I mentioned that I use a magnet to cover the vent in my basement, which makes the basement chilly but ideal for storing extra food. When I started blogging in 2006, I was reading mostly personal finance blogs and wanted to be more of a stockpile grocery shopper. However, I lived in a 333 square foot studio apartment where storage space was a premium and I knew I would be moving within a year. Instead, I used coupons and shopped as frugally as I could and said one day I will live in a space where I can have a stockpile.

That day has come. I now have shelves in the basement where I can store extra paper goods (sometimes given to me by my gramma who loves to find a bargain) and dry goods. I am storing the ingredients for several make-ahead meals I like. The good thing is the basement is on the same level as my garage so I can pull into the garage and if my groceries are packed correctly, can leave all but frozen foods in the basement. Then, come back and sort between stockpile and kitchen. Less lugging items up and down the stairs!

The point of this photo is the 5, which is a magnet from pizza shop I found on my walk and kept thinking I would do a craft project. Instead, it was the right width to cover the heat vent, which is the first one off the furnace. By shutting the lever and covering it air is forced past the opening up to the first floor vents, which is the main living space of my house.

My second floor is a finished attic space with old windows. After putting plastic on the windows, I decided to hang one thermal curtain. It helps, although when it is 15 degrees out it is hard to feel a big difference. At the stairway going upstairs there had once been a door, but it was probably removed because when open, it would create an awkwardness in the hallway where the bathroom, bedroom and linen closet doors meet. To help, keep heat from rising through that stairway, I used a tension rod and panel to serve as door. It seems to be working well with no draft of cold air in the hall or vacuum of warm air being pulled up the stairs.

The final steps of my garage makeover include painting that back wall and replacing the heavy, wood garage door with an aluminum door, which should be lighter in weight, but more importantly but insulated and hopefully an automatic opener. Even though it is not complete (I need to get rid of the previous owners’ stuff), I think it is a vast improvement. You can see the before photos on my flickr account, by clicking the above photo. Also, check out my basement paint improvement.

I will not apologize for liking my network on Twitter or a possibly new obsession of Foursquare. This week alone on Twitter, I tried to win tickets to the Cinci Beerfest and Aronoff’s Spring Awakening and am aware that two local blogs are giving away copies of the book, The Spark. I won Martha Stewart’s Craft Encyclopedia through Twitter and have met a host of new people. I scan Twitter for coupons, deals and freebies. I find myself enjoying friends’ Facebook updates, but checking fan pages of the businesses I am following to see if they are offering coupons or promotions. But it is not all about me gaining, if I see something noteworthy, I share even with those who tease me about being on Twitter.

In a stand mixer combine:
1 pound of sage sausage
8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups of Bisquick

Roll into 1 inch balls.
Cook at 350* for 15 minutes.

This year, I have been able to celebrate paying off my student loan and car loan and then buy a house! Despite cataract surgery (mom), knee replacement (dad), carpal tunnel surgeries (gramma and sister) and pinched nerve (me), I’m thankful everyone is in good health and has health insurance. I am thankful for my coworkers for making the workplace fun and for all the new and neat friends I have met through social media.

May your holiday be filled with warmth, great food and goodness! Happy Thanksgiving!

Since buying a house, I’ve been figuring out what I want and can afford to improve right now. One area that needed attention before buying a washer and dryer was the basement. It was never a creepy with snakes and rodents basement, but it is where I will do laundry so I wanted it to be as bright and pleasant as possible. Also, because I have allergies, I wanted to reduce the amount of concrete floor dust available to be picked up by the furnace and blown throughout the house.

The previous owners left tile, but there was not enough to cover the whole floor so I decided with my dad’s help to powerwash the walls and floor and repaint the walls and paint the floor. My parents had an extra 5-gallon bucket of eggshell paint, which I used on the walls and then I bought white paint, made for concrete basement floors.

I have worked on this project over a couple weekends because everything had to be powerwashed and dried, holes in the walls were patched with concrete, after that I sealed the holes and cracks, painted the walls and finally painted the floor, which needed two coats.

Next up, is the single car garage which is adjanct to the basement. It has green walls and a concrete floor. I plan to use the same eggshell wall paint and a white epoxy paint for the floor.

Then, I hope not to clutter either area with too much junk!

The book is certainly worth checking out from the library, but I am still undecided if I will buy it for my mom. I might have her flip through it and see if she swoons.