a note with it that says pay it forward". Only she didnt understand anominity. I said dont ask the waitress it is suppose to be anonymous. She made a point of being too loud so the waitress over heard and got excited. I told my friend she missed the point and we spent the next 10 mins arguing over pay it forward. She eventually left a 5 dollar tip for 9$ and .65. It was hilarious she made such a big deal and only left 5% over the final bill. She had 20's. The waitress doesn't make much in life. I think she should have left the 20 dollar bill.

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Easter is my favorite time of the year. I make puff bunnies. You start out with a glue gun, beads for eyes, felt for ears, cotton of different color, and glue sticks. I bought all of this for $7 dollars at a thrift store in good condition too. You take the cotton and glue two balls together a small one for the tail, and a big one for the body and head. You cut the felt into tiny strip triangle for ears, and glue them too the top of the big cotton ball. Then the eyes that google and move when you shake the bunnie. Then with the left over felt make feet edges by glueing them to the edge of the cotton ball on the bottom. It is easy and simple fun. Easy for kids of all ages, and craft deficiant adults. Well Happy Easter decorating all, and remember the most important fact that Jesus died for our sins, so that we may have an assured place in heaven. All people everywhere not just Christians. That is what I believe anyhow.

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It used to be we could say what we like, and now we can not. Now Someone gets offended by what everyone says to or about anyone. We can not even vent our stress and anger anymore safely without scensorship. Well this is what happened to me. I went to a dollar store to vent my anger over stock that is in season, and the store was out due to not enough interests. Well I said "that they were stupid for not having a very much needed community item, and not stocking it in the future". They told me to "shop, shut up, or get out." I chose to shut up, but when I can't get glue in a dollar store I say it is time to give my money somewhere else.

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I used to think that WalMart was a cheap inexpensive source for my lipstick by Love My Lips. Not anymore is it under a $1. It is now just over a $1. I have never been extremely cheap, but when you ad a little over a dollar to your final bill at the checkout. It adds up. When you are on a tight budget, because I can't get cable signal without digital now, or the box which I could not afford. My family insisted on keeping TV, as we don't utilize the library for viewing movies for free, but drunken people show up for the movies too. You know the ones that smell and reek of beer. I for one don't want my youngest exposed to that sort of situation that I don't want to explain to her. Those same smelly people are also loud. The libriarian says it is public place. Yea the woman is probably a slush too. Well as we don't utilize the library anymore that is good. We get a high bill for the cable TV which cuts into my income for our family. We went with my income as our family income, as my hubby is totally disabled now, and I get more money per month cause I have been on disability longer, so makeup in the budget is expensive, and our family has all girl children. My poor hubby is the only male now. We had a foster son, but he had too many problems that we tried to fix, but could not. The agency thought the boy would be better as an only child, so he went to another family. But back to makeup. It is a necessity in our house. My girls all want it to attract boys, as some of the girls in our home are in high school. The younger ones are only allowed clear lip gloss for now. A cheap source for makeup and beauty I found is the dollar store aka Dollar Tree, and The Family Dollar store in our area. Other source On-line there is a lot of cheap, and chic sources for all ages. E.L.F. is one at elf.com. I even found Avon to be a cheap source. Mary Kay is not cheap, but if you can afford it... It is an adventure to find cheap sources for beauty that doesn't only include makeup, but skin care too. This economy is so tough on small business people. I prefer to give business to them instead of places like JCPenny's, Macy's, and Bloomingdale's. I find dollar makeup is just as good. Even skin care too. They both work just as good as Estee Lauder, Clinique, and Merle Norman. Try the dollar store or Avon for cheap sources. My family does and we love it, so you will love it too. I can almost guarentee it. Minus those who are allergic to non name brand makeup and skin care. Well happy hunting for cheap sources. I have been so busy this year.

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What I learned in the past years is that  I too am imperfect, so for this year's New Years resolution.  I made one I know I can keep and that is to be kind to everyone. Something I should already be doing as a Christian.

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Well Christmas is upon us. Thrift store decorating is my yearly thing. I buy a Christmas tree for about $5 dollars. Garland for about a dollar. I homemake all my decorations for the tree including baking gingerbread men. I am all about originality. I obhore copykating of any kind. Taking something even a name is bad in my ideal way of frugal thinking. So I try to be as original as possible Hence my name Frugal and Tightwad Tanya. I am both so it is originally mine. Santa mugs are 25 cents at the thrift store, and yes there really is a Santa Claus. I will never call my self Santa not to my children. Well I got the Christmas story at the thrift store too. Well I will tell you later all my buys.

