Fwd: Simple Times - 10/20/08 - Holiday countdown; magazine charity

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dsimpleTo: CyndikrallSent: 10/22/2008 2:56:56 P.M. Pacific Daylight TimeSubj: Simple Times - 10/20/08 - Holiday countdown; magazine charity

 

 

Simple Times________________________________Vol. 10, No. 20 -- October 20th, 2008http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/ debiCopyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-HoughISSN: 1527-1269 ________________________________Subscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-times________________________________Celebrating 10+ years of saving your time, money and sanity!________________________________IN THIS ISSUE:-- "Dear Readers"-- Simple Living Quote-- Magazine Charity: Recycling Your Old Reading Material

-- 12 Week Holiday Countdown-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)________________________________< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >

 

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________________________________Dear Readers,

 

 

 

Long story, but I've been without access to my van since

Thursday morning of last week. On Saturday, my kids and

I had a big “adventure†and took the bus to do a fairly large

shopping trip (had to take everyone with me so we’d have

enough hands to carry full bags back home on the bus).

 

It actually didn’t go too badly, and my kids thought it was

cool how simple it is to get around by bus here locally. When

you have easy access to your own transportation, I guess you

just don’t really think about the fact that it’s still possible to

get around without a car of your own.

 

Anyway, the kids were laughing as we walked home from the

bus with our grocery bags in tow.: “Being without a car has

changed shopping from just a simple errand into a well-planned

family activity!â€

 

It’s also forced life to move at a slower pace. We either need

to walk where we’re going or we need to plan around the bus

schedules. There also aren't any spur-of-the-moment “let’s

hop into the car and make a quick trip through the drive-thruâ€

excusions on lazy days, either. Everything needs to be

planned carefully and thought through.

 

It reminds me a lot of when my kids were little and we only

had one car in the family. I was “trapped†at home every day

while my husband was at work, but it really never felt like

being trapped. We just ended up doing a lot of walking -- to

the park, the library, the store, the coffee shop, McDonald’s.

Thank goodness for double-strollers in those days!

 

I’m looking into using one of those grocery delivery services

for heavy items (cat food, kitty litter, canned goods). The

delivery cost is about equal to the cost of round trip bus fare

for the four of us, so it won’t really be any more expensive to

have our major grocery items delivered than to do the shopping

ourselves. But we’ll have to make it regularly to the one store

in town that carries the gluten-free products my daughter

needs.

 

My oldest daughter was also looking for a job this past week,

and after receiving a number of job offers, she wound up picking

the place that was the easiest to get to on her own using her

feet, her bike, or the bus. Funny how this is effecting so many

various parts of our lives.

 

My kids are also quite proud of how “green†we are right now --

using public transportation, walking places, using reuseable

cloth grocery bags. So we’re doing our part for the environment,

too.

 

Yes, it’s very frustrating on many levels to be temporarily with-

out a car. But it’s also been interesting and educational to be

forced into seeing what it’s like to live without access to personal

transportation. It’s not only possible, it actually has some definite

benefits, as well.

 

 

Simply Yours,Debi(Deborah Taylor-Hough)Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' series; 'A Simple Choice: Apractical guide for saving your time, money & sanity'; and 'FrugalLiving for Dummies®--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters________________________________Visit my new site!http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/________________________________SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE

 

"To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to

take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value

the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is

done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in

a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself

never to put off the word or action for the expression of

gratitude."

 

--Albert Schweitzer

 

 

________________________________

 

MAGAZINE CHARITY: RECYCLING READING MATERIALCopyright Jeff LakieUsed with permission from http://articlegarden.comAll rights reserved.If you want to start your own charity, you don't have to be amillionaire -- or even have expendable income. All you needis some magazines and a desire to do good for others.Most of us have a favorite magazine, or even several, that we to for recreational reading or to keep track of thenews or things going on in the business world. When we finishreading them, some of us want to be able to recycle the paper,but many kinds of colored paper are not very suitable for typicalrecycling programs. Newsprint -- the paper newspapers are madeout of -- is much easier to incorporate into environmentally friendlyrecycling programs.But you can recycle in a different way, by passing your magazinesalong to another reader. It works in the same way that hand-me-down clothing works, except that magazines usually are more funto receive, especially if you pass them along quickly while theyare still current. Buy or to your magazines, keep themfor a while and read them, and then pass them on to a neighbor.One good way to distribute our leftover reading material is totake the magazines and give them to a doctor’s office, a firestation, or other places where magazines are welcome. Forinstance, if you give your magazines to the fire station, thenthe people who spend long hours there waiting for emergencycalls will have plenty of free reading material. Or you can boxthem up and ship them to a soldier stationed overseas, givethem to a college student, or even donate them to a locallibrary or school.Before giving away you old magazines, it is a good idea touse a marker pen to delete the r info, for securitypurposes. And be sure to keep your magazines in good shape,rather than using them for coffee cup coasters or other purposesthat will mark or stain them. Of course you may come acrossissues of magazines and decide to keep them, which is fine.Just box the ones you want to give away in one spot, and eachmonth you can take the recycle box to your favorite charity.The more you give, the better you’ll feel, because not onlywill you be helping the environment by not being wasteful,you’ll be turning on other people to entertaining, informative,or otherwise useful and valuable magazines that they mightotherwise not be able to read.Sustainable Living Articles @ http://www.articlegarden.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:--Jeff Lakie is a freelance writer with many years of experiencewriting articles on Caravan magazines related subjects. Take afew moments now to visit their site and see what they have in storefor you. http://latinohealthmagazine.co.uk/caravan-magazines.html

