How My Family Does Gift Selection Now

I've been describing some of my favorite gifts this week and last, and one of the aspects that may strike some of you is that I was very specific in what I was hoping to receive. Up until the last couple of years, I would have thought that requesting specific gifts would sound like putting in an order. Perhaps if only one or two people in a family were this specific, they might seem a bit pushy about gifts. 

In our own family, making our "lists" evolved over a few years. I have to thank my daughter-in-law for this, as she is the one who pointed out that she would really like to give gifts that she knew we would use. For several years, I casually asked my family members if there was something they really wanted or needed. It was last year that we solidified our method for formal gift wish lists.

How our wish lists work

In late November to early December, we all put together our wish lists and circulated them through email. Some of us put together small lists for each person or group of people who would ordinarily give a gift, and some of us put together a master list that anyone in the immediate family could look over. With the latter, we touched base with the other gift-givers when we bought or were about to buy an item off someone's list (to prevent duplicates). 

Some of us offered links so others not only understood the listed item more thoroughly, but also provided simpler shopping for the giver. We've also gone off-list, using the lists as springboards for items not listed but that we believed would be appreciated.

When I specified what cutting board I most wanted, I decided to make the shopping easier for my son and daughter-in-law and find one that was reasonably-priced at a local store and that fit my wants. I was very specific, naming brand, size, store, and website. Sometimes the listed items were less specific, such as for my son. He said he wanted a bag of coffee beans that had an interesting label on the package. He said he enjoys having something interesting to look at in the mornings while making his coffee. His list gave me ideas, without detailed directions. I could shop anywhere whole coffee beans were sold, perusing the different packages, and know I would find something he would enjoy. (The bag I chose had a colorful drawing of an octopus on the label.)

Our wish lists were just that -- wishes. No one felt obligated to give any particular gift and no one had expectations of receiving a specific thing.

Pros and cons of wish lists

Pros

• less stressful shopping for the giver, knowing the recipient would use and enjoy the item
• saved a ton of time shopping, time that was used to refocus my attention on the spiritual part of Christmas
• for the recipient -- an opportunity to receive something that has been long-desired but either was out of budget or just hard to part with the money for the item
• easier to stay within our budget, as I wasn't shopping by emotion-sway, but by a list 
• no standing in a long line post-Christmas to return or exchange a gift that in some way was not quite right (size, color, duplicate) 
• in addition to simplifying gift giving, individual's lists helped us learn more about each other, about our needs as well as about what tickles us

Cons

• wish lists diminish some (but not all) of the element of surprise at gift opening time
• perhaps less of "me" put into the gifts I select, fewer opportunities for me to be creative
• for some people, a wish list may feel cold and calculating

When I select gifts for my family members, the underlying thought throughout the process is that I want to please them as an expression of my love. The looks on their faces when they unwrapped their gifts tells me that I hit my mark -- objective achieved. And that made me very happy.

What do you think about family members' wish lists for gifts?

My Favorite Gifts, pt. 3

I wear long-sleeved knit tops all winter. They move with me when I'm doing housework or working out and are easily laundered. Most of my current batch of around-the-house tops are 10 to 15 years old and wearing thin or developing multiple holes. I typically shop at Value Village for tops like these, because if the shirts are inexpensive, I won't worry about wearing them while I'm working in the home or the garden. 

What I don't like about getting new tops is the actual clothes shopping for myself.  So the best gift someone could get for me, with regards to clothes, is to do the shopping. And the best people to do this sort of shopping would be my daughters. 

I gave them a list of what I was looking for - long sleeves, t-shirt knits, slim fitting, tunic length, thrifted -- and asked for 1 shirt from Value Village or Goodwill. My daughters were beyond generous. They gave me a stack  of tops (5 to be exact) from Value Village and Goodwill. They did a good job finding shirts I would like. Some are 3/4 sleeves, so I'll be able to wear these in spring and fall too. And I love that my daughters bought these at thrift stores, both so I would be more likely to actually wear them (not "save" them) and that they saved money on my gift.

