Thursday, July 31, 2008

My Twisted Humor

Ok, now, you have to see the humor in this.

The oldest boy, who is heading to college next week ACK!, was sitting in the kitchen eating some chicken fingers that I had popped in the toaster oven for him. He was re-telling a conversation that he and a few other newly graduated friends had just had.

"Man, we are going to have to start DOING STUFF for OURSELVES."

"Yeah, our moms are not going to be around to do our laundry and buy groceries and cook us stuff."

My son, has always referred to the "robot" who cleaned his room while he was in Pre-School. "mom, did the "robot" clean my room today?" He was 3.

Now, there is the "Food Fairy" and the "Laundry Fairy". Food magically appears in the fridge and in the cabinets when they start to look bare. And somehow, the clothes magically travel from the dirty hamper to the washer, dryer and appear folded in the drawers and hung up in the closets!

Anyway, it was fun...then he bit into a bone in the Banquet chicken fingers. A NICE size bone, about an inch long and POINTY.

I told him that I was going to document it and send the info to the company.

I pulled out a ruler from the 'junk' drawer so they would have a size comparison in the pics I was taking with my NEW Pentax! And I laughed out loud when I read the print on the ruler.

Here is the pic!
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Wal-Mart Shopping

I found myself a very long way from home today with an hour and a half to kill. I decided to do some Wal-Mart shopping and luckily, I had all my coupons with me. You know what bugs me? STUPID.

I was watching Comedy Central last night...Because my boys had left the TV on that channel. There was a comedian on, he said "be careful when you marry cause STUPID is FOREVER." Of course, I wish I had learned this tidbit when I married the first time in 1988 but . Anyway.

I guess I could label this post "STUPID"

Here is my conversation with the Wal-Mart cashier.

Her - "We don't take internet coupons."
Me - "Yes, you do, it says so on Wal-Mart.com"
Her - "Well, we don't take them at THIS Wal-Mart."
Me - "Yeah, well, you HAVE TO."

This prompted calling one of the managers over who correctly scanned my $14.50 in coupons.

Empowered Shopping....that is what we strive for! I just wish I hadn't left my printout of Wal-Mart's Coupon Policy IN THE CAR!
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Halloween Costumes

Halloween will be here before you know it. Why not shop now?

www.buycostumes.com has Clearance costumes on sale, BOGO Free! Use CODE: BOGOCLEAR when you checkout! There are many cool costumes to choose from. And don't forget to check back every weekday at 9:00am for their 5 Under $5 costumes!
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Monday, July 28, 2008

Coupon Shopping

I have started a new "Love/Hate" relationship with coupon shopping.
Saturday I did my Wal-Mart shopping and I had another "Bad Coupon Karma" day.

How many times have you left the checkout lane at Wal-Mart to head to the Customer Service Desk? Ummm. I have been doing this for only a few months. I try to be diligent about my coupons being correct but I always end up with a cashier who gets them wrong. Saturday, it was a $14.50 error. She charged me $2.75 for 2 of my $3 planters coupons. Then skipped 1 $3 coupon. So basically, skipped $9 in coupons and charged me $5.50 for nothing. This was a doozy to explain to the Manager.

They had to pull all of her coupons and finally gave me the correct change. It happens to me at Target too. What do you guys do to make sure that your coupons are rung up correctly?
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Wordle



I love this thing, thanks terri

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Actual Target Experience

I made it to the new Target down the road. I had all my coupons organized and ready.
Here are my deals. Remember that this is a Grand Opening so YMMV (your mileage may vary)

Colgate toothpaste 2 pack $1.99
Colgate toothbrush 2 pack $1.99
7 Coke 12 packs $17.20
2 Tidy Cats cat litter $19.78
Cascade Rinse Agent $3.17
Cheezits 4 boxes $8.00
Suave Shampoo 2 Bottles $2.18
Special K Breakfast Bars 6 boxes $14.00

Coupons:
$1 colgate toothbrush
$1 colgate Target coupon
$1.50 colgate toothpaste
$7- 7 $1 off Coke 12 pack
$3.17 (free) Cascade Rinse
$4- 4 $1 off Cheezit Target Coupons
$2 2 $1 off Tidy Cats Target Coupon
50 cents off 2 Suave didn't make it in there

Saved
$19.67

They didn't have the Cranergy or the Scotch Fur Cleaning System.

