Daisyd's "What Would You Buy for $40.00" Contest!
Okay--so some friends gave me a $40.00 Costco gift certificate for my birthday two months ago. Costco's my FAVORITE store but I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. I was driving by Costco yesterday and thought, "What the heck--stop, use your gift certificate and find something that you REALLY want." I always seem to spend a lot of money in this store but rarely buy the fun things I want!
Once in Costco, I walked down each row, sampled lots of yummy food, made a mental list, then spent several minutes making my decision. I was tempted to buy a purse I've had my eye on for several months but remembered I rarely carry a purse and have several in my closet. Then the new music CDs and movie DVDs were calling my name but I wasn't sure what I wanted. Then I saw it--the item that left me tingling all over. Every year I want to fly a kite in March, but rarely take the time to buy one. So--I saw these cool kites, bought two and decided right then and there that we were going to fly kites as a family for Family Night (we have this every Monday night).
What we experienced as a family was one of my favorite night's ever. There was hardly any wind so we ran up and down our street trying to get the kites to fly. Kade then got the bright idea to get on the Go-Ped and have the kite fly behind him. This worked great until a neighbor's dog started chasing him. Kade jumped off the Go-Ped and started hysterically running the other way and the kite ended up in a tangled mess on the neighbor's roof! We had to get a ladder to get it off. Steve laughed so hard about the dog and the kite that he was crying and rolling around on the ground. The rest of us also went into fits of laughter (even Kade).
Take it from me, if you want an incredible experience with your family, just go fly a kite. Money can't buy the amazing time that awaits you. This truly is some of the best money I've ever spent!
So here's the fun contest! Let me know the best $40.00 you've ever spent and write a short message on "why." (Just include your answer on comments at the bottom of this blog--it'll be fun to read everyones answers.) I'll leave the "polls" open until midnight April 2nd, then I'll read through the answers with my team and choose my favorite 10. These 10 winners will receive $40.00 of my favorite new products from Daisyd's--Beacon Hill and Chasing Butterflies. Tomorrow I'll share my kite-flying page that I created with these new lines.
To enter, click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post and just include your short response/message on the best $40.00 you've every spent. Be sure to include your e-mail address so we can get in touch with you. Please don't include your mailing address or phone number - you will be contacted via email if you are one of the winners.
Special thanks to Daisyd's for so generously sponsoring this contest. And thanks in advance to you for sharing your story!
Have a great week. And enjoy the windy weather--just right for kite flying!
Lisa B.
215 Comments:
So here I sit, trying to come up with a great story. Would it be when we bought my husband the Playstation 2 game "guitar hero"...it comes with a guitar and you get to play rock tunes against the rock stars on the screen. The gut laughs as we watched my 12 year old son "instruct" my husband on how to play Van Halen and ZZ top was absolutely pricelss. Alas, the price tag for that memory was a little higher then $40.However, my hubby has gone from a guitar "zero" to a guitar "hero"....
Could it have been the purchase of the magical little box that changed our life....also known as TiVo? Can I tell you how great it is to sit down as a family and watch some wierd show from the Discovery Channel and laugh as my sons try to find the grossest shows imaginable so they can freak out their mother? Alas, the TiVo box was more then $40. However, getting to watch an ex- special forces guy eat a raw, still alive fish is now a special memory for our family that I will always hold dear.
When asked for his input, my 12 year old son said the best $40 he ever spent was at Bingo. Yep, for a small $40 investment he was the big winner....he came home with $1,000...yep, the Benjamin brothers as he liked to call the wad of hundred dollar bills. Watching him plan on how best to spend the money (Video ipod was an immediate purchase) has been quite the learning experience for him. He has decided to save his remaining stash on a trip to the East Coast the school is offering. He says it will change his life and open up new worlds. Maybe he has watched to much TV with that magic little box mentioned earlier.
So best $40 ever spent was on a u-cut Christmas Tree three years ago. I have firmly stood my ground and refused to go fake...after all we live in Washington State..it's not that hard to find a live tree. So we drive around town and can't find "just the right tree" so I say hey, what the heck, let's just start driving down the Gorge (the Columbia Gorge is the national scenic area on the Columbia River that is the state boundary between Washington and Oregon). I anticipated a 1-2 hour little adventure. Two hours from home we stop at a diner for food and ask the folks where all the locals get their trees...response...the grocery store in town. We ask the grocery store and another hour down the road we finally find a u-cut place complete with hot chocolate, roaring fire and 4 generations of family that run the place. Seven hours later we had the perfect tree.Our family still talks about that crazy day when Mom wanted to cut down a live tree ..after all there should be plenty of u-cut places right down the road!
Laura Hanna
scrapping3boys@comcast.net
Hi Lisa. I think this is a great contest.
Hmmmm...
I think that the best $40.00 that I have spent would be on the scrapbooking supplies that I bought for an album I made about all of the times my son has spent in the hospital. He is now currently 2, and including the time he was born he has spent 5 times in the hospital. For various reasons from pnemonia, to heart surgery. Seeing this album makes me so thankful for the love I have in my life from family and friends. He is doing great now, and I am so thankful for that. I know that there are so many families that are not as lucky as us, and have lost children, and I just don't think I could do that. This album is a daily reminder of what I have in my life, and makes me thankful so often.
I would say now something "fun" I spent $40.00 on would have to be my Lisa Bearnson chipboard collection. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and use it so often. Thanks. :)
Nicole Mantooth
Allour3boys@charter.net
The best $40 I've ever spent was on a jewelery making class for my 13 year old daughter at a local bead store. My daughter was so proud of what she made and has continued to make lot's of bracelet's and earings. This was something that she wanted to do that she could call her own and she is very good at it. Now, the class was only $40. but the confidence and pride she takes in what she makes is priceless.
Kelley Emond
momtokelsey@comcast.net
The best $40.00 I've ever spent was on our cat Riley. Several years ago my youngest son and I went into Pet Supermarket to buy a bag of dog food. Riley was in a cage and caught our eye. We tried to walk away. We really did. We already had 2 cats and 2 dogs at home. I even called a friend who tried to convince me to "Leave now Lisa!" Yet before I knew it I had paid my $40.00 and was driving home with Riley. Riley isn't just any ol' kitty though. He has a great personality. A big teddy-bear of a cat, he gives love back ten-fold of what he receives. At a time when my sons were dealing with sadness and shock of their parents marriage ending, Riley came into their lives and made everything seem a little brighter. He continues that daily still, with his loud purring, his little love bites, and his easygoing nature. Yes, It was truly the best $40.00 we've ever spent.
Lisa,
The best $40.00 I've ever spend was the day after Thanksgiving last year. My husband and I got up at 2:00a.m. to stand in line at the local Office Depot to take advantage of the great sales. We purchased a 2 gig MP3 player for our son Mason. Mason was 11 at the time and loved listening to his Dad's AC/DC CD's. We ended up giving this to Mason the same day and down loaded all of my husbands Hard Rock CD's. It is so funny watching Mason play air guitar and singing around the house. The joy in both my husband and son has been great and well worth the $ 39.99 we spent that day.
Thanks for a great contest, Lisa.
Kathleen McMullen
kmcmul1@aol.com
I would have to say the best $40 spent for me is some of my scrapbooking supplies. I love to scrap and I love my chipboard collection too!
But, my husband and I own and operate a dairy farm, so we don't vacation much or take days off (we have to be there morning and evening for milking). Our children help with the chores every morning and evening. To thank them, we all go out to eat after mass on Sunday. Either pizza or chinese. No rushing to eat and get outside to the chores, we just sit back and talk and eat. Sometimes for a whole hour! To me, the quality family time is great! The kids (4 girls and 1 boy) love it! We can get by with $40 if we all have water, or $50 if we have pop.
My oldest is 16 and youngest 8. I realize that all too soon they will start leaving us(seems like just yesterday she was born). I'm trying to slow down and enjoy!
Linda Schmitmeyer
schmitmeyer@omnicityusa.com
I'm not entirely sure which is the BEST $40.00 I've spent, but one of the good ones was when I was a Freshman in high school. It was nearing my mother's birthday and being that I didn't have a job yet (I was only 15) I was trying to be creative and come up with something handmade, as we all known handmade gifts are most precious to moms! But anyway, I received some money for my birthday (the month before hers) and decided that I wanted to get her a nice store bought gift for once. Sounds crazy, but she really wanted that Princess Diana beanie baby (we were big colelctors back then and it was something that she and I did together, so it made it more special) So I spent that $40.00 on the beanie for my mother. I cannot believe I did it, but I did. Spent $40 on a BEANIE BABY! What was I thinking? But the look on my mother's face was priceless. She was so excited. But I learned after that, that she really did prefer the gifts that came from the heart. And now each year, I either make her a scrapbook or write her a poem, sometimes both! But it was worth it to give my mother that store bought gift once, because I knew she really wanted it, but wouldn't spend the money on herself. Felt good to do something nice for her in return for everything she'd given me.
Lisa,
My story may not add up to $40.00 monetarily, but the value well exceeds that amount. It was the greatest day of my life. The day I walked into Walmart to buy a pregnancy test! I remember walking down the isle and for some reason I was a bit timid and did not want to run into anyone I knew. I had never bought a test before. Do you buy cheap? mid priced? most expensive? Of course I bought the most expensive! I remember coming home. It seemed like it would be forever before my husband got home. I refused to take the test before he got home. Finally I took the test. It seemed eternity before those few minutes were up. Success! We were having a baby! That baby is now a handsome 11 year old boy.
I am so thankful for that day and that little pregnancy test! After our son was born I became sick and found out I had Multiple Sclerosis. Due to all of my health problems we were not able to have any more children, but my son is everything I could ever ask for in a child!
PS: Still have that pregnancy test with the baby album and it still shows positive!
Tammy Bowman
bowmanbtj@twlakes.net
The best $40 I ever spent? You're going to think that I'm completely kissing up to you, but I swear to you that this is the truth. The best $40 I ever spent was on a Colorbok, Kathy Davis 12x12 album, box, papers, and embellishments that I purchased over 7 years ago from QVC when you presented it!
I was going through channels, looking for something to watch, and I came across QVC. I had never purchased anything on QVC before. I was mesmerized by the presentation, because I had been wanting a scrapbooking kit of some sort, and it was just so much bang for my buck! I had gone to a couple Creative Memories demonstrations, and their way of doing things just didn't "click" with me. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was because I really didn't like the strap hinge albums and those WHITE pages. I liked the idea of scrapbooking, and I wanted to scrapbook, but I just didn't know where to start, and it seemed to me that Creative Memories was the only game in town. I wanted the freedom to be a little more creative and COLORFUL! So, there you were on QVC presenting all of these wonderful, colorful items. Papers, die cuts, and stickers, OH MY! I called in, became a QVC shopper, and purchased the kit immediately. When it came, I loved it even more than I thought I would, and I started creating immediately. I treasure that album! It's not as "sophisticated" as I scrapbook now, but it ignited my passion for scrapbooking, paper crafting, card making, and being creative!
It also started my QVC scrapbooking obsession, which isn't actually such a good thing, because I spend way too much, but that's totally another story!
I seriously want to thank you Lisa, because you've been inspiring me for many years! Thank you for letting me tell my story!
Good luck everyone!
Carol
dcej98@juno.com
The best $40 I ever spend (along with my Mom) was all kinds of crafting goodies at Liquidation World....a huge bag and we still only spent $38.40 (Mom even got a large tablecloth was had been eyeing for awhile...to make tea towels out of). We never had so much fun - didn't worry about the price of anything, just kept digging in the boxes and filling the cart....over an hour later, we laughed at how heavy it was to carry it back to the car!!!
THANKS for that memory....
And, wish I could have been in Calgary to see you and Emily!
Forgot to include my email address:
bfpotter@sasktel.net
As a dental professional, the best $40 we spend every two years is for CPR recertification. I hope to never have to use what I learn in a real life situation. But if it means helping someone one day by saving their life, then that meager $40 will be priceless!
kathy stilwell
lonjackat@yahoo.com
Hi Lisa!
Read your blog often and love the true genuine nature of it!
The best $40 I have ever spent would be recently on a domain name. I have been debating on whether or not to start a new company. I'm a mother of 5 children and certaintly don't feel like I have a ton of freedom for a business. Something has been nudging me to take a chance. So I felt like if I bought a domain name I could somewhat commit to this dilema. As soon as a I purchased it...almost immediately HUGE doors have been opened. It's as if the doors have been waiting for me to knock on them. Strange as it may seem that $40 for a domain name would change my life but it has! I have had so many wonderful experiences and have jumped into a passionate business that makes me feel very rewarded!
I'm confident and know that if I didn't take that chance I'd still be wondering. I'd still be wondering, "should I or shouldn't I?" That's the best $40 I have spent in a long time. $40 to make my dreams come true!
Thanks for letting me share!
Laura F.
laura@glitzitnow.com
My husband always gives me a hard time about spending money as fast as I get it. I always think I am going to hang onto my money. One week Robert gave me $40.00 at the begining of the week and he said jokingly make it last. I laughed to my seld thinking how was going to prove him wrong and make it last. Well I work at a high school as a teacher. Monday, one of my kids needed money for lunch- $5.00, Tuesday ordered two boxes of girl scout cookies from a student-$8.00, Wednesday chipped in for a baby shower gift -$20.00 Thursday bought dinner for my daughter on the way home from dance -$5.00 and on friday on the way home i stopped at McDonalds and bought a large diet coke with the left over change. I was so proud of my self that I actually made the $40.00 all week. Although my story is not very sentimental it made me smile because I don't think I ever stretched money that far in one week!
Jennifer Bueck
leakypen@oh.rr.com
The best $40 our family ever spent was when we took our kids (we only had 2 at the time, aged 3 and 6) to the Dollar Store so that they could each spend $20 in order to fill a Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox with fun and useful things for a needy child in another country. Expecting that we would be hearing a lot of fussing about what our kids wanted for themselves, we were very surprised and happy that our kids jumped at the opportunity to show God's love in a very unselfish way. They filled their baskets with toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair accessories, dolls, cars, soap, gum and candy and not once asking for anything for themselves. My daughter, age 3 and in the next paper crafting generation, included crayons, paper, stickers and scissors so that the recipient of her box could "send cards to her friends". After a good hour at the store we left with bags full of things for needy kids in another country and a huge blessing for me and my husband to witness our kids giving so lovingly and selflessly. So, $40=amazing blessings for us and others!
Patti Erickson
pattiaerickson@aol.com
Hi Lisa,
The best $40.00 I ever spent was on my wedding dress. I was getting married in Hawaii and I wanted an off the shoulder, tea length gown. After searching everywhere I found it at a store in the local mall. It was there,all by itself on the rack and it was my size AND on clearance for $40.00.
Twenty years later with my wonderful husband and two amazing children it was definately the best $40.00 I've ever spent.
Lori Ashton
ashtn86@comcast.net
So, the best $40 I ever spent was last November 17, 2006. I decided to sign up for a crop at a local scrapbook store because there was this amazing woman, named Lisa Bearson, going to be at this special crop. I was one of the lucky "40" gals that got a spot. I never expected the $35 class fee and the $5 in gas and toll road charges would change my life. Not only did I get to see Lisa (You!) again, almost four years to the day I first had the privilage of meeting you), but I took a chance and asked if you would scrapbook the pictures of our meeting from Nov 2001 and you so graciously said yes, I also was one of the winners of the page contest judged by you and got to have lunch with you the next day, but then you lost 2 envelopes I gave you , together we searched for the envelopes, we exchanged phone numbers in the hopes one of us would find them, then the restaurant found the envelopes, found out you made my scrapbook page of our meeting and told me it would be in the Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson 4 book (GASP!!!!), went to CHA with you, meet your adorable family, (tell them Team Shanor says HELLO and look forward to seeing all of you soon), took you and your family for a fun filled day in Disneyland and a special visit to Disney's Club 33, having our husbands get along as if they were old friends, having Sage and Brecken asking me to ride the rides with them (at the same time!), holding Sage's hand pretty much the whole day :), turning around after we got off the Alice and Wonderland ride only to see our 6'3" and 6'2" husbands sharing the back seet of the cute little purple bug car and laughing so hard I thought I would pass out, and finally getting to know you and your family on a personal level, and making friends for life. So, I think that sums up the BEST $40 I EVER SPENT. I believe all things happen for a reason. Talk to you soon!
Love and Hugs,
Laura
Forgot my email: Kurt4laura @aol.com
Laura Shanor
The best $40 I ever spent was on one of the most important people in my life. My husband had lost his job 6 months prior, and we hadn't made the cobra payment. Keeping the option open, but hoping we wouldn't have to use it. My then 5 year old daughter, Erin, had her yearly cardiology appt. in February. We were taking her in without the insurance and self paying, as all of her prior visits were very positive. Our doctor, came into me and asked what happened as soon as she saw the folder about our insurance. I explained and she proceeded to do the normal testing on my daughter. As luck would have it, Erin's murmur had progressed from moderate to severe and required intervention. All I could do was sit and cry and think where in the world am I going to come up with the money for her surgery in NY. Her doctor asked me to only pay what my normal copay would be, which was $40.00 and not to worry about the rest. My father came over with $4000 to reinstate our COBRA and 4 weeks later my daughter had her heart surgery. Also during that time, a department store my husband worked part time for for 6 years decided to put us on their health insurance so we could drop the COBRA after her surgery and continue her follow up on the new insurance.
That $40 saved my daughter's life, and taught me and my family that people are so much more compassionate and kind than they are ever given credit for. I will never be able to repay the kindness that was shown to my daughter and our family during that difficult time, but I will never forget, and will always try to live their example and give back no matter how big or small. My daughter is now 6 1/2 and completely healthy and active. She is completely unrestricted and will live a normal life.
That $40 taught me more about love and life than any money I ever spent or received.