Grocery Shopping December 2022

Dec. 7. WinCo. 2 gallons milk ($3.27 ea), 3 12-oz packs bacon ($2.98 ea), 4-lb bag oranges ($3.98), bananas (58 cents/lb), 4 avocados (48 cents ea), large pack corn tortillas ($2.58), large bag frozen turkey breakfast sausage ($5.90) Total spent --$31.75

Dec. 9. Fred Meyer 1 jar decaf coffee, $4.99

spent for the month so far --$36.74

December 24. Yes, I went grocery shopping on Christmas Eve. This was not in my plans. However, we had a snowstorm followed by a big freeze. Our county doesn't plow very many roads, so we can't get out safely for several days following a storm (small sedan, no SUV, no 4WD). So this was the very first day it was possible to drive in about a week. Anyway -- went to WinCo. There were some foods we wanted for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day meals, plus we needed more produce and milk. I bought 2 gallons whole milk ($3.17/gallon), 2 8-lb bags oranges ($5.98/bag), 2 lbs baby carrots ($2.48), 2 lbs mandarins ($2.98), head of cabbage (78 cents/lb), 4 avocados (48 cents each), 2 bunches bananas 58 cents/lb, frozen egg rolls ($6.01), frozen stir-fry peppers and onions ($1.82), dinner rolls ($2.28), croissants ($5.48). Total spent -- $46.93.  The mandarins, baby carrots, egg rolls, stir-fry peppers, dinner rolls, and croissants were our special holiday foods this year.

Gas was $3.89/gallon this morning.

spent for the month so far -- $83.67

December 30. Needed to shop for New Year's Eve. I went to Walmart, as they're about the closest store, and I really only needed a few items (didn't warrant driving all the way to WinCo). I bought a 4-pack of chicken egg rolls ($2.98), frozen sesame chicken ($6.48), 3-lb bag mandarin oranges ($3.98), and a 5-dozen box of eggs ($9.11). What really seemed surreal to me is the milk cooler was near empty and the eggs had a limit of 2 packages per shopper, whether they were small packs or large. Walmart's egg price was a good one compared to Fred Meyer. When I checked FM's price on 5-dozen boxes of eggs, it was $12.29, locally, or $16.29 in the city limits. I spent $22.55

Grocery Outlet is just across the street from Walmart. I popped in and found Adam's Natural Peanut Butter for $7.99/80 ounce jar. I bought 2 jars. Spent $15.98.

One daughter came with me to the store. She was looking for treat and snack foods for herself. She found a bunch of bargains at Grocery Outlet -- granola bars at 12 cents each, single serve package of M & Ms for 10 cents each, 6-oz bags breakfast cereal for 25 cents each and more. I don't buy these sorts of foods because I get frustrated by how quickly they disappear in our house. But I'm glad she found these bargains for herself. I'll bake some goodies for the family, and I'll feel better about how quickly they disappear. I can't explain why it bothers me to have a bag of chips disappear in an afternoon more than to have a batch of homemade brownies disappear in an afternoon. That's just me.

Gas was $3.69/gallon today.

Total spent for the month -- $122.20.

what I bought

4 gallons milk

36 oz bacon

bag turkey breakfast sausage

5 dozen eggs

20 lbs oranges

4 bunches bananas

8 avocados

2 lbs baby carrots

1 head cabbage

5 lbs tangerines

frozen eggrolls, 2 packages

frozen stir-fry peppers

frozen sesame chicken

80-ct pack corn tortillas

dinner rolls

croissants

160 oz natural peanut butter

1 jar decaf coffee

Most of what I bought this month were holiday foods. The frozen entrees are expensive and not part of our regular grocery shopping. But we enjoyed them, they made holiday meal prep easier for me, and it was less expensive to combine frozen items with homemade stuff than getting takeout for Christmas Eve and/or New Year's Eve. The package of croissants was huge. So instead of just leaving the remainder in the pantry after Christmas brunch to be snacked on during the week, I froze several to have for New Year's Day brunch, too. Doing so made spending $5.48 for the croissants seem not so extravagant.

I did my grocery shopping with all cash this month. Doing so kept me more accountable while shopping. I really did think through where I most wanted to spend my cash. And for a change, I lumped our holiday meals into the grocery budget. In previous years, I've had a separate holiday meal budget that was in addition to the grocery one. So I think we did well for our spending. I have one more month of low grocery spending to make up for stock-up spending in late summer, then I'll bump back up to a "normal" of around $225 to $250 per month. 

