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Guest Post
by Anne DelBalzo
The first few years I was a single mom on a tight budget, I found planning for the holidays was a very stressful experience. Between the big ones like Christmas and Easter, plus the kids’ birthdays, Mother’s Day (for my mom) and Father’s Day (for their dad), it felt like I was constantly facing expenses that my budget just couldn’t handle. I found myself paying for things with a credit card and going deeper and deeper into debt. Finally, a friend gave me a tip: buy things throughout the year and save them for special occasions.
I took her idea and ran with it. I started buying small items for my kids and my mom whenever I could get a good deal on something they would like. I took over one closet in the house and used it to store my gifts until they were needed. Of course, most of the things I bought were small items since I couldn’t afford big expenditures, but that was okay. The first year, Mother’s Day rolled around, and I realized that I had six different presents in the closet that my mom would enjoy. Instead of wrapping them separately, I bought an inexpensive basket and filled it for her. She was impressed by my creativity – she even thought I had a professional create her gift basket.
Since then, I’ve made it a habit to look for gently used gift baskets and other containers at yard sales during the summer months. With the addition of some ribbon and cellophane, they help me turn the small gifts I buy during the year into attractive presents for my friends and family. Having all the supplies on hand means I don’t get stressed if I need to come up with something on short notice, and my wallet sure does appreciate my more balanced approach to spending. I am truly grateful to the friend who suggested I shop all year, and I am happy to pass on her tip to all of you!
There are numerous reasons why you should consider an outdoor playset. There are several studies that show the physical and emotional benefits for children playing outside. An outdoor playset creates an outdoor fun place for your kids to stretch their imagination and build social skills playing with other family members & childhood friends. Fresh air and physical activity are just what the doctor ordered in a generation bombarded of video games and electronic media. An outdoor playset also serves as emotional get away and secure little hideout in those tough moments learning the walk of life.
On top of all the health reasons for your family to have an outdoor playset, it is satisfying enough to hear our children laugh and have fun! Smiles are plentiful when your kids find themselves in a land of adventure and good times on a high quality outdoor playset. It’s time to give your children a new reason to get outdoors, use their expanding imagination, and get the physical activity that every kid should have in order to be healthy.
A Patio is the perfect way to improve the quality of your home for many reasons; you could host a party, or you could have a barbecue, host a get together, or anything else that you might want to do on your back porch. But what happens if you do all the planning for big events only for it to rain on your party or your big get together? This could truly ruin the entire event that you spend so much time getting ready for, and a patio awning can truly save tragedies such as this from happening, and are perfect for protecting your patio and prolonging the life of your belongings. There are numerous different types of awnings when choosing a patio awning, and they all will fall into numerous budgets, which makes it simple for you to decide which one is the best for you.
The first type of patio awning would just be a typical canopy type awning, which would have to be put up and taken down each time that you need to use it. The main benefit of this type of patio awning is that they are relatively inexpensive and can be bought in various sizes, which helps to accommodate many different events.
(And my BADASS 2012 Avitable calender)
