A Contest Winner!

Wow, I won a contest. Or, I should say, I was one of the winners over at totallyfreecrap.com. All I had to do was brag about totallyfreecrap on my blog and link to it. Since I had already thanked the site for freebies in my Christmas post I thought oh what the heck, I'll enter the competition. Figured I wouldn't win anything but, hey, maybe someone might discover my blog.


Well, a few days later I learned I had won a prize! And what did I win? A totallyfreecrap.com mirror! Wow, I have never won anything before - just too cool! And a couple days later the postman delivered my cute little pocket mirror. Will I use it? No, it's now on my "Cool Things" shelf in the computer room - gotta display my fabulous prize ya know!

Totallyfreecrap really is a great site for acquiring Freebies. You don't always get what you sign up for. Manufactures only have a set amount to give away and requests often exceed the supply. Still, it's worth the try. After all, what could be better than "FREE".

Toy Hunt Theme: Toy/s received on Christmas Day

I told Santa not to bring me any toys this year but to give Beth, Wullie and Henry a few extra presents Christmas morning. He agreed, but he surprised me anyway with these cute items in my stocking - a little sock coin purse, a Winnie the Pooh glitter pen (lights up when you use it), and a white chocolate snowman.


Beth got this huge gumball bank. We will encourage her to SAVE money. And Wullie is opening the nice tool kit we found at a garage sale. Handyman skills come in mighty handy and he will learn from the best teachers - his Daddy and Grandpa!

See all the toys that Santa delivered at Toy Hunt.

PhotoHunt Theme: SqueakyToy Hunt Theme: Christmas Toys

Wullie: Grandpa my wagon wheels are "squeaky"!

Grandpa: Not to worry Wullie, I am going to fix them so they won't be "squeaky" any more!



Wullie: Thanks Grandpa!


Beth: Grandma, are the little red wagon wheels "squeaky"?

Grandma: No Beth, you can take the Ziggy Santas for a nice quiet ride!

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com. And to see all the wonderful Christmas toys from around the world go to whenmomtalks.com.

A Waa Hoo Christmas!

We enjoyed a wonderful, happy Christmas. The best part was that we were all together. I often take that for granted because the boys live so close. This time of year I have to remember other families are missing loved ones, especially those who are serving in the armed forces. I thank all those who are diligently working to keep us safe and free.

Every Christmas Eve we host an Open House. Family joins us. Then neighbors and friends pop in for a dram or two to celebrate. Local folks don't have to worry about driving - they just walk home after imbibing in too much holiday cheer.

Christmas morning, hang-overs or not, we go to watch the grandchildren rip into all their presents. The garage sale gods favored me yet again this year and fun presents were plentiful.

After observing the traditional ritual of "open it, open it" we retreated home with Sonny and Junior to indulge in a quiet gift exchange and long afternoon nap.

Now, I am not about to tell you that our Christmas is totally cheap frugal. We actually went to real stores and purchased a few real gifts. Charles asked for a boot dryer which we gave him in advance. The thing looks really stupid but let me tell you Charles says it works terrific. With all the snow we have had he said it's a marvelous feeling to go off to work in the morning with dry feet. Sometimes you have to pay full price but getting a quality product that is used frequently is worth the cost.

There is nothing like being appreciated for my freebie acquiring talents. Every time Sonny opened a stocking stuffer/gift that was questionable he'd say "I hope you got this cheap". I'd answer "I got it better than cheap". With that he'd give a loud "Waa Hoo" and a big thumbs up. He did it so many times I was just bustin' with frugal pride.

I wish to thank Walgreens, Menards, Freecycle and Totallyfreecrap.com for making my "Waa Hoo" Christmas possible.

Oh, and about the picture. Charles got the kids sleds and hung them on the Christmas tree. I guess Santa had a dram too many at Grandma & Grandpa's Open House! "Waa Hoo!"

Wrapped Up With A Christmas Story

Sonny splurged on the awesome "A Christmas Story" wrapping paper (found it at Kmart). But what's a frugal uncle to do when he runs out of cellophane tape? Use duct tape of course!

Merry Chistmas!

