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By eliza_cross, on January 26th, 2012%
 Photo by Prayitno I hope you’ll join me in a little experiment, as I invite bloggers to share their best posts with you. Other sites host these round-ups, where they’re called all sorts of festive names from a “Blog Carnival” to a “Blog Hop,” a term that makes me think of a high school sock hop which (at least at my high school) was not even remotely festive.
Rather than a carnival or hop, I think we should have a major blog party here, with live music, bartenders, dancers, Jell-o shots, and attractive servers passing bacon appetizers.
Do any of these names grab you? If so, leave your faves or suggestions in the comment section below.
- Bloggers’ Bust-up!!
- Blogging Blow-out!!
- Blog Bash!!
- Blog-o-rama!!
- Bloggin’ Bacchanalia!!
While we sort that out, if you’re a blogger I invite you to share as many posts as you’d like about topics like these:
- Money-saving ideas
- DIY projects
- Living simply
- Foods cooked from scratch
- Easy recipes
- Gardening tips
- Sustainable living
- Urban homesteading
Use the Linky Tool below, and be sure to link your post back to HappySimpleLiving.com. I’ll be posting some of my favorite links on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in the coming week, but your posts must be linked back to this site to be featured. This Linky Tool will remain open for seven days.
I also invite our regular readers to share any recent money-saving tips you have in the comments below. Click “Like” on your favorite blog posts, and I’ll feature the top choices in a future post. And don’t forget to let me know what your favorite name is for the Blog Jamboree, or the Bloggers’ Rave, or whatever we’re going to call it. Par-tay!
Happy Friday,
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 19th, 2012%
 Photo of Denver skyline by Larry Johnson If you’ve lived someplace for a while, it can be surprising to discover all the interesting things there are to do. If you’ve joined the January Money Diet, this month is an ideal time to research some new fun and free things to do in your back yard.
Have you ever checked out your city’s Tourist and Visitors’ Bureau website? Here in Denver we have the aptly-named “Visit Denver,” and along with tons of information about sports, recreation, arts, culture, events, festivals, museums and venues all around the Mile High City, I discovered a list of free factory tours: Anheuser Busch, Boulder Ice Cream, Celestial Seasonings Tea and Coors Brewery, among others. I bookmarked this site, not only because ice cream and beer tastings sound extremely appealing, but because it contains so many great ideas for free outings.
Another opportunity to get to know your town or city is to make a stop at your local historical society. While the term ‘historical society’ might conjure up a boring snoozefest, most good historical societies have exhibits that will captivate people of all ages. It’s always fascinating to see how people lived in times past, see what local landmarks are still standing today, and appreciate our modern conveniences.
Speaking of landmarks, when was the last time you toured the state capital or visited the tallest building in town? Denver is home to a United States Mint, and the last time I visited was during a field trip in the 5th grade. It’s time to take my son and let him experience the dazzling sight of money being made.
You can find more ideas by checking out the local travel section of your library. Check out some books and see what travel writers are suggesting to tourists; it’s a sure bet you’ll find some new ideas for inspired outings.
Here’s to new adventures, and be sure to tell us what you discover!
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus a signed copy of my latest book 101 Things To Do With Bacon. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 15th, 2012%
 Photo by Liz West Back when I was an executive with a generous salary but a scarcity of time, if I was interested in a book I followed a highly efficient routine. I simply visited the website of a particularly large online bookstore and clicked on a convenient little button that read “Buy now with 1-Click.”
Soon we had so many books we had to install custom bookshelves that covered an entire wall of the living room. When we moved a few years later, we hauled 26 cartons of books along with us. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m a writer, and I love books. But one day, I was trying to squeeze another new book on the shelves and realized we had run out of space. I sat down and gazed at all the books and realized many of them were outdated, unwanted — or simply books that I had enjoyed once but was unlikely to read again.
I began giving books away, and decided to be more selective about which volumes deserved a place in our pared-down collection. My new mantra was: I’ll only buy books I really love, I prefer hardbacks if they’re available, and I’ll try to buy books from an independent bookstore. I also decided to pay a visit to the neighborhood library.
Today, if I’m interested in a book I still follow an efficient routine. I visit my library’s website and reserve the book. My library e-mails me when the book is ready to be picked up. I also borrow movies, CDs and current magazines from my library. I haven’t tried downloading a library book on my e-reader yet, but many libraries also offer free downloads of thousands of books for a number of devices.
When my computer died a few years ago, I went to the library and used one of their free computers until mine was fixed. When my daughter was shopping for a used car, she borrowed Consumer Reports magazine and researched the most reliable makes and models. Our library offers a delightful kids’ library and a summer reading program that my son loves, free talks on a variety of subjects, meeting and study rooms, and regular art exhibits.
This year our library partnered with our local power company to loan out portable power meters. We were able to borrow a meter to plug into home appliances and learn how much energy we’re using. Check with your utility company or library to see if a similar lending program is in place.
If you haven’t been to your local library lately, take a field trip this month and let us know what you discover.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift box chock-full of home and garden goodies and a signed copy of my latest book 101 things To Do With Bacon. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 14th, 2012%
“When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.” ~ Ralph Nader
One of the things I love best about our neighborhood is its community spirit, and a big part of that old-fashioned spirit comes to us in a very high-tech way: last year, we created a Google Group to stay in touch. Now, we can easily send each other messages and connect with one another. From the start, the messages generated by this group have been positive and generous. Some of the things we’ve shared include:
- Free Halloween costumes and sports uniforms
- Available clothes that our children have outgrown
- Excess produce, free seeds and plants
- Equipment that we we’re willing to share
- Free and inexpensive furniture, electronics and other items for sale
- Garage sale announcements
- Inquiries and referrals for plumbers, electricians, lawn care and other contractors as well as trusted doctors and dentists
- Security concerns, such as suspicious activity in the neighborhood
- Coyote sightings
Before we created our Google group, we used an old-fashioned e-mail list and our neighbor Kathy graciously agreed to keep the list updated. Is your neighborhood connected yet? If not, could you be the catalyst to start a movement? Be sure to let us know about your efforts.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies and a signed copy of my latest cookbook 101 Things To Do With Bacon. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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