Kathy C.
psychomom0565@aol.com
Hiya Lisa.. First off, I have to tell you I totally agree with your kite flying suggestion...My family vacations on Cape Cod every summer-we have 4 children ranging in age from 2-9. The thing we love most about the cape is the simplicity of it all. No videogames and pc's...no malls and big department stores. We enjoy skipping rocks, the crashing waves of the ocean, bike riding and kite flying...Sheer perfection :)
The best $40 I have ever spent was back in 1984. Guess jeans were all the rage. I went to an all girls catholic high school and uniforms were worn. The only difference in clothing was the jacket you wore to school that day. I wanted a guess denim vest in the worst way imaginable!!! They were $80 and my mom told me she would give me 1/2 IF I earned the other $40. I did my chores, my sisters, my brothers and then some!!! When the day came to buy that vest I was out of my mind with excitement! I wore it in extreme cold, heat, snow and rain....I never grew tired of it. Many of the photos of me in the yearbooks were in that vest.The faculty must have wondered why I couldn't afford sleeves for it after 3 years!!! lol That vest was such a big deal to me. I learned the value of a dollar and what it meant to really want something and have to save for it. I realized later in life how important a lesson my mother taught me, all the while making me feel so important and independent-what a great mom she was!! It laid the foundation for future purchases and saving big and small. It also made me want to be just like my mom when it comes to teaching my own children life's important lessons. Thanks for letting me share Lisa! This was a really great contest, even if I am not chosen as one of the winners :)
Michelle Holzmann
Shelmund@aol.com
The best $40 I ever spent was when my mom went back to college 15 years ago. I bought her a new backpack with all the school supplies she could ever possibly need, just like she had done for us each year. Money was tight for my parents at that time, but my mom acted like being a student again was not a "big deal." I wrote her a note and told her how proud I was that she was going after her dream. I left her backpack and supplies on the counter so she would see them as she headed off for her first day of school. She was excited and felt "complete" with all of her goodies. It wasn't the money that was spent that meant the most to her, it was the letter that I wrote. To this day, that letter sits in her safe deposit box. My mom's dream came true. Funny how a backpack filled with notebooks, pencils, pens and all the necessities made her feel complete. A new backpack every year is now a tradition in our home...it not only stands for a new start, but also as a reminder that dreams can come true.
Bar none, my best spent $40 was my marriage license. I am married to a wonderful man named Eddie, and I couldn't ask for anything more in a hubby. He is always cheerful and keeps me smiling. He tells me every day how much he loves me. He is a man of integrity that works hard and tries to be a good example for not only our children, but all the young people at our church. He is such a blessing and takes his job of priest of our home, seriously. He is also very supportive of me in whatever I decide to do. When I decided I really wanted to homeschool our children, he was right there with me - even though some of his family were not too enthusiastic. I decided to take up machine embroidery, and he went out and bought me the best machine out there. Now I am into scrap booking, and he again thinks I am the best scrapper in the world. He encourages me to teach, and constantly brags to others about how great I am. Of course he has never browsed through my Creative Keepsakes to see what others are doing, so I will let him keep thinking that. So you see, Eddie was worth every penny.
Sharon Wilson
lots2sew@rogers.com
The best $40 I ever spent was the money I spent in September 1997 for my half the marriage license (it was $75 total). Everyday I thank God for my hubby and for the wonderful blessing he is in my life, and everyday I marvel at the bargain I got for only $40, LOL!
Lizzy Simpson
littlebirdie2002@hotmail.com
The best 40bucks I ever spent was for a bus ticket to Ottawa (i was in school to Toronto) because that weekend I went up to Ottawa, I met my future husband!!!
jenn
the best $40 i've spent recently...
i am currently doing an internship working with human trafficking victims and domestic violence victims. needless to say, any resources they have go straight to basic survival needs such as food. one day while one of my clients was in an appointment, i sat with her kids so they wouldn't disturb her. we drew, and talked, and told stories. we took a little walk around and saw an ad for a circus that was coming to town. much to my surprise, they didn't know what a circus was!
while we put a lot of time and energy behind getting their basic survival needs met, i decided to use some of my own money to feed some emotional/soulful needs. i decided to get them tickets to the circus, as well as passes for local bus so they could get there easily from the shelter.
when i was growing up, i was lucky enough to experience things like this every year and still have fond memories of doing so. i couldn't think of a better way to spend that money!
my screen keeps blanking out, so i've typed and re-typed a couple times--hopefully you only get it once! sorry for the duplicates!
The best $40 I've spent in a long time has been on 'tuition' for a toddler/mommy music class that I attend once a week with my 21 month old son. This class not only provides a learning opportunity for my son and exposes him to all kinds of age-appropriate music, but it also creates an environment for us to play together and provides a set-aside time for us to bond in a fun and natural setting. I learned a long time ago that money can't buy happiness. Instead your heart set upon the right things and your attitude can give you all the happiness in the world. Who knew that a simple toddler music class could provide so much joy to myself and my son?!?
Anna Jensen
annafjensen@yahoo.com
Hi Lisa,
your kite night sounds like such FUN!
One of our best $40.00 spent...was when we were living in the Poconos- during our first winter there we had over 3 feet of snow!...we bought our 4 kids Mr Potato Heads! We all had such a good time as the kids put together "family" members ! making mom and dad and granpa and their uncles! We loved those potato heads so much that I put them away to save! they really helped us survive that winter! I think I'll get them out again for my now teenagers!
annette - snackers6@aol.com
The best $40.00 I ever spent was during my first pregnancy.
I discovered I was pregnant while dear husband was still a University student. I had graduated from college a few years before, and was working. We were scrimping and saving to put husband thru school. We were not planning to have any children YET!
I must have cried buckets of tears when we found out we were expecting. It was just such an unplanned event. I was trying to figure out how I would look in all of those mouths (I'm a dental hygienist) every day with my terrible morningsickness that lasted 24/7. And I wondered and worried how we would afford a baby with husband still a student.
I prayed that the Lord would give me peace and joy...... and you know, it was an almost instant transformation. I became excited to be expecting our first child with my sweet husband.
The week we found out about the pregnancy, we headed to Nordstrom, my all time favorite place to shop (whenever I could scrape some extra money together, ha, ha). We headed straight to the baby section. We were absolutely giddy with the realization that soon we would need to be purchasing tiny clothing like these for OUR baby.
We selected an ivory silk and chenille baby blanket for our baby, and had it gift boxed with a big bow on top.
That was it. WE were totally and completely in LOVE with our new baby-to-be. We couldn't wait to enjoy the journey of this new experience together.
That was the best $40.00 I've ever spent, but that baby was our greatest gift!
Thanks for the great reminder to think back on the seemingly little things! :o)
Mickey C.
phsnurse@centurytel.net
The best $40 I ever spent, wow this is a hard one. I think the best $40 I ever spent was on yarn for a sweater I knitted my mom. I had knitted several projects before this one, but she was so thrilled with her sweater. This wasn't the easiest thing I had knitted and it took me longer than I expected it to, but the look on her face when she opened her gift, was worth more than the cost of the yarn or the time it took me to make it. She still talks about how warm she is in this sweater.
althemer@aol.com
The best $40 my family has spent was on professional face paint!! My husband found a kit online that included face paint, stamps and an ink pad (we liked the stamps because neither of us can draw). My kids really love to have their dad paint on their faces and then looking in the mirror and showing everyone on the street. We figured out really quick that if you use black ink and yellow paint and then wash it off, it looks like a yellow/green bruise!!! We used that to our advantage for Halloween! Of course the kids like to do our faces as well....just not the yellow paint with black stamp!!
Jody
jgrimmer@gci.net
The best $40 I have ever spent was on the "All about You" album from QVC. I had purchased the first 8 x 8 album "All about me" and finished that one. I had never scrapped me before and it was great. When the next one came I knew right away it was going to be for my husband's 40th birthday. I worked on it secretly so it would be a surprise to him. (i usually ask his opinion on my scrapping stuff all the time, so this was a change) I asked his mother for some pictures of him as a child too. It really made me think about "us" and what made him so special to me. I gave it to him on his birthday before everyone came over for the party. I wanted him to have the time to really look it over. He loved it! I think I loved making it for him even more. I find that I really like to make scrap related items as gifts and they have been received very well too.
dcduber@gmail.com
The best $40.00 that I have ever spent would be the postage for a care package that I sent to a friend stationed in Iraq in the 101 Airborne Division. I included enough items and little notes of gratitude that he was able to share with others in his division. I received many letters from those that I have never met wanting to thank me for the items I sent. To this day that $40.00 I spent on postage was by far the best money spent.....
Tami
jtrowden@clearwire.net
Hi Lisa!
The best $40 I've ever spent was 3 years ago. The weather was hot and humid and we didn't know where to go to get cool!! My kids were 2, 3 and 5 and our little plastic pool wasn't doing the trick anymore. The flyers in the Sunday paper had a nice little pool for $40. The pool was 3 ft deep by 10 ft wide. Perfect!! Just right for the kids! On Monday we set off into town to quick grab the pool and enjoy the heat!! After dragging 3 very hot little kids through 6 stores - we could not find the pool that was on sale! Apparently everyone had the same thought!! I said to the kids "let's just go home and turn the sprinklers on! Or should we try that new store." My oldest said "Mom let's just try that store, I know they will have it!!" I was tired, hot and sick of getting 3 kids in and out of car seats!! But we decided to try anyway!!! To our surprise - - they had the pool! We felt like we had won the lottery!
After several hours of filling the pool with a garden hose!! The kids finally got to swim! The kids have such fun in our "little" pool and they love it the most on Sunday afternoon when "Daddy the shark" comes in with them!! We have some of our best memories in our "little" backyard pool!! I'm so glad we spent the $40 on it!!
Cindy Bosch
calslawnserv@triton.net
Dear Lisa, the best $40 I ever spent was at the Outback. My parents are at the age of retirement, and after years of pastoring & mission work, they are ready to enjoy some time to relax. I know that they have "stored up their treasures in heaven" & the Lord has blessed them in numerous ways. The one thing that is hard for me to see is that their finances, at this time in their life, are so tight - they barely have room to breathe. They haven't said these words to me, I can just see it. SO, for my mom's birthday, I took her to the Outback for dinner. You would've thought I'd given her the world. And when I told her to order whatever she wanted, the smile on her face was like a kid in a candy store. Those few hours she enjoyed, having a nice dinner, at a nice place, was a huge thing for her. And that is the best $40 I ever spent. nikihughes2002@yahoo.com
This could be a hard one...
The best $40 I have ever spent was on a pair of my favorite sunglasses when I was 21. I always had a hard time finding some that I liked and these just made me feel good. I recently lost them - 7 years later - but I lucked out when I went to the Brighton website and they still make them.
Thanks for a fun contest and making me think outside the box. This could me a fun scrap page.
Jamie ~ Alabama
The best $40? Taking my mother-in-law and her husband out to eat at Tepanyaki in Provo. She loves Japanese food, but would NEVER spend that kind of money on herself! And her husband, whose health is failing, only likes going to Chuck-A-Rama - so this was a fun treat! We ordered for them - wouldn't even let them have a menu because we knew they'd try to order the least expensive entrees. This dinner was about treating her to great food and enjoying her company! And the fact that she was acting so silly trying to be sneaky and find out the prices of everything was a bonus!
Thanks for sharing your cute family with us!
Jenn T.
jennifreckles@hotmail.com
I teach elementary school in rural (really rural!) Western North Carolina. We have many students who are economically deprived and cannot afford the basics of living, let alone the luxuries of life. One special child in my class was Hispanic, and nearly blind, but never said anything because she knew her mom could not afford glasses. So, the school paid for her to get glasses and our principal took her to pick them out. Life changing experience for her. I told her that I would always be there to help her, but she had to open up and let me know the need. Fast forward two years. Mariel is graduating from 6th grade, getting ready to go to junior high. She has nothing to wear. I took her and her friend Casey to Asheville and spent hours looking for the perfect dress. They each found beautiful dresses at Dillards - originally nearly $90 each- on sale. After trying on over 30 dresses that were not appealing to this modest, quiet young woman, we finally found a stunning peacock green with irridescent embroidery all over it - $25! Casey found a sailor suit for $25, too. Celebrated at Chilis! When Mariel walked out into the spotlight during Graduation, the audience gasped in appreciation and she cried. So did I. I will forever remember taking two little girls who thought they couldn't afford to be beautiful and finding out that a little over $40 could change a child's heart forever. Mariel and Casey are getting ready to move into 8th grade, and every time they see me, they retell the story of the peacock dress. The best money I have ever spent in my life.
Forgot my email I was so blubbering happily!
Thanks for this opportunity to remember such a sweet moment in my life.
Elaine_Waters@msn.com
Easy...the best $40 I ever spent was for an adoption application. We now have the sweetest little redhead who is the subject of all my scrapbooking!
-Marsha
Gosh I'm boring but the best $40 we ever spent was probably on baby gates! It's been so nice to know that they kiddos are in a "safer" part of the house, and away from collections and crafts.
The best $40 I spent was on a mini-album and embellishments I made for a friend recovering this past winter from various health problems. I wanted to cheer her up and make her look toward spring for hope, so I had some photos I took at Longwood Gardens made into wallet size. I put a beautiful orange flower photo and framed it on the orange cover and put the word "timeless" underneath.
Inside, on the title page I put "Nature's Beauty" with a gorgeous orchid photo framed opposite. Next came the dedication page with a photo of me in my scrap room opposite. The following pages all had flower photos on one side with quotes on the opposite page that actually coordinated with the spirit of the photo. The photos and quotes were all matted in coordinating colors. I wrapped it in floral tissue paper, tied it with ribbon, and attached a little note. This small gift meant so much to my friend, who thinks that I'm immensely talented! It meant a lot to me as well, that I was able to do this. It just goes to show that it really is the little things that mean a lot.
I don't believe I forgot to put my e-mail on my post - it's the one about the mini-album I made with photos from Longwood Gardens for a sick friend.
Donna
DonnaV91@aol.com
The best $40 I ever spent was on a picnic basket & some supplies for me & my family to go have a picnic at the park. We never did this before and let me tell you, we had a blast. We made sandwiches and had fruit & snack and the whole thing. We laid our blanket down and set up our stuff on the blanket. We played football, flew kites, played tag & frisbee. It was so much fun that now we have a picninc once a month, if weather permits. I am so glad we started this wonderful family tradition. We look forward to it all the time.
DonnaD
The best $40 spent was when my husband and I went with my in-laws to the Seafood Buffet at the Rio in Las Vegas for our 15 year wedding anniversary celebration. It was heavenly, the seafood bountiful and the dessert section to die for. It was the best $ ever spent for us and the company was even better. We stuffed ourselves to the gills and may go back again this year for another dinner.
The best $40 I have spent!! While my mom was visiting me a few months ago, we went to a very cute antique store. Very clean and tons of stuff. While walking up and down the long long aisles we came across a canister set. Well this particular canister set matched perfectly to a cookie jar that I bought my mom around 1979 (which she still has), when I was just about 8 or 9 years old. I was at Sears with my dad and I just new that was the perfect gift for her. So my mom swiped up the canisters. I was a little disappointed cause I wanted to buy as a surprise.
BUT the cool thing was that low and behold I came across matching salt/pepper shakers and napkin holder as well and she didn't see them. My 9 year daughter kept her busy while I scurried through the store with my treasures. I bought them and got them to the car and back in the store without her knowing. I can't wait till this July to give her my gift as I know she is going to be so excited!!
If anyone wants to check out the Frog.. go to google and type in Neil the Frog/Sears and it will pop up. You will know why an 8 year old was so excited to buy a Frog cookie jar.. he is just to cute.
Susan
susan.moore@karshcpa.com
The best $40.00 I ever spent was on my daughter Mackenzie when she was about 4 years old in 1995. She loved to go to the beach - even when it was not nice outside. In May of that year, I went to the local Meijers store and bought a bunch of sand toys and stuff for a picnic lunch. We spent the day at the beach ( in the 50 degree weather). In fact, it was the first set of picture I ever scrapbooked....
The best $40 I have spent I would have to say is the cost to put my step daughter in girl scouts.
Taking you back to when I met my now husband and his daughter she was this shy little girl who everytime we went somewhere new and she was unsure of the people and her surrounding she would hide behind her dad's legs. Then one day while she was with me at my parent's house where I kept all my girl scout sashes she was really interested in joining scouts. I spoke with her dad and he agreed it would be a good idea to sign her up that year as a brownie.
My step daughter is now in her last year as a junior scout and at the end of May, her fourth year in scouts she will be bridging up to be an Older Girl Scout. Over the past four years she has bloomed into a very outgoing, fun young lady. She now has an overflowing group of friends' and is also very active in events at school.
Speaking as a step mother and co leader of her girl scout troop this year our relationship also has blossomed into something very special also. Scouts gives us that quality time to be friends!! :)
If it wasn't for the $40 her dad and I spent to put her into scouts I don't believe she would have become the girl she is today and me and her wouldn't have the relationship we have today either.
sillyname32@yahoo.com
The best $40 ever spent was by my dad at Christmas time...Christmas eve he handed out gift bags to all the guys (my grandpa, my brother, my husband, my cousins, my uncles) Inside the gift bags were little remote control cars...he got a great deal on them from Liquidation World and I think they cost him aroudn $5 each and they were regular $40 each from Radio Shack. Anyways you had to put them together and how you build them reflects how your car will race. Just watching everyone put their cars together was so much funny...my brother had to help assemble those who were car building challenged. We set up races in the back hallway and we set up round robin races. It was so funny some of the cars went the wrong way, some went under the door down the stairs and others zipped right down the hallways around the shoe at the end and to the finish line. My sons and nephews thought is was so cool and in a few races ended up being the obsticles. It was so much fun and for such little money. My cousin ended up taking the winning title and the prize...which was a little body kit for the car. I
The best $40.00 I have ever spent is on care packages for our troops overseas. When my brother-in-law was on his first tour of Iraq last year, he mentioned there were several people under his command that didn't receive packages from family or friends back home. This just about broke my heart. My husband and I immediately asked for names and addresses and began sending things over to these men. Now that my brother-in-law is on his second tour, we are doing the same thing. We will get a few names, take $40 or $50 and send care packages over to those that may not be fortunate enough to come from loving and supporting families like our own.
katem0810@yahoo.com
Thanks for sharing your kite flying session with us. It looks like the family had a blast and you have the pictures to treasure that memory.
