Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and got everything on your wish list.

My last grocery shopping trip of the year was a great one. It was not only double coupon day but I had two $10 gift cards I earned from the store. Plus, my husband was given a $20 Butterball turkey gift certificate at work. All this meant that I left the store with a turkey and four bags of groceries….in fact, just about everything for the holiday meal including drinks, appetizer, bread etc. for just $9.87. And I earned $1 off per gallon of gas next time I fill up the car. Only wish I could do that every week!

Look out for lots of sales and discounts this week. I bought some marked down Christmas wrapping paper for future craft projects. Many food items are also still on sale.

Budget Smart Girl will be back to its regular schedule next week. However, here’s a preview of what’s in store for 2010. Lots of expert guests will be stopping by giving us tips and advice on ways to save more money. I’ll be chatting with the folks at RedPlum, also a teacher will share with you his tips for making ends meet. A new feature will be ways to make more money or earn a second income. Entrepreneurs will share their stories with us and show us how to get started. And I’m going to follow one of my dreams. I’m going to write a cookbook (yes, it’s a budget related one). I’ll be testing recipes and sharing them with you. I’ll give you a link to where you can follow along with me as I put the book together and share photos of the dishes. Finally, this is just in the preliminary stages right now but chances are good that in the fall, I’ll be launching Budget Smart Girl as an Internet radio show.

I thank you all for your holiday wishes and for being part of the Budget Smart Girl community. If there’s anything you’d like to see featured or have a budget related question, feel free to e-mail me.

Here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year.