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WOW

Apparently, I signed up at Vocalpoint (site says 6/17/08) and today in the mail I got a Coke Zero "Surprise Them" pak. Inside it was a bunch of coupons for things such as "chore free Saturday" "month of free texting" "extreme sleep-in" for me to give to the Young Ones. But the best thing of all were the 6, yes, I said SIX, $1 off a Coke 12 pack. There is also a little surprise, text the message "wow" to 59925 and you get a code back. Enter the code after you log-in to your Vocalpoint account and you can print an additional 2 $1 off coupons. (use the back button)

This is going to be a sweet deal when I combine it with my 4 for $11 at Publix and use my $5 off $30. SWEET!
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Target Shopping

There is a new Target opening down the Interstate a bit, I think it opens tomorrow. The grand opening for the shopping center is Saturday. I think I will run down there tomorrow and check it out.

Here are some deals I will be looking for:

Cranergy $1 coupon HERE and a $1 Target Coupon
Scotch Fur Fighter $4 from recent newspaper insert - $4 Target Coupon

And YES! You can use both at the same time!
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Prayer Cloth Update

I just received another prayer cloth in the mail. I didn't request 2, I am sure of that and the reason I know that is because they spelled my name wrong on both envelopes. It feels like a Religious Chain Letter.

It's really sad to ask people in need for money. Some of these people are probably so desperate and this man, Don Stewart, is telling them that if they send him money, God will give it back.

I'm sure he is making a killing in these hard times.

Do what my friend Terri does...people like her are the ones who really make a difference.
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Sunday, July 20, 2008

This is good for a LAUGH!

Get your FREE Green Prayer Cloth HERE!
Mine came yesterday. I honestly don't even remember signing up for it. It's a piece of green fabric with a sticker on it. you are to write your name on it, how much money you need and send it back with MONEY.
Then you become rich....but probably not as wealthy as Don Stewart, I'm sure.

But I laughed really hard! Hey, anyone out there want to send me some money? I'll send you a purple prayer cloth!
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Target Experience

I went shopping at Target yesterday. I had all my coupons ready and spent a lot of time making sure that all my coupons were applicable to my purchases.

I'm not sure why, but the two Targets I have been to have not been able to utilize the Target Online Coupons I print at home. (Lost $1 off Skippy Peanut Butter) I didn't notice that it didn't ring up until after I looked at my receipt at home.

I tried to get a rain check for the memory foam mattress pads that were on sale for $18. Cashier at Customer service told me they weren't on sale and walked away. Weird, I even pointed out the weekly ad that said SALE and told her that they were regularly $19.99. I need 2, that would be $4 in savings.

The cashier missed one of my $1 off 2 Bic products coupons.

So, I consider myself $6 in the hole.

One good thing about the trip was the 70 page spiral notebooks on sale for 10 cents each. These are the same notebooks which were on sale for 5 cents at Wal-Mart but no stores around here had them in stock.
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Friday, July 18, 2008

Free Friday

Well, I haven't really done any bargain shopping this week. I made one run to CVS for the Benefiber ECB's and A dismal trip to Wal-Mart to look for the infamous 5 cent notebooks which I am beginning to believe are a figment of our imaginations.

Hubby took today off and we worked in the yard. Time flew. I grabbed a quick shower and we grabbed a bite to eat.

At 9:30pm, I realized that I had totally forgotten to go to class.

Great, will I just forget to show up in court for an appeal?
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My youngest calls me Leslie

My youngest son calls me Leslie. While that would be odd, him calling me by my first name, Leslie is NOT my name.

My name is Lisa.

How this started is actually kinda funny. I have spent 18 years of my life tuning superfluous sounds out. You know, "mom, Mom, Mom, mom, mom MOM! mommmmm, mommmmmmmmm."
I was the master. Unless the word 'Mom' was coupled with 'blood' 'tooth' 'eye' it was successfully placed in a low place in the priority list in my brain. I always said that I was going to change my name to 'dad' because it was used less frequently.

