Our whole family loves to play one called Cover Your Assets. You can buy it on Amazon. :001_smile:

The used car my son is driving came from a state surplus auction. Basically the state, city, county vehicles that are being replaced will go up on an auction site that's run by one of the state universities. My husband thinks that the car we bought... a Ford Escape... was probably driven around by a building inspector, so not hard use. We got a huge file of all the maintenance records, and it was very thoroughly maintained. We paid $2,000 for it, and then bought two new tires and a new battery. So far so good! Maybe do some googling and try to find out how your state deals with their surplus vehicles?

I don't have any advice, but I did want to commiserate a bit. My eighteen year old son has no interest in college. He also has no interest in being parented (lol), so he has already moved out on his own. Today he started his brand-new job as an entry-level machinist. He will be welding, grinding metal, learning to drive a fork-lift, and probably lots of grunt work. He doesn't enjoy academics and really wants to work with his hands. And you know what? I'm proud of him. I'm sure lots of people would.... like you said.... view this as a "loser path." But why? He's doing good, honest work. He's trying to learn new skills. And he'll be making enough money to support himself and his girlfriend in a very modest style while she goes to community college. If he changes his mind in the future it's never too late to pick a different path, but at least he had the guts to give this one a shot. I hope your son finds a path that he loves.... college or not. And I hope that nobody makes him feel like a loser for trying something he enjoys. Hang in there, mama. :grouphug:

I definitely have problems with nightshades. I can eat a small amount, but if I eat too many all of my joints become stiff and painful. Starts with pain in my hips when I'm trying to sleep, and eventually moves into my elbows, spine and hands. Removing them from my diet makes the stiffness go away in just a day or two. I've repeated the cycle so many times that there's no doubt in my mind that nightshades are the problem. (And yes, I'm a slow learner. A slow learner with a weakness for spaghetti sauce and potato chips!)

A movie I absolutely adore which doesn't get mentioned very often is Joe vs The Volcano. It stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and is just so quirky and fun. :001_smile:

We bought one 3 years ago and it has some sort of problem with the brakes. By about 12,000 miles the brakes were worn down to nothing. We had paid for the extended warranty (stupid), but of course the service department denied there was any problem. Said it must just be the way I drove. :cursing: I'd like to get rid of it, but dh wants to keep it and just figure new brakes every year or two as part of the maintenance costs. Lovely. Other than that it's a fine car, I suppose.

This little blooper really sums up trying to work at home with young kids. And his poor wife! Ahhh... I laughed so hard! :lol: :lol: :lol: Aaaannnndddd.... a link to the blooper would help! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5A1wg5FA-g

We put 4 of these along the back wall of our kitchen eating area. They are unfinished, so you have to paint or stain them.... I painted mine white. We've been very happy with them. http://www.homedepot.com/p/24x84x18-in-Pantry-Cabinet-in-Unfinished-Oak-UCDR2484OHD/205977955

My teenagers always want cash, and I hate to give cash unless I can think of a funny way to hand it over! My most successful effort was the year that I bought 250 super balls from Amazon and a package of those little plastic gumball machine capsules. I painted the capsules (maybe a dozen?) in super ball colors, and put assorted bills inside. Then I put all of it inside a big square plastic bottle. You could only dump the balls/capsules out one at a time.... which took a while.... and then you had to sort through all the balls to find the capsules.... which also took a while. Anyway, my teenager thought it was pretty fun, plus he was left with 250 super balls which is pretty awesome! :lol: These are the balls I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Rhode-Island-Novelty-Discontinued-manufacturer/dp/B000N2VR48/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482081524&sr=8-3&keywords=super+balls Anyway.... maybe this sounds nuts. I'm a bit of a nutty gift giver. :001_smile:

Our family loves the card game called Cover Your Assets. Fast moving and easy to learn. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Becks-Cover-Your-Assets/dp/B0077Q0NP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481869424&sr=8-1&keywords=assets+card+game

Just for something fun, I think these are really cute: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=animal+poppers Even better if you get two, so he and dad can have a popper war! :thumbup: (I have the pig and the bigfoot one is already under the tree for dh!)

I was going to suggest one of those heated throws, like an electric blanket. Mine goes nuts for that. Or a small sheepskin. I had to move mine off the couch because the cats were obsessed with it. If you decide to go the catnip route, you can make a tea with catnip and then dab it on the fabric and let it dry. The smell will stay behind. That's how we got our cats to love their cat tower/scratching post.... just dabbed catnip tea all over it!

