Showing posts with label couponing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label couponing. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Overwhelmed, again...

So, I know it has been nearly three weeks since I posted any thoughts on anything.  I must tell you it has been a rather overwhelming three weeks.  

My list of anxiety causing events:
Cub Scouts poor communication
Laundry
Stinky Dog Ears
Rising cost of Meat and Fresh Produce
Freezing temperatures
Actually loosing weight
Husband goes to dentist for the first time in 8 years
Astroid to hit earth 2029, 2036
Potty Training
Treasure hunting
Coupons!
Grocery Sales
Health Care and fear of loosing it in June
Dishes, dishes, dishes
Balancing the checkbook
finding a desk to put my things on
Increasing amount of email
iTouch 2.0 or iPhone
growth spurts of children
no ice cream in the house

Okay it really could go on for another 10,000 items, but these are the things that are on my mind right this second.  If you can't fathom all that on the mind at once then you are not a Mom or ADD!  The mind of Pamela O is always this busy and random. 

Cub Scouts, while a potential way to help my son get a college scholarship and great for building basic organization and self confidence skills is very bad with communication.  Perhaps it is not lack of communication but over communication.  I personally can not handle 10-15 emails in a week about 3 or 15 different events and important things we should know.  I think maybe they should simply send out an email on Wednesday or Thursday right after our weekly meeting.  If it was important simply send out one email of all the things that came from the Weekly meetings and all the announcements that come from the all the sports venders that want our dollars.  I really can't handle all the emails!

On Laundry...  This never ending chore is my nemesis!  What is it about boys and them making several pairs of dirty clothes each day.  Why do they need to throw clean clothes in the dirty basket.  Aye, digress.

Stinky Dog Ears!  Oh how I wish I could pay for a visit to the Vet!  This poor dog has stinky ears, and really for the last few years!  Why can't what ever causes the smell in the ear just die!  The problem with being poor and managing money badly....

Then there is this: rising cost of meat!  Why does it now cost $20.00 for 2 t-bone steaks?  Maybe it cost that before.  I've never actually bought such a lavish item.  It sounded so sexy.  Dinner for two, T-bone steaks, rice, salad, beer and margaritas.  After buying it, it is just ridiculously expensive.  So the cost of hamburger, something I regularly buy, is now 3.99 to 5.99 a pound.  I really want a sale, but if one doesn't come on Wednesday I will take my Safeway raincheck for 1.99 extra lean ground meat.  Why does meat cost more?  Can't say.  I know why fruits and veggies cost more.  It is cold so it all comes from Argentina and Chile which cost something ridiculous to ship to AZ.  I really do like strawberries, just don't want to pay 4.99 a pound.

It has been cold in Phoenix, AZ.  Okay so it is not Michigan cold, there is not snow, at least not in my yard, but it has been below freezing an afoul lot lately.  It is normally wonderful in Phoenix this time of year, about 50 in the evenings and 65+ in the day.  This year it has been below freezing at least 15 days in my neighborhood, and close to that many more days.  That means a higher electric bill.  I have a pre-paid electric box, that means when the weather man says it will be 22 degrees on Wednesday, I need to go add money to keep the house warm.  The difference between fabulous Phoenix winter days and wholly shit it's cold is $6.00+ a day.  A regular day, $3.50.  A freezing day, $10.00. 

So loosing weight is great! Until your pants starts falling off your hips, and your T-shirts turn into moo-moos!  Did you know that there is not any alteration shops around me?  You remember supply and demand?  Wow, I think I am going to do my alterations after this, $130.00 for 5 pair of pants and 4 shirts.  Okay they are jeans and knit shirts, but still it is expensive, and I should probably add most of the pants were way too long and I just ignored it because I would need to take them in for alterations, which is expensive.

So my husband finally went to the dentist.  The last time he went to the dentist he was in the Marine Corps, 2002.  You bet he had cavities.  Why did he finally go, even though we have no money to pay the dentist?  It hurt.  