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For the Holiday season in the thrift store I found plenty of Thanksgiving items that were dang cheap in comparison to most thrift stores. 50 cents for a box of Thanksgiving string of lights. A very interesting home made from the yard centerpiece for our table 75 cents. A recipe book for a dollar. A Christmas album with Bing Crosby on it and it was all vocal no instrumental music without a scratch on it for a dollar, and for those of you who don't know who Bing Crosby is just ask MOM and GRANNY they will tell you who's the person. Oh yes I even found little turkey salt and pepper shakers that were made of ceramic for a dollar. I am going back for Christmas shopping next week now that I got my Thanksgiving shopping out of the way. I already have at home a Thanksgiving table cloth, and Thanksgiving cloth napkins. This year Thanksgiving is at our house. Family in tow too. Everyone is helping out for the gobble gobble fest thank goodness. Well Happy Holidays to everyone.

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McD's is now expensive for their new meal deals. I went there with my family the other day. I got a soda and double cheeseburger that was two dollars and seven cents, but my family ordered off the main menu. To save time let's just say $30 dollars was our end total. Twice the amount it should have cost. Now that is a frugal person's real nightmare, and McDonald's use to be a cheap place to eat. You know who I really feel sorry for is the poor college kids who have been told it is cheaper to eat at McD's. They might as well go to an Applebees or truck stop diner for the same price. My older daughter thinks their prices are fine and cheaper than most places. I laugh at her, because when she was little she never went to McD's so she wouldn't know the price difference shock I am now facing, as are all of us frugal people.

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Using a calling card for long distance calling is the best way to go. I don't use a cell phone, as there is no privacy with the channels. Anyone can hear sometimes. What I do is go to Sam's Club and buy there 800 minute calling cards for $50.00/a card. It is the best way to call. I don't use it all the time. I limit my long distance this way as I don't have it on my land phone, and chose to go local only. I do miss shopping at Sam's Club now. I still have my calling card from there with a whole lot of minutes left on it from April 25-31 week when I bought it, and I know a lot of people that are friends and family from when I lived in Georgia, and Arizona. My extended family lives in Arizona, and I call them every couple weeks. My friends get the same call from me too. My calling card is a lifesaver when it comes to conversing with Canadian Pharmacies too for refills on medication. The calling cards at WalMart are just as expensive now that they charge a connection fee on their calling cards. I have a friend who said she would pick me up one when going to Sam's Club for me. I will give her the money and this next calling card should last me another two months. You can't get this good of calling plan with a regular land line long distance deal. I am happy to report my man is going back to work next month on a parttime basis. Just to get his feet and back off the couch, as he needs exercise, and he is getting none now, but at work. This should help get him back in to the swing of things. I, however, wont be going back to work, as I have decided to take it easy on my mind/brain with the MS. This is not going to effect us getting calling cards from WalMart or Sam's Club. Lastly I always check to make sure the calling card has little connection cost upon activation. I would say this is even my being frugal, but I always say if the benefit outways the cost it is worth the money to spend. I see these calling cards as a benefit. If, I lost our land line due to non payment. We would still be able to use the calling card anywhere we want too, even the management company office of our apartment complex. I sometimes use the grocery store phones saying I don't have money for the pay phone, so I use the calling card to call home and tell my helpers to get down to the store and help me carry our groceries home in the next town. My car is too small for all that I buy at WalMart, so I usually need the other car. I tell them on the phone the time I will be done and to be here by that time to help by taking some of the staples in to the other vehicles, so you see the calling card from Sam's Club really does work out for the price of it. Well bye for now. Chat later.

