Welcome to week 3. Here's your link to this week's page of the HGP.
We're deep-cleaning in our entry ways and foyers this week. A detailed plan and checklist are available at the website. Here's my summary:

Take everything out. Clean it. Declutter.
Clean from top to bottom: ceilings, walls, windows, window treatments, baseboards, flooring and rugs. Don't forget to clean the door and its windows.
Put back only the things which belong in and enhance your entry.
Take a good look at the area. If there is something which welcomes clutter (a hotspot), like a table or chair? Consider removing it to discourage the habit.
Next time you walk in: sniff. Do you have a problem?

In Holiday Prep news, we're getting started on the baking and other homemade gifts.

1. Make 1 batch of cookies. (Label.)
2. Make 1 freezer meal. (Label.)
3. Add some of the canned food from your menus to the grocery list. Remember to double if you participate in a food drive.
4. Set aside two boxes in your pantry area for holiday goods and charity goods.
5. Buy supplies for your homemade gifts. Assemble into complete project packages (with directions!) and label.
6. Buy film, blank tapes, camera batteries, etc. Hide them and write yourself a note.

Because I've been totally slacking this week on everything, I thought I'd go over this week's stuff just to see where I am. Because I think it's not as bad as I think. (Huh?)

Questions- done earlier in the week
Cleaning- I decided that I don't have to deep clean the living room I don't intend to be in and that I should invest my energies elsewhere.
Holiday Prep- this is where I'm not sure where I am.

Continue to fill in the blanks for last week's lists.
What I have left from last week's list is getting my recipes together to put my grocery list together.
Add extra flour, shortening, and other food items for your long-term shopping list to your grocery list this week.
I decided not to buy a lot of extra stuff until "cheap grocery season", but to budget for that instead.
I would also add here that if you need extra freezer containers for meals and cookies that you add those to your grocery list as well.
I did buy some of these.
Order Christmas cards or buy the supplies to make them.
Although I've had some ideas, I just haven't settled on what I want to do for cards. But I did decide that if I didn't have cards made before Thanksgiving that I would just buy a box and address them during the week after.
Make and freeze one extra meal for the holiday season. (LABEL IT!)
I wanted my husband to make lasagna for Christmas Day. When asked if he would be willing to do that he said, um...no. When asked if he would be willing to make lasagna some other time between now and then, he said sure. So now I just have to nail down a weekend, get the stuff, and get him to make it so I can freeze it.
Develop ideas for gifts, decorations, etc.
I think I must be blocking this out. I've got gift ideas set for the extended family. I have few ideas for the people for whom I have to buy a bunch of real gifts. I like to have a theme around which to buy dd's gifts, like for her birthday (2) I got her dress-up type stuff. But since we're putting off her kitchen until her birthday, I really don't know what to do for her. I found a few t-shirts for my brother, but nothing else. My parents and dh are still totally unfigured.
Find out specifics for those who celebrate other holidays (ex. When is Chanukah?)
I found out when Chanukah is, noted that I just need to get cards out by December 1st and so forgot again.
Divide gift responsibilites with other family members.
To me this just means make dh take dd away so I can wrap presents.

So that's where I am. How are you guys doing?

...about that making and freezing meals thing. I had some ideas for some things I wanted to try. I was writing on my grocery list to get some of those gladware baking pans. For times when I'll be removing the food to plates to serve, these will work. But for times when I'll want to back and serve in a casserole dish, ugh. I'll want to freeze in the casserole dish. But then I'm without dishes forever. So I'm thinking mix stuff up (without a topping) and put it in gallon bags instead. This coming week I intend to make a batch of cinnamon sticky buns, freezing them until the weekend, then baking them on the weekend. We just finished eating the control group.

Also, I'm putting my freezer on a diet. I tend to stock up when things are on sale. But I think we're coming into that season between summer and the holidays when sales are more scarce anyway. Grocery prices are generally much better the week of Thanksgiving through Christmas. Rather than adding things to my list now to stock up for later, I'll sock away a little of my budget for that stuff and buy it when I see it go on sale. You may find that stuff that's on your list that will be sold at regular price for the next several weeks will be practically given away during the holiday season, just to get you in the door. The stiffer the grocery store competition in your area, the more items stores are willing to sacrifice at really low prices (and free with double coupons) for this idea. Things like canned vegetables will go on sale the week of and likely the week before Thanksgiving, and there will also be a lot of coupons out for them then (if you're into that). Baking items will be on sale around Thanksgiving through Christmas. Often things like flour, sugar, brown sugar, etc., can be had for half price. Just something to think about.

On another money-saving note, I used to be really into couponing before I moved to an area where the grocery store competition wasn't so stiff and I started scratch-cooking anyway. I often found Refunding Makes Sense to be a valuable resource. You can subscribe to the website only for 3 months to try it out inexpensively. She posts a list of what coupons are coming out in the Sunday paper each week (I think she does this on Thursdays), and is constantly posting good deals in national chains and online. She does a big advance report on the sale flyers for Black Friday. Also there are a lot of stocking-stuffers to be had for free by doing the pharmacy chain rebates between now and Christmas (especially in September, if memory serves). So, FYI, if it interests you and if you have time.