Iowahippiechick

It’s been kind of dry in the ‘freebie’ department lately - Here are a few that I’ve scrounged up:

1. A complimentary copy of “What to Expect When Your Expecting” at duetdha.com - Click on the link to sign up for your free copy!
2. A free 1.75 oz sample package of Don Francisco 100% Arabica coffee - Click on the link before the offer expires on 2/28/2009.
3. A complimentary copy of ‘State of the States‘ - Which includes trends, current policy, maps, graphics, and reports of the most significant developments in all 50 states.  It sounds like an interesting piece to read for the new year … click on the link to check it out!
4. Not quite a freebie … but an awesome rebate if you drink Beck Beer.  Click on the link to find an up to $9 mail in rebate form.  (Purchase of the beer must be between 12/08/08 and 1/5/09.)  Rebate must be received by 1/19/09.
5. Click on the link to join for free … the TNT Club.  It includes stickers, tattoos, posters, magnets, and more!
6. An Emergen-C sample to help with your cold or sniffles - click here.
7. Free Disney Pixar Wall-E build-a-bot, games, videos, etc…  click here for lots of fun!
8. A yummy free sample of Orville Redenbacher’s Natural Gourmet Microwave Popping Corn - click here.
9. January 26th, 2009 marks the start of the Chinese New Year of the Ox … click on the link for terrific craft ideas for the kids.
10. Oh my goodness … on January 14th you can sign up to receive a coupon for a free bottle of Suave Shampoo - directly from their website.  Click on the link to get all the details!

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick

personal finance

Last week totally blew and this week is not looking to fair any better.  Let me start at the beginning …

The snow - the God awful snow that never ceases to fall in mass quantities every three days.  Craig (my husband) works for the city street department.  Which means responsibility for salt/sanding streets and snow removal.  Or in other words - 16 hour work days for the last 4 weeks.  More snow related complications to follow. 

Cody (our 21 year old son) was scheduled to take the Amtrak train with his friend Taylor.  Out to visit our oldest son Dillon in Pennsylvania for the holidays.  A little sad … our first Christmas without our sons.  Yet we were a little anticipating some ‘empty-nest’ fun for a week.  Merry Christmas to us!  It was not meant to be.  Monday December 22nd my dad and I drove the boys down to Burlington Iowa to catch their train.  They had a delay … but eventually it came. After taking them to Union Station in Chicago Illinois - and 16 hours later … they were told no trains going East!   They tried their best to rent a car, book tickets on a greyhound bus, any mode of transportation East or West.  But nothing!  The lucky few out of the other hundreds of stranded souls scooped up whatever was available.  Very long story short … Craig and I left at 8am Tuesday December 23rd to go rescue them.  HUGE MISTAKE ~  Interstate 80 was an absolute nightmare.  A trip that should only take 4 and 1/2 hours ended up taking 10 solid hours.  We stopped counting the vehicles in the ditches when we hit 100.  Upside down SUV’s/ jackknifed semi tractor trailers/ Christmas presents strewn all over the interstate from all the car accidents/ Even one truck torn in half and on fire.  It was surreal.  We averaged 35 mph with the insane winds, glare ice on the road, and massive traffic. Somehow by the grace of God we eventually reached the boys - picked them up and made it home in one piece!  Craig literally drove 24 hours straight during this time.  Was lucky to catch 3 hours sleep when we got back to Iowa … then they called him back into work for a 16 hour shift.   I repeat NUTS!

Non snow related, messing up my quest for the simple life - pertains to my health.  Last week I had a biopsy and ultrasound.  Not so good news learned at the doctor’s office today.  I have to have a full hysterectomy surgery next week.  (Hopefully the cyst on my ovary is benign!)  Not exactly the holiday I had hoped for …

Anywho - you know what?  It’ll all work out just fine!  I’m a positive thinking chick who has buckets & buckets of faith in God, Life, and Myself …  But I do believe in the power of prayer!  So if you want to say a little one for me - that would be cool.

