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It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday.
You did want that song in your head, right? If you don’t know the song I’m referring to, do yourself a favor and don’t look it up.
But I have a feeling you’re really visiting to learn the 5 Ways We Saved Money This Week. And as always, you can find previous Friday specials right here.
Christmas Eve at my house was always magical. Dad would strike a match and light candles and lanterns around the house. Meanwhile, Mom was busy in the kitchen setting out a feast of snacks and sweets. We were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. What a treat!
Then we’d read Christmas books or watch a favorite Christmas cartoon until we were hustled off to bed in anticipation of the fat man coming down the chimney. “Should be any time now!”
I could name you a handful of the Christmas gifts I received over the years. But the memories of our family’s Christmas traditions shine through clear as a bell.
These are some troubling times we live in. The news seems worse and worse every day, and it’s to the point that many of us Mamas don’t even want to listen to it anymore. It hurts your heart to hear about innocent families being torn apart.
But I do think it’s important to keep things in perspective. We aren’t the first generation to have terrible tragedies to strike our country. It probably does seems closer to home for us due to social media and television being so readily available.
Remember, our grandparents lived in a world where Hitler had a stronghold over a good chunk of the population. They never knew when bombs from Axis forces might be dropped on them.
That said, it is never ever a bad idea to be prepared for the worst while you pray for the best. I pray terrorism never hits any of us. But whose to say we won’t face a tornado or blizzard or any number of natural disasters? What if there is a massive power outage? We really can’t know what tomorrow will hold.
[Tweet “Having a plan doesn’t make you paranoid. #Prepare your family for a disaster with these tips.”]
You don’t have to be a paranoid person to have a plan in place for the worst. That’s why it’s a great idea to be prepared now with a safety plan.
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We’re in that part of December where every day requires a mini pep talk. (“Ok, self. There’s more time before Christmas than you think. You aren’t as behind as you feel. Ready…break!”)
Ahem.
I had a pretty lofty goal of getting all of my shopping done last week, but apparently you need to have a general understanding of what you want to buy before you go shopping if you want to cross things off of your list. I actually did get quite a bit of it finished, I just have a few things left to get.
This is the kids’ last week of school before break, so at least those activities will slow down!
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Yay for making it through the week to another Friday! And if you’ve read this blog before, you know that Friday means 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week time! Click here to read any posts you’ve missed from the series.
This is a tough time of year to save money. There are sales and temptations to spend everywhere! I’ve made a sincere effort to stick with my plan and not buy extra gifts for people just because it’s on sale. Here are some other ways we’ve saved this week.
A big, fuzzy blanket is snuggly wrapped around you as you cuddle into your favorite comfy corner of the couch.
There’s a warm fire burning, and you can’t wait to get lost in the historic fiction book you picked up from the library.
And your hands?
They’re wrapped around your favorite mug. Which is full of a delicious flavor of tea.
Wouldn’t you love to wrap up this feeling and give it as a gift?
Here’s how you can.
One of my favorite memories from Christmas in the ’80s was going to my Grandma’s house to get our Christmas cookies.
My Grandma…she turned baking cookies into an experience.
Every December, she would spend days in the kitchen, whipping up recipe after recipe.
When her freezer was finally stuffed to the brim with all of her creations, it was finally time.
We’d show up to get our heaping plate of cookies. The plastic wrap could barely contain all of them…and dropping one was almost sinful.
At home, each kid would fight to get their favorites first. There were a few of each type of candy and cookie, and we knew we had to act quickly to get what we wanted.
And because of that tradition, Christmas just doesn’t feel the same until our home has a collection of Christmas cookies and candies of all sorts of flavors, shapes, and sizes.
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The hustle and bustle of the season is alive and well at our household! It can be overwhelming sometimes, but with a plan in place we are trying to be more joyful than busy.
Since there are so many extra things to do right now, I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic so I don’t feel overwhelmed.
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. Learn more. 
