Ramblings of an Eccentric Scorpion

Torani Flavored Syrups

2011-11-10T08:46:00.002-05:00

As a member of SheSpeaks I was given the opportunity to try some Torani flavored Syrups. I'd tried Torani before but never relized how many differnt flavors there are! Torani has 122 flavors now, you can see them on their website They even have some sugar free varieties.I like that I can use the syrups to flavor so many different things, not just coffee. Their great in tea or even just a glass of milk.I recently tried the pumpkin pie flavor and I'm in love with it. When i opened the bottle it smelled so good and in my coffee it's excellent!If you'd like to try it here's a code for 10% off your online purchase enjoy!

Vicks Nature Fusion

2011-10-25T12:55:00.003-04:00

Vicks® Nature Fusion™ is a new cold and flu liquid that is
flavored with natural honey instead of artificial flavors.

Free of alcohol, artificial dyes and gluten

Powerful cold symptom relief medicine

Delicious goodness of real honey

From the trusted Vicks® brand

Be the first to get your's!

Stockpiling

2011-05-13T20:39:00.001-04:00

There are several reasons people choose to stockpile, but the one I'd like to focus on is taking advantage of the best price.

Sales, and coupons, have cycles. In the summer months when more people are out camping, grilling and picnicking items needed for these activities will be on sale. You'll also find coupons to pair with those sales.

Great! This means you can get all your BBQ sauce, ketchup and mustard super cheap in the summer months! But what happens when you start craving BBQ chicken in December? Do you go out and pay full price for BBQ sauce? Not if you have a stockpile.

Stockpiling requires some planning and thinking ahead. I'll give you some suggestions.

Learn the sales cycles

You can type sales cycles into Google and get all kinds of info but I'll give you basic list.

January will have sales for diet foods, yogurt and 100 calorie packs because people make New Year Resolutions to loose weight, chips, dips, cheese, and soda for those super bowl parties, chili soup and cold meds cause it's deary and cold, and household cleaning products.
February features sales for Chinese New Year - Asian foods, heart health month - low cholesterol, Valentine's Day - chocolate, steaks, 'romantic food', and since it's national canned food month, expect sales on those too.
March is frozen foods month so expect lots of good deals on frozen items. You'll also start to see spring cleaning products. Around St. Patrick's Day expect to see corned beef, and potatoes on sale.
Whichever month Easter falls in, March or April, you'll find deals on Ham, eggs, food coloring, holiday baking, and holiday foods like stuffing mix, rolls, and veggies.
April offers sales of organic foods around Earth Day and batteries around Daylight Savings Time
May has sales for Cinco de Mayo - taco kits, chips and salsa, Mother's day, - baking supplies, premade cakes and cookies, and the beginning of summer grilling season. BBQ sauce, mustard, ketchup, but also salad dressing, hot dogs, buns, ground beef, brats, and ribs. Also look for paper plates and plastic cutlery.
June continues he summer sales but it's also Dairy Month so look for good deals on cheese, yogurt and ice cream.
In July we still have those summer sales and now the back to school sales start. Look for deals on breakfast cereals and pop tarts as well as items for the lunch box.
August also has back to school foods on sale. School supplies and disinfectant wipes and tissues are on sale now too.
September is National Diabetes Awareness Month so look for low carb foods. Look also for canned tomatoes and pasta sauce deals.
October begins baking season. Look for great buys on candy, carmel, melting chocolate, cookie mix, popcorn, dried fruit, and pumpkins and apples.
November continues the baking sales but is the start of the holiday dinner foods sales. Look for deals on turkey and ham, side items, potatoes, gravy, butter, and rolls. It's also Peanut Month so look for great buys on peanut butter.
In December baking season climaxes, holiday foods, and party foods - deli trays, cheeses, crackers, go on sale.

Decide how much your family needs of the items you want to stockpile

My family doesn't eat a lot of cold breakfast cereal. If I stock up and buy 30 boxes we probably won't use it before it goes bad. Even if I only pay 10 cents a box, it's not a good deal if it spoils.

Set a price point

Decide what the best price is and what you'd be willing to pay as a stock up price. if BBQ sauce is on sale for $1.10 and I have a $0.50/1 coupons that will double I only pay $0.10 a bottle and I stock up. Mayo is on sale for $2.99. I have a $0.40/1 coupon that will double so my final price would be $2.09. That's not a comfortable stock up price for me. I'll wait for a better deal. If you already have a stockpile of items you use a lot it's easy to pass up an OK deal and wait for a great one.

Decide what you have room to store

Sure 15 free boxes of cereal is great, until you have to store them in the trunk of your car because there is no more room in the hose. Set aside a climate controlled area to store your stock. Also be conscious of freezer space. A lot of items can be stored in the freezer to increase their shelf life but if you have so much bread in the freezer you can't fit them items your family uses every day that's a problem.

Rotate your stock

This is extremely important! Spoiled food doesn't save you any money. So when you bring home 4 cans of kidney beans to add to your stock place them behind the beans already there. Always use older items first. First in, first out.

An organized stockpile is a happy stockpile

When you're organized it's easy to follow the first in, first out rule. You can see what you have plenty of and what you might think about restocking soon, You'll also notice if bugs or rodents find your stock, especially helpful if you're storing in the garage.

Be careful trying new things

If you find a great deal on a product you've never tried before consider just buying one, taking it home and trying it out before you commit to a large purchase. If you don't like it you'll be glad your didn't buy 15 jars of it.

A stockpile is a work in progress

No one starts out with a huge stock. Pick up 4 bottles of ketchup here, 2 bottles of juice there, a box of lasagna noodles and 5 cans of diced tomatoes another day. Slow and steady wins the race.

Use it!

A stockpile is meant to be used. You need to use items from it as you go along to keep things from spoiling and to make room for future great deals. If you're just gathering items to gather that's more of a hoarding behavior.

I hope this post encourages you to start your own stockpile of the items and in the sizes that work best for you and your family.

Decoding Bar Codes

2011-04-16T14:38:00.003-04:00

I was going to write a post on the anatomy of a coupon (I will soon) but I've become distracted by TLC's Extreme Couponing. In case you've been living under a rock with those dudes in the Geico commercial you can read my post here.

In one of the first episodes of the show one of the "stars" seems to use coupons intended fro one item for another related item, I'm not going to go into the 5 Ws and H. If you want the story it's all over the Internet tubes, blogs, and even You Tube.

What I wanted to write about was the correct usage of coupons in general. You can go back and read my coupon etiquette post if you'd like but what I wanted to address here is the way one would figure out what items are covered my each coupon. There are 3 ways I'll mention.

First, most simple and what the majority of inexperienced couponers use is the "Look at the Pretty Picture Method". That's when a person looks at the item pictured on the coupon, jumps to a conclusion about it's possible usage, and buys only the item pictured even if the coupon's text doesn't limit you to a certain size or type. Manufacturers count on people using this method and so put pictures of the largest or newest of their products on the coupon.

Unfortunately many cashiers also use this method. If you're familiar with the second method of coupon deciphering you can use it to explain your coupon and get your intended deal.

The second method is called "Read the Frickin' Coupon" AKA RTFM (ah gaming terms, how I miss them). This method requires you o read not just the SAVE $2.00 but also the smaller text. Check for size restrictions, or lack thereof, and quantities needed to purchase.

An example of the merits of this method: You have a coupon which reads "$2.00 off your meat purchase when you buy Product X" You also have a coupon good for $1.00 off your purchase of Product X. If product X is pictured on both coupons a cashier might hesitate to allow you to use both and you'll need to sue method two to explain that one coupon goes toward Product X one coupon goes toward your meat purchase.

Side Note: It is always preferred that you calmly but firmly explain using method two rather than smacking the cashier. I know it's hard sometimes but try.

Now method Three. This method involves decoding the UPC and it's the controversial one. The UPC and the numbers underneath is tell what the coupons is for, how much to take off and how many should be purchased. The problem begins when people learn to decode the numbers and use this knowledge for evil as that Extreme Couponer is accused of having done.

I debated explaining this here and have decided that since the info is freely available if you know where to look I would go ahead with it. Hopefully you'll read the truth and make an intelligent decision about what you will and will not do. Sorta like Sex Ed. Teach the kid at home in a safe environment where you can share your values, or let them be misinformed out on the street. So here we go . . .

There are 12 numbers under the bar code of a coupon. The first number the Coupon NSC tells the scanner if it should double the coupon. 5 = double 9 = Do not double.

The next five numbers are the Company identifier. Each item of that brand will have the same code and this number matches on the coupon and the bar code of item itself.

The next three numbers are the value code, this code tells the register about size and type restrictions. A zero in this group of numbers is a wild card. If you ave a coupon that say "Save $1.00 on any of our products" you'll see three zeros in this group of numbers.

This is also the section of the code that can allow it to be used incorrectly. Some coupons intended for use of one product will sometimes work for another product in the same product family. People discover that a coupon intended for $2.00 off a more expensive product can be used for a cheaper product making it free or very cheap.

Just because it may work that way doesn't make it right. Some will tell you it's coupon fraud and illegal. I'm going to tell you that I think it's wrong, you shouldn't do it and many stores are updating their scanners not to fall for it anyway.

But one of the reasons I'm explaining this is checking this number can warn you that the coupon will beep at the register and allow you to be prepared to use Method Two with the cashier. If the number is 992, 001, or 000 then you can be pretty sure the coupon will beep and the cashier will have to input information into the register.

The next two numbers are the value code. This code tells the register how many you should have bought and how much to take off the total. Every combination from Buy 3 get $1.00 off to $0.50 off 1 to Buy one get one free is represented by a two digit code. If you'd like to see the chart listed what each code represents check here.

The last digit is a check sum and doesn't really matter much to humans. A secondary set of number sometimes follows, these included info for the stores and clearinghouses and don't really affect consumers. Occasionally this second set of numbers includes a 4 digit date code (MMYY) that gives the expiration date.

The most talked about subject among couponers right now,

2011-04-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

Extreme Couponing is a new series on TLC that follows along with some ~~crazy ass~~ extreme couponers on their shopping trips. It started as an hour long "documentary" in late 2010 and got such a response (mostly outrage from the couponers, shock and awe from the normal folks) that TLC decided to make it into a series.

For me, it's like watching a train wreck. I want to look away but I just can't. A lot of the couponers I've spoken with lately are concerned that showing someone using 37 coupons for the same product in the same trip will cause manufacturers to stop issuing coupons. Personally, I'm inclined to believe that the manufacturers are not that stupid. They know we're using coupons and they know we're trying to get the best deal out there. They also know we're buying their product (and hopefully encouraging our friends to as well) and that's all they really care about.

Another of the perceived problems with the show is the apparent ease of couponing. Each episode features someone getting an amazing haul for a minuscule fee. While I know it's possible, have done it a few times myself, I also know that such trips are few and far between and when they do come along there is a lot of work involved in taking advantage of them.

Extreme Couponing glosses over this bit. Sure they mention at the beginning of the episode that it took Suzy 8 hours to prepare for the trip but what people remember is her dancing out of the store with $800 in groceries for only $8.00.

These people then come to us expecting to be able to do the same thing and they're not pleased to find out that it takes some work. As I've said before - If it was easy everyone would do it.

Some of these people are willing to learn and put forth the effort and I'm more than happy to help them in any way. But some are determined to find loop holes and look for the easy way out which is the subject of my next post.

See ya there.

The Bzz on Glade Plugins Scented Oil

2011-04-02T09:58:00.007-04:00

I was given a sample of Glade Plugins Scented Oil to try and I wanted to share my opinion with ya'll.

In case you don't know, I live with four cats and a stinky dog. That's not counting the smells my people family create, stinky shoes, cooking smells, cigars. I'm always a little skeptical of air fresheners because they never seem to last or make any noticeable long term difference.

I decided to give the Glade Plugins a chance, next time I was in the store I picked up an oil warmer. When I came home I snapped the oils into the warmer and turned it on high. It has three settings. I was pleasantly surprised when it filled the room with scent, and even more pleasantly surprised 45 minutes later when i got a burst of a new scent.

The Glade Plugins Scented Oil Warmer alternates scents every 45 minutes and will provide fragrance for 60 days if you have it on the low setting (which I do now).

The Lasting Impression Oil warmer starter kit comes in two scent choices, Hawaiian Breeze and Vanilla Passion Fruit or the one I'm using, Clean Linen and Sunny Days.

I've been using it for 2 weeks now, I still catch whiffs of the scents and my house smells wonderful when I walk through the front door!

If you'd like a coupon for $3.00 off one Glade Plugins Scented Oil Lasting Impressions oil warmer starter kit or coupons for scented oil refills, let me know. (Limited amount to go around). Click the pic above to print one.

I love Spring!

The Bzz on Scrubbing BubblesToliet Cleaner Gel

2011-03-27T10:29:00.001-04:00

I was given a Sample of Scrubbing Bubbles Toliet Cleaning Gel and asked to try it out.

Fist I have to say I've always loved those little scrubbing bubbles guys! They are too cute!

We have a real problem with lime scale buildup on our toilets. It looks disgusting but unless you scrub every day it comes back. I don't like to clean, I don't scrub every day. As the Scrubbing Bubbles would say "EWWWWWWWWW"

When I received the toilet cleaning gel sample I immediately cleaned both our toilets and stamped a gel disc in the bowl. It fits right up under the rim so you can't see it. Every time you flush a little of the wonderful blue glob dissolves releasing a fresh scent and cleaning the toilet.

Each disc, that's the preferred name for the wonderful blue glob, lasts up to a week, depending on how often the toilet is used and flushed. It's super easy to stamp on with the included dispenser (which has 6 discs) and comes in three scents, Fresh Clean, Fresh Mountain Morning, and Citrus.

If you like your toilet to be cleaned every time someone flushes, go get yourself a Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel Kit and flush away.

If you'd like a coupon I have some available, limited quantities.

Philadelphia Cooking Creme

2011-02-20T10:37:00.004-05:00

Kraft has a new product, it's called Philadelphia Cooking Creme. If you like to cook with cream cheese, I highly recommend it!

It's a little thinner than the bricks of cream cheese so there's no bothering with softening it. It just spoons right out of the container into your food. Right now that are four flavors, Original, Santa Fe, Savory Garlic, and Italian Cheese and Herb.

If you want to give it a try you can visit Kraft First Taste and sign up. You'll either get the option to request a coupon via snail mail for a free container or the option to print a $1.50/1 off coupon. (if you have a Harris Teeter nearby that's having super doubles, and you use the $1.50 off coupon, it would be free.)

