Got sole?

If like me, you have managed to walk the soles right off your shoes, don't despair and most definitely do not toss them out. Just get them repaired!

Sadly I haven't had a shoe budget in a long, loooong while. (Heart breaking for a gal like me.) Never the less, I've managed to keep my feeties fashionable thanks to my local cobbler. For less than $10 dollars a pair he will make a shluppy pair of pumps nearly brand new. Considering what a new pair of shoes costs this is a heck of a deal!

Naturally not every pair is salvageable so here are some recommendations:

-When you do get new shoes, look for higher quality. (On a deep discount, of course.) They are made so they can be repaired.

-Keep your kicks clean. Polish after every few wears with shoe cleaner, polish or leather cleaner...

-Rotate your kicks. This will allow the shoe to "recover" between wears. You feet will thank you too!

-Repair sooner than later. Any shoes can be worn beyond repair. Likewise many shoes can be worn well beyond their average life with a little tlc.

You'll like like a million and now one will know you spent just pennies.

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Save Money Here

...not here.

(click to see more from ThrereIFixedIt.com)

I've long sustained the belief that being frugal is not being cheap. Now might be the time to touch on when it's best to buck up and rely on the pro's.

1) Anytime safety could be an issue. Please leave the 80' hemlock to the professional. Even if you live and don't crush the neighbors house, there is still an endless list of things that can go wrong. It is just not worth it. Say it with me.
2) Care for your vehicle properly. Most families livelihoods are reliant upon having adequate transportation. Make sure you are preforming regular maintenance and using someone you know and trust. A $10 oil change isn't a good value if little Jimmy forgets to put oil back in. Ya know...
3) Legal matters. I've had my share of them and I'll tell you first hand they are like quicksand. Whether you are writing a will, being sued, selling a house, if it involves a contract, use a professional. Like #1 above, when it goes wrong....it goes really wrong. That said, interview! If you are going to hiring someone pick the best qualified, not the least expensive.
4) Insurance. You don't have to pay for the most expensive policy out there, but for goodness sakes make sure that your assets are adequately covered. Know your risk and be sure they are written into the policy. Review your policies at least every other year to ensure that it is still relevant.
5) Health care. Consider the cost of not going to the doctor. Don't wait till you have to go! Bottom line is there are NO replacement parts and NO loaners for you...so take care of yourself the best you can.

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E-coupons

"they are the fairy dust of the
coupon world,
lightly dusting your grocery
basket as it crosses over the scanner."

They are a hot topic lately, but what IS an E-coupon? Simply put, they are electronic coupons. No paper involved, no clipping required. Just load and go. They can take the form of text messages on your cell phone for many retailers or restaurants...but they can also be loaded on to your club card at your favorite grocery store.

I LOVE this option!! Once a week you can head to a website like shortcuts.com, pgesaver.com or cellfire.com and load up your club card. That's it. Like me you will probably forget what you have loaded on your card and be pleasantly surprised when you find that an extra $1 has been taken off your receipt.

The really cool part is that e-coupons will stack with printed coupon despite the fact that they are both manufacturer coupons. The downfall, you can only use each coupon once. Given that they are free I really have no issue with that.

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the proof is in the fruitcup

Go with me on this...

To bring home the point of how effective coupon clipping can be, I have to brag...er, share my most recent shopping experience.

I was in desperate need milk yesterday so I popped into Albertson's. While there I managed to score 12 Del Monte Superfruit cups, 6 Campbell's Soup in hands, plus the half gallon of milk for a grand total of $5.

That is a savings of 90%. I'd say it's worth the half hour a week.

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I've missed you!

I'm sorry I haven't been here. I've had a few e-mails asking how I've been and if I'll be back, so I figured I'd best up-date.

I've been taking classes and been completely focused on studying and training in anticipation of starting a new career path. Sadly, my husbands company has closed a few weeks ago, so stress levels are high here. I know we will make it though. We're continue to look for new ways to cut cost and save, while waiting for the Washington employment situation to look up.

I'll be back soon once my classes are done. Wish me luck!

- Minnow

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Fuzzybutt

Here is the final installment on the Reuben saga. As you can see his is all better! His stitches are out, his fur is growing in nicely and he's as spazzy as ever.

As you may know the dog that attacked him was put down by the owner. The whole situation was very difficult. Well, as it turns out the dog had a brain tumor.

This little bit of information has left me with a feeling that is difficult to disseminate. Sure the bottom line is that the animal should have been fenced in, but I'm left wondering what potential tragedy may have been averted as a result of this whole incident? Given a year could it have been a child?

Perhaps I am over thinking it. I've always had a holistic view of life, looking for the good in the bad. Maybe too much so. What's your take?

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I Die...

Note the sad face, even the thermometer is miserable.
Oh, and that's in the shade.

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just because

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Korres.com

The back story: When I initially posted the Korres promo deal a few days ago, there was initially no order minimum associated with it. Those that took advantage of the offer by purchasing the gum for $2.50 were notified that the promo was only valid on orders over $25 and their orders would be canceled. Clearly they had some upset customers.

However, Korres.com has chosen to do the right thing. I VERY impressed, this is the customer service that earns my dollar. Not only have they validated their customers concerns and apologized, but they following through by shipping the orders placed AND adding an additional gift!

In this difficult economic time when customers are clinging to their dollars more than ever, this is the way to win customer loyalty.