 

________________________________O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R

 

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________________________________

 

12-WEEK HOLIDAY TIMETABLE COUNTDOWNCopyright Marilyn MollUsed with permission. All rights reserved.http://www.urbranhomemaker.com

For many of us, planning Christmas festivities such as

shopping, cooking, baking, gift making, and hospitality

can automatically cause a great degree of anxiety. We,

at The Urban Homemaker, don't advocate complicated or

expensive holiday celebrations, and wish to encourage

your family to focus on the true meaning of the holiday

season. To do so while making preparations for the up-

coming holidays, this twelve-week simplified timetable

could be used as a checklist and is designed to be

flexible in order to assist you.

 

Remember, the timetable is merely a suggestion; rearrange,

add, or delete activites from the schedule to meet the needs

of your family. Week #1 - "List Week" - Oct 5-11Make your lists of gift recipients, Christmas cards, menus

for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, goodies to

share or to give, favorite meals to prepare ahead, decorations

needed, and gifts to make. Week #2 - "Browse Week" - Oct 12-18

 

Develop and record ideas for gifts and decorations. Ask

yourself the following questions: * What would our ideal Christmas be like? * What activities are particularly important to our family at

Christmas? * How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place

on the spiritual side of Christmas? Week #3 - "Supplies Week" - Oct 19-25

 

After inventorying supplies on hand, purchase non-perishables

needed for holiday baking, supplies needed for gift making,

film, batteries, gift wrapping, and Christmas cards as needed.Week #4 - "Baking Week" - Oct 26-NovSet aside the time needed to complete holiday goodie making.

Make lists of toys, books, and clothes that children would enjoy

and keep the list handy for telling family members who ask what

they would like. Week #5 - "Gift Making" Week - Nov 2-8Focus your energies on completing gifts to be made, setting

aside gifts that aren't coming together, and writing a Christmas

letter. Find family photos suitable for inclusion with Christmas

cards. Week #6 - "Shopping Week #1" - Nov 9-15Decorate your home for Thanksgiving and focus on gift buying

for prepared list. Wrap and label packages as you go. Set aside

needed shipping boxes.Week #7 - "Shopping Week #2" - Nov 16-22Complete as much shopping as possible. Take advantage of

many items that are on sale before Thanksgiving! Check Thanks-

giving menus and grocery list: purchase any additional, needed

supplies. Week #8 - "Thanksgiving Week" - Nov 23-29Use this week to prepare Thanksgiving dishes, pies, homemade

rolls: enjoy the holiday with your family.Week #9 - "Mailing Week" - Nov 30-Dec 6Complete package wrapping for gifts to be shipped. Complete

addressing and mailing of Christmas correspondence.Week #10 - "Meal Making and Decorating Week" - Dec 7-13Prepare some favorite meals and other baked goods for the hectic

days ahead. Decorate. Involve children in memory making!

Week #11 - "Final Shopping/Wrapping Week" - Dec 14-20Complete last minute details and enjoy holiday parties, concerts,

and family activities. Week #12 - Dec 21-27 - "Celebrate!"Enjoy the Holidays with Family and Friends!Take time to drive the neighborhoods to enjoy holiday lighting

displays. Enjoy family traditions and special meals.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:--Marilyn Moll is the founder of The Urban Homemaker, a family

run business dedicated to teaching and promoting “old fashioned

skills for contemporary peopleâ€. They offer back-to-basics products

for physical and spiritual family health. Visit Marilyn and her family

online at: http://urbanhomemaker.com

 

________________________________Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)________________________________LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPSWe'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.Send your simple living comments/tips to: DSimple

 

 

== Cell Phone Information Number ==

Here’s a smart tip for busy moms: Program 1-800-FREE411 into

your cell phone: Not only can you skip the $2 charge for directory

assistance, you can also get voice-activated MapQuest directions

to any place (business, residential, government listings) in any town

in the U.S. just by dialing this toll-free number -- so no Web access,

print outs, or bulky directories needed. You can even have the directions

sent to your cell phone via text after the call -- very helpful when you are

in a new city or town and looking for something important like an all-

hours pharmacy.

--Meghan L.

 

________________________________SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKSBook list for frugality and simple livingGo to: http://snurl.com/simplebooks_______________________________< < B E . O U R . S P O N S O R > >Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? ContactLaura at marketing Subject line: simple-timesDiscover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.________________________________As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foremanand the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making thismailing list possible!== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==________________________________EDITOR'S BOOKS AND AUDIO RESOURCES:Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-HoughEditor, Simple Times Email Newsletterhttp://snurl.com/debisbooks________________________________DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.comCooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.comTupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperwareKids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids________________________________NEWSLETTER INFORMATIONSubscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-timesPlease feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. This is a private mailing list which isn't sold or shared with anyone else. Tips and articles are printed for entertainment purposes only.

 

 

This FREE service is brought to you by www.SimpleMom.comCopyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough. .3930 A Street SE, Ste 305, #119, Auburn WA 98002

Contact us at: DSimple

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