For the last year or so we, as a family, have been trying to save money wherever we can. It hasn't been easy.
Just a little over a year ago I saw an Oprah episode about coupons. There are people out there that can save over 50% on their groceries and other household items! It takes practice and a little (sometimes a lot) extra time every week, but when you score it really feels good!
Yesterday I did my weekly grocery shopping at Harris Teeter. I purchased about $266 worth of groceries for $89!! Woo Hoo! Once I built up my coupon collection, I am now able to stock up on things that are on sale plus my coupon PLUS Harris Teeter will double and sometimes triple my coupon. Taking advantage of such deals and stocking up are the key.
The better I get at clipping and using coupons, the cheaper my grocery bills are. I can feed our family of 4 (well, one is only breastfeeding) for about $90-$100 a week. There is a website www.couponmom.com that is really great. It compiles internet coupons from many websites and hosts discussion forums for people who find really great deals and shows them how to get the deal.
Although it does take a little bit of time each week (probably 30 minutes or so), it really is worth it. Especially is you are trying to save money.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Magic of the Mullet
The mullet is a truly magical hairstyle. I see it every where I go. Just when you think it is out of style... BAM! There is another one. Today at Wal-Mart (yes, I was there again!) I saw a dad and his teenage son with rockin' mullets.
As the saying goes, it's business in front and a party in the back so true!! There is also such thing as a fe-mullet. Oh yes, women have this miraculous hair style too. Although I feel I am somewhat of a feminist, I think that a man can rock a mullet better.
Many celebrities have embraced the mullet throughout time. Who you may ask? I'll give you some examples...
David Bowie, Jerry Sienfeld, Howie Mandel, Michael Bolton, Gallager, Bon Jovi, John Stamos, Michael Keaton, Tom Hanks, Steven Segal, Chuck Norris, McGyver, Andre Agassi, Brad Pitt, Barry White, Hulk Hogan, Rick Springfield... and of course the ultimate mullet of them all, Billy Ray Cyrus, the list goes on and on. I also mentioned the fe-mullet... Carol Brady, Ellen Degeneres, and Cindy Lauper all had this fantastic hairstyle. Some of you may be thinking the mullet is out of fashion, and that people who rock them right now are all hicks who don't really know what fashion is. WRONG! Kanye West is currently sporting a mullet as we speak!
Why are you blogging about this you may be asking? The truth is, I think I may just have mullet-envy! Who knows, maybe next time you see me, I will be Jenny with a mullet!!
As the saying goes, it's business in front and a party in the back so true!! There is also such thing as a fe-mullet. Oh yes, women have this miraculous hair style too. Although I feel I am somewhat of a feminist, I think that a man can rock a mullet better.
Many celebrities have embraced the mullet throughout time. Who you may ask? I'll give you some examples...
David Bowie, Jerry Sienfeld, Howie Mandel, Michael Bolton, Gallager, Bon Jovi, John Stamos, Michael Keaton, Tom Hanks, Steven Segal, Chuck Norris, McGyver, Andre Agassi, Brad Pitt, Barry White, Hulk Hogan, Rick Springfield... and of course the ultimate mullet of them all, Billy Ray Cyrus, the list goes on and on. I also mentioned the fe-mullet... Carol Brady, Ellen Degeneres, and Cindy Lauper all had this fantastic hairstyle. Some of you may be thinking the mullet is out of fashion, and that people who rock them right now are all hicks who don't really know what fashion is. WRONG! Kanye West is currently sporting a mullet as we speak!
Why are you blogging about this you may be asking? The truth is, I think I may just have mullet-envy! Who knows, maybe next time you see me, I will be Jenny with a mullet!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Sense of Humor
Yesterday my husband read my blog (I made him). After reading it he said in his very serious, yet compassionate voice "Honey, I support you with this blog 100%, but people reading it may not think it is funny. They probably think it is depressing."
I do not write this to unload my problems on all of you. I truly think that all of this stuff is funny. I hope that as people read this that they can see the humor as I do.
On a completely different note... for those of you who don't know me, I have two beautiful children. An almost three year old son and a three month old daughter. A couple days ago I was eating my lunch when my son came up to me, a train in each hand, and said "Mommy, you know how much I love you?" My eyes welled up, and I squeaked out "how much?". "Until Thursday" he said. I burst out laughing, tears and all and gave him a big kiss.
It made me so happy that he can express himself well enough to say things like that to me. I also am very proud of the fact that he hears these kinds of things in our home enough for him to repeat (or try to!) those kinds of words. Every day I wait for him to hit those "terrible twos or threes", but he just hasn't yet. Knock on wood.
Sometimes when your life is in the gutter it is difficult to find the silver lining. For me, with my family I feel so completely LUCKY that I am surrounded by love. Even when my life is really difficult right now. Once again, it is a damn good thing I can keep my sense of humor.
I do not write this to unload my problems on all of you. I truly think that all of this stuff is funny. I hope that as people read this that they can see the humor as I do.
On a completely different note... for those of you who don't know me, I have two beautiful children. An almost three year old son and a three month old daughter. A couple days ago I was eating my lunch when my son came up to me, a train in each hand, and said "Mommy, you know how much I love you?" My eyes welled up, and I squeaked out "how much?". "Until Thursday" he said. I burst out laughing, tears and all and gave him a big kiss.
It made me so happy that he can express himself well enough to say things like that to me. I also am very proud of the fact that he hears these kinds of things in our home enough for him to repeat (or try to!) those kinds of words. Every day I wait for him to hit those "terrible twos or threes", but he just hasn't yet. Knock on wood.
