Personally, I think learning to be happy with what you've got and realizing that you can't always get what you want are better life lessons than getting whatever you want, whenever you want.

We only have Amazon Prime (mostly because we live in a rural area, and we figure that what it saves us in gas to go to the city makes it worth it), so we can watch some stuff using that, but we don't have cable or Netflix or anything else. I think that TV feeds the desire for "stuff", so we just don't have it, period. We have a basic cell phone plan that we split with my parents to save money. I like having long, straight hair, so I get a free haircut every few years by donating my hair; we do haircuts at home for DH and kids (boys). We rarely eat out, and we don't snack. However, I do splurge on some nicer ingredients--even buying higher-end cuts of meat, better cheeses, or premium ice cream is cheaper than eating out. We also plan special, at-home meals usually once a week and then for special occasions like birthdays; 4 courses with appetizer, salad, entree, dessert--and I plate everything nicely like in a restaurant. I am lucky to live near Lands End headquarters, and they have a great warehouse sale once a year, so most of our clothes are bought there (often 75% off clearance). I have boys, though, so they are probably less picky about clothes. My kids also wear a ton of hand-me-downs. We have a great library system, we check out a LOT of books, movies, and CDs. We make a special evening out of a movie and home-popped popcorn (so much cheaper and a lot tastier; you could also get soda if your family would consider it a treat). I pretty much only buy books at garage sales, thrift shops, and library sales. We don't buy really buy toys, either--only at thrift shops or garage sales if they are high-quality and well-priced. I also rotate my kids' toys, so it often seems like we have "new" toys. We have a wood-burning furnace, and we can heat our house for the winter with wood from trees that have fallen over (we have propane as a back-up). It's just the cost of my DH's labor to cut it and haul it to the furnace (and fill the furnace twice a day). That's probably not so much an option if you live in a city or suburb, though. One thing that I would spend money on is a museum membership. We were given one for Christmas, but I'd definitely get it again. Ours is for a museum in the ASTC (an association of science and technology museums). We recently took a day trip about two hours away and went to two museums--the total cost of just yesterday's outing was more than the cost of the membership. The membership rates do vary by museum, and there are restrictions on going to other museums within 90 miles of where you live, so you might need to do some research. Anyway, my kids considered it a huge treat, but the cost was not bad, considering that we have the membership for a year (we just paid for parking). If you DH isn't on board, though, that makes it a lot harder. Maybe you need to get him to focus on the benefits of saving money. Some people need to see how a weekly splurge at the convenience store or drive-through really adds up over the course of a year or several years. Or allot a certain amount each month for this type of stuff--when it's spent, it's gone for the month (but again your DH will have to agree to abide by this). When my kids ask why we aren't going to eat out (when we're running errands), I just say "well, that's a sometimes thing, and today I already have xyz ready for lunch."

meatloaf, lettuce wraps, hamburgers ...

I've had my Ektorp for over a decade, and it's still in great shape. Even though it's easy to change the slipcovers, I haven't had to replace the original ones I bought yet.

I pretty much avoid Amish products for this reason. My neighbor has had some local Amish do carpentry work on his house; he was appalled at the pesticides they were using ... like the one on strawberries that isn't even recommended for lawns. Maybe it's more my local area, but no thanks!

My fallback for things like kohlrabi, turnips, parsnips (esp. if I have an odd amount):thinly slice, saute in butter until softened, add some flour and cook for a minute or two (so that flour is no longer raw), add a splash of cream and heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

It's been 6-7 years since I went to Venice, but I liked the "Hidden Venice" guide. It lists suggestions from writers, scholars, artists, etc.; they range from favorite restaurants/shops to favorite walks. My favorite gem was an alleyway that ended at the water--perfect place to eat lunch and relax with a book.

I make chips by spraying a tiny bit of oil (using one of those oil mister bottles) onto corn tortillas (cut into triangles). Then I just bake until crisp. I think that it's healthier than even buying baked chips. The only downside is that they don't keep very well with so little oil.

I often get asked what DC want for Christmas birthdays. IF ASKED, I'd say, "DD's been saving up for a Kindle Fire, so she'd appreciate any help with that." or something along those lines. My parents and I are very close, so I'd be okay saying "If anyone asks you if you know what DD would like, you can tell them she's trying to save up for a Kindle." But I probably wouldn't come out and say it to anyone else.

Probably too late, but I like these spinach-ricotta bites: http://weelicious.com/2010/07/29/spinach-ricotta-bites/

I have a huge snake phobia, too, and I'm amazed you got through the semester without a nervous breakdown. What a nightmare!

tomatoes--diced, whole, crushed, Rotel for salsa (I prefer tomato paste from a tube) beans (but trying to be better at planning ahead and using dried) corn (DH doesn't like frozen, for whatever reason) tuna--but we don't eat much of it pumpkin/squash coconut milk (rarely) evaporated milk (like coconut milk, once in a long while)

I don't know how Craigslist is in your area, but here there are a lot of good deals on all things cloth-diaper-related (along with a few where you go :confused1: when you see the prices they want).

I hope that you get good news soon!

