A question I received recently was where do I store my stockpile.  The answer is…. everywhere!  Find space that isn’t being used and utilize it.  I do not have a garage or a basement, so storage is a problem at my house.

Here are some ideas:

• Get decorative boxes to use in your kitchen above the cabinets
• Organize under your bathroom counters and install shelves
• Put an extra shelf in your pantry or above your washing mashine
• Put risers on your bed to raise it allow for more storage underneath

Really anywhere that you can put an extra shelf, do it!

An odd place at my house where we store items is….. UNDER THE COUCH!  Yes, under the couch.  We have a couch that came from Ikea that we bought for a fraction of the price on craigslist.  It is a section and under each of the long parts, there is a drawer that slides out for storage!  I keep all our toiletries under here that we need often – deoderant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shoebox full of sample/trial size items.  No one even knows it’s there!

How about you?  What unique places have you found to store your stockpile?

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers!   I hope each and every one of you have a fantastic day!  Here in Georgia, it’s pouring down rain, but I’ve had a great day so far.  Opened presents with the kids, went to church, lunch with my husband during his break, and now back at home to let the kids play.  I plan on taking  the rest of the day off, but my assistant may post a little. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read my blog and Merry Christmas!

I got a couple emails today wondering about Meal Plan Monday and other normal blog posts.  And why the heck am I so behind?  The answer?  I’m losing my mind!  Okay, not quite, but we’re preparing for a cross country road trip, leaving at 3am Friday morning!  I’ve been scrambling to pack for 6 people, make sure we’ve got our house and pet sitter ready with instructions, moving everything back in from storage (house didn’t sell, so staying put right now), and everything else.

So the answer?  There is no meal plan!  Eating leftovers, stuff from our bountiful basket, and anything else that may go bad while we’re gone.  Although, I suppose I could leave some of that for our house sitter….

Anyways, we’re gearing up to spend 2 days in Hershey and Lancaster, PA.  Then on to Buffalo New York!  Any readers out that way?

Never fear though, I have a great assistant who is going to be doing some blogging for me and I’ll try to blog some as well when I’m not trapped in the van with 4 kids and a hubby.  Pray for my sanity on our adventure… and that I don’t freeze going from the warmth of the south (70s here today!) to the north.  I shiver just thinking about it.  I will be back in a week or 2 to defrost and then we’ll be back to business as usual.  Or not so usual since it will be crazy until after Christmas.  Nevertheless, I shall return!

Swagbucks has a new promotion!  If you complete a wish list, you’ll be entered to win $2,500 in Amazon giftcards!

Here’s how to enter:

Last year, we paid for our entire Christmas by using money earned online from survey sites.  I’m sure you’ve all seen the different ads where you can earn money by doing online surveys.  I was always very skeptical, but on a recommendation from a good friend, I got started.

Using surveys, you won’t “get rich quick”, but it will be a nice extra that builds slowly over time.  I do the surveys that I’m sent and then slowly, bit by bit, it ads up over the year into something that I can cash out for a great Christmas present.  Maybe of the survey sites allow you to redeem for Amazon giftcards, Paypal, Check, or other various giftcards.  I’m going to highlight a few of my favorite survey sites below.

Already, I have over $100 in our Christmas fund from just Opinion Outpost. Opinion Outpost pays cash for surveys that you complete.  The money adds up quickly and painlessly!  I can usually do the surveys during naptime or in the evening after I’ve put the kids to bed.  Some of the surveys even ask for my kids input!  There are many as well that offer in home product testing and that is always a blast!  We’ve tested things from baby wipes and diapers, to food products, toothpaste, dog treats, and more!

Here are some survey sites that I recommend joining.  You don’t have to join all of them, but the more you join, the more surveys you receive and the more cash adds up!

Opinion Outpost

SayNation

My Surveys

Surveys.com 

Valued Opinions

My View

Mindfield

Survey Savvy

I am also huge on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a fantastic program. You earn swagbucks from searches that you do using Swagbucks as a search engine. I’ve earned countless Amazon giftcards, iTunes Giftcards, Starbucks Giftcards, and more, with little effort! Then, I wait until Amazon has something fantastic on sale. You can earn more swagbucks, too, by referring your friends. When you refer someone, each swagbuck that they earn, you also earn, so your points will accumulate very fast!

When you save all year on your survey sites, buy giftcards with your swagbucks, and wait for great sales, you’ll find yourself being able to afford a lot more than you thought was possible. There’s still several months, so start today and see if you can afford a great Christmas without paying anything!