Sunday, February 27, 2011

Addicted to Coupons

I have started coupon shopping in January in response to the Extreme Coupon show I saw on TLC.  The people on this show amaze me with their $2.67 grocery bill and four carts of groceries.  The bizarre part of the show is the OCD tendencies these people have such as:  enough toilet paper for 30 years warehoused in their garage or a shopping trip that yields over 300 free toothbrushes.  This being said, I now have an addiction to shopping with coupons. I am not extreme by any means.  I purchase two newspapers every Sunday and combine the coupons with store sales to net the best price on items that my family will use in a reasonable amount of time.  There are no plans of renting a storage unit to keep my groceries.  Last week I was pretty proud of the fact that I was able to find laundry detergent for $0.49, $0.73 deodorant, Cheerios for $0.99 a box, free KY, free toothpaste, free salad dressing and free hot dogs.  This has become a game for me and I am determined to win!  I must pay less than half-off to even consider going to the store since starting this adventure.  I have found a grocery store in a neighboring community that doubles coupons up to $1, all bread items are purchased from a bakery outlet (over 75% savings) and I purchase some staple items at Aldi.   If only I could find a discount on fresh fruit, vegetables and milk, but that might involve buying a farm.

You're a Winner!

They are the words so many wish to hear.  No, it wasn't Publisher's Clearning House. No, we didn't win the Mega Millions jackpot.  The call was from the Macomb Daily and my husband was the winner of...wait for it....not one... but TWO TICKETS to the AUTORAMA!!! Can you believe it?  For those of you not familiar with Autorama, it is basically an indoor hot rod and classic car show that  this year included Billy The Exterminator and one of the guys from the Jersey Shore signing autographs.  Any guy into cars loves attending (my husband), but I would rather you run me over with a car than attend.

My husband and brother-inlaw used the tickets last night.  It sounds like they enjoyed the people watching more than the cars.  I'm sure there were many people that have been seen on COP's in attendance.  I enjoyed quality girl time with my daughters and that makes me feel like a winner too.  

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Talking Trash

Our trash was not picked up today, due to the significant snow fall Sunday evening and Monday morning.  This has somehow turned me into Tina Trashfinder.  I am one of those strange people that will run a piece of dental floss out to the curb on trash day as the garbage truck approaches the house.  However, give me an extra day to find trash and I suddenly find an extra 45 gallons of trash to haul away.  Somehow I achieve some sort of satisfaction knowing that every trash receptacle and recycling bin in my home is empty.  I know I'm not  the only person with this affliction, but I never see anyone else running to the curb with a used tissue in hand. Since I realized the trash was not going to be picked up until tomorrow, I have made four trips to the curb today and will probably make one more before the truck arrives tomorrow morning. I'm sure breakfast tomorrow will include emptying that cereal box into my bowl.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Family Dinner

I enrolled my daughters in a  hospital sponsored six week course, which focuses on healthy eating habits and exercise. During our appointment the nurse weighed and measured the girls and had them answer  health related questions.  Some sample questions included:  How many times a week do you eat fast food? and How many hours a day do you spend in front of screen (TV, computer or video games)?  I nearly went through the roof when I heard both my daughters answer the following question: How many times a week do you eat dinner as a family? The girls both told the nurse once a week!  The truth is we eat dinner together as a family (sitting at the table, home cooked food) six times a week and the seventh time is usually pizza delivered to our home. We are not a family that pulls through the drive-thru every evening and eats in our car on the way to our evening activity and call it "dinner" because we are all in the car.  Even when my husband and I have dinner plans, I still prepare a meal for the girls and sit down with them while they eat.  Do my daughters consider "dinner as a family" only the meals that they like and finish?  I have to admit that this was a blow to my ego since I consider myself the Martha Stewart of Southeastern Michigan.  Even if my children and I do not agree on the number of family dinners, I know family dinners provide stability in a crazy world and an opportunity for open communication.  

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Senior Moment

My Rustic Turtle Torte we enjoyed with the senior moment.


In an effort to be frugal, we often check out a DVD from our local library. This was the case between the holidays and we decided to share one of the movies with my parents on New Year's Eve, with the stipulation that they would return it to the library. The movie was due on January 4, but I received an e-mail notice from the library on January 11 that the DVD had not been returned. I promptly called my parents and asked them if they had returned the movie, the answer of course was "YES, we dropped it off at the library on January 2 after church".  Are you sure?  Did you check under the car seat? There must be some mix-up at the library because my parents are very responsible, so I start pleading my case with the library, sign an affidavit with witnesses that gives the library six months to locate the DVD and if they do not find it I cough up $26 to replace it.
Friday evening (February 4) - I have invited the family over to celebrate Mom's 65th Birthday. After settling in, my Dad asks me "whatever happened at the library with that missing DVD"?  I retell the story and my Dad finishes by telling me it should be resolved soon because they returned the movie this afternoon and starts laughing.  I think my jaw dropped to the floor as I just stood their in disbelief.  It seems my parents took their new vehicle in to the dealership for a seat belt recall and when they picked up the vehicle the DVD had magically appeared and was sitting on the seat. Looks like I have some fun years ahead of me as I start parenting my parents. Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Government Plot

It is my view that this "Snowzilla" Storm was a government plot to get the economy moving again. The media hyped it and we bought it. Think about it, we all went to the store to buy at the very least milk and bread. I added some comfort foods that I don't normally purchase to my cart.  Some people invested in snow blowers and generators for a storm that wasn't much of anything.  Tow truck drivers were kept a little busy by people who think they know how to drive.  Collision shops will be busy in a couple of days with the dings and dents, which means parts will be purchased from the automotive suppliers.  It's a win win situation. Even if the storm wasn't all that it was predicted to be, I am enjoying our family snow day.