Kaake Family Blog

Some people think I'm crazy, some envy me and some do the same thing I do. Granted, everyone has those hard to buy for people. They change their mind like the changing of the wind. Those people I purchase things for last. However, for kids, some adults and parents, if you have an idea of what you want to do, why not buy ahead? Why? 1. $20-$30 spent here or there doesn't seem like a big deal. Hundreds of dollars in one month does. It causes many people to put things on credit cards or not hold up their end of a gift bargain if they have drawn names. Totally not fair for anyone. 2. It gives you time to bargain shop. I love finding special goodies in clearance sections, especially for my nieces and nephews. Then, I can get them more than I normally would have if I would have purchased everything at retail price. 3. It makes the season itself much less stressful because you've already done most of your shopping. Here are a couple tips: 1. Keep totes or bin...

Today was so much fun! We headed down to Ann Arbor for some resale shopping and some fun for the kids. This was Joshua's first trip to Ann Arbor and since it was game day we put on his "My Very First Michigan Shirt" - U of M of course! We had to take a picture to commemorate. lol! Our first stop was Value World - that is where I like to go to find larger amounts of resale clothes for the kids if I can't find them up here. I had a list of things Joshua and Jonathan needed so we headed down. For around $30 we got all you see below. Here's a listing.... Exersaucer Little People Barn with Animals 2 pair jeans for Joshua 1 pair jeans for Jonathan 2 shirts for Jonathan 2 outfits for Joshua 2 sleepers for Joshua 1 sheet for the boys room to make into curtains - it's Disney's Cars 1 pack-n-play sheet for our co-sleeper 1 set of books for Lyshie - they are Misty (the horse) books 2 books for Matt 1 book for me 3 misc. books for the kids 3...

Today we went to Goodwill again. Thankfully it's only 3-4 minutes from my house. We usually don't find anything for Allysha but this time we hit the jackpot! We got her two pairs of jeans that fit perfect! That in itself is very hard to do. You can see the pretty embellishments in the picture above. We also got her the jean jacket you see in the picture and all the shirts as well as the little dress (which will be worn over pants). The dress, and one of the shirts still had the tags on them! The red hooded fleece jacket I got for myself. I got it a size or two bigger so that I can wear my son in a sling and still put the coat over him. It zips from the bottom up so that I can only zip it up as far as we need to. I'm super excited about that! Last but not least, I got Joshua the little hat and Allysha a picture holder. You know those pretty boards that have ribbon on them and you slip the pictures in? Well I got her one of those. It is purple with butterflies...

Just thought I'd share an updated picture since I hit the beginning of my 6th month and a picture of a diaper cover/soaker I made for my son Joshua out of fleece. I had so much fun making it. I can't wait to make more - Matt just has to fix my sewing machine. All in good time. I also just calculated how far the kids and I walked yesterday and it was exactly 1 mile. Lyshie was pretty excited about that. I hope to do more later but that's good enough for just starting out. I'll still keep up with my pg exercises - it feels good!

Here are the ones I've found lately that I like the most. They are easy for someone like me;) I have tried Rita's Rump, and the Sweater Pants and love them both. I also added a bib pattern. It works much better than other store bought bibs because it covers more. We even take extra long tea towels and just tie a loose knot around the back of their neck. It works great. Enjoy the links! Sweater pants/longies and soakers: http://www.borntolove.com/frugal -column2.html http://www.cafepress.com/thatski ndacool/864331 sewing all kinds of dipes: http://fernandfaerie.com/frugald iapering.html fleece soaker pattern: http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/ 2007/10/free-soaker-pattern.ht ml http://www.geocities.com/Heartla nd/Oaks/1126/sewfleece.html Bib: here is a bib pattern - http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingf orbabychildren/ss/towelbib.htm Rita's Rump pocket pattern - http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com /2007/10/classic-rrp-ritas-rum p-pocket-pattern.html ...

You've heard it said, if you currently drink a $2 every day, you could save a huge amount of money simply making it at home instead of purchasing it. After all, a coffee at that price daily would come to a total of $730 per year. Keep in mind, that's just the coffee, not bagels, muffins, etc.... What if you're like our family and don't go for the average American frills such as morning coffee, cable tv, 2 vehicles, etc.... We do save a lot of money, but is there more we could be doing? Here is a list of things we do currently to save money. Please feel free to post your ideas below in the comments section. First thing first....make a note of items you truly need and things you can do without. Almost any financial adviser would say to make sure you have something special or a little thing here and there that you don't give up - a frill. That way you don't go on spending sprees. If you need to do that, make sure this is a low cost item not done on a regu...