Proud to Be Frugal (Guest Post)

Today's guest post is written by Lucky, a long time reader of 4 Hats and Frugal and good online buddy of mine.

I can see the house in my head.  It’s a farm house with a big front porch on about 2 acres of land.  It has a kitchen garden, a flower garden and a paved sports court that can be shoveled in the winter so my kids can get out and ride their bikes.  The kitchen is spacious and has a book shelf so I can keep all of my cookbooks right at hand.  The family room is cozy, and always has a fire roaring when it’s cold.  Right now this house exists only in my mind, but I hope some day to find it or build it in Ohio!

You see, my husband and I have a dream of moving our family to another state in the next few years.  We’re committed to making this dream come true, so everything we do, all of our decisions, are aimed at this one goal.  Moving will allow us to cut down to one income and purchase our dream home all at the same time.

It seems like a no-brainer right?  The problem is, it’s kind of risky.  The economy where we live now is still humming along, and in Ohio, it’s not.  Plus, we plan on going from two incomes to one, so we won’t have the safety net of the second income if DH loses his job.  We need a big savings cushion in order to make this work.

Sometimes it’s hard to be the girl who brings her lunch to work every single day while wearing the same sweater she wore when she was hired 10 years ago.  It’s hard not to buy the kids everything they want, or go out for pizza every time they ask.  It’s not always fun to be the one with a handful of coupons at the grocery store holding up the line.

But, I know it will be worth it.  Because that house with the awesome kitchen is waiting for me in Ohio.

Note from Amiyrah: What a great post to remind us about what's important during the holiday season! We all have a reason behind our frugality and a goal we are trying to attain, and Lucky showed us what her plan is. 

Lucky is the mother of two young kids and a carb-intolerant kitty. Read about her adventures of balancing kids, work and life with making her own bread at Making My Own Luck.

Top Ten New Christmas Traditions! (Guest Post)

This week, we have a great post from SomeMother. She's a Canadian spitfire Mom and keeps me going with her posts.

Hi there! Somemother guest posting for your reading pleasure!  Normally, I can be found at www.somemother.com where every post features mothers from all over the world answering the same 20 questions – every contribution features its own bit of awesome!  I hope you check it out! 

My world is quite different from 4Hats&Frugal.  I live in western Canada in a large city… I am mom to 3 children, 6 and 3 year-old girls and a 16 month-old boy.  In Canada, maternity leave is a full year – we are so blessed! I am fortunate to work for the federal government and have some additional leave options…  So, when my son turned 1 and we decided I would continue to stay home with the kids, taking an indefinite leave of absence from work, we had to make some changes… There are many excellent resources on frugal living, smart shopping, and budget savers, and I am a work in progress!!  But, given that we are approaching our first holiday season with mama at home, I present to you our top ten new Christmas traditions!

1.     Oh how I love thee Pinterest.  While largely a fun place to plan imaginary food, fashion and home décor, it is also a treasure-trove of affordable, DOABLE unique craft and gift ideas.  I have been occupying my kids with crafts and activities several times during the week, and we are gifting their creations to friends, neighbours, and teachers. WIN WIN.  Find me here to see what I’m up to: http://pinterest.com/emelvee/

2.     Now that the snow has fallen, Canada’s winter playground is ready to be enjoyed.  We are building a back-yard ice rink!  It has been relatively inexpensive to construct and has become a labour of love for my husband.  The kids are eagerly awaiting cold enough weather to flood the surface and start skating (yes, it is TOO WARM so far – even in the Canadian North!).  We will also be sledding down our community hills and using the nearby trails to cross country ski (all second-hand equipment).

3.     I am so tempted by all the beautiful Christmas decorations and could easily spend a fortune refreshing our holiday décor.  However, I have resisted! I’m not Martha Stewart and I can’t have nice things anyway, the kids can and will destroy anything I treasure.  So, my collection of mismatched yet completely signature seasonal decorations are out and the only thing I purchased? Candles from Bath & Body Works, cuz they’re the best, they smell great, they last forever, and I got a hot deal (2 for $25!!)  I feel like the house has something “new” and that’s the feeling I was after anyway!

