Here Me Roar!

I AM WRITER! HEAR ME ROAR!

The lady doing my eyebrows asks...so what do you do?

My husband's friend from work...where do you work?

And my standard response?

I'm a cashier. I work at [enter name of crazy grocery store]

Why? Why is that my answer?

That is not the job I identify with, not the job that is most important to me, not the job I have the degree for or even the most experience in (althought I do spend a lot of waking hours there).

But for some reason thats the answer I give.  I don't feel like I'm afraid for people to think of me as "a nutty artsy person". I sometimes like being that person.

I don't care if some people don't think thats  a "real job". I do it. I get paid for it. I love it. How can it get any more real than that?

I don't know what my deal is but to help myself articulate my job to others I've ordered cute business cards so now I can say  "I'm a writer. Here's my card."

On the subject of jobs, I have/had two interviews  this week. One Tuesday and the other Thursday.
The first is to work in a library and plan and implement their children's programming. Dream job material!  Except its only 25 hours a week.

The second is work at the newspaper as a receptionist. Its upside is its fulltime with benefits at a place I'd like to write for. Can you say, foot in the door? The downside is its a receptionist poistion and doesn't involve kids.

A Week (or so) of "Bentos"

Todays cucumber sandwich, corn on the cob, mushroom bento went off without a hitch!

At work I came up with a few ideas for the next handful's worth of bentos:

Tomorrow- Bunless Turkey Burger w/Cheese, Kiwi, Strawberries and Chocolate!

Thursday I'm off so I'll be having pancakes

Friday- Turkey and Cheese lettuce wraps with pretzels

This weekend we're camping in my mother in law's trailer park.

Monday: Roastbeef and cheese rollups with mushrooms and carrot sticks

Tuesday: PB, Apples and Berries

Wednesday: Brown rice and a banana...as odd as this seems I had it in a hospital cafeteria (which I could eat at everyday their food was THAT good) and have loved it ever since

Thursday : Peanut Butter and Apple Butter half sandwich with cucumbers and hopefully tomatoes

What will you be having for lunch this next week?

Bento Day One: Mostly Successful

Last night I made my first bento box lunch. I used a tupperware that I bought from Aldi. It was divided into 2 small sections and 1 large.

I should have taken a picture but I'll do my best without one.

In the first small section I stacked slices of kiwi and off to the side a bite of Tolberone.

In the second small section I put in some mushrooms.

In the large section I put carrot slices, peppered cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes.

The lunch was tasty and filled me up but there were two problems.

The chocolate was sweaty so it smeared on my hands. Maybe if I keep the chocolate tucked in purse?

I washed, peeled and sliced the carrots, but somehow some of them had brown edges when I went to eat them. I'm not sure why?

Tomorrow's lunch?

Mushrooms, leftover corn on the cob and cucumber sandwiches...mmm

Monthly Menu Plans

Next Saturday I'm picking up our Angel Food delivery (and then we're going camping in my mother in law's trailer park- but more on that later)

Using the food we're getting I've developed a lsit of 23 meals using mostly the food we'll be getting, which brings the cost per meal (for both of us) to about $4.39, but with a few random things leftover to create other, more creative meals, the cost will decrease once I account for all of the food.

In no particular order:

1. Chorizo
2. Burgers
3. Burgers
4. Fettuccini Alfredo
5. Vegetable Soup/Mashed Potatoe casserole
6. Chicken and Vegetable Spaghetti
7. Turkey Spinach Wraps with carrot fries
8. Garden Spaghetti
9. Green Onion Grilled Chicken and Homemade Fries
10. Wings, grilled potatoesand green bean salad
11. Crabcakes with veggies
12. Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas
13. Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Mac N Cheese
14. Steaks, potatoes and corn on the cub
15. Pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup, hashbrowns, eggs and sausage
16. Lean Cuisine Meal dinner
17. Stouffers  Meal dinner
18. Chicken Jambalya
19. Hamburger Helper
20. Clam Chowder with Baked Potatoes
21. Pork Chops Primavera
22. Steaks with Sweet Potatoe fries
23. Mediterranean Style Tuna Casserole

If I buy extra chicken meal 24 will be Chicken and Dumplings, using the triple veggie blend included in our package . What yumminess (sp?) are you cooking up this month/week?

