VACATION SPOTS

   If you haven't visited the new VACATION SPOT page, you're missing out!  Each month features a terrific destination that's packed with fun for all ages and plenty of FREE and low-cost attractions and points of interest.

BARGAINOMICS BUTTERMILK DRESSING

  MONEY-MAKING CLOTHES
   As you're getting yourself and your family ready for the new school year and the fall season, go ahead and sort through last year's fall and winter clothes and set aside the ones that no longer fit or will no longer be worn.  Check with area consignment shops and see when they begin accepting fall and winter clothing - most begin in August.  Make an appointment to take your items in and make certain they're clean and looking their best.  While true vintage is in high demand, your better consignment shops will not accept poor condition or out-of-style clothing, so take only your best.  And expect to receive one-half of the selling price the shop places on each item.

   You might also want to try your hand at selling on www.eBay.com.  The instructions are clearly defined on their website and very easy to follow.

   Especially for those of you with wee ones, check with friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. and see if you can work out trades with someone who has children above and below your children's sizes.  For example, if Angie has 2-year-old Katie and 5-year-old Kara, and you have 3-year-old Jayden, you can work out a trade so that Katie gets Jayden's outgrown clothes in exchange for Jayden getting Kara's.  It's a win/win situation with no one out any cash money.

 LET'S TALK SNIPING
    If you enjoy bidding for items on www.eBay.com, then you'll enjoy it even more once you've begun SNIPING.  What's that?  For the unfamiliar, it's the reason we wonder how we get outbid at the last second of an auction.  Sniping is actually using an automated system to place your bid for you at the last possible moments of an auction. Just as you do on your own with online auctions, you set a maximum bid, but this way your bid isn't registered until the last moments of the auction, which means no one else is aware you're "out there" and about to bid against them. You can set up the snipe as soon as you spot the item you want and the system will then hold your bid and very quickly bid for you seconds before the close of the auction - right up until you either win or reach the maximum bid amount you were willing to pay for the item.

 What does it cost to use a sniping service? It varies from service to service, with some charging a small flat monthly fee for unlimited sniping and others charging a per-snipe fee of as little as 10¢.  You can try sniping services for FREE before you decide on the one you prefer.  Check out all of these: www.EZSniper.com; www.AuctionRaptor.com; www.BidSlammer.com; www.BidNip.com; www.AuctionSniper.com; and www.BidRobot.com.  (Personally, I prefer the sniping services that don't require you to download any sort of software.)

BUDGET-MINDED BODY SCRUB              
  Just because money is tighter doesn't mean you can't treat yourself to a little pampering.  Body scrubs make you feel pampered, and they're really like exercise for your skin - they invigorate the cells, slough off dull dead skin, and refresh your senses with their tantalizing fragrances. Save a bundle by making your own, and use this recipe for gift-giving, too. It's also ideal to insure you're using a product that contains no animal products or preservatives.  Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup regular ol' table salt
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
1 tbsp. of honey
1 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil*
 (*found at WalMart, some grocers, and at health food stores)

   Hostels are low-cost places to spend the night while vacationing.  If sharing a dorm-style room with a bunch of total strangers doesn’t scare you off, you can save a bundle by tapping into these accommodations.  Some hostels even offer  private rooms and family rooms designed for parents with small children.  Where can you stay and how much will it cost?  Just about anywhere and dirt cheap! An overnight stay at Honolulu University is $18; Beijing, China stays are a budget-pleasing $11.50 for a dorm bed or $37 for private room with 2 beds and a bath.  For more info, check out Hostelling International: www.hiUSA.org.

ORGANIZE A "SWAP DAY"

   Here's a budget-minded and fun way to come up with new clothes, household items, and more: put together a "swap day."  Clean out all your unwanted items from dresses to toasters and invite a group of ladies to do likewise.  Set a date and time to get together for pot luck lunch, brunch, or dinner and let the trading begin.

   Guys, you can do the same thing!  Challenge a group of your friends to clean out those garages, storage rooms, and offices and get together for an exchange of tools, electronic gadgetry, and sporting equipment.  

   "He's as tight as Dick's hatband."  Somehow this old saying has changed to refer to someone who is miserly.  It seems that the origin is mostly about something entirely different.  The word "tight" refers to a tight spot, as in the one Richard Cromwell found himself in for a few short months between the end of 1658 and the start of 1659.  His father, Oliver Cromwell, saw to it that RIchard was appointed to succeed him as "Lord Protector" of England, a title which, for a brief time after the death of King Charles the First, even allowed the Lord Oliver Cromwell to take over the king's royal duties.  But the son wasn't popular, particularly with the royal army, which put him in a most definitely "tight" spot.   He was quickly and angrily removed from his position, never having had the opportunity to even taste of what it would have been like to have the power of the crown or "hatband," as it was jokingly referred to.

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory."
(I Peter 5:4, HCSB)

   Lord Cromwell knew for a brief moment what it was like to wear a royal crown.  But not only was his crown merely worldly, it wasn't even his to keep on earth.  We who have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, though, are promised in heaven a permanent "...unfading crown..."  Earth's rewards, like its troubles, are only passing.  The real life - blessing-filled and trouble-free - begins in eternity.

   If you haven’t already given your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you may have questions about WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN.  If you do, please click on that highlighted title and you will be taken to a page on this site which will explain more about being a Christian and how you can become one.

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