4.     Cookies……mmmm…….. Christmas baking is an essential part of the season, bringing back tantalizing memories of my childhood goodie table (a table covered with treats and cookies for WEEKS).  However, my kids take after their dad, and they tire of treats.  (I know, I don’t get it either.)  And, this mama is still mistaken as pregnant for those brave or stupid enough to ask.  COME ON PEOPLE.  Suffice it to say, I decided to participate in a cookie exchange with a group of friends and that should more than supply our sweet tooth with a variety of special holiday treats.  And my friends and I are giggling over the nuts and balls we’re preparing.  We are so 12.

5.     Three kids getting and receiving gifts from family and friends for birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions means A LOT OF STUFF.  TOO MUCH STUFF.  Yet I don’t think my kids are unusually greedy or self-centered for LOVING PRESENTS.  This is hardly a revelation for many I’m sure, but we decided on a single gift from Santa per child, and for 2 of 3, we purchased on kijiji.  SCORE.  We are also enjoying some homemade advent activities and our Elf on a Shelf, Stanley, to build Christmas excitement.  (I filled our daily advent calendar with leftover Halloween treats. Genius, no? No buying cheap yucky chocolate calendars!)

6.     I must admit, mommy loves presents too.  But, did I mention our hot water heater went a couple of weeks ago?  And that I accidentally smucked our van?  Mmmhmm.  Buh-bye gift I was dreaming of.  We decided to forego gifts this year.  My cup runneth over already, really.  And, getting to stay home with my children is gift enough.  For realz.  I have learned to appreciate my time with them, as I know many mamas wish they were home.

7.     The truth is, my extended family is very broken this year.  Most of our traditions for gathering and celebrating are likely…….not…….happening.  My heart is so heavy with pain and loss.  But…… I am focusing on the joy, hope, and wonder in my children’s eyes and the promise of the birth of Christ… We are part of a wonderful church and will be enjoying the candlelight Christmas Eve service as we have for years.  The new part of this tradition? That in Him, it is sufficient.  We are really feeling that this year.  I know the “reason for the season” means different things to different people, but honing in on peace is universal!

8.     Back in the Fall when most kids around here began their rigorous schedule of extracurricular activities, we made the decision to register the girls in an inexpensive weekly program through our church and also our older daughter is trying out Girl Guides.  This seemed like a program that focused on the values we hoped to cultivate.  I also do a weekly “Mommy Drama Class” with my kids… I searched the net and talked to some friends for ideas.  We play games and sing songs to learn skills in communication, movement, improvisation, and expression.  They call me “Miss Mommy,” raise their hands, and enjoy being the students to my teacher!  We are performing a little-known Christmas song (This Same Baby) and our version of reader’s theatre (Grumpy Santa Gregg). We are not getting tickets to any concerts or events around town, but cannot wait to debut our efforts for grandparents.  The resulting video will be a priceless gift!

9.     I actually have almost all the elements for our Christmas dinner already!  I bought the turkey post-Thanksgiving (in October in Canada), have a huge sack of farmer’s market potatoes, frozen sides and fixings, and ingredients to make fresh bread and other deliciousness.  Normally, I am scrambling last minute and spending too much on groceries and impulse buys.  This year will be a very relaxed but amazing meal.

10.  I actually do not have a #10 but wanted to thank you for reading, Amiyrah for inviting me to share, and wish you all a wonderful Christmas!  Each year brings blessings and trials and I hope you make the most of 2012!

I'm here.....I'm safe....

Hi everyone! I just wanted to post quickly and let you all know that I’ve made it safely to Afghanistan and finally settled in. I never thought it would be so difficult to arrange internet access here, but it has been such an issue! Now I have everything all settled and I’m ready to get back to blogging.

On a cool note, I do plan on doing a “Vlog from the frontline” every week to give you all a peek of what I’m up to here. Hopefully, I can figure out how to make really cool vlogs and can incorporate pictures of the landscape here, what I do at work and other cool things like that. Mostly, I just want to give everyone a weekly update on how I am. It will help keep me sane and busy, and I hope it will be a treat for you all. Once I get my schedule down pat, I should have the vlogs posted on Fridays.

Also, I've gotten quite a bit of e-mails asking for my address to send me letters and even *gasp* packages! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get those from you all while I'm here. Those of you that did send e-mails, I've e-mailed back with the address. Anyone else that might like to send off a letter to me, I love you and appreciate you. Shoot me an e-mail and I'll give you the address as well. 

