Blog design and 100.00 holiday

First let me start by saying - I have NO idea what I'm doing with the whole blog design thing.  I'd rather have a totally cute and custom design on my blog but since my blog isn't a business I can't justify the expense of that.  If any of my readers could explain to me how to make the freebies work on my blog I'd totally appreciate that a TON.  But for now it is how it is and it will stay this way until I figure out how to use a freebie (not blogger) template to create the background and header.

Now onto my 100.00 holiday.  It's been a while and I think I normally update more around the middle of the month but I've been side tracked and well I hadn't really bought anything more yet.  But as I just made another holiday purchase a few minutes ago I figured I could update now.

I buy for:

Squirrel:
Something to read:  Little Bear book
Something to wear: I spy quilt - I'm making these, already have most of the supplies and they are more than half done.
Something you need: banks (so that we can start giving an allowance and have a place to put it lol)  I'm going to create kits for each of the boys with three tootsie roll cans or pringles cans and stuff to decorate them.  It will be a fun activity we can do together on Christmas day.
Something to share: doll and people house - this will be a group gift.  I hope to find a used bookshelf at a yard sale this summer and decorate it with different colors of paint and wall paper samples to look like different rooms in a house.  The boys love to play with the little people toys we have so this will be great for them and Princess will grow into it over time. UPDATE: I found a bookshelf at a yard sale last weekend for 2.00.  I will switch it out for one we already have that is made of real wood.  I will remake the one we already have into the "doll and people house". Update 2: I have abandoned this plan. lol  I'm using the bookshelf for storage in my closet and frankly I don't have the time or energy for this kind of project SO I think I'm going to make a fold and go house from a vinyl tablecloth.  I saw something similar only it was roads.  I'll square the table cloth off into rooms and keep my eyes out for some doll house furniture.  This solves a few problems - 1 space, I don't really have space for another large stationary toy.  2 - space - with a regular doll house or even a bookshelf dollhouse at best two people could play without it being necessary to shove each other to get their hands into the house.  This layout is open on the floor, they can each have space and it folds up for storage.  LOVE right?  I'll share pics when I manage to get it done.
Something you want/for fun:  Hot Wheels Dynamite Blaster Launcher on clearance for 10.49 - this spit out a rebate for a free Hot Wheels Triple launch jump so he'll get both of these for this gift. - 3.00 for shipping total: 13.49
santa: DVD - Postcards From Buster - 1st season 1.40


Howler:

Something to read:  Little Bear book
Something to wear: I spy quilt
Something you need: banks
Something to share: doll and people house
Something you want/for fun: Cars 2 Duplo block set 12.48
Santa: All About dvd 2.00

Spider:

Something to read: The Sunflower parable
Something to wear: I spy quilt
Something you need: banks
Something to share: doll and people house
Something you want/for fun: DC super hero friends trio sets Mr Freeze and Batwing 4.98+2.24 = 7.22
Santa: All about Dvd 2.00

Princess
Something to read:  The parable of the Lily
Something to wear: a dress and matching bow - I will make the dress, might try my hand at the bow too.
Something you need: winter coat and hat - bought on clearance at the end of last winter
Something to share: doll and people house
Something you want/for fun: Little tykes doll high chair. 1.00
Santa:  I would like to get her a little toddler purse with some of my amazon money.

KOJ: Not a CLUE!  Open to ideas and suggestions. I have a plan here but on the off chance that KOJ comes and reads this I'm not posting what it is. lol

SIL: groupon deal*

Sis 1 and BIL: Have a plan here

Sis 2 and BIL: Have a plan here

Mom: groupon deal*

Dad and Mom2: groupon deal*

FIL: groupon deal*

*groupon deal 35.00 for 100.00 at a certain website.  Great deal.

100.00
-4.00 (All About dvd's)
-35.00 groupon deal
________
61.00
-2.00 (bookshelf)
-1.00 (doll high chair)
________
58.00 left as of June 21, 2011
-9.00 (books for all four kids)
________
49.00 left as of July 20, 2011

-12.48
-7.22
-1.40 
-13.49
 + 2.00 (not using the bookshelf for Christmas)
________

 29.90 left as of August 31, 2011

I plan to do some baking for church and other friends but I'm not going to count those supplies in this dollar total.

I'm doing so-so on inbox dollars at about 22.00 even today.  I need to be more aggressive on that to get the last 8.00 earned so I can cash in.  I have no idea how long it takes for the check to get to me.  I'm hoping to have it before Christmas but I may borrow the money from myself and pay it back with the check whenever it does get here.

For amazon cards right now I have: 30.00 built up and I'm almost halfway to another 5.00 card already.  I used 10.00 of my gift cards for a book for school or we'd have another 10.00 too.  The purse I'm looking at for Sierra is 11.24 right now.  I'll probably go ahead and grab this in another couple of weeks if I haven't decided on something different by then.  That leaves me with 18.76 of amazon money that I might let KOJ use to get me something if he wants.

The remaining cash will be split between my sisters - all three of them.  Yeah, I know I don't have Em listed at the top there but I do plan to get or make her something for Christmas.  Not sure what yet.  I'm leaning towards a tutu.

I've got a few things for stockings but lets say the 30.00 from inbox is for stockings.

I picked up a few stocking stuffers for the kids at the Target summer clearance!  7.88 total
I've picked up toothbrushes and toothpaste for the kids' stockings:  7.12
I also have toothbrushes and toothpaste for KOJ and I but I don't know offhand how much they were - I do know that I got them on sale, with coupons, and they earned me extrabucks at CVS. lol lets say 5.00 for all of it.
I found two more stocking stuffers for Princess in the closet at 5.00 total.
So I have 5.00 left of the 30.00 check from inbox that I'm working on earning to spend on the rest of the stocking stuffers.  2.00 of that will buy hot wheels cars on black Friday - one of our stores always has them for .50 a piece that day.  Even Princess will get one.  So I have 3.00, lol.

They'll each get mandarin oranges, and I watch for sales on the fun hot cocoa and peanuts for the stockings too.  If all else fails and I need more to fill the stocking (which I don't think has EVER happened) I toss in some new school supplies from our school supply stockpile.  Coupons for holiday candies always abound closer to the season and I just pick up a few things.  I try not to go too much on candy. 

Another project I'm going to be making is a car holder for their hot wheels.  I have TONS of flannel so I'll use that for the backings and I have some clear vinyl but might need to purchase more to make the pockets with.  I have two dowels already in the laundry room and I have ribbon.  Once I decide what size I'm making I might determine that the dowels are long enough to have a friend saw in half so I would not need to purchase much for this project.  Each boy will get their own and they will hang in their bedroom I think.


So in current conclusion I will probably end up over the 100.00 BUT not by a lot and it's still a HUGE improvement from what we normally spend at the holidays.  We'll see though.  I have something else I'm going to try in the near future that might earn me some more income to put towards this.  Cash income even.