I am in LOVE with coupons. Barring winning the lottery or finding money on the street, there is no other way that I have found to get that same high feeling -- like I have accomplished something financially astounding-- other then that.
Now, most people feel good if they find a coupon in their weekly paper and use it to lower their grocery bill. They are amateurs. The professional coupon queen knows how to find the best prices and get her purchases to be little to no money expended at all. My proudest moment occurred when I lived in Los Angeles and, after using my coupons, I actually got money back!
It doesn't apply just to conventional stores. With Internet purchases I implore you "Look for coupon codes before you buy." You can get free shipping and major discounts. Using a retailer, who shall remain nameless, I purchased a cookbook I wanted at half the price with free shipping. I will also now give a shameless plug for my friend's website "pennies at a time" which gives you tons of coupon codes, so check it out if you plan to shop online. (It's listed on the right in my "favorite links"...Where do you think I found my coupon code for the cookbook to begin with? Yup, it was there.)
Why am I delirious about coupons today? Well, I just discovered two new great finds. One avenue to get coupons for the products you actually use? Contact the manufacturer! Most products have a 1-800 number or website on their packaging, so get in touch. Most of these companies will send you a coupon if you ask them to do so. (Some are meanies and don't and usually those are the ones that lose me as a customer.)
Next, Buy Buy Baby has done something that has made my love for them grow even deeper. First they accepted competitor's coupons, NOW they accept their parent company's coupons. Buy Buy Baby's parent company is Bed Bath and Beyond. Bed, Bath and Beyond the only store I have ever encountered that issues too many coupons for me to use :) Granted, there are restrictions on using these coupons, but, chances are, something you will need will be covered by these coupons.
While I have always found the act of searching for coupons to be a wonderful treasure hunt, with the added costs of feeding and clothing a growing family, it is now a necessity! When I lock eyes on a toilet paper coupon or one for a free container of Bacos, my heart races with joy. My husband never has to worry about me leaving him for another man, no man could ever compete with him. However, if a tall, good looking, free case of pampers coupon walks into my life... I would be tempted to stray. Once you get as hooked on the coupon high as I am, you'll understand. :)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Help me!
Help me is the universal cry for assistance. Sometimes people don’t actually say the words but you pick up on a vibe that you are needed. However, when the words are actually spoken, especially if said in fear, people should be driven to take action.
Last night, after putting Josh down to bed, I looked forward to unwinding for a few minutes before my nightly chores needed to be done. It was then that I heard my super’s voice outside our apartment window saying “help me, help me” tinged with fear. After that, I heard an unfamiliar male’s voice saying “give me your money” to which the super replied “I have no money.” The stranger then said “Where do you live?”
Terror gripped me. Was this some sordid joke or was there a mugging going on right outside the window where my son was sleeping? I then did something, I have never done before, I called 911.
The 911 operator was wonderful. She tried to calm me down and told me that I was doing the right thing by calling. I told her that I was unsure if this was a real crime or if I was misunderstanding the exchange. The operator said that we were better off safe then sorry and that she was sending the police.
The police arrived and I heard the superintendent asking what was wrong. They said they got a call from my apartment at which point I opened the door – to find out that it was, indeed, a horrible joke. The super was kidding around with a friend. Funny, right? Wrong.
The police left as soon as they realized it was a false alarm and some neighbors and the super all remarked to me that it was nice to know there was someone “guarding” the building. I felt like a fool.
I am not someone who calls the police on a whim. I truly heard fear in the super’s voice and thought that someone was trying to hurt him and may have had a weapon. The fact that this was apparently taking place right outside my son’s window heightened my desire to take action. However, the phrase “once bitten, twice shy” comes to mind now. Will I actually be available to help the next time someone really needs it? I am not so sure. Will I assume that the next call for help is a joke and disregard it?
I’m angry for being made to feel like an idiot. I am also upset at the super for causing me to be emotionally wrought unnecessarily. I am just hoping that I never am in the situation to hear the frightened cry of “help me” again, especially anytime soon. I am so doubtful now, that the next time, I just may decide that I don’t want to be made a fool of twice. The next time, a real victim may be ignored because of this time’s cry of “wolf”. If anyone can help me to get over these negative feelings, please do so. Oh, and I mean it when I cry out for help with this problem – no joke.
