Show Us What You Bought!

I LOVE my purchases from the TpT sale!  Please visit each link below to take you to the product of these rockstar teachers!

1.  Merry, Merry Mistletoe {Centers and More} by Michelle Oakes  -- FULL of Christmas cuteness that I can NOT wait to add to my stations for the next few weeks (plus…it is all differentiated--perfect)!

2.  Pack It, Learn It!  by teaching genius & the one and only--Kim Adsit  {Can I please BE her?  Her ideas in this packet are fantastic, practical, and perfect for my first graders.}

3.  I bought TWO packets from the Moffatt Girls.  Because they are awesome.  These packets are quick & easy to print and go--and they cover a crazy amount of skills in the cutest way possible. Win. Win. Win.

4.  Scrappy Stick Kid Clip Art by Graphics From the Pond!  AHHH!  Her art is so adorable and unique.  Can't wait to create with these little guys.

What did you buy--that you love--that I also *need* to have?  Link up with Blog Hoppin' to share!  :)

Christmas Blog Link-Up

CHRISTMAS LINK-UP FOR BLOGGERS!!

Bloggers: link up anything Christmas-related:

• Favorite Christmas movies
• Favorite Christmas music
• Favorite Christmas recipes
• Christmas gift ideas
• Christmas crafts
• Christmas traditions
• Christmas books
• etc. etc.

For the bloggers:

I recently came across a large group board full of Christian mommy bloggers. Each blogger knew each other, some only online and many offline. That inspired me to create the Christian Teen/YA Blogger Network board on Pinterest. I would like the board to grow and become a place of encouragement for female Christian teens and young adults to get together and share their lives, passions and faith. This link-up is designed for the members of CTBN to get to know each other better through something we have in common - the love of Christmas! 

**If you would like to join the CTBN board, leave a comment with your Pinterest username, follow the CTBN and another one of my boards (Pinterest rules) and I will send you an invite shortly.

Buttons are 305x305. Feel free to add your name and then add them to your sidebar/post! :)

Ready...set...link-up and have fun! I will read and comment on all linked-up links. Comment below if you have any questions. :)

Top Christmas Songs/Versions

There are some songs where I think all of the versions are good, but none are really REALLY good. (O Come All Ye Faithful, for instance) Here is a list of my TOP Christmas songs - the ones I love listening to year round.

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns' literally recreated this classic Christmas song. With a beautiful piano harmony and a children's choir, this is the best version of this song BY FAR.

12 Days of Christmas by Relient K

The regular "12 Days of Christmas" gets really boring after about the fifth verse. Relient K puts a hilarious twist to this boring sound. With a few added lines ("What's a partridge? What's a pear tree? Well I don't know so please don't ask me. But I can bet those are terrible gifts to get!") and a rocky beat, this song is definitely worth listening until the end.

I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas by Relient K

Like "12 Days of Christmas," Relient K's ending to this hilarious song is priceless. The song is told by a little boy who did a lot of bad things throughout the year and therefore is getting nothing for Christmas "cause I ain't been nothing but bad!"

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas by Michael Buble

I love Michael Buble's 40s jazzy swing voice. Even my sister, who is not a big fan of Mr. Buble, loves this song.

Mary, Did You Know by Kutless

This beautiful classic by Mark Lowry is given a somewhat harder edge by Christian rock/pop band Kutless.

War Is Over (Happy Xmas) by Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles
I don't even know if this song is available for purchase, but Adam and Sara do a great job with it. Celine Dion's version comes in a close second!

O Holy Night by Alex G.
Alex G is a musical internet sensation. Out of the hundreds of versions of "O Holy Night" she definitely sings it best. Her voice is just incredible.

What Child is This - David Archuleta
David's voice is just miraculous.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Francesca Battistelli
Francesca's version is upbeat compared to say, Buble's version, but it is great nonetheless and offers a more modern rhythm.

Little Drummer Boy by Jars of Clay
Little Drummer Boy by Go Fish
I can't decide which version of this song I like better. Both are unique and have great beats.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

One of my favorite Christmas songs. I love the Jars of Clay's unique voice that gives this song lots of depth.