Yes, we are having a very "White Christmas" this year! Junior came over this morning and built Frosty. The eyes, mouth, buttons and carrot nose are from a handmade "Snowman Kit" my sister-in-law Becky made for us. Yes, she is one super crafty gal!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! God Bless!

Photohunt Theme: FavoriteToy Hunt Theme: Christmas Toys or Decor

My pictures this week show my "Favorite" "Christmas Decor". I love the Peanuts Gang and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is such a special holiday classic. I wish I could say this outdoor display was ours - it's not - but we pass it everyday on our way to town. Gotta love Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, Lucy, Schroeder, Snoopy and Woodstock!


My sister-in-law gave me this ornament set several years ago (she's such a sweetie!). It's from Hallmark - made to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the television special 1965 - 1995. I dispaly it as is all year long.



These are the six miniature ornaments I bought at a garage sale last summer - 25 cents - A Charlie Brown Christmas to me!

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com
And find this week's Toy Hunt here!

PhotoHunt Theme: Breakfast

OK, I am not one for the traditional breakfast. Forget bacon and eggs - instead give me a bacon cheeseburger!

One of my favorite morning meals is left over pizza. And it just so happened this week that orange juice was on sale for $2 a carton and I had a 75 cent off coupon (ah, if it could only be that way every time). Anyway, cheap and nutritious = a great frugal breakfast!

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com

Toy Hunt December Theme: Christmas Toy or Decor

I just bought this Christmas Spongebob a couple days ago. I found him at our local Tuesday Morning. This is a national chain that specializes in selling closeout merchandise at discount prices. Sometimes you can find a pretty good deal. Spongebob was priced $3.00 so that's 50% off regular retail. He was too cute to pass up and now sits on our Christmas tree along with other Spongebob and cartoon character ornaments.

For more photos and this week's Toy Hunt check out whenmomtalks.com By the way Joy is having a toy giveaway this week - see how you can have a chance to win The Bratz Swimwear Collection. (Of course I would love to win this for Beth's Christmas so wish me luck!)

Photohunt Theme: Metal

Is she transversing a METAL maze?.....no, just having fun on some shinny new playground equipment!

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com.

PhotoHunt Theme: Reflection

Who's that handsome boy in the mirror there?

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com.

PhotoHunt Theme: Ruin(ed)

My sweet, sugary expectations have been ruined!

I admit I have a sweet tooth - not so much for candy - I crave pastry - the gooier the icing the better! So it has been with much anticipation that a combination Dunkin' Donuts - Baskin Robbins store was coming to town. Before, those donuts were only a rare treat. The closest Dunkin' Donuts was several towns over. Now, those sugary morsels would be conveniently available - oh yum!

The store opened a couple of weeks ago. We didn't rush right over - we were hoping for a "Grand Opening" coupon to arrive in the mail - so far zilch. So yesterday we decided to just go over and splurge on half a dozen donuts - ooooh, sweet anticipation!

Upon arriving at the new building I had hopes of taking a picture of the shop outside - it looked pretty festive with all the orange flags signaling that the store was indeed now open. But, there happened to be a group of teenagers smoking by the front door - um, not the best timing - forget it. My only thought was - you silly young people - you will so regret this choice later in life while you are trying to quit. (Charles and Di were both smokers and it was very difficult for them to break the habit so that's why I simply felt sympathy for those clueless young people).

Once inside I was surprised at the lack of donut quantity and variety. We arrived before noon but the shelves were three quarters empty. There was no indication that they were going to be replenished. My favrorites were missing: French donuts, jelly filled Bismarks, and crushed peanut covered cake donuts. They did have a few toasted coconut cake donuts left which we purchased.

I took the picture of Wullie waiting for our six donuts to be boxed. I was all set to take more photos when the clerk realized what I was doing and told me it was not permitted. Did the clerk not want his picture taken? Or was it really against store policy? I have never in my whole life been told I couldn't use my camera in a restaurant. Golly, I am a gray haired little old granny - is that the profile of a spy from Krispy Kreme?

Next came the reason this whole experience was ruined for me. We were charged $6.42 (including tax) for our purchase! Are you kidding me????? $1.07 per donut?????? OK, I know some of you are going to tell me I am out of touch with reality - that this is a reasonable standard price. Our local Dominick's Supermarket sells donuts for 60 cents (including tax) and they are just as good! They don't have a big variety but then Dunkin' Dounuts didn't have any variety either.

