the Outcome

Triple coupon shopping was yesterday.  I must say I did a good job.   I actually feel more successful than my last time.  I bought two weeks of groceries for $158.  I saved about $75 by using the sale ad and my coupons.  I probably could of saved more had I read the coupons a little more carefully.  I made out a good list this time.  But keeping the couons, researching the sale as ahead of time and looking for everything in a store I am not familiar with does take a lot of time.  I will still need to go to the store in the next week or so, we will need more bread and milk, and I guess we should feed the dogs too!  But overall I am proud of my purchases, I got cleaning products, 2 gallons of milk, cereal and enough meat for 2 weeks!  If we can stay at spending $75 a week on groceries for a family of three that will be great.  I know that is a little on the impossible side but it is nice to dream!  The groceries I have to get in the meantime will probably come from BiLo,  they still are giving you 5 cents off of every gallon of gas when you spend $50.  That helps out as well!  I am going to try and stay thrifty!

Mel

Triple coupons

Okay, it is back...triple coupon days at Harris Teeter.  I hope I do well again this time around.  I have a huge list to hopefully get us through the next couple of weeks.  I have clipped coupons and I have researched the ads, hopefully I will save a lot of money$$$.  I have looked on line at different coupon clipper sites, they all seem to carry the same coupons.  What we really need is a buy one gallon of milk get two free special.  I don't see that in my near future!  Wish me luck!  my grocery list is long, front and back of small notebook size paper.

How fast time is going

I can't believe January is almost gone.  Well, I will get back to my triple coupon shopping.  Hunter andI went to Harris Teeter for the triple coupons.  I bought other items than just what I had in coupons.  The originial total was $146 and I paid $88.  So that was a pretty good savings.  One deal they had going on while we were there was buy one pack on boneless chicken breast and get two free.  You can't beat that deal!  I bought other items too, but I did use the 20 coupons they allow.  So I am saving coupons for the next time around.  I hear they should be doing it again in March or April.  I am still shopping at Bi-Lo.  I use their bonus gas card, that has been saving money for our gas bill.  I have been shopping for deals while I am there.  My schedule is getting back to me opening 4 days a week.  When we are all home it helps with us sticking to cooking at home.  Chad and I still go to lunch once or twice a week.  I feel lucky that we can still go out and do these things.  I hear of job layoffs and people losing their jobs almost daily now.  

I finished two baby quilts, I wish I had photos to show.  I still have two more to complete.  My cousin Tammy is due in February and my oldest and crazy friend Wendy is due in March.  I also need to get moving on some charity quilts.  I am in charge of our community projects for the quilt Guild, and I need to be a good role model as well for completing projects.

We went our on a Harbor boat ride last night.     It was basically the Firefighter Combat Challenge team and their wives.  It was fun, but it sure did get cold.  It is amazing to me how beautiful Charleston is.  It was nice to sit back and look at it from another angle.  We didn't take our camera but Chad took pictures with his phone, maybe he will download them for me so I can post them.  

Peace Out!

2009 has begun!

Well, I can't believe it is already 2009.  Wow, the time has flown by.  For 2008 my New Years resolution was to start a blog page.  Well I did it.  After looking over my blog, I posted a new message 10 out of 12 months.  Actaully that is probably the best I have ever done with any resolution I have made in the past.  Hopefully I can keep it going.  It is funny, I often think about what I am going to write about as thoughts pass through my head.... then I sit down at the computer at night and read other blogs or get involved in something else and I forget to do my thing.  My New Years resolution in 2009 is to become a little bit more thrifty.  I started in the middle of December, clipping coupons, looking for the good deals etc.  And as always I am trying to lose weight.  I am already starving and it is January 2nd.  I swear my stomach is like a black hole, it never gets full.  

I talked with a lady I met at work and she has got me turned on to the coupons.  I guess Harris Tetter, a local grocery store does triple coupons about three to four times a year.  I have my coupons ready and I am going to the store tomorrow.  I saw her receipts from how much money she saves.  Incredible is all I can say.  She invests a lot of time in researching the grocery stores and clipping coupons, I know I will never be as good as her, but saving any amount of money will be good.  Hopefully I will blog again soon to let you know I do tomorrow.  Maggie, the lady I met, said I wouldn't save as much as her because I generally by all brand name items. But I can still try to save everything penny I can.  

I also hope we eat at home more.  I think this would help both New Years resolutions.  The thing that kills me and our budget when cooking at home, is I don't like leftovers.  I throw everything away that we don't eat at that setting.  I think it is from being in the restaraunt buisness for so long.  At both stores I have worked, you throw out food anywhere from 24-48 hours after is has been prepped.  I also would do better at cooking meals if Chad and I had halfway normal schedules.  

Speaking of Chad....He got promoted!! I am so proud of him.  He had to switch shifts which kind of sucks, but he has been working very hard for this and I couldn't be any prouder.  Hopefully I will "blog" again soon!

Til' next time

Catching up....

So much has been going on.  Where should we start off?  Lets start with Vegas.  We had a great time in Vegas!  Chad's team did not make it into the finals, but they posted their best time to date.  There were some really tough teams out there and teams with a lot more experience than Chad's team.  It was fun to watch the finals, and I hope we get the opportunity to go again.  I got to visit with my friend Teresa, it was like we never missed a beat.  I miss her so much, she has been like family to me.  We went to the Criss Angel show while we were there.  We went out for a great night, we rented a stretch hummer limo (way cool), we had a great dinner at the Luxor hotel, then we went to the absolute worst show in Vegas.  None of us could believe how horrible the show was.  As my husband put it, the best trick he did of the night was getting our $90 for the show.

