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I think it is unusual to get snow - in the south - as late as the end of February, and I KNOW it is unusual to get almost a foot! We sure enjoyed it, though. Who else enjoys the snow?

One word: El-Nino. This is a weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean that pops up every 5 years or so. Some patterns are stronger than others and, so far, this year is shaping up to be a strong one. This pattern directly affects the U.S. more than any other simply because of the geographic location of the country. Living in Arizona, I feel the impact of El-Nino every time it comes around. From this first-hand experience I can tell you that it's going to be a wet El-Nino season in Arizona. (Some people joke that we have a 5th season in Arizona........El-Nino.) It has been raining more than usual ever since our monsoon season was supposed to have ended a roughly one month ago. It was raining last night where I live, at an elevation of roughly 5,000 ft. above sea level, with more expected today and the cooling trend to continue. At this rate we are going to see a lot of snow out here as well as other parts of the western U.S. I can't begin to tell you how much of a good thing that would be. Here's a link that can explain more: http://www.weather.com/news/climate/news/el-nino-outlook-strong-possible-may2015 So how do you think El_Nino will affect your neck of the woods?

We don't have cable, either, but use Netflix and Redbox for choosing entertainment, and if we really like something, we'll buy the CD, once it gets to a reasonable price.

I make my own laundry detergent, too! Something else that saves us money, on the housekeeping front, is that we chose a rental house without a dishwasher. That was something new to us, but it knocked over $100 a month off our rent. It is well worth the small change in lifestyle. Another great money saver we use is a media streaming device. For $100 or less, you can buy a device that allows you to stream all your favorite shows, eliminating the need for an expensive cable package. If you are not a sports fan, you can drop cable altogether! We subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix, for a fraction of the cost of even basic cable.