The youngest boy found a way around my skills. First it was, 'mom' 'mom' 'mom'....he quickly figured out that I was a worthy opponent.

'Lisa' 'Lisa' 'Lisa' 'Lisssssa' That didn't work either. Then he resorted to trickery.

'Mom' 'mom' 'mom' 'Mom' 'Lisa' 'lisa' 'lisa' 'lisa' 'lisssssa'
"LESLIE!"

And I answered, "What!?!"

So now, when he wants to get my attention, he says, "Leslie!" and I answer.

18 years of practice, down the drain.
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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Freezer Inventory Spreadsheet

Ok, so I have always had a food stockpile. I have always shopped sales and I hate to pay full price for ANYTHING. One thing I have learned is that "It's not a bargain if you end up throwing it away."

So, in desperation, I asked my dear hubby to create an Excel Spreadsheet for me so that I can keep up with the food in my freezers. Yes, I said FREEZERS. I have a deep freeze, a small fridge/freezer in our basement and a side by side in the kitchen.

The kids hate it when I send them downstairs to find something for me. Many times they return, with frostbitten EMPTY hands.

Now I have my inventory on the computer. I know what I have, how many, and when it was frozen. Then I can plan my meals around stuff I need to use the soonest.
I'll let you know how it goes. I have also uploaded the file so that you can have one yourself. Just delete what you don't have, add what you do have. You can filter it by date, freezer location, alphabetically, etc.

My husband ROCKS!

Just don't judge me by what's in my spreadsheet!

Freezer Inventory Spreadsheet

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Beer Blogging

I have invented a new art medium, I call it Beer Art. I sometimes 'see' things in my beer glass and I have started taking pictures of them. I just wish it was something I could sell on Ebay like a CORN FLAKE or a GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. Unfortunately, then I couldn't drink the beer. But I guess a picture is the next best thing.

Here is a free opener so you can try it yourself!


This is Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas


See?



Eve from Wall-E




Our bunny, Orbit.




Mittens
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No More Messy Bacon

Here's a neat tip.

When cooking bacon, I use a cookie sheet with edges.

Lay the bacon pieces down flat on the sheet without overlapping and bake at 375 degrees until you reach your desired crispness.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Monday, July 14, 2008

Oh, I love the mailgirl!

Today I got a sample of lotion, rosaries for my friend, or whoever she can give them to. I didn't realize what was involved in praying the Rosary. You think a Catholic Wedding takes time? Yikes. Looks like Baptists have it easy, just have an Ice Cream Social and you are forgiven....try praying the Rosary.

I got my "Thrill the World" DVD. Who wants to learn to do the Thriller Dance with me?? I'll be there...pretty or not!

$9 in Target coupons for my coupon mishap last time I was there.
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Logan's Roadhouse Part 2

Follow-up to this post.

I got a call from the regional manager today. He was soooo nice and very embarrassed. He assured me again that he was on top of things. I will give them another chance. He told me to keep his number in my cell phone and if we happen to be there and they run out of something again, I am to call him on his cell. Ooooh, I feel like a secret shopper!
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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Freebie Sunday

I like to spend a little time on Sunday morning, signing up for freebies.

Here are a few I spotted today.

Signature Scents

Stevia Sweetener

Yesterday's Mail included:
Cat Food Sample
Ping Pong Rules Poster (I need to see if Terri's church has a ping pong area)
GE Caulk Single
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Saturday, July 12, 2008

I had no Idea

I didn't have my children's umbilical cords banked. I had my kids right before the big push to save the 'cord'. I personally don't know anyone who did. I read the press release at the bottom of this post and I started wondering about it. Being out of the baby 'loop' for many years now, I didn't know if there were any recent developments in the area.

Seems that after Googling the issue, I discovered that people can donate their umbilical cords to public banks. They are there to be used by anyone as long as the blood type matches.