Bravo Korres, bravo!

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Reuben Update

The little man is doing well. We got his drainage tube out this morning, so now he just has a hole in his thigh. The doctor says the a-okay, all we have to do is come back late next week to get the sticthes out and we'll be set. His fur is even starting to grow back. Awwww!

Here is his good side.

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Frankenbutt

My poor little boy is a trooper. It seems I may have been more traumatized by Thursday nights events than he was. Good news though, we located the owner of the dogs....because they came back this morning...three times....in a hour. (Turns out I can run amazingly fast through blackberry bushes while in my pj's.)
The owner reacted with appropriate concern and will be covering the vet bill, however I find it very unnerving that the dogs were roaming loose given that the owner had heard the attack the previous day.
At any rate, Reuben is recovering very well and will be getting the drainage tube out on Monday.

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Summer in Seattle

Little compares to summer in Seattle. Walking the waterfront, exploring the open market and all the delicious smells coming from all the specialty shops.
Keep it cheap by bringing water with you, split treats with a friend and walk, rather than re-parking constantly.

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Shine, shine on

I adore my wedding ring. It's a gorgeous antique styled Simon G, that my husband paid a significant amount for. Imagine my horror, when six months into our marriage I was called out for allowing it to get so dirty it barely had any shine to it.

Mortified, I immediately ran to the jewelers to have it cleaned and inspected. They concurred, the ring was filthy. Grimy from lotions, soap scum and lord knows what else. After cleaning it up for me, they sent me on my way with a little jar of cleaner.
Determined not to allow such an embarrassing thing to happen again, I developed a new routine. Any time I take on a messy endeavor, the ring comes off and goes into the solution. Straight into the solution so that I don't lose it. (Did I mention that I'm forgetful?) Once my task is finished, I give the ring a quick scrub and rise, then back on it goes.
This routine has proven invaluable, not only for keeping my ring pretty, but intact as well. I've actually bent a prong before without knowing. Not until I went to scrub out the nooks and crannies did I see the peril my diamond was it. Thank goodness nothing happened!
Over the last year I've grown very attached to this cleaning method and had a mini-meltdown when I realized how dirty the cleaning solution had gotten. I didn't want to go BUY new container...but I also couldn't live with the ickyness. Major dilemma. (Aha!)
Grabbing a filter bag I use for my loose leaf tea, I poured the solution into a new container filtering out all the gunk. Clean solution, clean ring and I didn't have to spend a dime.
Still frugal, still fabulous!

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Mariners Madness

$10 seats have never been so sweet! A big thank you to A's family for treating us girls for A's Birthday!! What a great time, but really when you have friends, veggie dogs, flying kitties and a guy in a cheeseburger hat how do you go wrong? Add a solid home run by Gutierrez in the 8th for the win and you have perfection.

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Life on the Pond

I hadn't seen this guy in a few weeks, but he's hanging out this morning looking for some breakfast. Sorry the photo quality isn't the best, but I'll spook him if I go outside to take a picture.

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Stretching Your Grocery Dollar: Part 1

This is the first of a multi-part series in which I want to share my strategies for saving money on your grocery budget without sacrificing the quality of the products you buy or the foods you eat.

Many of these tips may not seem ground breaking...unless you are anything like I was. For me they were earth shattering. As a workaholic and a party girl my fridge was always empty. Food was eaten at a restaurant or picked up on the way home. I really couldn't even begin to tell you how much we spent monthly. Talk about ground zero!

Fast forward a year or so and things look VERY different. Like many people, we are operating on half our previous income and struggling with debt. This has meant a lot of re-evaluation in regards to our priorities as well as our lifestyle.

Here is what I've learned...

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Outdoor Adventures

I've been an outdoors girl from the word go. Perhaps it's the mid-west roots, the sunny stint in California or the years in the wooded PacNW. Ultimately I say it's my mothers doing. She is an adventure seeking sports nut! A woman on the go. I highly suspect she thought me numbers early as a child to prep me for keeping the softball score book. A task I can still accomplish in my sleep.

Having inherited her, "I wanna try" attitude it's not surprising that there is little in the sports world I haven't given a whirl. From climbing mountains to cave diving I've done it. Amazing? Absolutely! In fact some people will tell you that these extreme versions of outdoor activity are the "only way to go." However, there are significant cost associated with these adventure sports. Truth is, you can be equally awaken to life simply by going for a walk down the road.

So often we often forget to open our eyes, our ears, our noses. Perhaps we are conditioned to our cubicles, cars and treadmills. Head down and eyes forward, but amazing things will happen once you brake that gaze into the abyss.

I was reminded of this the other day as I did my daily walk down the road. Just another normal day for little Reuben and I. We went by the house with the barking dog and down the hill down past the middle school where kids playing baseball as we always do. However as we neared the house were the horses live something caught my eye. Two deer standing right on the other side of the road.

As the four of us stood there staring at each other, I couldn't believe I'd nearly walk past them with out seeing them. What else had I missed? Almost as an exclamation to my thoughts, I watched as five cars obliviously drove between us. Eventually the pair turned to leave and Reuben and I walked the remaining 50ft before turning home. Both of us still watching the spot where the deer had just been as though the spot itself were magical. Perhaps, for me it was. I suddenly felt more alive. I didn't need special equipment or an exotic location. I simply went outside and paid attention.

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