I want to introduce you to my Frugal Guru, Jen from Jlogged.com.

She recently redid her website to help people use their money wisely. If I want inspiration to stay on track with the family budget she’s my “go to.”

Jen’s one of the few people I can compare detailed notes with about income and out-go and saving and financing, etc.

She knows her business. Her business is living a larger life within her means.

And she lives a pretty good life, eats organically and reduces her carbon footprint, etc.

She’s doing Nablopamo and she’s writing about money for all 30 days. You don’t want to miss it. She’s got good stuff.

She has this one on cars.

This one on books you should read to change your thinking about money.

This one about those damn Jones’.

This one about lunch boxes.

This one on costumes for Christmas.

Her ideas are always worth stealing (I steal them all the time) so I’d sign up for the RSS feed if I were you.

Kelly Saunders has been blogging for Thrifty Mommy for over 2 years and has a 3.5 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. Her goal is to save time and money any way she can in order to stay home with her kids. She loves to challenge herself to a price limit of $3-$3.50 for summer outfits and $4-$4.50 for winter outfits for her kids. She says that hand-me-downs are her favorite thing to give and get. Thanks to Kelly for guest posting on Blog Fabulous today.

With all the political hub bub going on today in the news, I could really use your help here at BlogFabulous to help me understand something. Immigration has always been a soft spot for me. I want to have compassion for those who have tried to make their lives better by coming to our wonderful country. It obviously must be better than what they had at home or they wouldn’t have struggled to gain access to the USA. After all, we have plenty of employment, evidently, to go around and our healthcare is by far the best thing going. So to all of you who have entered this country legally, thank you and welcome.

My issue is with those who have entered illegally and who now think they are entitled to everything I work so hard to give my kids. I work my butt off and my husband works much harder to give our kids healthcare, an education, and a lifestyle that they can have fun with. I don’t give them everything they want. We don’t get to go swimming in the summer because I can’t afford to join a private pool and we don’t have good options for public swimming in town. I have to send my kids to public school because tuition for private school is too much. My kids wear hand-me-downs and look nice in them. They aren’t in 5 extra curricular activities now nor will they be in them when they are old enough to participate. They can choose 1 each. They also can’t play with their friends every day if I have to drive them because gas it too much to run around all the time.

For the record, I feel sorry for those who have come here illegally and feel like they have to hide out in order not to be deported. I never want anyone to live here and feel like a second class citizen.

I do, however, have a big problem when illegal aliens come to my country that I work hard to support with way too high taxes and then complain because they can’t stay when they are caught. Shoot, they complain because they want to be rewarded for breaking our laws by becoming legal citizens. I find this ironic and it makes me angry!

I want anyone who has a desire to come here to be able to do so. But you MUST come here legally. Do it the right way through the proper channels. I realize that can be painful and time consuming, sometimes taking years to get legal permission to enter. I also am fully aware that there are some who come here to simply gain political freedom. Those are not the ones I am talking about. I want the people who come here on purpose, illegally, to do it the right way. Once you are here, pay taxes like the rest of us. That way, you are paying for the healthcare that you already get for free.

What do you think? Am I wrong or cold hearted to want people to come here legally? I am all for legal immigration. That is how my family came here and that is how everyone should arrive here. My step mom had to work very hard to get here legally and so should everyone else.

Tracee’s Solution: You want to go to the pool and send your kids to private school - they want to eat food and live in shelter, I urge a compassionate perspective. Tax Immigrants. They do a lot of nasty work that spoiled Americans are not willing to do. Most of them work HARD. Tax Them. They are also willing to work for less than Americans. I love my Mexican mechanic, without him I couldn’t afford to drive. Without my money, he can’t afford to feed this kids who already live here. The American “landscaper” down the street wants $200 to mow my lawn. The immigrant down the street will do it for $35. Why? They want the American Dream too - who can blame them? I would do anything I had to do - hop a fence or make a fake I.D. or work the worst jobs in the country - to have this life too. Wouldn’t you?

Not to mention hating and resenting immigrants is like resenting your own self and your own grandma - talk about a self-defeating waste of emotional energy.

Two years ago we, a family of four, were able to eat for $100 a week. I thought that was a lot. At some point I realized groceries had become so expensive we raised the budget to $150 so we could stop feeling guilty for exceeding the budget every single week. Except now we’ve noticed we’ve been exceeding even that.

As I’ve been shopping lately I’ve noticed a few tricky trends.

Juice boxes went up 50 cents but they stuck a Sale sign behind them to make me believe I was getting a deal. The garbage bags I drive across town to buy are now thinner. The food is coming in smaller packaging for the same price.

