Tuesday Traipsing

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude." - Karl Barth

Finally got my last crit (of sorts) on "Now and Forever" ... and a couple things are clear. I need to work a LOT on the ending (which I knew) and a couple more scenes need to be added (though I haven't a clue what they will be). *sigh*

This writing thing is WORK. *G*

Speaking of, I gave a shout out to Maria Zannini yesterday about her interview with my old editor, but I was a slacker on mentioning that she has an awesome new fantasy romance release out from Carina Press called "Apocalypse Rising". Though it's the second in her series, it's written to stand alone (though you could always just buy the first book, too: "Touch of Fire" from Samhain Publishing).

If you're a fantasy fan, I'm betting you'll thoroughly enjoy her books.

Yesterday, Brandy asked (in comments): Are you buying items you regularly use if you have a coupon, or are you buying items that you haven't used before because you have a coupon?

Before I started watching "Extreme Couponing", I would idly go through the coupons and clip two or three for items I buy anyway and then use them the next time I went to the store. Yes, I saved my $.075 or whatever, but what I've learned since then has been two-fold.

First: I really don't have a lot of brand loyalty. I'll use Colgate or Crest or Aim or whatever for toothpaste (and toothbrushes ... OralB or Reach or Colgate -- it's all the same to me).

Second: You never, never, EVER use a coupon on a regular priced item. You combine them with sales.

What this means to me is that I clip about 90% of the coupons in the flyers now. There are some things I know I'll never use (allergy medicine, contact solution, diapers, denture adhesive, etc) so I skip those, but if it's something I *might* use, out it comes. They're organized by type of item (Food, personal care, household cleaning, pet, etc) first and then by specific item (toothpaste, canned vegetables, laundry soap) and THEN I paperclip brands together (all my Colgate toothpaste coupons, all my Tide coupons). Though many couponers recommend NOT clipping, I can't rely exclusively on the websites to tell me what date of flyers goes with what sale. It's just easier for me to compare flyers to my coupons. PLUS, there have been times I've been out shopping and stumble across an unadvertised sale (like the Ken's Dressing at Shaws) and if I didn't have my coupons clipped (and with me), I'd miss out.

So, Brandy, long story short? I spend a few hours a week perusing the sales flyers for our three local grocery stores and our three local drugstores for sales and compare it to my coupons. If it's something I think I'll use (I'm going today to Walgreens and getting two big bottles of Listerine for $0.50 after coupon ... I don't usually USE Listerine, but at that price I just might give it a try *G*) and it's a good price (like a few cents or free), I pick it up. In a pinch, if I have to use a different brand of sanitary napkins or toilet paper than I usually do, it's okay.

Right now, I'm still having to buy some things at full price because I haven't been doing this that long. But, as time passes and my coupon supply AND my supply of goods expands, I expect that to end. So, yes, I buy things I may not need right away (I bought six bottles of dish soap the other day ... it'll take me a while to go through it, but I have room to store it so why not buy it when it's almost free?).

Still, I'm not like the ladies I saw on the show... one who has something like 75 things of diapers and NO kids. Or the lady who has hundreds of cat treats, but no cat (they paid her to buy them -- $0.05 per each to take them out of the store after coupon). I *hope* those ladies donate their goods to a local women's shelter and animal shelter...

It can be time consuming, but I'm all about saving money. The sooner we have our house paid off, the sooner we have a decent amount in savings, the sooner my DH can quit working 70 hours a week at a job he hates and enjoy his life. So, it's worth a few hours a week.

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You Are Steady

You value your own opinion over the opinions of others. You know when you're right. You trust your intuition. So far it has a good track record of not leading you astray. You prefer logical to emotional appeals. You like well structured arguments. You are very clean and tidy. You take pride in taking good care of your possessions.

The Old-Fashioned Car Test

Um.. yeah. That's pretty spot on.

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Monday Again

Maria Zannini is interviewing my old editor, Deb Nemeth at her blog today. You should go check it out.

My weekend was quiet and though I'm not entirely out of my funk, I'm working on it.

