I DID IT - Finally.

So, I've been following Dave Ramsey's program for almost two years now. It took awhile just to get the idea of doing this get-out-of-debt thing. It took a few months to get a budget and make it work. And granted, DH isn't really on board with the whole plan.
But, the thing is, I want to be debt free. I'm tired of having a huge portion of my paycheck go to someone else. I want to be the one that benefits from working. I want my money!!
So, I've sacrificed, I've sold, I've worked extra, I've quit doing some very stupid things.
And slowly, very slowly, I've been crawling out of this whole that I've dug.
And today?
Today, Dave Ramsey is offering FPU for $89.00! I've been saving money for Christmas, and still have money left...so, I bought myself an early Christmas present! I am so excited! I even got free shipping and did not have to pay tax!!
I cannot wait to receive it.
I cannot wait to continue on this journey.
I cannot wait to be debt free!

Still Plinking Away...

So, here it is just a few short weeks away from Christmas...have you finished your shopping??
I'm almost done. I have a few quick gifts that I need to get...and then I will be done. So far, I am under my budget. Also, I have found some great resources to help me in getting good deals, or at least benefit me in the future.
One site, an all-time favorite, is www.mypoints.com. You simply sign up, and shop online through their site. When you have completed a purchase, you will get points back, which in turn can be used to earn gift cards to various stores. You can also increase your earnings by participating in short surveys, clicking on e-mails, and using their printable coupons.
Another site that I just recently found, www.shopathome.com. You sign up, shop through their site, which offers coupon codes for discounts and free shipping, and when you have completed your transaction, a percentage goes back to you!! You can easily cash out at $20.00, AND, you can earn $5.00 for referring someone once they register and make a purchase. I've already earned a rebate back!
www.ebates.com is similar to shopathome, however, I have found that shopathome gives you a higher percentage back at the stores that I prefer.
Granted, the point of these sites are to shop. Which means, you have to have money. I have budgeted my spending per person for Christmas. I made lists and have looked for great deals. The point is to save as much money as possible so I can throw that back at my debt...which I am struggling to not increase. So, any little bit that comes back to me, is great. Gift cards? Can easily be used at my favorite retailers to buy toiletries, printer ink, dog food, etc. Cash back? Can be thrown into my snowball.
Will be back later with pictures of some cards and projects that I have been working on - see you soon!

Another One...

Well, it's almost 4:00 p.m. Two more hours to go before the mall closes...Michael's and Jo-Ann's close later. I need black yarn, and brown. I'm learning how to make amigurumi...and I need more yarn. But I don't. I need to practice crocheting. I need to use the craft supplies that I already have.

Here is another card I made, in order to stay busy, to keep the shopping bug at bay...lots of glitter, took me awhile to figure this one. I need something easy to whip out, something that I can give to co-workers. Something that I won't mind if it ends up in the trash at the end of the day. Although, I truly do mind if it does end up in the trash. Because I spent my time on these...they are like little children...I picked out the colors, the ink, the paper I cut, the stamps that I cared for...they are all like small children...only they aren't noisy, I don't worry about where their fingers are...what is going in their mouths.

Okay, maybe they aren't like children. They are like great little attention grabbers that keep me from screaming at the boy who once again has his finger up his nose. Which was just digging around in the front yard looking for mud.

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Spica Glitter Pen in Red

Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede

Accessories: Top Note Die, Old Olive Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

First Christmas Card of 2009

Oh how I want to go shopping!

I want to run to the mall, buy clothes and makeup, pretzels and a coffee! I want to shop for my family! I want to shop for my friends! I want to walk down the hall swinging bags of fun new stuff. I want to push past other people, all spending money and happy with their family and friends. I want to look at boots and sweaters, search for video games and size tags! I want to shop and shop and shop!

But I can't. I must remain strong in these times, where all the television ads are clawing at my wallet. These times that cause sales to pop into my e-mail and tempt me to spend spend spend. I must remain strong. I must remember my budget. I must remember that I have an ultimate goal.

I must not say "This SUCKS".

In order to remove myself from all of society's temptations, I decided to finally work on some Christmas cards. Okay, really I just made one, in duplicate.

Stamps: Season of Joy

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Old Olive

Ink: Versa Mark, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, and Ruby Red

Accessories: Dimensionals, 1/2" Circle Punch, White Embossing Powder, Chocolate Chip Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

I must give credit to this card on Splitcoaststampers, it caught my eye as I was looking for inspiration. A true beauty...

For Kathy and Bob

My friend Kathy is stressed. And that is putting it nicely. Not even nicely. That's just the tip of the iceburg for her. She is struggling with family issues, with caring for her parents, with living life...but she manages to put a smile on her face, to help make my bad days shine, and she always is willing to listen.

Or, she pretends to listen and nods at all the right places...

Her husband had a stroke when my little one was out ill. I wasn't able to be there for her the way that she is always there for me. The moment that I returned to work, I ran to her desk and hugged her. Because sometimes, there are no words to convey all that your heart wants to say. Bob is getting better. They hospitalized him and he had numerous strokes while there. Fortunately, there is no permanent damage that the doctors can find. He is slowly coming around to returning to his spitfire self. He has trouble remembering how to do some things, but all in all, he is healing and recovering.

I made this card for them, to let them know that I was thinking and praying for them...

Stamp Set: God's Beauty, Trendy Trees

Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Old Olive, Whisper White

Accessories: Circle Scissors Plus, White Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Still Practicing

Worked on this one...

And made this one...

MDS - My First Attempt

Okay, first off, let me warn you:

I am NOT a scrapbooker. My mom tried to get me started when my daughter was born with pre-made kits, embellishments, all sorts of stuff. But, I never really got it. As time has gone by (ten years +), I have come out of my creative coma and gotten into cardmaking and paper crafting. So, when Stampin' Up! came out with My Digital Studio, I thought "Perfect! Now I can do scrapbook pages that aren't permanent! It's okay to make a mistake!!" And so, when my life finally took a change for the positive, it was the first thing on my list.

Here is my first attempt. Look back, I said "attempt". I will get better.