I find myself walking through the store questioning my memory. Did the diapers really go up $5 in one month or am I imagining things?

Grocery prices are just blatantly and unapologetically higher - a lot higher.

We ran a budgeting analysis and here’s what’s really happened - I’ve been continuing to buy our usual basic food and we’re up to. . . I’m too embarrassed to tell you.

My husband has decided it’s best if he takes over the grocery shopping for a while.

It’s not me - really.

He’s sticking to the budget, but the results are depressing. It’s like we’re back to being right above the poverty-line - which we struggled and worked to escape.

It’s disappointing to realize, when he comes back from the store, that we’re back to the really crappy generic chips instead of the baked ones I was buying. That we may find a use for Ramen Noodles again. That the kids are going to drink more sugarless flavored drink because milk is too pricey. Welcome back to creative cooking a casserole with whatever’s left in the fridge on Thursdays. We’ve been here before, so at least it’s not shockingly new ground.

I know I’m not the only one suffering from sticker shock at the grocery store. I heard on the news we’re experiencing the worst food inflation in decades. Lingering war = price of gas = price of groceries. Right? The Times of India has a story from April 6 by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar,

“The problem is that world prices have skyrocketed. And we live in an era of internet-savvy farmers who know exactly what food prices are in Chicago and London, and adjust their own actions accordingly.” Farmer greed?

“The problem is being compounded by global panic. Two successive droughts in Australia, plus the diversion of one-third of the US maize crop to ethanol, have led to shortfalls in world production and low food stocks,” states the article.

It does lead back to the price of oil, seems everything does these days.

I’m an American who wouldn’t have a huge problem with going to war over oil. Of course, I want such a war to make oil cheaper and more accessible and I want to stop paying for such a war if it’s having the opposite effect. I want to reduce our desperate dependance on oil by developing more realistic technologies FAST. I don’t like being lied to, but I grew up with a military father who regularly uttered the words, “It’s classified,” so I can accept not having all the information.

I have no problem with militarily kicking terrorist ass. Or fascist ass for that matter. I’m a military brat not a passifist. Truthfully, I’ve been apathetic about the whole war.

But now its seriously effecting my personal economics and so now I’m voting the oil barren/cowboy Bush and his Republican friend McCain out. I don’t care for the way it’s effecting our nation’s economics either - putting a war on the national credit card for a few months I can deal with, but charging on it for years of futility is a definite no go for me.

I’m so hoping that our next President will address the oil/war situation in a more effective and economical way. I’m sure she will. Her husband, Bill, had no national deficit and a big fat savings account, they share a family budget so it’s likely their fiscal policy will be similar.

I’m so grateful that my family is one of the really, really lucky ones. During the past few years our income has continued to go up. Other families, I know, are suffering this extraordinary inflation without an increase in income.

In that case, there are only three choices - put more on the credit card which will bite you in the ass in less than 30 days, make more money or drastically reduce living expenses. I’m going to make more money. Check out ThriftyMommy and SimplyThrify for ways to reduce your expenses. My funny friend Jennifer from jlogged writes a lot about ways to cut costs and stay on budget too. She has a way of making it seem fun.

My night snacking issue seems to be temporarily resolved though, - we ran out of popcorn and there won’t be any more until payday. The generic cheetos he bought are just too gross for me to put in my mouth. Okay, I ate some anyway, but ick.

I pride myself of being frugal, fiscally responsible and downright cheap.

It’s downright genetic and in my upbringing and out of middle-class economic necessity.

Inflation is out of control as going to the grocery store gets more expensive every time I go. The increased price of gas is leaking out to the price of everything.

I’ve been combating the guilt and frustration at the grocery store by raising my budget and saying, It’s out of my control. We have to eat. I don’t control the price of gas or groceries.

Imagine my shame when I heard Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and sextuplets from Jon & Kate plus Ei8ght,  say she feeds her kids as organically and healthily as possible for $150 a week. Which is about what I spend, only I accidentally go over nearly every week.

It makes me feel like I’ve got to step up my game. Last week I saved about $1.50 just by telling the Walmart clerk that Brookshires had a better price in the paper on melons.

I’m going to try coupons too. I’ve never really use them because I figure .15 cents and .35 is a pain in the badonkadonk. But, then watching my grocery bill skyrocket every week is a pain in my budget.

I’ve got a coupon organizer and I’m logging onto Couponbug.com to print the coupons I want. Wishing a grocery store in my area had double coupon day.

Anyone else have a coupon source that can save me money? Thrifty Mommy?

My 2008 resolution is to become compulsively anal retentive.

