The things I obsess over (and the Amazon winner!)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I post a photo and just a few words.
I was at a craft store at the beginning of this month, buying some gifts, when I saw this snowflake cookie cutter.
I'd never had a snowflake cookie cutter before, but I could see that this had the potential for some fun decorating.
So what was the problem?
Well, I've never bought a Christmas cookie cutter before Christmas. Every single one of mine have been purchased at after-Christmas clearance sales.
For a minute or two, I felt pretty sure I should just wait and see if I could get this on clearance after December 25th.
And then I was like, "Kristen, this is ridiculous. This cutter costs $3, and if you wait until after Christmas, you'll only save $1.50, and then you'll have to wait a whole 'nother year to use it."
So, I bought the cookie cutter.
And it was just as fun to use as I imagined it would be. 😉
(This is not to say that I'm down on post-Christmas clearance sales, because I'm totally not. But sometimes, frugality can get a little out of control, and I think it's good to recognize that every now and then, saving $1.50 isn't worth the wait.)
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About the Amazon gift card from the Coinstar post....
Holy moly, you guys! I don't think there have ever been more comments on a single post.
(and I'll have you know that I read every single one.)
I wish I could give a gift card to all of you, but that would kind of bankrupt me.
So! Amanda is the winner of the Amazon card...congrats, Amanda! You've been emailed.
Also, just because a few people were confused:
If you redeem your coins for a gift certificate through Coinstar, there is NO fee. It's free! So, Coinstar is a lovely frugal option if you don't have a bank near you that offers free coin counting.
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PSA: The Frugal Girl is migrating to new, improved (read: faster!!) hosting. The move will happen in the next 24-48 hours, and nothing should change on your end...you'll still visit the same web address and your email subscriptions will remain the same as well. But just in case something goes wonky, I thought I should give you guys a heads up.
I hope that this move vastly improves the speed of your reading experience. I'm also going to do a few other things to speed up the site, and I'm gonna get off my rear and update my theme, which means that my blog should behave better on your mobile devices.
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Joshua's 365 post: Just for fun
Your blog already is very fast to load on my IPad but thank you for even more improvements. There are a few blogs I follow that take f.o.r.e.v.e.r to load and I didn't realize it might be because of the host.
I'm glad it's been fast for you...it's been slow for some readers, I know, and slow for me sometimes as well.
This new hosting promises to be faster, AND it's not going to be as expensive as what I have now. So, win all around!
It could be worse; lately my opinion is "Don't buy the cookie cutter ever and then you save $3." I've been obsessing over every purchase to the point that my family has gotten really angry with the fact that I don't want a pile of cheap made in China junk.
Well, if it was a cheap plastic cutter, then ok...but this is a nice heavy-duty one! I have a couple of them and they're nigh onto indestructible.
How do you pick the winner? I went back and read all the comments and the one you picked was rather sappy..... everyone's children are there life! Give me a break! At least the others were honest even if some sounded a little greedy.
Oh, I don't pick them based on merit. That would be way too hard! I use http://www.random.org to randomly choose a winner for my giveaways. That way there's no bias.
Well most people who have children DO feel this way. Thank goodness, I might add. Don't judge until you ARE a parent, and please don't tell me you are!
I used your sugar cookie recipe the other day and they turned out great!! I don't usually like or eat the sugar cookies I make with me kids but these are better than my normal ones!! Thanks!
Oh, that's great to hear. Yay!
I have 2 of the Wilton cookie cutters and they are the best. They are easy for little hands to use. I've asked for a new one in my stocking this year.
I used your sugar cookie recipe yesterday and they are fabulous. By far, the easiest to roll and cut.
You're not alone Kristen,
I obsessed over whether to buy a small Christmas hand towel (and guess what, it has a snowflake on it), already on clearance for $1.79. I still am feeling guilty about it. I did buy it.
For Wilton stuff, our Jo-Ann fabrics and Michaels both carry Wilton, and they have coupons on regular priced merch all the time, for either 40 or 50% off reg price merch. I buy Wilton paste food coloring that way.
But couldn't you make snowflake cookies after Christmas? I mean, it's still winter and all.
This is true. But would I get around to it after Christmas? Probably not. 😉
Just curious, which Amanda won? Seeing this post got me excited, so I checked my email. There wasn't a message from you. Looking at all the comments from people named Amanda made me remember why I hated my name in elementary school. 🙂
It's the Amanda S., who happens to blog here: http://scacchihouse.wordpress.com/ She was commenter 300-something.
Well, we are always hearing how its the little things that add up. But I'm with you and would have bought it if I wanted. You will get lots of use from that purchase so its a good buy.
I just had this same thing happen to me. I found an old cross pen in a drawer. I really liked using it until it ran out of ink. I didn't toss it and for years its has laid around. Last week I looked it up and bought 2 refills from Amazon for $4. I could have bought a box of pens for that price but I decided I wanted to use this one again. Was it a good buy? Who knows, but I'm happy with the purchase.
And that is very true...that little things add up. But my error is that I sometimes think that means I should never buy ANY little things!
Just think of the money saved making your own cookies and the fun making them with your children priceless!! Thanks for all your wonderful posts! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
I think frugality works best if you can occasionally treat yourself to small rewards/investments which do not have a significant impact on the bottom line. You bought an inexpensive but well made tool which will bring lots of enjoyment to your family. Win/win! Just one gal's opinion 🙂
I obsess about things as well - I've wanted a veggie spiraliser for months now and still haven't managed to cough up the $5 to buy one on ebay! Good on you for buying the cookie cutter - if you actually use it (and you did), it's definitely worth $3!