So sorry Rachael Ray, this Frugal Grandma ain't coming back anytime soon!

Garage Sale Finds: Planet of the Apes

A historical museum is the last place you would expect to find a second hand treasure. The McHenry County Museum had a table set up covered with donated books for sale - hardcovers 50 cents, paperbacks 25 cents. I must admit I am not much of a reader - the books were mostly novels and I just didn't find anything that interested me. But, there in the center of all the romance and mystery was "Planet of the Apes". Now, it happens that the movie of the same name is one of Charles' favorites. And, yes, he belongs to the NRA and is a Charlton Heston fan. I just know he is going to love adding this book to his personal library. Book purchase was on the honor system - you put the money in a box provided. Luckily Charles didn't even notice the table - he was off with the kids in another section of the museum. So taking the book out to the car and hiding it was easy enough. I will wrap it up as a present - just a fun little surprise Christmas morning!

Free Admission Day At The Museum

The 1847 log home at the McHenry County Historical Museum, Union, Illinois.

Each town in McHenry County gets a free admission day at the museum. When it was our town's turn Charles wanted to take Beth and Wullie for their first visit. He asked us to go along to help with the kids. Of course we said yes. The museum has lots of hands on exhibits for youngsters so it's great family fun. And of course I saw it as a chance to get a few good photos. Oh, and it ended up not being free. We all had such a good time that Charles and Grandpa both gave donations and I purchased some raffle tickets on a quilt.


Wullie checks out this funky old keyboard typewriter.


Beth got to ring the bell at the West Harmony one-room School.


What's a museum without a Sock Monkey on display?

PhotoHunt Theme: Together

Wullie and Beth are sitting together at a desk in a one room school house.


Museum guide teaches the kids what is was like for all grades to attend school together.

The 1895 one-room, West Harmony School is located at the McHenry County Historical Museum, Union, Illinois.

Garage Sale Finds: Antique Elephant

OK, I got caught - Alice over at Alice's Restaurant took me to task for declaring that we have already had snow for my "Blue" Photohunt picture. I admit the photo was taken last Christmas - shame on me for not stating that fact. No more artistic license for me - bloggers will see through it every time.

Last weekend was not cold and snowy. It was balmy and gorgeous - we are having a true Indian Summer. So I wasn't surprised to find two final garage sales in town. I really think this was the end of the season - colder weather is on the way.


I only bought one item - a old elephant figure - $5. Sometimes it's hard to gauge the age of an item but the detail and patina of this statuette screamed vintage. The gal who sold it to me said she purchased it 20 years ago at the estate sale of a world traveler. So the age and origin of the piece is a mystery. The one feature that is most interesting to me is that the trunk is pointed down - not up as in the usual good luck elephant. This is yet another item that I will put on Ebay and if it doesn't sell, well, I won't be the least bit sad. It is one cool pachyderm!

October Freebies

We received a few "Treats" in October - it was a good month for Freebies.


The Pert Shampoo was on sale - after using a manufactures coupon and store coupon it was free. The Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber was free after mail-in rebate. And the L'Oreal Cleanser was free from the Walgreens EasySaver Catalog.

After many months of waiting they have finally started construction on the CVS Pharmacy in the next town - wahoo! Hopefully it will be open for Christmas. So looking forward to even more bargains - love love love playing the Drug Store Game!


Surprise, surprise - I actually got a few goodies off Freecycle this past month. First I got a carton full of disposable diapers. I didn't bother photographing them - took them right over to Henry. They were used immediately. Also for Henry, two and a half gallons of Baby Laundry Detergent. The gal who was giving them away got a new washer that only uses HE detergent. Lucky for Henry that Mom & Dad have an older top loader.

And finally a pack of cloth napkins. When these were offered I got the impression that it was a pack of paper napkins. I wanted to include them in a Christmas gift box of consumables/edibles. Now, I am not sure what I am going to do with them. If Grandpa and I were by ourselves we would simply use them. But, it's a very rare meal that we are alone. It's just more practical for us to use paper napkins for the family especially with the grandkids. I could give them as a gift but I don't know anyone who would use them. I might come up with a clever way to incorporate them out of package in a Christmas gift - like lining a basket or bowl filled with cookies or candies. If I fail to get inspired I will simply offer them again on Freecycle after the holidays.

