I was thinking...


Each year between Halloween and Christmas, I try to keep a decorated container by the front door that our family deposits change into. Visitors have been known to contribute too.

The amount is always a surprise when we open and count it at the beginning of December...and then we pull a name off the Foster Care tree and 'adopt' a child who is in foster care.

However, Im willing to use the money for any good cause.

Is anyone else wanting to do this as a collective effort?? Not so much that the money is given to the same place...but rather we keep track of how much was accumulated in our individual coin boxes for donations. and then see what the saving advice members grand total was?

We could set up a thread to communicate about it...and then tally up the money on a set day...and then everyone could report where their money went to.

Hmm....Is this against any savings advice rules?? Is this something you already do??

Objections?

Takers?

Who knew we had all these great wineries right here in So. Oregon.

Today was my friends birthday and she wanted to go wine tasting. She is in town for a cousins wedding, so our mix of companions for the day included the new bride, brides mother, an aunt from England that now lives in Spain, another aunt from England, Aunt 'Rosie" (83) and a couple of others...9 of us in all. Since Linda and I have been friends since we were kids, I am sortof like family and knew most everyone already.

My first mistake...not eating breakfast.

We visited 4 wineries...let's see, thats about 24 tastes (3-4 glasses of wine in about 5-6 hours)...all on a pretty empty tummy...

Got home at 6:30, had a quick bite...and proceeded to crash....slept for 4 hours and now it is 11pm an Im wide awake.

It was a great day with my friend and her relatives. Such a festive group. (Designated driver was my friends poor DH who got to spend his day with all the tipsy female in-laws)

On the drive to the first winery, my friend was commenting how much she loved the city and how I was now such a country girl...she said she could never live somewhere like this....too boring....

all while passing mountains filled with pine trees, pear orchards, homes that were built at the end of the Oregon trail...lakes, rivers....

Well, we dont have Disneyland, competing theatres, famous dinner houses, Orange County or 90210....but we have large doses of unpopulated land between towns and no traffic jams on our one little freeway.

The country mouse is perfectly happy in her fairly routine, simple, calm, quiet little neck of the woods...Ill leave the city for the city mices...for I fear I would never be bored there...and oh, what joys I would miss in that.

I made a new friend today. A delightful lady with such a positive outlook on life. She has fibromyalgia and is unable to work.

She receives a small amount in food stamps, but that is all. So she depends on her family for a place to live.

In return, she cleans their homes, cooks, and takes care of their children when she is feeling well enough.

She and I just had a nice long visit and she was showing off her 'new' sketchers tennis shoes. She was just tickled with her shoes...they look brand new and they are very cute.

They were a hand-me-downs from a niece who no longer wanted them. The niece also gave her some sandals, which my new friend proudly wears to church (and gets compliments on) with her thift store dress.(again, that she is very proud of).

I am looking forward to getting to know her much better. She is frugal-wise in ways I won't pretend to understand.

I gained a new perspective today...I have always looked at frugal finds as a 'cool thing that saved me a little money'...but today I saw how a frugal find is a necessity for some to even have the basics.

I know, pretty naive and nearsighted of me.

I am already trying to come up with small ways to make a difference for her....I can't do alot, but I can (and will) do something(s).

A nice, surprise blessing to my day.

DD3 and I went to town this afternoon after her talent show. (Which went marvelously!)

She was pretty eager to go to a diner for dinner (wanted an omlette)...but I offered to make her a ham and cheddar scramble at home instead....So we stopped at the store and bought food for the weekend and for those omelettes and spent WAY LESS than we would have at the restaraunt...and she was pleased with the dinner(breakfast) at home.

I did tell her that we could go to the diner sometime when her dad can go with us. So I think she was ok with that....

FRAK:
I picked up a "tell us about our service" card from the bank today and am filling it out and mailing it in for one of the employees who has been so friendly and helpful.

I also decided to refund an unhappy customers money from the bug business. This actually is a FRAK for my son the pest tech, as this lady was a royal pain in the neck (honestly, we never have customers we cant please...but she was over the top) So my son won't have to go back a THIRD time to a home where we will never please this customer.

DD3 is having a car wash tomorrow (fund raiser) so my FRAK money ($4) will pay for some unsuspecting persons car wash...(shhh, don't tell)

What a nice surprise I received when someone went out of their way to help me today.

I have mentioned DD3s recent visits to the specialist and insurance. Ended up insurance said no-go afterall....but this nice lady took extra time in her day to carefully document the medical necessity for the prosthesis.

She said DD3 absolutely needs it or she will eventually suffer scoliosis type symptoms and back, neck pain.

She is going above and beyond to help me...and, especially since it is helping my child, it is a kindness I won't soon forget.

Being on the other side of kindness today, I am re-energized to continue on with my goal to be kind to others.

I am going to take another bag or two of pop cans to town to trade in when I go.

FRAK #1 I am pulling all the pull tabs off the cans for my moms Dialysis Center. (They collect them) I have been pulling these off of all the recent cans, but I decided to go through the old bags and pull them off as well...

FRAK #2 One of the guys DH works with loves my runza's....so I sent enough for his dinner tonight out of the stash I made yesterday as a surprise (DH doesn't like runza's)

The money from the cans will go towards the gas expense to go camping this weekend.

DD2, her SO and my GS have decided to go camping with us...The more, the merrier in my book! I am soooo looking forward to it!!!

Found a great bogo sale on steaks for dinner one night...and we will have burgers and hot dogs the other night.

along with campfire coffee (isnt that the best!) and nightime s'mores!!!(yummm)

Is it time to go yet?

I have decided to set a personal goal of doing at least 4 FRAKs each week. (I would do more, but most days are spent working in the office here at home, alone or with DD1)

I will put 10% of my allowance ($2) each week into the pot, as well as spare change.

I will keep my eyes peeled for recipients and keep an open mind to new ways to achieve a kindness. (all suggestions are welcome!)

I will update progress as it occurs!

Here goes...