My own little frugal fest!

Last week I posted about the great deal I got on those cute lil boots - and they were a smokin' deal!  But actually, I've been finding really wonderful deals all over the place.

With prices on just about everything going, up, up, up, I've really been looking through coupons and scouring to find the best deals, and I've had some great success.  I want to keep myself motivated, so I thought I'd sharing some of my finds would keep bargain hunting forefront in my mind.  (Yeah, like I'm not always looking for a bargain!)

Eggs
Last weekend while grocery shopping I found a great deal on eggs.  They had several dozen cartons marked down to just .50 cents each!  The sell-by date was coming up soon, but eggs are still good for 3-4 weeks after their sell-by date, so I decided to stock up a bit; I bought 4 dozen eggs.  In my area, eggs normally run about $1.99 per dozen, so this deal resulted in just over a 74% savings.

Clothing
The same day I purchased my boots, I also purchased some clothing: four pairs of pants and a winter sweater.  The total for all five items came to just $52.32, including tax.  All of the items were between $8.00 and $10.00.  When I was removing the tags, I calculated out what the price would have been if I'd paid full-price (which, of course I'd never do!).  Full price on everything would have been $205.00, so again, I saved right around 74%.

Beauty Products
Okay, I'll admit it - I love ULTA!  I'm a member of their rewards program so each time I buy something, points are credited to my account.  When you have enough points, you can redeem them for a certain amount off your bill.  I'd bought some things in the fall, and a gift over the holidays, so I had some points on my account, but not all that many.  Last week they sent me an email stating that they'd added more points to my account as a 'bonus', but I had to use the points by Saturday.  The points on my account totaled a $9.00 reward for me - yay!  I also found a coupon for $3.50 off any purchase of $10.00 or more and I was able to combine both the $9.00 reward and the $3.50 off coupon.  One of my favorite products is BioSilk.  It's a wonderful moisturizer for both hair and skin, but it's a bit on the pricey side - $14.00 for a medium-sized bottle (It lasts a long time, though. I've had the current bottle for just over a year.)  I am down to the last bit in the bottle I have, so I thought I'd go and pick some up.  While I was there, I also found the mineral make-up I like in the clearance bin.  The company is changing the packaging, so the current lot is clearanced out.  The make-up normally sells for $12.99, but I paid just $6.49 for it.  Without the sale price on the make-up, coupons or points, my purchase would have been $29.42.  Instead, I paid just $8.71 total.  That's a savings of $20.71, or savings of over 70%.

Produce
We have a nearby grocery that has phenomenal weekly deals on produce.  I don't go often, but I'm going to put it on my weekly To-Do list for Wednesdays.  Why Wednesdays?  They have a double-ad special that day.  That means that you get the sale prices for whatever was in the ad last Wednesday, and the sale prices for whatever is in their ad for this Wednesday.  Because Kevin was running some errands close to this grocery yesterday, he stopped and picked up a couple of things I wanted from this store:  bunch spinach - .48 cents per bunch; haas avocados - .48 cents each; red bell peppers - .88 cents each; Texas ruby red grapefruit - .48 cents each; ataulfo mangos - .48 cents each.  Great deals!  Kevin bought 3 bunches of spinach, 6 avocados, 2 red peppers, 4 grapefruit and 4 mangos.  The total bill came to just $11.00.  I can hardly wait to see what's in the ad for this week!

Life is too short to read bad books!

Because I'm able to take public transportation on my weekly journey to jury duty, I have the luxury of being able to read during my commute.  Bliss!

On a recent girl's day, Deb and I visited a local thrift store where I found several books I was interested in, each for the bargain price of just .50.  One of the authors I'd never heard of, but I'd heard good things about the book, so I thought I'd give it a try.  The second book was by an author that I'd read in the past.  Her first book was a bit off kilter, but it was interesting - and compelling - and I did enjoy reading it  so I bought this one as well.

W.R.O.N.G.

I'd bought the book on Saturday, but saved it for my Tuesday commute.  The moment I got on the train, I could hardly wait to pull it out and start reading.  The first few pages were fine.  It seemed conventional enough; nothing extraordinary, but an okay read.  And then...well, let's just say it took a gruesome turn for the worse.  By that time, though, the morning half of my commute was over and I had to put the book away.  I pulled it out again on the way home and thought I'd give it another go.  Yeah, well.... Before I even made it back into town, I stopped reading the book.

Why?

Honestly, it was so disturbing that I don't want to go into detail.  When I got home, I decided to look up some reviews and see if it was just me, or if it was truly just ... bad.  I wasn't surprised to find many, many reviews where readers had the same reaction I'd had.  In fact, among all of the reviews I read, I found only one that had anything good to say about the book.