I did do some couponing yesterday morning at Rite Aid and Walgreens.

At RiteAid, I got Carefree pantyliners free after coupon, Speed Stick deodorant for $.50/ea after coupon, and three packs of Irish Spring soap for $.75/ea after coupon.

At Walgreens, I got Mitchum deodorant for $.99/ea after coupon and granola bars for $1/box after coupon.

It was good.

Today we're going to hit Shaws grocery stores for Ken's Dressings (which we love). They're on sale for $1.99/bottle and I have a $1 off coupon. Yay us.

:-)

It's the little things in life that matter.

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Your Summer Vacation is London

You are pretty conventional when it comes down to it. You have mainstream tastes and interests. You're looking for something a little different to shake things up... but nothing too foreign. You consider yourself to be a normal person. You fit well into this world. You have high standards, and you are fair to everyone. Manners are important to you, even if that's old fashioned.

What's Your European Summer Vacation?

That's all true...

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In My Cave

Having one of those moments and when I have them, the best thing to do is hang out in my cave until it goes away. So ... I'm taking the day off blogging... will be back on Monday. Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Hope the weather is gorgeous for you!

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Your House is Ruled by Mars and Pluto

You don't feel comfortable in large crowds of any sort. You get overwhelmed and exhausted. You may seem quiet and withdrawn, but you're paying attention to every single thing around you. You are highly principled in your actions. Ethics guide every decision you make. You are service-oriented. You are willing to pitch in if it helps others.

What is Your House Ruled By?

Oddly, that's pretty close to right. Weird.

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Tick Tick

God in His wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.
~Ogden Nash, "The Fly"

Today was pretty much a repeat of the day before, only it was raining. LOL...

Quiet (YAY!), routine (YAY!).

I did have some ickiness first thing in the morning. Found a tick on Dakota, pulled it and en route to the potty to dump it, DD finds another one. So, I dump tick #1 and return, pull tick #2, dump ... and DD finds another.

And another.

And another.

We pulled -- in total -- TEN ticks off the dog. By the time I was done, she was a quivering mass of canine jello. She was shaking, drooling and her tail was tucked so far between her legs she looked like she didn't have one. I felt terrible, but the ticks had to be yanked. She was well rewarded after :-)

Here's the problem. First, the flea and tick meds (like Frontline and Vectra) burn her skin BADLY. I've tried them all. Not to mention that there is some evidence that they can cause cancer (they are, after all, a pesticide that we're adding to their bloodstream. If it was totally safe, they'd recommend humans use it ... yes?). I've lost one dog to cancer and will do everything I can to NOT lose another one to the beast.

I've tried some of the natural remedies like essential oils (clove, lemon, etc) that are out there. They are a repellent, not a killer, but I've found that they have to be reapplied on an almost daily basis and they made Dakota stressed (she paces, drools and won't settle for hours after I apply them... even if I reduce the dose).

Normally, simply checking her for ticks works. But this year, they are especially bad, and apparently they're everywhere, including the lawn. DH and I have BOTH had ticks on us already this season, and we weren't hiking in the woods.

My next try is Skin So Soft. The smell is a little less obnoxious than the essential oils and I'm hoping it won't stress out the dog.

Ten ticks. :::shudders:::

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You Are Good

You have an ethical code that you live by. You think it's important to be a good person. You are idealistic, and you don't really care if your ideals are unrealistic. You are a complex and deep person. There are many layers to who you are. You seek meaning and purpose in every part of your life. An empty life terrifies you.

The Garden Test

That's mostly right.

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Calm Days and Couponing

“Life's a game, all you have to do, is know how to play it.” - unknown

Yay for quiet days!

We had a pretty uneventful day, yesterday. I am eternally grateful. When we're back into a routine, everyone is happier. Calmer. More peaceful.

I made someone laugh the other day at the dog park when I said I raised my daughter like I raised my dog (she said, "With a choke chain and a crate?"... lol... Okay, so maybe it wasn't EXACTLY the same!). For those of you who watch "The Dog Whisperer" you know that Ceasar is always saying that dogs need "rules, boundaries and limitations". Same with kids.

