not the jet set

Guest Post: credit card charity donations

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:31:00 +0000

Just as I thought life was getting back to "normal" things were slightly derailed. Once I have a chance to mentally regroup I'll go into more details. In the meantime enjoy this great guest post by Michael D. from Credit Card Forum. From past blog posts, I know Mr. and Mrs. NtJS aren’t exactly the biggest fans of credit cards to say the least. I actually run a credit card forum/blog myself,...

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Adventures in Buying and Selling a Car

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Buying and selling vehicles is not something new to us. We have done is several times however, this time around things have been very different. Quite the adventure really... It all started around March. After complaining (again) about not being able to give a neighbor's kid a ride home from school I saw a tv commercial for a Chevy Traverse. I will whole heartily admit that the GM marketing...

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We Are Alive.... Really We Are!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:32:00 +0000

I would like to start by apologizing to all our faithful readers out there. Thank you to all of you who have emailed or commented asking about our well-being. We truly appreciate the concern. The past few months have been crazy (almost insane) at our house. I'm really not sure were to start so what I'm going to do is just list out some of the crazy stuff with a few photos. Mammoth garage...

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Tragedy in the Chicken Coop

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Last night was not a good night for our poor chickens. We believe that a mink got into the coop. The two eggs that I had left in the nesting box were gone without a trace and one of our chickens was murdered. It is a sad day in our house. Even though we know that these chickens are animals and not "pets" we treat them with love and care. Of course the Mr. is out of town this week for work...

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You Can be Everything God Wants You to Be - Max Lucado

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:10:00 +0000

Have you ever wondering what you are supposed to be doing with your life? Do you feel like your current job is not satisfying? Still trying to figure out what to go to college for? Are you really called to be at home with your kids? Did you miss God's calling? If you answered yes to any of these questions you need to get this book! Max Lucado does a great job exploring God's word while...

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Spring Break Priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Maybe your family was like ours this spring break. We dreamed of taking the kids some place warm, fun and south. The reality is that our priorities dictate how we spend our money. Our big dreams will have to wait one more year. Instead we drove north about 5 hours to Boyne Mountain and spent several days having fun at the indoor water park, eating dinner at restaurants, and enjoying a great...

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FICO + Suze Orman = Higher Healthcare Bills?

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Here at the Not the Jet Set ranch, we're big fans of The Biggest Loser. Besides being downright entertaining, it's also a pretty positive show - one of the few on after 8pm that the kids could watch (though some of those gym scenes do get pretty heated!). I was excited to see that the Season 8 winner, Danny, was going to make a guest appearance on last Tuesday. Not so excited to see who was also...

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Help Reform FICO

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:56:00 +0000

We have made it no secret that we are not fans of the current FICO scoring process. But what do you do about it? How can you change the industry standard? Well ladies and gentlemen, this might be our one chance to make a difference. Here is my plan and how it came about. I live in Michigan and have been know to write letters via email to my elected officials. Even if I'm confident it will...

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Changing to a One Income Family

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Life is full of scary things. Even as an adult there are just somethings that seem scary. One of the biggest ones for me was taking the plunge to stay home full time with my kids. Just the thought brought so many scary ideas to my head. What if the Mr. lost his job? What if we can't live on less then half our current income? What if I want to go back to work but can't because I've been out...

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Quarterly 2010 Goals Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:32:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that the first quarter of the year just came to an end. Time flies at our house. We try hard to run out house like a well oiled corporation so along with setting annual goals and monthly budgets we also do reviews of each at the end of every month/quarter. How did we do with our goals during this quarter? Our 2010 goals are well on track! Here is how we are doing on our...

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The Art of Borrowing

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:33:00 +0000

My number one tip for keeping your house clutter free and saving money is not to buy stuff. I do understand that there are times when you need (or really want) something temporarily. That is when you call on your friends, neighbors and family. There is a right and a wrong way to borrow. If done right you will be able to continue to borrow from your friend. If done wrong you have not only lost...

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My Baptism Book

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:44:00 +0000

I'm excited to be my baby nephews Godmother. In just a couple weeks we will be so blessed to be able to take part in his baptism. I wanted to give him something special for the occasion but struggled about what to give him. I wanted something useful, not clutter. It also had to be related to his baptism in some way since that was what the gift was for. Then it happened. I received the...

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Who Are We Really?

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Can you really define the Mr. and I in just one or two words? This evening we were trying to figure out what word best describes our lifestyle. In the end we really were not sure what word describes us the best. So we are asking our loyal readers for help. Please tell us what you think. It's driving me nuts. What am I?!?!? Am I an environmentalist, a homesteader, thrifty, a minimalist or...

