$10 off $50 in Gas

I have finished up my June budget numbers and it is quite painful after all is said and done. I just about had heart failure when I realized we were $83 over budget for gasoline! $83? I have $100 per month budgeted for gas. I know its summer, but Princess Penelope has NOT been driving around that much. And then it hit me --- Princess went to visit her Dad for a week. That required meeting him halfway one weekend and then again, the next (he lives 250 miles away). For each trip I burn roughly a tank of gas, or about $40 --- so multiply that by 2 trips, and there's my $80 over budget (the $3 I can live with).

I usually fill my car up once a week at Sam's Club where the gas is about .20/gallon cheaper than everywhere else in my town (I'm usually less than half empty when I do). It is on the other side of my suburban town, but I am usually over there at least once a weekish running errands so I fill it up then. Princess Penleope, however, is a different story. She is rarely over on that side of town, so it seems ridiculous to give her my debit card and my Sam's card and send her on a special trip to fill up so she fills up a bit closer to home, which is definitely pricier but infinitely more convenient than sending her to Sam's.

Anyway, I noticed in this week's Publix ad that they are running a special wherein if you make a $25 purchase, present your coupon, you can get $10 off of a $50 gas card. Depending on what options are available, I think I might take advantage of this for Princess Penelope. It will cost me more in initial outlay, but $10 is $10 and I might just be able to shave a bit off of July's gas budget. Wouldn't THAT be good!?!?!?

Unmotivated and Unfocused

Ever have those days, or in my case, weeks, where you just can't seem to stay on task? That has been my struggle this week. I've had a complete list of things I wanted to get accomplished. But alas, I have actually gotten very little done. Work wise, I've done what I needed to do. But here at home? Well, everyone has been fed and basic needs tended, but otherwise.... not so much. Yard work finished? No. Follow up phone calls made? No. Test run for the dessert I want to take for the 4th? No. Filing? No. Laundry? No. Coupons sorted? No. Grocery store? No. Insightful and humorous blog posts? No. Laying on the couch vegging? Yes.

That is what I have accomplished so far this week. I've been a slug. Oh motivation, wherefore are thou? Please come back to me!!!!!

Dinner in 15 Minutes

Ever have one of those days? You wake up at 2 a.m., completely unintentionally, and no amount of tossing, turning, pillow fluffing or sighing can convince you to go back to sleep --- until about 20 minutes before the alarm goes off. You rise, but don't necessarily shine, stumble your way to the coffee pot, only to discover you forgot to pre-load it the night before. And so the day goes by, desparately trying to be productive and struggling to keep your eyes open. You get home, brain dead, exhausted and think "I'll just stretch out on the couch for about 15 minutes"...... Two hours later, you wake up. That's how my day has gone.

After the unplanned nap, I had to get dinner thrown together and in a hurry! So, I went to the fridge and pantry and pulled out the ingredients for a quick baked ziti with meatballs. Popped the meatballs in the microwave to defrost them. Put pasta on to boil (do you realize that quick cook pasta only takes 3 minutes?), unrolled and rerolled some crescent rolls and popped them in the toaster oven on my PC small bar pan. Tossed some blueberries, strawberries and grapes together for a super quick fruit salad. Drained the pasta. Mixed in some pasta sauce, that Philly cooking creme stuff, the meatballs, and garlic and threw it all in the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker with a handful of mozzerella tossed on top. Cooked it for 8 minutes... and voila! Dinner. In 15 minutes. And never turned on the big oven.

Sometimes, even when you don't have a plan -- as long as you've got ingredients you can throw together a decent meal in minutes. Its not always perfect, but its definitely better than a trip through the drive thru! What's on your plate tonight?

Pizza Night!

Around here, we LOVE pizza! For me, I can eat it with just about anything on it except fungus. Keep the mushrooms off of my pie please! For Princess Penelope --- the more boring the better. Plain cheese. Nothing else. So when I make it at home, it tend to just go boring --- way easier than putting the extras on just one half --- and letting extras go to waste. So, boring pizza it is.

So, anyway, I made this pizza last night and just about the time I'm popping it in the oven, Princess Penelope calls asking if she can spend the night out. So, boring pizza night for me all by myself. If she'd called 10 minutes earlier, I could have put all kinds of stuff on it. Onions, bellpepper, pineapple, ham..... hmmmm....
but alas, boring pizza it was.... with Thing 1 and Thing 2 staring intently the whole time. They didn't seem to think it was as boring as I did!

You will notice however, that my pizza is not quite the traditional shape. For some reason, I can't ever seem to get my pizza dough to actually make a nice round circle. Instead, it looks kind of like a deformed flower. Pizza shaping --- not one of my biggest strengths. Anybody know a sure-fire trick for that?!?!?!?!

Another CVS Trip

I managed to get into CVS again yesterday to get my much needed hairspray and pick up a few more things. It always tickles me when I can get a bunch of needed stuff for the price of just one of the items I'm picking up. Okay, I'll be honest, the Cheez-its aren't a "need" but we do adore those crackers of cheesey goodness! Anyway, my total spent on the items above was $2.01 (the cost of ONE box of Cheez-Its was $2) --- for a savings of $19.58! Really? $19.58? Wow. Prices have really sky rocketed!

I realized later that although the ad said one deal per household on the Pantene Hairspray, the limit was actually 2. I was kicking myself for not realizing that while I was at the store because I had another $3 coupon. I was pretty happy to notice in this morning's paper that the deal is still on --- so I'll make another trip this week to get more hairspray! I also walked out of the store with another $5 in ECBs to use on that future quest for hairspray!

Cheating on the Yard Work

Its been a few weeks since I had to cut the grass. Its been so dry here that the grass just hasn't been growing so in the 95+ degree heat, I've at least had that reprieve. However, we had rain and storms several days out of the past week, and the weeds in the grass have now grown like they are on steroids! My yard needed some TLC. So, I went to get the mower out.... and I have NO gas in it! Crap. I really didn't feel like changing clothes (my yard work attire is a ratty tank top and ratty shorts that I will NOT be seen out in public in --- even if it IS just at the gas station!), getting in the car and running to get gas. So, I pulled out my weedeater, which was fully charged and just cut back the weeks that were sticking up and looking unsightly. The grass itself is still at a presentable length, so I'll mow that last weekend.