The best $40 that I ever spent would have been last Easter. My best friend passed away in March of 2005. We had been friends since "buggy days" (her mom & my mom pushing us in our baby buggy's), since we lived 2 houses apart and were only 3 months apart in age it was natural that we became friends. All of my growing up memories have her in them, I was her maid-of-honor, she was my bridesmaid when we married 6 weeks apart, our kids were born 8 weeks apart. She was there for me when my marriage disolved & vice versa. She was my support when I developed a chronic illness and surprising enough she also had chronic illnesses that she developed 10 yrs before me. Prior to her passing away, I had tried to talk her into scrapbooking as she was always buying things for me. I finally got her convinced to try it and she had planned on making a scrapbook for her father who was an avid gardener & also had his backyard converted into a model railway. Sadly she passed away in her sleep before she could start this scrapbook for her father. Since I had taken tons of pictures of her dad's backyard railway & the only one with a camera at his 80th birthday, I got all the pictures developed and started to work on the scrapbook she wanted to give him. In this scrapbook I told her father that this was from her as it was her dream to do this for him but since she couldn't I was helping her. I finally completed it and gave it to him for Easter last year. It totally took me by surprise when he burst into tears. I have known him all my life and never saw this side of him. So there we were both crying our eyes out. I know how much that book means to him as he is still talking about it a year later. So for me, that would have to be the best money I ever spent.
doverdi at yahoo dot com
Sorry I should have proof read before I posted. lol!!! and my email address is kelsyp@shaw.ca
Hi Lisa!
The best $40 I ever spent was buying a build-a-bear for my daughter at christmas time(we had just visited santa at the mall). Usually when we buy a bear we just get a bear or an outfit. But this time we got her the whole nine yards! She picked a bear she named Beary, and got him a Santa Outfit, shoes and a beard. She was so excited then she went home and had her other bears sit on Beary's lap and tell him what they wanted for christmas!
Lisa Thorpe
top29gun@aol.com
Sorry, forgot to leave me email...
coach_hamilton@hotmail.com
I cannot believe I am going to comment about this (I probably won't scrapbook about it any time soon)but about a week ago my friend talked me into going to get fitted for a bra. I am not usually an impulse buyer, but she was convinced it was a "life changing" event for her=) So, with my 15 month old in hand, and a 1/2 hour before I had to pick up my preschooler, I headed to the local mall and got fitted for a bra...and spent $40!!! I've never spent that much on one bra before...but my friend admitted it was much cheaper than any sort of surgery. Anyway, after happily nursing five children, I think it has actually lifted me back to wherever I should have been. I'm not sure about the life-changing part...but I was happy enough with the new look that I figured I needed some new shirts to go with it! So if you need a little lift (no pun intended)...it's only $40 away!!! S.Kime teamkime@bellsouth.net
That's a great story ;)
The best $40 I ever spent was a year membership to the Eagle River Nature Center, here in Alaska. It's 10 miles up the road. Most weekends I'll take my 3yo and 7yo to the center. We go in and look at pictures of local flowers and weeds, then go try to find them on our walks. (My 7yo remembers horsetail from 2 years ago!) We see moose, hope to see bears (but we're a little afraid to see a bear at the same time) and enjoy a snack along the way. We've seen beavers, otters, many birds and gorgeous flowers. We go all year long, as long as it's above 20 degrees or so ;) We sometimes take Dad, sometimes take friends, and it's especially fun when the grandparents come to visit (we're military and don't live near any family). That is the best $40 I've ever spent.
The best $40 I ever spent was for Christmas in 2004. I was teaching geography to 7th graders at an inner city school in Wichita, KS. My students were a really neat group of kids. I decided that I wanted to give each of my students a Christmas gift, so I gathered pencils, erasers, bookmarks, little games, and some candy to put in little gift bags for each of the 120 kids. I also enlisted the help of family and friends to find inexpensive stuff for the bags. I spent the weeks before Christmas carefully filling each bag with all the items.
On the last day of school before Christmas break, I handed out the gifts to the students. I had never seen so much excitement over such a small gift (the cost of each bag was around $1). The kids were laughing and grinning because I had taken the time to give them something. They were all so excited to compare what colors their pencils and games were. If someone was absent, I made sure to set aside a bag for them and put their name on it. My colleagues told me that all they heard about all day were the cool gifts that Mrs. Welch gave out!
Handing out the gifts was very rewarding, but the biggest reward came after Christmas break. Several of the students took the time to write me thank you notes. It was a big deal because most of the kids had probably never written or received a thank you note. Then, a few days later, a boy who had absent before break took me aside in the hall and told me that the little bag I gave to him was the only Christmas gift he received. He said he just wanted to thank me for being so nice and thinking of him. I will always remember how much that $40 gift made to those kids. Even a little thing can make BIG difference in someone's life.
Thanks, Lisa, for posting this challenge. I had forgotten about this memory, and now I am once again reminded of how easy it is to make a difference in someone's life!
Forgot my email, too
christie@twochicksdesigns.com
Hi Lisa! What a FUN contest!
Best $40 I ever spent...that's easy! My intial membership to eHarmony.com over 3 years ago. I wasn't meeting getting any younger and the dude I was suppose to be with hadn't shown-up yet. Victor & I met exactly 2 years ago yesterday 3/27/05. We are happily married and have the best little baby girl http://www.charliecinasplace.blogspot.com/
Everything in life happens for a reason! I'm so happy I too the plunge to sign-up for eHarmony.com and that Victor and I finally found each other! Life is good! Very, VERY good!
~ Kathy
KathyCina@verizon.net
The best ever $40 I ever spent was the registration on my crop weekend in Edson, AB. I know it sounds lame to spend money on myself, but after the birth of my daughter I have given her my 24-7 undivided attention and this was something I did for myself to make me feel like more than a mom, but as a human being. Being a mom takes a huge toll on, a good thing, but tiring on the system. It was nice to relax and scrapbook, even though I was away from her physically, I scrapbooked about her the whole weekend.
ahmmac@hotmail.com
Alison Peyton
Fort McMurray, AB
The best $40 I ever spent...... this requires a bit of thought! I would have to say that it would be the almost $40 it cost me to express post chocolate chip cookies baked by my daughter and myself to my father. We live in British Columbia but are from Nova Scotia. My father had been ill (cancer) and we had been sending letters, pictures and packages everyweek. My then 4 year old daughter wanted to bake Grampy some cookies. First I said no and then I decided, why not. So we baked the cookies, took pictures and packed everything up in a box and paid a fortune to send it express so that the cookies would be edible when they arrived. My dad passed away two weeks later but he did get the cookies and shared them with his nurses and told his granddaughter that she made the best the cookies in the whole wide world. This was three years ago and she still talks about baking the best cookies for Grampy.
Jen Decker
jbdecker@shaw.ca
Most of the most amazing, fun memories that I have of my family don't involve money (thank goodness). :)
But...if I have to think of the $40...it would have to be on 2 CDs we have purchased. The first is a Garth Brooks CD with the "Fishing in the Dark" song on it (I know he didn't originally sing it, but he does great!) ~$20. The second CD is an Oak Ridge Boys CD with "Elvira" on it ~$20. Why do these mean anything to me??! A year ago they meant nothing to me. But now, EVERY time I hear them I will be reminded of the fun we have as a family to these two songs.
I have 2 children...a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. We will put these songs on and let the dancing begin! My 4 year old can sing all the words to both songs! The "moves" that they come up with are amazing...and very funny! Whenever I am in a down mood or stress is taking over, we put on the songs and we all begin to dance and it is like a party. I cannot even begin to tell you how fun it is, and the size of my smile I get every time I think of it. All this from songs my daughter heard ONCE in the car and asked for as they were "her songs."
So, those two songs (which could have been found online and not purchased the whole CD :)) will ALWAYS and FOREVER bring a smile to my face and I can see my kids laughing uncontrollably and having the time of their lives. And, my husband and I dancing right along side them...dancing like no one can see us. Moments like these are what family is about.
Thank you for letting me share.
Dawn Pilcher
pilcher@bresnan.net
Hello Lisa, The best $40 I ever spent was the money I used to purchase supplies in order to make a scrapbook for my father in law.
When I was 4 months pregnant with my first child we found out that my mother-in-law had cancer. That was the day after Thanksgiving and she was buried on Christmas Eve. It was a very difficult time because she was SO excited about becoming a grandmother. Ironically, she got me an angel figurine holding a baby for Christmas before she knew she had cancer.
My father in law has struggled with the loss of Linda immensely. He is a very quiet and reserved person who does not like to show emotion. He also is a penny pincher who doesn't even have a camera. I felt a burden to create a scrapbook of our children for him because he is always asking if we have any pictures of them.
When he opened it on his birthday his eyes filled with tears. I know it has been painful for him to look at our children without thinking of Linda.
Since giving him this gift, I have been told by many relatives how he has shown them his scrapbook and how happy it seems to make him. I think it brought joy and even a little closure. Well worth the money!!
Thank you for the opportunity to share.
amandaclark_2000@yahoo.com
The best $40 I ever spent wasn't actually spent, but given away. I had just left a fast food play place with my children and was trying to "lecture" them about sharing on the drive home. We had a few problems taking turns and sharing with the other children that were playing with us. Just as I was done with my mini lecture, I pulled up to a stop light. Right outside my drivers window were two people who had a sign and were asking for money or food. My curious children in the backseat asked what the people were doing there and what the sign they were holding said. When I told them, my 5 year old son who is Autistic and usually doesn't understand need or emotion started to roll down his window and give the couple what was left of his Happy Meal. I was at that moment, proud to be his Mom. He had listened to my talk in the van and without a second thought, he was ready to give what he had to another who needed it. I told him to hold onto his lunch and instead I would give them money to buy their own Happy Meal. I handed them each a $20 bill and said God Bless as I drove away feeling ashamed to only have that to share with them. This happened about 6 months ago and my children still talk about it. They always wonder what happened to those people and where they are now. I don't know who they were or where they were from but I will never forget them or that moment. So, even though I did not "get" something monetary for my $40, I got a whole lot more than I could have imagined. Thanks for the chance to share!!
Krystal
krystalbarb@hotmail.com
The best $40 I've spent had to be in Disneyland when I took my daughter to eat lunch with the princesses. Meeting the characters is her favorite thing about Disneyland but the princesses are so hard to catch and the line is always long. So we sent the boys on their way, and we had lunch while all the princesses came around and sat at our table for a few minutes, signed autographs, gave hugs and took photos.
Her favorite princess is Jasmine so when she came to our table I whispered to her that she was my daughter's favorite princess and she hugged my daughter so tight and spent an extra few minutes at our table. My daughter was so nervous and literally speechless! I had tears in my eyes seeing how much it meant to my daughter to be there with her mommy and Grandma and spending time with her favorite Disney princesses!
The best $40 I ever spent wasn't actually spent, but given away. I had just left a fast food play place with my children and was trying to "lecture" them about sharing on the drive home. We had a few problems taking turns and sharing with the other children that were playing with us. Just as I was done with my mini lecture, I pulled up to a stop light. Right outside my drivers window were two people who had a sign and were asking for money or food. My curious children in the backseat asked what the people were doing there and what the sign they were holding said. When I told them, my 5 year old son who is Autistic and usually doesn't understand need or emotion started to roll down his window and give the couple what was left of his Happy Meal. I was at that moment, proud to be his Mom. He had listened to my talk in the van and without a second thought, he was ready to give what he had to another who needed it. I told him to hold onto his lunch and instead I would give them money to buy their own Happy Meal. I handed them each a $20 bill and said God Bless as I drove away feeling ashamed to only have that to share with them. This happened about 6 months ago and my children still talk about it. They always wonder what happened to those people and where they are now. I don't know who they were or where they were from but I will never forget them or that moment. So, even though I did not "get" something monetary for my $40, I got a whole lot more than I could have imagined. Thanks for the chance to share!!
Krystal
krystalbarb@hotmail.com
Forgot my email... sorry!
jodi_memmott@hotmail.com
(My comment was about my daughter eating lunch with the Disney princesses)
Hi Lisa, I'm the 4th comment posted and forgot to put my email address. Sorry!
Lisa D
LisaD1000us@yahoo.com
hi lisa,
my favorite $40 was spent last spring break when my 2 oldest boys were 7 and 8 years old. i gave them each a $20 bill and told them that they were in charge for a whole day to provide fun. it was so cute to see how they planned/organized/decided which activities to incorporate into their special day. they had to spent as close to $20 as they could without going over and we "graded" each of them on their day. we loved how they filled time with free things, such as the playground and library, and how they made their decisions on which events so spent money on ! it was an exciting day for all - my only regret is that i didn't take any pictures that day but it doesn't matter because they still talk about it all the time!! just had to share my story because your story reminded me of it. love your blog - don't know how you do it all !!
Carol
csippel@austin.rr.com
The best $40 I ever spent? For some reason I can only think of million worse ways I spent $40.~hee~I will spare ya those details and wish everyone else luck with this really fun contest....good luck and hope you enjoy the daisy D's. Love their products!!!
To Lisa......your the luckiest gal to wake up every morning and see those awesome Mountains in your neighborhood. WOW! We don't get those here in MN....so it's super fun to see them. Wonderful scenery!!! Also loved your kite story and laughed so hard about the doggie chasing your son down the neighborhood and the kite ontop your neighbors house...what a hoot! TFS!
Funny you mention this, I just got done telling my friend this the other day, but the best $40 I spent was a few months ago at Chuck E Cheese! Yes, you heard me right..ha ha. My husband has been working second shift for about 6 months now and I run out of things to do with the kids, so one day I asked them if they wanted to go (and we don't normally just go for no reason!) they of course said yes. I used the $29.99 coupon from the Sunday paper but I also had to get the dessert pizza too so it came really close to $40. The kids ate a great pizza and we played games for hours with our 100 tokens. The funny part was I had 500 tickets at the end and my 6yr old son wanted a big notebook that was 500 tickets, and my 4 yr old daughter wanted a little wand for 10 tickets the worker gave us both (nice of her to spot us the 10 tickets, ha ha) and both my kids were happy as can be!
After we left, they both thanked me and told me it was the best day ever!!!
The best $40 I ever spent was last year. I was looking for something fun to do with my husband and son. So I bought a picnic blanket at target for $20 and a cooler at Cabella's for $20. Now picnics are a tradition for us. We go to the park (just last night as a matter of fact), camping, the beach, or just the back yard. Whenever I take the blanket and cooler out my 2 year old knows its time to make some sandwiches and head outside for some fun (without TV or phones). It has become a great investment for us!!
Have you ever thought you could get a teenage boy to still want to decorate Easter eggs? Well, mine does. Te best $40 we spend as a family are supplies to decorate eggs. I gather feathers, sequins, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, rhinestones, pom poms and anything else we can find in the craft store and three dozen eggs from the store. Out come the glue guns and we go crazy. The eggs are dyed all kinds of colors and decorated with our craft store goodies. Every year we turn our eggs into spiders, aliens, cowboys and bank robbers, football players, frogs, fancy birds, bugs, butterflies and some things that we just aren't sure what they are! Our date this year is this Friday night (March 30th nice and early since we don't actually eat them but use them as decorations only) and can you believe it, my now 18 year old, very cool, senior in highschool, football playing, going off to college son still looks forward to this every year.
We have such fun doing this it is a small price to pay for such a great time of laughs and family together time.
lkhull@sbcglobal.net
I have only one sister. I miss her very much, since she lives miles away in Michigan from my home in Pennsylvania. We seldom are able to see each other, but visit via the phone and the Internet!
She is my best friend, my confidant, and my support. I probably spend $40.00 buying small gifts all year long for her "Birthday Box"! These Special Boxes are so much fun and we both look forward to our birthdays because it's the THOUGHT and the CARING that keep us Connected.
She is a new "SCRAPPER" and SISTERS ALWAYS SHARE!
bellwood@coaxpa.com
This past January while on holiday in Hawaii with my husband and boys, ages 7 and 6 I ran out of memory space for my camera. We only had two days of holiday left so it wasn't such a big deal, right? Wrong! I decided I couldn't be without and bought a new memory card. If I hadn't I would have missed:
- the picture of my 7 year old son holding a parrot, something he had been "dying" to do the whole trip.
- the amazing sunset from our hotel balcony.
- my boys enjoying their first Luau.
- my six year old trying poi, (and NOT liking it!)
- my 6 year old son onstage at the luau, helping break open a coconut, drinking the coconut juice and announcing that "IT'S GREAT!".
There were already so many moments I didn't get photos of:
- my boys picking oysters at the Pick a Pearl stand and the excitement on their face at giving me their amazing jewels
-my seven year old son's look of amazement at the Magic of Polynesia show, "how did they do that?"
I am SO glad I spent that $40 to get a memory card!
Alice Boll
amboll@telus.net
Hi Lisa, The best $40 that I have ever spent involves something that was very devastating to my husband and myself. After my daughter turned two, we decided that we really wanted another child. Unfortunately, I could not get pregnant again and after both of us went through all kinds of fertility testing we heard the bad news that my husband was the one with the "problem". Since we already had a child together you can imagine the shock of this news as well as how a man feels upon hearing this..I wanted to show him that I'd love him forever no matter what so I bought him a rare car book that he'd been wanting for a long time but just didn't get around to going across town to the automotive speciality store that carried it. I bought it for him and inscribed it with a note of love, support, and encouragement. It was a surprise to him-especially because he didn't know I even knew where the store was, etc. It really took his mind off our sad news and he knew it was from my heart. Oh, by the way, after a surgery we had our second child..a boy who loves cars as much as his daddy! Anne
serkaian@yahoo.com
I originally questioned how well-spent the $40 tuition for my perfectionist-daughter’s first-ever gymnastics class was. Watching her through the observation window for those first few weeks wrenched my heart as I limply sat watching her wipe away tear after tear because she couldn’t keep up with the other kids. Even though she was crying, she stepped up to each challenge and tried to hide each tear as if her eyes were just itching. For weeks she cried prior to each class asking me to please not make her go. Fast forward to now, six months later...even though she still can’t do a cartwheel or a graceful forward roll, she now walks onto the gymnastics floor where she once felt like a standout failure, with stunningly beautiful confidence and courage to continue trying. It’s the best $40 because it gave her an experience that has shown her a tiny glimpse of her potential--money doesn't usually buy things like that.
rszymoonskis@yahoo.com
In December 2000, I purchased a home. I was very excited to have my house looking "festive" and I purchased many strings of icicle lights and a six foot wooden ladder. After several failed attempts to string the lights by myself, I realized I was going to have to have some help or end up in the hospital with a broken neck. I phoned the Singles Minister at my church who gave me the number of a new man in our church. Long story short, he hung my lights for me and six years later, is still hanging them as my husband. Last year, our little boy joined in the festivities. SO I would have to say that was definitely the best $40 I had ever spent!