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This Memorial Day 2008. My man, and I with all the kids in tow went down to the park and camped two blocks away from our home. I didn't have to cook. My adult daughters did the cooking. I am happy to report I am not, as barren as I thought. I thought I had the flu this past week, and it turns out I am pregnant. We are all happy with the news. My family is proud and non-conventional sort of people. I now think our family is complete. ten children is enough for anyone I think. Although, there is a report of a family called the Duggars in Arkansas with their 18th child to be delivered in about 9 months. That is pretty amazing. Well anyhow we got our pop up camper going and towed it to the park camping area. The place is free to camp at in our town to large families. There is a public shower, so we don't have to walk two blocks to get a shower. I never liked vacationing at home, but two blocks away and free. It was too much a temptation to pass up. There is a hospital right up the hill too incase of an injury while hiking on the trail behind the park and along the river. Right next to the park a public pool, since swimming in the river is forbidden in town. I intend to collect flowers and dry them and make a collage of them when we get back home. The kids are all out of school. My young 5 year old is still on the chain link run away proof she has ADHD and is terribly high flight endangering her health risk when we go out to a store. What do my neighbors think of our vacation. Well they laughed at first, but then when they saw how happy we were to be away for a weekend. They stopped laughing and got serious. They told my man that it was an ingenious vacation and the way he could keep an eye on our house while on vacation was inspiring. Vacations don't have to be expensive headaches with Mother Nature spoiling everything. If the weather gets bad we can pack up and head two blocks home without wasting gas, then when it clears up we just get back to camping, and all it cost is our manual labor of moving about in town. We don't get tired during a long drive. We can use a library without having to go 15 miles to town. We can use the parks swing sets and have fun right at our finger tips so to speak.

Vacations in town mean being close to a dollar store when we run out of things and we know they aren't at home. Some people live on a lake and call that an all-year round vacation not us. We call that too much work, when all we do is the camping once a year thing. This year our town, and next year we may even head to another town nearby with a free campground, and a WalMart near there too. Our WalMart is 30 miles down the road from us. I like to go once a month and stock up. Meats go in a cooler with dry ice (milk too), and regular items that we don't get at the convenient store is good at car temperature until we get home. I do miss having a WalMart right down the street from us, but on the positive side I am not always running to WalMart now that it is 30 miles away. Gas prices this summer has made us very mother of invention and father inventive too. We may go camping too near our home, but it is still away from our home and hurried lifestyle. Well enough said at a library now, and am out of time because in 15 minutes it will close for today. Happy Memorial Day and Weekend all.

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Well with the gas prices the way they are of late, and what they will be this summer. Our family is suffering. I no longer can work. The man of the house is on disability now too,  because of a knee replacement surgery that he had to have this winter. The nieces and nephews all are expecting big gifts this spring and summer for birthday gifts, and I am not giving in to them. I have resigned my issue about not really dollar stores if they aint a dollar store wide, as I have now been shopping in one and found it quite delightful. I got Barbie house for 10 dollars what would have cost me 34 dollars at Toys 'R US store. I like this store a lot. It is still named a dollar store in its name. It just isn't a dollar store wide. Amending that issue was easy, and now to amend the WalMart issue. I shop there for almost everthing now. Just none name brand and sale items only. The children don't mind. I am even charging rent to our oldest children still wanting to live at home, yes I am still sick with MS. Not having an easy time of it. We had to give up our cable TV. Our Sam's Club went very bye bye as well. We can't afford to shop there anymore anytime of month. I can't wait til my man goes back to work full time. Well I have been taking meds that are good and inexpensive since we make a monthly trip to Canada to get them cheaply now. I thank god we moved back to Minnesota closer to cheap meds in Canada. Well I got to go exercise. We use the library for the Internet and all the entertainment free. I love the library for that. It is too bad that we are only allowed an hour on the net here though. So next place is mall walking another free thing. Well glad to see Spring. Lets hope for an Indian Summer. Bye for now. Be back soon.

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I am so sick and tired of rich people using my dollar store in town as a way to get out of paying for craft supplies. For instance I was in the store the other day behind a lady at the check out. She was dolled up to the max with pearls on and everything. I started a conversation saying "you look nice" and she went on to say "thank you I just love dollar stores for the shower curtain material and shelf paper material so I can get my craft area looking spiffy for a $1 or $2 instead of costing me a lot of money. I can afford it I just don't want to spend it. It is too bad only poor people use dollar stores." then she went on to say she thought that we poor people should get our money woes taken care of that way we would not have to use dollar stores as they degrade KMart and WalMart. I was aghast at what she thought poor people should shop and do. I thank the owner of the dollar store in town every night in my prayers, and I thought maybe if she didn't like shopping with poor people she should have stayed home and let her husband or maid do the shopping for her.

