~Happy New Year!~

I'm back! Hope everyone had a wonderful CHRISTmas and enjoyed the holiday with your family. We spent a week in Florida at Disney World. It was wonderful! The weather was simply perfect. Not sure we will want to go there anytime other than December now!

Starting in January, I will be writing a series of posts about how I saved 100% of the money we used to pay for the trip in just 4 months. The series will also include tips to save you money once you get there. We saved HUNDREDS by doing a few simple things!


I hope that you close out 2011 on a high note and I pray blessings and God's provision for you and your family. It is by Him and through Him that we have everything. To Him be all glory, honor and praise.

Happy New Year!

SHO

~Merry CHRISTmas!~

Wishing you a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Blessings~

Queen of Sassy Savings

~2011 Savings Goals?!~

2011 Savings Goal?!

Well, I'm checking in and asking if you hit your savings goal for 2011? Did you budget, set goals and succeed? I pray that you did and that you feel beyond accomplished!

Did I hit my savings goal?
Yes and no. We had an unexpected event happen with my car which led to us purchasing a newer car. So, we paid cash for it! It was a feeling like we've never felt before. We have always paid cars off early, but never have we paid CASH for one. It was awesome! I got a big smooch in the office from the hunkiest boy in Texas ;)

Even though it made me a bit sick to see the money leave the account, I felt good about knowing that we had saved up for this event. We had just hoped it would be a little further down the road. Oh well. Life happens. Learning to roll with it.

Did you all have a good financial year? Did you pay some things off? Are you living debt free? Have you experienced financial freedom for the first time in 2011? I'd love to hear from you!

In His Grace~
SHO

~Coupon Preview!~

Go HERE to see what coupons are in the Sunday paper!

Happy Friday!
SHO

~A Season of Giving~

This Christmas season will not be about traditional gifts for my family. Instead it will be about the gift of time. Time is something that we haven't had this fall. My husband is a football coach and has worked more this fall than any other year of his 10 year coaching career. With that being said, we have missed him dearly!

Time is something that is FREE, yet can be the most precious and memorable gift to give or receive. So many times I would love to get together with a friend to catch up, but I simply don't have time. Can you relate? My solution is to wrap up a certificate of time for your friend as a Christmas gift. That way you don't spend any money, but give the best gift!

I love the idea of customizing your own gift certificates. This is something that can be really fun to do for your spouse. Plus, you can make it very inexpensive. Give experiences, rather than expensive gifts.

There is no reason to not give your spouse, family or friends a gift this season. Make them feel special and loved without breaking the bank.

Have fun creating those certificates!

Blessed~
SHO

~How I Use Oil On My Face~

As promised, today I'm sharing how I do the "oil cleansing method". There are several variations that I found on-line, however this is what is working for me.

I rub the oil (about a quarter size) together in my hand and then massage it into my skin for a minute or less. I get a washcloth wet with really warm (I like hot) water and then lay it on my face for a little bit (20-30 seconds) so it opens the pours and starts to melt away the oil. I wipe down my face really well to get all the make-up and oil off. While my face is still a little damp I put a small drop of oil back on as moisturizer (if needed). Make sure the oil is worked into your skin. Hope that makes sense!

In the morning, I simply wipe my face with water and a cloth before applying my moisturizer with spf for the day. It really is that easy!

My skin really does feel like velvet for the first time ever. It has been clear and free of any breakouts since I started this method. Everything I've read says that Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the one to use. Enjoy! Can't wait to hear what you think :)

Happy Monday!

SHO

~Coupon Preview!~

Go HERE to see what coupons are in the Sunday paper!

SHO

~Happy Friday!~

Hello Sassy Savers!

Can you believe it is Friday already?! Whew. Where did the week go? Like everyone else that I've spoken with, we all have had about 95 things to do this week. Have I mentioned that I don't like being busy?? Ha!

I hope all of you are enjoying the season and taking it easy. My preacher said something the other day that I thought was very true. He said that some people think the holidays are a free pass to unload their "junk" onto others and misbehave. How true is that? Ick! The manager at CVS told me that people were throwing things on the counter and yelling at them on Thanksgiving Day. How sad is that?!

As always, there is no deal worth getting upset over. After all...whose birthday is it anyway? I like to remind children of that when they start thinking that Christmas is all about gifts and them and not about the birth of our Savior.

Happy Friday!
SHO

~My New Skin Care Plan=CHEAP!~

I've been trying some new beauty products lately. Wanted to report to you my findings!

The skin on my face has been "chronically dry" for a while now. It is really hard for me to find a balance between clear skin (which is dry) or breakouts. Finally, I decided that I would get WILD & CRAZY and try something that I've been scared to try for about 8 years now.

Literally, about 8 years ago I heard about putting oils on your face. It sounded like the craziest thing ever and I'm pretty sure I vowed that I would NEVER do that. I really need to stop saying "never"! Ha!

Fast forward 8 years I decided to poll a few of my friends with really great skin to see what products they have been using. Several use Lancome products, however they are very expensive. Then one of my frugal friends, who also happens to be BEAUTIFUL and has PERFECT skin, said she does the "oil cleansing method". I about fell over! She claimed it to be the best that she has ever used on her dry skin that had been breaking out.

I decided to just do it! I was going to give it a 2 week trial run and let my skin acclimate (praying that didn't mean breakout) to see the results. Can I say that my skin has never felt better?! It feels like velvet and has a healthy glow (not shine). The EVOO is a natural cleanser and moisturizer. It is wonderful!

I'm not using expensive oils either! I went into my pantry and got the bottle of soybean & extra virgin olive oil (came in one container). This was purchased at Dollar Tree! I've been doing this for almost 1 month and love it! I've recruited one of my friends (who is also a skin care junky) and she is LOVING it too! We both have used expensive moisturizers and neither of us can believe how simple and effective this method is on our skin.

More to come on exactly how I do it later this week!

Blessings~
SHO

~Coupon Preview!~

Go HERE to see what coupons are in the Sunday paper!

Happy Friday!

SHO