Year book time again

Well the air is getting warmer outside, the day is stretching into the evening later each night, and we have started to count down the days until school ends and summer begins (35 days if you are curious)! So we are approaching the end of school and all the lovely rituals that brings with it. Field trips, field days, yearbook signing-ahh a family could go broke on that last one! 2 of my 3 kids are in the same elementary school - a yearbook cost $25.00 and of course they both wanted their own. My other child attends middle school where they charge $40.00 for a yearbook. That adds up to a grand total $90.00 just for each of my children to be able to have their own book to take to school to have friends sign all over it. So what is a mom to do? What can a mom do? Well I have to state I really think this is one of my best ideas ever!!!

I went to Hotprints it is a free application on facebook that allows you to transfer one of the digital albums you have to a printed scrapbook (it does have a softcover) but you can receive one free a month, and any additional copies are $3.00!! So I went to school and ate lunch with each elementary school kid and snapped tons of pictures on the playground and in the classroom as the filed back into the room. I went home and made a digital album that included all those pictures along with the ones from through out the year that I took at each kids activities, parties etc... . The middle school kid I did break down and send the camera with her to school to take pics of her friends. We then ordered a book for each girl which we have dubbed a "your"book which each girl has their own custom book, where they are on almost every page with the kids from their class, their best friends, and their activities really get highlighted!!! ( above is a picture of the cover of one of the books we made my youngest daughter -below is a closer look "inside" of a hotprint book I made for myself after a Halloween party)

and me well I am treating myself to a Starbucks coffee with the extra $90.00 I saved in our budget! To quote a popular commercial "What could you do with this in your wallet?"

THE LIPSTICK EFFECT

The "lipstick effect" I know you all are thinking what is that? Could it be where my lip print remains on my coffee cup after I take a sip, the added mint flavoring to my lip gloss to help freshen my breath? The come hear look I can send my husband once I have gussied up for the evening. (Well it is closer to the last one) I heard on the NBC nightly news broadcast with Brian Williams that there was a study done showing that the sale of lipstick was high even during these hard times.
Why did the sale of Lipstick of all things go up during a recession you ask? Well so did I, so I googled this new terminology "lipstick effect" and found a wonderful web site Phys.org that had an article written about a study that Professor Nancy Upton had done that stated: “During the Depression, we saw something referred to as the ‘Lipstick Effect,’ which showed an increase in the consumer purchase of cosmetics, especially lipstick,” she says. “What we saw was a consumer trying to make themselves feel better through small, indulgent, hedonic consumption.”
So that made me start thinking what was my "Lipstick effect"? What do I purchase to give myself a little lift or what do I still treat myself to even though I am watching our budget and cutting back???

I believe my "indulgence" is probably nice hand lotion, a cup of coffee from Starbucks (I have cut way back now only about 1 a month) and yes, I confess I have bought lipstick! (A real pretty pink color just right for Spring!) Because after all don't we all love lipstick - do you remember getting into your moms purse to put some on, or having caught your little princess playing with yours??
So if "lipstick" is not your "lipstick effect" during these tighter days what is yours??? What puts a little bit a pep in your step, or makes you want to give that man in your life that come here look. I would love to hear what your little indulgence is!