These people should not be using dollar stores. Dollar stores are for the struggling, not the well to do cheapskate that happen to take up all the inventory from the store for the wrong reason instead of living on what we purchase at the dollar store, for example, actually using a shower curtain for the shower instead of in the craft room. I say go get a table cloth if you need one that badly and leave the shower curtains for the intended purpose that they were made for in the first place. I told the cashier what she said and the cashier agreed with me. Cheapskate which is not saying all dollar store shoppers should be poor, but just under $70,000 dollars even $25,000 dollars a year. The owner of the store still gets their money, and we can feel comfortable shopping there without feeling like we are being judged for being poor. I only wish she could walk a mile in my shoes then maybe she would keep her mouth shut. I get very angry when I hear rich people say if poor people could only do....Well maybe the rich in my area should "pay it forward" instead of being selfish and spoiled. The other day one lady did just that for me. I couldn't get to Canada this week, so I had to use the pharmacy down the road from our home in the next town. A well to do woman saw I had no money for co-pay and paid my co-pay for me. I said thank you and wished I could "pay it forward" someday as well to someone else. I have shopped at dollar stores and never experienced this kindness from well to do snobs aka cheapskate who frequent my stores. Well anyhow sorry if I offended anyone I just get real angry and have to vent at least I do not swear outright on here be thankful for that mercy. I still use the library which is another mercy for my poorness. Angel Food Ministries is helping out next month, as it was too late for this month. We had to use the Food Pantry in town, and that is free. I am at the library now so got to go. Hope the best for all of you poor folks like me and my family. G-bless.

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My Big Family Dollar Store on Highway 10 is closing this month due to sales being not so good, and the fact that Dilworth, MN now has a Super Center WalMart. It is the only grocery and clothing store and plant store and liquor store in one store the town of 3002 has to claim. I know that the dollar store chain that that one is one has closed, or is closing soon. It was a dollar store wide and it had many good things for gifts and food. Cleaning and more was there too. Include baby items that are going to be missed there for me with gifting at showers that noone nows I got them there. I am sad to see them go. I am glad to see the Dollar Tree in Fargo, ND stay though. It is worth the trip into Fargo for that an hour that is for me. Well we will all miss you at The Big Family Dollar Store if you are or can read this post. Sorry to see you go from a loyal shopper to your store. Bye. Good Luck in your future store.

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I have made a lot of improvements in my family life. I now make all my things I need to live by from scratch so to speak. I made a purse out of recycled items that is working out good. I made curtains out of unfinished quilt tops for my room when the curtain rod broke. I just nailed up the quilt top. It was made out of thick stuff, so it will do. I sew my own bras too. I make my clothes as I look on the internet for pictures of tops and jeans I like then print the picture. I enlarge it with my Image enhancer and print it up at the library i.e. copier in color for 15 cents. Then I take it home. Sew away my blues. I already have my measurements.  We use the library internet for what we need to look up. My home computer is acting up, so we are improvising, and we may give it up all together. It has been fun, but isolating.

Firing up a winter fire is easy if you get the newspaper. I recently added a corner fireplace. It's not a full wall fireplace, but it burns paper well and we haven't had to pay for wood, or newspaper. I asked our neighbor for her paper that she isn't using, and she gladly gave me it to make logs for the fire place. Sunday paper is the best it burns a longer time. This winter we were nice and toasty. It is better on the environment too.

You can do this simple living too all you need is a will to do it. The schools have sewing centers in my area that they let the public use during class time in exchange for helping out. Maybe it is like that in your area of the USA, or Canada? Well lets say envirosafe and be well. Hurrah!

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I was looking in the mirror this morning. I found a lot of little grey hairs spouting every where near my hair line. I have long hair. I want to cut it myself, which I think of me as the family barber, but I don't know how to dye it myself. Can anyone respond with brown hair dye with red tints in it dye job how to in this blog site? How does anyone afford the cost of a mall hair dye beauty salon shop expense of 59 dollars plus tax when you are frugal and poor? Well I hope you can be helpful.

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My father and I have called it quits on our life time feud. He is being civil and I am being civil. Lets see who holds out the longest heh? I bet it is me. But, I wouldn't real money down on it. I might lose the bet. Well this will be the first Christmas ever that we are getting along beautifully. I hope he isn't thinking I am dying. I only have MS and that isn't life threatening as long as I am on my meds. I make each memory with a picture of us smiling sitting by each other lately. I can't remember who took them tho. Think it was mum. Well here is to a merry Christmas.