So ... what to do with it?

I thought about it for a while.  I knew there was no way I would ever finish reading it.  It also isn't a book I would want to keep on the shelf, that's for certain.  It's definitely not a book I would recommend, so I'd never pass it along to anyone else.  And, quite frankly, the material was so disturbing that I would find it difficult to donate it for fear that someone else might actually pick it up and read it.  I was conflicted. I have to say, I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book.

In the end, I felt that the best solution was to dump it in the garbage recycle bin to be picked up by the trash collector the next day.  I'm no book burner, but when you come up against a book this distressing, I think it best to just put it out of the reach of others.

Trust me on this.  You're welcome.

YeeHaw, Y'all

Years ago I had a really nice pair of black cowboy boots.  They were given to me as a gift, and there was a time in my life when I wore them - A LOT.   Time went on and things changed and I changed right along with them, and sooner or later, I stopped wearing the boots.  I kept them; they had a their own little spot in my closet, but I never wore them.

When Kevin and I moved to the Prospect house, I donated them in our move.  They were still in excellent condition and I figured that somewhere along the way, someone else would buy them and love them the way I once had.

Six or eight months ago, I began looking at boots online.  I found several pairs I liked, but there were two things holding me back:  1) every pair of boots fits and feels different, so it's difficult to purchase them online when you aren't sure, and 2) good ones are prohibitively expensive!

Last week jury duty ended early and I thought I'd do a little shoe shopping.  While I didn't find any shoes, I did find a cute pair of cowboy boots for a great price.  YAHOO!!  They are not 'top of the line' by any stretch of the imagination, but they are just fine for what I had in mind.

For the fall/winter season, they had been priced at $80.00; I bought them on clearance last week for just $30.00!  That's a definite bargain in my book!

Kinda cute, huh?

Preserving the Season

One of our teachers at work has been bringing in fresh, homegrown oranges from her tree.  Let me tell you, they are addictive!  Thankfully they're good for me because I can't stop eating them.  I'm not sure why oranges that come from your own (or a friend's) tree taste so much better than the ones you buy in the grocery store, but they definitely do.

Last week when she stopped by the office, I thanked her for bringing them in and told her how much I'd been enjoying the oranges.  I mentioned that one of my goals this year was to learn how to make orange marmalade.  She thought that sounded fabulous and asked how many oranges I'd need.  I told her that the recipes I'd been looking at required 8 or nine oranges.  Two days later, she left a bag of oranges on my desk =)

Since I'm definitely one who is always up for a challenge, I knew that my first attempt at orange marmalade was in my very near future.  I mentioned it to Kevin and he thought it sounded like a great project for us for the long President's Day weekend.  Having given donated all of my canning jars in our move last summer (I know, I know, but honestly we were too darn tired to move and/or find a place for one more thing), I stopped at OSH one day and picked up a dozen canning jars and some paraffin.  (Yes, I know that paraffin is not 'the' standard for canning, but it's what I've always used to make jam.  If it was good enough for my grandmother, it's good enough for me!).

When the weekend finally rolled around, we were ready.  Kevin and I were both very excited to attempt something new.  Moreover, we could hardly wait to taste the end result on a warm, buttery biscuit.  Mmmmm.

What we discovered is that orange marmalade is not difficult to make.  Compared to other jams we've made in the past, it's a bit more time consuming (particularly preparing the ultra fine strips of peel that go in the marmalade), but certainly nothing prohibitive.  And with only three ingredients - oranges, sugar and water - it's an inexpensive way to preserve the bounty of the citrus season.

If you have an abundance of oranges, why not give it a try?  It's a cinch, and you'll be glad to have those gleaming jars of yummy orange marmalade lining your pantry shelves.

Happy Valentine's Day

(With apologies to Darius Rucker..)

We don't need no five star reservations, we got In'n'Out burgers and a cheap bottle of (root)beer.
We don't need no concert in the city, we got an iHome and the best of the Weirs.

Happy Valentine's Day, my Sweet.

I love YOU more!

...maybe a little cottage garden

With spring just around the corner, we've decided that now is the time to start working on the back yard.  I've plotted out a little cottage garden with lots of colorful flowers, a couple of wrought iron obelisks, (hopefully!) an awesome section of wrought iron gate, bird houses on posts of varying heights, and a few stepping stones to round out the works.