Happy New Year! 2022 is complete, and we're onto new adventures in this life.

My Favorite Gifts, pt. 2

Another of my favorite gifts this year:

A new set of measuring spoons.

I'd been using the set of measuring spoons that I bought at a closeout retail store some 37 years ago. (Anyone remember Pic 'n Save, later went by the name MacFrugals?) These were decent enough measuring spoons when I had good eyesight. Now I find I have to bring the spoons to a strong light source in order to read the measure. 

I know my photography is blurry, but imagine this image isn't blown up.
Also, I took this photo midday right next to a south-facing window.

New spoons -- much more readable.

So, I asked for some new measuring spoons that had a few features in addition to better readability. My needs: rectangular ones so every size could fit into narrow jar openings; flat bottoms so they would rest on the counter without tipping; and finally, stainless steel so they don't stain. The big selling feature for me, though, is I can easily read the measurement.

As I said yesterday, with my gift wish list this year, I wanted gifts that make my work easier.

Favorite Gifts This Year

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas weekend. The work and activity wiped me out for a couple of days afterward, but I'm recovering my energy now. 

My favorite gifts

I have to preface this with a comment that I typically request very practical gifts, especially gifts that make my life easier.

First on my list: an oversized cutting board

This is a 12 by 18-inch white plastic cutting board, 1/2-inch thick. It's a commercial cutting board. My family members bought it from a restaurant supply store. Restaurant supply stores typically carry good-quality, durable, basic kitchen tools at better than department store prices (for similar quality). 

This was an item that I was very specific about. I took measurements of my available countertop work surface, the interior height of my dishwasher, and my storage area for keeping cutting boards. I wanted as large of a board as possible, which would fit within those limitations. The standard sized cutting boards often leave me with a big mess of veggie bits that have migrated off the edges of the cutting board and sometimes onto the floor. I like a large working surface so all the pieces remain on the board until needed. 

To give you an idea on size, the above is a photo of my bread board (which is standard home cutting board size) placed on top of my new white cutting board. I have 2 other plastic cutting boards, one is quite small and used for small chopping jobs, the other is about the size of my wood bread board. I will continue using the other boards along with the new one. I usually choose the cutting board according to the size of mess I anticipate making.

Are your cutting boards large enough for your cooking style? I think some of us are just not so tidy when cooking and need larger surface areas for the different steps. (That's my way of saying that I'm a messy cook.)

Come back tomorrow, and I'll tell you about a couple of other favorite (and practical) gifts from this year.

BTW, my daughters loved the snowman-mittens gift. I love quick crafts that result in cute gifts!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, Friends

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah. (I know, Hanukkah has now been celebrated  for several days already this year, but wishing a warm and meaningful rest of the week to you, friends.)

I will be spending the next 2 days cooking and cleaning, playing Christmas music obnoxiously loud, and generally getting the house ready for a visit from our son and daughter-in-law.

Those of you in the path of this incoming big storm, I pray for safety for you and your family. Stay safe. Stay warm.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, friends. I'll be back next week!

Making Our Christmas Crackers

One of our family's Christmas Day traditions is the opening of the Christmas crackers. Some years, a box of crackers have been a gift to us. Other years, I've bought us a box. This year, one daughter and I decided rather last-minute to make our own Christmas crackers. (Here's the story -- my daughter and I were exiting a store together when another shopper came in and asked the clerk if they had any Christmas crackers left. The clerk replied that they only had the small ones left. As we were walking away, I suggested we make our own, and I gave some ideas of what we could use and what we could put inside for free. I honestly thought this would go down as another one of those ideas that never materializes. But I do love a good craft, especially one that sort of saves us money. I say sort of because we were on the path of just doing Christmas without crackers this year.)

onto the crackers . . .

We spent a couple of hours one afternoon and used only materials that we had on hand.

We began with the paper tube, made with a sheet of copy paper folded in half and rolled into a tube, securing with tape.

We needed items for filling, of course. So I started with simple, corny Christmas riddles. I found a page of them online, selected 6 that I liked, printed them out, and cut them into strips. I've folded each in half so the reader can take a guess themselves, as well as try to stump the rest of us.

We cut a bunch of tiny snowflakes to put in each tube.