For now though, at least I don't have to cringe in shame every time I pull up to the house! While not perfect, it is at least, once again presentable!

Garage Sale Steals and Deals --

I killed a little bit of time this morning hitting some garage sales in between errands and picking up Princess Penelope. I am loving the BRAND NEW sandals I picked up for $1! I also picked up a plastic shoe box -- yes, I know its not an amazing find -- but it was actually on my list of stuff I needed to purchase --- so that worked out well -- -and saved me a trip to the dollar store. I also got an ADORABLE recipe binder. Now, maybe I'll do something with that STACK of recipes I've either torn out or printed online! And last but not least (at least in Penelope's mind) --- 2 Britney Spears and 1 Eminem CD --- 50 cents each.

Gotta love it when people get rid of their "stuff".

Simply CVS

A few weeks ago, I said I was going to get back to my CVS-ing. I haven't really done a good job of that. I had every good intention, but I never seemed to make it by there when I had my coupons with me. I was sorting through my coupon folder last night and realized I had a .99 ECB that was about to expire (today as a matter of fact!) So I grabbed the CVS ad out of the recycling bin (hooray for me forgetting to take it to the curb Wenesday night!) and flipped through it. Herbal Essences on sale (Princess Penelope's favorite shampoo AND I had a coupon. Cool.  My lack of CVS-ing has us running a bit low on toothpaste too...and yes! A Sale! With ECBs back! And I have a coupon.... now we're getting going! So, while its not a "big" trip.... I picked up the above for.... $2.54 --- saved $5.54 and got $2 ECBs back that I will use tomorrow because I need hairspray and there's a great Pantene deal going and those coupons were sitting on my coffee table - DOH!

Love/Hate Relationship With My Cell Phone

Back in 2000 I got my first personal cell phone with T-Mobile. It was a Nokia phone, and I simply adored it. I kept that phone until 2003 when the battery quit holding a charge. I sincerely lamented the loss of that phone. Little did I know how much I would miss it! So, I got another one, and had it for about two years. When that one gave up the battle, I took Princess Penelope's phone and upgraded hers --- our phone company had offered 2 phones for free with a 2 year contract extension. I made those phones last for me until 2009 when I dropped the second one on a tile floor and broke it to pieces. In the interim, Princess Penelope had upgraded every year. And that wasn't even because she necessarily wanted to, it was because the stupid phones just quit working.

The phone I got in 2009, I loved! Easy to use, and it fulfilled by basic requirements of needing to make phone calls. I had no desire for a "smart" phone or anything else like that. I just wanted a phone to serve its basic purpose and it basically did, although I did have to replace it with the insurance once. So fast forward to January 2011. Princess Penelope's current phone started dropping calls with alarming regularity. This did not please me, because there's nothing like getting a check-in phone call from your teenage daughter -- and only get dead air. So, we got her yet ANOTHER new phone. My phone was going great --- and then IT happened. It quit working. Wouldn't even turn on. So, as a stop-gap measure, I took over Princess Penelope's jacked up phone. I figured that since I also have a work cell phone (with somewhat limited minutes), I wouldn't be in a position with NO communication.

Then today.... the jacked up phone decided to die too. I tried again to resuscitate my old phone, and its working for making and receiving calls, but the visual display is not showing up at all. It is time to get a new phone. I have no intention of extending the contract again. I LOVED TMobile --- but now they've been bought by AT&T and I can already tell the difference in customer service. I will definitely need to shop around when my current contract ends. However, now I'm stuck purchasing another "disposable" cell phone. It is absolutely ridiculous that these phones are now made with planned obsolescence. I swear they are made to die at least once a year. It is so frustrating! Yet, I keep on replacing and upgrading. And quite frankly, I'm tired of it.

Last Minute Deals at Publix

I had every intention of going to Publix yesterday to take advantage of the penny item -- however, lack of sleep from the Tuesday night (no power, hot as all hades and weird noises) plus another  afternoon storm yesterday meant I just went straight home after work. I did, however, go by Publix Tuesday afternoon because I found some additional coupons that I didn't realize I had during my last shopping trip --- the deals on these items were really good (I'm planning on doing red velvet , white and blue mini cupcakes for 4th of july and decided a trial run with them using my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator might be a good idea) --- AND Publix was on my way home from the dentist! So... what I bought was....

1 Box Duncan Hines Cake Mix -- BOGO
1 Duncan Hines Frosting --- on sale for $1.29
1 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix -- (coupon made it free with the purchase of the other Duncan Hines stuff)
Magnum Ice Cream Bars -- On sale for 2/$5 (opposed to their normal $3.99 price) and had a $1 coupon)

Spent -- $4.46
Sasved $6.54

Not too bad for a five minute trip. Although, I must confess, I'm afraid I'm going to go a tad over budget this month -- I've only got $10 left in that budget --- and Publix has Ben & Jerry's on BOGO this week. Sigh.

Energy Savings? And Another Epic Fail!

I had posted earlier in the week that I was looking forward to reducing the energy costs this week because Princess Penelope was going to be spending the week at her Dad's. I decided to try raising the thermostat by 2 degrees during the day. That seemed to be okay. The pups weren't overheated when I got home, so that was working well.

Yesterday, I got off of work early because I had a dentist appointment. After the dentist, I came home and thought I'd get a bit done around the house with my "bonus" time. That was not to be. It started clouding up and I was thinking Good! We'll get some rain! Then all hell broke loose again. The wind was whipping, it was raining sideways. I could see trees outside bending almost all the way over. And then it was raining so hard I couldn't see anything out the windows. So, I turned the TV to local broadcasts, not a THING about the weather. I pulled the radar up on my laptop, and that was a big ole ugly puple and red splotch right over us. Then I heard, briefly, that "freight train sound. I shouted for the dogs and ran to our safe place. Just as quickly as I thought I heard it, the noise was gone. But so was the power. And the internet. And the cable. Crap.

After all was said and done, my house had no damage. There are about 30 trees down in the neighborhood, but amazingly, only one actually landed on a house.  I have no idea what actually came through, but it definitely was scary!