Going Bento

I am thinking about buying a bento-style lunch box. But first I want to experiment with packing bento-style foods in my regular lunch carriers. I tend to "snack" more than eat full meals in the summer time, and at lunch time year round, at least when left to my own devices anyway.

So next week I'm planning on packing a few veggies,  fruit, cheese cubes and a few other things as lunch instead of the increasingly boring, turkey and cheese on wheat.

I do not like many traditionally asian foods (bento is a Japanese lunch box). I do  like  gimbop but I do not have the urge to make it. So I was wondering what non-japanese foods you use in your bentos/lunchboxes to make your lunches a little more fun and a little less sandwichy.

What do you take for lunch/pack for others? How do you keep your lunches from getting too mundane?

I'm "different, but in a good way"

According to my nephew, who's been staying the week with us I do things that are "different, but in a cool way." Well, at least he put me and cool in the same sentence.

He mentioned this when I:

- put carrots in to our sloppy joes
-put cheese on sloppy joes
-wrapped my husband's birthday gift in the Sunday comics
- made homemade garlic bread using old hamburger buns


I wonder what else I can do to suprise him with my "weirdness"....hmmm



Oh, when I asked him to shred the lettuce for our salad he asked me where the shredder was... HA!

Mary Mary How Does Your Garden Grow?

Its got  lots of cherry tomatoes:

Beets that may be made into wine:

And yellow squash!!

What I Wore Wednesday:

I don't think I've ever done one of these posts but I bought a cute outfir the other day and I just wanted to share.

It caught my eye when I was shopping with my sister-in-law and her daughters but I didn't have time to try it on the way I wanted so I went back and got it later.

Chocolate Cherry Cookies!

I bought a pound of cherries at Aldi for around $2. I ate a few in my ice cream and failed at making a cherry milkshake, but there were still a lot left so I decided to make cookies!

I found a great recipe at Cooking Debauchery, based on a recipe from Alton Brown who I think is fabulous.

Ingredients:

2 sticks  butter


2 1/4cups flur

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

6 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups milk and/or semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sour cherries


Steps':

1. Pit and slice the cherries. Pour vanilla over them and let stand for 1 hour.

2. In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat.  Cook on lw until the butter turns a golden caramel color  Set aside to cool for a few minutes. (I missed the cooling step and think I almost caramelized my sugar!)

3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.




4. Put the sugar in a bowl and add the butter. . Mix on medium until the sugar is thoroughly coated and beginning to melt. With the mixer still running add the egg, egg yolk and milk. Once thoroughly combined begin adding the flour mixture in several parts.

5. Stir in chips and cherries. Transfer dough to fridge for a least one hour.

6. Preheat oven to 375. Cook 6 on a tray for approx 12 minutes at a time.

These turned out yummy, but a little more cake-like in texture than I like my cookies to be. That didn't stop me from eating a handful of them. But I did make some to share!

I wonder what lucky person will receive this later in the week:

Weekend Plans:

Friday: clean and organize fridge and freezer, organize downstairs drawers, clean out car, watch big bang theory, and shop at wer seal and old navy. kick myself all night long for not buying the discounted rewards card. eat a smore.

Saturday: pick up Angel Food, possibly stop by new organic food store, pick up husband and go car shopping, hunt for car title that has mysteriously dissappeared from our safe keeping spot, argue with husband about whose fault it is, hopefully find it, make budget for next month, less $25 last nights shopping spree

Sunday, wake up early and exercise, lunch with inlaws- in cute new outfit, picture post to come, work on blog posts for July's "meltdown", read The Fiery Cross (Outlander). clip coupons.