My daughter and I dusted off our origami skills (and found some instructions online) and made a couple of creatures, a star, a heart, and a couple of flowers, using scraps of previously used gift wrap paper. Foil gift wrap works best for tiny origami folding.

And of course, a piece of chocolate tops off the list of filling items. It's not really about what is in the cracker, but the fun of discovering each thing. After all, I no longer have any of the trinkets from previous Christmas crackers. They're not exactly of the "keeping" tier of bits and baubles.

We tucked trinkets into each paper roll.

Then we wrapped each tube in tissue paper.

And finally, we tied the ends of the tissue in cuts of previously used curling ribbons and decorated each cracker with Christmas stickers that came free in the mail.

When I've bought crackers for our family before, I've spent between $10 and $15 for a box of 8. We made 6 of these crackers for pennies. Our costs were for 7 sheets of copy paper, a foot and a half of clear tape, 3 sheets of new tissue paper, and the 6 chocolate candies. The gift wrap for origami, the curling ribbon, and the stickers were all either free and new or previously used (basically free). Of course, our homemade crackers won't "pop" like boughten ones. But I think they'll be fun, nonetheless.

My Day in 10 Words

1. snow
2. sparkling
3. baking
4. tea
5. spices
6. laundry
7. peppermint
8. headache
9. cookies
10. mess

What 10 words would sum up your day?

Regifting a Gift Card

I was given a gift card Christmas of 2019 that I never used. One of my kids asked for a gift card to this very store for this Christmas. So, you can see where my mind is going. Why not just regift this gift card?

A couple of problems with regifting gift cards:

• wanting the gift card to appear to be brand new and not previously used
• wanting to increase the value on the gift card, if the gift card is a small amount
• wanting a new activation receipt with a current date to attach to the card, so the gift card doesn't look like something I had lying around 

I wasn't sure how much value was loaded onto this gift card, and I couldn't find the little activation receipt which would indicate the value and the date purchased. So I took the gift card to the store and asked if they could tell me the balance without destroying the scratch-off PIN area. No problem, the clerk said. She swiped the card to find the value. I wanted to add to that value to make it a bigger gift. Again, no problem. After adding some money to the original card, the clerk handed me a new activation receipt with the upgraded card value and a current date.

And now, as far as anyone could tell, this is a "new" gift card and not a leftover.

I don't know if all stores will provide a new activation receipt or will allow you to add value, if desired. But it's worth a call or visit to see if this is possible, if you happen to have a gift card that you'd like to regift to a recipient who you believe would appreciate the gift card. In my case, it's a family member receiving this gift card and would probably have no problem with me regifting this card to them. But I do like the card to look as much like a new gift as possible. 

Egg Substitutions: Which to Choose?

Another baking substitution post, and again, a substitution that I'm needing this month. I'm down to 2 dozen eggs to get through the end of the month. That sounds like a lot, but we have a couple of family holiday brunches coming up and lots of holiday baking to do yet. So, I'm considering where I can substitute eggs and where I should follow recipes exactly. So how do I decide which recipe merits an egg or two and which recipe can take a substitute, plus what substitute to use? Basically, I consider the function of the egg in each recipe.

In baking and cooking, eggs have 3 functions, to add moisture, add leavening, and act as binding ingredients. In most recipes, eggs will fill a couple of these functions. In cookie dough, eggs both bind the dough together, and they add leavening. In cakes and muffins, eggs add leavening and moisture. In meatballs, eggs serve as binding agents, but also can add moisture.

To give you an idea of why having just one all-purpose, egg substitute won't give you the best results every time, here are examples of different substitutes and how they can and can't work:

• applesauce as egg substitute. Applesauce will add moisture to muffins and quick breads, but it has no leavening power of its own.
• flax seed meal or soy flour, plus water. Both are great binding ingredients, but neither can leaven. 
• baking powder. It leavens doughs and batters, but has no ability to add moisture, in fact it can dry out some baking.

So, to simplify which to use, here's my list -- the general functions of eggs and which substitutes work best. 

***Important -- For most recipes, the best results will come from doubling up on your substitutes (2 substitutes from different categories, such as -- add a moisture sub and a leavening sub for muffins, or, add a binding sub and a moisture sub for meatballs).