One by product of having no power is extreme boredom (espeically when you're home by yourself) and no way of making dinner (I also didn't want to open the fridge or freezer). So, when Singer Girl called and asked if I wanted to grab a bite to eat.... of COURSE I went! Another Epic Fail on the no dining out deal.
When I woke up this morning (from a night of VERY little sleep) - I still had no power. So I took a FREEZING shower and got ready for work. No power = no coffee --- and that doesn't work in my little world. So, I, of course when out and got a latte and breakfast - Another Epic Fail. I then unloaded the contents of the fridge and freezer, bundled up Thing 1 and Thing 2 and took them all over to Brave Friend's house. She is pup sitting for me today and holding all my perishables until I get power back. Power is back on but she's out and about so I have to wait a bit to get  my pups and my food back. Maybe I'll go nap or something.

Greenwise

Publix puts out a quarterly magazine called Greenwise which focuses on organic, all natural and earth-friendly stuff. I always enjoy reading this mini-magazine and get some good ideas from it. My current issue of Greenwise arrived today. One article taht particularly struck me was 10 Ideas Under $10 --- thrifty mom's guide to going green. Looking through it, I was kind of supprised at how many of these things I actually use/do. Often, going green is much more cost effective in the long run.

1. Low-flow Showerheads --- Last fall, I replaced the showerhead in our main bathroom, as the previous one had burst. We have a pretty small hot water heater, and previously, we usually ran out of hot water before we finished showering. Now, I haven't run out of hot water in over 9 months. I must confess however, that I went with a pricier handheld option for ease in bathing Thing 1 and Thing 2. Between the low flow shower head and low flow toilets, we've reduced our monthly water consumption by a good solid 1/3!

2. Dimmer switches -- Currently I only have these on my dining room chandelier, however, I tend to use more lamps than overhead lights anyway (I like the coziness).

3. Green Cleaning Products --- I must confess that most of my cleaning product purchases are cost driven, however, I do buy the Green ones when they are cost effective. One of my friends, Teacher Chick, actually makes her own laundry detergent - I haven't tried that yet, but she ADORES it!

4. Discloths - The article states that if every U.S household used one fewer roll of paper towels, we could save 544,000 trees. I bought a 6 pack of organic cotton dischloths at Target last year right after Christmas (the organic cotton was a nice bonus, I bought the pack because they were clearanced priced). Between those and the other 2 I already had, I've cut down our paper towel consumption from 5-6 rolls per month to about 1 per month (there are some super gross jobs that are just better geared to paper towels!)

5. Clothesline -- I've started my air drying -- and I'm loving it this summer! We'll see how it works out in the fall. Since I don't have the option of a clothesline in my neighborhood, I bought a drying rack -- that actually doesn't collapse under the weight of 2 items of clothing -- but it was definitely more than $10! Still I highly recommend it!

6. Stainless Steel Water Bottles - According to the article, it takes 54 million barrels of oil to produce and transport plastic water bottles. That's a lot of oil consumed in the midst of skyrocketing oil prices! While I don't yet have a stainless steel bottle, I do keep a glass on my desk at work for water, and I use our million sports water bottles when on the go.

7. Insulated lunch bags - Oh yes, I definitely do this --- when I actually take my lunch! I live really close to my office so on most days I come home at lunch and let the pups out to romp.

8. Biodegradable trash bags - I really haven't given these a whirl since they debuted eons ago and were really bad about breaking when you took the trash out. I might give them another try, if I find it cost effective. I do curbside recycle, which has definitely reduced our trash output!

9. Rechargeable batteries --- I do use some rechargeables - although I think I need a better rechargeable set. Mine don't seem to be holding a decent charge. Maybe they have outlived their lifespan?

10. Recycled toilet paper -- Everyday, we flush 27,000 trees down the toilet. Wow. Apparently if we used just one roll of 100% recycled instead, we'd save 423,900. Wow. Good thing I LIKE the Publix Greenwise toilet paper!

One thing I found kind of funny was that while the article showed a picture of a reusuable grocery bag, it didn't mention them as a 10 under $10 --- I'd love to know the stats about how much oil we use with those plastic grocery sacks. And just so you know...... I use reusable bags! And LOVE them!

Clothes Shopping

Now is NOT the time for me to be clothes shopping. I know this. Finances are tight. However, I found myself at the mall yesterday afternoon with my sister and my tornado-surviving niece. I wasn't planning on buying anything at all, but Banana Republic was having a great sale. I found two suitable-for-work sweaters for me and six shirts/blouses, suitable for school for Princess Penelope. All told, I spent  $64 for $475 worth of clothes at BR. I would never pay $475 for what we got normally, but $64, I can handle. Then we went to Belk and I spent an additional $69 on two dresses and two pairs of jeans for the Princess.

Some of that may possibly be going back since Penelope was not here to try them on. Jeans especially can be a hard fit. But, I wasn't going to leave $90 jeans on the rack when the current selling price was $13. I will return them if they don't fit. Same with everything else. I think the blouses will be no problem. I messaged her pictures of the clothes when I got them, and she liked everything, so now its just a matter of fit. If it works out, great, I've got a start on back to school shopping. If it doesn't, well, the mall is really really close by and returns are easy!

Where Did the Bread Go?

See those two pups up there? They look all sweet and innocent, don't they? They are criminals. Highly seasoned and sneaky criminals, I tell you! The crime? Stealing an entire loaf of bread.

We are generally not big sandwich eaters. Princess Penelope doesn't like sandwiches at all and so I tend to rarely buy sandwich bread. However, since Princess Penelope will be gone all week, I thought I'd pick some up because 1. Cooking for one person is no fun. 2. Having sandwich stuff at home this week would lessen the likelihood that I'd choose the convenience option of the drive through this week. 3. Its just too dang hot to cook! So I bought some yesterday when I was out running errands.

So I toiled around the house yesterday, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and setting pressure washers on fire. Then, I got cleaned up and met a friend out for a margo and chips and cheese dip (yes another eat out failure, but that's a whole other story!). Anyway, I got home, played around on the computer, and waited for the Princess to get home. When she got home I went to bed.

This morning, I made my coffee, let Thing 1 and Thing 2 out, and decided I'd have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich this morning. I looked in the pantry. No bread. I looked in the fridge. No bread. I looked in all of the kitchen cabinets. No bread to be found. I went to the car to see if I had left it in the car by mistake. No bread. Irritated and frustrated (not all the way through the first cup of coffee yet), I plop down on the couch and I step on a plastic wrapper. A plastic bread wrapper. With nary a crumb left.