I wish I had your organizational gene, I recently told my mother. Now that I’m in my mid-30s I’m experimenting with admitting my mother was right about a few things. It hurts a little, but I’m hoping the emotional growth will reap some rewards.

I don’t have that gene. I realized I had a severe lack in that area so I majored in it in college [home making] to develop it, she responded.

So, now I have something worth cleaning and organizing (my new house) and enough space for everything to have a place, versus the floor being “where it goes.”

I’m going to cultivate anal retentive organization to the point of compulsion. That way in 2009, 2010, 2011 . . . (you get the picture), I won’t ever have to think about it again.

I’ll become super-efficient in my work too. I will file numbers and emails, I’ll keep a calendar of things I want to participate in and do, I’ll make spread sheets and charts and reinforce deadlines for myself. I’ll be uber-productive and uber-effective once I’m uber-efficient and uber-organized.

First stop: DeClutter It, Keeping the Castle, Thrifty Mommy, and Jlogged.

I have other worthy ambitions as well, but I’m keeping those to myself until I accomplish them. Public failure is too much pressure and may paralyse me into inaction.

(p.s. I realize Martha is more OCD than Rachel, but I couldn’t find Martha in this pose, thank goodness.)

What’s your resolution?

July Update: My office looks exactly the same, or worse, than it did in January when I made this resolution. The papers I resolved to file are still unfiled.  The same stacks are in the same spots. It has occurred to me that if I can leave the stuff in a basket for 6 months and never need it - then it’s probably safe just to throw it out. But, I’m still working up to that.

I’m going to spend the next hour or two clicking around and getting to know my new neighbors.

This from Gayla McCord, master of the new Lifestyle’s Channel at b5media:

This month, along with the magic that begins to fill the air from the approaching holiday season, I’ve been given the honor of composing the official welcome to the new Lifestyles channel here at b5media.

The new mega channel has been formed by merging the channels formerly known as Family & Relationships, Arts & Design and Home & Dining.

For those familiar with b5media and the early days of the network, you might remember a Lifestyles channel that was sort of a mix of blogs that were lacking a solid, common bond. This channel will have a much tighter focus and will encompass everything that goes in home and family style topics. The three channels have developed a very similar demographic and can work together as one fantastic resource that promises to be both informational and entertaining to its readers.

To celebrate a bit and help our readers get to know our talented bloggers a bit better, periodically, we will introduce two random guests from around the Lifestyles channel by having them participate in a mini-interview of sorts. This week I’d like to introduce you to Karen Weideman from Thrifty Mommy and Julie Bonner from Declutter It and Play Library.

First, meet Karen:

1. Since joining b5media and writing for Thrifty Mommy, what has been the one most memorable moment you’ve experienced?

The most memorable moment I’ve experience while writing for Thrifty Mommy was in February of this year. I was driving home from church and my husband, who was riding in a separate car, called me to tell me to turn the radio to The Cooper Lawrence Show. When I did, I discovered that she was reading my tips, 50 Ways to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill. Since then, Cooper has had me on the show twice and on Thursday nights she does a Thrifty Mommy segment featuring Thrifty Mommy tips.

2. Let’s the father to a family of 5 was recently laid off, what’s the single best thrifty tip you would offer him?

Wow, that’s a hard one. There are so many tips to share. I guess I would tell him to let his friends and family know of his situation and not to turn down any help that they might offer.

3. Do you feel you’ve learned to be more frugal as the result of writing Thrifty Mommy or were you always frugal?

I was raised by a very frugal mom. She taught me through her thrifty lifestyle. We always headed to the clearance racks, used coupons, compared price per unit, and tried to find the best deal we possibly could. Writing for Thrifty Mommy has caused me to search more for frugal tips that I might not have thought of on my own. I’ve also discovered that there are many resources out there to help you save money.

Be sure to check out all the Thrifty Thanksgiving Ideas on Thrifty Mommy.

And now, meet Julie:

1. Since joining b5media and writing DeClutter It, what has been the one most memorable moment you’ve experienced?

I would have to say that my most memorable all around has been the friends I have made. I had no idea about the awesome community that I was entering. I’ve met people through blogging with b5media that I am different from in so many ways, but we all share the same passions and that’s blogging and helping others. All of our mixed personalities make this one heck of a fun place to be! I feel like I have made friends for life through this experience and that, I am very thankful for.

2. What one television or celebrity family would you like to be invited in to help get organized and why?

Oh, that’s an easy one. One of my favorite shows is “Little People, Big World” on TLC. That family is absolutely amazing. They have overcome so many obstacles in their lives and are managing to raise a wonderful family through it all. But, I’ve noticed their house is a bit disorganized. They have four kids and a very busy lifestyle, so I would love to go into their home and organize every room to suit their needs, and then set up a system to help them keep it that way. I guess now I’ll just sit back and wait for TLC to call me.