Adding moisture (like for muffins, cakes, quick breads, pancakes, waffles, meatballs)

To add moisture to a recipe, for each egg, substitute 

• pureed fruit/veg like applesauce, pumpkin or banana (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup for each egg), or
• yogurt (1/4 cup) or
• silken tofu (1/4 cup) or
• 1/4 cup of mayo  

Adding leavening (muffins, breads, pancakes, cakes, cookies)

To add leavening to a recipe, for each egg, add

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking powder. For cookies, 1/2 teaspoon is generally sufficient -- but see the cookie recommendation below*. For muffins, quick breads, and cakes, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon baking powder or the equivalent substitute of baking soda and vinegar. Using a moisture substitute in addition to the baking powder will compensate for the missing liquid from the egg.

In a 1-egg muffin recipe, you might substitute 1/4 cup of applesauce plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder. This would satisfy both the leavening power and moisture addition that eggs give to muffin batter.

For cakes, you'll have the best results if you use a 2-egg, or more, cake recipe, and only substitute baking powder for 1 of the eggs.

Adding a binder (meatloaves, cookies)

To add a binding agent to recipes which normally call for eggs, for each egg, add

• 1 heaping tablespoon soy flour, plus 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon of flax meal, plus 3 tablespoons of water
• 1/4 cup silken tofu

All-purpose flour can also have binding properties, especially when used in conjunction with other egg substitutes, see below.

*I found with baking cookies, the following formula worked very well, for each large egg, whisk together:

• 2 tablespoons flour, 
• 2 tablespoons water, 
• 1/2 tablespoon oil and 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• In addition, for cookies that we like slightly moist, like chocolate chip cookies, I substituted 1 tablespoon of applesauce for 1 tablespoon of the butter called for in the recipe.

Baking Substitution: Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

With holiday baking in full swing, I thought I would share this substitution recipe. I first stumbled upon this recipe when my kids were small and our grocery budget was smaller. I was perusing a Parenting magazine at the library when I came across a recipe for 7-Layer Magic Bars. I had had them once before, so I knew they would thrill my husband and kids. However, I didn't have some of the ingredients. This substitution recipe made the Magic happen in my house that year. I posted this recipe a few years ago, in 2019. It was useful to me then, and is now once again.

Homemade sweetened condensed milk works:

• in those bar cookie recipes (like Magic Bars) where ingredients are layered, then the milk is poured over all 
• in Tres Leche cake, a yummy south-of-the-border fruit and cream cake
• in homemade ice cream -- very quick and easy ice cream if you have some of this in the fridge)
• to make your own seasonal coffee creamers, just add spices and/or extracts 
• in candy-making, such as fudge 
• or for use in caramel sauce

While this recipe yields just over 3/4 cup of finished product (about 8 to 9 ounces), larger batches can be made to keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days for use in many different baking/cooking recipes.

The savings -- about half the cost of commercial 

For a price comparison, Walmart's Great value brand of SCM is $1.94/14 ounces at my local store, or 13.9 cents per ounce. This year (2022), that's my best price locally. My homemade version cost me about 55 cents in ingredients (in 2022) for 8.75 ounces, and about 5 cents for the gas stove, for a total of about 60 cents, or 7 cents per ounce, about half the cost of the commercial product.

It Looks Like Mache (Winter-Hardy Leafy Green) Can Survive Snow and Freezing

About 2 weeks ago we had several inches of snowfall over a few days. Cold settled in right after, and the snow stuck around for a week. The snow on the garden beds was about 6 inches deep for that period. I am happy to say that the mache survived. I picked a large handful of leaves to add to a salad for lunch the other day, and there's still plenty out there. Between the mache, the Brussel sprout greens, and the kale, I'm still able to harvest greens from the outdoor garden several days each week.

We may have snow again next week. So we'll see how mache does with repeated snowfalls.

Dinner for a Holiday Decorating Party That Almost Didn't Happen

In past years, we've had a family tree decorating party, where I make a dinner of snack-y foods, and we all help decorate the Christmas tree. This year, we decorated the Christmas tree immediately after Thanksgiving dinner with our son and daughter-in-law. But my household was missing having that special snack-y dinner, so we planned on doing the house decorations along with this special meal. Our house holiday decorating consist of hanging a garland, putting artificial poinsettias out, setting up the caroler figurines, getting out the Christmas tablecloth, etc. We did this on Monday after work. And we ate in the family room with the Roku set on the Yule Log via YouTube.

