Well, we experienced our first snowstorm. It actually only amounted to about 6 inches of snow, but the temperatures were COLD! We spent all day inside on Saturday except a brief excursion to play in the snow for a bit. I was a little surprised that my kiddos didn't want to get out there immediately after waking, but I think they had an inkling about how cold it was going to be. It snowed all day and finally let up at about 8pm.
We woke up on Sunday to find that the temperature had dropped to -10 degrees F. I was starting to get a little worried that we would run out of milk; I had originally planned to go shopping on Saturday, but the snowstorm thwarted that plan. So we went on Sunday instead...all the way to Minot (2 hours away). This is the closest city with a Target. It actually is what I would call a "normal-sized" city: they have both a Walmart and a Target, a small mall, two McDonalds...I even saw a Buffalo Wild Wings! This is most likely due to the fact that there is an Air Force base there and a stable and large population that can support those stores. (There is a big joke in the Air Force when Minot comes up as a possible option for a next assignment: "Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason!")
Shopping is interesting. There are two small grocery stores here in town, but some of the prices are pretty high to make up for the cost of transporting the groceries into town. In a pinch I can shop there. If there is a deal that coincides with coupons I might go get just those items. But since I am coming from an area with lots of stores to choose from and lots of great coupons, it is really hard to just pay full price.
As a result I have been planning out two weeks of meals and very strategically shopping for only those items we need to make the meals. I only have a little bit of storage. I have been trying to utilize my crockpot (stews and soups sound much better in 20 degrees than in 80 degrees) and getting a couple prepared meals (frozen lasagna, chicken nuggets and fries) just in case I don't feel like cooking much. Spaghetti, chicken and dumplings (in the crockpot), and Cowboy casserole are a couple of the meals this week. I have been relying on frozen vegetables for side dishes so that I don't have to worry about them going bad before I get to use them.
I also have not finished my Christmas shopping. I hadn't even had a chance to get started until recently since we had to get packed up and then spent Thanksgiving week traveling here (where there are very few stores). As a result, most of my shopping has been done online. I prefer to shop this way anyhow. Target was crazy this weekend and they didn't have the things I wanted! Online shopping lets me comparison shop at my own pace and without having to bundle up or wait in line for an hour. As horrible as this sounds, people are just too crabby and pushy this time of year and it is not fun.
There are some great ways to shop online and get cash back or save money. I get emails every day that offer free shipping or new discounts for the holidays. I also use Ebates.com; they give you cash back if you start with their website first. I should get some money back in January!
I am crossing my fingers that I can get it all done soon - we are coming up on the regular shipping deadlines for most online shopping, so I will be out of luck if I don't!
--Katie
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