That’s it for now … I’m tired!

dawn

Have you ever really thought about the answer?  Really?

It isn’t as easy to answer honestly as one might think.  Because in reality there are several motivators for gift giving.  Including:

1. Reciprocation
2. To express positive feelings
3. Maintaining power and prestige
4. Establishing security
5. Promoting self-interest
6. Expressing hostility

Interesting isn’t it?

Who knew there was so much psychology involved in giving & receiving?

Who I am as a gift giver has changed over the years.  Honestly … I know I’ve been motivated by all six on the list during my life. 

I know when I was a young newlywed - insecurity led me to give from a motivation of establishing security when it involved Craig’s family.  Think outsider (me) trying to fit in with them (my in laws.) 

Looking back, I can also see that when my sister’s kids were small, I gave to them from a motivator of power and prestige.  I was the cool aunt and I wanted to maintain that title and place in their lives.  So I spent more money on them than I know I should have - isn’t that just silly?

But it’s sort of interesting reflecting on my gift giving past.  Now that I’m a bit older my motivation for gift giving has simplified.  It’s to express positive feelings - plain & simple.  

Have you ever thought about your motivations for gift giving?

dawn @ iowahippiechick

I guess the frugal apple doesn’t fall too far from the frugal tree.  My oldest son Dillon, who moved out East last August, had some incredible news for his old mom.  He has managed to save after expenses, almost 10K in the 4 months he has been out there.  THAT’S SO FREAKIN COOL!

Saving money was his goal - When he chose to move out there for  this particular job opportunity.  (I believe that is why he is achieving savings success even during such difficult economic times.) 

And the fact the boy has his financial head on straight:

1. He established early on after moving out of our home - The habit of saving first.
2. Then paying his living expenses.
3. Then fun.
4.  He made paying off his student loan debt his main priority - Within 6 months of graduating college he had it paid off.
5.  He owns & drives a 1993 Chevy S10 pickup - Paid for and very inexpensive insurance.
6. He is not focused on consumerism.  Translation … not that impressed with ‘STUFF’.  (But he definitely couldn’t live without his Ipod!)

Right now he definitely a man with a mission - Building his nest egg.  With the goal of eventually opening his own shop.  Which he knows, I know, and almost everyone who knows him - Knows he will do!

A Proud Momma Post …

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick

Suze Orman has joined forces with TD Ameritrade and they’ve created a sweet deal to encourage SAVING money.  The offer is:

1. Open a new TD Ameritrade (non-retirement) account by 12/31/08.
2. Fund it with 12 consecutive monthly automatic electronic deposits of $100 or more.
3. At the end of the 12 months - they will give you $100 free money.
4. Get paid to save!
5. Click on the www.saveyourself.com link to get more detailed information.

(F.Y.I.)
I found a couple of interesting websites for the gamers in the house … They’re swap sites.  Get what you want - swap what you don’t!  Especially since you’ll be saving all your extra cash instead of buying video games.  (They actually do swap a lot more items than just video games.)  Here they are:

1. Swaptree.com -  Which has a rating system for members on the condition of their games, cd’s, and books. 
2. Zwaggle.com - A huge variety of items to swap.  Plus you can donate items to charity.  (It’s almost the end of they tax year … Maybe you could get some more charitable donations in?)

Finally - Check out the 155th Festival of Frugality  that’s going on over at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance .  (They included a post by me!)

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick

My friend Free From Broke is hosting the 182nd Carnival of Personal Finance this week.  His ‘Don’t Go Broke Over The Holidays Edition ‘ couldn’t be timed more perfectly … (with 17 more days until the big event!)

My favorite posts from the Carnival:

1. Almost Frugal writes - How Old Are You Financially? 
2. The Digerati Life writes - The Best Coupon Sites For Online Shoppers.
3. SquawkFox writes - 8 Homemade Gifts In A Jar (with free printable gift tags.)
4. Pecuniarities writes - Two Natural and Economical Ways To Shed Dry Winter Skin.