Astroid to come near earth, Friday, April 15th, 2029.  I am sure it will be Thirteen Hundred Hours when it happens too.  Nasa and Russia claim this astroid will come so close that it will actually fly under our satellites.  Worse still, we do not have any Space Ships to go out into outer space and try to stop it!  Why is this so important, I mean, really, it is just near Earth.  Well, glad you asked!  It is predicted to return to Earth in 2036 and scientist are not certain if Earth's own gravity will cause it to collide into Earth or push it off into space.  Now I bet you see why the government should spend Money on NASA, and why we should be teaching math and science in our schools.  God gave us means to do it, so lets do it.  I would like to be  older than 55 when I die.  Of course this is all null and void if the world ends in 2012.

So now I must stop this typing and go fold the laundry and do all the other things I still have not vented about.  

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Obsessive Hoarding?

Have you seen that show Hoarders on A&E?  I find it enthralling and gruesome at the same time.  It is the story of people that simply can not throw anything they have ever purchased, received as a gift of simply found on the street away.  Worse still they can not stop buying more stuff, usually useless stuff.  

My husband claims I have this problem...  He is totally wrong!  I buy really useful stuff and yes I stockpile it!  It is so much better to have the stuff your family needs right there in the pantry before you need it.

Well, have you ever paid just 50 cents for a tube of Crest Pro Health?  I have and it is very comforting to know that I have 8 tubes, which should last the whole year!  If you did the math that is $4.00 for 8 tubes of Crest Pro Health toothpaste, that is 50 cents less then it cost to buy one tube at regular price.  That is less then you pay for regular toothpaste from China at the Dollar Store.  Doing the math on the savings:  $32.00 on a years worth of toothpaste!

Did you know that I save 50-75% off of household items, beauty products and even pantry items like spaghetti sauce?  If I told you I got a bottle of Windex (32oz) for $1.50 and that it retails for nearly $5.00 every week, would you think I was hoarding if I bought 2?  What about Lysol Cleaning wipes, they were buy one get one free at Walgreen's last week.  That typically means that you get 2 boxes of 35 wipes for $3.75.  I got it even better!  I used their buy one get one free deal to buy one get three free and I spent $2.75 for 4 boxes of 35 wipes.  That is 140 wipes for just $2.75, which would normally cost $15.00!  Yeah I got more then just the 4, I got a total of  boxes for just $3.38 after my coupons.  Doing the math on the savings:  $11.62 on nearly a years worth of cleaning wipes.

If you add that up so far I have saved $43.62, on only 2 of the products we buy all the time!  

Is it still hoarding or is it obsessive savings?

How about what I saved on Johnson and Johnson's Baby bubble bath?  They were on sale at Walgreen's, basically it was 25% off each bottle.  They normally run about $5.00 each.  What happens when you buy 2 at $4.49, subtract 25% and then take an additional $1.00 off each bottle?  Well it only cost $4.73 for 2 bottles of bubble bath.  If you have kids, you know that can last anywhere from a week to well months and months.  Keep it out of the kids reach and it should last about 4 months for 3 little boys.  Doing the math on the savings:  $4.25 on two bottles.  
 
How about buy 2 Johnson and Johnson's Band AId Brand kids Band-Aids for 50% off?  I did it at Walgreen's with their store coupon $1.50 off each product and $1.50 off 2 Band-Aids coupon from the manufacturer.  The total cost for 2 Band-aid boxes just $2.98, for a total of 80 kids band aids!  Doing the math on the savings:  $4.50 on two boxes of band-aids.

What could you do with $52.37 back in your wallet?  What if I told you this week I purchased about 4 months worth of cleaning products, a months worth of spaghetti sauce, months worth of juice boxes  popsicles, chicken nuggets, a weeks worth of meat and veggies,and one moths worth of pizza.  If I told you that I spent $225.40 on all of it and saved $210.86.  

The savings paid me $26.36 per hour it took me to cut coupons, organize the grocery list by the best deals at each store, and actually shop and drive.  Would you say it is worth it to cut the coupons? Maybe even hoard the toothpaste and cleaning supplies?

Did I mention my hair dye cost me only 20 cents per box?