For the most part, things are in really good shape back there.  However, there is plenty that needs to be done.  For instance, because Kevin's been working on his studio, we have all of the old files and things from the room when it was dad's office housed on the covered patio.  We've ... errr ... Kevin has been shredding old files here and there, but it's really an overwhelming task for a small home shredder.  We've been waiting for our credit union to host a shredding event, but in the meantime, he's been working away at taming the paper tiger.  Once this area is cleared out, I'll clean up the dining table and chairs, as well as the sideboard and wash all of the outdoors dishes housed in the sideboard.  I'm also debating the pros and cons of an outdoor rug in this area.  

Additionally, along the very back - which is the perfect spot for the cottage garden! - are several shrubs that have become overgrown and were never really all that attractive to begin with.  They've been there for years and I'm not sure why mom and dad never had them removed.  They are really rather random; with the exception of one of the plants, they don't flower, so they're not attractive in that respect.  One is a large, overgrown fern that is only green on the top half - the rest of it is brown and woody.  Two of the shrubs have housed plenty of plastic Easter eggs over the years, but really, they're all well past their prime.  Definitely time for a new, updated look.

There are also lots of random pots that are either empty or contain dead plants, an old (very old!) low voltage lighting system that hasn't worked in years, and the remaining tubes of a drip watering system dad had set up throughout the back yard.  We kept part of the watering system intact, but the portion along the back wall is not a section we'll be using.  I'd rather plant a garden in the above area than have plants in pots along the deck in back of the pool.

We have a small white cast iron bistro set that is in need of a good cleaning and a small umbrella to lend a bit of shade.  The brick patio outside the master bedroom needs some sprucing, too.  Mostly just cleaning the furniture and such, but there are a few not-so-healthy potted plants over there that need some tending as well.  Plus, we'll be working on some new outdoor lighting, in addition to the sweet little lanterns I'll be stationing throughout the patio and yard. The list just goes on and on.

...and so, the big clean-up is on.

Here's a look at what we'll be working on.  As you can see, we have our work cut out for us!

The goal is to have everything finished and in place by the time we return to work after Spring Break.  Wish us luck!  I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Grand Jury? ME?

Yep!

I think it's Debbie's fault.  Here's why:

Deb and I are talking on the phone Christmas Eve day...

  Deb:  "The Government sent me a Christmas present!"
  Me:  "Really?  What?"
  Deb:  "A summons for Jury Duty"
  Me:  (in an oh-so-snarky tone)  "Lucky you!"  which got me thinking...
  Me:  "Wow, I haven't received a Jury Duty summons in a few years.  I used to get them every year just like clock work."

The conversation continues with the details about the pending holiday, and we both go on about our merry way.

An hour later, I go out to get our mail and what do you think I found?  If you said "A Jury Duty summons", you're absolutely correct!  See...as I said, it's all Deb's fault!

When I looked at the summons, it looked different somehow.  I opened the envelope and saw that it was a summons for a Federal Grand Jury!  Huh?  Now I've served Jury Duty many, many times in the past, but I've never been called for a Grand Jury.  Not only have I never been called for a Grand Jury myself, I don't know anyone who has, so I had no idea what to expect.  The summons indicated that I needed to complete the questionnaire as soon as possible, and that I must appear on the date indicated.  It also stated that, if chosen, the jury could either be a six (6!) month or twelve (12?!!!) month term.

Holy. Smokes.

So...

Today was my day to report for service.  Three hundred and fifty of us gathered in a Board of Supervisors building and waited to see what would happen.  After a number of people who requested to be excused went before a Magistrate Judge to plead their case, those of us left were directed to particular areas of the auditorium.  Then they began reading names from a randomly generated list.  If your name was called, you were directed to a particular seat while the rest of the list was read.  My name was the fourth one called.  I followed the directions and was seated in the first row.  After they'd read 23 names, they stopped.  Two names were called from our row - the first person called was appointed the jury Foreman; the second name called was appointed the Deputy Foreman.  Luckily (sorta), mine was the second name called, so I'm the Deputy Foreman.  The process continued for four more rounds, making a total of five Grand Jury appointments.

Our jury was named as a Tuesday Accusatory Grand Jury, which means that every Tuesday for the next six months, I'll be serving jury duty.

Oh. My. Goodness.

What happens on a Grand Jury?  Yeah, I didn't know either.  For our jury - an Accusatory (versus Investigatory), we will report each Tuesday to the same conference room to listen to cases.  We may hear anywhere from one to ten cases in one day, but each case will be concluded on that day - there will be no carryover.  The basic gist of our job is to listen to the case, listen to a Summary Witness, and decide if we feel that the case has enough substance to hand down an indictment.  If so, that means that the case will actually go to trial.  If there is no indictment, the case will not go to trial.

