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Simple Times
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Vol. 10, No. 20 -- October 20th, 2008
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/
mailto: debi@...
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
ISSN: 1527-1269 All Rights Reserved
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Celebrating 10+ years of saving your time, money and sanity!
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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.)
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< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >
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Dear Readers,
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!"
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-thru"
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: A
practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity'; and 'Frugal
Living for Dummies(R)
--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters
________________________________
Visit my new site!
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/
________________________________
SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE
Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter
--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' series; 'A Simple Choice: A
practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity'; and 'Frugal
Living for Dummies(R)
--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 MATERIAL
Copyright Jeff Lakie
Used with permission from http://articlegarden.com
All rights reserved.
If you want to start your own charity, you don't have to be a
millionaire -- or even have expendable income. All you need
is some magazines and a desire to do good for others.
Most of us have a favorite magazine, or even several, that we
subscribe to for recreational reading or to keep track of the
news or things going on in the business world. When we finish
reading them, some of us want to be able to recycle the paper,
but many kinds of colored paper are not very suitable for typical
recycling programs. Newsprint -- the paper newspapers are made
out of -- is much easier to incorporate into environmentally friendly
recycling programs.
But you can recycle in a different way, by passing your magazines
along to another reader. It works in the same way that hand-me-
down clothing works, except that magazines usually are more fun
to receive, especially if you pass them along quickly while they
are still current. Buy or subscribe to your magazines, keep them
for a while and read them, and then pass them on to a neighbor.
One good way to distribute our leftover reading material is to
take the magazines and give them to a doctor's office, a fire
station, or other places where magazines are welcome. For
instance, if you give your magazines to the fire station, then
the people who spend long hours there waiting for emergency
calls will have plenty of free reading material. Or you can box
them up and ship them to a soldier stationed overseas, give
them to a college student, or even donate them to a local
library or school.
Before giving away you old magazines, it is a good idea to
use a marker pen to delete the subscriber info, for security
purposes. And be sure to keep your magazines in good shape,
rather than using them for coffee cup coasters or other purposes
that will mark or stain them. Of course you may come across
issues of magazines and decide to keep them, which is fine.
Just box the ones you want to give away in one spot, and each
month you can take the recycle box to your favorite charity.
The more you give, the better you'll feel, because not only
will 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 might
otherwise not be able to read.
Sustainable Living Articles @ http://www.articlegarden.com
Copyright Jeff Lakie
Used with permission from http://articlegarden.com
All rights reserved.
If you want to start your own charity, you don't have to be a
millionaire -- or even have expendable income. All you need
is some magazines and a desire to do good for others.
Most of us have a favorite magazine, or even several, that we
subscribe to for recreational reading or to keep track of the
news or things going on in the business world. When we finish
reading them, some of us want to be able to recycle the paper,
but many kinds of colored paper are not very suitable for typical
recycling programs. Newsprint -- the paper newspapers are made
out of -- is much easier to incorporate into environmentally friendly
recycling programs.
But you can recycle in a different way, by passing your magazines
along to another reader. It works in the same way that hand-me-
down clothing works, except that magazines usually are more fun
to receive, especially if you pass them along quickly while they
are still current. Buy or subscribe to your magazines, keep them
for a while and read them, and then pass them on to a neighbor.
One good way to distribute our leftover reading material is to
take the magazines and give them to a doctor's office, a fire
station, or other places where magazines are welcome. For
instance, if you give your magazines to the fire station, then
the people who spend long hours there waiting for emergency
calls will have plenty of free reading material. Or you can box
them up and ship them to a soldier stationed overseas, give
them to a college student, or even donate them to a local
library or school.
Before giving away you old magazines, it is a good idea to
use a marker pen to delete the subscriber info, for security
purposes. And be sure to keep your magazines in good shape,
rather than using them for coffee cup coasters or other purposes
that will mark or stain them. Of course you may come across
issues of magazines and decide to keep them, which is fine.
Just box the ones you want to give away in one spot, and each
month you can take the recycle box to your favorite charity.
The more you give, the better you'll feel, because not only
will 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 might
otherwise 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 experience
writing articles on Caravan magazines related subjects. Take a
few moments now to visit their site and see what they have in store
for you. http://latinohealthmagazine.co.uk/caravan-magazines.html
________________________________
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12-WEEK HOLIDAY TIMETABLE COUNTDOWN
Copyright Marilyn Moll
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://www.urbranhomemaker.com
Copyright Marilyn Moll
Used 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 5-11
Make your lists of gift recipients, Christmas cards, menus
Week #1 - "List Week" - Oct 5-11
Make 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
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
* 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
* How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place
on the spiritual side of Christmas?
Week #3 - "Supplies Week" - Oct 19-25
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-Nov
Set aside the time needed to complete holiday goodie making.
Week #4 - "Baking Week" - Oct 26-Nov
Set 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 2-8
Focus your energies on completing gifts to be made, setting
Week #5 - "Gift Making" Week - Nov 2-8
Focus 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 9-15
Decorate your home for Thanksgiving and focus on gift buying
Week #6 - "Shopping Week #1" - Nov 9-15
Decorate 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 16-22
Complete as much shopping as possible. Take advantage of
Week #7 - "Shopping Week #2" - Nov 16-22
Complete 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 23-29
Use this week to prepare Thanksgiving dishes, pies, homemade
Week #8 - "Thanksgiving Week" - Nov 23-29
Use this week to prepare Thanksgiving dishes, pies, homemade
rolls: enjoy the holiday with your family.
Week #9 - "Mailing Week" - Nov 30-Dec 6
Complete package wrapping for gifts to be shipped. Complete
Week #9 - "Mailing Week" - Nov 30-Dec 6
Complete package wrapping for gifts to be shipped. Complete
addressing and mailing of Christmas correspondence.
Week #10 - "Meal Making and Decorating Week" - Dec 7-13
Prepare some favorite meals and other baked goods for the hectic
Week #10 - "Meal Making and Decorating Week" - Dec 7-13
Prepare 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 14-20
Complete 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
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
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 people". 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 TIPS
We'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.
Send your simple living comments/tips to: DSimple@...
Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)
________________________________
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPS
We'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 BOOKS
Book list for frugality and simple living
Go 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? Contact
Laura at marketing@... Subject line: simple-times
Discover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.
________________________________
As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foreman
and the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making this
mailing list possible!
== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==
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EDITOR'S BOOKS AND AUDIO RESOURCES:
Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough
Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter
http://snurl.com/debisbooks
________________________________
DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:
Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/
Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
Cooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/
Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com
Tupperware(r): http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware
Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids
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NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
Subscribe: join-simple-times@...
Unsubscribe: leave-simple-times@...
Please 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.
SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Book list for frugality and simple living
Go 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? Contact
Laura at marketing@... Subject line: simple-times
Discover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.
________________________________
As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foreman
and the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making this
mailing list possible!
== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==
________________________________
EDITOR'S BOOKS AND AUDIO RESOURCES:
Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough
Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter
http://snurl.com/debisbooks
________________________________
DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:
Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/
Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
Cooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/
Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com
Tupperware(r): http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware
Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids
________________________________
NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
Subscribe: join-simple-times@...
Unsubscribe: leave-simple-times@...
Please 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.com
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough. All Rights Reserved.
3930 A Street SE, Ste 305, #119, Auburn WA 98002
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough. All Rights Reserved.
3930 A Street SE, Ste 305, #119, Auburn WA 98002
Contact us at: DSimple@...
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