Our Year in Review (and Happy New Year!)

I’m not writing New Year’s Resolutions.  Yet.

I decided that today is going to be my day of reflecting.  Tomorrow I think about the future.

What a year it has been–both personally and as a blog. Throughout this past year, our family has dealt with the discouragements of unemployment and job-hunting and survived.  In September, Wes took a job in Pennsylvania.  We uprooted from our home town and now have a new home, new friends, new church, and a new state.

It’s been crazy.  But we love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.

And as for this blog? Well, it’s been a life-changing venture for me. Since the beginning of Cha-Ching on a Shoestring in April of this year, I’ve discovered a passion that has been lurking beneath the surface for many years.

I thought it would be fun to share the highlights (both the good and the bad!) of the past year on Cha-Ching on a Shoestring.  So here goes:

April:

• Cha-Ching on a Shoestring was born!!  (A HUGE thanks to Solution Three for making this possible!)

• Wes and I shared Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of our “How We Got Here” series

May:

• The Mars Chocolate Giveaway began. *sigh* I miss those days.

• My family officially labeled me as ‘Frugal‘.

• I shared Part 4 of our “How We Got Here” series.

• The infamous KFC and Oprah fiasco went down.

• I ran a 10 mile race. (Ok…so that one isn’t blog-related.  I just wanted to add it in!)

June:

• I gave away a prize to the person who could guess how quickly I could make a Target trip.

• Our story about how we save money during tough times was featured in our local paper.

July:

• We announced the Next Step in our Journey.

• Wes and I were featured on our local radio station.

• Wes encouraged us to Simplify.

August:

• Wes and I were featured on our local News.

• I discovered that you can get a FREE drink on your birthday at Starbucks!

• We moved!

• My Mom introduced the Cha-Ching Couponing System.

September:

• I shared some of my time-saving, money-saving tips.

• I won a $25 Starbucks gift card through the Huggies Rewards Program!

October:

• I began my series on How I Plan to Spend Less than $50 on Christmas (look for a follow-up post soon!)

• The HOT Kodak Gallery deal began.

• I shared how Living Large starts by Living Small.

November:

• The HOT Snapfish $10 credit began.

• I shared my first Vlog!

December:

• We bought a goat and two chickens.

• I introduced the Cha-Ching! Christmas Club.

• Three other bloggers and I shared The Beautiful Christmas series.

• Amazon gave away a $4 credit for Video on Demand, International Delight gave away pints of creamer, and QuikTrip gave away yet another free sandwich, wrap, or salad.  (All still available!)

And the biggest highlight of all?!

YOU!

Thank you for reading Cha-Ching on a Shoestring, dear readers!  Your kind words and encouragement keep me going.  I can’t thank you enough!  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you!!!

Happy New Year!