What are you doing this weekend?

Good Deal Day!

Today I spent a grand total of 1.96 on grocery items at 3 stores (no extra gas because I was on the way home from already scheduled errands (ie: a trip to the mall)).

I came home with:

2 colgate toothbrushes (giant eagle)
2 scotch tapes (cvs)
2 bbq sauces (shop n save)

Thats an average of: 33 cents an item!

What is your latest shopping success?

Busy, Busy!

You can tell that my life has gotten busier, now that the snow is melted, because although I have made it my goal to post every day I always mess up on the weekend!

Friday I was just busy with work and doing things around the house.

Yesterday we went car shopping to try and replace my outlander and went to Mike's grandfather's/aunt and uncle's house. We chilled on the porch drinking sweet tea out of mason jars! It was great. We found a few cars we wouldn't mind buying but nothing that we really wanted.

Today I had to work at the grocery store and ended up staying over an hour. I came home, called my father and wished him a happy father's day, ate a boston butt my husband cooked, did laundry, clipped a tiny amount of coupons out of the paper and laughed over the comics. I love the one that poked fun at Oprah, and the Family Circus was really cute too.

Before heading home I scored a good deal at Giant Eagle

Hamburger Helper is usually $2 each.
This week the sale is $1 each. If you buy 5 you get a coupon for $3 off any brand of beef, chicken or tuna.

I bought six and used two coupons for a total of $3 off.
6-3=$3 +$3 Meat coupon= essentially free!!

PS: Do you have any good dessert recipes that don't use the oven?

OH! And please don't forget to vote!https://www.mkmakeovercontest.com/US/EN/Gallery/?Id=53f2b265-c360-4b5d-9187-c3555c67e994

Get Beautiful, Give Back! Vote please!

I could really use your votes! I entered a makeover contest for a chance to win a trip and $$$ to a charity of my choice. You can vote 5x a day per email address. Please vote for me! Voting opens at NOON TODAY!

I know my pictures are not the best ones up. We had to retake them last minute because the first ones turned out too dark. The first ones I looked better in though.

But I also had to write a paragraph on what I would do to give back if money, time and talent were not an issue. I wrote that I would do anything and everything I could to help children in need. In need of anything, love, food, shelter, education, time, clothes. That being said, if I win I will choose a child related charity for the money to go to.

So if you like me, like children or  like feeling beautiful, please vote for me. You can go through the link below or up above where it says please vote for me. Vote as many times as you can and share it with every one you know.

https://www.mkmakeovercontest.com/US/EN/Gallery/?Id=53f2b265-c360-4b5d-9187-c3555c67e994

Do you Pin?

Have you heard of pinterest?

It's a great site that lets you make virtual bulletin board stlye collections of your favorite things on the net.

I've divided my boards into a few categories.

My most populous boards are:

For the Home
Travel
Etsy  Wishlist

But I'm slowly building the other boards up.

You should check it out. Its a lot of fun, and slightly addicting.

Not again!

So on the way home from my successful coupoing trip yesterday my car overheated and had to be towed

It was close to 5:30 pm and I was ten minutes from my house when my service engine soon light came on. I thought that since I'd never had any problems and had no reason to suspect an immediate problem, thought I could make it the rest of the way home and could then get my husband to look under the hood.

Well, about three minutes later, I was passing my place of work and the gas pedal started making a metallic clicking noise whenever I pushed it. I decided to pull over into the parking lot.

To get to the parking lot, I had to make a left turn at an intersection. I am making the left turn and can no longer push the gas pedal. I see what looks like smoke. I pray "Please let me make it to the parking lot". It seems as if my car will stop dead in the intersection. The next thing I know I am in the parking lot. I think that God put my car there. I don't remember coasting in.

I called my husband and he called a mechanic shop that tows 24/7. The guy said  to put antifreeze in my car, start it and drive to the shop. We put antifreeze in and it poured out the bottom of my car. Eventually the tow truck came and we made it home a little after 8pm over 2.5 hours from when I pulled over.