Kathy Palen
katpalen1@sbcglobal.net
I think the best $40 I spent was last summer. My daughter was finally old enough to sign up for swim team at age 6. She has two brothers (one is her twin) who do their sports and she was waiting her turn...and boy did she get it. She eagerly tried out (by swimming one length of the pool) and then got her team suit but then she wanted a sweatshirt too...it was $40...I could buy the same one at any store for half that...but it was a 'team' sweatshirt, so I said okay. It had our team on the front and you can put your own nickname or name on the back...she chose 'Syd the Squid'. She loves that shirt still and can't wait for swimteam to start in a couple of months.
ShellyLFanning@hotmail.com
Lisa,
I've given a lot of thought to the best $40 dollar theme. I think I would have to say it was the money that I spent on scrapbook supplies (I know...) to make a gift for my mother. Two years ago I found these awesome slides that were given to me by my uncle that were of my mother as a child. It was like she was looking through time at me. I got to thinking about all of the things that she's taught me, and how those teachings influence my own parenting of my daughter, and I made her a book called "Things My Mother Taught Me." It had pictures made from those slides and quotes of things that she always says and taught us; pictures of me as a child and pictures of my mother with my daughter. I think I got the timeless theme across. I gave it to her for Christmas that year, and got to watch her receive and enjoy it. While the journey of creating the book was full of tears and joy for me, nothing will beat the joy that she got looking through that book and that I got giving it to her. I am satisfied that my mother knows that I have some idea how important she is to me. Not every child has the opportunity to communicate that well to a parent until it's "too late". I'd say that was $40 well spent.
( I hope you don't think it's too cheesy that I chose scrapbooking supplies. If your background had been plumbing, I'd have still picked the idea of scrapbooking supplies.:)
anneliesseankeny@hotmail.com
Hi Lisa, the best $40 I have ever spent is on fabric to make my Mom a wall-hanging with 12 different 6x6 squares. Each square has no less than 25 pieces to it. All hand pieced. I made this quilt while living in Japan. I made it in all colors of pink. To see her face when I brought it home to her was so delightful. I will never ever forget this.
My mom is 76 years old now and was just diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She tells me often how beautiful that pink quilt is and how she cherishes it.
I have wonderful pictures of giving it to her and her delightful face. These will be treasured forever.
terrimac@tds.net
I find it ironic that you posted the amount $40. 5 years ago my husband and I bought our house. We couldn't afford landscaping or the basement yet. We thought we'd work for that stuff over the years.We have no back alleys, so our neighbors were really close. I longed for trees for privacy & shelter. But we just couldn't afford the $2000 for trees. I gave a perm and was paid $40.Cool.Later that day I went to a garage sale with my grandparents. Here this man was selling baby pyramid cedars. I told him I only had $40. He sold me 16 trees for the $40. We went home and planted the trees. I watered, fertilized, weeded these trees year after year. Everyone thought I wasted my money because they looked like they were dying. Last year I finally saw them beginning to grow and take root. This year as the snow melts I see that they are going to survive. These trees remind me so much of our life. We started out young, but with nuturing and faith in each other and God, we begin to grow individually and together just as these trees will one day become a hedge. I think this was the best $40.
Lisa-
The best $40 I ever spent was on a princess tent for my daugther. She thinks this place is her private castle and she has to "invite" you in (she's 20 months old). A couple of weeks ago she stayed with my inlaws while I was attending a scrapbook event. She and her grandfather spent the entire weekend playing in that tent. She has always been a little shy when it came to being around my father in law, but that weekend, the two of them spent some quality time in the tent. My mother in law took a photo of the two of them in it together...asleep. They took a nap in there for a couple of hours together. Love that tent and it honestly was the best $40 that I have spent.
Hollye
Oops..email address for Hollye is hollyecross@comcast.net
Lisa,
The best time I spent $40 on something was just last March. My younger sister Jayme, 16, had a friend that ended up making a bad choice at the age of 15 and ended up pregnet. My sisters friend was so scared that she hit her pregnancy up until almost her 5th month. At that point had to tell her father (single-parent home) and of course he was furious. Well, the young girl went to the doctor and found out that her babies were fine. Yes, I said BABIES, two as a matter of fact. When I found out that she was going to have twins I was so excited & yet scared for her. A million thoughts ran through my mind.
I went out along with my mom and we bought almost $300 worth of baby stuff for her. I really didn't have the extra money because I'm a broke college student, but she desperately needed the stuff so I did with out a few things. Now, that the girls are a year old I look back and Thank the Lord that I bought that stuff for them because they are my hope since my husband & I found out that we may not be able to have children. As my walls came crumbling down around me these sweet and precious little angels are there to remind me to have hope because anything is possible. That was one of the best decisions in my life.
Sincerely,
Leslie Keithley
Lesliekeithley@sbcglobal.net
(417)743-0339
Lisa,
The best $40 I ever spent was last fall on my son's college application to his dream school! He was schmoozing the admission people, attended all the college fairs, and then we both had to patiently wait. He did apply to two other schools, but wanted this one so badly. They sent a letter in early January that they wanted to see his first semester grades. More waiting. Monday, I'm on my way home from work and my cell phone rings. "Mom, how was your day?" "It was ok, what's up?" "Want to hear some good news? I got a letter today - I'm in!" I don't even remember how I got home. I was on cloud nine! That was the best $40 I ever spent! (Now they're going to get even more of my money - whoopee!)
Sue in Alexandria VA
bakersj@cox.net
The best $40.00 i ever spent was at the humane society, I had rescued a 4 week old kitten from a dumster outside my work. After a couple of weeks I realized she needed a playmate while I was at work,
I wanted to do "something good" so i decided to adopt a kitty from the humane society and save a life,
the 40 dollars was the society fee for adoption - paper work etc, it was by far the best thing i've ever done, They r best friends, and my first pets, (I never was an animal person as a kid+)
I spoil them to no end, and sometimes called a "cat women" even though I only have 2
I can not explain the love and joy you can get from 2 balls of fur,
ELizabeth HOlder
tpddiver6@earthlink.net
Years ago (probably 15) when my girls were little and we didn't have much money. I came across a good deal on some "Super Soakers". Remember these, they were a big long water gun with a 'tank' on top that you filled up and you could squirt for a long time before it was time to refill. I bought one for each of us, mom, dad and our two daughters. There were many fun-filled days that summer running around the condo's soaking each other, leaping out from hiding places and giggling as mom or dad were soaked. The guns are long gone now. No pictures either but just those in our memories...
About a year after my dh and I were married we were struggling financially. He traveled the first year of our marriage working construction and I was working nights and taking call to make extra money. He had been working out of town for 3 weeks and was finally going to make it home for a few days. I headed to the grocery store with our last $40 to buy groceries to try and be the good wife and cook a nice home cooked meal. I remember carefully choosing everything to make sure I didn't go over. $38 and some change later I had food for us and our cats for the next week or two until payday. I decided to spend the last dollar on a scratch off lottery ticket. A few scratches later I was $100 richer and that weekend was the best weekend ever for us. We decided no more traveling and now on April 3 we will be married 14 years. Thinking back that $40 makes me realize all the struggles we have been through over the years and how we have made it together. So I guess you could say "a weeks worth of groceries-$40, 14 years of marriage-PRICELESS"
dhweezy@kc.rr.com
I have spent many dollars on things, but the best $40.00 I spent was on birthday gifts for my son's friend, Tim. Karson, my youngest started Kindergarten last year and all the kids bonded instantly. They were all such great friends. When Tim was 3 he was diagnosed with cancer. It did go into remission, but the winter before he started Kindergarten it was discovered that it had came back. He took chemo treatments his whole Kindergarten year, but that summer the doctor's told his family that the chemo wasn't helping and more tumors had developed. Tim's birthday was the first of September, so his Kindergarten teacher put together a great birthday party for him at the park. The theme was Disney and Spiderman as Spiderman was his favorite! The special part of this was taking my son shopping to pick out the perfect gift! It was such a bittersweet time because my son could not understand why he had to go to Heaven. After a lot of looking and pondering, Karson finally decided on a play dough set, a spiderman figure, and a lego set. Just knowing that this was going to Tim's last birthday, spending $40.00 didn't seem like enough. If we only could have only bought a cure for cancer. Sadly to say, Tim passed away a month later.
Kristel Roberts
ktel30@yahoo.com
I would have to say that the best $40 I ever spent was for my business license. I graduated from college in 2005 and soon took a graphic design job at a local advertising agency. Soon thereafter, I realized that I was working for the wicked witch of the west. Although I was learning a lot, I was miserable because my boss and I just did not see eye to eye.
I kept the job for a year and four months...put in my time and learned a lot...then decided to go out on my own. I am now 23, I own my own graphic design business and work from home. I am the happiest I've ever been, and it's such a blessing to have this opportunity at such a young age.
Stephanie Bates
livingroomfloor@gmail.com
Dear Lisa,
I just had the most amazing Build-A-Bear experience with my son for $17!
My son Randy just turned 5 and his Pre-K field trip was to build-a-bear on a yellow school bus! My son never attached to any stuffed animals when he was younger. Pretty much only cars, trucks and his "blanket". But I'm 45 with one child and treasure every moment and opportunity that comes our way. I had a Me day scheduled that week which means I was taking a day off of work to spend time getting stuff done. I figured I can pay bills and clean the house and "catch up" another time even if it means staying up late after Randy goes to sleep at night, even though usually I am too tired after working all day. I reschedule my vacation day to be a "room mom" on that field trip.
The children had 5 animals to choose from that each sold around $15. You probably know the build-a-bear routine, heart, stuffing, birth certificate, box etc. But those build-a-bear gals......when it came time to put in the heart...The children rubbed it on their knees so their new friend would run fast, rubbed it on their foreheads so he would be smart, rubbed it on their ears so he would be a good listener, rubbed it on their friends so he would be a good friend and it went on and on and on and on! If I wouldn't have been there I wouldn't have known how special Joey (Randy's new dinosaur) was becoming. And then to witness the stuffing and sewing and birth certificate and oath the children take......it was amazing. The build-a-bear folks never once mentioned accessories or any additional items for cost. Lots of free bows and ribbons to dress their creations were made available.
Later that night, I had to kiss Joey goodnight after I kissed Randy goodnight and I had to tuck Joey in. Yesterday Randy was home sick with a fever and I had to take Joey's temperature in his ear too. Joey has become a friend and an important member of this family in a way I never expected to see. Randy and I often talk about Joey's heart and all his wonderful qualities and how Randy created him.
It's priceless to me.
I sent the build-a-bear store a thank you and letter letting them know how I feel.
thank you for your time. You are an inspiration to us all.
Stephanie
randysmom@sbcglobal.net
Hi Lisa,
I have to say the best $40 I spent was just recently. My 9 yr. old daughter absolutely loves the band Rascal Flatts. I promised her a long time ago when they came to Utah I would take her to see them in concert. She has patiently waited for months. Recently we had the opportunity for the 2 of us to go to their concert. We had probably some of the worst seats in the arena, (not great for taking pictures) but she had the time of her life. I still get teary eyed thinking about how much fun she had. Although the concert was amazing, the best part was seeing how happy my daughter was and spending that time with her. Reminds me of the Visa commercial $__ for tickets, $__ t-shirt, spending time with my daughter...priceless.
Just thought I'd share.
Tracy
atcontino@msn.com
Wow...I love all these stories. For me the best $40 I spent was on a meal last December. Here in Washington we had a HUGE windstorm and many people were without power, one was my son's best friend and his family. They had been in a hotel for many days and so I invited them over for dinner with us. I am a terrible cook so I went to Costco, bought a chicken pot pie, salad, bread and dessert. I believe that meal cemented our friendship as they knew we cared about them and wanted to spend a few hours getting their mind off their difficult circumstances.
It was small gesture but it was wonderful to see how much it meant to them.
Valerie White
White0221@aol.com
A week ago, I had a small family reunion with my in-laws at Las Vegas. My father-in-law asked me if I had one place to go, where could he take me? And I laughed, and said, "I know we're in Vegas, but I just want to go to In N Out Burgers!! and I'll treat!!" (I live in Portland, Oregon and my in-laws are from Hilo, Hawaii --we both don't have an In N Out.) Dad drove us there, and ~$38.00 later, to feed mom, dad, tutu, tutu kane, 3 brother-in'laws, 2 kids, one husband, and myself with the works. It was their first experience-raving about the fresh peeled and cut fries, simple short menu, and juicy burgers. Grrr.. I just wish I took ONE picture. No pictures, but at least we have a story to laugh and tell about.
Enjoy!
Jeannie
jeannie.rivera@providence.org
I always enjoy spending $40 on flowers for family/friends who need a little pick-me-up. It is always a nice surprise for them and a nice reminder that I'm thinking of them. It picks-me-up too! :-)
brenda(mizweb)
bmiz_mail at mizweb dot com
I have to say the best $... spent was Sure for many tests of pregnancy.
I have attended my child for two years.
A Sunday morning I have made the pregnancy test and finally it was positive. They are passed 5 years from that day, but I memory still the emotion and the joy I have tried in that moment. Is beautiful moment that I will remember for all the life! Moneies very best spent!!!
Excuse me for ugly English
Ciao
Tamara (Switzerland)
busca.tam@bluewin.ch
My husband would laugh at this and say, "When haven't you spent $40?!" but the best $40 I ever spent was asking HIM out on our first date and paying for his ski lift ticket!
Now, I am not the type that ever called boys, initiated anything, or asked ANY of them out for that matter, but when he showed up in my college Spanish class that winter, I started doing things I had never done before!
We were walking along after class one day, only after about three different times talking, and I found myself asking if he skiied or snowboarded. When he said he did, I found my mouth moving and before I could stop myself, I asked him to go skiing with me that weekend! It was as if someone else was inside of me and he looked just as suprised as I felt. And much to my amazement he said yes!
That weekend I tried to do everything right...I got all dolled up (way, way too much to go skiing), bought bagels and hot chocolate for breakfast and even went and picked HIM up. It was snowing, and we were driving up to Brighton and I was giggling up a storm, acting probably as weird as ever, when I felt the car we were driving start to slide. I had no control, I wasn't that experienced and we starting sliding off the road over to the side of the enbankment. I started freaking out but he patiently tried to tell me what to do and we stopped about a foot from going over. We'll, an hour later we were towed out of our snow rut and I thought, "We'll this is it, I never see him again...not only will he think I am a no brainer but this date is history!". And, much to my suprise, he said, "So, you ready to go and ski?" I was shocked he still wanted to hangout after my foolishness, instead of turning around and heading home, but we continued up the mountain-with him driving this time! That day I paid the $40 for his lift ticket and our first date, but that $40 changed my life. Seven weeks later we were engaged and almost six years later we are expecting our fourth (I know, I know...busy...an almost 5 year old, 2, 1 and due on Mother's Day). I will forever be grateful for someone putting words into my mouth and making me ask my husband out and spending the $40 to treat him to our first date of many...
-Kirsten
ammonrasmussen@yahoo.com
The best $40 I ever spent was when I purchased the first "Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson" book off of QVC. When it arrived, I loved the book, but I was not sure what I was going to do with the mini album. I left it sit on the shelf for a few months until I found out in September, 2004, that my father had Stage IV lung cancer and only had a few months to live. I pulled out the mini album and all of its contents and went searching through all of my favorite pictures of my Dad to have copies made. From somewhere deep inside all of the wonderful things I wanted to say to my Dad came rushing out as I put the album together for him, letting him know about how wonderful he had made my life and how much I loved him. I left the album on his desk one night when we left their house for him to find after we were gone. I was not up to the emotions of delivering it to him in person. The next day I got a bouquet of pink roses delivered to my office. The note said, "You didn't have to tell me, I already knew." My Dad passed away in February, 2005. The album I made him sat beside his favorite chair, and he showed everyone that came to visit. We set up a table of pictures at his visitation. The album was on this table only a short time as everyone waiting in line passed the book around. Over 500 people attended his visitation. I was not the only person he touched. I still take the opportunity on occasion to look at the album when I visit my Mom. It was definitely the best money I every spent.
Christy
caja62@gmail.com
I just recently got married (Jan 13, 2007) and it was amazing. My parents had gotten divorced in 2002 and I was very worried about how things would be at the wedding because of this. I had asked my mother if she would also walk me down the aisle, along with my dad. She said no because she knew it would hurt my dad's feelings. It meant so much to her that I asked, but she just couldn't do that to him. It made me feel so good that she still cared enough to put her own feelings aside. After the wedding I wanted to make her a special gift... so I spent about $35 and made her a photobook on shutterfly. It wasnt a scrapbook, but it was something she could take with her and show her friends. She absolutely loved it! it was the first time she cried throughout the whole wedding process. It meant so much that such a small gesture made her feel so special.
meghan
mooshefl@gmail.com
The best $40.00(and then some..lol)I have ever spent would have to be on my scrapping supplies. I love everything about it-creating,buying,and meeting other people who love it as much as I do.(I am addicted to it and am an enabler...I love to help others spend their money on supplies too!)
jenny
heyjennyc@sbcglobal.net
This week the best $40 was spent on a new bathroom sink.
My daughter wadded her toothbrush down the sink drain. As in most DIY projects, the simple can turn complex very easily. In this case, we had to purchase a new sink.
This $40 was money well spent for three reasons.
1- We got a new bathroom sink, something on our "to-do" list for the house.
2- My 6 year old son helped his dad install the new sink. He is so proud of this. From what I hear from his teachers he has been bragging about how "cool" his dad is to everyone who will listen. You just can't buy that kind of admiration in a store.
3- My husband literally had a life moment that he has been dreaming of all his life. Father and Son, together, doing "guy stuff." As a parent we often dream of life with our children, and this past weekend, one of my husbands dreams came true. He didn't even object to me bringing out the camera and taking pictures.
So, yes, it might be a bathroom sink, one you can find in any home.
But to me, it's more than that. This sink will always be a reminder of the boys in my life, and how something as simple as a sink can bring us closer together. :)
Jen Shunk
JLShunk@yahoo.com
The best $40 I have spent is having dinner with my friend, Lisa and her family. Lisa has breast cancer and the doctors gave her 6 months to live 5 years ago. She now has tumors in brain and has to have surery on the 13th of April.She can't have chemo anymore due to damage to her heart. But she is postive and such a blessing to be around. She knows that she can live with healing from the great Physican. She lives her live to the fullest and loves the Lord. I call her to encourage her and she encourages me instead.
