Recently in Kids & Teens Category

I know that I've posted quite a few times about taking a vacation, and one of the places that I am always talking about going for a vacation, is wanting to be able to afford to go and rent one of those really gorgeous Outer Banks vacation rentals in North Carolina.
Carolina Designs has one of the most awesome, most amazing looking rental homes for just such a vacation.
I mean, just look at the outside of the house, this big, beautiful house right on the Outer Banks.


The house is called SEAHAWK, and it's just yards away from the beach.












It has five bedrooms, and two of them are master bedrooms.
It also has a private pool and a hot tub.
There are 10 tv sets in the house and three VCR's, two DVD players, and a video library so there's always something to watch.
It has a stereo and a game room with a sports bar and a pool table.
It also has an Xbox for you and your kid's video gaming needs, a wet bar and a gas grill, and tons of parking spaces for you and all of your guests.
(If you choose to bring people with you. *wink wink*)

Here is a view of the private pool and the living room.




























Here is another view of the living room, one of the master bedrooms, and the room with the pool table.









































This home is just so beautiful, isn't it?
This is the exact kind of vacation rental home that I would want to stay in.
I hate camping, and hotels and motels are OK for short stays, but if I could truly afford to go on a really nice vacation for two weeks or more somewhere in the US, I would totally go for this exact place, or this exact kind of place, and definitely in the Outer Banks.

I have been hearing for years and years now, about just how awesome and gorgeous it is in the Outer Banks, about how beautiful and peaceful it is there, and that's exactly the kind of vacation that I want to go on.
Somewhere truly beautiful, and somewhere truly peaceful.
This house, the SEAHAWK, just looks so beautiful and so peaceful.
It's nice and big, clean looking, it looks really comfortable, "homey looking", and it has some incredible views of the area that even just looking through the pictures, it makes you want to go there because of how beautiful and peaceful looking it is.

This house is available to rent year round, and of course during "season", it's going to cost more to rent, but the weekly rental rates aren't that bad actually.
I've spent more than the weekly rental cost on airfare to fly the three of us back to Maine for 2 weeks, so it's really not that bad at all.
I don't know why, but I always thought that I couldn't afford to take a vacation to the Outer Banks, but looking at just this home and the rates, it is something that is totally do-able for me to do some one of these days.
Yeah, it's always nice to fly home and visit with family, but I really want to take a vacation some day that is just away from it all, away from everything, just go to a place that I want to go, no stress, no mess, just go and stay in a big, beautiful home, sleep in as late as I want, stay up as late as I want, go for long walks on the beach whenever I would want to, and just relax, just really get away from it all, and leave all of my stress and troubles at home for a week.

I really love this house, I would totally love to stay there for a week someday, just me and the teens taking a relaxing vacation for just one week in a gorgeous home like this.
Some one of these days, I will.
I really will. 

I've totally used eBillme before, and it was a super easy process, but it's even better when they offer deals and special offers like onecall coupons to one of their partner shops like OneCall.
They have a TON of electronics at insanely low prices, and now with coupons to use, AND eBillMe, it's easier and easier to find and get what you need at super low prices.

I have Christmas coming up soon for the teens, they don't want silly action figures anymore, they want stuff, gadgets, more video games, I need a new home cordless phone, so I may just be buying a lot of my Christmas wish list shopping items through them, and paying the super easy way with eBillMe.
Yu can't over-spend on another credit card, you can only spend what you have, and eBillMe protects your vital information from having to be typed in and possibly stolen by hackers.
It's definitely a much more secure way to pay, and with all of their deals at TONS of retailers, you're sure to find everything that you need for less money, and let's face it, in this economy, we all need to save as much as we can, and knowing that our private banking info stays private, you can't beat that.
I've now shopped with about a dozen times or more, and it's been a totally smooth transaction every single time, no glitches no goofs, and the best prices.

I've already begun looking for the stuff the teens want. 

I got Sebastian almost every single thing that he needs for back to school this year.
He has all of his actual school supplies, I shop for those year round when stores have stuff on sale.
Like about seven or eight months ago, Walgreen's was having a massive sale on school and office supplies, and so I got him I got 10 folders, 10 wire-bound notebooks, a trapper keeper, 2 packs black pens, 2 pack blue pens, 4 packs of pencils, 2 packs loose leaf paper, white-out, stapler and staples, and a calculator for just $29.00.