Coupons.com also has a $1.50/1 coupon available right now that you are allowed to print twice per computer.

If you like to cook with cream cheese or even if you're just looking for something interesting to smear on your bagel I hope you check it out!

Harris Teeter Super Doubles

2011-02-19T10:25:00.003-05:00

I took John to Harris Teeter with me last night for super doubles (coupons up to $1.98 double). He's been shopping with me when I used coupons before but never to an event like HT, he doesn't like crowds.

I went on Friday night because my store tends to restock then for Saturday shoppers and I hoped something that were out of stock Thursday would be back on the shelves. Philadelphia's new cooking creme, for example (it was, I bought four :P).

When we got to the register with my cart load of stuff he said "How much do you think you're going to spend?" I told him it would probably be about $4.00 with tax, but then I remembered I had a couple of extra cooking cremes and that would bump it up a little. I told him it would be around $6.00. He scoffed.

My turn at the register came and he watched the total go up and up. When everything was scanned it was $76.00 and John gave me a little 'told ya so smirk' then I handed over my VIC card and coupons and we watched as the total went down down down.

I ended up paying a little over seven dollars. A bit more than I planned but still awesome for a cart load of things we needed.

As we walked to the car John was shaking his head, he couldn't believe we'd saved that much. I reminded him that he'd seen previous HT grocery hauls and I'd told him the small amounts I spent on them and wondered why he was so shocked now. I guess you just have to see somethings in person to believe them :)

Well, I never. . .

2011-02-14T09:56:00.003-05:00

When I first joined Hot Coupon World almost 4 years ago I was a couponing newbie and in reading all those posts there where somethings I said I'd never do. Some, I thought were just plain crazy, some I thought I wouldn't ever be capable of but I find myself doing several of these things now. I thought I'd share.

1. I'll never use a coupon binder.

I thought I'd never have access to enough coupons to need such a thing, never thought I'd be so organized or that I'd be brave enough to take it into the store with me! But now? I couldn't function without the blasted thing! It not only goes to the store with me, but pretty much everywhere else too! I never know when I'm going to stumbled onto an unexpected deal or want to share a coupon with a friend.
The binder is stuffed to the point of not closing properly and honestly I need to expand. As soon as I find a deal on pages I'll divide my current binder into two. One food and one non food. Actually I need to get a better handle on my tradeable coupons too, so I'd really like to have three binders!

2. I'll never have target prices.

In those early days of forum lurking I saw people post that they only bought X item if it was less that $X.xx. "That's crazy!" I thought. I'll never be at a place where I'm saying something is too expensive to buy right now!
*raises hand*
I'm guilty. I know it's on sale and there is a coupon for it, but it will be frozen foods month in a couple of weeks, the sale will be better and the coupon will still be good and who pays more than $X.xx for frozen veg anyway?!

3. I'll never be brave enough to stand up to the cashier if he/she challenges one of my coupons!

When I expect my bill to be $7.00 and it totals $25.00 you better believe I'm going to be finding out why. There is no reason to be rude but I will be firm. For example, recently I piggybacked two coupons:

coupon one - $2.00 off produce when you buy product X
coupon two - $0.75 off Product X

Even though there is a picture of product X on coupon one, coupon one is actually for $$ off produce, not product X so there is no reason both shouldn't be valid. But coupon two beeped, the cashier glanced at it, saw the picture and refused to accept it. I politely explained how the coupon was worded, she took a closer look and ending up accepting it. Coupons beep for no good reason sometimes and you have to know what your coupons are for and be prepared to stand up for yourself and explain the deal.

4. I'll never take more than one blinkie, booklet, or tearpad.

Taking more than one (or taking one at all if I wasn't going to use it that trip) felt like stealing at first. I got over that pretty fast. I don't take them all and I don't take more than I think I'll use or trade but I do take more than one these days.
PS I'm also taking those catalinas people walk off and leave at the self checkout line.

5. I'll never trade coupons, it's too complicated!

And I'll never have enough coupons to trade anyway. Yeah, not even gonna write a paragraph about that one. It's not as complicated as it looks.

6. I'll never have the guts to contact a company and ask for coupons. What if they turn me down?

This one got blown outta the water pretty fast too. In the last month and a half I've contacted over 300 companies/brands. The majority have sent coupons and some of those have been for free products. So what if they say no? I'm not going to be embarrassed. I'll never meet these people in person. It doesn't hurt to ask.

7. I'll never go to more than one grocery store in one day (or make more than one trip during the sale) to do my shopping.

Yeah, that ones gone too. I don't mind going to several places or going to a store several times as long as the deal outweighs the price of gas or I happen to be driving by anyway.

8. It doesn't matter how many coupons the store takes per trip. I'll never reach that number anyway.

Um, yeah, sure I won't. That would be why I have to go back several times during the sale :P

I guess I've learned to never say never. But I'm never going to be able to keep all those drug store rolling deals straight!

Piggybacking and Stacking coupons

2011-02-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

If you really want to get the most bang for your buck you'll want to learn about these two techniques.

Stacking is using a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon at the same time. The majority of stores will allow you to do this but double check your stores coupon policy to make sure.

Of course you're going to need to know the difference between manufacturer's coupons and store coupons.

The insert coupons in the Sunday paper are almost all manufacturer's coupons. When you contact a company and they mail coupons they'll be manufacturer's coupons. Often the booklets, blinkies and tear pads in stores are manufacturer's coupons but sometime they're store coupons so be sure to double check. Most coupons are manufacturer's coupons. Manufacturer's coupons will always say "Manufacturer's Coupon" or "mfr coupon" usually it's near the top by the expiration date but it an be anywhere on the coupon.

Store coupons can come in the mail from the store, be printed from their website, or picked up in the store. They sometimes show up in the Sunday paper inserts too. A store coupon will say "Store Coupon" or it may name the store "Target Coupon" for example. A lot of the time these will also have the store's logo printed on the coupon, but don't assume it's a store coupon just because there is a logo. Sometimes manufacturer's will limit the use of their coupons to certain stores so read the fine print.

So if you have a manufacturer's coupon for 50 cents off toothpaste and a store coupon for 50 cents off the same toothpaste you can use both and save $1.00.

Piggybacking is another way to use more than one coupon and it's my favorite way to coupon. Piggybacking requires some strategy and strategy is my favorite couponing tool!

Let's say you have a coupon for John's BBQ sauce and you have a coupon that says "$1.00 off your meat purchase when you buy John's BBQ sauce" you can use both and save on the John's BBQ sauce and the meat.

Sometimes these coupons confuse the register/cashier and be sure you're buying the required items and be prepared to explain the deal if the cashier has a question about it.

Join the Future Friendly Challenge

2011-01-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

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Sunday Freebies Nov. 21st, 2010

2010-11-21T11:53:00.002-05:00

I missed last week so this week you get a few extras

Herba Shine Hair color
Free Holiday music from Amazon.com
JiffyMix cookbook
Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Cookbbook download
Eucerin Lotion Sample ("Like" on Facebook)
Downloads for Kids on roadtrips

Enjoy!

Sunday Freebies Nov 07, 2010

2010-11-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

Tylenol Arthritis Solution Kit
Tylenol Sleep Solution Kit
Gas X Thin Strip Sample
Australian Lamb Cookbook

Forming the Battleplan

2010-11-01T13:46:00.000-04:00

People complain that they don't have time to coupon or they don't understand the process, that it's too hard or too confusing to learn. So I decided to write down the steps I take as I take them. It's by no means perfect and I'm not saying it's the fastest or best way to do it but it works for me and I thought I'd share.

First the time it takes. I take about an hour each Sunday afternoon to go through he Sunday paper and cut out the coupons I want (and those I want to trade), sort them, slip them into the coupon binder and remove the expired ones.

I also send a few minutes throughout the week here and there finding and printing online printables, cutting coupons off food boxes or from things I get in the mail. I usually don't cut the printables out as I print them. I slip them into a pocket in my binder and cut when I'm making my list for the week.

I spend about an hour, maybe a little more making my shopping list. The more coupons you have and the more stores you're looking to shop the more time it will take. I'm going to focus on the grocery stores for this post to simplify things.

To begin I gather everything I'll need. I like the computer a lot but for lists I like to use real paper and a pen. So I gather paper, pen, calculator, the sales fliers of the stores I may visit and the binder.

The first thing I do is go through the store's sales fliers and write down what I feel are the best sales for me. I divide this list by store and leave room to the side of each item. When writing the sales I make sure to note the brand, the size and quantity, the variety included in the sale and the price after the sale is applied. If there is a BOGO sale I'll write the before and after price.

Ingles
Post kid's cereal 10-14 oz 2/$4 = $2.00 each
Haas Avocados - 2/$3 = $1.50 each
3lb bag Green Giant rose potatoes - $1.98 each

I do this for each store.

I keep in mind the coupons I know I have and if I see one of those things on sale I definitely write that one down. If two stores have the same item on sale I choose whichever is the best deal. This could be the closet store or the one that doubles coupons.

With this list and the coupons I know I have in mind. I check the pantry and the fridge to see what i have in stock and what I might need more of and plan a menu. After I've decide which meals to make for the week I write any extra ingredients at the bottom of my grocery sales list so I'll remember to look for coupons for them too.

Now is the time to go through the coupons and find those that match the sales. This is where I'm really glad I switched to the binder method. It's so much easier for me to see what I have and go through it.

The first page in my binder is 'Soup'. I have a coupon for 50 cents off 2 Campbell's Select Harvest soups. Ingles has them on sale for $1.22 each and they'll double that coupon so it will be $1.00 off 2. I write this beside the item on my grocery sales list.

Ingles
Campbell's Select Harvest Soup - BOGO - $1.22 each - 50/2 coupon (doubled) = $1.44 for 2 X3

I have three of these coupons so the X3 at the end of the line reminds me to take advantage of this deal 3 times.

Now I circle this deal on my grocery sales list so I'll know I've already checked it. I slide those 3 coupons into the 'This Trip" sheet protector. If I don't find a coupon to go with the sale or the deal isn't good enough and I want to save the coupon for another time I mark through that item on the grocery sales list. I also mark through if another store has a better deal. Now I just repeat that until I've gone through the list and stack of coupons. Keeping the grocery fliers close in case I need to check the details of a certain sale item.

When my grocery deals list and my coupons are all matched up I write out a grocery list (wow I do make lots of lists) I divide it by store as well and try to write it in order by the store's layout, produce, deli, bakery, etc. Once that's done I can head to the store!

Sunday Freebies Oct 31st 2010

2010-10-31T08:06:00.000-04:00

2011 Calendar from Eat Better America

Betty Crocker 2011 Calendar

Crest Toothpaste Sample

Random Acts of Kindness Smile Cards

Tom's of Maine sample

Recycle Bank Points

2010-10-31T07:43:00.000-04:00

Maxwell House and Nilla Wafers House Party

2010-10-30T19:56:00.005-04:00

Look what the FedEx man brought today!

No not the cat, this

19 boxes of Nilla Wafers and 3 cans of Maxwell House International Cafe! They also included magnets, magnetic message pads, recipe cards, and coupons to share with my guests.

Making the switch

2010-10-30T11:14:00.007-04:00

OK I'm admit it.

I have converted to the binder method of organizing my coupons.

I know I said the binder was only for the hardcore and I'm not hardcore (but I'm blogging about coupons so I might be getting there). But I was perfectly happy with my expandable envelope sized coupon organizer. Yes, I did have two and yes I was changing the category headers constantly to try to make it easier to find things.

It was getting hard to find expired coupons and remove them, or to even find the things I was looking for. If I wanted a coupon fro Progresso soup I had to pull the whole stack from the "canned food" section and sort through them all to find what I wanted.

I missed deals because I didn't know what coupons I had, I pulled coupons that I thought were for great deals only to find they'd expired!

Don't get me wrong, I think the expandable coupon file is great for those new to coupons. It allowed me to keep my coupons all in one place, before it they were crammed in my wallet (or left at home altogether) and I really didn't know what I had. I could begin to organize them and since it was small and could be hidden in my purse it wasn't intimidating to take into the stores with me.

But the more I gathered coupons, the better deals I found, I realized my slandered coupon organizer wasn't enough anymore. I had outgrown it.

So I bit the bullet and switched to the binder method. I found an old binder, and some old collectors card sheets at home. I went out and bought a few more baseball card holding sheets and some sheet protectors and file tab dividers.

I started slipping my coupons into the slots and realized I was going to have a lot more room to organize! Some people don't like the baseball card sheets because most coupons have to be folded to fit into them but I was folding things to fit into my old organizer sometimes anyway and I really don't mind. I just have to make sure they're folded so that I can see the product.

If it bothers you and you're thinking of switching they sell all sizes of sheet protectors for photos so I'm sure you can find something to suit your coupon sizes. I have some of my thick paper or cardboard coupons in a sheet protector.

As I slipped my coupons into the sheets I was creating new categories. Now instead of having a section of canned foods with everything thrown in together I have a folder tab labeled 'canned food' and behind it separate sheets for soup, pasta, canned vegetables, etc.

Now if I'm looking for that Progresso soup coupon I can turn to the soup page and find all the Progresso brand coupons in one pocket. Easily pulled out and looked through. I put the newer ones at the back so the older ones that will expire soon are nearer the front of the stack.

I use my sheet protectors to hold rebate forms, coupons for free items, and oddly shaped coupons. I also have one marked 'This Trip'. When I'm making my list I slip coupons I expect to use into this sheet protector so they'll be easy to grab at the register.

There are pockets in the binders front and back covers also. I use these to store this weeks sales fliers, printable coupons that haven't been cut out yet and paper for making lists. You could also keep a pen, small pair of scissors, and calculator in there.

An addition to my The store is not your friend post

2010-10-29T13:14:00.001-04:00

I'm going to edit the The store is not your friend post to include this section but I wanted to post it her so those who have already read the other post wouldn't miss it.

Another trick stores use is a limited time sale. Sometimes they use the wording "2 days only" or "3 days only" Sometimes it's "Hurry in! Sale prices are good only for a limited time!" or "Limited quantities!"
The point with these types of sale is to encourage you to make an impulse buy without taking the time to think it through as you would before making a normal purchase. By using these wordings they are creating a sense of urgency, "Buy it now!) But remember to pause, decide if the 'deal' is really a deal, check the competition's prices and look for coupons to combine with the sale for a truly good deal!

Sunday Freebies Oct 24th 2010

2010-10-24T17:25:00.002-04:00

Here are your freebies for this week!