DD (and Dakota) were given rules, boundaries and limitations. Punishment for disobedience, praise and reward for observing those rules. As a parent, I did my best to be consistent and fair. Inconsistency confuses kids (and dogs). If one day they are allowed to do something and the next they're punished for it, they never know what's right.

I think having a routine is the same. It gives us parameters to how the day should be. And having those parameters makes people (me, at least) calmer.

Speaking of the dog park, I found that one of the ladies there works for Cigna (of the "Monarch Massacre"). She was talking about how "green" they are and was sharing all the green things they do ... so I brought up the field of milkweed, explained about the monarchs and asked if she knew who to contact about their mowing schedule. She did and was going to do it for me. I should find out this coming weekend at the dog park (assuming it doesn't rain) whether she was able to ask them to NOT mow until after the first hard frost. Hopefully there will be no Monarch Massacre this year.

On a fun note, I did my first foray into serious couponing yesterday. I'm not totally crazy -- I have no plans to go the the store and rack up a $1000 bill, then pay $9 for it at the end like the crazy coupon ladies on Extreme Couponing. I'm not going to buy what I don't need. And I don't have 70 hours a week to dedicate to it.

But ... for a few bucks, DD can clip coupons for me. It takes me 30 mins or so to sort through and keep the ones I'll use. Once or twice a week, I'll match them up to flyers, and hit the stores. I'm lucky that I have EVERYTHING in a fairly close radius: CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are about two miles away. WalMart and Target are about five miles away. I have two grocery stores very close (soon to be three).

Here's what I brought home:



Here's what I paid at two stores:




That doesn't look THAT impressive, until you realize I got back $12 in certificates to spend on my next order. So, I paid in total $27 for $92 worth of stuff (a 70% savings). For a couple hours work. If I hadn't bought the paper towels (which were a good deal -- but still costly: $4.99 after sale and coupon) it would have been even more impressive. *G*

Today, I can get toothbrushes free after coupon at WalMart, and I have several coupons. So... go me. If I can cut our grocery / sundries bill in half, I'll be thrilled. I don't need to get everything for free, but cheap would be nice.

And don't worry, I won't bore you will all my shopping hauls... this was my maiden voyage, though, so I had to share!

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You Are Balanced

You are a peaceful and content person. You don't ask too much of yourself or those around you. You are confident and self-assured. You never try to be someone you're not - you believe that you are enough. You have a healthy skepticism about the world. You don't buy into a lot of mainstream values. You've found a better way to live - through deep reflection and understanding yourself.

Are You Bouncy, Bold, Behaved, or Balanced?

About 50% right.

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May You Live In Interesting Times

Before I left England for China in 1936 a friend told me that there exists a Chinese curse — "May you live in interesting times". If so, our generation has certainly witnessed that curse's fulfilment. — Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, Diplomat in Peace and War, 1949

So ....

Yesterday I think I jinxed myself. In the morning on the blog I posted this:

Things should be back to normal pretty much (routinewise), the weather is supposed to be *pretty* good and I have my fingers crossed that nothing out of the ordinary happens

*sigh*

DH got up, and went downstairs to check on our water softener (we have a well that is VERY VERY high in iron -- tastes like we're drinking blood if we don't filter it). It's been giving us grief of one kind or another for several months, but DH is very handy and just kept fixing it.

This time? The softener, he was dead. He loosed his bowels all over our basement floor first, though. So, we had to clean up water and then DH stayed home to replace the water softener.

He was frustrated and cranky -- having worked from home last week, he was terribly behind in his work, this was just one more expense we really didn't need (I'm pretty sure all appliances and other household items are "scheduled" to die after approximately ten years, and we're just past that mark. Ugh), and it was a pain.

Because we had no water for most of the day, I spent very little time at home. DD didn't do school. I stayed here long enough to help DH remove the old softener and install the new one, and then there were three hours of "flushing" the new system where we couldn't use the water again.