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Christmas is fun in the MidWest. We get snow. This year it looks new, as we are visiting relations in Minnesota, and trying to get a home to stay in for a while. I went shopping at Target in Moorhead, and I saw they had a dollar only section. They had Christmas gifts there for all the family members. The total I spend each year on Family is $40 dollars. My children got notebooks at a dollar each. That is 10 notebooks/journals with pens. Next My hubby got his favorite Christmas Candy. My mom got a calendar for this next year of the Greek Isles. My sisters each got a baking apron. One doesn't bake her husband does, so it was sort of a joke gift in one. My brother got a hair comb and brush. His is so old that it is cracked and split. It is made of wood. I got him plastic which last forever, so everybody says. My sister-in-law got yellow colored make up bag, as she is high maintenance. The children my nephews and nieces got princess toys and the toy cars. You guess which went to which. All for a dollar plus tax. I also got coffee for the adults that was gourmet for christmas one cup each bags. I guess I will be the one that starts the Christmas fight this year. LOL Only one coffee maker at my relations. My total bill was easier than shopping at Wal-Mart. I always thought Wal-Mart was the cheapest store in the city. I guess I was wrong. Well hot cocoa calls my name and I got to get to wrapping my nieces birthday present for this Saturday. Isn't it cute having a one year old and Christmas all in one month. I don't think so. It is the worst month to have a baby. Worse on the pocketbook that is for us poor. Well have a good day.

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Hi I know you all know me as the dollar store shopping freak, but did you know you can shop for all your Christmas needs at a dollar store as well.

Here is what you can get at a dollar store, and prices may very in different dollar stores.

1. wrapping paper

2. ribbons

3. toys for children

4. gift baskets

5. calenders

6. Perfumes by Mary Kate and Ashley Olson.

7. candles

8. socks

9. Candy

10. various bubble bath and scrubs.

11. gift bags

12. makeup

13. tools

14. car assessories

15. coloring books and activity books

16. pet Christmas stockings and presents

17. cooking supplies like soup ladle, sushi utinsels, and others

18. Spices

19. Jams and Bread and Butter Pickles

20. knicknacks, picture frames, photo albums for all, and dishware/glass ware.

All of these at my dollar stores cost a dollar only plus tax. They are brand new and nice. The Dollar Tree and The Big Family Dollar Stores are great places to go shopping. If a dollar only store isn't your appeal for your wallet or taste there are places like Loopy's where it is any item $1, 2, or 5, and every item price in between. I have a nice place setting I bought at my dollar store. You can do more. Just be creative amd frugal in spending. Keep to that spending plan or budget as some would like to say. Well I hope you all read my entry as the Saving Freak has abused blog entries for the past few days, as we are only allowed 5 max and this person seems to have up to ten. Unfair I know, but maybe this person will learn not to tick us bloggers off like me. Well Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

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I finally can say the Salvation Army is the store for me. I got a purse there for 50 cents on a half off and red tag day. It was an Liz Claireborn purse that was brand spanking new with plastic and paper inside it to boot. It is brown leather with multi compartments full size. This is no makeup purse. My daughter is constantly bugging me to borrow it. In the store it would have cost me $35.00 plus tax. It only cost 50 cents plus tax a total of 58 cents more so. I always have a frugal mind set. Now that we live in Georgia it is expensive. I can say the weather has to do with the prices that is for sure. We used coupons for everything before now we use coupons and sales together just to survive here in Georgia. My main man and I plan on moving back to MN so I can be near my family, and the children too. It is cheaper living there by far. It may kill me with my arthritis, but it is better for my mental state right now with the MS. We will go to Arizona at the end of next year if MN doesn't work out, so he can be near his family too. Life is hard enough living frugally without the help of family. Why make it harder yet is what I always say. Well got to go. Holiday business is got me going here too.

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I started my therapy off right with a new cookbook that has cancer food recipes so that the I don't eat the wrong food while recovering, It has a lot of gluten free recipes, but also fatty acid recipes. Is there any other library cookbooks out there that could help. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you and God bless.