Enjoy

Free Kahiki Foods coupon after you watch a short video

Oriental Trading 2011 Calendar

Free Hand Made Soap from Flic Spa

Free sample of Winchell Pen from Union Pen Company

Free Flower Designed Baseball Cap

Free Pen, Key chain, Bottle Opener and 3 Balloons

FREE Country Music Downloads from People Magazine

Free Pet n shape dog treats

Burt Bee's Natural Toothpaste

The store is not your friend

2010-10-23T08:23:00.001-04:00

Yes it may seem that they're having sales and accepting coupons to help you save money but really, they only want to help you part with your money. Not to say that's bad, mind you. Everyone has to make a living but it's something you should be aware of that's easy to forget.

Stores, and I'm going to focus on grocery stores from here out to simplify things, have sales to get you in the door. They figure they can absorb a little loss on a few products if it gets you in the door where they can entice you to buy more things.

I feel I should mention that the store isn't doing you any favors by accepting coupons. The store is reimbursed the full face value of the coupon by the manufacturer plus 8 cents more. It's all right there on your coupons if you want to read the fine print. And while 8 cents doesn't sound like a lot think about how many coupons that store takes in every week. If your store doubles or triples coupons they're usually taking a loss but if it gets you in the door or keeps you loyal they figure it's worth it.

Some sales are great for the shopper, especially if you go in and buy just the things on sale. It's perfectly OK to do that, by the way. But stores use a lot of tricky pricing games and even organize the store to try to get you to spend more.

First let’s talk about the layout of the store. Items you need are often at the back. You have to walk past aisles of prepackaged high priced snack foods to get to the milk for instance. You can combat this by sticking to the outer ring of the store, produce, meat, bakery, dairy are usually along the edges.

Grocery stores often place higher priced items on the end caps. Those are the ends of the aisles. For instance the name brand boxed oatmeal may be on the end cap but it you take the time to go down the aisle you'll see the store brand is cheaper. The store counts on you either grabbing it as you go by the end cap and not going down the aisle at all or ignoring the other options down the aisle because you've already got your oatmeal in the cart, why look for more?

Stores also put items that appeal to kids on lower shelves where they can easily been seen by children and they can talk you into getting it. Higher priced items are on your eye level with the lower priced versions being on the shelves above and below. Often they also mix store brand in with name brand. You may see the cheaper store brand price but accidentally grab the name brand item. Also items that are on sale are mixed in with items that are full price, this is especially tricky if only certain "selected varieties" of one type of product are on sale. You might grab the green box of jiggle blobs when only the red boxes are on sale. The store is counting on you being too rushed or too embarrassed to ask that the item be removed for your order and replaced with the version that was on sale.

Ever notice that the store smells wonderful? Stores often have bread baking or popcorn popping. Anything that smells good and makes you hungry will make you buy more food. Ever notice the store's music selection? It's usually slow paced, not because more people enjoy that type of music but because it causes you to subconsciously slow your pace. The slower you're walking the more time you have to notice the great products they have for sale! This is also why stores don't have windows. It's not a space saving or security feature, it so you'll lose track of how long you've been in the store.

Impulse items, "things you didn't know you needed", are at the register or near the front door. At the register you're tired and rushed and ready to be done with shopping so you'll by anything that looks interesting or might perk you up. Candy bar and a soda anyone? Items at the front door are designed to catch you as you walk in. You figuratively have all your cash in hand so you feel you can afford a little splurge you hadn't planned on.

Another trick stores use is a limited time sale. Sometimes they use the wording "2 days only" or "3 days only" Sometimes it's "Hurry in! Sale prices are good only for a limited time!" or "Limited quantities!"
The point with these types of sale is to encourage you to make an impulse buy without taking the time to think it through as you would before making a normal purchase. By using these wordings they are creating a sense of urgency, "Buy it now!) But remember to pause, decide if the 'deal' is really a deal, check the competition's prices and look for coupons to combine with the sale for a truly good deal!

The problem with fighting these tactics is that they take advantage of human nature. We don't even realize we're being tricked. It seems like our idea but it's designed to make us feel that way.

The best way to avoid these tricks is to make a list and stick to it! Yes you may find some produce that's being marked down that you hadn't expected or some meat that will expire tomorrow if it's not frozen and has been marked down and there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of those deals, just be mindful of the impulse buys and take the time to go down the aisle to find what you need and make sure you're getting the best value for your cash. If you always fall into the soda and a candy bar trap at the register, hit up the store water fountain (if they offer a bathroom, they'll have one) before you hit the registers. Sometimes just being thirsty can make you feel hungry.

Ever notice those cute little child sized carts? The store knows if the child is pushing a cart around they're bound to put some items in and when they do you'll be to distracted to notice until you're at the register or you'll think it's cute that they've done their shopping and buy the items they've selected. Those cute mascots, balloons, coloring pages, free cookie samples and cute race car carts are all designed to make your kids want to come to the store with you and, once there, talk you into buying things, and keep them happy while you're there. If the kids are fussing, you'll leave early or be too distracted to fall for all the carefully arranged traps. Another plus of these kid friendly items is if a child has always been to X store and has happy memories of going there as a child they're more likely to return there when their grown and spend their money. "Get 'em while they're young" build store loyalty early and it will last.

Now let's talk about those tricky sales. The sales listed on the front page of the grocery store sale fliers are called 'Loss Leaders'. The grocery store is taking a loss on these items to get you in the door. As I said before, once you're in they figure your theirs and you'll leave with lots more items than those listed on the sales page.

Sale prices are often written in a way to make them harder to understand as well. Everyone knows that 2 for $5 means that each one is $2.50 but what about 3 for $5 or 5 for $8? Grocery stores count on you not carrying a calculator and not knowing exactly how much you're spending. The easy way to combat this is to in fact carry a calculator with you, your cell phone probably has one, or make a list of common sale price combos to keep in your wallet or coupon file.

Another method they use is the 10 for $10 or 5 for $5 sales. You might be thinking "That's easy math! They're a dollar each!" But the store is counting on your buying multiples. Because it's 10 for $10 you might feel you need to actually buy all 10 even if you only need 2. Resist the urge to buy multiples (unless you actually need them or have a wicked coupon deal)

Stores also use buy one get one free sales in this same way. At most stores BOGO items ring up at half price. So if the sale is Buy one box of cereal for $3.00 and get one free and you only buy one you're actually getting it for $1.50. You don't have to buy two just because the sale is worded that way. Some stores have their registers set up to ring the first item at full price and the second one as free, so you'll need to check your stores policies to find out. Check their website, sometimes the actual sales paper will say "Item rings at half price". Also if you take advantage of a BOGO sale and decide to get both items you can use two coupons because technically you're still buying two items.

Did you know that four for a dollar is cheaper than 25 cents each? I used to work in retail, setting prices and sales and once I did an experiment. Completely non scientific of course but I had some little Christmas tree ornaments. I priced them at 25 cents each and made a sign. After a week I'd sold just a few. I changed the sale sign to say "Four for One dollar" and they sold much better! Even though $1.99 is just a penny cheaper than $2.00 we've been trained to see it as a much better deal. Be mindful of that.

Going back to those sales fliers, have you ever noticed that sometimes the sale price isn't listed? Sometimes it says "Without card item rings at regular retail" or "50% off" but they never tell you what regular retail is or 50% off of what. You have to go into the store to find out. It makes it harder to comparison shop between stores and once again gets you in the door and in their web. This is where have a price book comes in handy.

I hope you can be mindful or these tricks and get out of the store with the items you need and some money left over.

Sunday Freebies

2010-05-02T09:35:00.003-04:00

2 Free Energy efficient light bulbs
Pantene Customized Solutions hair care product
U by Kotex
Aveeno Nourish Sample
Eucerin Daily Skin Balance One and Two

Enjoy

The Bzz on Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner

2010-04-23T20:40:00.002-04:00

My latest BzzAgent campaign was Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner.

I've been tempted to buy on of these for awhile but never did because I wasn't sure it would work and therefore be worth the money. But while I was on Spring Break (and spring cleaning) my Bzzkit arrived in the mail. Since cleaning the tub was obviously on the list of hated cleaning projects, I immediately installed the cleaner! (I didn't even clean the shower first)

The cleaner works by spinning 360 degrees and spraying the shower with a cleaning solution. It's 40% more powerful than they're original formula. There are actually two sprayers, one focuses on the "grime zone" the corners where yuckiness collects. After the last shower of the day you simply close the shower curtain or door and press a button. 15 seconds later, there is a beep to let you know it's coming, the sprayer starts. The cleaner combines with the water left on your shower walls to create a sheeting action and clean your tub.

Then it protects and lets water sheet off rather than beading up and leaving ugly water spots. It's clear so it won't leave visible residue on colored times and it even smells nice.

Heaven

They've sent along some coupons so let me know if you'd like one for 3 dollars off a Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner.

Getting Free Stuff

2010-04-18T15:24:00.003-04:00

There are lots of ways to get free things.

Companies offer free samples of their products regularly. These are often single use sample size but occasionally a company will send a full sized product. These samples most always require you to request them. The easiest way to see if a company is currently offering a freebie is to visit their website. Often there will be a link marked "Promotions" that will take you to a page to leave your information. I recommend visiting the websites of products you really like often to see what freebies or printable coupons they're offering. Many companies have Facebook pages now. When you become a fan through facebook you may bet a freebie or a coupon for a free item.

Occasionally a store's website will offer a free sample of a product they sell. Walmart, Sam's Club, and BJ's Whosesale do this often.

Another way to get free stuff from manufacturers is to share your feedback on their products. Visit a company's website and click "Contact Us" to leave you positive or negative thoughts. I've received free products for contacting a company about expired coupons in the packaging, and when I shared my negative opinion of a new flavor. You could also write to or call the companies. They're contact information is always on the can, bottle, box, or bag. It's been suggested that you attempt contact every 6 months, although I usually only contact them when I have something to share.

Sometimes a new business, or an established business looking for new customers, will offer give-a-way freebies. Things like magnets, baseball caps, travel mugs, etc. Finding these is basically just luck or being at the right place at the right time.

Of course there are coupons for free products in the Sunday paper. Sometimes there are buy one get one free coupons that can be combined with sales and other coupons to get both items free.

Let's say an item is regularly priced at $1.50 and on sale for $1.00. You have a buy one get one free coupon and a coupon for $1.00 off one. If you use both these coupons, you'll get both items free.

If your store doubles or triple coupons and you catch an item on sale it could be free. You're price book will help you decide which store to use which coupon.

You could join a survey or opinion groups and get free things in exchange for sharing your opinion and telling your friends. BzzAgent, General Mills Pssst . . ., Kraft 1st Taste, House Party and SheSpeaks are just a few of these programs.

Before you start signing up for company newsletters, sending away for freebies and joining survey panels consider creating a alternate email address for yourself. Sometime companies sell your email address or a freebie that seems to good to be true is and having a separate email address will save you're having to wade through all that spam.

Another place to get free items is a program called Freecycle. Freecyle is made up of many community based groups and it's purpose is to keep usable but unwanted items out of the landfill.

One last place for freebies is blogs and message boards. Often bloggers and members of certain message boards pass along info on freebies they've found. Check back here every Sunday for a couple of freebies I've found.

Are coupons only for junk?

2010-04-13T16:17:00.002-04:00

You can't buy healthy foods with coupons, right?

Wrong.

When you try to eat a healthier diet you try to stay away from prepackaged foods. You try to eat more whole foods. You try to stay on the outside edges of the grocery store. Sometimes it seems all the coupons are for the not so healthy foods.

You can eat well and still use coupons. The first thing you have to remember is coupons are not just for food and not just for the grocery store. Take those coupons to your favorite mass retailer (Target) or drug store and don't forget the health & beauty, paper products, and pet aisles at the grocery store.

With coupons you can save money on everything from toilet tissue to band aids, cough syrup to shampoo, pet food to charcoal. The money you save there can go toward healthier food.

Also don't forget about other uses for grocery items. Vinegar makes an excellent cleaner, honey will soothe a sore throat, Epsom salt will ease aching muscles, oatmeal will help the itch of poison ivy, and olive oil and a little salt is great for scrubbing off dead skin.

Also look for coupons on produce. One of my local stores often offers cents off coupons on your fresh produce order. Many manufacturers of organic products have coupons available for their products as well (Earthbound Farms and Stoneyfield Farms spring to mind).

Please don't decide coupons are not for you just because you don't eat processed or prepackaged food.

Making a Plan

2010-04-07T12:08:00.002-04:00

Now it’s time to create a battle plan.

Gather the sales fliers of the stores in which you wish to shop

They may come to your mailbox, arrive in your local newspaper, be part of an email, be available on the store’s website, or you can pick on up at the store itself.

If your going to get your copy of the sales flier from the store, I suggest you drop by and pick it up some day before you intend to shop. If you try to shop will a stack of coupons and an open sales paper you’ll miss deals, fall for sales that aren’t really sales, and generally not use your coupons to their greatest advantage.

You might also want to consider shopping at more than one store, especially if you pass several stores on your way home. Yes, shopping at more than one store takes more time and yes, it could use more gas if you go out of your way to a sale, but it will allow you to take full advantage of sales and your coupons.

Make a menu

Planning your family’s meals may be a new concept to you but it will really allow you to make the most of what you have on hand and control what you buy. Decide how many days you’re going to shop for at a time. (One week at a time will allow you to take advantage of weekly sales.) Write down what you want to make during the chosen time period, glance through the sales fliers and your cabinets to get inspiration. Make a list of ingredients you need to make these meals and snacks. Leave things you have in the pantry off the list.

For Example:

Dinner Things I Need

1. Fajitas Tortillas, chicken, bell pepper (I have onion & spices)

2. Hamburgers Ground Beef, Hamburger buns ( I have fixing’s)

3. Sub Sandwiches Sub Rolls, chips, meats (I have cheese and toppings)

4. Homemade Pizza Bell Pepper, mushrooms (I have dough, sauce & cheese)

My grocery list, which I try to organize buy department might look like this:

3 Bell peppers

Mushrooms

Tortillas

Hamburger buns

Sub rolls

Chips

Ground beef 2lbs

Chicken 1 lb

Sandwich meats

Check the sales and your coupons

Now it’s time to really look through the papers and see what the sales are. I like to sit down with a piece of paper and the write down the sale items that look interesting to me. Also make a note if that store is having a double or triple coupon sale or a 3 day only sale that week.