Basically, a gasket blew and we can pay $1200 to "try to fix it" with no guarantee or $2400 for the motor to be replaced with a used motor that has more miles on it than my car or sell my car to a junk yard or we can wait.

We're going with "wait". A lot of my husband's friends and family that are mechanics have stepped up and are looking around for a better deal on a used motor for us.

It's Official! I'm addicted to CVS!

Shopping at CVS was so seamless and they were so friendly and eager to point out good deals that I now want to go back every week.

Transaction 1:

John Frieda Styling products Retail Value: 13.44
Sale Price= $2/10
-$5/1 q
-$2/9
=$3.18 OOP + $3 ECB

Transaction 2:

Hydro Razor Retail Value: 9.49
Shick Shave Gel 3.79
Sale Price: $8
-$4/1 Q
- $3ECB
- 3.79 Free shave gel the CASHIER GAVE ME
=1.06 OOP +$4 ECB

Transaction 3:
2 Hershey Drops Retail Value: $8.48
Sale Price: 2 for 4.30
Wrigleys Retail: 1.37
Trail Mix Retail: .74
-$2/2 Q
-$4 ECB
=.41 OOP

Then I went to Rite Aid where I didn't do as well as I wanted:

Transaction 1:

2 Degree Retail: $9.58
Sale: 8.88
-  4.44 B1G1 Q
- .75/1 Q
= 3.92 OOP +$3  wellness bucks

Transaction 2:

Bayer Retail: 3.99
-$2/1 q
-1.99 rebate
= FREE + 1.99 wellness bucks

Transaction 3:

2 Shick BladesRetail: 23.98
Sale: 2 for 11.99
-$1/1 Q
-$2/1 Q
-$3 wellness bucks
-1.99 wellness bucks
= OOP 4.24


Total Spent: 12.81
Total Saved: 63.25
Savings Rate of 79.75%

Total Haul:

2 John Friedas
1 Bayer
2 Degree deodorants
1 Shick Razor
2 cases of relacement blads
1 gum
1 trail mix
2 hersey drops

12 items=1.06 per item!

Whay drugstores do you prefer? Have any tips? Did you score any good deals at CVS this week?

Strike One

Whoops!

I've offically lost on my goal to post every day in June! That just means I've got to make up for it in July! I'm not letting myself off the hook for June though- I'm still going to try to post everyday. Hopefully this week I can get some posts built up so I don't have to worry about missing.

Anyway, here's why I didn't post yeterday:

I was having fun!!!

We had a couple over for dinner and game night and we had such a blast playing scategories, taboo and loaded questions (my 3 favorite games!). The couple have been friend with Mike for many years and  I'd  met them via Skype when we were in Korea but this was my first time hanging out with them in person. It was fabulous! We laughed the whole night through and I felt like I had known them forever.  I hope we have many more nights of laugheter ahead of us

  I made a pot roast in the crock pot with asian spices and root veggies. I southerned it up a it and made a broccoli casserole. Although, I'm not sure how "southern" a recipe is if you get the recipe from a Californian while you're in Glasgow Scotland!

Yesterday I wanted to blog about a job offer I recieved Friday via voicemail through a staffing agency I've been trying to work with. They left the message at noon while I was cashiering. I called back at 3:30 when my shift ended and the offer had been filled! Why did they even bother leaving a message?!

So tomorrow I am applying at Aldi because they are advertising a starting rate of eleven bucks! Sounds good to me! I'm also dropping my resume in the mail for an activities assitant job that I think would be really fun to have.

Tomorrow I'm attemptinh my first ever CVS and Rite Aid couponing trips. My fingers and toes are all crossed that I'll make out okay. I've gotten deal match ups from a few different blogs, have cut my coupons and sorted them into envelopes labeled with the store names. I've also included coupon policies and an instuction sheet that breaks down my shopping list into transaction listed in the order they should be completed. Learning couponing is exciting and fun, but also a bit exhausting, confusing and nerve racking at the same time. But it is something I am dedicated to learning so I'm going to push through and see if I can figure out how drugstore couponing works.