Apparently, I had left the loaf of bread on the kitchen counter and while I was gone, Thing 2 decided she wanted a snack. She is my counter surfer extraordinaire! And while I know that Thing 2 was the brains and brawn behind the crime (because Thing 1 can't reach the counter), I have no doubt that Thing 1 helped himself to the spoils of the crime, too. And they know they did wrong. As soon as I picked that wrapper up off of the floor. they both scattered. Thing 2 hid her head under the dining room chair (like that hides the rest of her) and Thing 1 ran and got under the bed (he's a bit smarter in his choice of hiding places).

No PB&J for me this morning due to the criminal element currently living under my roof. Sigh.

I Don't Think It Is Supposed to Do That!

My big plan for today was to pressure wash the deck. As you can probably tell, it is in real need of some TLC. So, I dragged the furniture around. I hooked up the hose. I hauled the pressure washer up to the deck and ran the cord to the outlet. I was sweating up a storm and muttering to myself about the insanity of doing all of this when it is 90+ degrees outside. But then I was ready to wash.

So I turn everything on and start spraying! Woo hoo! That little spot is looking pretty! And then I smell something. Not quite sure what it is, but I stop spraying and look around. Shrug shoulders and get back to spraying. And then the smell is A LOT stronger! It smells like something is burning -- which is odd, because I'm spraying water. And then I turn around.... and smoke is pouring out of the pressure washer! I don't think that's supposed to happen. So, I turn it off, unplug it, turn off the hose.... and I'm done with pressure washing for the day because, electricity, water and smoke.... that just can't be good.

Energy Eeeeek!

                                        

I have spent the last few weeks whining, moaning and complaining about the ridiculous heat in June, my AC running non-stop and the lack of rain. As it turns out, I guess I had a good reason to complain...

I got my power bill today. The heat has now officially taken its toll on my budget. The bill was $173.17, compared to $89.78 last month. We used 46 kwh this month --- 23 last month! And when I compared this bill to the same time period as last year, well, that hurts too! $143.39 last year, with 37 kwh used. Of course, it wasn't high 90's this time last year.

The really frustrating thing is that we aren't running the air at a really comfortable temperature. It is 80 degrees in the house during the day and the AC is running NONSTOP! I lower it to 78 at night because I just can't sleep when I'm sweating. We use ceiling fans. All of the lights are CFLs, and if no one is in the room the lights are OFF. The only exception to this rule is the porch light. I KNEW the power bill was going to be bad, but I didn't know it would be quite THIS bad.

And just so I don't have an entire post of whining.... we did get a GOOD rain shower today -- about an hour and a half's worth --- and it is currently 76 degrees outside. The windows are open, and I'm hoping the AC doesn't have to kick on at all tonight! Hopefully it will cool down inside before bedtime (one story house, I do NOT sleep with windows open!)

Almost 50/50

Yesterday was Wednesday, so that meant another Publix Penny Item Day! I wasn't quite as jazzed for this penny item, as it was the Publix Vanilla Wafers. While there is nothing wrong with them, we just usually don't eat many vanilla wafers. As a matter of fact, last time I donated to food banks following the April 27 tornados, there were 2 boxes of these in my box of donation stuff. These will probably end up in a donatin box too, unless I get motivated and make mini cheesecakes or something. Anyway, on to what I purchased....

4 boxes Kraft Deluxe Mac N Cheese/Velveeta Shells N Cheese
1 Duncan Hines Cake Mix
1 Trix Cereal
1 Publix Vanilla Wafers (Penny Item)
2 Knorr Pasta Sides
2 Magnum Ice Cream Bars - Caramel
1 Duncan Hines Frosting
1 Ocean Spray Blueberry
Wine
2 Crystal Light
1 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix

Spent: $24.86, Saved $24.78 -- just barely shy of a perfect 50%

I was kind of light on the coupons this time --- until I get a new computer, no internet printing for me -- not enough memory available! However, I did have coupons for the ice cream bars, the Ocean Spray Blueberry, the Brownie Mix (free when you buy 2 Duncan Hines products) and of course the vanilla wafers! One note on the ice cream bars --- the regular price on these is $3.99 --- and there are only 3 bars in the box! However, they were on sale for 2/$5, and I had $1 coupons for them making them .50 each. We really wanted to try them, but at the $3.99 price point, that wasn't happening. However, at $1.50 per box, I thought that was okay for a treat. OMG! Those things are like heaven on a stick! I can't see buying them at full price, but with a sale and coupon.... a little indulgence is okay! And they are definitely an indulgence. Yum.

Not The Wake-Up Call I Wanted....

WARNING! This may be WAYYYYYYYY too much information!

Okay, so picture this..... It's 5:30 a.m., and I blissfully snoozing away since my alarm won't go off until 5:45. Thing 2 decides I need to get up a bit early (or perhaps SHE needs to get up early) and jumps up on my bed. I sleepily tell her "Five more minutes" (hmmmm, I get the that from Princess Penelope a lot), and roll over. And then.... IT happens. Thing 2 turns around and.... barfs... all over my bed. Comforter, sheets, and mattress pad. Yeah, well, THAT got me moving.... I jump out of bed, let the pups out into yard, and start stripping the bed. Thank goodness for a good thick mattress pad, as nothing soaked down to my mattress. But SHEESH! Washing linens before I've even had the first hit of coffee is not my ideal way to start the day! Thing 2 just sat there wagging her stump of a tail.

So, here I sit, the comforter is washed and is stretched out over chairs on the deck to dry.... the sheets and the rest are now going through the wash. I really do NOT want to have to throw these all in the dryer, because its going to be another high 90 day and I don't want to heat up the house. However, I will get on the road at 8 and head out of town for work. I will be back late this afternoon, but I'm afraid that the sheets will sour if I leave them in the machine that long because of the current heat and humidity, but there's no way to stretch them out to dry before I leave because of space issues. I'm hoping that I can count on Princess Penelope to handle it when she gets home from basketball workouts around noon. However, counting on a teenager to remember to do something she doesn't normally do, well, that's not always the best thing to count on!

So, do I suck it up and throw the sheets in the dryer.... or do I take a chance on the Princess and possibly having to wash the sheets again?

Epic Fail!