Lets say after looking through my papers my list might look like this:

Store 1 (doubles up to 50 cents)

Canned cat food 2/1

chips (select varieties) 1.50

Milk BOGO (normally 3.50 according to my price book)

Store 2 (doubles up to 99 cents)

Can soup 2/3

Milk 2.99

Hamburger buns 75 cents

Store 3 (face value)

Can soup 2/3

Chips 1.00

Canned cat food 2/1

Now I look through my coupons and see if I have any match ups. Don’t forget to check the printables sites.

Store 1 (doubles up to 50 cents)

Canned cat food 2/1 .50/2 (doubled to 1.00/2)

chips (select varieties) 1.50

Milk BOGO (normally 3.50 according to my price book)

Store 2 (doubles up to 99 cents)

Can soup 2/3 .55/2 (doubled to 1.10/2)

Milk 2.99

Hamburger buns 75 cents

Store 3 (face value)

Can soup 2/3 .55/2

Chips 1.00

Canned cat food 2/.50 .50/2

Looking at this list we can see that even though canned soup is the same price at stores 2 and 3 we should buy it at store 2 because they will double our coupon. Store 1 will double our cat food coupon but we will still get it cheaper at Store 3. As for the milk, Store 2 has it on sale for 2.99 and Store 1 has BOGO. We’ve checked our store’s coupon policy and so we know that BOGO rings at half price. The milk at store 1, normally 3.50 is on sale for 1.75, so that’s the one we’d pick.

Decide which items you’ll buy at which store then go back over your ingredients list to see if anything that wasn’t on sale has a matching coupon. Look through your price book to decide which store you should visit for that item. Make sure to double check that you have the correct size, brand, flavor, etc. required for the coupon.

There are many websites which offer coupon matchups. Essentially they’ve done all the sales paper rummaging and coupon sifting for you so they can tell you which stores you should visit for which items and which coupons you should use. The only problems with that is prices, coupon distribution, and store variety varies by region so you need to check your price book to make sure you’re getting the right deals.

Make sure you take all your coupons with you in case you stumble upon an unadvertised deal.

Making a Pricebook

2010-04-07T08:54:00.005-04:00

A price book is a list of the prices of various items and various stores. As with coupon organizing there are many ways to make a price book. A price book doesn’t have to be in book form. It can be a notebook, a spreadsheet, a stack of index cards, or whatever works for you.

To start gathering your price info you can check your recent receipts, check the sales paper for the regular prices or sometimes visit the store’s website. Harris Teeter has a feature called Fast Lane and while it’s designed to let you order groceries online and then stop to pick them up, couponers can use it to get the prices of items they’re thinking of buying.

Your price book page might look like this:

Cereal	Store 1	Store 2	Store 3
Brand A	2.50	3.00	2.00
Brand B	2.00	3.50	3.00

The price book is a work in progress. You’ll keep adding to it as you shop.

Changes in the way you shop

2010-04-03T12:12:00.000-04:00

In order to get the most savings possible you may need to change a few things. You may decide to shop at a store that doubles coupons instead of the store you’ve always used. Taking full advantage of coupons and be brand loyal is also a bit difficult. If you need flour and your preferred brand is full price but the competition is on sale and you have a coupon you might want to switch brands, at least temporarily.

The problem with switching brands and trying new things is that you’re almost sure to buy something that no one in your house will eat. To avoid this buy only one of a new thing to test. If it’s a hit go back and use those duplicate coupons and stock up. If you weren’t able to walk by that sale and you bought 10 boxes of something no one likes consider donating it to a local food bank.

Another thing that might be new to you is stockpiling. This means when there is a sale plus coupons (especially tripled coupons or super doubles) you buy more than you need for that week’s menu. When there are good sales and tripled or super doubled coupons you can often get staple items for free or for a few cents each. Learn your store’s habits, usually these super sales happen at the same times each year and if you know one is coming you can stock up on those coupons and be prepared.

Shelf stable foods, bath and body products, paper products, and cleaning supplies all have really long shelf lives and if you stock up on it while you can get it free or nearly free it will be there waiting for you when everyone else is paying full price. If you have the freezer space you can treat some perishables in the same way. If you don’t have the space or the appetite don’t buy more than you can use. You’re not saving any money at all if you’re throwing away partially used or unopened items because they’ve spoiled.

Visit http://www.stilltasty.com/ for a list of how long to keep things before tossing them.

When you stock pile you can take advantage of seasonal sales. Stores regularly put certain items on sale, BBQ sauce, ketchup, paper plate and meats Memorial day weekend, baking supplies during the holidays, diets foods in January, etc. If you stock up then you’ll have them when you need them and they’re only available at full price.

Have Unwanted or Expired Coupons?

2010-04-01T12:14:00.001-04:00

What to do with unwanted and expired coupons? Unwanted coupons can be traded with friends or family members, sent along on coupon trades or trains, or simply left on the shelf next to a product at the store for someone else to find.

But what about those expired coupons?

Expired coupons can be mailed to military bases overseas. They can still use recently expired coupons at on base grocery stores. Visit here for info on what, how and where to send your coupons.

You could also donate unwanted coupons to a local school or daycare. The coupons can be used to teach economics, counting, or adding and subtracting. Senior centers, assisted living communities, churches and shelters may also accept your unwanted coupons to help with their charitable works.

If you have a lot of unwanted coupons look around your neighborhood and see what good you can do with them.

Organizing those coupons!

2010-03-28T12:16:00.001-04:00

Now that your gathering all these coupons you have to figure out how to organize them. There are lots of ways to do this, experiment with a few and find what works best for you.

First up, the flier method. People who use this method keep their Sunday paper coupons in flier form, they don't cut them out. This allows them to reference which paper which coupon was in and which week it was. They don't have a lot of little bits of randomly sized paper to deal with. I'm not a fan of this method because I need to actually handle each coupon to easily remember what I have.

The second method is the envelope method. This requires cutting all your coupons, and organizing them into categories (dairy, meat, pets, etc) by manufacturer (Kraft, Conagra, P&G, etc) or by store. Labeling envelopes with your chosen categories and tucking coupons inside.

A similar method is to use an expandable file folder, they make coupon sized ones. and labeling it similarly. This is the method I use and my category names are always evolving as we change the way we shop. This method works for me because the file folders are small and I feel comfortable carrying them around with me. I also find it easy to get the coupons in and out of the sections and I don't have to carry scissors. The downside is that i do have to sort through a stack of loose papers to find what i need within the category.

A third method is the binder method. Loose leaf binders are filled with trading card sheets and those sheets are filled with coupons. Each sheet can be labeled with a category name. Full page sheets can hold large coupons or full flier pages. Other folders in the binder can hold sales papers, receipts, and shopping lists. The downside of this method is the binders are usually bigger. It's sometimes intimidating to walk into a store and spread a full sized binder out over the child seat are of your shopping cart.

Whether you pick one of these or make up your own organize your organizer buy your store's layout.

Possible category headers:

fresh produce, bread, cereal, snacks, meat, canned goods, dry goods, staples, baking, frozen foods, dairy, meat, pet food, baby it6ems, magazines and books, paper products, cleaning supplies, medicine, hygiene, office supplies, beverages, candy, ethnic foods, store specific, freebies, rebates, etc . . .

Finding Coupons - At the Store

2010-03-26T12:17:00.001-04:00

When you're actually at the store keep your eyes open.You may find peelies, blinkies, tearpads, winetags, booklets, and catalinas.

Peelies are those coupons that are stuck to a product. They usually say something like "Save Now". If you don't peel them off yourself, make sure the cashier notices and peels them. Sometimes it better to save them for use another day, especially if you already have a good coupon/sale deal on that product and the cents off on the peelie is less than your coupon.

Blinkies are the coupons in those little machines that stick out from the shelves. Usually you pull a coupon free and another pops into it's place. They're called blinkies because those machines often blink occasionally they even make a noise or sing a jingle as you walk by.

Tearpads are just what they sound like. Pads of coupons usually stuck to a cardboard display that you peel away. If it's a good deal, don't be afraid to take a couple.

Wine tags are not available everywhere but they are coupons that hang from the necks of wine bottles. Usually they're coupons for meat to go along with your wine. They may also take the form of a cardboard wine carrier with deals like "Buy 4 bottles of wine and get $10.00 off your order"

Also keep your eyes open for idea and recipe booklets. These are often free and almost always include coupons.

Catalinas are those coupons that print when you check out. They're called catalinas because that's the company that makes the printers. They're usually aimed specifically toward you based on something you just bought. Some can be used buy anyone so feel free to trade them, others are tied to your shopper card and can only be used along with it. Some catalina's have an area to write you name and address, do this and you may receive coupons in the mail. Usually catalinas are store coupons and have to be used at the store you relieved them.

Sometimes there are even coupons loose on the shelves. These are placed there buy the store to encourage you to buy a product, by reps coming in to replenish stock and even generously left there by other customers.

Store coupons come in the form of catalinas, are printed from the store's website, come to you in the mail, or are sometimes tucked into a sales paper. They vary from manufacturer's coupons in that they can only be used at the store they're connected to (unless you're lucky enough to have a local store that honors competitors coupons). A plus with store coupons is that sometimes they can be stacked with manufacturer's coupons. This means if you have a coupon from the Sunday paper for 25 cents off Coke products and your grocery store mailed a coupon for 50 cents off Coke products, you can use both and get 75 cents off.

Rain checks aren't really coupons but I'm going to include them here anyway. If you visit your store planning to take advantage of a sale only to find they're sold out of that product you can visit customer service and request a rain check. The rain check can be used at a later date when the item is back in stock to allow you to get the sale price even though the item is now full price again. Rain check expiration dates vary from store to store, some are honored forever, some only for a month. Some stores don't issue rain checks at all and some stores restrict them during especially good sales. You'll have to check your favorite store's policies to find out how they handle it.

Find Coupons - A Few More Places

2010-03-26T12:16:00.002-04:00

Another place to find coupons is inside the packages themselves. Companies often include these. Sometimes the included coupon is advertised on the outside packaging but most of the time it's not. These coupons are a bit like finding the prize in the cereal box.

Sometimes coupons are printed on the box to be cut out. These are easy to overlook if you're hurriedly preparing dinner so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Coupons almost always come with free products you receive in the mail.

A newer place to get coupons is electronically. Coupons codes can be typed in online, attached to a store's member card, or sent to your cell phone to be shown to the cashier at the register.

You could also gather those coupons is through trading. There are lots of people out there using coupons and it's inevitable that you'll get some you just can't use. If a friend has a baby and you have a dog you could trade your baby items coupons for their pet items coupons.

There are also coupon trains. In a train an envelope is mailed or passed from person to person. You take out the coupons you would like to keep, replace them with a like value of coupons you don't want and pass it along to the next person in line. Be wary of expired coupons if you decide to try trading.

You could also take advantage of a coupon clipping service. These are organizations that gather and clip coupons then sale you the ones you want.

Finding Coupons - Company Websites and Online Printables

2010-03-24T12:18:00.001-04:00

Another place to find coupons is on the web. Go to the websites of your favorite companies and stores. They may have an email newsletter or mailing list that you can join. If so, they may email you links to printable coupons, reminder of upcoming sales or when coupons for their products will be in the Sunday paper, or even send you coupons in the mail.

You might also want to use the "Contact Us" link at their site to tell them how much you enjoy their products. Be sure to include your name and address and you may be thanked with coupons in the mail.

On the other hand, if you've had a disappointing experience with one of their products sharing your thoughts might also get you a free item coupon. Recently I bought a product that had a coupon inside but that coupon was expired. I contacted the company and they sent a duplicate coupon with a later expiration date as well as a coupon for a free product.

While you're online check out SmartSource, Red Plum and Coupons.com. You can pick and choose coupons from these sites to print. You may have to download and install something. These three sites a reputable sites that don't include spy ware with those downloads. Be wary of other coupon printing sites that want you to download something and use at your own risk.

Remember to make sure your favorite stores accept "Internet Printables". Due to some people abusing the printables (printing massive amounts of the same coupon or using a graphics program to change it to suit them) some stores no longer accept any printed coupons. Some stores only allow a set number of printed coupons per transaction.

Finding Coupons - Newspapers and Magazines

2010-03-22T12:18:00.004-04:00

Most everyone knows that at least one Sunday paper in your area will have coupon inserts. Find out which of your local papers include them and buy those papers, subscribe to a full week, just the Sunday edition or just run out and buy one Sunday morning. If you subscribe to a Sunday paper from outside your area that's mailed to you, coupons won't be included as they're regionally based.

If more than one paper in your area has Sunday Inserts you may consider buying it too. Sometimes the coupons are slightly different, sometimes you'll want more than one copy of a coupon for a really good deal. You could of course buy multiple copies of the same paper also.

Some people ask the stores what happens to the unsold papers and make deals with them to get those papers. If one of your friends or a family member regularly gets the paper but doesn't coupon, you can arrange to get their coupons.

On the first Sunday of each month, in addition to the usual Smartsource and RedPlum inserts, Proctor and Gamble usually adds one packed with coupons for their products (Always, Bold, Bounce, Bounty, Cascade, Charmin, Cheer, Clairol, Comet, Cover Girl, Crest, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Dryel, Eukanuba, Febreeze, Fixodent, Folgers, Gain, Gillette, Head &Shoulders, Herbal Essence, Iams, Ivory, Joy, Luvs, Millstone, Mr. Clean, Pampers, Pepto- Bismol, Pringles, Puffs, Scope, Tide, and Zest just to name a few.)

On holiday weekends, the Sunday before Memorial Day of the Sunday after Thanksgiving for example, there are no inserts. So if you're buying the paper strictly for the coupons don't bother on those days. The planned shedule for the rest of 2010:

April

4 – No Inserts

11 – Smart Source & RedPlum

18 – Smart Source & RedPlum

25 – Smart Source & (2) RedPlum

May

2 – Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter &Gamble

9 – Smart Source

16 – Smart Source & RedPlum

23 – Smart Source & RedPlum

30 – No Inserts

June

6 – (2) Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

13 – Smart Source

20 – (2) Smart Source & RedPlum

27 – Smart Source & RedPlum

July

4 – Procter and Gamble

11 – Smart Source & RedPlum

18 – Smart Source

25 – Smart Source & RedPlum

August

1 – Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

8 – (2) Smart Source & RedPlum

15 – Smart Source & RedPlum

22 – (2) Smart Source

29 – Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

September

5 – No Inserts

12 – Smart Source & 2 RedPlum

19 – Smart Source & RedPlum

26 – Smart Source & RedPlum

October

3 – Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

10 – Smart Source & RedPlum

17 – Smart Source & RedPlum

24 – Smart Source & RedPlum

31 – Smart Source & RedPlum

November

7 – (2) Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

14 – Smart Source & RedPlum

21 – Smart Source

28 – No Inserts

December

5 – Smart Source & RedPlum & Procter and Gamble

12 – Smart Source & RedPlum

19 – No Inserts

26- No Inserts

Also don't forget to check any "magazines" included in your Sunday paper. Often there will be coupons tucked inside.

