$2 Really Does Buy What it Used To!

Below are my favorite finds from the week. I got all of this for $2.38!

Overall, I spent more money this week and saved less. I attribute it mostly to buying meat--chicken (8 lbs) and beef (5.5 lbs)--and a few ingredients for Jason's Birthday Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding!  I did venture out to other stores to get the best deals though--Winn Dixie and Western.  But I still got four 64 oz. bottles of Apple Juicy Juice (retail: $3.49 ea) from Publix for $.74 each!

So here's the breakdown:

Publix Retail: $125.54

I paid: $70.51

for a total savings of: $50.42

Other Grocery retail (excludes drug stores): $56.48

I spent: $40.67

For a total savings of: $15.81

TOTAL OOP: $115.55

TOTAL SAVINGS: $89.59

Anybody find any other great deals this week?

A Playdate with Congress?

Instead of boring anyone with political speak, I'm just going to share one thought about the President's address tonight.  Who told Nancy Pelosi that a knit jogging suit was acceptable attire for a Presidential address to a joint session of Congress?

In other news, Justice Gingsburg looked fantastic and I wish her all the best as she continues her battle of pancreatic cancer.  She gave one quick-witted entertaining speech to the law school in 2005 and looks to still be as fiesty today!

We're Off...

And life was never the same...

Coupon Clipping 101 and Aveda?

Ok, so I think I drank the kool-aid.  

Several girls in our lifegroup attended a session at our church last week about how to save money on groceries and household items.  The woman who "taught" the class buys all her household products (diapers, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, toiletries, paper towels, etc) and groceries to feed her family of four nutritious meals throughout the week for $250 a MONTH.   The best part? She does it all by shopping at PUBLIX and drug stores.  

Through a somewhat complicated, yet well organized system of blog reading, coupon clipping, and sale shopping she condensed her money saving methods into an understandable, albeit overwhelming,  "How to seminar."  One of the most compelling aspects of the session was her focus our stewardship responsibility and that regardless of our "ability" to pay full price, why not make the effort to save money and give away the money we save to those in greater need? Or, why not use the coupons we clip to get "free or nearly free" items and donate those?   While I can't get the visual on whether Jesus would be a coupon clipper, I was certainly convinced and ready to give it a try.

To be clear, there are two "games."  The grocery store game (www.thegrocerygame.com) and drug store deals.  I decided to try my hand at Publix and CVS this week.   So, here is what I bought for the week:

All of these are items our family uses and should feed us for the week (along with things I already had at home).  We don't need the household items immediately, but they are not perishable so I guess I started my "stockpile!" 

Now, here is what I spent:

CVS Retail Price: $93.96

I Spent: $39.43

Savings: $54.53

Publix Retail Price: $114.87

I spent: $64.45

Savings: $50.42

Total Expense to us this week: $103.88

Total Savings: $104.95

I am a little disappointed with the CVS performance, but I learned a few valuable lessons this week which I hope help in the future! Thanks for indulging me in this post as I learn!  I am blogging about it more for accountability than anything else because I really want to try to keep this up.  It is effort, but totally worth it!

In other "good deals" news I was in the Galleria today (primarily visiting one elephant on the carousel with my toddler), but I also picked up a price list for the "Aveda Institute" Salon (I think this is their "beauty school where students perform services).  I thought some of the prices were great! (Although, I'm not sure I would trust a hair cut or color to them).  Some of the prices are:

Haircut and style: $15

Foils and Highlights for medium (above shoulder) hair: $40

30 minute Manicure: $12

30 minute Pedicure: $14

30 minute facial: $20

60 minute facial: $40

Brow Waxing: $8

If anyone has been here leave a comment and let me know what you thought!

The Hammer Holds

I enjoyed some time today working on grants for BTS at my favorite "free internet" hangout--Cool Beans.  The only problem working here is I have to listen to soft music to drown out the chatter of other coffee house patrons.  Today however, the random I-tunes shuffle played an old Bebo Norman song that really spoke to me--especially as we begin preparing for Easter.  It is such beautiful poetry, I copied the lyrics below.

The Hammer Holds  

A shapeless peice of steel, that's all I claim to be

This hammer pounds to give me form, this flame, it melts my dreams

I glow with fire and fury, as I'm twisted like a vine

My final shape, my final form I'm sure I'm bound to find

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain

And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames

And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold

But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

And the water, it cools me gray, and the hurt's subdued somehow

I have my shape, this sharpened point, what is my purpose now?