So...that's it in a nutshell.

I consider myself lucky  -  for a few reasons.  Number one, my employer will pay my regular salary for each day that I serve on a jury.  What a blessing!  That means we won't suffer any financial hardship - thank God.  Secondly, I am able to take public transportation, so I don't have the headache of driving in L.A.  WHEW!  Next, I think it will be really interesting! I'll learn more about the laws and our judicial system which I think will be both helpful and fascinating.  Lastly, it's kind of an honor, I think, to be chosen to serve in this way.  While the selection is completely random, I think of it as a privilege to have this opportunity.  Just one more interesting thing to add to my amazing life journey!

Whadyawannado This Year?

I know this post is a bit late, but ...

Each year early in December, I begin thinking about what goals I'd like to set for myself for the upcoming year.

Some people call them 'resolutions' but I tend to shy away from that term.  Why?  I'm not exactly sure, really, but I think it has something to do with the fact that it sounds so final.  When you say "I resolve to...", it makes it sound as though if you don't stick to the resolution, you've failed.

Conversely, when you say "My goal is..." it sounds more like something I can actually accomplish because goals have stages.  For instance, if your goal is to play the piano, you would start with baby steps.  You learn what sounds the different keys make.  When you've got that down, you begin to learn how to read music (Every Good Boy Does Fine).  Next, you begin working on playing an easy piece.  Then you practice, practice, practice.  Each step of the way, you accomplish part of the goal, but not the actual goal itself.

Make sense?

Anyway ... on to the list of goals I'd like to accomplish this year:

~  Read at least 2 books per month.
~  Learn how to make orange marmalade.
~  Plant a cottage garden.
~  Learn how to make Greek yogurt.
~  Learn how to make ricotta and mozzarella cheeses at home.
~  Participate in our city's 'One City, One Story' book event.
~  Drink more water.
~  Get more fiber in my diet by eating more fruits, veggies and beans.
~  Try more new recipes.
~  Be better about filing papers in a timely manner instead of having them stack up.
~  Make time to work on my crafts.
~  Participate more.

These are the things that come to mind, though I'm sure the actual list will grow throughout the year.

What do YOU want to do this year?

Dodger FanFest

Ho.Ly.Cow.

This past Saturday, Debbie and I were scheduled to have a girls day.  But it was also Dodger FanFest day and the boys reallllllly wanted to go, so we decided to go to FanFest and make it a Family day instead of just girls day.

But, Kevin ended up auditioning for a band and Bill was busy working on their laundry room re-model, so Deb and I decided to take the boys ourselves and make a day of it.

Muuuuuaaaahhhhaaaaaaa.  Little did we know what was in store for us!

All of the information we read said that the gates would open at 10:00 a.m., but the event didn't start until 11:00 a.m.  We figured that if we arrived shortly after 10:00, we'd be fine.  NOT.  We arrived to find the gates had opened earlier and by the time we parked the car and walked over to the line, we were, in fact late. How late you ask?  Well .... let's put it this way:  Here we are:  (well, more precisely, here's Deb - doesn't she look happy?! The boys have already wandered over to the merchandise area by this time ... and we've only been here a few minutes!)

...and here's the line we're waiting in:

Why yes, that line does go up one side of the hill, and those folks you see headed in the other direction back down the hill?  Well, those are allllllllllllllllllllll the folks that are in line AHEAD of us.  No.  Don't worry.  Really, it wasn't that bad.  A brief THREE hours is all it took.  

For what, you ask?  WHY were we standing in line for three hours?  Well, to get wristbands of course!  Why, you're asking yourself, did we need wristbands?  Well, to get an autograph, silly!  Whose autograph?  Well, that kind of depended.  On what?  Who was still there - and whose autograph hadn't already 'sold-out'.  

Now it all makes perfect sense, right?  

No?  

Yeah, well, after three hours in line, a lot of crazy things began to make sense.  At least, more sense than they would have made if we weren't delirious from waiting in that line while suffering both thirst and having to use the bathroom.

But I digress.  I will say that while we were in line, we did see some lovely sites...

...and met some interesting (albeit mostly whiney) people...

...and still had to stand in line once we got said wristbands...

but was it really worth it?  Well, sure.  I mean really - we have stories to tell, boys who were thrilled to be here, and an autographed baseball, so yeah, I'd say it was worth it.  (Yes, Jeff - we did stand in line to get Luis Cruz' autograph.  Please don't ask again!)