Grown Up Christmas List by Michael Buble

Somewhat sad, but anyway anything by Buble is good.

We Three Kings - Straight No Chaser

I LOVE a cappella and I am constantly fascinated at what the human mouth can do. (Can't wait for the Sing Off!)

The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives

Do You See What I See by Carrie Underwood

What Child is This by Josh Groban

Carol of the Bells by Barlow Girl

Silent Night by Alex G.

Silent Night by OneRepublic
The Christmas Song by Michael Buble

Ave Maria by Michael Buble

Everything off this album. (Buble's Christmas!)

ORIGINAL SONGS

This is Christmas by Kutless

The true meaning of Christmas in our society is engulfed by fancy decor and stuff. This song takes away all of the fancy Christmas trees and presents and digs into the true meaning of Christmas - Christ.

Love Came Down at Christmas by Jars of Clay

This is my sister's favorite Christmas song. This original song by great Christian band Jars of Clay is fun and catchy!

How Many Kings by Downhere

Although it definitely has a Christmas slant, this beautiful song could be used "year round." This is probably one of my favorite songs. How many fathers gave up their sons for me? Only one did that for me.

Christmas With a Capital C by Go Fish 

This is my family's favorite Christmas song and perfectly describes how we feel about the "happy holidays" hype. This is for every Christian who is sick of "happy holidays" and wants "Merry Christmas" back!

The Christmas Shoes by Newsong

Christmas meets Hachi in this really sad Christmas song that inspired the movie by the same name. In the song/movie, a little boy's mom is dying and the little boy is buying his mother shoes so "she will look beautiful when she sees Jesus tonight." 

What are YOUR favorite Christmas songs? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

life update

Today I learned 3 things about myself.

1. I cannot use scissors without cutting myself.
2. I cannot use an iron without burning myself.
3. I cannot use pins without stabbing myself.

My ring finger has a nice little gash from these new rotary cutters and my left elbow HURTS (where I accidentally burned myself)

I am taking an entrepreneur class and it's going great. Be prepared for a giveaway in about six months once I truly get it up and running. My business is going to be these reusable cloth towels instead of paper towels. It's actually going pretty great except the cut and the little burn. :P
Thanksgiving went great! We went over to our grandparents and although I accidentally took a two hour nap, we had lots of fun! Instead of turkey, we eat duck. Duck is pretty healthy, it isn't dry, and it is so yummy.

I put contact lenses in successfully for the first time today! OK, partial truth - I only got the left one in.

What's going on in your life?

Why I Believe In Merry Christmas (Despite loving Hanukkah)

I HATE the term "happy holidays." I HATE it. No, I'm not some overly-obsessed Christian and I do LOVE Hanukkah. I truly believe in tolerance and I believe the lack of it brings horrific outcomes.

Isn't it funny how nobody says "happy holidays" during the rest of the year?

We call every other holiday by its name. Why not Christmas? Some atheists have a problem with the Christian aspect of Christmas because of Christianity's lack of "tolerance," but why do those exact same people get mad at "Merry Christmas" and demand the manger scene in front of a church be taken down? Isn't that intolerant? Just because I don't celebrate Hanukkah, doesn't mean I'm going to be outraged when I see a menorah or dreidel. Just because I don't believe in the necessity of baptism, doesn't mean I'm going to start a protest about it.

Despite the big hype every "happy holidays" person makes, Hanukkah isn't even an important holiday in Judaism! Hanukkah is probably the least-important holiday in Judaism, even though it's the most well-known. So, why does every "tolerant" non-Jew make a HUGE deal about it? I'll tell you why. They simply don't want to say "Merry Christmas." Fortunately for them, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are near Christmas. Also, isn't it weird how the exact same people who push Santa say "happy holidays" to be tolerant, even though Santa is clearly Christmas-related?

At the same time, I don't think Christians should be obnoxious about it, and they too should be respectful.

True tolerance

One of my family's favorite Christmas songs is "Christmas with a Capital C" by Go Fish. It is just so true.

Jewish actor and lawyer Ben Stein says it best, from a Jewish perspective: 

"I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period."

Now that's tolerance.