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Well, we are in Georgia now. I am going to Cancer Treatment Center of America here to shrink my new development cancer on my brain stem. We are all hopeful as it has only been a few weeks since they found the spot that has grown. It is beautiful here. I saw Kim Basinger in person at the airport I think, but I am not sure. She does own a town in Georgia, but then again I have been having vision problems due to the spot on my brain stem, so it may not be. My daughter just got a job at a grocery store. I am using my voucher to get us housing reduced. We have a nice two bedroom a block away from the treatment center. It is convenient and nice. It has no ammenities like pool, but it does have a dishwasher. It also has assisted living on the top floor of my building. My daughter has a room, and I have a bedroom. I have decided we are staying here past next year when the voucher runs time for renewal. I like the weather, and I may even be cured by then. The groceries are expensive, but I go to cheap sources for them, and I have switch us to powdered milk. We don't notice the difference. I use the Dollar General and Dollar Tree stores in Savannah. I buy powder milk at the grocery store that isn't dollar stores. I go to the one on near the center. We live on a nice quiet street. I also visit the thrift stores here. They have really nice sales and nice clothes. I look like a last years debutant in the clothes I get there. My daughter does too. I got a couple of nice breezy outfits for wearing around here. We are having poor weather of late. I pray for good weather soon. God always answers my prayers. I hope that all goes well here for us. Well God Bless.

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The heat wave struck us and we about died. Thank goodness for our several fans and A/C plus all the water we bought at the local warehouse on sale last week. It was 2 for $5 per pack, so we bought several packs plus several more jugs. This week we filled the bathtub with water from the jugs, and then made ice cubes in the freezer. I put three trays in the bathtub with ice in them. Good thing we did the next day the heat wave struck and three of my children had to spend the day in the cool bathtub. They looked like cucumbers, and my pets had to be wetted down several times during the day with cold packed cloths. I closed all the window shades. Turned on the bathroom and living room light til we had a blackout then candles were lit, and I opened the door. We drank water like crazy. We basically had to get down to our undies in order to not die of heat stroke. We then all got into our swimsuits after a while and put the pets in the kiddie pool we set up in our living room, then left for the pool in the next building rushing between buildings. We got there and spent the afternoon in the water ourselves. When night came and it was cooler. We went home to find the waterlovers of pets never left their pools lapping as they sat in their respective water areas. They were grinning at us as we walked in the door. I opened all the windows to air the place out, and also get some cool air too. It wasn't much, but it was enough. I changed the water which was back on in time to dump what was left of the kiddie pool down the tub too. I then ran more water enough to soak out feet in and not much more. I even got the garbage can out to the trash with the milk that spoiled in the heat. We pretty much lost the contents of our fridge. Tomorrow we have to go to the store again meaning the food pantry. Well we lived thru it without losing anyone. Here is to hoping we live thru the next. Arizona may be hot, but holy molley I never knew it could get that hot like the other day. Several thoughts are going thru my head this week. Should we move to a cooler yet warmer state, or should we stay put? Should I send my dogs back to Minnesota, or should I keep them here? Well here is to surviving another summer.

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Today I am having a project day. I have brought my sewing machine out and I am mending away in my air conditioned apartment. My daughter is at the community room in our building to see if she can find a book to read there. She said if she gets too hot she will come back. I am sewing better now. I have a friend too. She measured me last night and I wrote down the sizes, so I can now sew a summer and winter top. The kind that will hold up you know with out a bra. I have longed to wear one of them, ever since my ex-husband said I was too fat and had no plans of losing weight. Well I am proving him wrong today. My new hubby is reading the newspaper with all my dogs lounging around him. The curtains are closed, and it is pretty cool in here. It is almost a Minnesota Fall kind of cold in our apt. I still can't believe it hasn't been a year since I moved here to Arizona. I may still be on Minnesota time. Thank goodness we haven't caught valley fever and we plan not to ever either by staying healthy lifestyle. Tonights supper will be something from the fridge/freezer in the form of sandwiches thawed well and cold water. My family is all for remaining cool. Today we may even go to the indoor pool in an hour to swim. Well got to get back to sewing. I will tell you all how it panned out.