Another place to get coupons is your favorite magazine. There may be a tearaway insert or coupons printed on the pages. These coupons are geared toward the target audience of the magazine so look for beauty coupons in Cosmo, Diaper coupons in Parents, and food coupons in Ladies Home Journal.

Why Bother Using Coupons?

2010-03-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

A lot of people think that they won't save money using coupons. I used to be one of them. I would see coupons for name brand things and think to myself " I could just buy the store brand and it would be cheaper". Or I'd look at the coupons available and not find any for the brands I preferred.

But then I started making changes. Everyone is looking to save a little money these days so I thought I'd share. Yes, it's a little work and yes it takes a little time, but if it was easy everyone would do it.

I'm going to post a series of blog posts with some couponing basics and tips. I'll write about the different types of coupons and where to find them, making a price book, checking your stores policies on coupons, taking advantage of seasonal sales, double and triple coupon days, getting freebies, planning for your shopping trip, donating food and coupons, keeping your coupons organized, and how not to scare the cashier.

Church lady Recipes

2010-03-01T19:09:00.002-05:00

In my quest to learn about food preservation I've been looking through some old cook books of the type where all the church's ladies submit recipes, someone has them bound into a book, and it's then sold to raise funds.

Most of the recipes are old fashioned, simple and quick which is to be expected. However there are tons of "recipes" that call for pouring Jello pudding into a store bought graham cracker crust and then topping with Cool Whip.

Is it just me, or is this not a recipe?

Learning to Can and Freeze

2010-02-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

One of the things I resolved to do this year was learn to use canning and freezing and other food preservation methods. The lack of knowledge I have about these things is frustrating!

Cooking shows and cookbooks these days don't even mention these things. No one does them anymore. It's really annoying. I wish there was some one around her that could teach me these things. L talks a lot about canning and such when she was younger but with her memory loss she's not exactly a reliable source of information.

By the Hairs of My Chiny-chin-chin

2010-02-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday while looking closely at a blackhead (!) in the bathroom mirror, I noticed some hairs around my upper lip.

Today I noticed fine hairs on my chin and along my cheek bones. And one, promptly picked, dark one on my chin!

I've never been terribly vain. I don't even wear makeup the majority of the time and i like my gray hairs. I've always said that we should look older when we're older. Youth isn't meant to last forever and wrinkles should be a badge of honor. Maiden, mother, crone.

But I'm not ready to move on to crone just yet.

I'm certainly not ready to shave side by side with Boo.

The Beauty Shop

2010-02-24T18:51:00.002-05:00

Sitting in the beauty Shop with L (we go every Thursday) listening to the gossip. And boy do those ladies gossip. It's the same set of older ladies every week. There are a few elderly ladies who need helpers like L. Today a lady I've not seen before (found out later that her usual day is Friday) came in with her daughter. We'll call the mother Martha and the daughter Maggie.

L was under the dryer at the time.

The stylist asked Marta how her Dr. appt. that morning went. She said "I didn't go tot he Dr." Maggie said "yes you did!" which led to a big argument between the two. When it was over, the stylist looking very sorry she'd asked, they headed back to the sinks to wash Martha's hair. L turned to me and sighed and said "Those days are coming for all of us"

What?!

They're already here lady. We just this morning had the same argument for the fourth day in a row about where her blue jeans are, who took/stole/borrowed and didn't return them. . . Made worse by the fact that there were never any blue jeans to begin with!

My New Pastime

2010-02-24T17:01:00.002-05:00

My new favorite pastime is very enjoyable.

If you want to try it, you'll need the following:

one elven year old
one cat who is vocal
one bedroom door
one couch

Bam goes into her room to read (her favorite pastime) closing the door the behind her. Frisky waits just long enough for Bam to get comfortable with her book and then she goes to the bedroom door and meows. Next, an exasperated sigh is heard through the door. Bam stomps over, opens it, Frisky shoots though.

Sam closes the door and settles down again. In a few minutes you hear the sigh again, some stomping and then the door jerks open and she shoos the cat out.

It's hilarious!

Waking up in the Morning

2010-02-23T16:42:00.002-05:00

The cats know what my alarm clock means. Lately they've slept (or at least lain quietly) until it goes off. Even this morning when I woke up before it rang and went where everyone goes when they first wake up, they stayed still.

Once it rings, though they're right there butting me with their heads, helping me get dressed by grabbing the ends of my socks, sitting on the pants i want to wear, and pawing at the bedroom door.

As soon as I open our door Bella is off like a rocket to Sam's door. The cats are slightly irritated that she has started sleeping on the top bunk and they can't reach her.

Maybe I'll build them a ladder.

86 or 4?

2010-02-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

I've always heard older age referred to as a second childhood. I never knew how true that was until L.

There are cookies crumbs all over the counter ans I ask "Hmm, I wonder who has been in the cookie jar?" What do I hear? "Not me!" It doesn't matter to me if she ate a cookie, but she seems to think she'll get in trouble for having done so.

"Who spread the sales papers all over the couch?" "I didn't do it!"

"Why are you sitting at the kitchen table with your teeth out picking little bits of food out?" "I don't know."

Just like a 4 year old.

Well, almost.

Argh memory loss

2010-02-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

They always say that it's wonderful to experience things again through someone else's eyes.

That first time you take your daughter to the movies. You're standing there annoyed by the line at the snack counter. Then you look down at the wonder on her face as she takes in the smells the sights, the sounds and yes even the interested pattern on the carpet. To her everything is exciting and enjoyable.

There is a flip side though. Spending time with someone with memory loss means every time they see something, it's the first time they've seen it. This can be cute when they rediscover the stray cat on the back porch or the neighbor's flowers. But when every commercial is the first time it came be tiring.

Sure, that baby is cute the first 12 times you see it, but then it's just "that baby" again. To L every time is the first time and she expects me to match her enthusiasm. Why aren't I saying "AWWW" along with her? Because I've seen that same child make that same peanut butter sandwich and then wave as he gets on the bus approximately four thousand, two hundred, fifty million times!

Waking up in the Morning

2010-02-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

The cats know what my alarm clock means. lately they've slept (or at least lain quietly) until it goes off. Even this morning when I woke up before it rang and went where everyone goes when they first wake up, they stayed still.

Once it rings, though they're right there butting me with their heads, helping me get dressed by grabbing the ends of my socks, sitting on the pants i want to wear, and pawing at the bedroom door.

As soon as I open our door Bella is off like a rocket to Bam's door. The cats are slightly irritated that she has started sleeping on the top bunk and they can't reach her.

Maybe I'll build them a ladder.

Kids and Cats

2010-02-17T16:39:00.001-05:00

When Bam was very small I could never go to the bathroom alone. She would always follow me. Now when i shut the bathroom door, it's a little white paw that comes under.

Lucky for me Frisky isn't tall enough to reach the doorknob.

Shifts in Perspective (and a small vent)

2010-02-16T16:29:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened in my life over the last year. Some good some Bad. Some starting out as one and ending as the other. Even though it's cliche I have found myself stronger on the other side.

Another thing that has changed is my perspective. When John's sight started to go things had to change. I never noticed how many step ups from parking lot to curb there were until i was pointing each one out.

I never noticed how many signs there were, how many little bits of information need to be read until I was helping him read them.

Now that he's had surgeries and the vision has improved in his left eye it's nice that he doesn't need as much help. I know he feels better being more self sufficient but I have to admit to missing laying in bed at night reading aloud for both of us to enjoy.

There is a commercial running right now for Aleve. in it a woman in a drug store decides to buy Aleve instead of several boxes of Tylenol. When she makes this decision she drops her shopping basket in the middle of the aisle and walks away. That irritates me, perhaps irrationally. After all it's just a commercial, but I can't help thinking of the visually challenged person coming down that aisle and falling because some careless sighted person left her crap there.

Power Outage

2010-01-29T21:05:00.002-05:00

We lost power for awhile recently. Luckily we had the grill for cooking and the fireplace for warmth.

John grilled some steak and peppers for dinner the first night. We ate dinner and played Uno and Scrabble by flash light. We dragged out mattress into the living room and set Sam up to sleep on the couch and we were ready to camp out.

John roasted marshmallows in the fireplace while I read aloud to us all. That night everyone snuzzled down under quilts John's grandmother made while we listened to the fire crackle.

Later, with the cats fast asleep in their basket and John and Sam sleeping soundly on either side of me I couldn't help but think of our situation. We don't have a lot of luxuries, things are super tight and we didn't have power, but we have each other.

Really, deeply, I am content.

Cats, the anti-awake

2010-01-22T16:27:00.002-05:00

This morning when the alarm went off there were no cats in the bed. (I know because I was enjoying the freedom of being able to move my feet.) Bella came up and lay along the bottom of my foot and started purring.

How am I supposed to make myself get out of bed with that kinda anti awake thing happening?

The Bzz on Ultracept Antiseptic Hand wash

2010-01-21T21:30:00.003-05:00

I recently received a free sample of Ultracept Antiseptic hand wash to try and then tell people about.

It's a brand new product, it's only been on the market since November. So it was great to be one of the first to try it.

I really like the way it feels on my hands. It's not greasy or sticky, it's more liquid which makes it feel cleaner to me. It also doesn't dry out my skin which is a real problem for me.

Best of all is that it can last up to 6 hours on your skin with repeated use. So you don't have to reapply every time you touch something new. It kills 99.99% germs instantly.

Ultracept Antiseptic hand wash is only available at ultracept.com. Be sure to enter the code "ULTRABZZ" when you order for 10% off your order!

Coupons

2010-01-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

I want to start my couponing again. I heard of a program that allows you to send expired coupons to military bases overseas. They can still use them for awhile apparently. I'm going to do that but I'd like to find someone to trade in date coupons with. Someone local or even someone to do it via mail. If I have diaper coupons that I'm not using and I need more cat food coupons . . .I really need to carve out enough time online to get this stuff organized and get going again.

Eating Local

2010-01-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't done anything at all toward my new years resolutions.

I'd love to start eating locally but finding sources is a problem. Sure we have a farmer's market but they're only open in the summer and even then it's mostly tomatoes.

We don't eat tomatoes.

The next town's farmer's market has some meat sometimes i think. I'd love to find something local for meat, eggs, milk, and even flour. Maybe just a farmer's market that's open more than three months a year. One that has winter squash, cabbage and other things that like the fall weather.

I guess I could take care of the vegetable stuff myself and plant a garden this year. i don't know how much sun the yard gets though since we've only been here while the trees have been bare. I'm also concerned about keeping the neighbor's chickens out of it.

I wonder what he does with those chickens. . .

Frisky and Bella

2010-01-18T12:44:00.001-05:00

The day the cats joined our household we bought them some little cat nip mice. At first they wanted absolutely nothing to do with them but as they've grown up a bit they've decide that cat nip mice are the best thing since sliced bread (or maybe that should be sliced tuna).

I often see Frisky stalking through the house in a semi crouch with a mouse in her mouth. Is it weird that it makes me a little proud of my little mouser?

The light at the end of the tunnel

2009-07-25T16:52:00.003-04:00

I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Boo has a doctor appointment this Thursday which will confirm his medical condition and open up the Service for the Blind to assist us. To get his cane and magnifiers to qualify him for disability all those things.

We've been looking at places to live to see how much we need to have in hand before we can move out of my parent's house. I can't wait. I know we're in their way, sharing the kitchen the laundry room and the parking spots in the driveway. All that is a big pain.

When we move the first thing I'm going to do is fill up the entire fridge and cook something that takes a lot of pots and pans and all day in the oven.

Maybe I'll do it all nekkid :P

Update

2009-07-18T14:49:00.002-04:00

hmm where to start. I haven't had enough time, a good internet connection, the stillness to think of what to say, the inclination to share, or perhaps a combination of all four to post anything lately.

A lot has been going on though.

We've all moved in with my parents. I'm glad they could help us out but it's a little annoying for everyone involved. We don't like the kinda foods they eat, they don't like what we eat, so we're sharing the kitchen, the fridge and the stove and sometimes that's a challenge with two families.

Showers and washing clothes are another problem. I'm always concerned that we're using all the hot water. It's had it's hiccups but I think we're functioning pretty well now. Hopefully we won't be here much longer though.

Why did we move in with them? Well, Boo was the sole source of income for our family. We did all right with just his paycheck and I was a stay at home mom. When his medical problems began to act up, more about that later, he got fired. He can't get unemployment checks because the unemployment office says he's disabled. I can't find a job, I've had several interviews but never made it past the "short list" so we're here til I get a job and we save some money.

As for his medical issues, he's had high blood pressure for awhile now and it finally caused him to have a mini stroke on the 18th of March. It caused no permanent brain damage but he had unexplained shortness of breath and dizziness so the doctor told him he couldn't go back to work. Also as the diabetes went unmediated the diabetic retinapahy got worse and now we're to the point that he can barely see at all.

We've been meeting with people from the Services for the Blind and we hope to have an eye exam to see exactly how bad his eyes are this coming week. After that the SFB will be able to help him learn to get around, use a cane and things like that. He's been dealing with the vision loss very well. I'm not sure how I'd take it if it were me. Sam and I are learning to announce when we're entering or leaving the room he's in, warn him of step ups and downs while out and about and help him in general.

I'm learning to read braille. He said he wasn't interested in learning it. Apparently since so many things can be done with audio these days many blind people don't learn braille but I was curious so I set out to learn. It's really not as hard as it looks. Using a thick piece of paper and the stylus from Bam's DS I made some bumps and let him read them. He figured out what it said in no time! I need to get the proper tools to make braille though it's a little hard on the fingers to do it that way.

Hmm that's all I can think of to update you on right now. We're hanging in there. There's a lot to be unhappy about but we're trying to keep a positive attitude and meet each challenge as it comes. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, so ask away.

The Bzz on Soleil Bella Razors

2009-06-09T08:38:00.002-04:00

The BIC Soleil Razor has 4 blades and a soothing strip enriched with coconut milk to create a wonderful,smooth shaving experience. the handle fits nicely into your hand too. It even has a pivoting head to get around all those curves.