So the best $40 I have spent is spending time with my forever friend.
Erica Card
card2shop@yahoo.com
The best $40 I have spent was recently. (although it was a little bit more than $40 :) It was on the floor plans for our new home!! We have never owned a home and now are getting ready to build our dream home! It is so exciting. A place where my family can BE. Ours. The place we belong.
Sara
brownell98@msn.com
The best $40 I ever spent had to be the time my 10 year old son recieved some money (it may have been around $60 or $70). In church one Sunday we had someone from Food For the Poor speak to us. My son decided that he wanted to give $40 to the organization. My husband and I were so proud of him. We told him that we thought that it was such a wonderful idea that we would at least match his contribution. You know, we are so very lucky here in the United States. Most of us do not know and never will know what it is like to wake up and wonder whether you are going to eat that day. I am always bringing this up, along with a lot of other examples, to prove to my children just how blessed we really are. To see that the stories told by the representative from Food For the Poor touched his soul made me realize that maybe it is all getting through! It is OK to have things, but giving back is what it's all about. Every parent loves it when they catch their kids thinking outside of themselves!
sch_just_us@yahoo.com
The Best $40 I ever spent was back in Dec of 2006 we took a trip to Walt Disney World for two weeks. Our kiddo's at the time were 13, 4, 3 and 1. The girls were just discovering the wonderful world of Pin Trading after The Disney's Dream Team had giving us Year of a Million Dreams Lanyards. The kiddo's were all two excited that the three older ones wanted new pins to add on to their special lanyards. After each trip into every store looking for the perfect Snow White, Cinderella and Stitch pins we hit Downtown Disney Pin Trading. Each of our Kids found the pins they were searching for and of coarse the baby had to have a couple pins to. The total came to $40 exactly. The best part was the lady at the counter saw that our little lady turned 1 the day before and she gave Melaney two extra pins off of her Lanyard one was Jimmy Cricket so that she will always have her conscience by her side and the other Tinker Bell so her all of her dreams may come true. I did get photo's of it and I can't wait to add them into her scrapbook.
opps forgot to add in my email...it's armysfwife02@aol.com
There are so many great things in my life to pick just one. From the date nights with my husband and the long talks we have without being interrupted to the Dora cd and radio I bought my oldest daughter. We dance for hours to it! At least it seems like it! :)
There is one time that $40 does stick out in my mind. That is the amount that my husband and I donated to Race for the Cure a couple of years ago. I have 2 Aunts that are breast cancer SURVIVORS :) One of the two was participating in the race, she actually is now the race chair. I thought this would be a great way to spend a Saturday morning with a woman who is a complete inspiration to me. Not only has she won the battle, but she is helping others try to win. She has founded one of the largest support groups in her area. I didn't realize how big of an impact that day was going to have on me, not only was there laughter, but tears as well. I had no idea I would get so emotional when I saw her go
through the Survivor finish line.
This year I am finally not pregnant or haven't just given birth so I plan on doing it again. This time I have 2 Aunts to cheer on as her sister was diagnosed over a yr and a half ago. She also is a SURVIVOR! :)
Thanks Lisa for making me go through my memories and remember all the special times in my life.
I have loved reading all of the responses, too! From so touching to so practical. Mine is a little bit of both, and technically, I wasn't the one who spent the $40.
Last summer was very hot here in Missouri, and money was tight. I decided to try to save on the high electric bill (cuased by the air conditioner) by putting clothes out to dry on my little wooden clothes rack. Not much fit on it, so I was constantly doing laundry to dry another load, hanging shirts on hangers in the bedroom doorways and from the metal bunkbed in my children's room. After my mom had witnessed this "clothes drying phenomenon", she mentioned it to my dad. He marched straight down to the local Home Improvement store and spent that $40.00 on a pulley system clothes line to hang out my clothes on. I love it! I have just been spring cleaning and washing all of the quilts and hanging them out to dry. Love the clean scent, and the sight of them hanging out on the line brings back so many childhood memories of helping my mom with our laundry.
anabidia@earthlink.net
One thing I have bought in the past for $40 is picture frames! I love pictures and picture frames!! My mom tells me I am obssesive and have too many of them up in my house! But I really enjoy having them all around. They are all over my house. I love walking down the hall with my husband and we stop to look at all of the pictures of our kids when they were babies and we just talk about them for awhile! And when I walk down the hall with my kids they like to look at all the pictures of themselves and I tell them where we were and what they were doing in the picture! And when friends and family come over they like to look at all of them and we talk about them! My grandma jokes with me and says I have that camera glued to my face! Unfortunatly I think she is right!! But where would I be with out all my pictures and picture frames to look at all the time?
The best way I spent my 40 dollars was adopting myy cat from a local shelter. I adopted him in 1999 as a kitten. I still remember that he was the kitten that was so active, all over the cage, jumping up the sides to the top just to be touched. He was so cute with his big ears, I knew right away he was the one. I was with my first husband in Alaska. First time away from home being a military wife. It was hard. I cried a lot. Kitty from the start would come to me and start purring and sit on my lap. He is still with me today. I was on bed rest with my twins Saige and Sydney for months. Kitty right their by my side. Rubbing on me and purring. Once the girls were born-he was great with them. Looking over them as they slept and running over to them when they cried. I never got it b/c when he was young he was thrown against a wall by a little girl in Alaska-and has hated kids since, won't go near them. But my girls he loves. Well I am a military wife again and Travis is on his 2nd deployment (he just got back 4 mths ago-it stinks) and Kitty is their with me being my perfect companion, sleeping with me and coming up to purr and sit on me when I am sad. He even does the same for the girls now. So he is my best 40 dollars spent. He is family and we love him.
The best $40.00 spent is an easy one for me. My sister & her family had a very tough & very tight year finacially last year. I had been at Target shopping & felt inpired to go to the baby isle & grab diapers & wipes for her girls. We didn't see them right away, it was like a week later. We brought the diapers & wipes to them & my sister was an emotional wreck & said you have no idea how badly we needed this. She said they were down to their last diaper & no money left for the week. I felt very grateful that I had listened to the spirit & that the timing was right. It truly was the best $40.00 I spent in a long time.
Thanks for letting me play.
Raimi
i treat myself to a new outfit to wear at my April 15th tax party. i hate shopping because i have a hard time finding pants to fit my big booty. the pants either goes up half way (to the knees) or all the way up and can't zip or fits perfectly but shows every curve and road bumps. it literally takes me a whole week searching during lunch and after work and the weekend before. but alas, without a doubt i find the pants the night before the party and i gotta love those sales!!! i usually spend $40 for jeans that fit great!!!!!
rpuni@kpmg.com
The best $40.00 spent is an easy one for me. My sister & her family had a very tough, very tight year last year finacially. I was shopping @ Target one afternoon & felt like I needed to head over to the baby isles. So while over there, I picked up a few pkgs. of diapers & wipes for my sisters girls. I didn't see my sister till a week or so later. We delivered the diapers & wipes. My sister was an emotional wreck. She said you have no idea how much we needed this. She said they were down to their last daiper & the money had been spent for the week. I am so grateful that I listened to the spirit. It was & still is the best $40.00 I have spent in a long time.
Thanks for the fun contest.
Raimi
jrkrupp@surewest.net
The best $40.00 I ever spent was on a photo album for my husband. He had a brain aneurysm hemorrage in 2003 and was graced by God to survive. He had many struggles during recovery. One of the few things we could to do help was to gather pictures of loved ones to try to "refresh" his memory. The boys and I started searching for pictures that included Dad but we soon discovered they were few and far between. (A lttle camera shy) We took the pictures we could find and went to the picture maker at the store ( we didn't have a scanner and had been warned not to bring anything to the hospital that may be irreplaceable.) It was expensive but so worth it! We found a beautiful album that had a metal cover with Dad, Mom, etc. stamped into it. It just seemed perfect. He spent time looking through that album daily. We still treasure it to this day.
We do a Christmas shopping trip, breakfast, crafts, etc with our local Jaycees each year for underpriviledged kids. This past Christmas we noticed a girl clinging to her mom (most parents leave and come back). We learned the mother had lost 2 babies to the same disease, had a 20month at home who was terminal with the same disease and this girl was her only healthy child. The little girl had lost so much and loved her mom so much (dad had just left the mother too). The Jaycees at the event got together and pulled money out of their own wallets to give a little extra for this family. We had $40 cash. We took all our money and were able to buy them more clothes and toys to allow them to have a wonderful Christmas since the mom didn't know how she was going to do it. Because photos are so important to my husband and I; he actually had a local photography place donate a big package for them so she would even have photos of all of them together. I feel very lucky to have my healthy little girls and felt good to help this family in a time of need.
Lisa,
The best $40 I've spent was last week at a florist. One of my son's classmates fell off the monkey bars and broke her arm. Tyler asked if we could buy her pink roses. We stopped ny a florist and then Rayna's house. When she came to the door we could tell she had been crying. Tyler handed her the flowers and her face lit up. Two days later she had surgery and is now in a cast for 6 weeks. Those flowers were the best $40 I've spent because they brought so much joy to someone and they reminded me that my sweet boy is growing up into a caring young man.
Emily Lewin
for Christmas this past year, I created an ibook for Grandma, documenting a "Brief History" (oct-dec) of our 3 girls. Grandma had parkinson's, heart issues, and had suffered some strokes and has not traveled from her home in S. Dakota since the twins were baptised in Dec '03. We were lucky to be able to visit her once or twice a year and were scheduled to visit the beginning of April Sadly, Grandma passed away a week before we got out to see her. When we arrived though, this obviously well thumbed through book, and the letter I added, was where she could easily reach them from "her" chair. It made me happy to know that such a simple and easy gift had given her such pleasure. $40 is not necessarily a whole lot of money (think about what you get for $40 at the green grocer!) but the pleasure it brought my Mother-In-Law was priceless.
I am not sure mine is as deep as some of the others. Simply, the best $40 I spent was in college. Trust me when I was in college $40 was a lot. I went to the movies with my boyfriend and I paid (gas for the car, movie tickets and treats). It was one of our first dates on our own. Now, 16 years later, he is my husband of 12 years. We have 2 boys and a wonderful life together. :)
The Best $40.00 I ever spent, I spent it all on my Mom, For Salami, Cheese, caviar and bread.
You see my Mom had end Stage Adrenocarcinoma. She loved all this little munchies that we would bring her from the Army Deli's where we lived at Fort Polk. So right before she passed away, we bought her $40.00 of Good Genoa Salami, Havarti Cheese, Baked Ham, Red and Black Caviar, and Pumpernickel and Jewish Rye Bread. Just to see her face light up was worth 10 times the amount we paid for that food. We had to sneak it into Hospice but that was easy when ya bribe the nurses with sandwiches. A week later, Mom passed away and that is the best $40.00 I ever spent and will probably ever spend.
Taterdawg AKA Christel
The best $40 (well, maybe a little more than $40) I've ever spent is for our monthly fees at the Y. Joining the Y has made such a difference in our lives! We're healthier, we spend more quality time together as a family, and my daughter is having a ball taking classes and meeting new friends in the child care room. My husband and I both want to be an example of healthy living for our daughter, and I'm so glad we took this step. It's been a great investment!
(wookierama at yahoo dot com)
One of the best things that I have spent $40 on (give or take a little) was our cell phone bill in the summer of 2005.
One of my best friends form HS was pregnant and discovered around the 6 mo mark that her little girl's heart had not formed right.
The doctors decided to deliver her 2 months early so that her heart wouldn't be stressed as she grew in utero and through the delivery.
During the time leading up to the birth, after the delivery and the months while the baby was in the hospital growing I called her as much as I could even though I knew the bill would be much higher than normal.
The extra $40 or so was worth it to be there for my friend even though we now live states apart. As busy moms we don't stay in touch as much as we would like, but when we need each other it's nice to know that the other person is just a phone call away!
Mindy
reggieroyal95@hotmail.com
I am not doing this to win, just wanted to comment. I have so enjoyed reading everyones comments.
Due to many circumstances, it has been so long since I have had $40 to spend anyway I wanted, I'm not sure what I'd do. Don't get me wrong I've have $5 or $10 here and there. I miss the days of being able to do more for others and myself. I look forward to the day when I can do things like that again so thank you for the ideas.
The best $40 (extra) I've spent is when I went over my minutes on the cell phone.
My HS bestfriend was about 6 months pregnant with her daughter when she found out that her daughter's heart hadn't formed correctly. The drs decided to deliver 2 months early to reduce the stress on her little heart.
Through the months that followed I was on the phone many times to give my support, be a listening ear or just show my love and concern. No surprise the bills that came were higher than normal, but it was worth it.
Even though we live states apart it is nice to know that we are still there for each other and will be there (in one way or another) for each other.
Thanks for the inspiring stories and helping me to think about the good things. Good luck narrowing down the entries and picking only 10. ;)
Mindy
reggieroyal95@hotmail.com
The best $40 I ever spent was just last Friday on a pair of shoes at DSW. Not just any shoes mind you but a funky pair of wedge type sandals in brown and gold. What made them so special was the fact that I was visiting my sister in Tampa at the time and it was our first shopping experience together where we actually liked the same things. She bought an identical pair in black and silver. So now that I'm back in Philadelphia, whenever I wear my new shoes I'll thnk of her and feel close.
Sherri
sherriashe@verizon.net
The best $40 I ever spent was on two boxes of ovulation predictors from Target. I was having the hardest time getting pregnant, and was pretty downhearted about the whole thing. My best friend - who was also having conception troubles told me to try an ovulation kit - because I was obviously clueless. So I did. The predictors clued me in to the fact that I ovulate very early in my cycle, and one month later - PREGNANT!!! I now have a 4 year old, beautiful daughter, Emily Jean for the bargain price of $40 - actually she seems to cost much more than that, but that's a different story all together! These same OPK's have worked yet again and I am now 22 weeks pregnant with my second daughter - due in July. Truly the BEST $40 I have ever spent! (twice)
-Allison Gottlieb
(alyjean@comcast.net)
i loved reading all the comments and wanted to leave one but for the life of me, I couldn't really think of the best $40.00 spent but then it hit me. Several years ago my family was having a huge Birthday Party for my grandma and her sister which are twins. It was going to be in Washington State and I was living in wyoming at the time. I remember that i really wanted to go to be there to celebrate my grandma and aunt turning 70, however at the time we had hardly any money. My husband had just started his own business and things were very tight, I didn't even want to say anything to him about it but he found out and told me to go and gave me the last of our money for the trip. I was riding with my aunt so i'll I needed was $ for food on the way there and back. It was so awesome and i got to meet family members I had never meet before and I'll never forget what my husband did for me. He could of said no we can't affoed it but he didn't. He is still the most unselfish person I ever meet and I love him very much! Thanks sarah~ Lots of the stories made me cry, Thanks for doing this contest even if i don't win it was still neat to read all the stories. Thanks Lisa sarah76murphy@gmail.com
The best $40 I have ever spent was on a sweatshirt and card for my mom Carol. It doesn't sound all that important but there is, as always, history to the story. You may want to grab a Kleenex now. :) When I was 11 my mom Nia was killed in a car accident on my first day of school. When my dad began to date a few years later I told him very adamantly that I would never call any woman he married mom, I would never betray my mom Nia. He said that was okay. Then he began to date Carol. Carol is the most amazing woman you will ever meet. She came into a family with a teenage daughter (me) still reeling from the death of her mother and never once tried to take over or force me into a mother-daughter relationship. In fact, she did the opposite. Carol bought me a beautiful frame one Christmas to put the picture I had of my mom Nia in, helped me pick out all my school dance dresses even though I corrected all the salespeople that this was not my mom, stood in the auditorium seats cheering for me as the lady my dad was dating, and never once forced me to call her mom. Fast forward now, I was graduating from high school, my dad was marrying Carol, and we were all figuring out how to make a blended family work. I went off to college leaving the brunt of 'figuring it out' to all my younger brothers and my parents. I came home for home cooked meals and free laundry, but never once called Carol mom. It was during my freshman year at college that God really began to work on my heart. Over the semester I really softened in my heart about the whole betraying Nia thoughts I had and instead finally came to realize that this is exactly the woman my mom Nia would want to take over raising me. God had gifted me with two amazing woman to call mom, but I had to be willing to enter into that relationship with Carol. That Christmas I bought a Christmas card to my mom and a Calvin College Mom sweatshirt at the campus store. I couldn't wait to see her face when she opened it and the wait was worth it! The look on her face when she saw the sweatshirt and card was wonderful and she and I both cried as I called her mom for the first time. By far, the best $40 I have ever spent!
Sabrina Rauch
tiggergirl1979@austin.rr.com
I have a friend that I've known since 3rd grade (I'm now 40). She and I lived in Buena Park, California and when 7th grade was over I moved to Murrieta, California (about 1 1/2 hours away). It was an amazing change and my life was really just beginning. Unfortunately, my friend's life did not go so well. She had a baby at 13, married an awful man, found herself addicted to drugs, her mother passed away at a young age and all sorts of misery followed. Every so often we would manage to connect, either by a letter in the mail or a phone call. Her life had gone so tragically different than mine. Sometimes I just felt such guilt and really more than anything just sheer sadness. Why did her life go so terribly wrong? After many years, we managed to find each other again(my daughter who is now 8 was about 1 year old at the time). My friend had spent a short while in jail (prison?) and was living in a half-way house. I drove to see her. My friend's birthday was coming up so I took her to lunch, had her hair done and bought her an outfit. Now, I'm pretty sure the price was a tad over $40, although really at the time the money was of no concern. It gave me some peace to see the smile on my friend's tired face.
Kristen Butler crazy4donuts@msn.com
Wow - so many awesome, heart touching stories! So thankful for the talented Lisa Bearnson, and this contest that is making so many of us remember the little things. Here's my story:
In 2002, my husband and I were trying to decide if we should have another baby. My first pregnancy with our son was very, very bad, resulting in a drug induced coma until my doctor felt that our son would be big enough to survive. My husband and I didn't know if we should risk another baby, or just be happy with our son, who is a total blessing. In December, 2002, my husband and I took our son to see Santa at the local mall. Imagine our surprise, when the Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, and our son said "I don't want any toys or books this year. I REALLY want my Mom to have a baby, and I REALLY want her to have TWO." My husband and I were shocked, since we didn't know anyone that had twins. After discussing another pregnancy with my doctor, and getting his okay, I went to the store and purchased an ovulation predictor kit - $38.98, I still have the receipt! We got pregnant that first month - and found out five weeks later that we were indeed expecting twins! There had been no twins in my family for over 100 years, so we were shocked, to say the least! When I told my son that his Christmas wish had come true, and mommy was pregnant with two babies, he said "well, mommy, I guess it just went from my mouth to God's ear!" (i'm crying over my keyboard here, thinking about this special memory) After a totally uneventful pregnancy (which we were told we had less than 1% of having), I delivered beautiful twin girls six weeks early.
