Houston, we have a problem



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 So, yesterday's post was the 5 day/$20 challenge.

Day 1: We played in the first game of the playoffs of our co-ed kickball league. I went out after the game with the team to celebrate our win (Whoopee!) and I knew it was going to be water for me. Thankfully, my friend owed me $2.00 and paid me last night.  I got to have a little beer from the pitcher and threw my two dollars into the kitty.  Balance: $20.

Day 2: It has occurred to me that I have to go to Occupational Therapy on Day 2 of the challenge for an appointment for a hand injury. My copay is $20.00.

Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5: This is not looking good for me.

living off of $20.00

 

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The other day, I was watching one of those weight loss shows where they show you a year in the life of someone who is trying to lose a significant  amount  of weight. One of this gal's weaknesses was fast food restaurants and she particularly craved them as she passed by them on the way home from the gym.
I started thinking about how very few of us leave our house without a debit/credit card. I might "need" something in my travels that I didn't know I needed when I woke up that morning. And then I started thinking about how we trick ourselves into carrying those cards because we don't want to carry cash. We think we might get robbed or lose our purse.

Raise your hand if you have been mugged in the last 365 days.

Raise your hand if you have lost your wallet in the last 365 days.

Let's face it. That's not really happening all that  much.

So, here's the challenge (and I will make it easy for you). Fill your car up with gas and stock your fridge. Put $20.00 in your wallet and see if it you can make it last at least 5 days with even one penny left in your wallet. Tell me about it.

This week at the store

Sometimes I make a conscious decision  not to go to the grocery store and coupon. We just decide to eat what we have, besides picking up a gallon of milk or some fresh fruit/veggies. That is why you haven't seen a post like this in a a few weeks. Sunday, when the paper arrived, I noticed Kroger's 10 for $10 sale. This is the sale where lots of items are $1.00 but you don't actually have to buy items in increments of 10. Because there are a lot of coupons in the paper for $.50 and $.50 coupons double at Kroger everyday, this is the sale I get excited about.

Here's why:

All of this should have cost about $12.50 if I would have paid full price when it wasn't on sale. Yesterday, I got it all for free. You can find an unexpired $1.00 coupon in the a Sunday paper circulated in the last 6-8 weeks for all of those times  and all of these items are on sale this week for $1.00

We are all set on hygiene for a bit. Are you?

the kitchen is closed



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One of the best feelings in the world is that moment when you have unloaded the dishwasher, wiped down all the counters,  the lunches are packed and you hit the light switch to "off" as you exit the kitchen. I often think..."kitchen is closed." It's not really closed. I am being delusional. My husband could walk in at anytime and mess up a plate and a glass, but what can I say...I dream big.







I actually think that if I ever have a gaggle of kids that I might actually make and hang a "Kitchen is Closed" sign, because I don't love being in the kitchen. Sometimes when I am hungry I think about all the things that are healthy (or leaning toward healthy) that I can eat that do not require messing up any part of the kitchen.

Here are some of mine:

-bananas
-apples
-grapes (One day my friend's husband opened the refrigerator to find a colander of washed grapes and he delightfully said "Awesome, grapes ready to eat." --as if grapes are not always ready to eat. Hilarious. We ate them off the vine of the back fence my entire childhood and nobody died.)
-string cheese
-microwave popcorn
-almonds/nuts
-ice cream on a stick
-any kind of protein bar/granola bar


Have you considered making a list of those kinds of things that you can typically find in your house and let your family know those are free to partake of when the kitchen is closed? No more spending your life being a short-order cook.

Being with your kids and still making a little income

Moms are great. Why they don’t let moms run the pentagon is beyond me. A lot more would get done, that’s for sure.

I  learn so much from the many mom friends with whom I share life. Lately, I have been thinking about this mom that I know whose summer job is running the snack bar at the pool her family visits. She is a  facebook friend and I enjoy her posts about the shenanigans of doing that. The thing that I appreciate it is that this woman graduated with a degree in creative writing from JMU, so she’s not slouch. She is an extremely talented artist and a very bright woman. She works at the pool to be near her kids during the summer. Her kids are a bit older, so they can navigate the pool independently. Why not get a job at the pool? You are already there, right? You are with your kids AND providing for your kids, in this case their private school tuition. Brilliant. Again, this woman ought to be running the pentagon.