The Bzz on Nature's Source

2009-04-13T09:42:00.002-04:00

I received these four bottles as part of a Bzz Campaign. I love them. Everyone knows I care about environmental things and these cleaners are made with 99+% natural ingredients. And since their made without ammonia or bleach they don't have that choking effect on you that some bathroom cleaners have. I hate that, by the way. This bathroom cleaner has a very pleasant smell but it still get's the job done. They're made by the same people that make Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles after all.

The glass cleaner is made using a corn based ethanol in addition to the derivatives of coconut and palm kernel oil that are in all the products. The bathroom cleaner has lactic acid to fight hard water stains and the toilet cleaner using both lactic acid and xantham gum to remove stains.

In fact, SC Johnson has been focused on environmental thinking and green chemistry since before it was the "IN" thing to do. They introduced a water based aerosol in 1955 and voluntarily emitted CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) propellants from their aerosols in 1975.

The bottom line is that I really like these products, they're easy on the environment and the person using them, yet they work really well. You can find them at Target and other mass retailers as well as grocery and drug stores.

You can visit the products web page at Naturesourcecleaners.com

My week. Both long and descriptive.

2009-03-22T09:29:00.003-04:00

Alright, rather than tell this story over and over I decided to just blog the damn thing. This has been one hell of a week.

It began Friday March 13th.

Go figure.

John left the car's lights on. The battery ran outta juice. He has an emergency jumper box thingumabob so he tried that on Saturday morning. It didn't work. He had another battery, he hooked it to the charge box thingumabob and it wouldn't hold a charge either. Sunday, he finally called AAA. They sent some one out to give it a boost. The car wouldn't stay on. After switching batteries again and two more tries the battery finally held a charge and the car stayed in the on position.

The following Tuesday, while I was cleaning the tub, I tried to turn the hot water off and the handle came off in my hand. Water spurted everywhere and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about being wet. Argh! I ran to turn off the main water control for the house. Luckily I knew where it was. When John came home he started working to see if he could patch it til we could get a replacement part on the weekend.

While he was working on that I ran to the grocery store to pick up something I'd forgotten that we needed for dinner that night. I noticed that the car would wobble if I drove faster or slower than 40 mph. Great we have a bad tire. Lovely. Since finances are a bit tight at this time we had to wait til the weekend to get a new tire.

Now, Wednesday. John drove the car to work. I was worried about the tire but I also knew that he had AAA so if it popped he could call them. He emailed to let me know he'd arrived safely at work so I relaxed. Later that afternoon he emailed to tell me he was coming home an hour early because he "didn't feel good".

When he arrived home (it's an hour drive one way) he was having trouble balancing, and couldn't remember what he was trying to say. He complained that it his head hurt a lot. He went to bed. I woke him when dinner was ready and though he seemed to be walking and speaking better he still seemed off.

Thursday morning he woke up feeling much the same and called into to work to tell them he wouldn't be there. He went back to bed.

He had an eye appointment on Thursday afternoon for complications from his retinopathy so later that afternoon he went online to look for a general practice doctor near the eye doctor so he could visit after his appointment. He had no luck. He was getting nervous about what how he felt so we decided to visit the urgent care center in his eye doctor's building after his appointment.

Now, I had planned to drive him to said appointment but with the car tire problem I was extremely nervous to do it. I had also planned that Sam would let herself into the house after school and we'd be home a few minutes after. Trouble was, she had left without her door key and with the visit to urgent care, who knew what time we'd be home. I finally ended up calling my mom and asking her to get Sam after school and watch her and let me borrow her car to drive to the appointments.

Oh, did I mention that I was so worried and stressed out that I'd only eaten a few bites of dinner Wednesday and nothing since?

We went to the eye doctor. We went to urgent care. They suspected that he'd had a mini stroke on Wednesday and with his history of Deep vein thrombosis they wanted him in the ER and checked out. They called an ambulance and we were whisked across the street to the ER. *rolls eyes*

In the ER, or as they call it at Presby, the ED they took his vital signs, asked about his drug use, if he was abused at home or suicidal and sent us out to the waiting room.

Where we sat. Starving and worried until 8 PM.

Did you know that the smallest bill an ATM in the hospital will give is a 10? Did you also know that the largest bill a vending machine in the hospital will take is a 5? Are you further aware that people make HUGE amounts of noise rustling their chip packets while you're starving and no one has change for a 10?

But, back to the story. At 8, hungry, and fed up we left and came home.

Friday morning, John got up and went to work, sick and on a wobbly tire. I was a nervous wreak. After an hour he sent an email saying he was coming home. I continued to be a nervous wreak. An hour later he was home and seemed to feel much better. He had had a long talk with is boss, explaining the situation to him and his boss had sent him home. this relieved a lot of the 'oh am I going to lose my job' stress he was under.

We found a Doctor who was part of the Presby system, was relatively close and could see him on Friday, made an appointment and left to get the tire fixed. we wobbled to the tire repair place and that had a huge line that we didn't have time to wait in. We went to another tire place and they also had a line. Apparently Friday is repair your tires day. At a 3rd stop they were out of tires in our size.

Running out of time before the Dr appointment we went home and moved one of the back tires to the front and put the spare on the back. I'm glad I know how to change a tire, because it would have taken twice as long and John would have been straining too much if he did it all himself.

We checked the kid out of school early, swung through Wendy's drive through, because you guessed it, I hadn't eaten in a long while and drove to the new Dr's office.

Well not exactly, when we arrived, late, we discovered we were actually at the wrong place, but since they're affiliated and had an empty slot they saw us anyway.

Sam and I sat in the waiting room for 2 hours while they examined him. When he finally came out he said he had to go to the hospital to have some tests done. Flashing back to Thursday night's hours long wait we drove over to the hospital. (Thursday night we were at Presby main in Charlotte, Friday we were at Presby Huntersville) They were ready for him, we filled out some paperwork and they gave him an ultra sound of the arteries in his neck. He also needed an MRI but that wasn't scheduled until 9 PM so we left. I came home, packed a bag for the sprout and took her over to her biological dad's house, we grabbed some dinner, made a few phone calls, and headed back to Huntersville.

We were told to go to the ED when we came back as the front offices would be closed for the night and again I flashed back on the Thursday night ED visit from hell. Huntersville's ED was miles different. They had art on the walls, big windows that showed views of the actual outside, rather than the brick walls at Presby main and bright open spaces. We only had to wait a little while before being moved back to a radiology waiting room where we watched 'Failure to Launch' until they were ready for him. A half hour later we were on our way home.

Saturday morning, his new Dr. Dr Phillips called to say that he had in fact suffered a mini stroke. The ultrasound and MRI showed no permanent damage but she was still concerned as after suffering from a stroke you're 9 times more likely to have another and the next one could be bigger.

So that's where we are now. He has an appointment Monday morning with employ heath to evaluate his ability to go back to work and then we go see Dr. Phillips again. Right now he feels better, and we're both much less stressed. I'll post again or update this post Monday afternoon with the latest.

Rooster

2009-03-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

There is a rooster in my neighborhood. I don't have any idea where he lives but he wanders the whole neighborhood.

One day a few weeks ago, I was outside and heard a really strange noise. I looked up to see the rooster on my roof. That was our introduction.

Since then he's been in our yard several times. He can be heard crowing at all hours of the day and night, but apparently he's camera shy because he wouldn't crow as long as the camera was rolling.

A few days ago I noticed him outside the kitchen window while I was cooking. I threw a handful of birdseed out at him. I figured he'd like it, it's safflowers and corn pieces. He ate it up, and now he's back there every evening waiting.

Sam says his name is Bob.

My two favorite words . . .

2009-02-14T10:28:00.003-05:00

First, if you haven't already, you might want to read this.

Now my two favorite words are . . . Acid and reflux!

If you read that link up there you'll know i never gave another report on Boo's health. Shortly after he came home his insurance expired and he stopped going to the doctor and taking his prescribed meds.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Boo moved from being a contractor at his job to being a full time employ. This granted him access to the gym in the building and he started using it. At first he was just walking on the treadmill and using the stationery bike.

After a week or two he decided to start using the weight equipment. As he strained a little harder he noticed that he vision was becoming blurry. By Wednesday of that week he had large spot of black in his vision from his right eye.

He called his eye doctor who referred him to a specialist and made an appointment for Tuesday of this past week. When the doctor examined him he discovered that Boo had Diabetic retinopathy. Long story short, blood vessels in his eye were bleeding and obscuring his vision.

The doctor did laser surgery in his office that day to cauterize the blood vessels and stop them bleeding. This gave Boo a bruise under his eye. We'll come back to that in a bit.

The next day Boo bopped off to work as usual. Then he called me at 3 in the afternoon telling me he was having chest pains and his boss was going to drive him to the hospital.

Imagine. All that crap from last year came pounding back!

When i got to the hospital he was still int he emergency room. They were drawing blood and such and sent him out to the waiting area to wait. He seemed relatively fine so I left to go fetch our car (which was in another state, btw) when i returned they had put him in a room for overnight observation. By that time it was 9 o'clock at night and I had the sprout with me and had to get her home and to bed for school the next day.

As soon as she was off to school the next day i was back on my way to the hospital. We sat down there all day waiting, they gave him a stress test, they ran tests, the check vital signs on the hour. It was horrible!

At around 2 pm the doctor finally came in and said those two magic words. The chest pain was acid reflux!

yes he still has the diabetes to deal with, the hypertension and he eyesight problems, but he's not balanced on the edge of a heart attack. I didn't realize how worried I was until i heard those two words and all the worry dropped away.

ahhhhhhhhhhh

I'm so glad he's home :)

Oh and that bruise under his eye? They asked him if he felt safe to go home with me. As if i gave him a black eye. *rolls eyes*

Part five of my personality profile

2009-02-04T10:30:00.001-05:00

What am I talking about? Go here.

The last part: Extraversion you are: SOMETIMES OUTGOING, SOMETIMES RESERVED

Words that describe you: Moderate, Amiable, Laid-back, Temperate, Relaxed, Poised, Civil, Uncommitted, Pleasant

A General Description of How You Interact with Others

Lucky you! You enjoy your own company as much as you enjoy the company of others. You are a great conversationalist and thrive in the wonderful kinds of connections you know how to have with your family and friends. You also equally enjoy your own company, whether sitting in a favorite chair with your book and soft music playing or meandering in the woods by yourself. You like coming home to your family or your roommate; but if no one is home, you find quiet, solitary time to be just as pleasurable. What a great combination to enjoy being outgoing and to be just as comfortable being reserved. Lucky you!!

Because you are so amiable and relaxed, you are comfortable with almost any group of family or friends. Whether they are pumped up and lively or calm and subdued, you remain at ease. If someone needs to take over the conversation, you are comfortable taking the lead; you can also lay back and let someone else be in charge. If the conversation gets rowdy, your moderate demeanor will often draw it down to a more temperate level. If someone in the group loses their cool, you will most likely maintain your poise, and if they get nasty you know how to keep a civil tongue.

You may find yourself out of balance on occasion. If you're alone too much, you may need to get in touch with someone. If you spend too much time with your family and friends, you may need to sneak off for a day by yourself, to putter and read and clear your head of the noise of too much conversation. When you're at your best, you live with a rhythm of time with others, time alone, time with others, time alone It's a satisfying, comfortable balance. Lucky you!

I absolutely enjoy my own company. I have absolutely no problem with being by myself for hours everyday. I adore my family and I love it when they're home (most of the time) but I relish that alone time. I'm not fully myself if I don't get that time to recharge my batteries.

I like to think I'm almost impossible to offend. Yes I do get aggravated at times or angry at dumbassedness, but to truly piss me off takes some work. (Funnily enough Boo and The Sprout seems to know how to do it at will. LOL)

Later

Happy Birthday to Mom

2009-02-03T04:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Momma!

Lurve you!!

See I'm not even mentioning your age. *nods*

Part four of my personality profile

2009-02-02T10:20:00.001-05:00

What am I talking about? Go here.

Today, How I approach obligations.

Your approach toward your obligations is: FLEXIBLE

Words that describe you: Spontaneous, Intuitive, Perceptive, Natural, Somewhat Disorganized, Unpredictable At Times

A General Description of How You Interact with Others

When there's a job to be done, like most people you want to know what the goal is and when it's to be completed. For you, that's a start. Next you want to know what the plan is to get to the goal. So you lay out a plan, or at least the major points of a plan: "Organize the kitchen sometime this spring" or "Get the project at work done as soon as possible." You don't need an in-depth specification of every little detail; in fact you prefer not to work that way. You lay out your goals, develop a general plan, and then you get things done.

You believe in intuition as well as organization. As such, you trust impulses as much as strategies and you value spontaneity as much as you do efficiency. In a word, you like to keep it flexible. When you set out to accomplish a task, you prefer to have some room to maneuver. Like an artist, you find that the best way to reach a goal is not always in a straight line. Some of the most productive times for you are the unplanned moments of inspiration and creativity that just come to you. While you do keep to a general plan, those times of pure vision and originality are what really drive you.

Some of the people who rely completely on an organized approach to getting things done may be surprised at your efficiency. But there is a definite method to your approach. With a creative flair that others may not have anticipated, the original plan gets met and there are often a few extra accomplishments along the way. Your comfort zone starts with a task and a plan but it also requires the freedom to be able to go with your instincts and impulses so that you can not just accomplish the task, you also have the option to explore something brand new along the way.

I think I'm very wrapped up in Intuition. I depend heavily on my instincts and feelings about situations. I covered that in a previous entry, I believe.

I'm all about getting where I'm going by whichever path works at the time. That applies to almost everything I do. I like to plan, I like to be packed for a trip at least a week in advance. I drive Boo nuts demanding to know exactly what time we're leaving for where ever. But Which road we take to get there, how often we stop along the way? Don't care. Driving to TN to visit his mom and seeing an interested road side attraction? Let's stop! I'm very free flowing when the project or activity gets started. I'm very in need a plan going in though :P

I realize that probably didn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. But that's me too. You see it says Unorganized up there :P

Part three of my personality profile

2009-01-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

What am I talking about? Go here.

Today we discus my emotional stability. Har har

On Emotional Stability you are: VERY RESPONSIVE

Words that describe you: Emotional, Insightful, Perceptive, Sensitive, Self-conscious

A General Description of Your Reactivity

Each one of us encounters some hard times; we get caught off guard, or feel a sudden swell of emotion, whether from fear, joy, anger or sadness. Life is just like this sometimes. You know that because you are an emotional person. Some people go to great lengths to keep their emotions under wraps, to keep a stiff upper lip, to not let others know what emotions they are feeling. But that is not you. You embrace all of life's emotions, both the joys and the turmoil that life brings our way.