Last night, after putting Josh down to bed, I looked forward to unwinding for a few minutes before my nightly chores needed to be done. It was then that I heard my super’s voice outside our apartment window saying “help me, help me” tinged with fear. After that, I heard an unfamiliar male’s voice saying “give me your money” to which the super replied “I have no money.” The stranger then said “Where do you live?”
Terror gripped me. Was this some sordid joke or was there a mugging going on right outside the window where my son was sleeping? I then did something, I have never done before, I called 911.
The 911 operator was wonderful. She tried to calm me down and told me that I was doing the right thing by calling. I told her that I was unsure if this was a real crime or if I was misunderstanding the exchange. The operator said that we were better off safe then sorry and that she was sending the police.
The police arrived and I heard the superintendent asking what was wrong. They said they got a call from my apartment at which point I opened the door – to find out that it was, indeed, a horrible joke. The super was kidding around with a friend. Funny, right? Wrong.
The police left as soon as they realized it was a false alarm and some neighbors and the super all remarked to me that it was nice to know there was someone “guarding” the building. I felt like a fool.
I am not someone who calls the police on a whim. I truly heard fear in the super’s voice and thought that someone was trying to hurt him and may have had a weapon. The fact that this was apparently taking place right outside my son’s window heightened my desire to take action. However, the phrase “once bitten, twice shy” comes to mind now. Will I actually be available to help the next time someone really needs it? I am not so sure. Will I assume that the next call for help is a joke and disregard it?
I’m angry for being made to feel like an idiot. I am also upset at the super for causing me to be emotionally wrought unnecessarily. I am just hoping that I never am in the situation to hear the frightened cry of “help me” again, especially anytime soon. I am so doubtful now, that the next time, I just may decide that I don’t want to be made a fool of twice. The next time, a real victim may be ignored because of this time’s cry of “wolf”. If anyone can help me to get over these negative feelings, please do so. Oh, and I mean it when I cry out for help with this problem – no joke.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Baby Pee
A good friend of mine recently told me that she knew she was pregnant before she even took a test because she kept waking up in the middle of the night to pee. This is not something she routinely does and, in her recollection, the last time she did this was the first time she was pregnant. I am now paranoid about pee.
I am drinking a lot more water on Weight Watchers then I normally would. I make a huge effort to get in my 8 glasses a day plus, I am a diet soda junkie, so I drink that too. As a result, my visits to the ladies room have increased. How will I ever be able to tell the difference between normal pee and baby induced pee?
Now, some of you are thinking, well are you even trying to get pregnant? Well, apparently my answer to that question is irrelevant. I have heard way too many stories lately about people who got pregnant by “accident.” I don’t know how that happens, how is it even possible to get pregnant by “accident”? The last unplanned pregnancy I heard about had the husband remarking “You know that small percentage where birth control fails?” He looked at his wife and then at me “Meet the small percentage.”
Those of you who know me, know that I am a freak, a “Murphy’s law” kind of gal. If something unpredictable can happen – it will happen to me. I took pregnancy tests when I was still on birth control, before even trying for Josh, just in case dear husband and I were “the small percentage.” Normally, dear husband finds my quirkiness to be cute but when he found out how much those tests cost, he forbade me from taking them until we were actually trying AND even then he told me when I should try testing to keep me in check. (Not that I actually listened to him, I “snuck” tests all the time, but I did reduce the number I bought for fear of being caught.)
So, when dear husband heard the comment from my friend about the middle of the night urination being her clue to her new pregnancy and then saw my eyes pop open, he knew he was in for trouble. Countless glasses of water, thirty dollars and three tests later I am not pregnant but, I do have to pee again.
I am drinking a lot more water on Weight Watchers then I normally would. I make a huge effort to get in my 8 glasses a day plus, I am a diet soda junkie, so I drink that too. As a result, my visits to the ladies room have increased. How will I ever be able to tell the difference between normal pee and baby induced pee?