Sometimes when your life is in the gutter it is difficult to find the silver lining. For me, with my family I feel so completely LUCKY that I am surrounded by love. Even when my life is really difficult right now. Once again, it is a damn good thing I can keep my sense of humor.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Genetic Cul-de-sac
We live just up the street from a Super Wal-Mart. Maybe I just have not been to many other Wal-Marts in the world, but ours is full of hillbillies, red-necks, racists, gangsters, teen-moms, drug addicts, drunks and everything in between. We like to call our Wal-Mart the genetic cul-de-sac. My statements may sound a bit judgemental... here are some examples of the things I have seen at our Wal-Mart:
1. Parents beating their kids (really hitting them hard)
2. Coca-Cola in baby bottles
3. Fights
4. Junkies making fun of a little person (who worked at Wal-Mart) to her face
5. Parents feeding obese children milkshakes and fries
6. Stealing
7. People trying to buy alcohol and cigarettes with food stamps
These are just some of the examples I have seen in the last couple of months. It seems as though every time I go to Wal-Mart I see something that makes me shudder. Now after thinking about this blog long and hard I realize I am a frequent flyer when it comes to Wal-Mart. I/We are there probably 3-4 times a week for something. Now I am asking myself where do I fit in? It is not fair for me to hold myself above everyone... which really got me thinking. When I go places how do people view my behavior? Surely I am not one of the ONLY normal people in the world.
We all make judgements about people, especially how they raise their children and act in public. How do you think people judge you?
Friday, August 21, 2009
The New Hullabaloo!
Welcome to my new blog! Although my circle of friends and family is rather small, I am taking the advise of my good friend to start a blog. It seems as though I always have some kind of hullabaloo going on in my life that is often comical.
Now that I am sitting down to start I am feeling pretty intimidated by the whole thing. Maybe everyone won't think that my life is as funny as I do...
I recently started going to school again. This is my second attempt at college (hopefully it will be the last) and quite frankly it has been a comedy of errors since I started. This week I found out I missed a deadline for my financial aid and will not be receiving money for this semester. Bummer. Luckily I have wonderful family and husband that has made it possible for me to continue going.
Classes started on Tuesday and while driving home between classes our car broke down alongside the interstate. Nice. It was 95 degrees at noon in North Carolina. For those of you who do not live in the South, or have been here in mid-August the humidity is crazy! Oh, and by the way, I am in long black pants and a dark shirt with shoes and SOCKS! Not to mention I have a migraine coming. Luckily I know what to do to fix the car, I just need to wait until it cools off enough to attach the hose. After waiting for about an hour I am leaning over the engine, pouring sweat, and a super nice guy pulls over to help the poor helpless girl. Much time passes and the guy tells me it just isn't going to happen. I need a tow. By the time the tow-truck driver arrives I have been alongside the road for 2 hours and my head is throbbing... really throbbing. When I get into the truck the air conditioning feels truly amazing. Then the driver gets in. Imagine, if you will, a homeless person who has not bathed or brushed in a week and smokes. It is the perfect cure for my head. I actually debated calling a cab to take me to the shop.
So I get home by an overly-anxious mechanic; and am able to take some Excedrin and lay down. I only have about 3 hours until my next class. Even though it is just down the road (1/2 a mile or so) I have no way of getting there. I jump on my one-speed beach cruiser and take off headache and all. Again, for those of you who don't know what it is like in the summer in NC... it doesn't cool off much by 5pm. In fact, the hottest time of day is at 4pm. I make it. I get home at 7:30pm totally exhausted. Yes, people, I am a bad-ass!
I guess the moral of my story is that nothing worth doing is easy. After all of the hullabaloo I went through this week I am SO determined to get my degree and do well in school. At this point in my life I have to do this. I have all the support, love and sense of humor I need.
Now that I am sitting down to start I am feeling pretty intimidated by the whole thing. Maybe everyone won't think that my life is as funny as I do...
I recently started going to school again. This is my second attempt at college (hopefully it will be the last) and quite frankly it has been a comedy of errors since I started. This week I found out I missed a deadline for my financial aid and will not be receiving money for this semester. Bummer. Luckily I have wonderful family and husband that has made it possible for me to continue going.
Classes started on Tuesday and while driving home between classes our car broke down alongside the interstate. Nice. It was 95 degrees at noon in North Carolina. For those of you who do not live in the South, or have been here in mid-August the humidity is crazy! Oh, and by the way, I am in long black pants and a dark shirt with shoes and SOCKS! Not to mention I have a migraine coming. Luckily I know what to do to fix the car, I just need to wait until it cools off enough to attach the hose. After waiting for about an hour I am leaning over the engine, pouring sweat, and a super nice guy pulls over to help the poor helpless girl. Much time passes and the guy tells me it just isn't going to happen. I need a tow. By the time the tow-truck driver arrives I have been alongside the road for 2 hours and my head is throbbing... really throbbing. When I get into the truck the air conditioning feels truly amazing. Then the driver gets in. Imagine, if you will, a homeless person who has not bathed or brushed in a week and smokes. It is the perfect cure for my head. I actually debated calling a cab to take me to the shop.
So I get home by an overly-anxious mechanic; and am able to take some Excedrin and lay down. I only have about 3 hours until my next class. Even though it is just down the road (1/2 a mile or so) I have no way of getting there. I jump on my one-speed beach cruiser and take off headache and all. Again, for those of you who don't know what it is like in the summer in NC... it doesn't cool off much by 5pm. In fact, the hottest time of day is at 4pm. I make it. I get home at 7:30pm totally exhausted. Yes, people, I am a bad-ass!
I guess the moral of my story is that nothing worth doing is easy. After all of the hullabaloo I went through this week I am SO determined to get my degree and do well in school. At this point in my life I have to do this. I have all the support, love and sense of humor I need.
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