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Saving some Green this Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:34:00 +0000

In general Easter is not that expensive of a holiday but we always to try to keep expenses as low as we can. If you are looking for ideas for how to save money this Easter check out what will be gracing our girls' Easter baskets. Books- Each girl will have two books and one coloring book. They all cost between $1- $1.35 each. Homemade Dress- I made each girl a dress from vintage fabric that I...

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Lies the government told you by Judge Napolitano

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Did I just get your attention? We normally did not get into our political views on our blog but when I saw this title I know I could not pass up this book review opportunity. Lies the Government Told You by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano is jam packed with facts not personal opinion. He covers every political issue from guns and drugs to government bail outs. There is no issue that he doesn't...

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Shampooless Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:57:00 +0000

Over the past year I've been reading about other mom's trials and errors with going without shampoo. Now, I know that this might sound gross to some of you, but it really is not as bad as it might initially sound. What most people do is use either baking soda or apple cider vinegar instead of chemical filled shampoo. We have been using all natural shampoo for about 4 years so I'm not worried...

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Sharing Your Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:12:00 +0000

As a Catholic mom I feel like it is important for me to make sure my children understand their faith. Sending them to a Catholic school and having them attend Mass every weekend is not enough. They need to be learning everyday what it means to be a Catholic. To help accomplish this I was looking for just the right resource to help me with this learning process during the upcoming summer...

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Penny Pinching Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:07:00 +0000

There are lots of ways to save money and blow money. Clothing is probably the easiest way to blow money without even trying. However, it doesn't take a master's degree to save money on clothing either. Here are some of the ways that we save money on clothing at our house. Garage Sales- The bulk of our clothes comes from garage sales. There is nothing like buying almost brand new Hanna A....

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Sap to Syrup

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:07:00 +0000

We took the plunge this past weekend! Ever since we moved to Michigan we wanted to try tapping our maple trees and making our own syrup. Since it takes 40-50 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup it seemed a little daunting, well, along with the whole sugar shack or sugaring kettle thing. This year we decided to set our fears aside and give it a try. I have to admit that it was a...

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Eggs anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:07:00 +0000

This winter was our first winter having chickens. I was sure that our 4 laying hens would slow down the number of eggs they laid. Boy was I surprised! They didn't slow down at all. Unless it was below zero they were outside most of the day. They even got around in the snow really well. It was neat to see how well the chickens adjusted to the winter weather. The interesting thing they did...

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How To: Build Raised Garden Beds

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:53:00 +0000

The Mrs. loves to garden. Rating slightly above her garden is the delicious organic vegetables that come from it. So why was her garden such a source of stress in her life in past years? Let me count the ways: Weeds - This garden sat unused for 2 years before we bought the house. During that time, the weeds took over and it has been a battle ever since.Moles and other varmints - The sections...

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Stress-Proof Your Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:07:00 +0000

When I saw that the Catholic Company had a book called "Stress-Proof Your Marriage" and it was a 30-Minute Read my first thought was 'How can you go wrong?'. Thirty minutes of time and 61 pages later I knew I would not be out much if the book was a waste. Let me start by saying that I feel like I have a wonderful marriage. Like all marriages it has its ups and downs but we work hard to keep...

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Life at the Not the Jet Set House

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:35:00 +0000

If you were wondering, life at the NtJS house has been busy but good lately. We have decided to move the blog down on our priority list and we are glad we made that decision. It has been amazing how many projects we have been able to get done while spending more time with our kids then we did before. Yes, we are sticking to our 2010 goals! Here is how we are doing on our goals for 2010....

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Hot off the Presses! The Eco-nomical Baby Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:01:00 +0000

I love being one of the first people to read a book. It makes you feel so "in the know". It's even better when it's a great book like the one I just received from Joy and Rebecca over at the Green Baby Guide. Their new book called "The Eco-nomical Baby Guide" is being released at the beginning of March. I was one of the lucky ones who received an advanced copy to review. The book was packed...

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Bringing Peace to Your Home

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. (not) the Jet Set) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:34:00 +0000

I'm sure I'm not the only person who finds that a cluttered home creates stress. There is no peace for me or the Mister if our house is trashed. Even the kids get stressed. It's not easy to keep a house spotless all the time, but the less you have, the less there is to be left out, on the floor, to be stepped on. It's not easy to keep from adding to your home in our culture. We are taught...

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