Might I suggest a New Years resolution?

If you do nothing else for yourself, make a commitment to work toward getting out of debt. If you don't know how to do it on your own, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's help. We're just getting started with The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, and for the first time in years, we have a degree of financial hope. I can't tell you the value of peace of mind, but even better is knowing that it isn't misplaced. We've already made progress, and we only just started. I highly recommend it.

Healthier Coffee

If you want a quick and easy way to less guilty coffee, consider switching from half and half to evaporated milk. It contains about the same number of calories, but is much lower in fat. You will be surprised at how creamy it is, and it is more nutritious. Plus, for those on a budget, it costs less than half as much.

Another use for old socks

I just can't bring myself to throw away old socks. I'm sure that the moment the trash collector comes, the partner will turn up, even though I haven't been able to wear the pair for two years because I'm not sure there is a partner.

Enter the pony tail holder. I keep running out of them. They break or get lost. And I do not wish to damage my hair with old fashioned rubber bands. If I cut the cuffs off my old socks, not only do I feel like I'm not wasting the sock, but I restock my pony tail holders for free, and with cute colors to boot. And they are much gentler than all rubber bands and many store-bought scrunchies.

Whiteboard Idea

I get these bees in my bonnet. When we're lucky, they're inexpensive or they pass. Today, it's a moneysaving idea, and I'm looking forward to implementing it as soon as I get a chance to get out of the house. It's a personal whiteboard for each kid old enough to read.

If you homeschool, you probably do whiteboards, too. Or if you have a big family, with kids who keep different schedules. Or if you're looking for the perfect housekeeping "method" or chore chart. Today's idea is simple. I go to Dollar Tree and buy some inexpensive frames that are hangable. If they don't have hangable ones, I'll buy a picture hanging kit there, too. We're looking at maybe three bucks. I slip a thick piece of white paper or card stock into each one, and I hang them. Instapresto, white boards. They won't stain like the ever popular tileboard (the stuff they make shower walls from) or those shiny cardboard signs. They can be washed, and it won't ruin them. And they already come with a frame and ready to hang. One for each person, so I can write down chores when I think of them, or take phone notes, or whatever is needed. And they'll be a whole lot more attractive than most commercial whiteboards that cost more. Dollar Tree usually has whiteboard markers, too.

Feel free to copy the idea or pass it on.