When you're having fun with a group of friends you don't even try to contain your pleasure; you laugh hard and feel every moment of the conversation because of the joy that comes from the experience. You make very intense friendships; ones where all of the depth of emotions that you feel can be shared. Emotions are such an essential part of your everyday life. You may cry at intense movies or when watching a sad story on the evening news. You get angry, at others or at yourself, and you do not stifle it. Emotions drive your personality and your relationships - you simply are what you feel.

You experience both the highs and the lows more profoundly than most. And you usually relish the intensity of your emotions. For sure you enjoy the positive times. There are those times, though, when your feelings get the best of you and you wonder how you will manage the moment. But because you are so in tune with all of your emotions you will experience something very pleasant and will be able to engage with that positive feeling to again enjoy the wonderful intensity that life brings you

I am a tempestuous storm of emotion :P I wasn't always this emotional. I think I had locked a great portion of myself away. I DID NOT cry in front of people, I didn't show many emotions at all really. When Boo and I began our relationship he began jack hammering through that wall I'd placed around myself.

While that means that I now cry at sad movies and sob when I'm angry, it also means I feel all the joy that life can bring. I feel like a very different person emotionally. :)

I am extremely in touch with my instincts and am perceptive. I think nature gave us those abilities to survive and I can't fathom how people can be so out of touch with themselves.

Part two of my personality profile

2009-01-29T09:38:00.001-05:00

What am I talking about? Go here.

Today we have my openness.

On the Openness Dimension you are: CURIOUS

Words that describe you: Original, Inventive, Thinker, Brave, Eccentric, Avant-Garde, Unique

A General Description of How You Approach New Information and Experiences

You think like an artist. Or better, you SEE like an artist. While most people look at life's straight lines, its height and depth and width, you're bending the lines with your imagination and turning black and white into shades of blue and yellow. And in conversations at work or with your friends you want to ask, "Do you see what I see?" A few might, most don't, but you've piqued everyone's curiosity with your own original and inventive ways of thinking.

You can, if you must, think in conventional ways. But left on your own, you'll usually opt for the eccentric or avant-garde; in fact you're usually bored with what everyone else is comfortable with. You learn from reading, talking, watching people and other fauna and flora, and simply sitting in the soft chair of your mind and wondering how people would learn how to count if they could only use uneven numbers. You are out in front of conventional ideas, bravely originally defining true and false, right and wrong, the good, the bad and the ugly.

See told you I was eccentric. :P This is pretty much 'nail on the head' right here. Hell, it even knows that I say "See what I mean?" rather than "Know what I mean?"

As far as the inventive way of thinking goes, I'll attach a scanned image for your perusal.

A math problem. 12 X 150

This is just an example but that's how I'd figure it out. I've shown the sprout this method and while I think she understands it, she doesn't use it on her own.

*shrugs* makes perfect simple sense to me :P

Part one of my personality profile

2009-01-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

What am I talking about? Go here.

I figured I'd share the profile with you in pieces.

Here's the bit on how I interact with others.

You are best described as: USUALLY TAKING CARE OF OTHERS

Words that describe you: Understanding, Unquestioning, Humane, Selfless, Gentle, Kindhearted

A General Description of How You Interact with Others

Here's one important truth about you: you have a tender heart. Yes, you know that others need to learn to take care of themselves. Yes, you know they need to accept the consequences of their foolish or bad behavior. And sometimes, even when your instinct is to help them, you will let them fend for themselves and let them suffer the consequences of their choices or circumstances.

But most of the time you are there to help when they need you. If they are in trouble, you offer compassion and go out of your way to be helpful. If they need someone who will listen, you are trustworthy and sympathetic. And you are direct with them; when they need advice or counsel, you offer it in a straightforward, direct manner, without beating around the bush.

You're also smart enough to know that you cannot take good care of others if you fail to take good care of yourself, so you listen to your own wants and needs. If you've run out of sympathetic energy, you spend time restoring yourself. If you've ignored your own pain or frustration, you find a friend who will listen well, or go into your own private healing place and give yourself permission to focus on you.

But before long, you're back at it with your friends, offering a sympathetic ear and compassion on which they learn to trust, also giving straightforward advice and counsel when they ask for it. You do know how to take care of yourself, but your genuine interest is in taking care of others.

That's pretty much me. I love taking care of others, I go into a private healing place when I have an issue. I am insanely focused on fairness. I always try to make sure things are fair. I have zero tolerance for selfishness.

I dunno about the unquestioning bit. LOL anyone who knows me knows I ask a ton of questions and rarely take things at face value.

More tomorrow.

My personality profile

2009-01-27T09:12:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if you've seen those eHarmony commercials. They only air once every 5 seconds after all. I saw one a few weeks ago in which the person was talking about how well eHarmony pegged their profile. The commercial also said something about a free personality profile, so I was inspired to go see how well it did with mine.

They ask a TON of questions, everything from "Are you shy?" to "Does it matter what religion a future partner might be?" I tried to answer honestly as if I were actually filling out a profile. Surprise surprise the synopsis did pretty well on describing me.

It did so well, actually, that Boo decided to go and give it a shot. It didn't do as well with him, but it still got more than half of the things right on.

I didn't know at the time that taking the test would automatically sign me up for the free portion of their service, but it did and I began receiving "matches". The smoofy thing? Boo came up as one of my matches after he'd filled out his personality profile.

LOL

Evolution or Intelligent Design?

2009-01-26T10:44:00.001-05:00

The Stonemaker Argument

That is all.

View from my window - Inauguration Day 2009

2009-01-20T08:30:00.002-05:00

I've decided I'm going to start posting pictures of the view from my window. What I see when I'm sitting at my desk. I thought it might be interesting to see how things change over the seasons. There are a few trees, a fence topped with Japanese Honeysuckle and Morning Glorys, and a pile of old tires in my neighbor's back yard to watch.

And what better time to start tracking change than Inauguration Day January 20Th, 2009.

It's snowing!

What's the deal with Walmart?

2009-01-16T08:44:00.000-05:00

I used to shop at Walmart, basically because of convenience. Then I stopped. I didn't walk through the doors of a Walmart for 4 years. Then this past holiday season we got umpteen Walmart gift cards so I decided to go spend them.

I don't understand what the big deal with Walmart is. Yes, some prices were cheaper, but not enough to put up with hordes of screaming kids, (some running around completely unsupervised) rude employs, and loooong lines.

Really, I seriously had a headache when I walked out of the store. It's crazy! There are what? 40 Cash register lanes. Only 3 were open on a Friday evening. Not only were the employs rude in general, but the one pushing around a giant trash can through the store actually bumped into me and kept going without a word.

I know there are lines at lots of places, and I know that employs have bad days and aren't as friendly as they're supposed to be at lots of places. I also know that's it's not the store's fault if parents aren't parenting their children. But Damn. All those things together and it's just not worth it.

I guess we'll be spending the rest of these gift cards online.

Happy Birthday Boo!

2009-01-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Boo's birthday!

The love of my life, dunno what I'd do without him.

Happy Birthday!

Photographic evidence!

2009-01-14T08:42:00.001-05:00

See I did make socks!

Speaking of DPNs

2009-01-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

Poor things are a bit warped after three pairs of socks in a short amount of time.

This one reached it's breaking point!

Luckily I knit socks on four needles and this is but one of the five needle set. *whew*

A hat for Grandma part 2

2009-01-08T17:10:00.000-05:00

The first part is here

Here the bank has been knit all the way to 19.5 inches and then the ends have been grafted together. I know I promised a pic of that part, but I forgot, sorry.

Here is the grafted seam. It's still visable, but not as much as it would have been if I'd used a three needle bind off I think,

Yes, that's my desk. yes I was knitting and reading guildchat while waiting for a spawn in WoW. What's your point?

Here I've picked up 60 stiches along the edge to start making the rest of the hat. I can't stand picking up stitches.

And yes those are double point needles instead of circulars. I don't like circulars at all! All that scooching of the work around the cord to the other needle. Who has time for that madness. I much prefer bamboo DPNs because they're not as slippery as the metal ones but metal is the only material I had in the correct size. It'll do.

And here is the finished product. It's looks a bit like an acron, no? Perhaps that's why our lovely model is coping a bit of an attitude.

A hat for Grandma

2009-01-07T16:32:00.004-05:00

Yes I did finish The Sprout's socks. I'll post about them with a picture soon.

Right now I'm working on a hate for my grandmother.

That looks like a hat, right? lol, I know it looks more like a scarf but it's a hat, promise. It's Ardelle by Ellen Bartz and I lurve it!

That red yarn at the end will come out. It's there to hold those stitches until I knit a long enough band to go around the head. Then those red stitches will be unraveled to allow the band to have a, um, seamless seam. I'll show ya when i get there.

I adore cables. They look so complicated and involved but really they're not at all. I'm a little nervous about picking up the stitches around the cabled band to make the crown of the hat. Picking up stitches is not one of my strengthes. But I'm a fearless knitter and I'll try anything once :P

More pics incoming as I work on it.

The Bzz on CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain

2009-01-06T07:10:00.002-05:00

I'm not a big fan of lipstick. It always feels so caky and thick and dry on my lips. When I was asked to test this lipstain I was a bit hesitant. Bu then I read that it's a stain, not a lip stick. According to the info included in my package the water based color instantly infuses into the top layer of your lips rather than coating them. This means it stays on longer and once it's dry, which takes seconds, you can't feel it at all!

Oh did I mention that it has a marker tip. That's great for women like me who aren't that skilled with the whole makeup application thing :P

CoverGirl Lipstain should be on shelves now, Target will carry it I've heard. It comes in 10 colors from Everbloom Kiss to Flirty Nude and Plum Pout.

I really like it, and from someone that generally hates products on her lips, that's saying something!

I have 10 coupons for $1.00 off any CoverGirl lip product to give away. They don't expire til March 31st 2009. If you'd like one be one of the first ten to leave a comment with your email address.

I'm a Bzz Agent

2009-01-05T16:05:00.002-05:00

I'm a Bzz Agent. You can become one too at http://www.bzzagent.com/

When you're an agent companies send you things to try out and share you're opinion of. A few weeks ago it was Smucker's Uncrustables. They sent a box of uncrustables, and a lunchbox uncrustables keeper and asked me to try them. All they want in return is that I share my honest opinion of the product. They even send along some coupons to give to friends.

I told you all that to tell you this. I'm going to start using this blog to share the Bzz on things I'm testing. I'll share the coupons too. :)

Collard Greens=Fail

2009-01-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

I said yesterday that I'd blog about my collard green experiment. Let's just say it wasn't meant to be.

I started them too late because I didn't know how long they'd take to cook until too late.

The pictures I took to share here are all out of focus. I think something is wonky on that camera. I really need to check into and fix that.

And they didn't taste very good. We ate them, but they were a little bitter. Maybe I didn't cook them long enough.

I'll try again one day.

Maybe.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

Happy new Year! Make sure to eat your black eyed peas and collard greens. This will be my first year trying to cook the greens so I may blog about my experience soon.

My weirdness

2008-12-31T12:48:00.001-05:00

Alright, fine I'll tell you one of my idiosyncrasies.

The people in pictures can see me. There, I said it. What? You don't understand? Here I'll show you.

See E.T.? He can see you too.

See the sprout? She can see you too, or she could if she had her eyes open.

I don't know where this weirdness came from, but it' defiantly there. We have a shelf in our bathroom, it's directly across from the toilet and it's function is to hold bath towels, washcloths, things like that. We keep a few magazines on it too for, well you know what they're for.

I had been turning the magazines with pictures of people on the front over so they couldn't see me, but anytime anyone else used the magazines, they'd crazily put them back face up. Don't they know that those people can see them?? I finally had to break down and explain to Boo why the magazines, had to be face down. Or covered completely if there is a face on the back too!

Now you know too and you can feel like your being watched all around your house.

You're welcome.

The Sprout's Christmas Choir Performance

2008-12-30T12:41:00.003-05:00

I don't have a digital video camera. I would love to have one however. (Boo, did you hear that?)My digital camera will take video, but it's memory card won't hold much. So I could only capture the first song of the Spout's concert.

Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

She's second row, third from left.

I can finally talk about it

2008-12-26T07:25:00.001-05:00

It's after Christmas, I can bring myself to recount the horrible tale now. This is the story of our Christmas tree.

Each year for the past 4 or 5 years we've gone to a local tree farm and selected and sawed down our own tree. The farm is really nice, they have hay rides, and farm animals for the kids to visit with. They hide little ornaments in the field of baby trees that aren't ready to be cut yet and let the children go for a treasure hunt. If they return with an ornament they get to pick a little prize from a box. It's all very wonderful and good family time. (The farm is called Santa's Forest Choose and Cut Christmas Tree Farm. I looked but they don't seem to have a website)

This year, however, the Sprout was going to be with her biological father on Christmas tree getting weekend so we decided just to grab one of those trees outside the grocery store.

Oi.

Boo and I had not been having the best of days, it was COLD and raining, we were both irritated. I said something along the lines of "Oh, just grab one" He grabbed the first one and we brought it home.

You may not be able to tell, I tried to take as flattering a picture as possible,though blurry (again) but the tree is no where near the classic Christmas tree shape. Ordinarily this wouldn't bother me. My crunchy granola side would pipe up and say "hey, it's more natural looking, it's not a Frankentree at all" The problem with it's un-shapeliness is that the top is bigger than the bottom. I don't know if you've been to physics class lately but when something's top is bigger than it's bottom it tends not to be particularly stable.

The tree has fallen. Twice.

I'm really beginning to think the ornaments look better on the ottoman.

Another problem the tree has, which isn't helped at all by bumping into the floor is that it's sort of flat. I guess it's from being shipped, but it's sort of folded up like an umbrella.

Oh and did I mention that when I opened the box of ornaments there were no lights? Apparently I threw them out last year, (they had a short) and forgot about it.

But it's a tree. It smells nice. It looks nice when it's lights are lit and all the other lights in the house aren't.

OK, I'm going to take it to the compost heap now.

This one time at band camp. . .

2008-12-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

Ok, so it wasn't band camp it was gym class. My friends, I'll call them Jennifer, Tenille, and David, cause those are their names, and I didn't want to play basketball in the gym again.

Is it just me or does everyone remember high school gym class as nothing but pickup games of half court basketball?

Anyway, back to the story, we went down to the tennis courts which were behind the school and down a hill. My high school was in a very rural area so the tennis courts bordered the woods behind the school. There was a football field to the right and a cow pasture to the left if you're interested in that kinda thing.