And the question still remains, what am I to be?

Perhaps some perfect peice of art displayed for all to see

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain

And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames

And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold

But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

The hammer pounds again, but flames I do not feel

This force that drives me, helplessly, through flesh, and wood reveals

A burn that burns much deeper, it's more than I can stand

The reason for my life was to take the life of a guiltless man

So dream a little dream for me in hopes that I'll remain

And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the pain

And hurt a little, hurt for me, my future is so bold

But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

This task before me may seem unclear

But it, my maker holds.

Mom, Dad, I'm going to be a plumber...

I shutter to think of the reaction from my parents if I had actually announced my intention to go into plumbing.  I can already see the dollar signs of thirteen years of private school and four years of private college scrolling over my Dad's eyes.  To be clear, plumbing is an admirable, and much needed profession, but my admission to trade school would have destroyed my high school's 100% four year college acceptance rate. Moreover, even if I had identified plumbing as my chosen career, I would have been sorely out of luck on the BSC campus, as I'm certain there are no plumbing (or otherwise technical) classes anywhere in the course catalog.  So alas, I opted for the more parentally acceptable career (albeit short) choice: law. Unfortunately, I was reminded today exactly how unprofitable my choice was.  

It all started about 9:00 this morning when, after putting Emma down for a nap, I began my morning chores. As I was scrubbing down the kitchen island, I heard a familiar "gurgle" from the sink.  I gently leaned over the counter to inspect the situation when I saw black sludge bubbling up.  In a minor panic, I threw the switch to the garbage disposal praying Jason had crammed an entire ham down the drain but forgotten to turn the disposal on.  No such luck. Instead, the sludge continued to rise and was now, due to the disposal, spraying the walls of the kitchen.  Considering whether to grab the plunger, I began to hear the sound of water flowing in the next room.  I quickly stepped into the den where the washing machine was pouring out water and flooding our den. After a quick flashback to the Great Flood of April 2006, I slammed the machine off, grabbed some towels, rolled up my jeans and emailed for help--for a plumber recommendation that is.  

And because some of us are "visual learners" here is what my kitchen sink looked like after the rapids died down (and yes, I've already thrown away that passy...):

And the den:

Several great recommendations and one hour later, we had a plumber, Ronald, to the rescue.  He unloaded 1 tool (which incidentally resembled a box fan) and just 25 minutes later (10 of which he spent babysitting the sink while he ran hot water down it), he declared my problem solved!  He next asked for a permanent marker which he used to write his name and phone number on the inside of my sink cabinet door (bar bathroom style) for the "next" emergency (honestly, you can't make this stuff up people).  Then, he handed me a bill for 25 minutes of work totaling $385!  Now, I'm no math whiz, but his hourly rate far exceeds the vast majority of most billing attorneys in Birmingham and sounds more like those charged by Heidi Fliess.  As I painstakingly wrote the check and handed it to my now good buddy Ronnie, I caught myself just before audibly uttering the only phrase I found fitting, "Thank you sir, may I have another."  

So the moral of the story?  Somehow, I managed to indebt myself thousands of dollars to get an education for a profession that requires more hours, is certainly more emotionally taxing, and receives less pay than my neighborhood plumber. Sure practicing law doesn't require you to stand in "literal pooh" or be on call for emergencies in the middle of the night, but I'm not sure "legal pooh" is always cleaner and with crackberries, lawyers might as well be on call every night.  

So this one's for all the Joe-the-plumbers out there.  Thank you for all you do and may you enjoy every minute of your higher tax bracket.

It could all be yours!

The time has come for us to start shopping around our house in Cahaba Heights. And what better place to shamelessly (and freely) plug the house? The relevant specs are:

 

3 Bedrooms, 2 baths;

Updated Kitchen with granite countertops and new (2006) stainless appliances;

Brand new energy saving Heatpump installed in 2007;

Roof new in 2005;

Refinished hardwoods and ceramic tile throughout; and

GREAT, GREAT Location:

2 minute walk to the Heights Village with Starbucks, Ocars and Yankee Pizzeria; and

Less than 5 minute drive to the Summit, Whole Foods shopping, and the Overton Village.

Enjoy the montage below and please tell your friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, college roommate, or even perfect strangers about a terrific house zoned for Vestavia schools!  Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you know someone who is interested!