I’m leaving tomorrow for a work-related conference in New York City. I won’t be back until Thursday. I’ll have my computer with me, but I can’t guarantee I’ll have time to check in as frequently as I usually do.
Be sure to stop by and comment, though! I’ve got some great posts scheduled, including a guest post from my husband on how he’s faring at home while I’m away.
Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Yesterday, Tony and I took our dog for a hike at the state park, then for a walk along the beach. We had a wonderful time, and it didn’t cost a penny. It also allowed me some time to think and reflect on some things.
I’m headed home to Indiana tonight to see my family for the first time in 6 months. Yay!
This is my first real bloggy break since I started “Living Well on Less” five months ago. I’m feeling a little anxious about taking so much time off, but you won’t forget about me, will you? :)
I planned on having a post scheduled for every day that I’m gone. Ha. That didn’t happen. Holiday stress and travel plans kept me from planning ahead that far. I did manage to get something scheduled every other day, though, so I hope you’ll stop by over the next couple weeks.
While I won’t have time to post, I will have Internet access, so I’ll be popping on once a day or so to moderate comments, etc.
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday. See you next year!
It’s been a crazy few days. With the holiday, blog migration, and redesign, I’m exhausted! Who knew that sitting in front of a computer could be so tiring?
I hope you all had a fantastic holiday. I sure did despite the craziness.Tomorrow is Christmas decorating, relaxation, and the official beginning of the Christmas season. I can’t wait. :)
I’m stuffed with our second Thanksgiving dinner of the weekend and ready to crash in front of the TV with some pumpkin pie. I just wanted to take the time to drop a note to apologize for my absence. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been away, but there’s been no time for proper posting.
There’s plenty more to come at Living Well on Less. For the time being, I think I need 12 hours away from the computer (at least).
Oh, and I hope you like the redesign. :)
Just a quick note to say I’m taking advantage of the extra time on my hands this weekend to finally migrate to self hosting. I’m not sure how this will affect the site. It may be down for periods of time tomorrow and Friday while I try to figure this out. I’m in way over my head. :)
Hopefully I’ll get it all worked out, and I’ll be able to post tomorrow and Friday. If not, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! Enjoy your feasts, and I’ll be back soon (hopefully)!
UPDATE: Pardon my mess while I straighten up around here …
Whew. I somehow managed to get everything migrated to my new host without any major catastrophes. I have no idea how I did it, because honestly I had no idea what I was doing. But it’s done. And I’m exhausted, but happy that I didn’t break anything. :)
The site is sort of a mess (as you can see), but I promise to get all of it cleaned up when I have more energy. I’m just happy that Living Well on Less isn’t completely down for the count. Thanks for your patience!
Photo by enter
This month, the word experts at New Oxford American Dictionary announced their choice for 2008’s word of the year:
Hypermiling: attempting to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques.
A very timely choice considering this year’s astronomical fuel prices and many Americans’ desperate attempts to lower their fuel costs.
New York Times columnist William Safire weighed in with his choice for word of the year taken directly from Oxford‘s shortlist of runners up – a word that he believes will have more staying power during the coming recession now that gas prices have plummeted:
Frugalista: a person who lives a frugal lifestyle but stays fashionable and healthy by swapping clothes, buying secondhand, growing own produce, etc.
According to Safire, the word “frugalista” will come to be “the nom de guerre of the ‘recession warrior.'”
If you’re a word nerd like me, you’ll enjoy the entirety of Safire’s column on the etymology of the word frugalista.
If you’re just here for the money saving tips and not so much for the vocab, you’ll still enjoy his column’s closing statement:
Concerned about your budget in this year’s market debacle? Sharpening your pencil and tightening your belt, foraging for bargains but not altogether abandoning good food and good screens? Join the frugalistas!
Don’t you just love being ahead of the curve? :)
Photo by emzee
In North Carolina, fall comes late, but it’s worth the wait. The leaves are finally changing, the sun shines every day, and the temperature has fallen to perfect sweater weather. This is my favorite time of year, and I decided to take some time to reflect on why I’m thankful for fall.
Here are my favorite things about the most beautiful season. The best part? They cost nothing.
Hot cinnamon apple oatmeal for breakfast.
Long walks on brisk mornings with the leaves crunching beneath my feet.
The sweet anticipation of family and holiday tradition.
Bundling up on soft sweaters and my warm winter coat.
Healthy, comforting soups and stews that stretch our grocery budget even further.
Cozy nights at home cuddled up in sweaters and blankets.
More time to work on my handmade flannel quilt.
Comfy socks and slippers.
Hot chocolate and tea before bed.
Sleeping soundly in a chilly room under my down comforter.
What about you? What’s your favorite part of fall?
First things first: Tony and I finally buckled down and completed our fall cleaning list today. We were a little late (our original goal was to finish by the end of September), but better late than never, right? I also dug all my fall and winter clothes out of storage and boxed up my summer clothes until next year.
Now I just have to stop procrastinating and finally get around to selling the CDs and books we’re getting rid of on eBay or Amazon. Sigh. One goal at a time.
After our intense marathon cleaning session, we celebrated with a matinee. We always see the last matinee of the afternoon because it’s discounted an additional 50 cents. Only $5.25 a ticket!
Now that our apartment is nice and tidy and the fall candles are burning, I’m ready for the cool weather. Anytime now. Here in North Carolina, it’s still about 80 degrees every day. We tried to turn off the air conditioning last week. I wanted so badly to just open the windows. No go. The temperature climbed to a humid 90s degrees in our third floor apartment. Sigh. Another two weeks of air conditioning for us it seems.
Finally, on a blog-related note, I’m planning to switch from WordPress hosting to another service so I can have more control over my template. I want to make the switch over Thanksgiving weekend so I’ll have a big block of time to devote to making the switch and ironing out the kinks.
Right now I’m doing some research and looking for a good deal on a reliable hosting service. Anybody have any recommendations for me? I just need basic but reliable hosting, WordPress ready, and I’m hoping to pay about $5 a month. Am I dreaming?
Now I’m off to enjoy turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Yum! My apologies for this rambling, all over the place post. It’s just been one of those days.
Today is my wonderful husband, Tony’s, birthday.
First things first, I want to take this opportunity to thank him for his support and willingness to join me in our efforts to live frugally. He’s had to make a lot of sacrifices (including his beloved snack foods). Not only has he been supportive from the beginning, but he’s become proactive. Sometimes he’s the one telling me, “Do we really need this?” We’ve become a great frugal team, and I’m thankful for that. :)
As for my birthday gift for him, I ended up getting him a couple of small items that I know he wants and needs, but hasn’t gotten around to buying. I also ordered him the special edition DVD of his favorite movie. It’s not coming out until next week, but he assured me that it’s what he really wants.
He still hasn’t decided how he wants to spend the day, but it’s beautiful outside, so we’re going to get out of the house. We’ll also be going out to dinner tonight (it’s the last weekend of the month, after all!), and he’s requested brownies.
Happy birthday, Tony!