Anyways, to my lovely readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Challenge 24 - Anything Goes

Welcome to the last challenge of 2013, this time sponsored by Dr Digi's House of Stamps.

DR Digi's House of Stamps is a site that aims to bring you digi stamps

with a sense of humour. We're not your average
Digi site, you wont find flowers and teddy bears.  Well you might.. 

but it'll be holding a bloody big chainsaw!

The theme is 'Anything Goes' so it should be easy to enter and the winner gets 2 images of their choice.

The design team have been working hard to provide the following inspiration:

Caz

Anne

Shirley

ALAN

Kate

Pat K

Michelle

I'm sure you'll agree that we have a great design team and will be fully inspired and ready to join in.  Here are the rules:

1. Your card must be for a man or a boy.
2. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
3. Your post must mention Cards for Men and contain a link back to this challenge.
4. You may combine our challenge with others up to a maximum of 10.

The challenge will run from now until midnight GMT (Grenwich Mean Time) on 8 December 2013.  Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the link list below.  If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll enter you in before the draw.  Good luck

Top 8 Best (non-classic) Hanukkah Songs

I LOVE Hanukkah!! Unfortunately, I won't be celebrating it "officially" but I can still listen to a bunch of Hanukkah music and eat latkes. There are so many Christmas songs, so I would like to shine a light to a few of the great Hanukkah songs out there!

Here are my top 8 favorite Hanukkah songs!

8. 8 Nights Of Hanukkah by Pella
Really fun Hanukkah-parody medley!

7. Happy Hanukkah by Matisyahu

I LOVE Matisyahu's "Miracle" and this one is a great sequel. It has the same reggae-beat as Matisyahu's other songs.

6. Eight Days by Edon
At just 13, Edon Ariel Pinchot placed in the top 24 on America's Got Talent. On November 11 of this year he proudly released his first original single - a Hanukkah-theamed song about hope and resilience! "It's the holiday season, all you hear is Christmas music," he says. "There's nothing wrong with that, obviously, but I thought it would be cool to be the first to create this crossover." "On one hand, ['8 Days'] is clearly a Hanukkah song, but at the same time it's radio-playable and something that anyone could be listening to," he continues. "I tried to focus on these overall views of hope, freedom, resilience, persistence, standing up for what you believe in. I tried to make it this sort of universal feel that anyone could relate to, while still making it a song that is Hanukkah-themed."

5. Al Hanissim by Six13
I LOVE this song, especially when the sing it with the Maccabeats. (see link) I'm usually not a big fan of Six13, but this song is very fun and catchy. (And besides, I haven't heard another version of this song I really like. I found the YBC version is a bit "obnoxious" but thats just me.)

4. Daddy Come Home by the Yeshiva Boys Choir

This song started my lifetime-love of the Yeshiva Boys Choir! The melody is beautifully haunting and the song is really sad...the first time I listened to it I bawled my eyeballs out. The song is a plea from a young boy to his father in the IDF - "daddy come home!" The second verse, in which I was sure his father died, had tears bubbling in my eyes at the dedication at the end.

3. Miracle by Matisyahu
Do you believe in miracles? This is a great classic Hanukkah songs!

2. Eight Nights by StandFour
The Maccabeats spin-off group, StandFour, released this song last Hanukkah. This parody of three pop songs is AWESOME! Each singer (David Block, Noey Jacobson, Immanuel Shalev and Nachum Joel.) has his own solo, so you get a really great combo.

1. Candlelight by the Maccabeats
Hanukkah's national anthem! :) Of course this was going to be #1. Anyone who is reading this probably has already heard it. If not, click the link and sit back and enjoy. There are very few things better than an uplifting Jewish song.

Other great Hanukkah songs are "Burn" by the Maccabeats and their original single "Shine." The Fountainheads "Light Up The Night" is also a great song!

What are your favorite Hanukkah songs?

Merry Christmas, "Ya Filthy Animal!"

I can NOT wait for Christmas.  I've already blown up my Pinterest boards with Christmasy ideas, and have ordered so many decorations from Etsy that my husband is beginning to worry (just a little) from the amount of packages being delivered.  It's totally fine.  I do not have a shopping problem.  {At least, I don't *think* I have a shopping problem.}  I'm nesting, people!