Well, I had challenged myself not to eat out the entire month of June. And I have failed. Miserably. Not only that, but I failed TWICE in one day!

It all started so innocently, too.... Princess Penelope had to take the ACT on Saturday. So after I dropped her off, I came home and got really busy around the house. I dusted. I vaccuumed. I swept. I mopped. I decluttered. I made beds. I scrubbed the kitchen. And I consumed lots and lots of coffee all the while. When it came time to go pick up the Princess, I hopped in the car. Driving around in the middle of the day in a black car, when its 97 degrees out and all you've consumed is coffee all day.... well you kind of feel off about it. By the time I picked her up, I was super thirsty and completely famished. Apparently, the ACT does the same to Princess Penelope, we just could not wait the 20 minutes home. We pulled into the nearest fast food place --- and $15+change later.... well, you get the idea.

After I got back home, changed clothes and primped up a bit Singer Friend and I headed out for our Mani/Pedis.... we chatted and gossipped and giggled all the way through those.... and afterwards..... we decided we needed to grab a bite and continue the gab fest. So, two hours later.... another $20 -- because hey, wine goes well with gossip!

So, I failed the challenge. I didn't even make it through half the month. But, I'm not letting my fall from grace deter me.... I think I can still get through the month without any more slipups! I'll just have to avoid gossip/gab fests for a bit!

Cooking for my Freezer

So with my shopping trip to Aldi on Sunday, it was time to feed my freezer a bit. I'm not together enough to plan out whole menus a month in advance, nor am I organized enough to get enough for a full month's worth of meals cooked in one day. However, I do try and do a lot of prep work in advance so that I can just come home from work and throw dinner together quickly.

After shopping on Sunday, I decided it was time to get some stuff prepared in advance. After about two hours of work, I fed my freezer the following:

4 meals worth of regular cooked ground beef (with onions and shredded squash)
6 meals worth of seasoned cooked brown beef (ditto on the above veggies)
2 pounds sliced strawberries
2 pounds blueberries
Shredded squash
Diced Onions
7 Barbeque Sandwiches
Tuna Salad
1 Nacho Casserole (last night's dinner)

I had planned to roast a chicken, but realized that instead of putting it in the freezer, it had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge, and was three days past its Sell By date. Not wanting to risk it, the chicken was fed to the garbage can. Doh!

Aldi for the Basics

It is time for another round of cooking to feed my freezer, which required a trip to Aldi for some of the essentials. I spent more than I intended (thanks to them having the Sundae Cones with no nuts in stock), but since Princess Penelope will be heading to her Dad's next weekend for a full week, I should be able to still come in under budget for the month.

So, here is what I bought:

5 pounds ground beef
2 Boxes Sundae Cones
Dog Treats
2 pounds yellow squash
2 pounds strawberries
2 pounds blueberries
2 Mangoes
3 Bags Shredded Cheese
Margarine
2 Boxes Wheat Crackers
2 Frozen Pizzas
2 Shells & Cheese
Eggs
Sports Drink
Pasta Sauce
Hamburger buns
2 pounds onions

Spent: $60.71

You know, every time I post one of these shopping trips, I get irritated  because our state taxes food --- I know there are a lot of states that don't, but sadly Alabama isn't one of those. If we didn't pay tax on food, my total would have been 55.01 --- that's 9%! Sadly, that has to be part of my grocery budget. Ugh.

Multi-Tasking with Water

My airconditioner system has a reusable filter that you clean once a month and then pop back in the little slot until the next month. I like the reusable filter because I'm not expending the $$$ for new filters and its another item that is not going into a landfill. The con to it, is that it is definitely more time consuming to clean a filter, than to just pop a new one in and toss the old one in the trash. I wanted to say that remembering to clean it is a drawback too, but since you have to remember to change the disposable ones, I don't think it really counts!

This morning, as soon as I woke up, I realized that I haven't cleaned the filter since April! Whoops. Here we are in the middle of a massive heat wave, where the AC is working overtime and I forgot to do the most BASIC of maintenance to keep it working efficiently -- UGH. (I have no clue why this was my first thought upon waking up this morning -- but there you go).

One thing I hate about cleaning the filter is the loss of water --- our water bills are outrageous because they are tied to the sewer costs and.... never mind I've ranted about corruption and stuff before.... so anyway.... with the lack of rain, wise use of water is a MUST not to mention it helps keep my costs down. So my solution to the problem was this:

1. I put three large buckets side to side along the edge of one of my flower beds.

2. I held the filter resting on the buckets so that most of the water overflow would go into the buckets and the overspray and splatter would go into the garden.

3. I used the power wash mode on my hose attachment to clean the filter, as quickly and efficiently as possible only stopping to empty the buckets if they got full --- or at least full enough so that I knew I'd have trouble carrying them.

4. Emptied the full buckets gently and carefully onto my always thirsty garden.

5. Voila! A clean filter and a watered daylily bed using (most) of the same water!

The filter is now drying in the sunshine on the deck --- and will hopefully be completely dry before the temperatures approach the fifth level of hades today and I need to put it back into service!

Mani-Pedi Time!

Just so you know, I have not totally lost my mind and thrown all my newfound frugality out the window! However, I am getting a manicure and pedicure today! One of my dear dear friends, Singer Girl, (whose band I went to see play last night) has decided that a Mani/Pedi is exactly what I need as a belated birthday present.

It has been so long since I got a manicure and pedicure that I'm not even sure when the last time was! I DO know however, that I am so flippin' excited! This is something I never do for myself -- and quite honestly, I tend to neglect my nails more often than not (gardening doesn't really make for pretty nails!). So, I'm off today to go get pampered just a bit. And I absolutely cannot wait! Singer Girl and I will be heading to the nail place in about 45 minutes! Woo hoo!

Rain, rain, RAIN, rAin, RaiN, raiN, RAIN!

Do you SEE that? Those little polka-dotty things all over my Canna Lily leaves? And do you know what those little things are? Those are real-honest-to-goodness raindrops! Its been so long since we had any of those around here, I'd kind of forgotten what they looked like! And aren't they pretty? All cool and refreshing and watery all over my plants. Pardon me while I do my happy rain shimmy!

My rain barrel actually has water in it! (Yea! I hooked it up right!) All of my posies that were previously muttering profanities at me are all perky! Now, if I could get a few more showers like this one, we'd really have something going!