It made me start thinking about other jobs like that-jobs that allow you to be with your kids. My other friend took a medical transcription job that she could do at home when her children were babies and slept a lot. She would edit/transcribe medical documents that were sent to her electronically. She never had to leave her home to make money.

Working at a swimming pool when your kids are toddlers might get you thrown in jail. But, if you consider being where your toddlers are, isn’t that in your car? I feel like so many moms tell me that they have to leave the house 1x/day during that stage of their child’s life so that their house will not self –destruct. Consider a  personal assistant job. Find a bachelor who needs his dry cleaning picked up 1x/week and his errands run and do that while you are out and about running your own. Or google “virtual assistants” and get matched with someone through a virtual assistant company. 

I have two other friends who have part-time jobs away from their home, so they work opposite days and then babysit the other’s kids when they are not working. No money is exchanged-it’s just an even swap.

Could you tutor or be a reading helper at your child’s school? Lots of local schools hire folks to do odd jobs or paraprofessional jobs around their school. You work when your kids are in school and are around for them when they are home.

And then there are you who are reading this and rolling your eyes because you work because you need a break outside the home. By all means, put on your suit and high heels and get to work!  These are just ideas for those of you who need to stay close by your little ones, but are looking for a little extra income.

What great ideas have you come up with? Calligraphy for a bride's wedding invitations? Tutoring the neighborhood kids while your kids are napping?

Free Haircuts for your kids in august

I have read this on about 20 coupon sites, but can't seem to find it on the JcPenny site. From what I can tell, children ages 4 years - 6th grade can get a free haircut at JcPenny salons during the month of August. You must call and make an appointment and as you might guess, spots are filling up quickly. Here are the locations of the jcp salons.




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Cow Appreciation Day Nonsense

So I told you about Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A on Friday. Dress up like a cow and get a free meal. I saw so many pictures of friends on facebook dressing up. Here are a few sent to me and permission granted to share. Kim and Matt have five boys. I suppose eating at Chick-fil-A is an easy $50-60 throw down, but Friday they ate for free.

Kim and Grant did it well, I must say.

And then there was my husband.

He sends me this picture about 12:30 during his workday.

He blackened sections of an Excel spreadsheet and cut them in odd shapes to make his spots.  He taped them to this shirt with Scotch tape (notice he didn't even try to hide the tape behind the spot by making the little tape circles). Off to the drive-thru he headed. He tells the microphone he is there for Cow Appreciation Day and that he is dressed as a cow, so she takes his order. He orders, pulls around and this is what she sees.

And after she gives him a smile and a "you are ridiculous" nod, he drives away with a Spicy Chicken Sandwich  meal.

Enter dinnertime.  I get dressed in black shorts with white polka-dots, a white t-shirt and black flip flops. I make a sign that says "Eat Mor Chicken" and tie it around my neck with a string. Cow spots were made in the car/recycled from Joe's lunch on the way to Chick-fil-A.

Spots being prepared on the dashboard....

Oh, and what was my husband wearing? A blue and gray t-shirt and blue basketball shorts. He added the recycled spots as he exited the car once we got to the resturant.

Result: Two more free meals. Oh, and by the way....I asked for the nugget meal and the cashier said, "Eight or twelve."  Oh my goodness. Well, twelve of course. Unbelievable.

Here's me. I have an injured hoof.

So, if that wasn't enough, after dinner we saw two ladies and their 4-5 children entering the restaurant looking quite confused at the bevy of cow costumes in their view. I told them to come outside with me and they obeyed. We promptly slapped our spots and necklace on their kids and sent them back in.

Loved everything about Cow Appreciation Day, including this email quote from my dad." I couldn't think of how to make a cow costume and I was in a hurry.  Your mom gave me a surgical glove and told me to blow it up.  Well . . I did.  Then I fastened it to my crouch with clothes pins.  When I walked in, everyone was utterly speechless."