PhotHunt Theme: Blue

We have had our first snow fall. The windmill is strung with lights. We are all set for a beautiful Blue Christmas!

Garage Sale Finds: Antique Sampler

Mild weather is hanging around the Midwest so there were a few garage sales last week.


We found this set of Sheffield Stainless Steel Steak Knives - new, never used - $1. I am going to give them to Charles and Di for Christmas. Now, it just so happened that Charles and Di invested in half a cow a few months ago. I know Charles is saving the t-bone steaks for Christmas dinner so the knives will get immediate use.


I bought this Royal Cauldon tea and chocolate pot for $5. Leave it to me to not take off the lid and check them first. Sure enough, the inside rim of the tea pot has a chip missing - augh! I am still going to put them on Ebay - they are very decorative so I have my hopes up.


Our last find is my favorite and I really want to keep it - this framed antique sampler - $10. If I had my own studio/sewing room it would already be hanging. But the cottage has so little room that wall space is already taken. I am going to post the sampler on Ebay with a hefty price. If it doesn't sell, well then, I will just have to make a space for it won't I?

Go Ahead...Make My Day! (oops - wrong movie)

Clint Junior stopped by on his way to a Halloween party. Gotta love those Spaghetti Westerns!

PhotoHunt Theme: Scary

A SCARY Frankenstein Spongebob Squarepants? Wullie and Beth don't think so!

You know what was really SCARY about this grocery trip? - my bill at the checkout!

Happy Halloween everyone!

(And, NO, Frugal Grandma did NOT buy Spongebob!)

For more photos and this week's PhotoHunt check out tnchick.com

PhotoHunt Theme: Family

You never know what you are going to find at "Clutter Cottage". A new generation is now playing with this Fisher Price Family.


And where does a Family go for a bite to eat? To the local Mickey Dee's of course!



For more photos and this week's PhotoHunt check out: tnchick.com

Garage Sale Finds: Augie Doggie

There was only one sale last week - an estate sale. Although we arrived late on the first day I was delighted with some fun vintage finds.


Here he is - Augie Doggie (or maybe it's Doggie Daddy - not sure). Ah, love those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons! I am sure somewhere on cable there is a new generation watching Augie and "Dear Old Dad".


And some more TV nostalgia - a Ben Casey M.D. game. OMG I am so old - even my boys didn't know who Vince Edwards was. They had to check it out on YouTube.


And do you know Betsy McCall? She was a paper doll in McCalls Magazine for years and then became a popular doll. What fun to find Betsy McCall Colorforms with almost all the pieces.


Can you believe this combination salt and pepper shaker in original box! The "Gigi" thermos has it's original glass liner.


And finally a knitted Barbie wardrobe. All these pieces were handmade. It boggles my mind - the knitting needles had to be as thin as a toothpick.

When I went to pay the seller looked at my pile and say "How about $6 for everything?". That was more than fair for so many treasures. Looks like this was a fabulous end to our garage sale season.

PhotoHunt Theme: Lazy

Antique dealers Lee Hettinger and Tory Huck enjoy a "LAZY" autumn afternoon at Memories, Fox River Grove, Illinois.

For more photos and this week's Photohunt check out tnchick.com

Garage Sale Finds: Pipe Rack

It looks like the garage sale season is grinding to a halt. There were no local sales last week.

Junior stopped by yesterday to show me his found treasure - he hit a sale out of town while running some errands. Yes, it's the pipe rack and tobacco box pictured above - $1. Junior doesn't smoke cigarettes but occasionally he likes a fine cigar or puff on the pipe. Now he has a specific place to keep his pipes and tobacco. It's a wonderful vintage find which will help him keep organized for years decades to come.

I love finding things that will help me keep my clutter treasures organized. What has been your best organizational find - vintage or new?

PhotoHunt Theme: Sad

Poor "Sad" one-eyed scruffy old Teddy Bear!


That's OK - Beth and Wullie love you!

For more photos and this week's PhotHunt check out tnchick.com