I have a lot to catch up on

So it has been forever since I posted any of my shopping deals. And it has not been because I have not gotten good deals or I stopped shopping with coupons. Sadly the sales had not been as good and I was making very small trips for only the best deals. Most of the things on sale we just would not use. So with so few things to take photos I just did not have the motivation to post them.
But that has changed this week!
Today I made stops at 2 stores, Winn Dixie and my favorite, Publix.
But before I get into that I want to tell you something really cool. I WON another Publix Gift card!!! This one was for $100.00 again! WAHOO!! What a blessing!

This one was from 7UP and Publix!
So here are my grocery trips that I made today. The first one is from Winn Dixie...

The total for all this before sales and coupons was $113.73. I paid $8.64! A savings of 92.5%. And I got back a $10.00 off coupon for my next purchase! So if you take that into account it was like I made $1.36 for all these things. I did 2 transactions so that I could take advantage of one $10.00 of coupon to get more items. Here is what I got...
14-Boxes of Kellogs cereal
6-Boxes of Fruit Kellogs snacks
3- loaves of Whole Wheat bread
3.5lbs. Grapes
4- Pack Klondike ice cream bars
6- Boxes ziplock bags.

And this is my Publix trip...
The total for all of this before sales and coupons $129.45. And the total after was only $7.93! A savings of 93%! I used my winning gift card to pay for it so really I had nothing out of pocket and it was all free! And this is what I got...
2- bags Sun Chips
4- bottles Sundown Vitamin D
1- 8oz package fresh Mushrooms (yum!)
8- cans Old Orchard frozen Juice
4- Schick razors
12- Glad Cling Wrap
24- packs Sprouts Organic Baby food (NO, I am not expecting! After coupons it was free and I thought it was a great thing to donate!)
2- bottles Rice Vinegar
1- bottle Sesame Oil
2- boxes Lucky Charms cereal
8- boxes Go-Gurt Yogurt
1- Kraft Olive oil Mayonnaise
1- bottle Suave Shampoo
1- pack Cream Cheese
And here is the really long receipt from Publix with Keeley to show just how big it is.

The Battle of the Buck

It has been terribly frustrating over the last year.   Saving money, spending as little as possible, cutting back in so many ways, using very little credit and diligently paying it off every month, and mucking through a bunch of b.s. hoping to get ahead. 

At times, it can feel like you are alone, fighting in a battle that no one else seems to be fighting.  I never understand how some people can keep spending, and doing the same things they've always done, when things seem so tough?

However, I read these articles today, and saw some connections that I thought were interesting.

#1 - How to get ahead in today's economy
The first point, in this article, was that YOU don't deserve a job.  I thought that was an interesting idea, considering how much of the world's economic progress has been based on America's stability.   Truly, Americans have been the backbone of the last 100 years of economic development.  So apparently, the mantle has moved from America to other, more industrious countries now?  In America's economy, today, employers are finding more ways to cut back and keep their costs lower.  And this author, throws out this quick jab pointing out how useless we workers really are:
"Employers these days have little tolerance for staffers who complain about doing more with less. But they reward workers who solve problems and make the company more productive. Once the recovery picks up, they'll be the ones in line for raises and promotions."
 OUCH!  That comment smarted a little bit ... especially when you think about how hard you work, how much you are asked to get done, how much time and energy you invest into your employer, and how little you get in return for it.  They'll reward workers ... ?   Really?   When?  How long will that take?  Do you mean ... after they've traded all the jobs they can to India, or Indonesia, or China?  They'll start rewarding those employees by paying them $.10 more per hour?  Is that really what employers will do?

In fact, here's an article that describes what I think employers are ACTUALLY doing with the massive productivity and stagnant pay they are dishing out right now:

The reality of frugality
To be sure, many shoppers, especially the wealthy, are buying into the recovery.

