Living On A Dime Newsletter - November 6, 2007 Good Morning!! Well we had long weekend. Check out the blog at http://www.livingonadime.com/blog for all our latest happenings. We expect to get the new books from the printer the end of this week so we should be able to get them shipped early next week. Please be patient with us. We have over 800 orders to process so it might take a couple of days to get them all done. Also, if you ordered by check we will be sending a note along with your order explaining how to access the free downloads. I've had a problem reading some of the handwriting and I couldn't get all the email addresses correct so we decided to mail the download instructions with the books. We had several people ask and yes we are going to have an after Thanksgiving sale again on Not Just Beans. This is the LAST of the Not Just Beans. We only have 400 copies left and once they are gone, they will be gone for good. Be watching for this great deal after Thanksgiving! Have a great week! Tawra http://www.LivingOnADime.com ******************************* Holiday "To Do" List by Jill Cooper The best way to relieve stress at the Holidays is not with a bubble bath (although they are fun) but by being organized. Even though I'm not normally a big list person, at Christmas I not only write a list but I write enough lists to fill a book (making up for my lack of lists the rest of the year ;-). We wanted to create a cute calendar for readers that would list what you should do on each day, but every household is so different it was hard to put together something that would tell everyone when to do what and we didn't want to make anyone feel locked into a particular plan. It can almost be more stressful trying to follow someone else's plan than to have no plan at all. So we came up with a compromise. It's a list of some general things that need to be done at Christmas. If you are attached to the calendar idea, take a calendar or day planner and, using this list, write down the day you want to get something done. For example on December 1, "Put up inside decorations." If it is easier, simply hang the list by the calendar and then just mark things off as you do them. This is just a guide with our own hints and ideas. You can add to or take away from it as necessary. The key to a low stress holiday season is to remember that the more you spread things out, the easier it will be. Doing just a few things each day is much easier than waiting for the last minute "Holiday Squeeze" (and it won't make you look like you accidentally fell into the clothes dryer.) ******************************* Introducing Penny Pinchin' Mama and Dig Out of Debt * What do you do when your Wal-Mart list is bigger than your wallet? * Are you overwhelmed with debt and don't know what to do? * Do you need to think differently about your Money? Penny Pinchin' Mama and Dig Out of Debt can help you! Check out these new books from Living On A Dime at http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm ******************************* * Make your list of all of the people who you plan to buy gifts, including their sizes, things they would like and how much you can spend. * Make your list of the people you are sending Christmas cards to and write the cards or at least get the envelopes addressed. You can then keep a few cards with you to write in during those "waiting minutes" when you're at the doctor, picking the kids up from school or on your break at work. * Get those sewing and craft projects done now! Don't wait until Christmas Eve. * Decide on what cookies and candies you want to make. Pull out the recipes now. * Decide on what you are going to have for holiday dinners. Pull out the recipes. * Many types of cookies freeze well. Mix up the dough several weeks ahead and freeze. That way all you have to do later is bake them. * For cookies that you can't freeze, measure all the dry ingredients and put them in a plastic bag. I often do this three months early. Be sure to label the bag so you remember what is in it. * If you make your own pie crust, make them ahead of time and freeze until you need them. * Several months ahead of time, put a bag or container in the freezer and throw in those unused heels of bread or slices of dry bread to use for dressing. * If you make cornbread dressing, make up you dressing in early November and freeze. * Deep clean the house. * Set up a wrapping table or collect your wrapping things all together in one area so you can quickly and easily pull everything out to use. Wrap gifts as you buy them, not all at once at the last minute. * Make a list of linens and dishes that you will need for meals. * Put up outside decorations. ******************************* From Our Inbox: (Comments from our "Candy Christmas Wreath" video.) "It was really great to see the wreath being made! I can't wait to start on mine! Ok, the best part...your bloopers! OMG that was fabulous! I love your website and refer to it daily. You guys rock!" "Jill - great to be able to catch your 'film debut' & finale! Tawra - your kids are adorable!" "We will definitely be making this for Grandma this year! Thanks for the guide!" If you haven't seen the "How To Make A Candy Christmas Wreath", you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvaRCEwZTm4 ******************************* Living On A Dime Newsletter Published by: Kellam Media and Publishing, Inc. PO Box 844, Andover, KS 67002