Thank you for letting me share my story!
Jennie
mcclenny@starpower.net
Hey Lisa,
Several years ago I was a public school teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools. I taught first grade inner city children and it was one of those "toughest jobs I'll ever love," situations. I had one student that I continually had discipline problems with. He was constantly acting out and huring himself and other children. I just couldn't figure this child out and it broke my heart-because more than anything I wanted to help him. Well Thanksgiving rolled around and my principal asked me to deliver a Thanksgiving basket to a student in my class, and she gave me a slip of paper with this student's name on it. I wasn't really too sure about this situation but I figured it may be my chance to finally speak to this students mother whom I had been unable to reach all year. I went out and purcahsed around $40 dollars worth of Thanksgiving goodies. When I arrived at my student's home I was quite surprised to find no door, and only a mattress on the living room floor and a TV. There were no appliances and the home was very cold.(This would explain why my student said that he ate at Mcdonalds most of the time, and why I needed to wash his clothes at school ( we did this every Monday) When I handed my student's mother the basket she said thank you. I didn't need to talk to her about her sons behavior. When I looked around I could understand what he was dealing with. The next week my student came up and gave me a big hug. He told me that was the first Thanksgiving dinner he had ever had. He said that they had to bring the basket of food to his Grammy's house because they didn't have a stove to cook it on-but 15 family members enjoyed that feast. It wasn't the money that I spent that made me feel good, it is the lesson that I learned about appreciating the simple things and understanding people's situations before you judge them. This little guy's smile to this day still makes me be thankful for food on the table and a warm home to sleep in!
Carrie Heaphy
ike@ikeheaphydds.com
I had once paid for someone's college application because her parents could not afford it. She got into a very prestigious university and now works to educate others in 3rd world countries. It was literally the gift that keeps on giving.
islandsmurf@comcast.net
The best $40 I ever spent was on Mommy & Me swim classes for my son. Since we live in Florida I think it is SO important for him to be a good swimmer and learn water safety. As an added bonus we get to spend some fun time together every week!
Shannon
shannon@misfitsandmore.com
The best $40 I have spent...well it might not be the best ever spent, but what a positive impact! I had heard from a friend about these great American Girl dolls and books. The book sets are about $39.00 and come with 6 books for each doll. So, I bought the Samantha set. My daughter LOVED reading them (over & over). They teach history, values and are such a great tool for a young impressionable girl! My daughter enjoys reading so much and I attribute it to her literary start with the American Girl collection!!! :) Kristi
krbt8@aol.com
Such great stories!!!! What a great way to share and bring back things that make you smile!! I would say the best 40$ I've ever spent would be on a bike for one of my foster children. The look on his face was the best gift!!! Knowing that something as little as a 40.00 bike could light up a 3 years fice like that was wonderful!! I will never forget that look!!(or the huge hug that came with it!!)
Lori
lrborntreger@netscape.com
These stories are so inspiring, I am not even going to comment. Good luck, Lisa in choosing one. Your page, by the way, is beautiful.
Hi Lisa;
The best $40 dollars I EVER spent was for pedicures for my mother and I in February of 2006. The month before, my mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, had surgery and was getting ready for her first chemotherapy treatment. I commented to her when she was in the hospital that I thought her feet and toes needed some attention and she replied that she had never had a pedicure, so I promised her that as soon as she was well enough, we would spend an afternoon at my favorite nail salon. A month later, I kept my promise and took my mom for her first (and ultimately last) pedicure. We had such a good time that day, sitting there, acting like we it was something we did every week and I remember looking over at her and seeing her with her eyes closed, smilng and enjoying every minute of the pampering. I reached over and squeezed her hand just to let her know I was enjoying her reaction as much as my own pedicure. Unfortunately, I lost my mother to that cancer just 2 months later, but it still brings a smile to my face, remembering how we shared a wonderful afternoon together and that she before she passed, she did get to experience that pedicure.
Kristina Botts
bskts4ver@aol.com
I will write of the most recent event that impacted someone other than my friends or family. I hope that I have touched others that I may never know of and I am thankful to have touched one elderly mans life in a blustery day last fall.
My second favorite scrapbook store, next to Hen Feathers, was offering a kit called 'Page for the Pink.' The proceeds from your purchase were all to be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation to aid in the fight against breast cancer. I stood there, contemplating buying one because I did not know anyone who had struggled with this disease. What would I do with it? I decided it didn't matter, and bought it, as I am a true horder. I opened up the kit and logged on to my computer, www.raceforthecure.com. Maybe I would find a picture and be inspired. Indeed. As I scrolled through the photos, one caught my eye. A lady in a wheel chair, surronded by women in pink, and a little girl handing her a flower. With a quick click of a button, my picture was printed and my creativity began. With some heartfelt journaling and 3 hours of dedication, I was quie proud of the outcome and drove it out to Scrap Funattic to be displayed at our local upcoming race. Days came and went and I soon forgot about that page I'd made. Then, the day of the race came. Afterwards, one of the owners from the store called me. The pages had been returned and a lady had questioned about one of the pages. My page. "Whoe made this one?" she wanted to know. She told her tht I had and askd why. Well, she said, a man was seen weeping at the dsplay of my page. It was his wife in the picture I had chosen and she had recently succumb to the cancer. He felt moved and requested to have a copy. I couldn't believe it. There are times that I question why I scrapbook, does it really matter? And God answered, YES, IT DOES! They made a copy of that page, and gave it to me. He deserved the original and I'd like to think that he still enjoys the small tribute to a battle lost. I have yet to know either of their names, I suppose it doesn't matter. For one day, I toched the life of someone special, and in return, he touched mine. That's all I need to know.
Brynn Thornburgh
bthornburgh@ameriit.org
My wisest gift of $40.00.
Last December my sister was turning fifty & I wanted to give her a gift that she would treasure.For most of us the weeks before Christmas are busy to say the least so creating a gift scrapbook could have been unwise.
I promised myself that I was going to enjoy this project and craft it with pages of her life made with love.The mini book came together quite nicely& I was eager for her special day.
After enjoying a great dinner in Banff she unwrapped her gift.As the pages were turned she looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me,"this is truly the best gift I have ever been given."
So although the supplies cost me $40.00 the gift is really priceless.
Writing an Essay on the best $40.00 I have ever spent. One thinks that would be an easy question to answer or write about. So as I sit here in front of my computer trying to write I realized it is not that easy. Reason one being I would love to say oh of course it is the cute shoes I have in my closet, oh no its the purse I got, no wait it has to be some cool scrap booking things I have bought. (ok 40 plus a ton) Oh I have it now it has to be the nice dinner out with the family oh yes that was more then $ 40.00. Hehe..
Maybe it is the money that I use to send a little girl I met though a cancer sight I belong to on line called Chemo Angels gifts and cards each week and that I just bought 2 cases of Camp Fire candy from. One might say it is the 38 year old mother of 5 with Breast cancer that I also am a Chemo angel for and send cards and gifts to each week. No can’t be this one either as to me this is priceless if I can bring a smile to some ones face once a week then that is so worth it.
So might sound silly or sappy to some people but to me it is as clear as can be what the best $40.00 I have ever spent is. That is going to Reno Nevada and getting a marriage license to marry my current husband. I was married before for 20 years and went through a bad divorce. I met my current husband who is so wonderful. I am so thankful for all he has done and continues to do. He has taken on my 2 girls as if they were his own. He has taught them and instilled such good values in them. He has helped them both get into California Universities to get their degrees. He has never companied a bit about the cost of raising them or college cost, helping them get cars any thing they might need. I am a stay at home mom with no real training or education. He has always understood and supported me with that and how important family is and just how important it is for them to have me home even still. So Lisa to me that is the best $40 I have ever spent.
Thank you for taking time to read my essay.
Terri
Emmons02@aol.com
Silly me!Here is my email for the Banff album message.
lrabatich@shaw.ca
i think my best $40 I spent was on two cd boom boxes for my kids. they keep them in their rooms and my dd just loves to pop in her cd's and dance and jump rope in the hallway to her music. my ds loves the fact that it also has a radio and he listens to am... and enjoys it...he's 10 and she's 6
lynda (mom2twobiscuitheads@hotmail.com)
p.s. my dh just bought those same kites, except my son the got the hammer head shark...
I tried to post this earlier, so sorry if this shows up twice.
The best $40 I'ver ever spent:
A few isles away in the grocery store I heard a VERY newborn baby crying real hard. I went over to make sure all was okay. A REAL young mother was trying to calm her newborn while checking out the different cans of formula. I asked if she needed any help, and as she shrugged her shoulders she mumbled something about how expensive the formula was. She made her selection - a very small can. I asked if she had a bottle; she nodded and pointed to the empty bottle in the baby carrier, one that had already been used. After she left the isle, I grabbed 2 large cans of the formula and a 3 pack of bottles, paid for them, and followed her just outside the store. I handed her the bag, telling her that I hoped this would help. I have never been in the situation where I couldn't feed one of my children, and I was so glad to be in the right place to help someone with theirs. That was definitely money that I do not regret spending - I actually wish it could have been more!
Tanya
The best $40 I ever spent was on my youngest son, Steve. When my sons were little we found ourselve fallen on hard times and we lived in a homeless shelter. My husband got a job and we moved into an efficiency. Our oldest son went to 4H camp for a week every summer. This was a gift from my husbands parents. Our youngest so wanted so badly to go with his big brother. Mark was the only one working and for $7/hr he supported a wife, two kids and a family member who came for a visit and never left. I squeezed the $40 out of our budget that month and it was worth ever penny. He had the best time bonding with his brother and gaining some skills for independence.
The best $40 dollars I spend was when I went to Manchester NH Convention last year. The shopping was out of this world, li'l Davis and Junkitz had $1.00 bins and boy did I get some great deals. Nothing like a good sale to make your day.
pam.correa@verizon.net
The best $ I ever spent was on taking my nephews to Disney World. I was more excited than they were I think. But I wasn't excited about going to the park, I was excited about being able to take them. I was enthralled just watching their excitement all day. Giving joy to others is truly the best thing in the world. As the two of them ran from one ride to the next, their anticipation was so great and I was just loving that I was able to work a few extra hours to take them to a place where kids' dreams come true. I'll never forget how their excitement lasted on and on even until the fireworks were over...and that's with no nap or anything. There were no cranky moments, but all moments were filled with bliss. It was one of my most treasured memories of giving and family and it took me right back to my childhood. I gave them a gift, but in the end the joy it gave me far outweighed the gift.
April Nowotny
Lisa,
The best $40 I ever spent must have been the money I spent on a phone call I made to my grandmother. Yes, that's a lot of money to spend on a phone call, but I was out of minutes on my cell phone for the month and didn't realize it at the time. I remember being shocked when the phone bill arrived that month. My grandmother had just recently moved out of the house that she had lived in since her and my grandfather were married. I called to see how she was adjusting to the new house and we ended up having the best conversation we've ever had. Our talk led from one thing to another. She shared with me some of her family recipes and talked about what was going on in her life, but the best part of the conversation was when she started talking about how her and my grandfather first met. Growing up, I always thought they were absolutely the cutest couple. With 20 years difference in age between them and my grandmother at under 5 feet tall and my grandfather at over 6 feet, they were adorable. I loved seeing them holding hands whenever they went somewhere. She went on to tell me how they fell in love and got married. Their story reminded me of the love & devotion they always had for each other and their family values that I try to instill in my own family. When we got off the phone I quickly took out a notebook to write down their story for a future scrapbook page and so I could pass it along to the rest of my family.
Only weeks later my grandmother had a stroke, but I am so grateful for that last conversation we had. Today I continue to make her famous stuffed artichokes and delicious Christmas cookies. And, I continue to pass along her story with the family values that come along with it. My own daughter was born only four months ago, but I look forward to sharing these stories and traditions with her as she grows up.
Lisa, thanks for the great contest. It brought back some great memories and motivated me to get more of these stories into my scrapbooks before they're forgotten.
Trina
Scrapgirlinnj@aol.com
Well, it wasn't $40 but the best $amount I've spent in an extemely long time was for two extremely large color books and two boxes of crayons from WalMart. I gave them to my 6yr old twins during Spring Break as a treat and they quickly decided to "share" with everyone they knew! We sent colored pages to neighbors, teachers, friends, Grandparents and GreatGrandparents.
The best received pictures were sent to their GreatGrandmother on my Mother's side who is dealing with her second year of Ovarian Cancer treatments and, truthfully, not doing very well. The twins picked out their favorite pages, colored them, rolled them up and we mailed them to Great-Am-ma in cardboard tubes. My Mom (Am-ma) says they are on the wall in the bedroom next to GreatAmma's bed so she can see them first thing when she wakes up and last thing before she goes to bed and that they have made her smile. When the twins heard that they hugged each other and set to coloring even more pictures and demanded to take them to the assisted living center down the street. They spent the rest of their Spring Break decorating the game room at the center with their colored pictures from those huge color books! Not bad for 6yr old boy and girl kindergarteners! They went back to school on Monday smiling and planning to work on more pictures to "share" for the upcoming Easter Break.
Csmoferret@gmail.com
The best thing I've gotten for FORTY BUCKS.... I recently just got the SHEER COVER makeup! It's just like the other mineral makeup but a little less. The reason why it is special...I rarely spend money of my self for EXTRA stuff. I've been wanting to try the makeup for over a year. And now I'm learning that I do need to take the time to do special things for myself and not just for others like my hubby and kids!
So thanks for the reminder, it's okay to spend a little extra of something special!
Sarah T
Lisa-wow,what a fantastic family night--flying kites! We have a family day on Sunday--and our 2 little girls always look forward to it!
For the $40 question...all these answers are amazing, and I always love trying to figure out the perfect thing to purchase with my b-day money, too.
But--I would have to say the best "$40"-plus we will now be spending every week--is to go back to our long-time babysitter for our kids. Our sitter recently had to get licensed by the state, so for 6 months--we had to find other arrangements. We found out our sitter will be able to take our little girls back--but her rates had to go way up. She is an amazing babysitter, and our girls love her--so, we are really budgeting-and are paying a lot more--but we know it will be worth it for our kids!
Hi Lisa!
I love your fun contests! The best $40 I spent recently was a couple weeks ago when I took my twin daughters, almost 8, to the Junie B. Jones Monkey Business play. We had such a wonderful time! We spent the week before the play reading the book. We spent hours laughing together. That night of the play I just loved watching my girls laugh and react to the characters. We had such a great night. But, the best part for me was snuggling up together reading the book! The play was definatly just a bonus!
Love ya Lisa!
Your friend,
Lori (from PG)
Wow - what a hard question to answer! I'll try to be brief, though my typical nature towards indecision keeps me from giving one answer. Instead I have three: 1. The best $40 someone spent on ME was asking me for a girl's night for pedicures and dinner when my marriage was not going well. My friend's support that evening was priceless to me. 2. The best $40 I spent on someone ELSE was giving to the Race for the Cure. My budget is terribly tight so I don't normally give outside church but I inspired by the walk that I now give regularly to charities. Seeing what good can come far outweighs the sacrifice. And lastly, 3. the best $40 I almost DIDN'T spend: A professional photo shoot sitting for my daughter. My mom later surprised me on Mother's Day with a album from the photographer... full of the photos that I couldn't buy myself. What a gift!
And the reason for so many examples is that my upbringing taught me to be tight with money, penny pinch everywhere. I've learned that though money must be spent wisely... spending money on charity, photographs and for the well being of friends and family has liberated me from being tied down by my small budget. I don't miss not buying new clothes or music or movies or other disposable things because I feel so fulfilled and grateful inside for this new way of spending. And you know what - I owe it all to scrapbooking really. The sharing that is part of this hobby when reading blogs or magazine submissions constantly reminds me that my struggles really aren't so bad. I'm reminded that even when I'm broke, I still have something to give others. That the smallest of things can and should be celebrated. Scrapbooking should come with a warning label... caution scrapbooking is good for your emotional health!!!!
Oops, so much for my short response.
Thanks Lisa for all you do!
The best $40 dollars I ever spent was to do a memorial scrapbook for my husband after his mother passed from breast cancer. His rolling tears over each lovingly made page attested to how much we miss such an awesome woman. This year I found him looking through it with our five year old son - sharing stories and memories. That is truly the magic of scrapbooking and I am touched every day that I am able to capture our lives for those to come.
The best $40 I ever spent.....my husband and I were having a really rough couple of weeks in our marriage and it seemed like we were on the brink of a divorce. I traded scrapbook supplies with my niece for babysitting and we went to dinner at Chili's. We didn't get everything hashed out, but we realized that we were meant to be together...FOREVER.
I would have to say the best $40 I’ve ever spent was on lunch the day I spent with my mom. Here’s a little background info to get a better understanding. I was adopted as a baby. And I have very loving and caring parents. But I never really had that special “connection” with my mom that others have. My mom came from a big family of 8 other brothers and sisters. She has been really close to her sisters all her life. And not that long ago, her sister Betty past away from ovarian cancer. My mom was completely devastated. I really wanted to help my mom during this time. I ended up taking off from work for a couple of days and one morning I showed up at my parents house and told my mom that we were having a mom and daughter day. I spent that entire day with her doing some shopping and getting her pampered. But it was during lunch we had that day that I had the best conversations I’ve ever had with her. And it was at that moment that I felt that special connection with her. Ever since, we have shared so much. And I truly treasure that day that we spent together.
Becky Demaray
duvessa@sbcglobal.net
The best $40 I spent was on my son's wedding. The mother of the bride lost her job 3 months before the wedding. So of course things needed to be scaled back. Since our family is "in to" chocolate, my son really wanted to have heart shaped chocolates at the reception. Of course this was one of the first things to be cut. As a surprise to my son and new daughter-in-law, we ordered the chocolates. The look on my sons face was one I will never forget. Not because we bought chocolate but because we took the time to think of him. It so touched his heart. The look of love on his face in addition to the BIG hug we received made this little act SO worth the $40.
