Mom Life in the PNW

From Celebrating Holidays to Not Celebrating.

From Celebrating Holidays to Not Celebrating.

Another holiday season has come and gone…

You may be wondering how I can go from celebrating to not celebrating? It’s called marrying someone who’s family are Jehovah Witnesses. They believe that most holidays fall into one of three categories and all three are wrong. These 3 categories are false religious holidays, political holidays, and holidays that honor anyone or any human/organization other than God. They don’t even do birthdays, which to me is something that I will always do regardless.  Christmas on the other hand is no big deal to me since it’s a bunch of commercialized crap where parents compete every year on getting the hottest electronics and toys for their minions. Plus, it saves me tons of money. You know how many nieces and nephews I have now? 5!!  I’m expecting a million more since I have 5 siblings and 2 don’t even have kids yet.

It was a little difficult for me to just stop completely after I met my husband, so I continued to celebrate even though he wanted no part in it. I loved helping with decorations and setting up the fresh Christmas tree in the house when growing up. I think that’s what I miss most about it. Getting gifts are nice, but its more about giving than receiving, plus, who wants a hideous Christmas sweater and some dry fruit cake? Although, that seems to be the new “cool” thing to get now, so people can post pictures of themselves on Facebook in their hideous ensemble.

You may be wondering if we get offended if someone wishes us a Merry Christmas, like the door greeters at shopping malls or “acquaintances” who don’t actually know about my husband’s religious beliefs?

– The answer is no, especially me, I will usually say you too back, but my husband won’t really say anything but smile. It is kind of awkward but what can ya do?

And what is there to do on Christmas when you don’t celebrate?

– We usually go see a movie since there’s usually a hot blockbuster out around this time of year. Then we go home and see A Christmas Story on TV being played back to back; makes thee husband cringe.

I will always have my memories though, even if I don’t get to make them with my future children.

Target’s Holiday Clearance Schedule

Do you like stalking and scoring deals for next year’s holiday? Why pay retail when you can get it up to 90% off!?

Just remember though, most people will start to buy at 50% off, but the more people know about Target’s clearance schedule, it may entice more people to wait to score a better deal.

So share with your friends and family, and then when it’s time, head to Target and start stocking up on the Holiday Clearance Items!

P.S. Also keep an eye on your coupons you have; you may be able to score some FREE items with the clearance prices.


All posts here are to help our fellow frugal friends score the best freebies and deals possible through various companies, including Amazon. At times, we do earn a small percentage on purchases made through our links, which helps keep the site running.

The Never-Ending Saga Of Home Improvement-Here Is Some Help

The Never-Ending Saga Of Home Improvement-Here Is Some Help
You’ve done it. You are ready to start making home improvements in your own home. What perfect timing! You probably have lots of questions on how to start and what to do, but fear not, this article can help you. Listed below are some tips that will help you get started with your home improvement aspirations.

Fix the leaky faucet in your house. The water wasted from leaks can add up to hundreds of gallons per year, leading to a higher water bill for you and an unnecessary waste of a natural resource. Fixing a leak can be as simple as replacing a washer, so there is no reason not to do this simple improvement for your home. Hardwood, tile and other smooth surfaces may seem like a good idea in high traffic areas like stairs and hallways, but those same areas can then echo and reverberate throughout the entire house. You wouldn’t want to hear every footstep going down the hallway if you were in a bedroom sleeping.

Lighting System Upgrades—Minneapolis MN – Edina MN 

Whether you are in need of maintenance work for your current lighting system or are considering investing in lighting system upgrades, Minneapolis exterior lighting company NiteTime Décor has you covered. Our professional team is experienced in performing work designed to serve the needs of whatever current lighting system your home or business has. From replacing some of your light sockets, to retro-fitting your system with LED lights, we do it all!

When removing cabinets as part of a kitchen remodel, make sure you don’t just unscrew and yank them off the wall. You will more than likely end up taking some or all of the drywall off with you. Take time and care to remove each and every screw, and use a utility knife around the edges to break the caulking that was most likely used to seal between the cabinet and the wall. There are a couple of simple tricks you can use to give your ceiling the appearance of being higher than it actually is. You can put a lengthy floor lamp in the room or install striped wall paper. This will make a optical illusion that makes the room seem bigger. This makes the ceiling seem really high.

Many people may see dark paneling in their rooms as a curse. However, it can be really simple to spice up your panels to make them suitable and stylish. Lightly sand your panels and paint over it with a primer. Then just apply a coat of paint in the color of your choice. This will give new life to your room as well as your dark paneling. Before allowing any contractor to start working have a signed contract. If at all possible, have the contract reviewed by a lawyer before proceeding. There are many details that you can examine yourself in the home improvement contract including the total time anticipated to complete the project, when it will begin and finish, how long a workday the contractor puts in, warranties on work performed as well as total cost for the project.