5QF

I haven't done this in awhile but today I'm particiapting in Five Question Friday over at My Little Life

1. How close to your childhood dreams is your life now?


Close but not there. I wanted to be famous, be a well read author,  be married, be a college graduate and have kids. So far I'm a married college grad. I also wanted to live somewhere sunny and that is not currently home.



2. What is one must have item for the summer?

A lawn chair! I can layout in a tanktop and bitty shorts but I need something comfy to lay out in!



3. Do you have your kids stay up on school stuff during summer vacation? (Or, if you don't have kiddos, did your parents make you keep up on school stuff during summer?)

I love to read so I would always do the summer reading programs and we would occasionally do workbooks to keep us uptodate.





4. Do you can or freeze fresh produce?


Nope but I really want to learn. I'm the type of person  that needs a hands on lesson thought


5. Do you get ready for the day first thing in the morning?

Eh. On the weekday yes and then I check my email while my hair drys- weekend I lounge around gor a bit first, unless I have somewhere to be

I Have More Street Smarts Than You Care to Admit

Certain people in my life (namely my father, sister and husband) are always getting on me because I like to read and the fact that I'm a little short changed when it common sense, and in fact they tend to form a relationship between the two which I think is dumb of them but anyway. I am not known for my street smarts, but I may have proven a few people wrong yesterday.

Here's the dealio:

A man got into my line and his total came to $2.12 and he  handed me a $100 bill. I checked it and started to count out his change.

He stopped me and took back the $100 bill and put it in his pocket and said he had the $2.12 instead****.

Then he says to me that he doesn't have the $2 but gave me the 12 cents and asked me for $98 change instead. So I  count out the $98 and set it on top of my register (At this point I knew what was going on and waas making sure to be extra cautious). I asked him for the $100 bill.

He told me he gave it to me. I said no you didn't. He told me to look in the bottom of my drawer, that he watched me out it there. I put my hand over the changed and quickly flipped through the bills.  I told him I put it there when he first handed it to me and then he put it in his pocket and never gave it back to me.

He handed me $2 and left.

**** Indicates when I first realized what was happening. Bells went off in my head beacause I read an article about how conartists try to swindle hot dog vendors out of extra cash by confusing them about what bills were given to them by trading the money back and forth a lot during the transaction

1 Mrs. BOOK SMARTS 0 Mr. Street Smart Loser

Take that!

Coupon High!

Today  I racked up on cleaning supplies at Giant Eagle.

Here's how it went down:

1st Transaction

Charmin Sales Price: 2 for $13
- .25 ecoupon
-$1 mfg coupon
= 11.75 + (-3 OYNO)

2nd Transaction

Cascade Action Packs Sale Price: 2 for $8
Mr Clean Sale Price: 2 for $5
-.25 cascade ecoupon
-.75 -.75  mr. clean coupon doubled
-.75 -.75 mr. clean coupon doubled
-.50 -.50 cascade coupon doubled
-.50-.50 cascade coupon doubled
-$3 OYNO Coupon
=5.23 + (-5 OYNO)

Third Transaction

20 GE Yogurts Sale Price: 20 for $10
2 Yopliat Yogurts reg price: .70 each
- 10% worker discount on GE yougurt
-$5 OYNO Coupon
=$4.95

Grand Total Spent: 21.93
Grand Total Saved: 16.09

I saved 42%!Thats not too bad considering my goal is 60%

I'm telling you this stuff is addicting. But one of the biggest things I've learned right now is pay attention- and save up. Don't use your coupons the Monday after you clip them and pay attention to store sales, clearances and randomly placed coupons.

One more tip: Don't leave your car keys by the Cascade.