I'm baaaack...

Here I am after nearly a week of dealing with the stomach flu, still reeling from its effects.  I was checking my email with the thought in the back of my mind that maybe its time to give up on the blog because it is not turning out how I planned.  As I looked through my gmail inbox (full of notices from plentyoffish.com--probably the most irritating site on the web) there was one gem amidst the clutter.  Some woman wrote ME an email praising MY blog.  She said she was super-impressed with the format and content of my blog and wants me to contribute to another blog that she works on.  Well, I know this is probably bullshit, and a troller at that, but it was enough to make me smile knowing that SOMEONE (or computer program) found me. And, it was enough to break me out of my self-pity to get me back in the mindset.  So: the blog is on. 

Unfortunately, I do not think that the Home Made Christmas Challenge is gonna go exactly the way I planned, so I will be changing it a bit.  Instead of making twenty gifts in twenty days I will take you through my shopping/crafting experience and show you how I saved money (and my sanity) this Christmas season by using the philosophy I wrote about in my first entry.

I was in Savers this weekend and I got in line behind a woman who happened to know the the woman checking out in the line next to us.  When the woman in my line asked what she was doing at this store, the second woman shrugged and asked pointedly, "do you really think I am gonna go out and blow a bunch of money on Christmas?!"  She had a salad spinner (still in the package) and a bunch of really cute aprons and things for around the house.  She spent less than twenty dollars. 

This is why I am such a big fan of thrift stores.  You do not ONLY have to get used things when you shop there.  You would be surprised how many things I have found at Savers or Goodwill still in their original packaging.  At savers, they have a select color tag everyday that is half off and on certain days you can go and one tag will be only .99 cents.  Besides saving you money, shopping at thrift stores helps save the planet.  When you buy something that someone else donated, you just keep that item out of a landfill.

So this is my philosophy, and I will be back tonight with either more harrowing (but true) tales of shopping before Christmas, or an ACTUAL CRAFT!!!!