Christmasy traditions I can't wait to continue this year…(these are a mixture of classroom related…and not classroom related stuff)--and, get ready, because I'm going to quote a ridiculous amount of Christmas movies in the following list:

1.  Watching Elf while putting up our family Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving!  {"Santa!  I know him!!!"  and "These toilets are GINORMOUS!"}

2.  Baking and decorating sugar cookies with my mom to remember and honor a sweet family friend who passed away years ago.  She made the absolute BEST sugar cookies in the world.  Even though I try, I still can't make them the way she did!

3.  A new tradition--thanks to inspiration from my friend, Cara Carroll--random acts of kindness! {Check out Cara's blog for her list of RACKing ideas!} I do this at school with my students too!  We discuss fun ideas to help out and make someone's day--and we talk about how this is the season of giving.  I explain that they are never too little to brighten someone's day.  I love how the kids get into it!

4.  Our grade level (teacher's only) "Dirty Santa/white elephant" party!  This year, I'm super pumped to be hosting the party at my house.  I love nothing more than planning a good party.  Below is the invite I created for it…{please know--if you've never watched the movie Home Alone, then you will NOT get this invitation!}  "Keep the change…ya filthy animal."

5.  Christmas Around the World scrapbooks!  Ahhhh!  I love doing this every year!  I am really excited because I have recently updated the scrapbook--everything in it looks 110 percent better-- in my opinion!  Please, if you bought this packet from me in the past, go download the new version under "my purchases" on TpT!  I hope you will love the new look, and new activities I've added!  :)  If you are interested in purchasing it, please click the pictures below:

Side note: {This unit takes me about 2-3 weeks to complete!  We "fly" to a country and complete new activities every two days!  The scrapbook comes with a teacher's guide, boarding passes, passport and stamps, letter home, and so much more!}

6.  Watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve {"You'll shoot you're eye out!"  "I triple-dog dare you!" and "It's a major award!"--leg lamp, anyone?}  while also eating a late night snack of mashed potatoes and corn.  (Yep, mashed potatoes and corn--the hubs and I have done this every year we've been married.)

7.  Polar Express Day at school!  I love that we all wear PJ's, enjoy hot chocolate, and watch The Polar Express!  Such a cozy and fun day.

8.  Having my whole family over for Christmas Eve.  The whole night, everyone randomly recites quotes from the movie Christmas Vacation--and we all laugh like it's the first time we've ever heard it...  "Is your house on fire, Clark?" I swear, my whole family could probably reenact that entire movie.  Cracks.  me. up.

{So, I just realized...almost all of my traditions involve movies! Ha!}

 
I love hearing about family/classroom Christmas traditions!  If you tell me about one of your most unique/special/cherished Christmas traditions (in the comments), I might just pick you to win a free copy of my updated, new and improved Christmas Around the World Scrapbook!  Leave your comment and your email address!    

P.S. If you don't follow me on Instagram, please do!  I have been better lately at updating my Instagram with fun classroom ideas than updating my blog--it's just so easy to snap a picture and write a quick little note!  I'm @firstgraderatlast  on Instagram!


 

Verse of the week: Psalm 125:1-2

Here is the verse of the week!

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. -Psalm 125:1-2 NIV

And this week's verse was inspired by the Hebrew version of the song, sung beautifully by Maccabeat beatboxer Meir Shapiro!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1DDO1Jxygc

Shir hamaalos 

Habotchiym baHashem khar tzyion 

Lo yi-mo l'olam yeshev 

 Yerushalyim hariym saviy 

LawaHashem savyiv laya mo Meatah v'ad Olam

:) the song is absolutely beautiful and I encourage you to have a listen!