And, as an added bonus --- it's 7:20 p.m. and its 78 degrees outside! I haven't seen it under 90 at 9 pm in weeks! The AC is strangely quiet. I like it.

Friday Means Happy Dance Time!

For me, Friday means, just 8 more hours until the weekend! Thing 1 and Thing 2 like it because that means Mom is almost home for a few days! Since it is summer, Princess Penelope likes it because she doesn't have a 7:30 basketball workout, so she is sleeping in!

I have a HUGELY busy day planned. I have a four hour test to take today for a continuing ed class I've been taking at work all week. And after that, I need to wrap up all the work that has accumulated on my desk while I've been in class. So, busy and hectic day today.

But tonight, I have FUN plans! A friend's band will be playing at a local watering hole as part of the BAMA RISING benefit (for tornado relief). There will be a $5 cover to get in with that going to BAMA RISING. A TON of friends will be there, so it will be a good night to catch up with people and relax. I'll have to make it an early night though --- Princess Penelope will be taking the ACT again tomorrow. I'll need to come in early so Thing 1 and Thing 2 don't wake her up with their raucous barking!

Y'all have a fabulous Friday! I'm going to do my Happy Dance now!

Sour Grapes

Yesterday at Publix I bought a pound of gorgeous green grapes. They looked so cool and crisp sitting there, especially considering it was 97 degrees outside when I went into the grocery store. Afternoons at my office have been excessively hot due to AC issues and the weather. I thought these would be the perfect afternoon snack. Cool, refreshing, sweet, delicious.

Uh.... not so much. Those have got to be the MOST sour grapes I have ever put in my mouth. I keep trying to eat them... but its kind of like putting a Warhead in my mouth. With no later reward of sweetness. Ugh. I even tried adding some sugar.... and then they were basically Sour Patch Kids. I don't know WHY I am so disappointed in these grapes. I mean they are just grapes. But darn, popping one of those in my mouth was a huge letdown. I get fixated on the weirdest things sometimes.

Oh! And I was going to post a picture of them --- but these grapes are just plain contrary and every photo was worse than the one before. I think I'll go eat some ice cream instead.

What I Got On Wednesday

Although this week's Publix ad didn't have me exactly jumping for joy, I knew I wanted to go in and get my almost free TP! Woo hoo! Yes, that makes me happy! And yes, I know I am a dork. But that's okay because this is what I got today:

2 V8 Splash
1 Publix TP (penny item!)
4 Knorr Pasta Sides
4 Ramen Noodles
2 Ken's Salad Drssings
1 pound of Grapes (how I got exactly one pound, I will NEVER know!)

Spent: $9.76
Saved: $16.44 or 63%

It's Wednesday Already?

Wednesday is the day that the new grocery ad and sales start around here. I've looked through the Publix ad and its just not really exciting to me this week. However, it IS penny item day, (with a coupon from the newspaper you get the "mystery" item for 1 cent with an additional $10 precoupon purchase) so I need to go to the store. Today's penny item is Publix TP --- this is the only way I ever seem to get almost free TP! Knowing my luck they will have subsituted something else by the time I get there (my Publix ALWAYS seems to do that when the corporate item is something GOOD!)

I've looked through the ad, and there are just enough items on sale that are useful to us, that I can cobble together a $10 trip. At least I think so. And just so you know.... I'm not going over there just to get cheap TP! I've got to go over there anyway to return that total failure of a drying rack to the store that's just across from my Publix.

In the meantime though, I need to go get ready for work --- which I'm not especially looking forward to today as we have a training class through the rest of the week. I'll probably need that shoppers high afterwards! Ha!

No Rain

I got a Rain Barrel to hopefully help offset the costs of watering my garden this summer. Problem is, we have to actually get SOME rain for it to be of any use. Since the April 27 tornadoes, we've had rain exactly twice. Once on the Monday following, and again about two weeks ago. Hot and dry is the byword around here (if you don't count the ridiculous humidity). Yesterday after work, I spent about an hour watering the front. This morning, due to the fact that I woke up at 4 a.m., I got out and watered the back just after sunrise. I would have felt much better about it if I had been using the water from my rain barrel!!!! But since there has to BE water in the rain barrel for that to work, I had to do it the normal way. Sigh.

I've got a ton of flowers in my yard. I'm very partial to perennials because while they are a larger investment up front, they come back season after season. My garden is a huge mixture of bought plants and passalongs. What I've really noticed this year is that the ones I've bought in years past are struggling much more than the passalong plants. I suppose that years of thriving in someone else's garden and then coming to mine, these plants have grown sturdier and stronger than those newborns at the garden shop.

I've refrained from buying any new plants this year. My concrete planters look kind of sad without their overflowing petuntias. Maybe next year I'll fill them again. But for this year, I decided it just wasn't in the budget. I guess its been a smart move on my part as plants in planters require far more water than those in the ground. Still, I miss them. But at this point, I can't see myself giving in and getting any! The weather is just too hot and dry. They would require watering every day due to the lack of rain.

So for now, I'll get out my hose and water as I go. And hope for rain. Although we aren't expecting any for at least a week. Sigh.

My Shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am certain that I am not the only woman on the planet with a "thing" for shoes. One of my favorites sayings  is "One shoe can change your life forever. " - Cinderella. In our house the spike heeled apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Princess Penelope has more of a shoe "thing" than her mom. That girls has some serious shoes.....spikes, wedges, booties, boots, loafers, flats, flops, sandals, peep toes, her shoes run the gamut.

I am actually a bit more restrained in my shoe inventory. I've finally reigned in my shoe spending and focus more on having several different great shoes per season for work, ditto for play. One of my favorite brands is BORN. I love these shoes! Cute. Comfortable. What's not to love? Oh yeah, the price. Most of my true BORNS have been accumulated through end of the season sales. And these shoes LAST (unless Thing 2 gets her puppy teeth on them (whole other story). And now they have BORN Original Concepts, a really fun line of shoes with a slighly lower price point, but seem to have same factors of cuteness, comfort and durability. I LOVE my Borns.

