• Make an envelope for each person and put cash in the envelope (you are almost guaranteed not to go over if you have cash for fear of embarrassment)

• Shop early

• A lot of items can be purchased online and shipped to your house at a cheaper price than buying the item in the store.

• Trade names in the family. There is no need for every person to buy something for each person in the family.

• Set a spending limit when exchanging names.

• Only purchase items for kids in the family.

• Make a gift. With all of the free software online you can make a home video for free and this would be a priceless gift for someone.

• Make a new tradition in the family that doesn’t involve buying gifts. Donate blankets and clothing to the homeless. Bring them something to eat for Christmas.

• Check online in forums to find out what store has the item you are looking for the cheapest.

• Don’t buy something for everyone in your office.
  
• Shop around for cards if you are planning on sending them, you can find them really cheap.

• Don’t buy a gift just to have something to give.

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I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week. Where does time go?

I can’t help but to be thankful for the new opportunity that I have been given in the last two weeks. I just LOVE my job.

The days fly by so fast it is kind of scary. It is amazing how different my work environment is from my former job. It is extremely different, a fun atmosphere and everyone (I think) loves their jobs around me.

There are so many things to be thankful for.

My parents 25th Wedding Anniversary is tomorrow. They are in Charleston celebrating right now. My dad wanted to go to Charleston on their honeymoon. Finally 25 years later they are getting the chance to go.

They have really only ever been on 2 vacations. I do not call visiting family a vacation. Vacation is seeing a new place and not having any family obligations.

Traveling is a passion of mine and I would love to do it more. There are so many places that I want to see, the list is endless. I love when we fly to the Caribbean and I can see the different colors of water and it gets more and more beautiful the closer we get. I love that feeling of seeing a new place, it is so exciting.

This time of year always reminds me of all of the things I should be thankful for that often never gets thought about during the year.

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A few years ago we purchased (charged on a credit card) a king mattress that we paid $1400.00 for. We probably paid a lot more than that since we charged it.

At first it was like sleeping on a cloud. Now when you look at the mattress it literally looks like there is a huge crater in the middle of our bed. We haven’t had a good nights sleep in well over a year.

I called Serta to find out what kind of warranty we had. After dozens of phone calls I was finally faxed the paperwork. To my surprise the sag had to be over 2″ (and it was) but they had a loop hole. The sags had to be on each side of the mattress. It couldn’t be in the middle. What a joke!

We are just going to bite the bullet and start saving for a new mattress. My husband doesn’t want to spend another $1400.00 on a mattress. I have searched online for mattress reviews and I don’t come up with anything. I subscribed ($26.00) to Consumer Reports online. They do not give reviews on mattresses. They just give you tips on how to shop for one. I will cancel my subscription and ask for a refund.

I need your reviews and suggestions.
Thanks in advance!

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