Hanukkah for Kids and Christian Families

Whoo hoo! Hanukkah is upon us - Wednesday, November 27. I think it's important for Christians to learn about Hanukkah - what better way than an awesome family movie night? Every year since its release in 2003, Disney Channel has played their original movie Full-Court Miracle during this great holiday. Inspired by true events, the film follows a losing Jewish basketball team and their journey looking for a coach. When they run into black basketball star Lamont Carr, the team convinces Lamont to coach them. As the kids learn about Hanukkah in school, a few of them are convinced that Lamont is Judah Maccabee, the man who started Hanukkah hundreds of years ago. :) What results is a great Disney film about faith tikva (hope) and teamwork.

It's fun, family-friendly, teaches about Hanukkah, and airs on Disney Channel Thursday November 28, at midnight EST, so be sure to record it on your DVR!
The only thing I don't like about this film is you cannot buy it on DVD - so be sure to record it! If you watch the film, let me know what you think!

Six Weeks of Quiet ~ Merry Christmas!

Precious Friends ~ I am thankful for each one of you.
Your friendship and kindness to our family is such a blessing.
In the last number of months we have felt loved and encouraged.
Thank you all so very much.

This is a wrap-up post for the year.
Yes, for the year!  I cannot believe how quickly time passes.
I am taking six weeks of quiet in this space ~ I trust you will understand.

May the Lord bless you with His peace and presence

throughout the Christmas season and in the coming year.

May you know His loving hand upon you leading and guiding in all you do.

May you know Him as your Saviour and follow Him wherever He leads.

May He be your Everything!

Christmas has always been a very special time of year for us.

We have many family traditions tied into this season.

It's not all about the gifts ~ it's about The Gift!

We have sought, over the years, to teach our children

that our Saviour really is the best Gift of all.

If we do not have Him, we have nothing.

~ Thomas Kinkade Christmas Card ~

We love to celebrate Advent and refresh our minds

with all the wonders revealed about our Saviour in God's Word.

We have always enjoyed going to Burnaby Village Museum

and taking a walk around Stanley Park ~ together.

We enjoy decorating our home and making cookies and ornaments.

We delight in secretly making plans and wrapping and giving.
We gather with friends and family. 

We eat yummy things and visit by the fire.

Our Christmas Eve celebration always includes a special dinner
made up of appetizers and Devon cream tea.
We eat on that night in the living room and linger around the glowing fireplace.
Christmas Carols are sung while we gather by the tree. 

We have so many happy memories of Christmases past.
This photo is one of the last we have together as a family ~
It was taken last Christmas shortly after Austin's pacemaker surgery.
We've included it in our family's Christmas letter this year.

We do plan on returning to all our usual traditions in the future.
This year, however, we are switching things up a bit and 
making some changes.  It's a year of transition.
A year of firsts.  We are making new memories.

Without our precious Austin.  

We still plan to celebrate our Saviour's birth.
We plan to gather with family and friends.
We plan to give gifts and send cards.
We are not abandoning tradition altogether, but, 
we must have a year of transition.

Everything is still a little too fresh.

Since Austin was taken Home to Heaven, things have not been the same.

Christmas will never be the same.  We will never be the same.
As we ease ourselves into life here without our precious son,

we seek to remember that He is with the Lord.

Our Austin is celebrating his first Christmas in Heaven ~

with our Saviour!!  What a thought!

He is perfectly content and joyful.
He is praising the Lord constantly in perfect peace.
One day, we will be there too.
It truly is precious to consider these things.

By God's great grace, we will honour the Lord in the days to come.
We will remember Him and praise Him and worship Him.
Because He is worthy.  And, He truly is the best Gift of all!

My plan is to be absent from this space for the next six weeks.
Please do not be alarmed at the fact that any comments you 
may choose to leave will initially disappear, and then will take time to publish.
(Please do let me know you were here...it's always a blessing to hear from you).

I do not plan to check in at all until the end of December.

This includes publishing comments and visiting with you in your space.
It's just what I must do.  Thank you for always extending grace.
Please know that I value your friendship and do
hope to reconnect after this time of internet quietness.
May the Lord bless you as you seek Him.  Now and always.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
~ Isaiah 9:6 ~

Much Love,
Camille

Homeschool Quote Collections

While going through my massive Homeschool Quotes board, I decided to make Top 5 lists of my favorite quotes!

"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." -Albert Einstein

Enjoy and be sure to share! What are your favorite homeschool quotes?

