Yup, we're broke, struggling along- But Life Is Still OK!

[ranchhand]

So sorry about the mare, but you know you have to do hard things right now.

Hopefully she will go to a really good home!

I went to the grocery store yesterday and last Friday- today, I have a nasty cold coming on. I forgot to wash up when I got home!

Keep that in mind, no one needs to get sick right now!

 

[babylady4]

ZICAM right now! You will still get a cold but it will be much milder and not last as long.

Good luck! Vit C and some good ole' fashioned chicken noodle soup would do you some good as well! Get better!

 

[agnes_day]

i am sick too! i hate colds

anyways, there are a lot of posts about not being able to get your little ones this or that...there are ways to get creative!


i remember years ago...we had 30 dollars for christmas..our kids were a lot younger, but they knew about christmas. we had an old fake tree and we put it up..made snowflakes and other shapes out of notebook paper to decorate it..made a star out of wrapping paper and so forth, and strung popcorn to hang on it. then we took our 30 dollars to the dollar store and got a big bag of cheap christmas candy, journals, coloring books, crayons, and even got the boys a 1 dollar pocket knife each! we had someone print out a bunch of color pages for us and we strung them together with yarn and made them each their own special coloring book to go in their stockings. we were dead broke that year, but it really was one of the best christmas holidays we had ever had. now, they have dollar trees so i imagine if a person were to come up with 20-30 dollars, they could go up there and come away with all kinds of stuff for the little ones! waiting for freebies on craigslist or for someone to come take up the slack will get you nowhere!

 

[ranchhand]

Toys and gizmos usually get broken and dumped so fast anyway- I remember spending time doing holiday things with my folks far more than I can remember any presents. We always had a blast in the kitchen with Mom or in the shop with Dad!

 

[agnes_day]

but you see..that requires taking leave of the computer and being proactive, something that people looking for freebies arent willing to do.

 

[Highlander]

Sheesh, dont know how I managed to miss this thread!!

Thank you Ranchhand for starting this truly inspirational thread. I hope your attitude is contagious as I know there are a lot of people in the same boat right now.

I think a title change is in order here. "Thrift Guru" springs to mind!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[mmtillman]

A great inspiring post...especially now around the Thanksgiving season....what does not kill us will only make us stronger! It is so good to hear a positive outlook when the media makes it sound like the end of the world.....God bless you for your faith and perserverance~~

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

A few years ago we went through a really h***ish period. But, we were living in an apt and could not afford a tree. We got the kindergarden that my daughter attended to give me a really big sheet of that roll out paper they use and I drew a full size christmas tree on it. The girls spent hours occupied coloring it in. Then we made paper ornaments with tons of glitter gotten from a friend. The kids worked on that for days and were SO PROUD of themselves! They were so thrilled with their creation they never minded the missing "real" tree.

Now, no matter what, we pull out that tree; and it, and its precious ornaments, get taped up to the wall. To me it was a last gasp effort, to them it was one of the best christmases ever and the tree simply is a reminder of that wonderful time - they never knew how bad things were. And they won't this year either!

 

[Sillystunt]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

A few years ago we went through a really h***ish period. But, we were living in an apt and could not afford a tree. We got the kindergarden that my daughter attended to give me a really big sheet of that roll out paper they use and I drew a full size christmas tree on it. The girls spent hours occupied coloring it in. Then we made paper ornaments with tons of glitter gotten from a friend. The kids worked on that for days and were SO PROUD of themselves! They were so thrilled with their creation they never minded the missing "real" tree.

Now, no matter what, we pull out that tree; and it, and its precious ornaments, get taped up to the wall. To me it was a last gasp effort, to them it was one of the best christmases ever and the tree simply is a reminder of that wonderful time - they never knew how bad things were. And they won't this year either!

i am tearing up thinking how beautiful that was!!! Just totally beautiful!! It isn't about the tree or the gifts, it is about family!

 

[ranchhand]

Ya'll are making me feel warm and fuzzy all over! Thanksgiving and Christmas are such wonderful times for families and friends, even when times are tough.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

And don't forget to eat all those leftovers, no waste!