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Today I went on a days vacation to be alone with just me. I went down towards Tucson to the south of my town. I went shopping at tiny boutiques for interesting ideas on how to decorate on our income. Well that went well. I called my mom who was also shopping garage and rummage sales in MN today. The meanness of her unnerves me. I told her what I did today and she said that was good and that she got me a 2X size nice Sunday dress at a garage sale. I am at best a 4X a most a 3X bottom wise. top wise I am a 2X. She said when I told her that it wont fit me, so dont send it to me. She said oh you can diet and lose weight your too fat anyhow. Never mind I just miscarried. I have no intention of dieting at this time. I am too depressed over that fact right now. I just needed time alone, hence the day to myself. My mom has always meant well, but to me she has always been mean about my weight even needling me on a daily basis when I lived up north. I am happy to be down here, but now I tend to wonder whether or not I am co-dependent on her abuse and what she thinks of my weight. Well I am at a restaurant typing, so I have to go. I got a rental laptop for 3 weeks at a Rent All sort of store. I get it for three weeks and if in good condition when I return it. I get my deposit back. Cool huh?!

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What I got at the dollar store for around $20 dollars for my family. A lot can be gotten at a dollar only store. It's not above a dollar either. Tax only. Here it is:.......

1. Betty Crocker Hamburger helper Cheeseburger Macaroni $1.

2. Kitchen towel set of two $1.

3. Pepsi 2 liter $1.

4. Ketchup from Doyle $1.

5. Table scarf $1 and it was cloth with ornate designs.

6. Fourth of July tablecloths $1.

7. Napkins $1.

8. Popsicles in a box $1.

9. Picture frames of stone $1.

10. Road map book $1.

11. Class schedule book for students $1.

12. Grey Poupon from Doyle $1.

13. Tea set for child $1.

14. Scrapbook material pages and stickers 2/$1.

15. Bottled water by Dannon 2/$1.

16. Tablet paper for students 2/$1.

17. Garbage bags 30 gallons $1.

18. Cleaning supplies $1. each but I only got one.

19. Toys all for a $1 and some are even copies of Hannah Montana, and Bratz Dolls.

20. Plastic cutlery and real cutlery and eating Utinsils 4 for a $1. with tax it all came to $20.76.

That is not bad for a hall around 20 dollars and not over $21. There are plates at the dollar store made of stoneware for a dollar each at my dollar store. Crystal drinking glasses for a dollar too. Pet food to boot. It's like I said who needs WalMart when you a have a true dollar store not the any price up to $100. dollars that isn't the idea of a dollar store to begin with when they opened them. People who open expensive dollar stores just want to be a WalMart who can't afford the franchise, so they ruin it for the poor by opening them up right down the street from a dollar store dollar only. Well I intend to beat them at their own jealous and envious game. I shop at only dollar stores that are a dollar storewide. Thank you and have a good summer, because you know when school starts in August and in some parts of the country a couple weeks in July this month.

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We are now thinking of moving next year to Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco, CA. My daughter wants to become a singer, and we are too far away from New York to make that move, so now we must think on it for a month and make a final decision on which city to move too.

I have loved it here, but it is time she and I and my dh to make up our minds, since I moved here for three reasons. One for my health; two to get away from the cold; three to be near my aunt in the winter. Well she passed away this week, so what is left for me here with no family, but my own, so the question becomes why not? It is still warm in CA, and my health can be better there too. Well I am on a library computer, so I have to go talk soon.

Tanya

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Happy Father's Day to all dads out there new or otherwise.  I sent my dad an electronic Father's Day card from daysprings.com. It was a nice card. I sent him the present in the mail. He should have gotten it yesterday. He went golfing today for sure as he loves to golf. My brother is sick this weekend, so he has to stay away from his new daughter who is six months old this week. I hope all went well today for them. My family spent it at the church with activities in the afternoon for families and father's. We will be going home for a visit in two weeks so it all works out. Well got to go make supper for my family. Happy Father's Day again.

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I have a niece who is turning five in three weeks. My daughter and I went to the dollar general store and the big dollar store for her birthday. I got her food and dishes on a cardboard toy thing for her toy kitchen at home. She turns five this year, so my daughter made her a card with stock from the dollar store. She decorated it with five of everything including candles, 5's in sparkle with glue and sparkles, cloud shapes, hearts, and a special greeting from a new cousin just so the big card could be personalized. We are flying home on PriceLine.com discount of $450 for two round trip tickets. My aunt is picking us up from the airport, so she will meet her great niece my daughter is sort of nervous. My live in boyfriend is staying home as he has to work. All in all her birthday gifts cost a total of $5 dollars from the dollar store.