My goodness there is SO MUCH excellent information in this edition of the carnival - you’ve got to click on the link and check it out!

Free From Broke is one of my very favorite personal finance bloggers.  He and his wife are growing their family (two young children) with a lot of love - in one of the most expensive cities in the country (New York City).  He writes very smart, yet digestible by those of us without MBA’s. 

Free From Broke is in my reader - and it should be in yours too!

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick

1. Michael Nolan who is author of the Frugal Living Today Blog  is having a contest to win a $10 CVS gift card.  Click the link to get all the details.  (But don’t delay, the contest ends on December 7th, 2008 at 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time.)
2. Alyssa who is author of Keeping The Kingdom First Blog is having a contest to win a $100 Walmart gift card.  Click on the link to get all the details.  (Don’t delay on this one either, because it also ends on December 7th, 2008 at 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time.)

Now that your going to win a couple of cool gift cards …

Let’s transition to more frugal & homemade gifts like I wrote about yesterday.  Divinecaroline.com has eleven easy ones to try - they include:

1. A book of quotes
2. Personalized memory (or clutter) boxes
3. Make your own recipe book
4. A positivity, productivity, or inspiration box
5. Personalized Stationary
6. Coupon books
7. Make your own frames
8. A music book
9. A personalized journal
10. A memory collage or scrapbook
11. Frame a favorite quote

The website article has easy to follow directions … so check it out! 

I’m telling you - people truly do love stuff made from the heart!

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick

I love making this gift for people -

Everybody from a tween to a dad likes this item.

It has a wow factor that goes a long way in relation to the money & time put into it.

I’m talking about a ‘Catchall Bowl’ personalized with your choice of photocopies and book pages.  This thing is so cool …

To start with you will need the following items: 

1. Scissors.
2. Some photocopies of your choice of interesting photos that are appropriate for the recipient of the gift.
3. Maybe some interesting book or magazine pages.
4. An unfinished wooden bowl - around 10 inches wide.
5. Mod Podge glue (Can be found at Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.)
6. Acrylic paints.
7. A paintbrush.

Now the fun starts -

(It would probably be a wise idea to lay some newspapers down on your work surface to protect it.)

1. Cut out the images you want to use from the photocopies and book pages.
2. Use the Mod Podge glue to decoupage them to the inside of the wooden bowl.
3. Do this until the whole inside is 100% covered with images.
4. Allow to dry thoroughly.
5. Paint the bottom and rim of the bowl, trying to get a nice clean edge.
6. Let it dry thoroughly again.
7. Then wrap & give to your lucky recipient

Even if you don’t feel like your all that creative - you can still make this! 

And I’m telling you, “You’ll have fun, too.” 

Really, give it a try!

I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much your family and friends will like it!

Have a terrific day …

dawn @ iowahippiechick

Politics and religion -

Two things that during the time I was growing up, were not supposed to be discussed in public.  Apparently I failed that lesson.  Because I LOVE discussing politics and religion in public.  I love talking with people that share my perspectives and those that differ.  It doesn’t matter to me …

This past holiday weekend was a buffet of opportunities to chat about politics & religion.  Especially with my sister-in-law Anita.  Who is not particularly fond of the church my brother(her husband), my sister, and I were all raised in …

Which ended in a hair pulling cat fight!

No I’m just kidding …

We had a relatively calm conversation that didn’t convince either of us to change our points of view.  But that’s alright - we can see it differently.  In fact I actually feel closer to her.  Because our respectful conversation helped me to understand her better. 

I believe the greatest gift of the holiday season is enjoying family and friends.  Feeling closer to Anita is so much better than a new Ipod, GPS, or whatever!  Friendship, love, and understanding are so much nicer than more ’stuff.’

I’m choosing to keep it simple this time of year - Less spending money on more stuff, and more time with family and friends!

Have a terrific day!

dawn @ iowahippiechick