While we were in Maine, I went to an outlet store and got him 3 pairs of rocawear jeans, 4 cargo shorts, and 10 t-shirts, all for just $41.00.
All I have left to get him now is his sneakers, that's what's going to set me back the most, I know that those are going to be expensive, so I will probably spend all totaled on his back to school needs with the sneakers included, about $120.00-$150.00.
That's not too bad in my opinion.
I try to buy things all year round so that I'm not rushing around come the last week or two before school starts trying to get him everything that he needs to start school with.
It works out really well if I do it that way, buy items on sale all throughout the year, and then just put them away until school starts the following year.

I really need to get my own wholesale club membership going because I cannot constantly rely on other people to get me to the place to do my shopping.
I need to start saving even more money, and buying things in bulk and getting discounts, being able to use coupons, and get really good deals, is what I need to start doing more of if I'm going to be able to continue surviving in this economy.

I don't have a lot of money to start with, so going shopping for food for the teens, for my family, is getting tougher and tougher these days.
I had my friend pick up a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk for me today, and it cost me $5.89.
That's crazy!
A loaf of bread used to be just $1.29, today, that same loaf of bread cost me $1.90.
If prices keep increasing like this, we'll have to start getting even more creative with how I do the shopping

I got an email about getting a good deal on a Branson vacation package.
Branson?
As in Branson Missouri?

I am not so sure that me and my family would enjoy ourselves there, it is like a country music place, and uh, we are so definitely not into country music.
They say they have stuff for everyone though.
Roller coasters, live music, boating, magic shows, musicals, comedy acts, etc, but I still don't know if it's "our kind of thing".
I guess it's something that I would consider if like part or all of the trip was something I won, you know?
Like if I won a trip, I would definitely go, but I don't know if it's something that I would pay for because I am so not into that whole country music scene.

Anyone ever been there?
Was it any fun?
If you don't like country music, like how many days would it take before you wanted to stab yourself in the ears?

I've spoken about my friend Mindy here many, many times, about how her and her family are just really great people, any time that I've needed help, a ride, or to be taken to the hospital, there they are, ready and willing to help me.
Well now Mindy and her family need my help, your help, our help.
Her post explains in detail what is happening, but if they don't get some help, Mindy and her family, husband, son Jeff, and daughter Katie, they will be homeless.

Things have not been good recently around here. Chris and I just recently found out that our landlords must sell the house that we have been renting since October of 2008. It wouldn't be such a big deal because normally tenants are allowed to stay until the house does sell. Not in this case. They have asked us to leave by the end of this month. They are in the midst of a foreclosure and are wanting to sell asap and the easiest way to do that is get rid of the occupants so that it will be a smoother transaction for all parties involved. Except of course, US.

We may have first months rent but nothing more. We have been looking and most renters now are required to pay security deposit, first and last months rent up front. That is a lot of money to come up with in just a few weeks. A goal that we will not be able to make on our own. Our parents are all retired. They receive their social security and are budgeted to that alone. They are willing to help as much as they can but the reality is, it will not be enough. My biggest fear is that if we do not come up with enough funds that we need, we will be homeless.

Mindy and her family need our help, whatever you can spare, even if it's just $1, they need our help to come up with a security deposit, first, and last.
Mindy has always been there for me, they never ask anyone for help, they are always the ones helping others, but this time, they really need help.
If you can help, please, please, please, go to Mindy's blog and click on the PayPal donate button and give whatever you can.
And please, spread the word, link to her post on your blogs, Twitter, Facebook, wherever.
Mindy and her family need our help, I am begging for help for them.
They are really great people, so kind, loving, and generous, always helping everyone else.

That is the question both of my sons ask me, why do people constantly bug them to get their drivers licensee?
Neither of them want to get their license, because getting a license doesn't actually make things easier.
We can't afford to buy a car, we can't afford to get insurance quotes and actually pay for insurance, we can't afford to put gas in the car, we just can't afford a car and all that goes with it, so why bother getting a license?
I can totally see the teens point, they make great points, but people still pester them to get their license even though we cannot afford to get a car and all that goes with it.