This week at the dollar store I also bought our groceries. Pasta for a dollar, chips for a dollar, dip for a dollar, mac for a dollar, beans for a dollar, ketchup for a dollar, fruit in a can for a dollar, soups for a dollar, potatoes for a dollar, pop for a dollar, breakfast a dollar again, spices for a dollar, and powder milk for a dollar. I am always thankful for our dollar stores. As you know I am the dollar store Queen I could live there if they would let me. i also found my brand of makeup there for a dollar, since it is non-allergenic. I also got her my niece hair accessories for a dollar for 35 pieces in one and a dollar for 25 pieces too.

My week has turned out ok, but it has been darn cold here. I heard Mn had 90 some degree weather. I feel betrayal on some sort of level from God with the weather. I came down to Arizona, because I thought me not letting go of the thoughts year after year after year of a warmer climate and dryer would be better for me was God's way of saying do it. Move to Arizona like a sign of sorts. You know it could have just been a fluke and none intended for me to move here. I do love it here. It is where my daughter and I have started our life as a family together, and where I met my gorgeous boyfriend who likes me for me, and isn't concerned with looks even though he is dang good looking. He is a Christian. I know all is well in the world now. I plan on adopting again as soon as we get married. He wants to too. My daughter and him get along too. He is a great father figure to her. It took a couple days to get her to trust him, but it finally happened and now they are card playing buddies. Well hope the trip goes well for me and her. I have to take the laundry out of the machine, so it time to let my daughter on the computer.

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There is a store called the 99 Dollar Furniture Store in Mesa where I live with my family. We got new furniture there at cost; it isn't dollar, but my daughters bed frame and desk chair was reasonable. I am amazed at what people will call a dollar store these days. I am used to max of 20 dollars dollar stores and dollar stores, but up until now I never thought I would see the day that furniture stores would not be called bargain furniture outlets of some sort and called dollar stores instead for a name. I think if my dear longtime boyfriend wasn't with me I would have fainted in the store from price shock. I am a tightwad. I also live frugally my whole life. It is getting difficult to continue living this way, but we are managing as a family. My daughter just got a job, so she can put gas in the car when she uses it to get to school. I love walking, but in the morning only. I never thought it would be this much getting used too in a warmer climate. I have had to go to the free clinic in Phoenix twice for medical problems. Well it is free with my Arizona medical assistance now so to speak. I have a job too. I report my income to social services and Social Security. We are enjoying the look of the new furniture in my daughters area to sleep. My live in boyfriend plans on getting screens for her area to give her more privacy. They are removeable just like the platform bedroom so to speak. We made a lot of space for her. It takes up most of the living room, so we use lamps, as she has the ceiling light. We made sure that it didn't block any of the windows though. We do get natural lighting from them. The ladder to her room is like an old bunk bed ladder not sticking out strait up climb. She like it too, and she likes the furniture. We will go back for other things next time when and if we need them. Well its lunch time around 1pm, so I will make us something to eat, since its hot. I was thinking sandwiches from the freezer. I premake all the sandwiches in the morning then freeze them. This way the bread stays good and we have an already made lunch. col huh.

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I am wishing for Minnesota right now. It is hotter than I am used too. My air conditioner is a necessity, but it seems to be whining. I hope it holds out. My daughter is playing guitar and writing songs. I got her the Guitar at Wal-Mart. It is a starter guitar for ages 7 and up. No age limit, so I assume adults can buy it to use to learn too. The music store in my town is owned by a person who is mean and nasty to me. I think its because I am half German and it is obvious to people with my facial features. Maybe the person is just nasty too who knows.

Tomorrow I am going into Phoenix to shop at a couple malls for birthday presents this year. My daughter wants to drive, but I  told her not til she is used to driving in Phoenix. It can be hazardous driving and I myself am barely used to it with our newer car that I just bought because I realized I needed one here. The gas prices are killing me, so I am going to do all my shopping in the same place no matter what the cost. Oh I will try to look for sales dont worry about that part of my shopping, but I will hate it. I am used to going to the bread store, grocery store, thrift stores, dollar store, Dollar General store, and Family Dollar store. I hope the gas crisis disapates soon. Real soon. Well got to go. Have fun this Memorial Day weekend all.

Tanya

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