Like this woman in California

So this is what I am wondering. If it's so valuable, and so usable, why aren't we pushing for everyone who has a baby to donate the cord, like donating organs. I think that there would be more people willing to do this.

Can the same thing be done with menstrual fluid? Can it be used as generically as umbilical cord cells? Something to ponder.

Wouldn't it be in the best interest of humanity to spend as much money on this research as we do on the Space Program? Don't we always say, "take care of home first"?

Shouldn't our tax money be spent on something that could benefit US? Why are these 'banks' in the private sector? Why doesn't the government start banking?

Of course, if I ran the world, there would be a National mandatory DNA database. If you wanted a driver's license, food stamps, social security number, you would have to submit a sample. Wouldn't it make it easier to actually catch dangerous criminals?



Press Release:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

CNNMoney

Friday, July 11, 2008

What I got in the mail this week!

Free sample of Multigrain Cheerios
Free sample of Beyond BodiHeat with a $1 coupon
Free CD Best of Juice Newton from Zantac
Coupon from my local Pak-Mail
New menu from my nearby chinese restaurant with coupons!

What I DIDN'T get.
Items ordered on 5/23 from Dealextreme that never arrived.
My Lumenlab Projector that is being repaired. The Batcave is temporarily shut down until I get it back.

Logan's Roadhouse

My letter to Logan's Roadhouse Corporate Office.
I think it's time we just eat somewhere else. It's the "Summer of Savings" so it would be frugal not to eat out at all.


I sent Logan's an email on 6/25 after a salad was placed in front of my husband and the statement was made "sorry, we are out of oil and vinegar, what else would you like?"

I spoke with the regional manager and he said it wouldn't happen again. I was sent 4 cards for 4 free entrees.

Last night, 7/10/08, was the first night we have been back to Logan's. We both ordered steaks and my husband ordered a side of sauteed mushrooms. When the food was placed on the table a while later, "Oh, we're sorry, we're out of sauteed mushrooms, what would you like instead?" I called the regional manager this morning and left a message but I have not gotten a call back.

This is the FOURTH time we have been there and told that they were OUT of something AFTER the food is placed on the table. French Fries, Tarter Sauce, oil and vinegar, and now mushrooms.

Here is the problem I am having. (In addition to not having what we order)
Why do they wait until the food is on the table before they tell us they are out?
In RARE instances in other restaurants, the waitress has come back and kindly explained that they were out of something so that we have had time to change the order if we wanted to.

For example, I only like blue cheese salad dressing, I don't WANT a salad if you run out of blue cheese.

Example #2, I LIKE tartar sauce with my Catfish, if you don't have tartar sauce, I would rather have a steak.

What if the only way my husband wants a steak is when there are sauteed mushrooms with it?

By not giving me the opportunity to change my order, I am forced to eat and pay for a meal that I would not normally eat under those circumstances. If you wait until the food is placed on the table, and I DO want to change my order, all the other people at my table are finished eating by the time my food arrives.

I can't really understand why this seems to be such a HUGE problem. Is it your policy to take this casual attitude to providing the customers with what they order?

Maybe we should start patronizing establishments who can actually provide what we order.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Confessions of an online Bargainaholic

Okay, so the "Summer of Savings" has a downside in addition to my bulging freezers, fridge and cabinets. I have accumulated a LOT of STUFF.

My Kung Fu Panda activity CD arrived today, along with 9 CDs to "share" with friends of mine who have small children. First of all, I don't have 9 friends, secondly, the ones I do have don't have small children. I am going to plant myself outside of Bruno's and hand out these suckers to suspicious moms and children who think I am a pedophile. I can't KEEP them! It will probably take me all day to explain, "I only requested ONE, they sent me TEN!" Maybe I just need to park my butt outside the Rave Theater and hand them out to the lucky first 9 who bust out of the doors after seeing the movie. Ramdom act of kindness and all.

John has a new Halloween costume thanks to the 5 Under $5 at BuyCostumes.com
These are Awesome costumes and I would recommend them to everyone. Just check back at 9am every weekday til you find something you like, hey, it's July...you are sure to find something in time for Halloween. Did I mention I have a new Witch Hat?? It was $4 plus shipping, it looks good on me.