After we got home from Vegas, one of my worst nightmares came to life.  My dog Duke passed away.  I can' t even put into words how devastated I was the week he died.  Everyone called to check on me and told me what a wonderful life he had and how Chad and I saved him.  Truth is that dog gave me so much.  Duke was truly my best friend, he knew everything about me and I told him everything.  Yes, I had full blown conversations with him.  I swear he understood everything I told him and he could talk to me as well.  We got Duke because I wanted a big dog so I would never be scared when Chad was on duty.  For the 6 years we had him, I never felt scared or alone.  Duke was with me through everything, when I would be up pacing at night from kidney stones, he walked every step with me.  I will miss Duke everyday for the rest of my life.

Going on to better news.... My wonderful husband after seeing me so torn up from losing Duke, contacted the Boxer Rescue, and found me "Buddy".  Buddy is an 8 month old puppy full of life.  It has been a while since we've had such an active animal.  He is beautiful and pretty smart.  So far he does not understand that our other dog Shelby does not care for humans or other dogs no matter how cute they may be.  Walking on a leash does not seem to be his thing either, but we will keep working with him.  Buddy has made me feel much better the last week.  I can sit and laugh at him for a while and his facial expressions are priceless.  Hunter is enjoying having a puppy as well.  Buddy is going to be very strong, he doesn't understand his own strength yet. But he has been a wonderful addition to our family.

I started Christmas shopping.  So much to do now that we have a child.  As usual mom, Kim and I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  My mom was not feeling so hot, but we still had a great time.  I still have some stuff to get and I am stumped on stocking stuffers for Hunters stocking.  I hate to give him candy because candy+ADHD= very bad days.  We put our tree up this weekend.  I love our tree, I think it is beautiful.  Chad and Hunter decorated outside.  We had to replace some of our outside lights and decor, that sucked!! I am tired of spending money.  

I've gotten really behind with Vegas, and losing Duke.  I need to get myself in gear and get quilting and enjoying the holidays!  We went to our first Christmas party last night.  It was a fun night out.  We are going to another party this weekend.  Chad and I think it is the party of the year.  It is at our friends Wade and Todd's... and they know how to throw a party!   

Have I ever mentioned that I have the sexiest husband alive?  I am very lucky to have Chad in my life.  (Don't get me wrong, it isn't all roses, the man knows how to get under my skin!)  Not only is he the sexiest man alive... he was just awarded "Firefighter of the Year"!  That just makes him down right awesome!

Have a Merry Christmas!

People scare me!

As everyone already knows, I work in the restaurant business.  It is more stress than a lot of people give it credit for.  Even though it is a stressful job, I do get to meet some great people, on the other hand I also meet the not so great.  One of my favorite customers in the past was the woman who ordered the T-bone steak and complained that it had a bone in it.  Yes a bone, such as the T-shaped bone that gives it its name.  Or the man that complained that his steak had some red in it, he had just left from the cardiologist and the doctor told him he could not eat red meat.  Yes, these people are living and breathing, and they all scare the living day lights out of me.  Tonight I had another one, when taking the to-go order on the phone, we asked if they needed any condiments... you know steak sauce, ketchup,etc.  The lady's reply was no they wouldn't need any condoms they wouldn't be having sex tonight!  For real?!!??  Now why would a steakhouse ask you if you wanted a condom?  Another bit of information for you all.... If you go to a steakhouse and ask for a steak well done you are not going to get it in under 12 minutes!!!  If you do, they are throwing it in the microwave or it has been sitting on the grill as a mistake for another order.  Do not go out and say to your server that you have a movie to make in 30 minutes and you want a well done steak!!  

As you can see, I need a vacation!  We are off to Las Vegas next week.  Chad has a Firefighter Combat challenge... it is the biggest competition of the year.  I am looking forward to a little break.  I also get to see my best friend Teresa.  I haven't seen her in five years, she lives in Utah.  So next week will be awesome!  Wish me luck at the slots!

No, there is not a Santa Claus

Okay I did it... I told Hunter that Santa Claus was not real.  Am I a bad person, the jury is still out.  This is how it came about..... Hunters girlfriend (yes, he has a girlfriend) was talking to me and her mom about how the kids at the before school program still make fun of him.  I don't want kids to make fun of him any more than what he has to deal with now.  Hunter and I were out to lunch and I told him he needed to know what he wanted for Christmas because my mom would be here soon and she would want a list.  He said he really didn't know what to ask for because he was asking Santa for the "Rock Star" game with the drum set.  I told him he needed a list with more than just thing.  He said that Santa only brings one gift and that is what he wanted.  I figured all these years in foster care he probably only got one thing, that broke my heart.  SO I told him straight up, "There Is No Such Thing As Santa"!  He looked shocked.  My sister said I ruined his innocence at that moment!  He then asked why people would make up such a story/man.  I was not prepared, I stumbeled through my words and told him that we had a materialistic society and Christmas was about more than just presents.  Now he got really scared but because he thought that meant he was't getting any presents at all!  Well, I have now convinced him to make a list, he has about four or five items now; which includes a golf cart!  I decided I want to make this Christmas so fun for him but also have him understand Christmas as well.  Chad and I are going to take him to the adopt a family tree in the mall where you can pick a child off the tree.  We will let him pick out a child and have him buy gifts for a needy child and hopefully he will understand what I was talking about.

In another thought, grades are coming out this week.  I think he has all A's and B's, this includes both his selfcontained classes and normal classes.  I am very proud of him!!!!  I knew he could do it, it hasn't been easy, but we take it one day at a time!