3. Do you feel you’ve learned to be more organized as the result of writing Declutter It or were you always organized? And if always where did you get your organizational skills from?

I have always been organized. I was the friend who would come over to spend the night and help you clean your room. For some odd reason, I enjoyed it.

I’ve learned new organizational skills and ideas from my amazing readers - that’s been one of the most fun aspects of writing at Declutter It! It’s nice that my blog connects me with people who are like-minded and we can bounce ideas off of each other.

My organizational skills are a combination of both my mom and dad. My dad was in the Navy, so he helped teach me how to get a house in tip top shape. My mom was a full time working woman who had to juggle work, family and the home. Now that I am older, I realize what a hard job that is. At a very young age I could organize a closet and bake a mean batch of chocolate chip cookies and I have my parents to thank for that.

If you’re linen closet is more like a catch all area, be sure to check out this step-by-step guide on How to Organize a Linen Closet.

Now for a quick tour from around our channel -

Chloe shows us how to turn ordinary fabric into something truly spectacular.

Solo Mother shares some tips on the right way to praise a child.

Jewelry and Beading says goodbye to a longtime friend and blogger - Tammy Powley while introducing a new writer, Cyndi Lavin.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet Tottie Tomato yet, check out this adorable little creature that’s emerged from the imagination of Noreen on Hankering for Yarn.

For all you creative sorts, Mary Emma is sharing interesting ideas on how recycle and make good use of fabric scraps.

Common household air fresheners contain numerous toxic ingredients and our resident tree hugger has the answer on how to make our homes smell fresh without all the guilt of harming our environment. There’s even a part two for all those mom’s of teenage boys that you won’t want to miss.

Do your kids like to practice on becoming the next Iron Chef? Ok, maybe not - but if your kiddos enjoy trying their hand at cooking up something yummy in the kitchen, don’t miss this super easy recipe that will let them make personal Apple Pockets all on their own.

While sharing some deep emotional discussions that hit home on almost any marriage, Bald Man and his lovely bride Kerri share tales that you’ll find endearing and conjure up a laugh or two. Whether your married, planning on getting married or are formerly married, there’s a little something here for everyone. Just make sure to be very quiet during game time.

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve encountered another transition by saying goodbye to Rebecca Lehman at Mother Earth’s Garden and welcoming in a brand new blogger to b5media, Linette Gerlach. Linette is sharing an old fashioned remedy for creepy crawlies that love your warm house in the winters. This is a practice that’s been in my family for years.

Now for all you lucky types out there, have we got a contest for you! Ever thought about wearing a chocolate t-shirt? Well now you can. All you have to do is leave a comment telling of a chocolate or chocolate product you’re thankful for and you could be wearing the t-shirt to show just how thankful you are.

Of course my channel tour could go on and on, but I’ll leave the rest to you to uncover. Just look to the right side of the screen, click on the word Lifestyles and unlock a whole treasure trove of goodies just waiting to be discovered by you!

I realized my daughter is starting Kindergarten in September and there will be this mad rush for school clothes.

I can’t really understand why kids need a whole new wardrobe for school. I mean, kids get clothes all year long these days right? It’s not like in my Grandma’s day when she saved up enough to buy her children two pairs of shoes a year, for school and Easter Sunday.

I went garage sailing and picked up about all she’ll need for about $12. I’m not about to blow a couple of hundred dollars for this consumerist tradition. I picked up a black  pair and brown pair of nearly-new Mary Janes and some super cute Sketchers for $2.50. The rest was spent on new-looking matching outfits, dresses, tops and jeans in her size.

If I have the cash on hand I may take her to Old Navy and let her pick one outfit for the first day.

To read about how I really did take all her clothes away after repeated clothing tanatrums and fits of hysteria, you can check out Kindergarten Fashion Show on Sioux So Me. Yes, I did. It worked, and I’ll do it again if she loses her grip on reality about how important her clothes are. I got the advice from Madonna of all places.

 I went out to Pier One and bought a ton of new furniture this weekend. NOT!

Actually, I scored a sturdy entertainment center at the Goodwill for $20. It was an ugly cream faux-wood color but it has great Zack-proofing storage so he couldn’t get into all the electronics.

Bought a $25 gallon of black paint - never skimp on the paint or it will look like crap - and painted the ugly stained-up end tables I was already using to match. Borrowed the primer from a friend who already had some - always prime or sand or the paint will peel off and that’s a waste of money.