I have some new Christmas ornaments from Personalization Mall
Christmas in July, 70% off! I also used my Ebates account and scored an extra dollar or 2.

I have a free HD cable for the boy's XBox, Free, thanks to Google checkout at Buy.com.

I scored a great printer for Tyler to use at Auburn. Printer, scanner, fax, for $169 free shipping.

So here are tonight's questions. Do I order the Petz Dogz 2 for Nintendo Wii for $9.99?
Or the Speed Stacks Wild Cups: Lime Green with Tattoo Design for $3.98?

I think I will just call it a night and wonder when my Thrill the World DVD is going to get here.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Saving for a Pentax K200D

I just signed up at PayPerPost.com. I figured that it would give me more blogging ideas and getting paid for typing my thoughts wouldn’t be bad either.

I am trying to save money for this camera, a Pentax K200D. I kinda want the 20D but it’s about $400 more than the 200D. I already have had 2 Pentax cameras that I have ADORED. I have two autofocus lenses that will fit the new digital camera. One is a 28-80mm macro and the other one is a 70-300mm macro.

With the age of the digital camera, I have set aside my 35mm camera. The pictures were so crisp and clear and beautiful. But like many other people, I have fallen in love with convenience. Unfortunately, the ease of uploading my pictures instantly without paying for developing and printing pulled me away from the 35mm medium. One downfall I have noticed is that many pictures get loaded onto a hard drive and never printed.

One nifty thing I found during the “Summer of Savings” was a Pandigitlal 7 inch digital picture frame. It was $59 (cheapest I have seen for this frame is $94, elsewhere) at ALDI so I went back and bought another one for John’s office. It gets the pictures off the computer and on the end table to be enjoyed.




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Sunday, July 6, 2008

Back to School?

"sonofa*BEEEEP*"

Since when did the Fourth of July signal the start of school? With the Hoover School System resuming classes on August 7th, I consider the summer to be only HALF over. GASP! Where does the time go?

We have submitted an application to our homeowners association to be allowed to put an above-ground pool in our backyard. The back yard that is located directly on the the interstate. By the time we get the pool in (if they approve it) my oldest will be at Auburn and we will be back in school.

Well, then there will only be 180 days left until school gets out for Summer 09!

Friday, July 4, 2008

July 4th

Today is the 4th of July. I smoked a few slabs of ribs. This video is for Trish...she knows why ;) I am having a hard time perfecting my ribs. I can't get the meat to stay on the bones, it keeps falling off.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Blueberry Bread

I have a friend, Trish, and she is either an Angel or the Devil. She and her family picked blueberries one day and had SO MANY that she gave some away, to me! She also emailed me the recipe for Blueberry Bread.

I made some today. (pendulum is swinging to the devil side)

I would take a picture except the loaves look like a rat ate around the edges....the rat being ME.

I would blog more but I might get blueberry bread on my laptop keys...mand phat woud whe bad. Sorry, mouth full.

But I will post a pic of my fruit pizza that I made first.

Here are the recipes:

Blueberry Bread

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 cups oil
2 pints blueberries
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and sugar.
make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add eggs and oil, stir until
dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in blueberries and pecans. Spoon
batter in 2 lightly-greased 8" x 4" loaf pans. bake for 1 hour. Let
stand overnight before slicing. (uh yeah...good luck with that!)















Fruit Pizza

18 oz. Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough
8 oz. package Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Sugar

Sliced bananas dipped in lemon juice
kiwis
strawberries
peaches
blueberries
or whatever fruit happens to be sale

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften.
Place cookie dough on center of baking stone or nonstick cookie sheet
Flatten with your hand.
Roll the dough out, using a lightly floured roller, to almost cover the pan.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Wash and Slice fruit while cookie is baking.
Cool completely
While cookie is cooling, combine cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl until smooth.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled cookie.
Arrange fruit slices and pieces in a circular (or any) pattern on top of cream cheese mixture.
Slice using a pizza cutter.
Enjoy.