Category: ramblings

The delays will affect families claiming the earned income tax credit and the additional child tax credit. These tax breaks are geared to benefit the working poor, and many families claim both.”

If you have a Netflix account you might want to take some precautions. Hackers could take over your account after a data breach at another company! For more information and how to keep yourself safe click here!

I finally took the plunge, and will be moving  my blog Thrifty Momma Ramblings to WordPress this week. I am so excited and nervous about the move. It will take me a few days to have the blog designed the way I like it. You might see the blog design change a bit this week into week. I am having it professionally moved as it’s a big undertaking. I just do not know enough about coding and such to move the blog myself without screwing something up and stressing myself out. I found a wonderful service that will do it for me plus set it all up for me for a very low price.

Once the move is complete, then I will let everyone in on the great service I found. I will be very busy for the next few days, and my next post will be on my brand new shiny site! I just wanted to update you guys as I’m not leaving, but just moving to make the blog better than ever. I have a great giveaway scheduled for the end of the week that you won’t want to miss.

I now realize today is Friday 13th, but I went pretty much all day without even realizing it. See how superstitious I am. I wanted to do a little bit of rambling today, and even pose a question to my fellow bloggers. First for the question to other bloggers. Do you write posts in advance for your blog and schedule them? I am thinking this is something I should start doing since my classes start again on Thursday the 19th.

Today I had graduation day at my university. Basically I got to meet with my adviser, and then have my graduation application signed with several signatures. I wasn’t interested in spending money on invitations, a ring, or even professional pictures. I will not send out invitations, but I am throwing a graduation party afterwards. I will invite everyone by phone and through Facebook. Yes I am so original. I am getting an Associate’s Degree so I can’t actually buy an official ring which I would never wear so why waste the money. I am leaning towards buying the cap and gown which will cost $50, but I can use them again when I graduate with my BA in two more years.

I forgot to mention last week I found our Christmas tree for next year on clearance at Wal-Mart. It was a $100 tree marked down to $22 so I paid $23 with tax! I was thrilled when I saw it so cheap. It’s a 7.5′ Douglas Fir which is a foot bigger than the tree we had. I donated that one today along with some old decorations. I can’t wait for next year to use our new tree. It will be here before we know it. I also bought our blue and silver decorations for next year at different stores. I paid around $100 which included a tree skirt, stockings, wreath, and decorations plus bags and such. I love those wonderful after Christmas sales especially when it’s marked 75% or more. The pickings are slimmer but the savings are fantastic.

My son received his report card on Tuesday and he made Honor Roll! I am so excited as he was having a little trouble the first part of the grading period. I am looking at him fast asleep on the couch. Kids have this wonderful innocence about them especially when they are sleeping. I am going to stop rambling for tonight. I do have some good posts lined up for next week. I just need to get some pictures taken for one post, and I need to get some more information lined up for the next one. This weekend I will be a busy bee writing and visiting family and friends. I have to watch the Saints beat the 49ers tomorrow night!

On this New Year’s Eve, I would like to share my resolutions and goals for Thrifty Momma Ramblings in 2012.

1. Post regularly. I realize I haven’t contributed regularly for the last two years, but I have explained why as my life was so chaotic with Robbie and the anxiety I was battling. I have posted at least 2-3 articles each week since October of 2011. I plan to post at least 2-3 each for 2012. I might even post 4 some weeks but I promise to always post a minimum of 2 each week.

2. Host more giveaways. I plan to host at least one giveaway each month. I hope I can expand by having giveaways from other companies with great products and prizes.

3. Redesign Thrifty Momma Ramblings. I am hoping to have this accomplished by March of 2012. I am still not sure if I will move this blog to another server, but I want to give this blog a face lift. As much as I enjoy the fancy templates, I find they take much longer to load for people on slower servers. I think I will keep it simple but a custom design to help this blog stand out from the crowd.

4. Write guest articles for other blogs. I would love to write guest articles for other blogs. I would also like to feature more guest articles about frugal living, green living, gardening, diy projects, recipes, crafts, or just saving money in general. If you are interested in writing an article for this blog, then please contact me which can be found at the top of the page. I have a PR2 blog. I can’t afford to pay for guest articles, but I will gladly link back to your site with a short write-up for your blog. If you are interested in a guest post written by me, then please contact me.

5. Write articles to be published nationally. Along the same lines, I really want to work on writing articles for magazines and well known publications. I am trying to make a career as a writer. I love to research and share my experiences so it seems like a perfect fit for me. I hope to continue working on my BA after I graduate in May with my AS degree in General Studies. I will minor in English, Film Studies, and Web Graphics. I can apply this to what I’m already doing. I have some plans to submit thrifty tips, and my stories of battling anxiety and losing over 100 pounds to women’s magazines. I am also working on writing a book which shares my struggles of losing a baby to SMA, the major anxiety and depression I battled, and fighting so hard for my oldest son who has PDD-NOS, SPD, and Anxiety. You can read more about those struggles on Robbie’s Corner.

6. More marketing for Thrifty Momma Ramblings. Writing articles are great, but I need to really get more social. I would love any suggestions on any social networks that anyone uses and loves. I am looking into Blog Frog.

7. Raise my stats. I want at least a PR 3 blog before the end of 2012. I also would like to see 10,000 monthly visitors and 20,000 monthly page hits. I am already at 4K monthly visitors and 5K page hits. I think I can easily double this before the end of next year. I would really like to have 1K daily visitors but I want to baby step it. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse so I will take it one day at a time. I am planning to put out good quality back links to higher ranking blogs.

8. Publish Thrifty Momma Ramblings on Kindle. This one is pretty straight forward.

These resolutions are the main goals for my blog next year. These are some pretty lofty goals with the articles in national magazines and publications. I have already done things this year I never thought would materialize. I went back to college after 16 years and will graduate in May 2012! If I can accomplish a goal I talked about doing for the last 10-12 years, then I know I can accomplish writing or anything I set my mind on doing. I will discuss this more on The Cajun Blogger, but finishing my first semester with a 4.0 has really boosted my self-esteem. I have also found myself so to speak. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading and writing. Being back in college turned my brain back on. I am a mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, and so on. I am more than those labels. I am Bonnie who has something to offer this world. My writing has given me a voice I forgot I had. It sounds a little cliche, but being on the other side nothing is impossible. Happy New Year from Thrifty Momma Ramblings and 2012 will be a great year!