I also got so sick of my couch that the one sitting in a friend’s garage looked pretty good to me. She also had a great red slip-cover, which I’m going to staple gun into place so it doesn’t shift around.

I wanted to paint the workstation - the ugly tall blond faux-wood thing in the background - but my husband thought being off the computer long enough for paint to dry was just too much to ask.

Whalla - new living room! Love it!

Side Bar: Lest you think I’m some kind of lunatic and never get upset about not having any nice “things,” I wrote an article titled Dear God and Dave Ramsey: when I was feeling not at all good about being cheap to the point of mental illness.

I was tagged in a blogger game or memed by Julie Q at The JQ Lounge.
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I was raised a Mormon Military Brat. We moved a lot, as a result I could pick up and go at any second. For a job or out of boredom I have sold everything I owed to relocate as an adult four times already. I am only 33-years-old.
2. I am a journalist by profession. I resent my previous employers for not allowing me to work from home when I became a mother. I am a writer and since the invention of e-mail there is really no reason to make me come to the newsroom 40 hrs a week. I think it’s “motherism” as my employer allowed a man to work out of his home but denied my request. I’ve not found my female employers any more supportive of working from home than my male bosses. But, I do resent them more.
3. I got married when I was 17-years-old. That was a stupid thing to do. I totally believe in divorce and thank God every day that by 19 I was smart enough not to make my childish mistake a permanent one. I didn’t marry again until 27.
4. After my child-bride experience I found that I was unwilling to change my name back to my father’s name and unwilling to keep my ex-husband’s name and unwilling to take any future husband’s name. I went to court and dropped all the last names that made my identity relational to the men in my life. I decided to have an identity that did not change with my marital status. My given name at birth was Tracee Sue and I thought Sioux would look better in print – well, I AM a writer so it DOES matter how marketable my name is. I was only 19 when I divorced so it seemed inevitable that I would eventually get married and have kids again. But, it did not seam reasonable at all to change my identity in any way, including my last name. So, I am Tracee Sioux. Legally now and forever. It is not a nom deplum – Sioux is my legal last name and it is who I am.
5. I witnessed 9-11 when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child. I was on my way to work. What strikes me now about the experience is that as a reporter my first instinct was to buy a disposable camera and report on it. I got a shot of the second plane hitting the building. I wasn’t close enough for anyone to buy the shot. The second thing that sticks with me is how worried I was that I was going to be late for work and how my boss might be annoyed with me – as if for the first few hours the shock was so complete that I didn’t understand the magnitude at all and went about my normal business like buying a chocolate donut.
6. I went to Lithuania after college to teach English, I wanted to travel and had been a political science major with an interest in the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Lithuania was a brand new democracy.
7. I’m grateful beyond belief for my current opportunity to work from home blogging. I feel like this is a “calling” for me. I’m pretty intensely spiritual about my So Sioux Me website and my work at b5media writing BlogFabulous to empower people and especially women. It’s my path, my personal legend, my way of being part of the soul of the world, my way to affect the collective consciousness.

So I’m tagging Therapydoc at Everyone Needs Therapy, Steve at Inside Fatherhood, Karen at Thrifty Mommy, Cory and Kerri at Marriage Actually, Kate at Babylune, Karen at Live the Power and Courtney at Courtney Tuttle. Consider yourselves Memed by Tracee Sioux at So Sioux Me and BlogFabulous.

When you hear Beauty Carnival don’t you get an image of a bunch of Mary Kay and Avon Lady’s hounding you to try their newest samples and invite all your friends?

Well, I submitted my story about the groovy no-chip nail polish I found. So it can’t be all that bad.

Actually, I enjoyed the article Looks Are Nothing Without Spirit, which echoes my sentiments exactly here and here, so I’d say Maria Palma at Beauty is Withinis a kindred spirit and will be immediately added to my blogroll. Check her out.

I also read about the Top 5 Skincare tips at Beautyriche.com’s Beauty Blog, but no advice on pregnancy mask or acne.

Amanda Herrington from Health Sundae advises us to watch our pocketbook and not spend more than we need to on beauty products in . It is a lengthy comparison of Dr. Perricone’s Healthcare Products versus a cheaper, though equally effective, line of Source Naturals. She seemed rather knowledgeable on ingredients in skin creams and potions so I left a comment begging her advice on pregnancy mask and acne. I’ll let you know if she provides any enlightenment on the issue. But, obviously Thrifty Mommy would be so very proud of her frugality.

And let’s not forget to thank Tonic Gifts for hosting the Beauty Blog Carnival. It’s a worthy read.