Thanks again to all that sent well wishes and prayers when I left. It kept me in a positive and hopeful mood while traveling the most dangerous part of my trip.You all are so great and I'm so lucky to have readers like you. I hope you have a great holiday and keep a look out for new posts from me!

Diary of a Debt Princess (Guest Post)

This post was written by one of the coolest Debt Management bloggers I've met, Jessica. I had the pleasure of meeting her in real life at Bloggy Conference, and I know you all will enjoy, and learn from, her story.

My all time favorite story is Cinderella. I love all types of Cinderella movies (my favorite by far is Ever After with Drew Barrymore!). I love hearing stories of the poor girl who grows up to be a princess.

It isn't hard to figure out what my dreams were as a child. We were really poor. We LITERALLY lived on the other side of the tracks as they were across the street. We didn't have a nice house or new cars. We didn't have much and for as long as I can remember, I wanted more.

I use to dream of my “real” family finding me and telling me I was rich or even better, a princess. I just knew that once they found me, I would have all the new stuff that I could ever want.

Apparently this feeling never left and in 1994 at the ripe young age of 19, I began to feed that feeling.

What's in a name

I have one of those names.

The ones that you see on paper and think that it looks unusual, exotic and all around pretty.

The ones that you try to pronounce but mess up almost every time.

The ones that just might have a wonderful meaning, if only you had enough guts to ask what that meaning was.

Yup, I have one of those names.

One of my many "anonymous" readers left a cute comment about how they wonder all the time how to pronounce my first name. Amiyrah is one of those brandings that you may be leery to put on a young girl. She'll have to learn early to defend her name, the way it's said and the meaning behind. You have to have cojones to carry around this one. I've grown a pair over the years.

I'm sure my dear Dad didn't realize what he was doing when he gave me the name. Because of my parents' Muslim background, he was drawn to Arabic names as soon as they found out I was going to be a girl. The meaning, Princess, also drew him in further. Not to mention that he found an equally hard to pronounce middle name with the meaning "of light." Princess of Light. Yup, that's me.

It's the pronunciation that kills it.
A-mure-ah
Ah-my-rah
Amy-are-rah

Nope Nope Nope.

Amiyrah = Ah-mee-rah
Amiyrah also = A-mirr-ah (like a mirror but an a at the end)

It all depends on your dialect. It also depends if I get tired of telling you it's Ah-mee-rah and let you say the "wrong" way. Please don't blame it on laziness. It's the cojones. And yes, it's because I have one of those names.

Money saving Apps

Everyone knows that smartphone apps are taking over. We use them to shop, to play, to look up recipes, and even to teach our kids how to read, write and learn math. Here are a few of my favorite apps I use to help keep up our frugal lifesyle.

Foursquare- This is one of my favorite apps of all time. The premise is to check into all of your favorites shops, restaurants, and attractions. Every check in gets you points. The idea is to get more points that your "foursquare friends" and check in repeatedly to become the "Mayor" of your favorite places. I love this app because you can get great hidden deals just by checking in. Some places offer a discount on your order or a free gift with a check in, or even gift cards for the place of business. Become a Mayor and you can even get a discount everytime you enter the store! Imagine using that discount during a big sale at your favorite grocery store. Savings on top of savings!

Shopkick- this app is very similar to Foursquare, except that your points accumilate and you can cash them in for gift cards! You know how much we frugalites love getting free gift cards. Check in frequently and yield the best results. I'm pretty new to this app but love it so far. Plus, I can check into this app and foursquare to yield double savings.

A Full Cup- Yup, the famous savings site has an app! I love using this app to check out the message boards for stores I may be visiting that day. I can get up to date information on any hidden deals that may have been found at my stores, like ShopRite and Target. Also, I can report deals I may find and even upload pictures of the deal to help out other shoppers.

The best part is all of these apps are free. Yup, absolutely free. I love using free things to help me save, or even make, money...don't you?

Do you have any favorite apps that you love to use?

I'm no Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has released yet another monumental video and has put the world in another uproar. Her new masterpiece, "Marry The Night," was directed by her and is supposedly the most personal video to date. All I have to say is this woman is insane.