Where Have I Been? (off topic)

Sorry, I haven't posted in several days, there has been a lot going on in the last week and I want to explain.  For those of you who know me personally, I haven't exactly been myself lately and I am finding out why. My health has been going down hill and everything is a bit out of balance.  These are not mental issues, but physical issues that are going on in my body.

I have struggled with weight my entire adult life.  I yo-yo and each time I come up, I gain more.  In the last 6 months, I have hit an all time high weight and I am not proud of myself for that.  I am, in fact, quite angry that I let myself get this way.  It is time for a real change and this one will be a biggie.  I am going to have weight loss surgery.  There, I said it.  I wasn't going to tell people because I know what a lot of people think about this surgery, but if I don't do it, I am not going to live a full life.  I can't afford another yo up.

Why am I considering this?, you might ask.  I had never considered it before.  Well, I have come to a conclusion that I need this to aid me along my journey, because I am addicted to food.  I eat when I am bored, I eat when I am stressed, mad, sad,...you name it, I eat.  I even eat when I am full.   I don't realize what I am doing when I am doing it, it is like I become a robot.  It is actually quite scary that I have allowed food to become such a priority in my life.

In November, I went to the doctor for some female problems.  I had what is considered a precancerous condition that, by the grace of God, cleared up without treatment, but this doesn't mean that it won't come back unless I make some big changes in my life.

Through all of the blood testing for that, they found that my Triglycerides were dangerously high.  Almost 500.  This was so high that they could not read my Cholesterol levels. They put me on medication and as it came down, they were able to see that my cholesterol levels were high, too.  Now, not only am I high risk for cancer, I am high risk for heart disease which runs in my family. Another issue that has come up is my liver.  Those cholesterol and triglyceride levels are effecting my liver.  I even have marks on my eyelids from the extreme high levels of triglycerides.

This week was the biggie.  I was diagnosed on Friday with type 2 diabetes.  I am now on medicine for that, have to follow a strict diet and have blood sugar all over the place.  Seems, that when your blood sugar is high, it causes you to act strange.  It can make you grouchy, air headed, distant, etc.  I have been all of these over the past few years.

Anyway, back to the weight loss surgery.  My doctor feels that this is the only way to get everything under control for me, because right now, I am out of control.  Lots of prayer has gone into this decision that has already been made.  I am not completely sure which surgery I will be getting.  That will be discussed with the doctor.  I do know that my surgery will not be until at least late June or early July with the later being most likely.  I will also be creating a separate blog about the journey that you are all welcome to follow.  There will be photos and videos along the way to document the process and what I will be going through.  I am hoping this keeps me accountable to follow the instructions that the doctor gives me.

I am ready for this.  I know it is going to be a difficult journey, but it is what I have to do.  While in prayer, the verse that came to me was Mark 9:43 "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out."

Your comments are appreciated, but with this one, I would prefer you keep it positive.  Concern is fine, I  understand.  This is a decision that Nick and I have not taken lightly.  We understand the risks, the possibility of failure, etc.  We are doing this together and I will have great support groups to back both of us up.  The risks of not having this surgery are much worse than the risks of having it.  The doctors say that I will live 10-15 years longer if I have this surgery than if I don't. 

I love you all!

In The Mood for a Shopping Trip?

Sometimes, I just want to go shopping.  I believe this is a girl thing, but you can tell me if I am wrong.  I just love to go and look at all of the new things and buy things that would be nice to have at home.  I may not NEED them, but sometimes it is nice to have things that will make it a little easier at home.  How do I deal with this WANT to shop?

I have found that if I really am in a buying mood or if I actually need something, if I work my way up to the retail stores, I usually don't really need to go there.

Tip 1
If at all possible, go to garage sales.  You may have to go to 10 sales in order to find  what you need or want, but I guarantee that you will not spend as much and you may get out spending $20 versus the $200 you could spend in a retail store.