Recently, Princess Penelope has taken a shine to my black BORN flip flops. She tends to bypass her own and asks to borrow mine. Sometimes I relent and let her wear them. But I never really want to (yes, I'm terrible!) This evening she was preparing to go out with friends and comes out and asks "How does this look?" She has on my wedge-heeled, slight platform black BORN sandals. Unfortunately, they look GREAT with the outfit. Bye-bye my BORNS! I heart you!

Almost There!

Well, with credit card 1 at any rate --- my total amount owed is now down to $542.72. I'll make my normal debt snowball payment of $310 to that this month, and then the remainder in July! And that bad boy will be paid off! And it a few days before my goal of July 31. For credit card 2, I've really messed up though. I've put some things on it when I haven't had my debit card with me and then forgot to immediately go online and transfer that money onto the balance. So I'm really out of whack on that one. I think that once I get credit card 1 gone, it will be easier to focus on it --- I hope!

I wonder if I can make my jacked up cell phone last another two months, so I can pay credit card 1 off early and then make a really nice snowball dent in credit card 2 to get my mojo moving. Sigh. It isn't really fun when you have PROOF that you messed up --- and your budget numbers are actually worse than you thought.

Experiments in Air Drying - Part II

So the experiment in air drying went pretty well. It was definitely more labor intensive than just popping clothes in the dryer, but all in all, it went well. It probably would have gone a bit faster if I hadn't kept running out to the deck to see how fast everything was drying. (Newbie)

I decided I definitely needed a drying rack. So, when Princess Penelope and I headed out today to get her basketball shoes on the other side of Birmingham, I decided we'd stop by Target, get her a couple of pairs of shorts and I'd see if they had a drying rack. Which in the flurry of clothes shopping for a teenager, I forgot all about. Got back to my side of town and realized I'd forgotten about the drying rack completely. So I pulled into our local WalMart (which by the way, I really really really hate going there). I walked up and down their laundry aisles.... no drying racks. About 15 different chi-chi laundry sorters, but no basic drying rack. Ugh.

So then I went to Big Lots, and K-Mart, and finally found one at a discount place called Fred's. Easy assembly! Whoop! I got it together, put two pieces of clothing on it.... and it collapsed:

Cheap wood and plastic... I really should not have expected anything different. So, I still had laundry that needed drying and still wanted to keep the dryer time to a minimum.... so I hauled up a couple of folding chairs from the basement, wiped them down, and stretched Princess Penelope's sheet over it to dry. Not pretty. Not practical in the long run (really don't want to haul those chairs all over creation every time I do laundry. But necessity is the mother of invention. And at this point I don't care what the neighbors think! Ha.

Range Day

As I mentioned yesterday, Range Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Brave Friend and I loaded up and headed to the Firing Range at about 7:30. We got there around 8 and helped our PD friends set up for the rest of our group who would start trickling in around 9. I must say, those guys thought of everything to keep us as comfortable as a 98 degree day would allow. Several tents -- one for sitting in to wait your turn, and two to house the tables for the hardware and ammunition as well as the eye and ear protection for everyone. Huge bottles of sunscreen, and coolers upon coolers of water and sports drinks to keep us all hydrated. I absolutely cracked up as the guys seemed positively bumfuzzled by setting up the tents, so I had to kick in my former soccer mom knowledge and show them how to get the tents set up without smashing your fingers and uttering all kinds of colorful words!

Brave Friend brought along her own personal Glock, so it was great to try it out. I'm not half bad with it quite honestly, although I could probably do a lot better if it didn't make me so nervous:

We also were able to use several guns that your average person just doesn't have --- one of my favorites to try was the MP-5. We started out with it just firing once but I worked my way up to full automatic. I was actually pretty darn good with this gun. But its definitely not a toy.

The last gun we tried out was a LaRue Gas Powered 308 -- also known as a sniper rifle. That is a powerful machine! I felt a bit sorry for my instructors as they constantly had to readjust their thinking to accomodate my left handedness! The gun itself is incredibly heavy and gives me an amazing amount of respect for those that have to haul it into position to deal with certain situations. To make adjustments in the site lines I had to rest part of it on my fist, and my hand today is sore and bruised from those few minutes with it... but it was incredible --- and I hit the target!

I came away from the day with and even greater respect for what our Blue Line does to keep us safe. The training, knowledge, patience and cool-headedness they have to have in order to do their jobs day in and day out is absolutely mind-boggling. And although it was an extremely FUN day, it wasn't just fun and games. These aren't toys and safety and education came first on every weapon we were given the opportunity to try.

Experiments in Air Drying

I think I MIGHT have mentioned the freakishly high temperatures we've been having. Just maybe. And that the AC runs all day, but it never gets below 80 in the house. So, I've been hoping for a break in the weather and have put off doing laundry because I really didn't want to heat the house up with running the dryer. Well, I just can't put it off any longer. And these temps aren't breaking.

I've always hung most of my work clothes up to dry and quite a few of our nicer clothes. They tend to last longer that way, and black doesn't fade as fast. Honestly, most of them are some sort of blend, so they do really well that way. I tend to just put them on hangers, hang them up over the shower curtain rod, and when they are dry, just pop them in the closets. No ironing required. That works for us.

I have never been a fan though, of air-dried towels, undies, sheets, towels, socks, etc. However, at this point I'm desperate enough to give it a try. I figure I'll air dry them and then pop them in the dryer for about 10 minutes after they are all dry and crackly to soften them up. However, that shower curtain rod isn't going to handle the weight of a full load of laundry (that includes jeans), so I need another solution. I just didn't see myself draping wet clothes all over my wood furniture. Clothes lines are not really an option where I live. So I dragged a plastic utility table out onto the deck and have laid the heavier clothes out there to dry. The shape of my house and the elevation makes to where the neighbors would have to really look hard to see it the clothes up there. So I'm testing out the air drying today on one load of clothes. I'll see how well the 10 minutes in the dryer works, and if it works well, I'm heading out tomorrow to buy an actual rack for this purpose.

Regardless of the outcome of this experiment, I don't see it becoming a  year round thing, as its kind of labor intensive. However, I can see it as a summertime thing. We will see how it goes.

Firing It Up

Today looks like it will be super super fun! I am heading to the firing range with our Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. Range Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Let me start by saying, I don't really like guns. They scare me. What one can do with them really scares me. However, I do believe that everyone should be educated about guns and gun safety! You just never know when you might need that knowledge.
That being said --- I simply adore range day.