Some economists put their hopes for the economy in the rich, who are spending more freely than the rest of the population. They hold out hope that this will encourage more hiring and stimulate spending by the less wealthy. More spending could increase companies' revenue, which allow them to boost hiring and pay. And that would lead their employees to spend more.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. returned to a first-quarter profit as more travelers vacationed on its ships and spent more money on board. And makers of luxury goods are benefiting from a release of pent-up demand for jewelry, watches and high-end furnishings.

High-end retailers have reported blowout results. Nordstrom's revenue in stores open at least one year jumped 16.8 percent last month. Saks' surged 12.7 percent.

McClaren Automotive has announced it will debut a $200,000 sports car in the U.S. next year. And business is picking up faster at high-end hotels than at mid-priced and budget hotels.
 However, I don't see any benefit coming to lower and working classes right now.  I see no break from the day to day level of idiocy going on across corporate America.  Sure the wealthy may be spending, but that's because they have it to spend.  I don't know any lower or middle income person right now who has more to spend.  Do you? 

Sure, we may have more savings.  But, that's because we're tired of getting stripped and robbed by people who don't have our best interests at heart.

And ... as if to prove my point ...

Check out this op-ed column from the New York Times, Bob Herbert:
American workers forced out of jobs for what?

I am, and have been, wrong on SO MANY things about average American people.  They always tend to do the things that I would never expect.

But, it does give me some hope ... especially in the light of the thriving growth of the political tea party over the last year ... that even though the wealthy (above) continue unabated in their lifestyles, normal consumers may have the last word.

Why?  Because ...
"consumers fuel about 70 percent of the economy, their tightfisted habits means the rebound could stay unusually sluggish"
I'm not saying that sluggish spending will help consumers.  I am saying that ... if well positioned ... consumer spending could catapult honest, locally-based, ethical businesses, over-and-above the rampant slashing, burning, and destruction most huge, multi-national companies are trying to do right now.

As a consumer ... you have the right to choose the battle for your buck.  Aim your spending choices wisely, and you could actually fuel a recovery that lasts for all the right reasons.  Not just in rewarding some corporate suckety-muck who feels it's his obligation to splurge when and where he wants, in an effort to fuel the 'recovering' economy.

Al

A Bit of Snorkeling on the Choppy Keys

One of our primary goals was to get to the Florida Keys again so we could enjoy the great underwater environment with the girls. They seemed to LOVE it last time. So we were decided to splurge a bit and go back out snorkeling with them. But Chris was able to score some great Buy one get one coupons so we got half off our Snorkel trips! Always looking out for a deal!

These pics are from our trip down from a couple of months ago. I'm just finally getting the chance to share them.

Now, we've gone out with 3 different snorkel boats - and we even made it out BEFORE all the oil that BP has released into the Gulf hits the entire coastline and screws up most of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, it turned out to be fairly poor weather, so we had to put up with some super choppy water. However I would prefer vacationing out on the water over almost anything else - even if I had to put up with a little bit of sea sickness.

Here were a few pics from our trip this time:
This is one of the boats that we went on.


One of the many Barracuda that we saw. And he is even one of the smaller ones.

And this is one of the rare Kaitlyn fish!



Kevin from The Wonder Years actor Fred Savage

Fred Savage, made famous as the star of the hit TV show The Wonder Years that ran from 1988 to 1993.  He was the youngest actor ever at the age of 13 to be nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.  




Fred Savage in  The Wonder Years days

Fred began his acting career in the series Morningstar/Eveningstar co-starring Sherry Hursey, Darrell Larson, Kate Reid, Elizabeth Wilson,

On the Road Again

This was an interesting sight that greeted us getting off the highway the other day.

The driver was SO anxious to get back on the road that, I guess, he forgot to hook his trailer back up to his truck.




Cool!

Went To See Eclipse!


I took my 13 year old and her friend to see Eclipse. I honestly was looking forward to it. I enjoyed the books. The movies so far have been good of course the book is always better in any book to movie adaption. I have to say Eclipse was the best of the movies so far. It had more romance and action than the other 2 and it also showed more of the Cullens especially Jasper and Rosalie. I found Jasper's role in the movie to be awesome I wish there was even more. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but they show flashbacks of Jasper as well as Rosalie and they were fabulous.