The menu

sliced summer sausage
sliced cheddar cheese

homegrown carrots sticks

cheese-yogurt dip

hummus dip

black olives

dried apricots and cranberries

rye crackers

mixed nuts

orange segments

two kinds of holiday cookies

and that perennial party favorite -- roasted turnips

Monday morning, I wasn't sure we were going to do this. I was tired and not feeling it. I thought the dinner would entail me making a special shopping trip to pick up a few foods. And that made me want to do this even less. So I began getting foods out for a normal dinner and set carrots and turnips to soak before scrubbing the garden dirt off.

Both daughters really wanted us to decorate the house soon, so I began to nudge my thinking into the possibilities using what I had on hand. I had already bought the summer sausage at Grocery Outlet back in November with the plan to use it when we decorated the tree and house. But I didn't think I had much else. After rummaging in the fridge and pantry I came up with everything else on the table. The vegetables were washed and then cut. I oven-roasted the cubes of turnips and we used toothpicks with them. The cheese-yogurt dip was yogurt I strained then mixed in salt, black pepper and cheese powder. My family said it was quite good (I can't eat any of it, due to dairy). To drink, my husband and daughters also made themselves some hot cocoa using the homemade cocoa powder I keep in a jar on the counter this time of year. I'm a water person when it comes to meals.

The meal came together once I adjusted my thinking.

A Pair of Mittens, a Chocolate Bar, and a Little Bit of Crafting for an Inexpensive Gift

When I saw this craft, I thought it was too cute to not do. And as it turned out, it was so quick and easy and very, very thrifty (the cost of dollar store mittens and 1 regular candy bar). I usually give my daughters a pair of dollar store mittens each year anyway, which made this an easy "yes" on my list. I know my daughters will be tickled by these cute little snowmen.

The original idea comes from Amy Latta's blog, in this link.

Supplies:

• a pair of knit mittens, thinner mittens work better than thick bulky ones (mine came from Dollar Tree)
• one normal size, flat chocolate bar (I used regular Hershey bars)
• a black felt pen
• crayons for color, orange (for the carrot nose) and any other color (to fill in the buttons), pink for smile tips
• a long, narrow strip of felt or scrap of colorful fabric to make the scarf (about 1/2-inch by 9 inches)
• 1 small rubber band
• 1 sheet of white paper
• clear tape
• scissors

1) Wrap the sheet of paper around the packaged chocolate bar just a little bit loosely (so you can slip the candy bar in and out for decorating). Trim off the excess paper. The ends of paper are not sealed over the  ends of the candy bar. Tape the back side closed.

2) On one of the mittens, invert (tuck in) all of the fingers and the thumb so they are on the inside of the mitten. Roll the other mitten up tightly and tuck inside the first mitten. This bundle of both mittens will become the hat of the snowman.

3) Slip the candy bar out of the white paper "tube" for coloring purposes. Use the black felt pen to draw the facial features, outline the carrot nose, and draw round buttons with cross-stitching inside each. Use the crayons to add color to the carrot nose, buttons and add pale pink cheek circles to the snowman's smile, if desired.

4) Slide the candy bar back into the now decorated paper sleeve. Pull the mitten "cap" over the end of the wrapped candy bar, leaving the rolled up mitten on the back side of the snowman inside the first mitten.

5) After adjusting the snowman's cap, secure the rubber band around the top of the mitten "cap" about 1 inch below the very top. This creates the illusion of a pom pom on the top of the cap.

6) Tie the felt or fabric scrap around the "neck" of the snowman as his scarf. Voila, you're done!

These took me about 15 minutes each to make, from start to finish, including some practice time drawing the features on scratch paper and redoing one snowman face, as I didn't like how it turned out. But they're not meant to be perfect.

Just a couple of cute, yummy guys for my two gals.

Perhaps it's my inner child, but I think "kids" of all ages would find these adorable. But I especially think this would be a great gift for the littles in your circle. Very inexpensive, includes some chocolate and mittens, and is wrapped in a cheerful presentation. 