Now, some of you are thinking, well are you even trying to get pregnant? Well, apparently my answer to that question is irrelevant. I have heard way too many stories lately about people who got pregnant by “accident.” I don’t know how that happens, how is it even possible to get pregnant by “accident”? The last unplanned pregnancy I heard about had the husband remarking “You know that small percentage where birth control fails?” He looked at his wife and then at me “Meet the small percentage.”
Those of you who know me, know that I am a freak, a “Murphy’s law” kind of gal. If something unpredictable can happen – it will happen to me. I took pregnancy tests when I was still on birth control, before even trying for Josh, just in case dear husband and I were “the small percentage.” Normally, dear husband finds my quirkiness to be cute but when he found out how much those tests cost, he forbade me from taking them until we were actually trying AND even then he told me when I should try testing to keep me in check. (Not that I actually listened to him, I “snuck” tests all the time, but I did reduce the number I bought for fear of being caught.)
So, when dear husband heard the comment from my friend about the middle of the night urination being her clue to her new pregnancy and then saw my eyes pop open, he knew he was in for trouble. Countless glasses of water, thirty dollars and three tests later I am not pregnant but, I do have to pee again.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Mommy-Brain? Mamma Mia!
I loved the play Mamma Mia! I saw it years ago and I was singing and dancing in the aisles with my good friend. I loved the music so much, I bought the soundtrack. I could sing you any line and quote the dialogue included on the album, all with out breaking a sweat.
Mamma Mia is now coming to theatres and I am dying to go. I looked for my CD of the play, to sing along and get back in the mood, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. No problem, right? After all, I know every word by heart. Correction, I knew every word by heart. Now, when I start to sing some of the songs, even my favorites, I draw a blank. I remember a chorus here and there but I couldn’t sing the complete song without help even if you paid me. It’s scary because my ability to remember song lyrics and inane pop culture is something I never questioned. However, these days there are numerous times where lyrics, actors names, titles of movies all escape me.
I have been told that this is the “infamous” Mommy-brain. Apparently, the act of being pregnant and having a child makes you lose memory cells. I am not sure if this is scientifically proven, but it is everyone’s reason for my memory lapses. I start a sentence only to forget what I was planning to say – Mommy brain. I look at a picture of my sister-in-law and her son and completely blank on their first names – Mommy brain. I put up a pot of eggs to boil and don’t remember until I smell something burning -Mommy brain.
Mamma Mia! Is there a cure for this mommy brain or is it a terminal disease? I am a Super Trouper, and I Have a Dream. I’m sending out and S.O.S., my Chiquitita. I am hopeful that someone out there can Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! a cure for my Mommy Brain. Then when someone asks Josh, Does Your Mother Know, I can proudly scream I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do! Let’s just hope the cure doesn’t cost too much Money, Money, Money.
Mamma Mia is now coming to theatres and I am dying to go. I looked for my CD of the play, to sing along and get back in the mood, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. No problem, right? After all, I know every word by heart. Correction, I knew every word by heart. Now, when I start to sing some of the songs, even my favorites, I draw a blank. I remember a chorus here and there but I couldn’t sing the complete song without help even if you paid me. It’s scary because my ability to remember song lyrics and inane pop culture is something I never questioned. However, these days there are numerous times where lyrics, actors names, titles of movies all escape me.
I have been told that this is the “infamous” Mommy-brain. Apparently, the act of being pregnant and having a child makes you lose memory cells. I am not sure if this is scientifically proven, but it is everyone’s reason for my memory lapses. I start a sentence only to forget what I was planning to say – Mommy brain. I look at a picture of my sister-in-law and her son and completely blank on their first names – Mommy brain. I put up a pot of eggs to boil and don’t remember until I smell something burning -Mommy brain.
Mamma Mia! Is there a cure for this mommy brain or is it a terminal disease? I am a Super Trouper, and I Have a Dream. I’m sending out and S.O.S., my Chiquitita. I am hopeful that someone out there can Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! a cure for my Mommy Brain. Then when someone asks Josh, Does Your Mother Know, I can proudly scream I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do! Let’s just hope the cure doesn’t cost too much Money, Money, Money.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Gripe Water
It’s been a while and I guess you are wondering why I have abandoned the blog. Fear not. I have not forgotten you -- my faithful audience of 5 readers! It’s just been hectic with work, baby Josh and a scale that just won’t move down. So, today, you are being treated to my gripe session.