My mom used to be an avid "couponer"--to her, it was a hobby. She got satisfaction out of getting the best possible deal, and it was a game to remember what coupons she had, when they expired, what was on sale in each store that week, etc. She still fondly remembers the days (back in the early 80s, probably) when you got cash back if your coupon exceeded the price of the item (like if you had a 50 cent coupon for something that was on sale for 45 cents, you'd actually get 5 cents, plus the item), and when all coupons were doubled (rather than only up to 50 cents) or even tripled on certain days. We had some family in our area, none of whom used coupons, so they always saved them from the Sunday paper for her. She also worked in a hospital, and Sunday was one of her work days, so extra coupons there, too. She pretty much never paid for packaged things--paper products, cleaners, shampoo, soap, etc. We ate very few processed foods, but she would get the stuff if it was free and give it to anyone who wanted it (family and friends often "shopped" at our house). Back in the day, she could get a free turkey for every x amount she spent, and that was calcualated from the subtotal before subtracting coupons, so she got A LOT of turkeys. Some of the stores started limited how many of each coupon could be used each time through the register, so she'd just go through the check-out twice (or more!). When I was in grad school, I kept one of her receipts on my fridge as a conversation piece; it was a super-long one, and you can see that she paid less than $8 for $90 worth of groceries. But now she doesn't find it worth it anymore, since fewer coupons can be doubled, and there are limits to how many of each coupon can be used (tracked through the store's discount card). Plus the coupons expire a lot sooner now than they used to.

When they're young, I just go for cheap stuff. We have some "pre-writing" workbooks where they can trace shapes, lines, and the like. I found mine at a thrift shop, but I think that you can easily find this sort of thing at a regular bookstore or even Target/Walmart.

I'll eat Thin Mints if they're offered to me, but I refuse to buy the cookies--overpriced and really not that great. There are better ways to spend calories, IMHO.

I'm in agreement with the majority here--I'd be nervous to have so much of the paycheck tied to the house. There's always the possibility of unexpected expenses--repairs, illness, etc. And I'd be worried that something might happen to my spouse's job, no matter how secure the job was right now. I'm not sure a dream house is worth so much worry.

There have been a few Trader Joe's threads, if you search the forum. At Whole Foods, I really like their unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

I don't sneak in foods, either.* My response is something like, "You'll probably like it when you're older. But it's great that you gave it a try because you'll never know if you might end up liking something." I found that they best way to get my kids to eat veggies was to serve it before the meal--we either have a salad course or an "appetizer" (like raw carrots w/ hummus or a mix of roasted vegetables). It's such an ingrained part of how we eat meals that my kids don't question finishing that course before we move onto the entree (which usually has vegetables, too, but I'm more lax about how much they eat, if I know they've already had salad or some other vegetable before that). I wouldn't expect that the first, oh, two (or three!) dozen times, but I found that over time it just became a natural part of our routine. I usually have at least one vegetable that they already like and then expect at least two bites of something they dislike or is new to them. *I guess I have one exception. I make tons of ratatouille in the summer, and I puree and freeze whatever I don't eat. I think it adds an extra depth to tomato sauce, and it doesn't hurt that it adds more veggies to the sauce. But this is a case where I think it improves the flavor, rather than needing to be masked by the tomatoes. But I guess it is sneaky in the sense that I don't advertise it to my family!

I often end up buying books if I've checked them out more than three times. But it's because of the library that I gave these books a try in the first place, so I'd hardly say that libraries are "robbing" bookstores and authors. I live in the country, and the nearest town's library is small (they have plans to build a huge one in the next few years ... hooray!), but I can get books from any library in the region (which includes the city about 45 minutes away). Our "local" library extended its Saturday hours last year due to demand, and other libraries I've been to in the system have newer facilities and always have a good number of people in them (and I usually go at more off hours). It really does seem to depend on the area. The previous area where I lived had a really subpar public library system, so I mainly stuck to my university library privileges, since I was a grad student at the time.

:grouphug: :grouphug: I'm so sorry that you and your family are going through this.

For food, if you want something between grocery store and restaurant, I recommend deli-type places. Here's a nice list for Rome: http://www.guardian....best-delis-rome (I am personally partial to Volpetti) Yes, it is expensive, but you could easily spend more on a ho-hum tourist-trap restaurant. I am lucky to have family in Rome, so I fended for myself at lunch and had delicious, homecooked Italian meals for dinner. I pretty much ate cheese, salami, and bread OR pizza every day for lunch (along with cold, sauteed zucchini that my aunt kindly made vats of after I raved about it so much). Not many restaurant recommendations from me, unfortunately. But if you want to venture out for some non-touristy pizza and gelato, I have two recommendations near Gianicolo/Trastevere: Pizzeria da Simone: http://www.tripadvis...Rome_Lazio.html Gelateria Miami Beach: http://www.gelateriamiami.com/ (awful name, I know, but really excellent and reasonably-priced gelato--so much better than Giolitti, which the guidebooks all seem to rave about. My aunt used to live upstairs in the building next door, so I ate a LOT of gelato from there. Trust me when I say I've tried a lot of gelato in Rome.) Both are mostly frequented by locals and students at the nearby American University of Rome. They are near each other but probably a bit of a hike from the more touristy areas. Besides the big ones like the Vatican Museum and the major churches, I'd recommend making a reservation at Galleria Borghese and making a trip to Tivoli if you like gardens--you can visit Hadrian's villa and Villa d'Este, which is spectacular.

Same opinion here--we've never had to do more than primer+2 coats of paint, and we have several rooms with dark colors. The one exception was a room that we painted a deep red (I lost count of how many coats it took to get that one right). We've only used Benjamin Moore, though.

Hey, was your Amazon searching inspired by this article? http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/For-40-Years-This-Russian-Family-Was-Cut-Off-From-Human-Contact-Unaware-of-World-War-II-188843001.html I found it utterly fascinating!