Tip 2
Second hand/thrift stores.  Second hand stores can be wonderful.  They will usually be priced a little higher than the garage sales, so my preference is tip 1, but if I can't find what I need, sometimes I can find it at a thrift store.  Chances are, if I am just in the mood to shop, this is as far as it goes and I am out the door a little tired of shopping and have no need to go on, but there are some things you can not get at a garage sale or thrift store.

Tip 3
Dollar stores.  I am not talking about every dollar store, but the stores in which everything costs a dollar.  If you have one in your area, these are wonderful!  I could go to a retail store and spend $50 on what I can get at a dollar store for less than $10 most of the time.

Tip 4
The best tip of all that I can give you is to try and anticipate needs ahead of time.  This can give you the chance to visit more sales and thrift stores.  It eliminates the need for finding an item right away and shop around.  When we wait until the last minute, that leaves us needing to go to those retail shops to get what we really need.  If you must go retail, make sure you check clearance items.  You would be surprised at what you can find!

Share with me your tips on what to do.  I love to read your comments!

Bulk Sharing! A Great Way to Save on Groceries!

Sorry that I missed posting yesterday.  A sick kid and busy day made it all but impossible, but I am back!  Because on my first day of posting, I posted twice, I guess it kind of works out.  If this happens in the future, I will be making up for it with a weekend post.

Well, today I would like to talk about a new way of shopping in bulk.  Many of us do not have the space or our household size is to small to do the bulk buying that we hear of people with larger families doing.  What can we do to take advantage of the savings?

I call this idea, bulk sharing.  The reason for this is that we can buy in bulk, but the sharing comes in when you share the costs and the food/products with other families and split the loot in the end.  This can be tricky because everyone has different tastes, but if you can get 3 or 4 households together, you can surely find items that all or at least more than one will use.  It is probably best if it is different households of the same family or close friends, because it can get a little tricky when dividing it up.  You don't want it to get "catty".

This is how it works.  The families go to a warehouse store together.  There are many out there and the choices vary greatly by region, so I am not going to use specific store names.  Anyway, the families will agree on what they will buy together.  If they all agree on all items, this makes dividing easy.  You just divide the food and the cost equally.  You will have to make sure that you have a meeting place afterward (usually one of the group members' home. This allows for dividing of the merchandise.  Each person can provide his/her containers, storage bags, or whatever they need and everyone goes home happy with more food for less dollar.

Always be sure to comparison shop.  There are times that the bulk item does not save.  Be careful.  If you do your homework and know what you are getting, that could be to your advantage.

Hmmm... I wonder if anyone has thought of doing this with cooking large quantities!?!  That would be a great one to try.  Anyone want to split some meals?

I love to read your comments and ideas!  Thanks for your interest!

Homemade fabric softener

Well, I have talked about the homemade fabric softener in different posts, but finally got to try it and actually use it.  You can find the recipe I based mine on in this blog.  http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/homemade-fabric-softener-finally.html

The only thing I did differently is cut the recipe in half.  Below are the ingredients for my half recipe.

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup hair conditioner

The conditioner that I used had a strong cherry scent that I love.  I was nervous that the vinegar would out do the cherry scent, but I was wrong.  The cherry ended up being the dominant scent in the mixture. This is a good thing.  I took some cheap sponges and cut them in half and threw them into the mixture to soak it up.  They sat in there a few days before I was able to  use them.

When it was time to dry a load of laundry, I lightly rung the sponges out and threw them in with the load in the dryer.  It worked!  The clothes were slightly cherry scented and soft with no static.

This was very cheap to make.  You can also water it down and use it as a wrinkle releaser.  The cherry scent wasn't very strong, but the clothes still did smell clean.

Let me know your thoughts on this.  I love it and this is another commercial product that I can make at home and save tons of money.

Homemade Dog food.

My family has a large breed German Shepherd puppy.  To give you an idea, he is eight and a half months old and over 90 pounds of big baby dog.  We spend a LOT on dog food.  Today, I have tried making my own dog food and have found it is actually pretty easy.  I found a recipe at http://www.wisebread.com/homemade-dog-food-recipe-and-cost , and as I always do, I tweaked it by using what we had on hand.