:::shakes head:::

Today, I'm not saying ANYTHING.

:::zips lips:::

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On a funny side note, I may have to go to coupons anonymous. Yesterday, I drove to a local middle school that has recycle bins to dump the cardboard from the new softener. The bins were PACKED full, but right on the top someone had piled newspapers. TONS of newspapers. And I could see.... COUPONS sticking out. That's CASH MONEY folks! Woot!

So, yes, it's true. DD and I "dumpster dived" for coupons yesterday. But we got incredible amounts. I paid DD to clip them all (there are some people who say you shouldn't clip until you know what you're going to use, but that gives me the shakes ... I need them organized) and it took her just over three hours.

Today, I have to spend time on all the coupons websites gathering deals, head to coupons.com to print coupons, plus look through all my fliers and match coupons to sales (I already have a few for toothpaste that are nearly free and some for drinks as well .. I know there is more, I just need to hunker down). It will probably take me a couple more hours, but it's actually fun... and since we're expecting rain, I won't be enticed by the beautiful weather outside. I don't have 40 - 70 hours a week to spend on this like so many of the people on the show do, but if I can find stuff for my storage and saves at least half of what I used to spend, I'll be thrilled. Plus, the challenge of it really gets my adrenaline going. LOL...

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You Are Deep

You are attracted to sad things. You find a lot of depth in darkness. You find counter culture compelling. You respect those who chart their own course through life. You are loyal and devoted. Your friends tend to be friends for life. The details in your life can be a bit disorderly. You don't mind a little chaos.

The Hawaiian Shirt Test

This is only about 25% right ...

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Monday, Monday

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

It was a beautiful weekend, weatherwise, here. Lots of sun and pretty warm (in the 60s during the day). Plants are popping up everywhere. The front of my house is happy (though this picture doesn't do it justice):



I broke down and bought some veggies. I got 24 tomato plants (I might get a few more) and I bought seeds for pickling cucumbers, foot long pole beans and butternut squash which I will plant tomorrow after the new moon (plant above ground plants when the moon is waxing, plant below ground/root crops when the moon is waning). If I soak them overnight, they should sprout in a week or less. I expect to be able to plant my entire garden in the next week or two -- no frost in the forecast!

And I bought a six pack of salad greens for fun:



I'm glad it was sunny and nice, because my attitude was not (which is why I didn't do a lot of visiting over the weekend with anyone on their blogs). It was one of those times when I was fed up with everything. Luckily, DH and DD were gone all Saturday and didn't have to put up with me :-)

Sadly, my biz partner, Judy, did. She's a good egg and I'm lucky to have her around.

Hopefully, this week will mark a better attitude for me. Things should be back to normal pretty much (routinewise), the weather is supposed to be *pretty* good and I have my fingers crossed that nothing out of the ordinary happens (unless I win the lottery ... that would be an okay, out of the ordinary thing. ::wink::).

My daughter donated a few pieces of jewelry to the Brenda Novak auction again this year (which started yesterday). They are here:

Set of 3 Earrings--Cats Eye & molded Glass on Silver Wires from Distinctively DD

Yellow Glass Bead and Silver Jump Ring Necklace from Distinctively DD

Red and Silver Glass Bead Bracelet and Earring Set from Distinctively DD

Even if you don't bid, there is a Facebook "like" link under each auction header that will share the auctions on your FB page -- I'd love if you shared it with your friends (and any other auction links that tickle your fancy). It's a great cause.

And now, I will leave you with a few other spring flower pictures from around my place, because no bad mood can stand up to the cheerful face of a daffodil (or a goofy dog):







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You See the Outside World as Fascinating

You are simply brilliant. You are bright, intelligent, and creative. You can't describe your feelings easily - even to yourself. Your emotions are a mystery. You are a truth seeker. You are willing to accept the real truth, no matter how difficult it is. You are not prone to compromise. You're set in your ways and proudly so.

How Do You View the Outside World?

That's pretty close to right ... which always unnerves me a bit.

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