Amy A.
music_mom4kids-scrapbook@yahoo.com
The best $40 I recently spent was on a care package for my Grandma earlier this month. My children & I put together special cards, lots of reprints of photos and some arts & crafts and sent them to her. She called my mom (her daughter) to tell her about it and how much it meant to her and how special I was to her. She died unexpectedly one week later (March 12, 2007). You can imagine how grateful and thankful I was that I had sent this package to Grandma when I did. I have peace knowing how much this woman meant to me in my life, and now knowing what I meant to this special woman in hers.
Amy G.
abci3@charter.net
the best $40 I ever spent was when my husband was attending college, and I was working full time. My best friend was on a mission for our church in Finland. She sent me some money and asked if I would send her some chocolate. She was craving good old american candy bars. So I took her money and put it back in the envelope along with as much chocolate as I could afford at the time and went to the post office. It cost $40 to send the chocolate which made me gasp. But I knew she was well worth the money. I sent it and she was so happy to have it. Guess what..... my friend happens to be one of your cousins, and she bought me my first subscription to Creating Keepsakes, she knew that I loved to scrapbook and my husband was in medical school at the time and I would have never been able to afford it. She surprised me with it for Christmas. I have had the subscription ever since the preemier issue.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Jenny C
lanjenc@msn.com
The best $40 i have ever spent. Was on a Season Pass to our local Children's Theater. My oldest son and I go to a monthly production put on by local actors, of various childrens books. We have seen such play's as 'Chicken Little', 'Cuddle Bears', 'Pinoccio', 'The Tortis and the Hare' to name just a few. The plays have a great moral behind them, that usually teaches the kids to be kind to others, share their things with those less fortunate, or to make good choices in life because you may not like the consequenc that may occur. And in todays society we all know that any little help we can get in teaching our children these valuble lessons is a great help. This is also a time that him and I get to share together and he dosn't have to share me with his yonger brother, and i love to watch the expresions on his face as he watches the actors, and gets involved in the plays. The other best part is hearing the lessons that he has learned from the plays and watching him in his daily life using what he has learned from them. So this by far has got to be the best $40 i have spent. The memories are priceless and they are great for scrapbooking also.
Amy M
csadmay@sbcglobal.net
Quite simply, my mother & I have been recently reunited after almost 20 years (we were raised by my father from when I was 11 yo & up). This last week she came back to California for the first time to see her family (brothers, mother, so forth), my family, my youngest brother who has cp (cerebal palsy) & myself. This is the second time to see her, hold & love her in person....
SO - my best $40 was being able to take her to lunch at a tea house for the first time ever - OUR FIRST LUNCH. Even though I just turned 30, to have the opportunity to treat my mother, my mother whom I always had a place in my heart for, to lunch, her only daughter is something money can't buy - oh wait, I guess money could buy: $40's worth at least. :) wink.
email: jenettycakes76@mac.com
My best $40 was not spent but lost.
My son was in the 3rd grade (8 at the time). His teacher had hired me to do an album for her son and paid half up front and half at the end. She still owed $40 so I sent her the reminder. I never heard from her and assumed she was just not going to pay. I came to find out a few months later that my "precious and oh-so-honest son" had kept all but $10 which he gave me.
Fast forward to last fall (he is now 12). He told me that day he had found $30 on the playground. Before I could even tell him to turn it in, he said he already had. He told me that he knew God had put that money there to give him a second chance to be honest and do the right thing. He said it had to be God because he is the one who found it and not one of his friends.
This touched me so much. Even though I never received the other $30, I received in return a son that had grown an honest heart and wanted to do the right thing. This was truly priceless to me.
Tracy
mythreesonsb@knology.net
The best $40 I ever spent was today! My best friend since 6th grade is going through a hard time right now. She's a single mother of 3 girls trying to support them and her mother who lives with her, but, unfortunatly is, shall we say less than helpfull to my friend. The three girls were dreading spending all week inside the house with their grandmother, so each and every day this week I went and picked up the girls and brought them to my house. Four of the Five days were cold, windy and wet. The girls spent the week playing with my 5 year old son, helping me with chores and just hanging out. Today...the sun came out! They have lived in this town for a year and a half now, but their mother has not been able to afford time wise or money wise to take them to the zoo. I really wanted them to have at least one really fun spring break day, so I took $25.00 and bought half a tank of gas, took the three girls, my 5 year old son and my 9 month old son, spend another $20.00 at the zoo. Okay, so it's $45.00, but to me...that's alot, infact that's 2 weeks worth of spending money to me. At first...honestly... I felt kind of sick...that's all that I have for 2 weeks! However...when we went inside we had the best of times! We spend 4 hours there and thanks to the oldest girl...who was saving her money to buy a puppy ( her 10 year old poodle passed away last month), she thought that she would take her money and buy us all lunch at the zoo so we could stay there even longer! Not only that..she spent every last dime at the end to get all the kids a souviner from the gift shop!
After the zoo...I had $5.00 left ( okay, so I spent $50.00 today) we went and bought everyone an ice cream cone and ate it in the park. The youngest girl April said " this was the best day of her life!" Thanks to my digital camera I have fantastic pictures of this wonderful day. I knew that it was money well spent! On the way home...I asked all the kids if they were sweaty, dirty and stinky? And they all screamed YES!!! Lisa, when you take kids home and they ALL need a bath...you KNOW it's been a good day!
Sincerly,
Amy McGann
amynichole@cableone.net
7 years ago, I became a single mom with 2 young child including a 7 months baby boy. Never believe that I would date again thinking how many guys would go for this. Lucky me, one of the guy at work noticed me and wasn t scare for a challange and heard about my love for this singer and invited me to see him in concert and used his connection to get me a ticket in the third row!I later learned, he really but really doesn t like his music. Last night he was in town again 7 years later and I bought the tickets for us to see him again! You should have seen his face when at the door of the concert it said he will be back in 5 months!He still doesn t like him but he came a long. We ve been together ever since and have a third child!
Michelle
nitram@rogers.com
Lisa,
My husband is a driller on the North Slope here in Alaska with my two sons, they are gone sometime 3 weeks and more. Two weeks ago they were home and I bought a pizza (2 for 19.99) and some soda and microwave popcorn and rented a movie. We were together and enjoyed the night and the movie was good. Anyways, they are gone as I write this and I ran across your contest and I remembered I spent around 40.00 but it was so worth it because time is short and no guarantees of being with each other again. But I have the memories of that night and look forward to many more.
Thanks, Carrie
My best buy was not $40 - it was $5. The entrance fee into our local National Park. Our family time is usually spent going to the movies, going to toy-r-us, etc. And while that is fun I really enjoyed how excited the kids were to go on a simple hike, grill out hotdogs and enjoy the outdoors and being together.
Irene
scruzfam4@yahoo.com
The best $40 dollars I have ever spent was last summer my husband and I were low on cash and the kids were begging to something or go somewhere. We kept thinking of what we can do to get out of the house for awhile, but on 40.00 dollars it was hard.
Then I suggested we go to the beach, but we had nothing to take with us since summer had barely started. With that 40 dollars we went to Walmart and bought as many sand and water toys we could with a few bucks to spare on a packed lunch and packed the kids up to go to the beach. We had the best time playimg with our new fun toys and had the best time with our kids that day.We had so much fun that those pics became a scrapbook of its own.
Best 400 Rupees ( approx $10) i've ever spent was just recently. My grandmother took care of me for two years when I was 11. Her soft nature had quite the impact on me. I've never been able to repay her kindness. I got the chance last month. I've recently moved to the same city where she stays. She is a diabetic and happened to read in the newspaper an advertisement about special footwear for diabetics. During one of my visits she casually mentioned that if she could walk up and down the steps (she cant, really) then she would go to the store to buy the shoes. I took the flip flops that she wears around the house for size to the store and bought her the shoes. She loves it and says that her feet feel a lot better. I was just happy to see her with a big smile on her face. She tells everybody who visits her very proudly that her grandaughter bought those shoes. She wears them every waking minute. I love her a lot and was glad to give her a little happiness. All for just shoes, I know it doesnt seem like much but to me it was. Priya from India
My dear husband purchased a sewing machine for me last year for Christmas. However, I didn't know the first thing about sewing. A friend gave me instructions on how to sew a rag quilt. So I set out to the fabric store and purchase $40 worth of fabric and cotton batting. The quilt turned out so neat. The quilt got so much use during this cold and chilly winter. The kids and I snuggled under it and watched movies. The best thing is I love sewing now and have made 4 more quilts and gave to friends and family members as gifts.
Leann
the4hursts@dejazzd.com
The best thing I bought for $ 40 are the moving boxes. Through the internet we had the opportunity to buy 63 boxes for only $20. We bought it last february. It was the start of a proces of cleaning up the house en putting everything in boxes to realise the first step of our dream. Last october we bought a house near my husband birthground in an other part of the netherlands that we are living now.. We want to move there because we hope to start our own business in the near future. We want to buy a farm, making it a small camping place in combination with a groupaccommodation for recreational purposes and organise scrapcamps. First we want to move near out target area so that we can better orientate us. Then the next step is to write a business plan an raise the money and make a plan. So those boxes are the first step in realising our dream. These boxes won't be put a way. The are kept for step two, the movement to our own little camping farm an scrapbook holiday place
gr corinne
corinneoosterhoff02@hotmail.com
The best 40 bucks Ive ever spent was acutally 10.95! It was for a pair of bright yellow rain boots for one of my little "soldiers". The boots have been used for everything, batman boots, army guy boots, rain boots, cowboy boots, puddle jumping, and yes we've even had to hide them on Sunday mornings so they don't go to church with us. The best part? All three of our boys have fallen in love with these and they are well loved.
The best $40 I ever spent was just recently. Our pastor's wife was going to DC to be a speaker at a conference and was traveling on her birthday. A friend and I called the local hotel to get the name of a florist and had flower's waiting for her when she arrived. She was so touched, she cried the entire night and couldn't even call us. Sometimes it is just the little thoughtful things that blesses someone and makes it all worth it.
jimali@comcast.net
This past January my husband, who is the pastor of our church, took a group of people in our congregation on a missions trip to the Philippines. Our church supports a feeding center there for children to come and recieve 3 meals a day, 5 days a week.This allows the parents to be able to afford to feed their children the other two days of the week. The most important part is that through this ministy, the children become a involved in the church that runs the feeding center, where they will be taught of Gods love for them!! We fell in love with a precious little girl named Rulin,with a face full of love and such big brown eyes, she just drew us in! But it broke our hearts to see her living conditions. Her family had set up the few things that they had, at the bottom of a Mango tree. With boxes as their "roof", i have no idea how they survive! It is difficult to be there and wish there where more you could do to "rescue" them from their horrible circumstances. It takes 20$ to feed one child for a month and 20$ to send them to school for a month.That is amazing,considering how much we spend on just one meal! This truly helps them to survive everyday life and learn about Jesus at the same time! Now THAT, to me, is 40$ well spent! :) So blessed to be a SMALL part of something SO BIG!!
Thanks Lisa for letting us all share! :)
My best 40 dollars I can remember, I am in my 40's now and memory is becoming a problem!LOL. DH and I took the kids to Oaks Park, it's a small amusement park in Portland, OR, it is very family friendly and has about 13 rides. To see the kids smile and have soo much fun riding the scrambler, and spider and DS who is 6 bounce up and down on the frogger these days are just priceless. Then to enjoy a corn dog a curly fries, not thinking about why we shouldn't eat them...to do something, just to have fun, that is the best 40.00 ever! nandmmom@Hotmail.com
The best $40.00 that I have ever spent was for my Mom on Mother's Day one year. She worked for Clinique at the time, so she always got "stuck" working on holidays. My sister and I went to the store, bought a picnic basket and all kinds of goodies to fill it up. We specifically bought things for a picnic lunch that Mom made and packed for us in our lunches when we were kids. We then drove to the mall that she worked in and surprised her with the picnic basket and flowers. We wisked her away to a park nearby. WE had the best time... kicking off our shoes, spreading out a blanket and enjoying egg salad sandwiches with cheetos and keebler fudge sticks!!!
lorifranklin@verizon.net
The best forty dollars I ever spent was twenty dollars at a time. My mom was diagnosed with cancer for the third time 6 years ago. Through all her fights with this horrible disease, she never once complained. One night, as my husband and I were leaving her house, she followed us out to the car for a little chat. She told us how worried she was about my dad because he had been working so hard. (He had a lawn care service and it had been terribly hot that summer.) She broke down into tears because she was worried about the hospital bills and how hard my dad was having to work to keep up with them. She was fighting bone cancer and she was in tears not for herself, but for my dad!
So, a few days later, I mailed a card to her house with $20 in it. In the card I simply wrote "You are nice" and signed it "your Secret Friend" (all with my left hand so she would not know it was from me) She called me all excited a few days later and we giggled about who we thought the card might be from. For some reason she thought it was this little old man who lived down the street from her. A few months later, I sent another 20 dollars and a card to her. Once again, she called me and we giggled and named lists of people who might be the secret friend. It was the mystery more than the money that made her so happy.
My mom passed away a short time after that, and she never knew that her secret friend and her best friend were the same person!
Hi Lisa, What a great idea! When I think about what was the best $40 I ever SPENT, I think about TIME SPENT with my Mother. My Mother had recently taken a fall and broke her pelvis. After her hospitalization she had to go to a nursing home for rehab. My young daughter and I decided to have a picnic with Grandma at the nursing home. My daughter took such delight in filling her little wicker basket with goodies for the picnic. I filled up the car with $40 of gas for the trip and we had a wonderful TIME SPENT together.
btb@virginia.edu
Silly Me!!! I forgot to put my email address! Mine is the story about "The Secret Friend" cards i sent to my mom.
angelaholman@cox.net
The best $40 I ever spent is on a pair of New Balance running shoes that I found on clearance. My girlfriend gave me her treadmill (can you believe how generous that is?) and I wanted to start running. In high school, the several times that I tried to run track, I always got shin splints and I remember how painful that was. This time, I read everything I could find on the internet on how to prevent shin splints. One huge tip is to invest in a good quality pair of running shoes. So I found some New Balance ones on clearance. They are plain white and so comfortable. To this day I've never even worn them outside. But I love putting them on and the running makes me feel so liberated, like I can accomplish anything! When I first started running, I could barely get through 2 minutes. Now I'm running a little over 2 miles a day and I just love how great I feel (and how great my legs look)! So that was definitely the best $40 I've spent in a long, long time. :) ~Kristi W.
rnkuptup@earthlink.net
Hi Lisa,
Last summer my nephew Trevor, 10, came to spend a week with us. Even though he and my son Danny,11, are seperated by several miles, they are the best of pals. These guys are "manly" boys and a little rough around the edges. They day before Trevor was set to go home we were faced with a horrible rainy day. We had done all the "fun stuff" earlier in the week and we were at a loss as what to do with the kids. My daughter's favorite place is Boyds Bears in Gettysburg PA so we set out for a visit. The boys complained the whole way saying how stupid this was going to be. When we arrived the boys begain to have some fun and I got some great pictures of Danny and Trevor being silly among the mountains of bears. We were about to leave when the two of them came to me each holding the same bear. They explained that Danny wanted to name his bear Trevorbear and Trevor wanted to name his bear Dannybear. This way when they were missing each other they could still give each other a hug and remember all the fun they had had together. It was priceless to see these little guys walk out of Boyds together holding those bears. $40.00 was a small price to pay for this memory.
Mickey mickeyskids@aol.com
The best $40 I've spent would have to be when I was on a camping trip with my husband and daughter. We drove into a little town one day for lunch and afterwards found a small antique store where a small bright blue vase caught my eye. The light hitting it was incredible. But I walked away from it. We were about to leave the shop and I couldn't stop thinking about the pretty vase and how it would look in the beautiful china cabinet my husband built. I didn't really want to spend that much on just an old vase, but my husband said "Go ahead and get it if you really want to" so I did. And I have never regretted it. Whenever I look at it sitting in there, it makes me happy remembering the great times we had camping that year and spending time in that little town.
agault@nc.rr.com
Ok maybe this is going to sound selfish but the best $40 I ever spent was on a pair of jeans...
However these jeans were more than just denim to me. For most of my life I have struggled with my weight. It was always going up, never going down. Well about two years ago I finally did something about it, and to this day I have lost 60 lbs.
About 10 lbs ago, I went shopping for new clothes. I decided some new jeans would be fun. I picked the size I was use to and one size smaller. Neither fit. I actually needed even one size smaller, a size I hadnt been in since late high school. The feeling of me wearing those jeans was so amazing, and knowing that I had really done it was overwhelming. I actually started to cry in the dressing room.
Now I still have more weight to lose, but everytime I put on a pair of those jeans, Im reminded of what I have accomplished so far.
Edie
ediegirl@mac.com
Ok maybe this is going to sound selfish but the best $40 I ever spent was on a pair of jeans...
However these jeans were more than just denim to me. For most of my life I have struggled with my weight. It was always going up, never going down. Well about two years ago I finally did something about it, and to this day I have lost 60 lbs.
About 10 lbs ago, I went shopping for new clothes. I decided some new jeans would be fun. I picked the size I was use to and one size smaller. Neither fit. I actually needed even one size smaller, a size I hadnt been in since late high school. The feeling of me wearing those jeans was so amazing, and knowing that I had really done it was overwhelming. I actually started to cry in the dressing room.
Now I still have more weight to lose, but everytime I put on a pair of those jeans, Im reminded of what I have accomplished so far.
Edie
ediegirl@mac.com
The best $40.00 I ever spent was at the beach 3years ago. I saw this shoe store that I wanted to go to. While I was there shopping for shoes for myself my 5 year old son picked out a pair for himself. A $40.00 pair of Merrells. I thought NO WAY was I gonna pay $40.00 for a 5 year old a pair of shoes, but I gave in and they were BY FAR his favorite shoes ever! (He has gotten a new pair each time he needs a larger size) His Dad and I even wear that brand now. They are our favorites too.
Vicki
I lived in California and my sister came to visit. I took my sister to her 20th high school reunion. When my sister left to return to Arizona she gave my a phone number of a single young lady. This young lady was my sisters boss in Arizona. Well, I called one night and we talked long distance for a number on minutes. I was so smitten by the young ladies voice and attitude towards life that I decided we needed to meet. I spent almost $40 driving to Arizona to me her. We met November 10th 1974 and on December 7th l974 her father performed the marriage. We have be married for 32 years and have 3 children. That is the best $40.00 I ever spent.
