I do MOST of my shopping on line, particularly since this past winter when WS began using up all my daylight time and then of course the beautiful garden that came as a result took all my daylight time this spring and summer! Here is my strategy: Clothes: LLBean - I find using their charge card gets you free shipping and monograming, plus no tax in my state and quick delivery. Always shop the "sales" section of their site.Pay the bill each month, so they aren't making any interest on me. Ebay: I am hard to fit. If I find a brand or designer that "works" I keep an eye on ebay for listings. Works especially well for something you fall in love with and then the manufacture stops making the style (for me Charter club cashmere cardigans (MACYS) and a Maidenform bra. The key is investing a bit of time to learn how to use the search engines so you are only looking at exactly what you want (For instance I put this all in the search: Charter club cashmere cardigan XL New with tags). Set up a paypal account to make shopping easy. Food/groceries: yes I still go to the market for fresh stuff, but I have found that Amazon can save me a bundle on things we consume in large quanties."Lady Gray" tea bags, coffee and cliff and Luna bars come to mind. Amazon has become my reference point for all other shopping. If I see I need a frying pan, I check prices there (where else can you see and read reveiws on a dozen different kinds of 12inch frying pans?)Buy one if I see a good deal or at least know the "going rate" when I am looking at one in a store. Shoes: I have wide feet. Using the search engines on Shoebuy.com helps me find exactly whats available. No shipping/free returns - easy. And good buys too for good quality. Want to get really crazy obsessed with online shopping? I spend at least an hour a day cruising this sites "forums" where folks write in about great buys they have found on the web that day: Fatwallet.com, dealtaker.com, slickdeals.com. Lots of "computer/tech stuff" to wade through (I rarely buy any) but worth it when you find 500ct Queen sheet sets listed somewhere for $25 bucks! Around the holidays these boards really heat up - I got tons of gift ideas and bargains last year. Craiglist.com - Probably where I have saved the most money. My husband and I have never spent big bucks on furniture - would much rather take a trip or save for our kids college education, so our home was furnished mostly with nice hand me downs from parents or antique pieces I have bought cheap and refinished.LAst year I decided I wanted a "real" bedroom set - one that all the pieces matched! A friend told me about craigslist. Doesn't operate everywhere, but we have it here in Long Island, NY. Bascically it's a webased garage sale - but lots of people are selling brand new furniture because they are moving. I got a complete solid oak bedroom set - 6 pieces - for $500 (originally over 3k), a white Ikea bedroom set for my daughter for $250 and a Brand new living room (couch, love seat, matching chair, coffee table and 2 end tables) for $500 . Fabric/cusions were like new - bachelor who owned it worked all the time. We have had to borrow a truck from a friend each time to pick the items up, but so worth the savings. Inside my house is starting to look as "Martha" as the outside gardens! Happy shopping! Nancy

Lisa, Please keep the seeds, I have my uncles garden to harvest some seeds from and also found several plants of my own that still have seed. I will not be withdrawing from the RR afterall. I am sorry to have made you feel guilty, that was not my intention. To be really honest with everyone here, I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of everything that went on here again. After reading the kind posts of the members involved with the RR I am in, I have decided to stay. My seeds will always be with Delivery Confirmation after this though and I would like to suggest to everyone here that they utilize it. It is a small $.60 price to pay for your own piece of mind. Again, Please keep the seeds I sent, I wouldn't have sent them if I didn't want everyone to have them. I will just grow more. That's the beauty of gardening. Nurture the plants and they keep us trading all winter. It's a year long event for me. I do still have the seeds I was saving for myself and I'm sure I can divide them up a little for the swap. Thank you for offering to send them back, but it would break my heart if you didn't keep them. Daphne

Chicken Feet Soup from: Mangiamo (lets eat) The Sabastiani Family Cookbook 1970 The Sebastiani Vineyards 10 Chicken feet 6 chicken wings 2 quarts water 2 teaspoons salt 2 stalks celery 1 onion 1 clove garlic salt, pepper to taste 1/2-1/2 cup pastina (fine pasta) cooked according to directions on package Scald chicken feet in salted boiling water, then remove skins and nails. Return to 2 qts fresh boiling water and add wings, vegetables, and garlic. Let boil an additional 1-2 hours. Then strain and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup with a fine pastina and place chicken parts on a separate platter to serve. If available, chicken necks may also be added to the soup. Add to boiling water along with chicken wings and vegetables. I was overjoyed when I found this recipe in a magazine. My Mom used to make this when I was a kid it was so good. My girlfriend came over for lunch one day and has never forgotten that day.

~*~Sister's Beans~*~ 1 lb ground beef ¾ lb bacon (cut into small pcs) 1 cup chopped onion 2 cans baked beans (15oz size) 1 can kidney beans drained (1lb) 1 can lima beans drained (1lb) 1 cup catsup or bbq sauce ¼ cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp liquid smoke 3 Tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp salt Dash of pepper Brown ground beef in skillet, drain off fat and put beef in crockpot. Brown bacon, put pcs in crockpot. Brown onions in remaining bacon grease. Drain, and put in crockpot. Add rest of ingredients and stir together well. Cover and cook on low for 4-9 hours. serves 6 ~*~Chicken Tortilla Soup~*~ 4 boneless chicken breast 2 -15oz.cans Black beans,Undrained 2 -15oz.cans Mexican stewed tomatoes, or Rotel tomatoes 1c. salsa 1-4oz. can chopped green chilies 1-14 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce tortilla chips 2c. grated cheese Combine all ingr. except chips & cheese In slower cooker.Cover.Cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving remove chicken & slice into bite-sized pieces. Stir into soup.To serve put handful of chips In each soup bowl.Ladle soup over chips.Top with chesse. ~~^~~Meatball Stew~~^~~ 3 medium potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 (16-ounce) package fresh baby carrots -- quartered 1 large onion -- chopped 3 celery ribs -- sliced 1 (12-ounce) package frozen cooked meatballs 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can condensed tomato soup -- undiluted 1 (10-1/2-ounce) can beef gravy 1 cup water or wine 1 envelope onion soup 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules Place the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and meatballs in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over meatball mixture. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until vegetables are crisp-tender. 6 servings ~*~Chicken Surprise~*~ 1 (10+3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup 2 (12-ounce) jars chicken gravy 6 frozen chicken breasts, more or less as desired Biscuits, rice or noodles, for serving (optional) Mix the soup and gravy in a slow cooker. Add the chicken. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low setting. Serve over biscuits, rice or noodles.