We didn't want to play tennis either mind you, buncha slackers we were. So we were down there goofing off when we decided to go into the woods. No, there wasn't any adult supervision, why do you ask?

There was a clearing in the woods scattered with beer cans and cigarette butts. As we were walking through the clearing, I looked down and saw the sole of a shoe sticking up through the dirt. Of course, as any logical teenage girl would I screamed and pointed it out to my friends.

We poked at it and it felt solid. We were sure there was a foot inside. We made David dig it up. He slowly dug around the shoe with a large stick digging deeper and deeper until he uncovered a dead body. Not really, he just uncovered an old shoe packed full of dirt.

Good times.

Lists, lists lists

2008-12-24T07:23:00.000-05:00

When I decided that I was going to start blogging much more regularly, the first thing I did was make a list of possible future topics. Things that have happened recently. That's when i decided I'd blog about my love of lists.

I make lists of everything. I make grocery lists, lists of errands I need to do, lists of the things I've bought for dinner for the week, lists of things I need to do around the house (vacuum, sweep, bleah), everything. Here's a list of some tradeskill information from World of Warcraft.

And that's my beloved notebook, I have to keep a notebook like this easily accessible at all times for list making purposes. I'm lost without it. Boo says I make lists of my lists, and although he's joking I actually have done that before. I've listed the contents of storage boxes, and then packed the list into the box where it's completely useless as a reference tool. I've written things on lists of things to do that have already done, just so some things can be marked off.

Other than the lists I'm really not organized, promise.

The Sock Saga

2008-12-23T07:06:00.003-05:00

I used the cash I received for my birthday to buy yarn to make Boo and the Sprout some socks. This is not as unselfish as it sounds. The enjoyment I get out of knitting comes from the act of knitting. I don't care what I knit or who it's for, I just want to knit. Besides, I'd already knitted myself a pair of socks.

This is my favorite part of knitting socks. It's called "turning the heel". I've heard lots of people bemoan the horror of turning the heel, but really it's my favorite part!

Forgive the blurriness, please. I had the camera set on the wrong focus and didn't realize until it was too late.

It's like magic, one minute you have a flat piece of knitting and the next, you have a little cup for the heel to eventually live in. I go around the house trying to get people to put their noses in, but they never cooperate.

So I was bopping along, perfectly happy in sock land, then i see this . . .

I know it's blurry also, but you can hopefully see that it's a ball band. An empty ball band.

It's immediately followed by this . . .

What's that you ask? That, my friends, is an unfinished Sprout sock.

Tragic.

Now I have to drive for half an hour to buy one skein/ball of yarn to do a small portion of the foot and the toes of the sock. What, I ask you, am I supposed to do with the leftovers from that ball? I don't think the Sprout is going to grow a third foot anytime soon.

Le sigh

2008 Christmas Tree Lighting

2008-12-22T12:56:00.002-05:00

Just some pictures today.

Our town recently held it's 50th annual Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony. My daughter, being a member of her school choir, sang at the ceremony.

Here the choir director tries to herd them into a line to practice.

Here she is waiting to preform, she's gonna hate that picture one day :P

Here, this ones better, no strange faces in this one. This is her and her bestest friend Macy.

Oh and the tree in case you wanted to see

Great Grandma Ledford

2008-12-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

Today is Dec 19th, 2008. It would have been my great grandmother's 88th birthday, however she passed away on November 22nd. I'm surprised I'm posting this. I'm not one to dwell at all on death or to mark the deceased's birthday after they're gone, but I felt the need to blog it so I'm blogging it :)

Here is Fannie Elizabeth Ledford with her husband Burns Augustus Ledford (he passed away in 1987). I'm not sure when this picture was taken. My mom scanned and emailed it when I was doing my family tree thing.

Let's see, what to tell you about Grandma? I remember when I got my first pair of Converse hi tops in the 80s she told me she wore a pair just like them when she played basketball in school. She was very very afraid of thunderstorms. She'd actually sometimes lay on the floor during a storm. She was married when she was 14 and had 6 children. She had 11 grandchildren(my mom); 18 great-grandchildren(me) and four great-great grandchildren(my daughter).

Here's a Picture from 2007.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

I love that kid

2008-12-18T06:20:00.001-05:00

I hate housework. Kinda odd to hear that from a housewife huh? I love taking care of my family and making sure they have what they need but i hate the drudgery of doing the same things over and over. Laundry is like that. Wash the same clothes over and over, fold the clothes . . . . boring!
To make matters worse my laundry room is a tiny little thing with no windows and nothing much to look at. Yet when i walked in a few days ago I had this view.

My daughter had left this note for me, written in dry erase marker, on top of the washing machine.

A similar note, this time including her father appeared on the kitchen message board.

I love that kid!

I love that man

2008-12-16T14:38:00.005-05:00

Boo has been to almost every school event and function the sprout has had. The amount her biological father has attended? Zero.

This time I didn't think he was going to make it. She has a Christmas program on the 18th. She's in the school choir and she'll be singing. She needs to be there at 5:30 and the performance begins at 6. Boo doesn't get home from his one hour commute until after 6. I thought he would be able to attend. He's just started this job and there is no way he could ask for a day off or to leave early.

He came home with news a few days ago though, he's switched shifts with a coworker. My beloved is going in early so that he can leave early. The man who hates to get up 'at the crack ass of dawn', as he so affectionately refers to it, is going to get up early and drive to work before the sun is up just so he can attend his daughters performance.

There is nothing sexier than a good father. I love that man!

Blogging or lack thereof

2008-12-16T09:11:00.002-05:00

I know I've been really bad about blogging regularly. But lately I've been reading the Pioneer Woman's Blog (she actually has several rolled into one)and hey, if she can do it with her crazy life then I certainly can!

I love her blog, she posts everything from descriptions of what working cattle means to sound files of her burping. It's just the eclectic kinda craziness I love. I'm taking time to go back and read her past posts now and I think Boo may be tired of hearing Pioneer Woman anecdotes by now. Too bad for him :P

I'll see you tomorrow :)

Goodnight Garden

2008-11-11T11:08:00.003-05:00

Well it's getting cold so it's time for the garden to go to bed. I brought the green onions, basil, oregano, sage and lemon balm in to winter on the kitchen windowsill, or more accurately the table in front of the kitchen window. The remnants of everything else went into the compost bin and the dirt from the pots back into the dirt container. I'll be so glad when we have our own planting place and don't have to use pots and containers anymore.
I left two window boxes out and planted garlic in those. Garlic loves the cold, so they should be ready in spring. I did this last year too and we had a lot of little heads of garlic, maybe by using two pots and spacing them out a bit this year we'll get bigger heads.

Smucker's Uncrustables

2008-10-10T14:56:00.003-04:00

I know I just blogged about a free sample of food and how much I liked it, but I have to tell you about another one :P

I just got a sample of Smucker's Uncrustables, from Bzzz. I wanted to try the peanut butter only variety but my local grocery store doesn't have that flavor :( I tried Peanut butter and grape jelly. They were great, they tasted just like I remember PB&J sandwiches from when I was little. You store them in the freezer, but the bread tastes pretty fresh, it doesn't get hard or soggy. Delicious!

Chex Mix Bars

2008-10-07T07:54:00.003-04:00

I just got a box of Chex Mix Bars yesterday afternoon and they're already gone! LOL

They were delicious. Everyone liked them, they've got the crunchiness of chex mix with some caramely chocolatey goodness thrown in.

Highly recommended. *nods*

The garden

2008-09-30T08:52:00.005-04:00

I haven't blogged about the garden in awhile. Things are still growing out there.

I let the lettuce go to seed and harvested some for next year. I'm probably gonna have lettuce coming up in the grass too :P Lettuce seeds are teensy tiny, btw.

Here is the everlasting oregano. I've kept it alive longer than any plant I've ever had inside or out :P I pick from it constantly and it just keeps going and going.

This is the leggy basil, tasty though.

Here's our watermelon that still isn't ready to be picked, sheesh melons take patience.

The baby Jalepenos. This is the 3rd or 4th crop we've gotten from these this year. The bell peppers are planted beside them but we only got one bell pepper. You can also see the sage in this shot, it's leggy but tasty as well.

This is a cantaloupe vine that volunteered from the compost pile. I love surprize cantaloupes :P

I think the banana peppers are done for the year, we got around 10 peppers though.And finally, these are the green onions. I bought them from the grocery store, clipped almost all the green tops for dinner and then planted the white roots bulbs. They've grown from there. Replenishing food, what could be better? These got yet another haircut for dinner last night :)

Oh and the prickly pear cactus.

Apple Bread Part Two

2008-09-30T08:48:00.006-04:00

Here's the final product of this post.

It was delicious! I think I'm going to make it this way from now on.

I guess it's time to make a pie now . . . .

Apple Bread

2008-09-26T10:01:00.006-04:00

Each fall I make apple bread. I also make it for the winter holidays, since each batch makes two loaves it's easy to make enough to give to friends. Last weekend my mom showed up at the door with a large bag of apples from her trees. Seems she had a bumper crop this year :) What to do with all the apples? Well apple bread of course! I made two loaves Saturday that disappeared before Monday. Today I decided to vary it a bit and try it in a bundt pan. Here's the process and the recipe.

Apple Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon each of baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla
3 cups chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel and core the apples, chop them into small pieces. They don't have to be uniform or a certain size. You can have a bit more than or a bit less than 3 cups, it's flexible. Combine all the ingredients, except the apples and nuts, in a large bowl.

Then add the apples, and nuts if you're using them, and stir to combine.

Pres into to two loaf pans or as I'm experimenting with here one bundt pan.

And bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Mine is in the oven now. I'll try to remember to take a pic of it before it gets devoured and post it here. Happy baking!

** see part two here**

MMMMM Pizza

2008-09-18T21:18:00.005-04:00

I didn't used to like pizza, I still don't like the take out pizzas but ones we can make at home are great! I like being able to choose exactly what I want the toppings to be and know exactly what's in the ingredient list.

Pillsbury Pizza Dough is already ready to go, you just roll it out and fill it up! They've just come out with a thin crust version too. There are coupons for it in the latest Sunday paper and online ones at www.pillsbury.com They also have recipes and run ideas there. Check it out.

Free Stuff

2008-09-09T08:41:00.003-04:00

Wow I haven't blogged in almost two months! Bad me! I'll try to blog more often.

I've been doing some serious money saving research lately, I've started using coupons and I've found it's really an art. Yesterday I used $39.00 worth of coupons! I love being able to get some name brand things instead of my old method of just getting whatever was cheapest.

Plus since I'm making connections I'm getting free stuff. Who doesn't like free stuff?! Here's what came in the mail this past week.

Yes those are all full sized products that were absolutely free. Not buy one get one free, not 'just pay shipping and handling', absolutely free.

General Mills sent the Froot Loops and the Trix via UPS. They wanted my family to try both kinds of cereal and tell them which one we liked better, color, flavor, that sort of thing.

General Mills also sent a coupon for a free box of Cheerios because I signed up for the 6 week challenge.

Chef Boyardee sent two coupons for a free product of my choice, I also received a coupon for one free Ensure (and $ off a six pack). Stride sent the free pack of gum. What one? Go here. Wal-Mart sent the full sized roll of Scott.

Me A to Z

2008-07-11T19:38:00.003-04:00

That sneaky JulieB booby trapped one of her blog posts so now I have to post this too :P

ACCENT: Southern ya'll
BREAKFAST OR NO BREAKFAST: I usually just eat lunch at 10:30. I really should start eating breakfast though.
CHORE I DON'T CARE FOR: washing dishes
DOG OR CAT: neither, but I'd love to have either
ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS: the puter and printer
FAVORITE COLOGNE: Don't really use smellies
GOLD OR SILVER: white gold :P
HANDBAG I CARRY MOST OFTEN: small black bag
INSOMNIA: Not usually
JOB TITLE: Mom
KIDS: 1, Samantha
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: noisy neighborhood with annoying neighbors that I can't wait to get out of!
MOST ADMIRABLE TRAIT: I'm extremely easygoing
NAUGHTIEST CHILDHOOD BEHAVIOR: decided to walk to grandma's without telling anyone, my mother's still talking about that.
OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: the last one was when i had my daughter, before that I had an appendectomy and broken legs
PHOBIAS: spiders
QUOTE: I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. -- EB White
REASON TO SMILE: I can always find some reason to smile. It's that, or go crazy.
SIBLINGS: none, I'm all alone
TIME I WAKE UP: I'm been sleeping in lately, 8 am ish
UNUSUAL SKILL OR TALENT: I have an amazing capacity to store random bits of completely useless knowledge.
VEGETABLE I REFUSE TO EAT: tomatoes
WORST HABIT: I sometimes pick my nose :P
YUMMY STUFF: cheeeeescake
ZOO ANIMAL I LIKE MOST: primates

Now, I've booby trapped my post too so if you've read this far, consider yourself tagged :)

My goals, expanded

2008-07-02T11:12:00.005-04:00

Recently Homegrownrose over at Ravelry (her blog is here if you're not on Ravelry) posted a list of her goals in 'reclaiming the home'. In reading her list I see that mine is very similar. Basically she said a lot of what I was too lazy to sit and write down on my own. So I'm inspired to post my list.

Making things simpler. This is at the head of my list, slowing down, appreciating time spent with family, not feeling rushed with 15 things I have to do right-this-minute, taking time to bake bread from scratch, making meals for my family that aren't full of chemicals, growing our own food so we know exactly where it came from. Learning to knit, to sew, eventually to spin, weave, make cheese, butter, keep bees, etc.

Living green. Also very important to me. We compost kitchen scraps, recycle everything possible, don't buy products that are over packaged, don't buy disposable plates, cups and paper towels, turn off lights when we leave the room, etc. Little things make a huge difference.

Getting things we don't need out of the way. I'm not very attached to stuff. I have very few things that I'd cry over if they were gone. Old toys, clothes, books, etc, get donated to charity, freecycled or sold.

Being a good wife and mother. I feel it's my job to care for my family, to make sure they have what they need to succeed in whatever they do, to look after there health and their comfort. To remind them that they are my most favorite people on the planet.

Making my home a soft place to fall. Honestly I'm not that great of a housekeeper. Actually I hate cleaning :P But I can manage to keep the house tidy. I don't mind at all if it looks lived in. My living room is full of soft furniture with poofy cushions and throw pillows, with afghans and snuggly throws. I feel the home should be a refuge from the crappiness that the outside world sometimes throws at you, it should be warm, comfortable and welcoming.

Well, there ya go :)