Like this post? Be sure to subscribe (right-hand above) to my biweekly newsletter and follow me on Pinterest!

Sometimes...

Sometimes...

a girl just needs a quiet place to read.

As you can see...Emma found one!  :)

With Love,

Camille

**This was how I found my girl the other day ~
She was unaware of my presence until the photo was taken.

Challenge 23 - Merry Christmas

Welcome to the latest challenge, this time sponsored by Scribbled Kidz.

Scribbled Kidz is all about fun images largely inspired by my family and what they might get up to. They are all hand drawn originals scanned in at 300dpi and saved as jpegs.   If you have any suggestions or special requests please let us know.Please pop along and see what we have to offer.

To enter, we need to see your Christmas cards and the winner gets 3 images of their choice.

The design team have been working hard to provide the following inspiration:

Shirley

Michelle

CAZ

 Pat K

Patricia

I'm sure you'll agree that we have a great design team and will be fully inspired and ready to join in.  Here are the rules:

1. Your card must be for a man or a boy.
2. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
3. Your post must mention Cards for Men and contain a link back to this challenge.
4. You may combine our challenge with others up to a maximum of 10.

The challenge will run from now until midnight GMT (Grenwich Mean Time) on 24 November 2013.  Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the link list below.  If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll enter you in before the draw.  Good luck

Christmas Link-Up/Tag?

Alrighty...I have been thinking about doing a Christmas link-up. Problem? (there's always a problem) I really don't want to be the only one who does it. Last link-up I had was when I was just starting blogging and the only people who did it were my and my sister. The link up was going to be 8 weeks (all of summer) but I took it down after two. :P

The Link-Up
The link-up would be a Christmas link up from about December 1-21 and you can link up anything on your blog Christmas-related - recipes, traditions, gift ideas, favorite Christmas music, etc. etc.

I was thinking this could be a way to get to know each of the members of the Christian Teen/YA Blogger Network a little better. :)

Would you join and invite people if I had one? Thanks! :)

Frugality How-To from the Greatest Generation

This is the final post in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here.

We live in an instant society. We want it now. We deserve it. This is the exact opposite of The Greatest Generation. The Greatest Generation was thrifty, patriotic, and it ended up paying off big time. It wasn't about who had the most shoes - it was who could make a loaf of bread last longer. Imagine if our society tried - even a little bit - to copy them!

For some people, their appreciation of life and came from seeing people in less fortunate countries like Africa. For me, my appreciation of life came from the Greatest Generation. They just did with what they had to do with what they had. They lived with less so others (their soldiers) could have more.

They lived by the adage, Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! If the Greatest Generation can live on what little that was available during WWII, can't I live with as much as I have? I don't mind sharing a room with my two sisters. I am happy with my 5 pairs of shoes. I don't need the newest clothing. I don't mind sharing clothes with my sisters. Leftovers are as yummy as the first night.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 1: Use it up

This country is so WASTEFUL!! You know that last little bit of soap left in the soap container? That hard-to-scrape bit of jelly in the container? Many Americans just throw it away. The Greatest Generation was on a strict rationing system, and couldn't afford to throw extra food away. Instead of throwing away the bad apple, they cut off the good parts and ate them. To make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck:

• Scrap the last bit of everything - butter, peanut butter, jelly, jelly, parmesan cheese. If you don't want to keep the almost-empty container, stick the last remnants of food into the new container. Normally new food containers are 75% full anyway.
• Shake ink cartridges to get a pretty decent amount more instead of throwing them away right away.
• Invest in Tupperware and eat leftovers.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 2: Wear it out

To save money on fabric, some savvy women purposely made their children's clothing a bit big, and then they would hem them. As the children grew, the women could then just make the clothing a bit bigger! And no one cared if it was three years old. Now, most people don't make their own clothing, but this is a great example of not getting the most out of all clothing. Patching clothing, fixing buttons, mending and turning holed-pants into shorts is a great example of this.

Nowadays, sewing your own clothes is more expensive than buying a nice name brand shirt at a garage sale for $1, but I commend anyone who sews!

