Relaxation Has Its Price - FREE (or nearly)

I'm sure that many of you know that I suffer from Fibro. This winter has been extra hard on me. It is not yet truly cold out but what cold there has been is burrowing deep into my bones.

The past few days, after I take my evening medications, I have been spending around twenty minutes in my hot tub. This allows me to relax beyond any shower or bath ever could. After soaking, I snuggle into my terry cloth robe and settle into the couch for a little computer time. By the time I'm ready for bed, my body is so relaxed and I am able to fall asleep more easily. Believe me...this is a huge feat. I currently take 3 medications just to aid in sleep.

You may be asking how a hot tub can be frugal. If the extra sleep and as a result, the better health is not good enough, I also got the hot tub for free and the chemicals for quite a bit below cost.

The hot tub was one I found on Craigslist for free. It needed a small bit of work which my husband, a certified pool and hot tub person, gladly did for me. The chemicals were bought off of someone on one of the local yahoo groups. Her hot tub died so I got the chemicals for 1/2 of the price. I offered her 25% below her asking price with a guarantee of picking up that evening. She agreed and we were both happier.

It really helps to surf around on the web. I found the hot tub by being at the right place at the right time. I found the chemicals the same way.

Compacting in 2008

We are planning to participate in The Compact for 2008. Our initial goal will be 6 months. I have talked to hubby about this and we are in agreement that this will be our year to simplify our home and our lives.

We will also be taking on a crazy goal of getting rid of 2008 things in 2008. I am not sure if we will be able to achieve this goal but it will definitely be a fun challenge!

I've started my simplification already. I've removed a lot of 'friends' on my Live Journal and a few communities as well. I feel that a smaller, more intimate group of readers over there is for the best. This blog is my 'public' forum and as such, I know I have a potential for a larger reader base here. **Though right now, I wonder just how many people read this!**

Anyway, I think I will start planning my holiday gifts tomorrow. This weekend is when I need to get down to business and get started. There isn't much time left and I want to have a mostly homemade holiday. So, if you have suggestions for homemade items that don't "look" homemade, please leave me a comment!

Have a great day

"Free" Money

Hubby replaced an a/c pack unit at work. The old one worked fine, it was just too small for the home owners. They gave it to Hubby to dispose of and rather than toss it, he brought it home. I put it up on Craigslist and today it sold for $400! That makes me so happy. Not only did we save it from the landfill, but we also made some money off of it. Horray!

What are you thankful for?

Another Year Older

Saturday brought my birthday and nice gifts from my thoughtful mother, grandmother, and husband. I truly love that my mom allows me to pick out the gift she will be getting for me. I'm allowed to pick out something that would be truly useful.

This year she purchased a very expensive set of artist quality colored pencils for me (120 count Prismacolor Premiere) that is valued at $110 or so. We got a brand new set on ebay for $63 with shipping. These will allow me to create a lot of nice artwork!

Hubby got me a toy & a new stove! He was able to do this because he got a nice side job. I'm grateful for all of my gifts. It makes me happy to know that my gifts, while expensive, did not come from our household budget.