First, work sucks! I have never been this stressed before in my entire career. A couple of people retired and I inherited their workload. Did this result in a pay increase? No. More time off? Nope, not that either. Basically, what I was told was “these are your new responsibilities, love them or feel free to quit any time you want.” I work for a company that is willing to create chaos by letting an employee quit, rather then give the notion that they are giving up any control/power. They are willing to “cut off their nose to spite their face” as my mom always used to say.
As for Josh, where to begin? The boy is a trip! I adore him but he is going through a stage where he keeps flipping onto his stomach every half hour at night, and then he is unable to return to his back. This generally starts about 9PM every night. Whenever he flips himself, the result is massive screams and cries. By the 6th time he does this, he has worked himself into such a tizzy that he is up for an hour, inconsolable until he passes out from exhaustion of crying. That behavior reminds me of how I acted after a really bad break-up of a relationship.
Despite my desire to nap at lunch, to make up for the loss of sleep – I am not doing that. Instead, I am exercising like a mad woman. I am counting points religiously. I am drinking my water, following my healthy guidelines but apparently, someone forgot to tell that to my scale. I have been told it is retained water, additional muscle, scale error, you name it but, another 4 weeks have passed with no weight movement down, and this plateau is driving me nuts.
Between the stresses of work, the sleep deprivation and the exercise hangover, it is a wonder I have the energy to construct a sentence these days. I was so tired, at one point, I called my husband mommy when we were having an argument. Exhaustion or Freudian slip?
I thought a good way to tackle some stress would be to get rid of some of the clutter in my life. Maybe things would look and feel better in a neater apartment. In the course of cleaning, I discovered items I didn’t even know I owned. A coffee grinder I thought I had returned, more bottles for Josh and some gripe water we bought him that we never used. Now, I know that Gripe Water is supposed to be used to treat colic but do you think if I drank some of it, it would cure me of the gripes I have? It’s worth a shot right? How many WW points do you think is in a serving? Gotta watch those points or the griping will never stop!
First, work sucks! I have never been this stressed before in my entire career. A couple of people retired and I inherited their workload. Did this result in a pay increase? No. More time off? Nope, not that either. Basically, what I was told was “these are your new responsibilities, love them or feel free to quit any time you want.” I work for a company that is willing to create chaos by letting an employee quit, rather then give the notion that they are giving up any control/power. They are willing to “cut off their nose to spite their face” as my mom always used to say.
As for Josh, where to begin? The boy is a trip! I adore him but he is going through a stage where he keeps flipping onto his stomach every half hour at night, and then he is unable to return to his back. This generally starts about 9PM every night. Whenever he flips himself, the result is massive screams and cries. By the 6th time he does this, he has worked himself into such a tizzy that he is up for an hour, inconsolable until he passes out from exhaustion of crying. That behavior reminds me of how I acted after a really bad break-up of a relationship.
Despite my desire to nap at lunch, to make up for the loss of sleep – I am not doing that. Instead, I am exercising like a mad woman. I am counting points religiously. I am drinking my water, following my healthy guidelines but apparently, someone forgot to tell that to my scale. I have been told it is retained water, additional muscle, scale error, you name it but, another 4 weeks have passed with no weight movement down, and this plateau is driving me nuts.
Between the stresses of work, the sleep deprivation and the exercise hangover, it is a wonder I have the energy to construct a sentence these days. I was so tired, at one point, I called my husband mommy when we were having an argument. Exhaustion or Freudian slip?
I thought a good way to tackle some stress would be to get rid of some of the clutter in my life. Maybe things would look and feel better in a neater apartment. In the course of cleaning, I discovered items I didn’t even know I owned. A coffee grinder I thought I had returned, more bottles for Josh and some gripe water we bought him that we never used. Now, I know that Gripe Water is supposed to be used to treat colic but do you think if I drank some of it, it would cure me of the gripes I have? It’s worth a shot right? How many WW points do you think is in a serving? Gotta watch those points or the griping will never stop!
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