We have had a huge amount of success with Omega-3s. We use these because they are small and easy to take, and because they seemed to be the right dosage for a teen: https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Omega-3-Mini-Softgels/dp/B003EX82DW/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480972262&sr=8-1&keywords=omega%2B3%2Bmini%2Bgels&th=1

Here are a couple of ideas I thought were cute.... Fabric headbands: http://www.happytogetherbyjess.com/double-sided-fabric-headband-pattern/ Furry animal hoods: (Don't know if this is "too young", but they are sooo cute!) http://lemonsqueezyhome.com/2014/11/faux-fur-hood-tutorial-free-pattern-in.html

If you have an Old Navy you might try there. My son (17) is pretty concerned about his "style" and he loves almost everything that Old Navy is carrying this year. As a bonus, I think they're doing 50% off the whole store on Black Friday. (And they have some great flannels!)

I love these little limited edition Swiss army knives. Some of the designs are quite feminine: https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en_US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Small-Pocket-Knives/Classic-Limited-Edition-2016/p/0.6223.L1610 (You can find most of these on Amazon.)

There's a popular school of thought that Colin Kaepernick was likely to be cut in the near future due to his poor play. That he knew this, and therefore chose to do something controversial so that if he does get cut he can blame it on his "protest" and not his skills. I have no idea if there's anything to this idea or not, but the timing does seem really convenient.....??

This probably won't help you.... because I think you're talking about more of a Polartec lining?..... but I wanted to share that Threadless is having a big half-off sale this weekend and a bunch of their hoodies are marked down to $15. Some of the designs are so cute, and I found one to save for my son's Christmas. I wouldn't pay the original price ($49!), but $15 is awesome. :hurray: Link to the women's hoodies: https://www.threadless.com/catalog/type,girly/display,hero/style,hoodies

Old Navy has tall sizes. Online, at least... our store doesn't carry any. The selection is a bit hit or miss... the ones last fall/winter were funnier. :001_smile: They feel a bit lightweight, but the ones my husband got have held up well. Here's an example: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=85448&vid=2&pid=221952062

Have you looked at Duluth Trading Co? http://women.duluthtrading.com/store/womens/womens-shirts-womens-tops/womens-t-shirts/womens-t-shirts.aspx We have bought several things from there and they have all been super high quality.

Awww.... so much hate! :lol: I have a little sign above my couch that says: Marriage is like a deck of cards. In the beginning all you need is two hearts and a diamond. By the end you wish you had a club and a spade. :Angel_anim:

Sorry to say, I agree with the "Nowhere!" I got a pair of Beats headphones as a bonus with a laptop I bought. I gave them to my husband to use when his old Skullcandy ones died. He used them only when sitting in his recliner, and kept them carefully on the table by his chair when not in use. They lasted ONE month! After that, only one side had any sound. I was so mad.... thank heavens I didn't pay $$$ for them!

I bought two of these frames for my teens about 4 years ago. They are very sturdy, and I've been very happy with them so far. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GQ87NY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Oh, that's still very much the idea I try and guide my spending with! My problem was that I really wanted to do a complete no-spend year last year. Absolutely no personal purchases at all. And I failed that in the very first month. So then I got down on myself and started thinking "Why bother? If you can't complete the whole year then why bother?" So that's where my progress not perfection comes in. I should have been able to say "Okay, January wasn't a success, but I'll try again for February." So I'm really working on that this year. What I did do well last year was not buy craft supplies without a very specific goal. Not buy books/projects/kits that the kids "might like". Not buy any home decor except for a print from the local art fair. But because my spending wasn't zero I got down on myself. What can I say? I'm still a work in progress at 46 years old. Sorry that it was ironic. :o

Oh, I'm so excited! I would love to read your book! I always read your mindful spending thread as soon as I see it. I was supposed to participate last year, but I did so poorly with my spending goals that I was too embarrassed to write it all down! :o I think my problem is that I set goals for myself that are too lofty and strict. I need to learn to just be content with doing a little better each month. Progress, not perfection! So far this year I'm doing much better. I came in $100 under budget for groceries this month, which means I can save that money for my son's driver training class. I also limited my personal spending to one $25 Amazon card. (Not to be spent on books, though! I have plenty, just like you! Instead I'm spending it on brain candy... digital seasons of Project Runway! Lol!)