Holiday Lighting in Minneapolis MN

There’s nothing better than driving down a street during the holidays with decorated and lit houses on either side of you. Many families make this kind of experience a fun outing, traveling around the community and pointing out the most spirited houses.

At Christmas Décor, we make joining the ranks of admired structures an easy task. With skilled designing and professional installation we offer unparalleled holiday lighting in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas.

With the help of our trained team, you can transform your home or business into something truly special. With options such as unique lighting and commercial-grade decorations, you can achieve the look and level of festivity that you’ve always dreamed of!

Our outdoor Christmas light displays for Minneapolis homes are a combination of the best holiday traditions and the latest decorating trends. This means utilizing these high-quality products in each of our designs:

Up Lighting

Use up-lighting behind large pieces of furniture to light up a dark corner. It is a dramatic and beautiful way to make the room seem larger than what it is. It is quick, easy and inexpensive and will make the room look as if it is a much larger and brighter space than what it really is.

Accent Lighting

If your front lawn features a large, full tree, you can add upward-facing outdoor accent lighting to emphasize the beautiful texture of the leaves and trunk. Upward lighting is also a good choice to accentuate details like trellises or archways. Outdoor accent lighting also adds significant value to the home.

About the author: Want to learn more about our outdoor Christmas light display? Contact Christmas Décor! We serve businesses and homes in Minneapolis, Edina, Minnetonka, Excelsior, Linden Hills, St. Paul, Maple Grove, and White Bear, Minnesota.

How old is TOO old to be at a club?

As the saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel and right now I don’t feel old, although technically, I appear old to my 18 year old sis.When I was 21, I never really was into clubs or even dancing for that matter because I had too much social anxiety to actually say or do what I felt like doing. I always worried too much about the opinions of others and now that I’ve grown up and grown out of my anxiety for the most part, I just don’t give a crap anymore!

I honestly believe that 30s are the new 20s. I’m slowing down, but no so much so that I need to go to bed before midnight on the weekends. I’m not decrepit, although I do have a pulled muscle or sciatic nerve issue going on for the past 2 weeks that’s probably going to slow me down a bit, but I won’t let that keep me down for long!

My friend an I have been going out every weekend dancing for the past 3 or is it 4 weeks? Hell, I can’t remember. Is alzheimers setting in? Either way, it’s been tons of fun. Well, besides the black guy who kept poking my ass with his finger like I’m the Pillsbury dough boy. I turn around and give him “the look”. You guys know what the look is, and he slurs, “let’s go dance.” Or at least that’s what I thought his drunk ass was saying. I told him I was leaving soon, so no can do, but then we go and dance some more and he kept creeper eyeing me from afar, then got closer, so the guy my friend likes pulled me closer to them so he would buzz off. You always need to have back up in any case, no matter how young or old you are. LOL

At the venue we were at, one of the DJs asked people on the dance floor to play musical chairs, only with dance partners. Whoever were the last couple standing got $25 off their bar tab, which to the ladies, is a lot, because drinks were only $3 a piece until midnight. We had to switch up partners and go to a different one each time, so as you can imagine, there’s a bunch of scrambling drunk people bumping asses with each other. Definitely not something I have experienced before, but hell, I’ll do it again if it means I get a potential free bar tab!

And if you can dance like this granny, then I say screw the haters, you go on with your bad self and walk it out… at the club.

 

Why Do Companies Give Away Free Stuff?

 

It’s basically cheap advertising.
Most free stuff being given away online is of sample size, but you can find free full sized products too, mostly in the form of a free coupon when you opt-in to their mailing list. This helps market brand awareness. There’s no bigger advertisement than word of mouth, so giving out a free product for many more potential customers is no big deal to big corporations since it saves them thousands or even millions of dollars.

Plus, they build a heavy mailing list of future prospects for their future promotions. If you’re worried about spam, I suggest signing up for an email address and using it strictly for freebie offers.

Also, entering for a chance to get free stuff can be time sensitive. Usually companies give their products away on Facebook for a Facebook page like, but quantities are limited and are sometimes only available at certain times of the day, so they end up going quite quickly. I recommend liking brands on Facebook that you enjoy or want to try in the future, that way you can spot a freebie offer before most of the masses.

Or you can follow me on any/all social networking sites and I’ll update as I stumble upon new free stuff.

I try to post as much free stuff I can in an allotted time frame, but I am a one-girl team, so unfortunately I don’t/can’t get every single one posted on The Freebie Addiction.