Dave Ramsey clearly states, "if your old car still works fine, don't go buy a new one." (Of course, if you have the money and aren't on a tight budget you can.) 

I believe a more expensive appliance that will last you twenty years is much more quality than a cheaper appliance that will last you three. At the same time, that expensive appliance will not last long if you don't keep it up. (clean it, take care of it properly)

Lessons from the Greatest Generation 3: Make it do

This 40s ad says it all. 

This is kind of a combo of the other three tips.

Lessons from the Greatest Generation 4: Do without

During WWII, silk and nylon stockings were in extremely short supply by the summer of 1942. Most women had to find ingenious methods of dressing their legs. Some rubbed gravy browning or shoe polish mixed with cream on their legs. This picture is of a woman drawing in the seam-line on “Makeup” stockings with a device made from a screw driver handle, bicycle leg clip, and an eyebrow pencil, 1942. (source: Bettman/Corbis)  

http://www.war44.com/history-britain-during-world-war-ii/2220-nylon-stockings-during-wwii.html

Am I suggesting you ditch your stockings for gravy browning and eyebrow pencil? No. (Do you even wear stockings?) It's just something to think about. Five outfits was a lot back then. Shoving your closets full of clothes you don't even remember buying hurts your budget and causes more clutter. If you see a "must-have" pair of jeans and you already have five similar pairs, you probably don't need another pair.

I dare you to try this for a day.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 5: Carpool

Carpool. Save time and money.

No, in today's world Hitler will not be riding in your empty seat. However, you get the picture. Soldiers obviously needed petrol in the European theatre more than Americans at home did.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 6: Can, garden, and scratch

Canned food for soldiers was top priority. What did our brave home front women do? Can and grow Victory Gardens, of course! Canning saves LOTS of money, and avoids pesticides and all that nasty stuff the government puts in your food. Gardening wasn't a supplement, it was a main source of food. Despite having to clean, take care of kids, and having to cook everything they made from scratch, they MADE time for their gardens. Also, many families had animals such as rabbits and chickens. 

Also, at the time, eating out was EXTREMELY expensive and pre-cooked food wasn't an option. People made EVERYTHING from scratch. Baking from scratch can save your family SO much money. One of our favorite homemade items is bread in our bread machine. We have also made challah bread from scratch and without a bread machine. Make it a goal to slowly start getting used to first making meals from scratch 3 times a week, 4 times a week, 5 times a week, etc.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 7: Leftovers

Leftovers have saved us so much money. This WWII era poster applies today just as much as it did in the 40s. Nobody can be too "good" to eat leftovers. Eating leftovers will save you TONS of money on food. Freezer meals and crockpot meals (that can be made specifically for leftovers) are great and frugal ideas for today's family.

Making meals in bulk and either eating off them for a few days or freezing them also saves time and money.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 8: Paper

(I encourage you to read all of this. Packed with good stuff) 

This Vogue ad states: The need for paper is urgent. Vogue must help by cutting supplies still further. You, too, must help. First, by sharing Vogue with a friend. Second, by combing your home for every paper, carton, box, and every book which is not actively essential or completely unreplaceable. Don't keep back whole numbers of Vogue because they contain some pages you can't bear to part with. Cut these out - make a Vogue portfolio of them-and scrap the rest of the magazine. One average issue of Vogue would provide 17 twenty-five-pounder shell cups, or 1 box for airplane cannon shells, or 13 cut-out targets for rifle practice...Every pound you can salvage does the same. Don't waste a single sheet - tear our this leaflet, for instance, and use the back for your shopping list before it goes into general scrap."

Firstly, can you imagine a modern gossip magazine telling their readers to share and throw away the magazine?

Alright, again, we don't need to save paper so our soldiers can have a box for airplane cannon shells. BUT, instead of buying paper for your grocery list, why not save scrap paper and use those sheets? Why not share a magazine subscription with a friend?

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 9: Misc.

Be sure to check out this great article about frugality. Remember the good ol' days? When you borrowed books from the library and walked everywhere because gas was expensive?

What are some of your frugality tips straight from WWII? I would love to hear them - and I'd love to expand this post! I hope this was of some encouragement to you!