The best $40.00 I ever spent was this year, march 6!! It is also the $40.00 I ever spent in my life, because I'm Italian, I live in Italy and I never went to USA: I'm really scared to be on a plane for such a long time :(( , but I really want to fight against this fear, so... When I can, I read your blog (I began scrapbooking just 2 months ago and you 're so inspiring!!)and on march, the 6th, I read of the special offer on QVC! Here in Italy we can't find so many gorgeous things at that price (to tell the truth we find anything at all :((),I also haven't so much money to spend and this offer wasn't to loss: but it was only for people living in America!!! BUT I HAVE MY BROTHER LIVING IN MICHIGAN!!! I started calling him with Skype, while I was watching you talking and showing all that stuff!!No answers (he teaches Italian at Michigan University and was'nt at home)and the offer was soon SOLD OUT!! In the afternoon (Italian time) HE called me and I explained the situation: he read that even if it was sold out, I could have it at the same price till midnight and... I GOT IT!!!! Thanks to my brother and many thanks to YOU, LISA!!! So, when he'll come back in Italy in June he'll take with him all that fantastic goodies: I can't wait!! Sorry for my very bad English, I hope you'll understand my words, while laughing!!! :))) CIAO
Manuela
mane.g@tiscali.it
The best $40.00 dollars I ever spent was the first Christmas after I started at my first job (in 1969). I worked in downtown Montreal and normally travelled the 60 miles to and from work with my Mom and Dad (I was still living at home). I stayed in town one Decemeber snowy night to look for a Christmas present for my Mom. What a perfect setting. I spent the evening going from department store to department store stopping to admire the beautiful Christmas windows that the larger department stores did every year. (I really miss that, now that I shop malls. They were always so magical!). I finally decided a 2 place settings of Val d'or china. They were packaged in 2 large boxes that I juggled home on the 90 minute bus ride and the half mile walk home from the bus stop. It was all worth it when I say the look on my Mom's face on Christmas morning. These were her first pieces of 'good' china. I'm not sure which one of us had tears of joy first.
Over the years I loved adding to her china. She delighted in using it everytime I came home for a visit. My Mom passed away many years ago and I am now the proud keeper of her 'good' china.
Thanks for poking at my memory that brought this story back to me.
Karen W
kmwquilt@mebtel.net
Last week my next door neighbor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Initially they have him 6 months to live. His wife is just awesome and he has two young daughters. I knew I had to do something so I offered to bring dinner to them. I knew what I wanted to make, so buying the groceries was fast and I spent the day making my favorite creamy italian chicken with brown rice and home made rolls. A neighbor offered to help and donated some salad and brownies. After all was said and done, it probably wasn't even $40 worth of food, but just being able to help out a good friend and neighbor was totally worth every penny and minute.
bnoice@earthlink.net
The best $40.00 our family has spent is in buying a season pass to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point. Seems silly, but my two young boys (3 and 1 1/2)LOVE that place. It's as if each time is the first time, as if they have never seen farm animals before, and as if NOTHING is better than going to the "corn animals" (because we feed them corn). It always makes me laugh, and I always think that it's the best money I've spent.
-Stephanie
shymas33@yahoo.com
the best $40.00 I ever spent was spent on decorations that I purchased after Chritmas 2 years ago. My parents 5oth Anniversary was fast approaching and I bought all of the gold decorations that I thought I would use. I made all of the decorations and along with my sister, put on an open house for my parents. The decorations turned out wonderful, but just watching my parents with their friends and family was priceless and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
The best $40 I've spent is to get high-speed internet! It took me awhile to finally make the financial decision since it is an ongoing, monthly $40, BUT it is so worth it on a daily basis! I now have ease and speed to read blogs and be "in" the scrapbooking e-world. AWESOME!!:) ~~Jackie
Last May my husband left on a 2 week business trip, leaving me home with 11 month old twins, a 2 year old (he turned 2 during that week) and my barely 3 year old. It was horrible--I got really sick, and I didn't get any breaks from my children (love them to death, but 4 kids age 3 & under will wear you out quickly!). So one day we went to our local secondhand kids store and I found a used train table with some wood trains & tracks. I bought it, somehow fit it in our van and brought it home. My kids had a ball playing with it--the boys were building a train track and the girls were climbing on the table and they were all just playing together so happily. I bought myself about 20 minutes of free time that day, and it was worth every penny! My husband didn't really understand why I just had to buy it, but I was seriously going insane and this new toy helped us all survive those long two weeks without daddy.
The best 40.00 + I have ever spent was last christmas. My 8 and 4 year old daughters were at the mall and they had a tree with cards on them from underprivilged children. It was so sad to read their wish lists. The kids wish lists included simple things like blankets,coloring books, crayons,legos,barbies,slippers,ect.I let my two daughters pick out two girls around their ages and off we went shopping. We got everything on their wish list and more for them. We all had a great feeling knowing that these two special little girls will have a wonderful christmas. We plan to make this a tradition each year.
cheri
kcparreira@charter.net
Hi Lisa! I tried to post this earlier so I'm sorry if it shows up twice. The best $40 I ever spent was on a fleece maternity jacket I bought when I was pregnat with my first child. Seven years, three kids, lots of baby puke :)& dozens of washings later. It's still going strong! I wear it around the house, pregnant or not! My husband calls it my "Clifford" coat (Clifford the Big Red Dod) needless to say it's red & big but I love it.
Have a great day!
Susan Duane
susandu@msn.com
I am from GA, but live in Norfolk, VA. I am a navy wife and follow my husband wherever his career takes us. About two years ago, my cousin bought a plane ticket for my mother so that she could visit. My parents have a lot of money issues and added to that, my mother suffers from depression and a few other health problems. She doesn't get out much and a trip like this for her is a huge step.
My mom stayed with my family and I for about two weeks. She played with the kids alot (ages 9, 6, and 4 at the time) but she never wanted to go anywhere.
Finally, two days before she left, I practically made her go out with me. I took her to a movie. I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but for my mom, it's something that she hasn't done in years. I made sure I splurged and got popcorn, soda, and candy. She insisted that just the movie was enough, but I told her, I never go to a movie and not get popcorn (although I rarely go to the theater myself as it is expensive with three kids). The movie we went to see was called, The Wedding Date.
I enjoyed the movie, but what I enjoyed more was the sound of my mother's laughter. I don't hear it very often. And it's not just because I don't live near her anymore, it's because she doesn't laugh much anymore. Our night at the movies was just what she needed. To just get away and not worry about anything just for a little while.
I was sad to see her go home 2 days later, and I haven't been able to see my mother since, but the sound of her laughter that night at the movies is still what I think of when I think of my mother. Well worth paying the price of the first run movie theater.
Thanks for this contest Lisa, it made me really think about what's important in our lives. Christy Medina
My email is christypooh402@yahoo.com
The best $40 spent that comes to mind for me happened last Summer. The pump to our inflatable pool died and we didn't get around to actually removing the pool after it deflated. We ended up with about 2 inches of scummy, icky rain water around the rim. Much to my 5 year old son's delight, frogs laid their eggs in the pond. Before you knew it, we had tadpoles. Of course, we had to keep them and raise them. Two days before we were to leave for vacation, the froglets developed into little frogs. My husband was working late, so the 3 kids (ages 8, 5 & 1) and I ran to Walmart to get a terrarium and accessories, and then drove 15 miles each way to pick up wingless fruit flies for the baby frogs to eat while we were gone. Moving the babies from the bucket to their new home was quite entertaining and not exactly on the "list of things to do" before vacation. My Mom kept our 15 baby frogs while we were on vacation. By the time we came home, only 2 of them had not escaped. It was such a fun and educational experience for the boys to see how some grows and develops, and it brought back so many memories from catching frogs and tadpoles with my Dad when I was a little girl. Ben's hoping for more tadpoles this year! If we have them, we'll do a better job of securing them in their terrarium! :)
Julie
scraps4abc@comcast.net
I can't tell if my other post took....anyway, I'll try again..
The best forty dollars I ever spent was my initial investment in scrapbook supplies. I thought the stuff seemed pricey at first, but "went in on" some supplies (markers, scissors, templates, etc) with some neighbors. Eleven years later this initial forty dollars has developed into an outlet for me, and a huge source of pleasure to my family. They love looking back on all of the happy things we've done together as a family.
ckolakowski@bellsouth.net
Thanks for another great contest Lisa! As I'm from the UK the best £40 (hope that's OK) I've ever spent is my nursing registration which allows me to practice as a nurse here in the UK. Now I will be honest there are days when I wish I did something else for a living and want to leave the profession (poor pay, long hours, under staffed etc). However, I know deep down that I love the job and the challenges it gives me. I love the fact that I have been given the gift of touching the lives of others even if it's only in a small way. I get great satisfaction from knowing that I can help people, even if it is only a reassuring smile when they need it most, helping them through their illneses or comforting relatives who have just lost a loved one. But I also feel that these people give something back to me, they remind me of the strength of the human spirit, that there are some wonderful people out there and when I have been through illness and loss in my own family they rmind me that I'm not the only one, that I'm not alone. It helps me to be a better person and for that I'm thankful.
Katrina
KatrinaF81@aol.com
The best forty dollars I ahve spent was just recently. I have a very close relationship with my grandma. She is one of the most selfless people that I have ever met in this world. She never puts herself first, and will drop anytyhing to help someone in need. My grandfather has Parkinson's disease which is quickly getting worse. She spends all of her time taking care of him. He is her soul mate and lately she feels like she losing him. She is not sure what life is going to without him, and is scared about him being gone. Her favorite flowers are daisies and so I sent her a spring bouquet of flowers to help brighten her day. I know that she cannot look at daisies without smiling-so I hope that everyday when she walks by the bouquet she will remember the love and support that surrounds her.
I'm from the UK so the best £40.00 I ever spent was on my super Epson Picturemate photo printer! I love it! As soon as I take a photo of my children I can print it out right away, within minutes I can relive that special memory again and again.
The best $40 I ever spent was about three years ago. My Grandmother, who was 82 at the time, was getting ready to go into the hospital for surgery. We were so close, she was the first person I'd call when things were going great and especially when things were a little tough. She was the type of person that really knew how to listen to you and make you feel important. So I wanted to do something extra special for her while she was in the hospital. I went on a shopping spree at my local Penney's store (with a small budget of only about $40 of course...I was just a college student at the time, living on a beans and rice budget). I bought her a new night gown and some "fluffy" slippers, all pink, of course...could you have any other color! I'll never forget the look on her face when I gave these things to her, pure joy and excitement. She passed away only a few months after this and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to do this for her and make her stay in the hospital just a tiny bit more comfortable. She was a very special lady...
"Some people come into our lives, make footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same again."
mistitracy@msn.com
Oh my, the best $40? I'm a teacher so I'm not a big spender, so I'm sure there have been times that $40 went towards something very important. But, right this minute, I can't think of anything more important than the $40 I donated to Autism Speaks in honor of Ali Edwards and her son, Simon. It has been amazing watching the badge on her blog to see the total amount of the donations rise each day and realize that one mother with a mission can really make a difference in the lives of so many.
Oops! Forgot to include my contact information:
Nancy Cox
macnbc@ec.rr.com
The best $40 I've ever spent was at our local animal shelter for our dog Mazzie, a mixed breed, big, red dog. She had been at the shelter for a while and the moment I saw her, I knew she had to be ours. She was the best dog $40 has ever bought. She was with us for 14 years; we still miss her.
Lynn Mathers
mathers.lynn@gmail.com
Hi Lisa,
Lets see the best $40.00 I have spent, would have to be the $40.00 my husband & I spend every Christmas. Our church goes to an oraphange in Mexico taking Christmas boxes that our church family fills up, each year we get a box for a teo girls and for two boys and fill them up (they are pretty small...size of a shoe box) but we fill them with colors,coloring books, litte cars or farm animals, barbies, hair clips, it's not a lot of money, but I love to imagine these children recieving these boxes, we always put a card in say Feliz Navidad, love Santa, I would hope our $40.00 would bring such joy, hope and love to these kids.
thanks for reading this and reminding me $40.00 goes a long way!
Misty
mfriend6@msn.com
The best $40.00 I've ever spent ... hmmm it seems like so little to spend in the grand scheme of things, but I do have an answer for this. Five years ago my mom and I went on a weekend getaway to Maine. I knew it would be our last "just the two of us trip" that she would enjoy while she still knew who I was and where Maine was. Mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimers and we found it to be progressing fast. I wanted to spend time with her in the state where she was born. It was a weekend full of smiles, laughs and a few tears. The $40.00 was spent on dinner at "Cooks Lobster House" on Baileys Island. Mom was turning 71 years old that month and I wanted to treat her to her favorite meal overlooking the ocean. It was a wonderful night, one I'll never forget and even though she has I know that for just those few days everything was perfect for her, without worries or cares.
Tania
scrapcrazy62@hotmail.com
I am Don that lived in California and did not leave my email that shows it published. It is Don@standworld.com
Best $40 bucks I ever spent was on a CM album and sticker-pack six years ago. That was my intro to scrapbooking, and it opened up a whole world of support and creativity that I never knew before.
The best $40 i ever spent happened to be a few months ago. My husband came home from school (we are in law school right now) and said he wanted to take the boys for some "boy time", i gratefully obliged. Not more than a half an hour later they showed up with the nights plan in hand. They had gone to get the movie "Cars" and got pizza and popcorn. Now i know this all sounds pretty cheesy, however, after dinner and while we were watching the movie, I looked to my left, and saw my husband smiling at the movie, and I looked to my right and saw both of my boys smiling, and sat back and started to cry.(how silly is that)..and the crying was because I remember as a child feeling a sense of security when my family did fun family nights together where we were all having a good time..and wanted nothing more than to have that when i grew up. And here I am!! All grown up and having fun family moments that bring me security still. And all this for $40! :)
Hi Lisa. This is my first time and I hope I don't screw up too much. The best $40 I ever spent was on my first foray into card-making. I bought a kit and some other embellishments a few months ago and it has brought me so much joy. I would always go to the card store and read the cards and think to myself, "I bet, with a little know-how, I can do this better and save money in the process." Well, yes, Card-making has certainly allowed me to express my creativity in all sorts of ways. I have made cards for family and friends that they love. The one thing I didn't expect was how much stuff is out there. I want it all! :) I find myself looking at things all the time and am surprised by how much I have grown in just a few short months. Thanks for letting me share my story!
Tammy
Poet828@webtv.net
The best $40.00 we spent was on March 25, 2004. We had been having a hard time finacially and were not sure how we were going to pay our mortgage the next month. We were foster parents but did not have any foster children at the time. We definetly were not in it for the money...the little amount of money there is goes right into caring for these children. We have 4 bio daughters and we have big hearts and love to care for children. We knew that our love was greater that having alot of money in the bank. I was however thinking about going back to the corporate world however it was hard to think about putting our children back into daycare. We received a phone call from Denver CO one afternoon and they had a baby that they thought we would be able to care for. This baby was exposed to drugs and alcohal everyday when his birth mother was pregnant. It was a hard decision but something kept telling me to do it. We finally decided that we would care for the baby. We knew that God was in our corner and he would guide us in the right direction. We had to buy diapers and formula...we barely had $40 and needed to put food on the table still. Well...Three years later we are adopting our son...God did know what he had planned.
The best $40.00 I spent was on March 25, 2004. We had been foster parents and having a hard time financially. Despite what people may think you do not do foster care for money you do it out of the love of your heart. I was thinking about going back to work because we were sure how to make the mortgage payment next month. We already had 3 children but we loved caring for children that really needed us. We have learned how big our hearts can be and it really does not matter what you have in the bank. That child just needs love. We received a phone call from Denver and they had a baby that we would be perfect for. The child was exposed to drugs and alcohol when his mom was pregnant with him. It was a tough decision but something kept telling me to do it. We finally decided and called them back and accepted. We knew that times were tough now and they would continue but we are true believers that God in watching over us and we will be fine. We had to pick up diapers and formula for the little guy. It was hard because we also needed to put food on our table for the week. Well...God did know what he had in store for all of us...we are now adopting our son...Ryan...the joy of our lives!!!! barkersbunch@comcast.net
ok - this is from a woman that as a 13 year old told her mom and dad "I'm really glad I did that" when asked they asked her if she enjoyed a camping/canoe trip...and then muttered under her breath (not really - I am pretty sure I said it quite loudly) "so I know to NEVER do it again!!" Anyway, as the mother of TWO boys (I'd still like to use my fav girl name Abigail - but so far no dice!) - who like all things muddy, buggy, messy, and grubby...the best ever $40.00 spent for two nights at - yes...a campground!! We just finished our Spring Break and had the most glorious time camping in a little campground near Daytona Beach, FL. Afte rthe perfect day at the beach (hunting for all the man-o-wars we could) We cooked out and slept four in the tent (all comfy and snugly like little baby bugs according to Brendan - my four-year old. Of course then Dylan my - seven year old launched into a bunch of questions - like "what kind of bugs are snugly?" "Are the bugs cuddly?" "Who thought up the statement snug in a rug like a bug?" Seriously - we were all rolling in the tent laughing our heads off. for 19.95 a night - what a deal!!
divamama@se.rr.com
The best $40. I ever spent was purchasing the grandparents pass at the zoo last summer. Even though it is an hours drive to visit the zoo, we packed picnic lunches and traveled there several times. My grandchildren are still talking about it and love looking in their scrapbooks at the pages I made for each of them. This summer I will get to take Great grandchildren with me. Our oldest grandchild is the proud mother of twin boys born April 1, 2007. (Might have to wait until 2008 before she will let me take them to the zoo)
Recently I bought my daughter her dress for her first communion. It was a little pricey for a one day event, but when she tried it on I just wanted to cry. This 8yr. old girl brought images of a young lady one day getting married in a white gown.
Seeing my little girl and how beautiful she looked and felt at that moment was worth every penny.
Lisa,
I wanted to share with you how getting a group of friends and family together on Friday night to take our friend Angel out to relax for just a couple of hours was by far the best $40.00 spent. Her daughter Trinity who is 6 1/2 was diagnosed 4 weeks ago with terminal brain cancer and given 6 months to a year to live. She laughed so much as we talked about old times even with the life decisions and challenges she and John have faced over the last 4 weeks.
Hugs,
Diana
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