Our local PD sets it up for the alums, (if you have the opportunity to take a Citizen's Police Academy course in your area I HIGHLY recommend it --- it gives you an incredible insight into what our finest do day in and day out to keep us safe in our little bubble!). Anyway, throughout the day we'll fire a number of weapons with proper instruction, guidance and supervision. Safety is the first priority, but it is a LOT of fun and a great education!

The heat will hit the upper 90s again today so the main challenge will be staying fully hydrated and avoiding a nasty sunburn. I can't wait!

The Heat is On

The last few days have seen record heat recorded for this time of year in Alabama. Yes, generally Alabama is hot in the summertime. But its not generally hitting record highs in early June. It has been positively miserable. The AC wasn't working properly in my office at the beginning of the week. Fortunately they seem to have resolved the issue. It is AMAZING how much more productive one can be when working at the proper temperature!

Our AC at home has been running constantly for days. And I'm not one of those people that sets it on 70! Its running constantly on 80. Two years ago we had to remove two huge shade trees because of structural and disease issues with the trees. I miss those trees and the afternoon shade they provided. We are using plenty of fans to keep the air circulating.

Cooking is a real issue when its this hot! Dinner still has to be served. (I did a post on this previously, but a blogger flip out ended up deleting it so I'll repeat myself). I don't like heating up my kitchen when it is already ridiculously hot and the AC is working overtime as it is. So I've found a few helpful solutions.

1. The toaster oven - uses less electricity and puts less heat into the kitchen. With just two of us to cook for, often times it makes a lot more sense to pop rolls into this instead of firing up the oven!

2. Stovetop - while I'm not a fan of always slaving over a hot stove, it can be a much more economical choice than the oven. And don't forget what we learned in Home Ec 101 - putting a lid on the pan when you're bringing water to a boil makes it boil faster -- the less time you are spending getting it to the proper temperature, the less energy wasted, and the less heat pouring into your kitchen!

3. Microwave - Now don't roll your eyes. I was NOT a fan of microwave cooking until this came into my life:

The Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. This is microwave and oven friendly and has become my new best friend in the kitchen. Gone are the days of rubber chicken from the microwave! I can do fajitas in a flash. Baked Ziti in almost Zero time! Enchiladas are super easy! A whole roasted non rubber chicken in 30 minutes. Sigh. I LOVE this thing!

4. The Fridge --- yes, we're consuming our share of pasta salads, fruit salads and any other salad you can think of. Sometimes, its just too dang hot to have a hot meal!

5. The Grill --- why heat up the house when its already blazing outside! Take the food prep outdoors -- then bring it inside to enjoy in the relative cool. Honey Bourbon Rosemary Chicken is a particular favorite around here!

Y'all keep it cool now --- I'm off to face another day of wilting heat!

Still working on that budget

Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have it done by the END of the month?!?!?! Yikes. I had plans to work on it until it was done when I got home from work. But then at 330 I got a phone call. A customer from my side gig with buyers remorse. I think I've got her issue dealt with, but I had to do some research on it, I explained that I was still at work but as soon as I could get home and research the problem I'd call her back. I called her back as soon as I could get the research done. She was in traffic so said she had to call me later. I anwered on the first ring and tried to provide her with the necessary information she needed to resolve the issue. She cut me off because she had houseguests.... (ummm.... didn't she call ME?) Anyway, I'm still waiting for her to call me back. However, if she calls after 930, I'm not answering because I am going to bed! If it can wait through her dinner party, it can wait til tomorrow.

I know that sounds tacky but I've spent a good four hours on trying to get her situation (which by the way was of her own doing) resolved and it will be at great cost to me in lost commission that has already posted. And I'm tired. And I have another full day of the real job tomorrow. So I'm going to bed. End of whining.

On the bright side though --- I resisted the urge to grab takeout since my day had gone to hades in a handbasket, and cooked at home instead. Day 2 of June's No Eating Out... I'm rocking that!

Maybe I'll work on the budget tomorrow!

Planning Ahead

In previous months I have done a lousy job of planning ahead for irregular expenses. Quarterly life insurance payment always seems to take me by surprise. So do things like car tags. And back to school registration expenses. For me, those three things will all hit again the month of August. That is roughly $450 worth of expenses that I know will occur in that month but I never seem to plan for. Added to that will be the cost of things like graduation announcements, senior portraits and cap and gown rental as Princess Penelope's senior year progresses.

Well NO MORE! I am going to try and PLAN for these costs! I'm reworking my budget to include a separate savings goal for these things. I am tired of this stuff busting the budget! It is definitely time to make a plan for those. I'm in the process of re-working my budget. I need to account for my raise that goes effective July 1 -- as well as these costs. I need to figure out how to cut more unnecessary spending so that I can quit freaking out every month.

Part of my plan is to go on a no eating out binge for the month of June. Laziness and convenience led to major overruns in the eating out category for the month of June. And most of that was drive-thru convenience and not anything I remember actually enjoying! The one exception to this rule is travel days for work, because I am reimbursed for that, but I'm not reimbursed for the cost of food if I brown bag it.

So in analyzing thus far, this is where I can cut expenses easiest. I think I can do this ---- a stress free August looms on the horizon if I pull it off..... and wouldn't that be nice?

Worst Mother EVER?

I swear I looked like the world's worst mom today at Publix. I went in to take advantage of the deals and the $5 off $30 coupon in today's paper and of course the penny item. Since summer is here, there's a lot more munching going on in my house with teenagers in and out the door. So, time to stock up on junk! But as I was checking out, the guy in front of me had organic yogurt and fruit. The guy behind me had all kinds of fruits, veggies, meats, plus some junk. Me, basically, I had junk. I plan to hit Aldi later this week for produce and other "good" stuff. Anyway, here's how I did:

1 Publix American Singles (Penny Item)
10 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
2 Taco Bell Dinners
2 Cesar Dog Treats
4 Publix Shells & Cheese
3 Bailey's Coffee Creamer
4 Coffee Mate Creamer
2 Doritos
4 Ramen Noodles
1 Mrs T Periogi
1 Nestle Cookie Dough
1 Stouffers Family Sized Dinner
1 Tombstone Pizza
Wine
3 Country Crock
1 Pillsbury Frosting
1 Breakstone Sour Cream

Spent: $49.42
Saved: $67.04 or 58%