Pennies that paid off a mortgage

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I had never saved loose change until this year. I was pretty good about using it and so none really accumulated. Just open up the loose change section of my wallet and give it to the cashier--no big deal. I got married in December and have realized that men don't really have this option. Change goes in their pocket and unless they are insanely organized, they aren't going to transfer that change to tomorrow's pants. So, we now have a change jar. I thought I was pretty brilliant when I announced my idea that we could save the change throughout the year and then use it to celebrate our anniversary. I figure by then, we'd at least have enough for a nice dinner. So, that's my plan. Notice, I say "my plan" because my husband is way too laid back to throw his hat in the ring in regards to something like that.

I guess we will see if we come close when our one year anniversary rolls around in December.

So, here I am thinking I am so smart, until I read this. A Massachusetts man has been saving his pennies since 1977, when he bought his house. He recently used about 62,000 pennies to make his last mortgage payment. That was 800 pounds of pennies.

It's always good for the soul when you think you are being brilliant and  someone else goes and nips that in the bud.

Although as I think about it a little more, I would never want to have that much money laying around my house. Talk about a Nervous Nelly.

Do you have a change jar? What are you plans for it?

More Free Starbucks-July 13th



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 This Friday, July 13th, get a free tall (12 oz)  Starbucks Refresher Beverage between 12pm-3pm at participating Starbucks Stores. Here's the link to show showing two flavors they offer.

Free Chick-Fil-A meal -July 13

This Friday at Chick-fil-A is Cow Appreciation Day.  On their website  they say:

"For one day only, black and white spots, cow bells and furry ears will be appropriate attire at Chick-fil-A restaurants all across the nation. In celebration of July 13, Cow Appreciation Day (an unofficial yet nationally recognized holiday), Chick-fil-A will award a FREE Meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to any customer who comes to one of our 1,600+ restaurants fully dressed as a cow."


Now, I have not done this before, but in past years I have heard from more than one person that they are pretty leniant in giving out the meals. Any good effort should be rewarded! Here is a picture from my friend Tracy and the efforts of her clan.  Be inspired!

12 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for 75 cents-July 13



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It seems pretty straight forward.This Friday, at participating Krispy Kreme Stores, buy a dozen original glazed doughnuts and get the second dozen for 75 cents.

Wish them a  75th birthday when you get there!

Free Slurpee Day -- July 11th

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On Wednesday July 11th, between 11am and 7pm you can get a free 7.11 ounce slurpee at participating 7-11 stores. This is an annual tradition and a great summer treat. Enjoy!

Free Tall Stabucks Coffee July 4th



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Starbucks.com is saying this on their website:

"To spark the conversation  in your neighborhood Starbucks, please join us this 4th of July for a free tall hot brewed coffee." (The "conversation" is about our country's future and the next election.)

Whether you are up for a conversation or not, the coffee appears to be free!  Enjoy!

Honoring Andy Griffith, Small Towns and Simple Living

Today, Andy Griffith died. If you have never seen an episode of the Andy Griffith show, you are unfortunately missing out. Foxnews.com said "Griffith's career spanned more than a half-century on stage, film and television, but he would always be best known as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the television show set in a North Carolina town not too different from Griffith's own hometown of Mount Airy, N.C."

A few weeks ago, my parents, husband and I visited Mt. Airy, which is also my father's hometown. I had planned to write a post sometime soon about what small towns can offer in the way of a less expensive family vacations. In light of Mr. Griffith's death, I will let  the pictures speak for themselves and you can piece together the fun that a small town might offer your family. Here's just one example of a small town in hopes that it might inspire you to consider this inexpensive choice, if  a full blown vacation feels like too much. Making memories doesn't require a lot of money spent.


Mt. Airy has had this barber shop for decades and was the inspiration for Floyd's Barber Shop on the Andy Griffith Show. Russell is the actual name of the man who has been cutting hair for years and years--even my dad's hair when he was a young man. Today, haircuts there cost $8.

This is actually the cash register that they use everyday!



http://www.visitmayberry.com/Snappy_Lunch_.aspx

Literally, busloads of people stop to have lunch at this famous lunch spot mentioned on the Andy Griffith Show.



Long before there was Sonic, there was O'Dell's Sandwich shop, where my parents met.



And then there is Opie's Candy Store. Enough said.

 

There was something very simple and sweet about our time in Mt. Airy that day.  If only I could find a haircut for $8.00.