Here is my interpretation of their recipe.  I didn't make as much as they did considering this is just a little trial.

2 large chicken breasts
1 large piece of white fish
2 large carrots
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup green beans
half a sweet potato
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown rice
1 egg
3 egg shells
2 tbsp olive oil (he is a puppy and needs the extra calories.)

I just boiled all of the ingredients together until the veggies were soft and the meat was fully cooked.  When it was done, I lightly blended it to break down the larger pieces.  It has cooled and I put it in his bowl and he gobbled it down.  Success!!!

I am still a little worried that he won't get all of the nutrients he needs with this.  I will be talking to the vet, but until I know for sure, we will continue to give him some of the other dog food.  This will make a great supplement so he doesn't eat so much of the expensive stuff.  Next batch will be the larger batch.

Vacations

Today's tip is on family vacations. There are some little gems that I want to share with you and although the overall price isn't extremely low, you get a lot for your money.

There are some great hotels that have water parks and theme parks that are included in the nightly stay.  Mt. Olympus, for example, in Wisconsin Dells actually has both.  This is where we will be going this year.  It has go-karts, roller coasters, water slides and all kinds of other things that you can do at no additional cost.  We are even allowing the kids to each bring a friend.  It is sure to be a great vacation.  We are paying slightly more to stay there than we would have had to pay for simply just the amusement park and water park admission which saves a lot on the stay!

Another place that has a water park attached is in Burlington Iowa.  We have been there a few times and have a blast.  They have a water park and an arcade along with go-karts, bowling and laser tag.  Of these, there are extra charges for everything but the water park, but for the price, it is a great value.  They do have a great buffet breakfast that is included there, too.  The place is called Fun City.

The idea is to wrap up the fun and the stay into one package.  Yes, you will have to buy additional food, but you can bring some of your own.  You don't have to eat out for every meal.  Just pick up some peanut butter and jelly at the store and eat that for your lunches.

I would love to hear your ideas for awesome family getaways on the cheap!  Comment below with your ideas!

Low Cost, High Quality Shampoo and Conditioner. (And You Don't Have to Make it!)

I am very picky about my shampoo.  I can't usually use the cheap stuff because it dries out my hair or doesn't clean it enough, leaving it looking greasy by the end of the day.  I used to get the expensive shampoo at the drug stores.  In my house, that $8 bottle of shampoo only lasts 2 weeks.  Doesn't seem like a lot to spend, but when trying to cut corners, this is something I have found a great answer to.

I went to Sally's Beauty Supply for the first time about 6 months ago because my daughter wanted to color her hair and I didn't want to pay a professional to do it.  (Another money saving idea if you have a friend you trust!).  They had gallon jugs of professional shampoo and conditioner.  The shampoo was on sale for $2.99 a gallon!!  This is not a typo!  I had to buy it.  Even the original price is only $9.99 and it says that it is concentrated and enough to make 5 gallons!  The conditioner wasn't on sale, but for that price, I couldn't pass it up.  We are just now, 6 months later, needing to buy more.

This shampoo is great!  We all have had very healthy hair since we started using it and I love the smell of the Cherry scented.  I plan on using that to make my fabric softener this week.

Although it says it is concentrated enough to make 5 gallons, I have found that it works better to mix it 50/50, half water and half shampoo or conditioner.  Any more than that and although it does clean your hair, it doesn't lather.  I have some weird issue with that, I know, but I like the lather.  At this concentration, the scent stays with you longer, too.  I mix it and put it into old shampoo/conditioner bottles with pumps, so the family doesn't use too much and we don't lose portions to spills.  

I try to buy it when it is on sale.  It was priced at about $4.50 for the shampoo yesterday, so I got two. I also found out while I was there that you can join their buying club for $5.00 and you get $5.00 off your next purchase and a discount on everything you buy.  Of course, I didn't pass that one up.

Total spending a year on shampoo and conditioner before:  about $420 when you add the tax

Total spending each year if the shampoo and conditioner at Sally's is not on sale: about  $42  HUGE SAVINGS!