If You Don't Buy Chips and Other Pre-made Snack Foods, You Can Afford Bacon

. . . or steak, or nice vacations, or whatever else is your fancy. And the reverse is true, too. If you don't buy bacon, you can afford chips and snacks, even on a tight budget. It's all about choice. What made me think about this is I went shopping at WinCo this week and I bought 3 packages of bacon. But I completely bypassed the chips and crackers aisle. I wanted bacon, and I knew my family would really enjoy bacon. So that's what I chose to do with our grocery budget for the week. 

So often I think about what we can't have or can't do, due to financial constraints. But in reality, we can afford 98% of what we could put on a wish list. We might have to cut out something or save for a longer period. In the end, we could afford almost everything.

It helps my financial morale to remember this aspect of budgeting. Instead of feeling deprived, I end up feeling grateful for the blessing of choice.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends. And I'll be enjoying more bacon. . .

Your Tips: Taking Care of Ourselves in December

December can be such a difficult month for many people. There's the low level of sunlight and shorter days. The holidays bring up all sorts of complicated feelings, from loss of loved ones, to familial conflicts, to personal inadequacy, to feeling left out. The spending can be stressful and not joyous. More viruses circulate and our defenses could be down. And, the weather could make spending time outdoors unpleasant. So, it's no wonder this can be a difficult time for so many. 

For myself, I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, I feel a huge sense of loss this time of year as the anniversary of my mom's passing approaches (she passed away just before Christmas of 1984), the financial stress takes its toll, and I tend to work extra hard making the holidays a special period for my family. I don't think I do a very good job of taking care of myself in December. 

Last year, I became sick on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas celebration had to be postponed 2 weeks as a result. I don't want that to happen again this year for me, and I don't want it to happen to you, either.

So, I thought we could all share 1 or 2 tips for taking care of ourselves in December.

My two tips:

• don't skip meals. Eat regular, healthy meals, on schedule. I know I feel better if I'm eating healthy in December and limiting the treats that I eat. It's a choice. I can eat healthy and feel well, or I can eat treats and feel not up to parr. I just have to remind myself of the consequences to eating a plateful of fudge or cookies.
• get to bed on time. It's tempting for me to stay up late, but I also know that my best chances of shortening any virus I may contract is to sleep well every night. Even if this means I'll miss out on one or two late-night, fun experiences during the season. We will no longer go to the late church service on Christmas Eve, as an example. Count me as one of the fuddy-duddies who can only go to the early service.

Your turn. What are 1 or 2 of your best tips for not only surviving December, but truly enjoying it? How do you take care of yourself this time of year?

More Low-Tech Heat Conservation: Wearing Knit Headbands Indoors

We all know that wearing a hat outdoors when the weather is cold will help keep us warmer. According to this article from Harvard University, when our bodies feel the cold in winter, blood is diverted away from the extremities and into the core of our bodies and to our brains. So, to keep your fingers and toes warm, put on a hat when venturing outdoors in winter.

But what about inside our homes for those of us who keep the thermostat lower than average? Personally, I can't tolerate the extra heat of a hat indoors. Even when the house is set at 64 degrees F, a hat is just too toasty for me. However, I've found a heat-retaining solution that's a step down from knit hats, my knit headbands. For those of you who have been reading here for several years, you may remember me posting about the headbands that I knit for my two daughters Christmas 2013. I used yarn that was leftover from other projects and knit in the garter stitch (knit on both sides, no perl). Both headbands were simple and quick to knit, and my daughters still wear them now, 9 years later. 

A couple of Christmases later, one of my daughters gave me the two knit headbands above. These are what I wear on my head in the house when I'm chilled. They're not so warm that I overheat, but warm enough so I can tolerate lower indoor temps.

I thought I'd share because I know many of you knit and likely have extra yarn from other projects. Or perhaps you're looking for something to put on your holiday wish list that would be practical, yet fashionable. With trying to conserve energy used for our home's heat, many of us are turning the thermostat down a degree or two. While I can use a throw when sitting, the headband solution is something I can do to help stay warm while moving around.

With my two headbands, each offers a different level of warmth. The red one is a looser knit and not as warm (good for when I'm just a little chilled or when going out for a walk when temps are above freezing). While the brown one is fleece-lined and very insulating (good for very cold days indoors or out, or after I've washed my hair and I'm waiting for it to air dry). I use both headbands all winter as part of my winter clothing arsenal to stay warm, both indoors and out.