My daughter, her friend and I are now officially Team Jasper. Forget about Edward and Jacob. Jasper is just adorable especially with Alice. My daughter has also had it with Bella. She doesn't understand why everyone is so into her. My daughter thinks she's boring. She still loves Edward, but Jasper has won her over. We can only hope that Stephanie Myers writes more especially about Jasper and Alice. I think that would be a much more interesting story.

I really enjoyed the movie though my daughter was a little annoyed with the Bella, Edward and Jacob love triangle. She thought it was stupid. I do have to say I wish it ended here because I have no idea how they're going to bring Breaking Dawn to the screen and honestly I'm not sure I want to see it. It was definitely my least favorite book of the series. I thought it had way too much Jacob and at that point in the story I thought we were done with him, but no he's just like an itch you can't scratch. I guess I'll find out though because I have to see how it all ends in the movies that is.

Twitpic - Check out what climbed out from under my desk today

I was sitting down at my desk this morning, getting ready to start working, and this little monster slid out from under my desk.

It shocked me a little bit. I definitely wasn't expecting it.
I'm not too good with this species, but thankfully Tim was willing to take a hit for the team. Well, it tried to bite him, but I guess it's teeth weren't long enough to do much damage.

It's definitely not something we see everyday, even when there are thousands of strange creatures running around down here.

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

Forth of July Story

I hope everyone had a great forth of July. We had a great day. We went to the Red Sox game. It was a challenge driving into Boston as many of the roads were closed. My husband did it with little help from the navigation device. If the stupid thing said it was recalculating one more time I was going to loose it.

We made it in and ate at Boston Beer Works. We had to wait like 45 minutes, but we ate quick and headed into the part. It was pretty awesome. They drop the big flag over the Green Monster and there was a fly over. The kids loved it. I had them dressed in their Red Sox shirts and some festive ribbons in their hair. They were so happy to be there the only problem was it was really hot. When we got to our seats we were happy to find that we were in the shade at least for a little while. That sun line kept creeping its way toward us. It finally hit us half way through the game. We were prepared with our hats and sunblock so no big deal. We got the girls and ourselves drinks and the little one got a frozen lemonade. Oh and we had some popcorn.

We sang all Sweet Caroline and Take Me Out to the Ballgame. The girls loved it. Then a really entertaining thing happened. It was right before the 9th inning and they were playing Mylie Cyrus's song Party in the USA. Well my little one was getting a little board so I started singing and dancing with her in our seats. Someone spotted us and we ended up on the big screen. My daughter was so excited and I was a little embarrassed. It was the best part of her day. All in all it was a great day the only bad part was the Sox lost. It was disappointing, but we were happy to be there. We got some ice cream on the way home and then collapsed when we got there. It was a long, fun day that the girls and I will always remember.

Up To?

Hi,
I apologize about the LONG delay in writing. Even though it's been quite a long time since you've heard from me, it's not because we haven't been doing anything ... although ... we haven't really been doing anything.

Truthfully, I have been working on a book in my spare time. It's taken me an extra month to get it to where I really wanted it. But, I didn't really want to rush the process. I want to be proud of what I've written.

Anyhow ...

Here's the reason I am writing today. I would like to ask for a minute of your time, and see if you will offer your opinion?

Over to the right, over there, is a survey.

I will probably update it with new questions over the next few weeks, but right now I truly need your help in giving me guidance on a title for my book. Please let me know what you think?

If you like one of my current ideas listed, please choose it.
Here are my current titles:
10 Minute Content
Supersonic Content
One Minute Content
Instant Content

If you don't, please submit a different idea in the comment section below. I'll make sure and look through all of the ideas.

As you can tell, the book is about writing. Specifically, it's about writing content quickly, in short bursts of activity.


Finally, I want to thank you for taking the time to help me out in completing this project. I will be having this book professionally edited over the next month or two, and then going into the self-publishing process. If you've read this far, I have one last request from about 5 people. I would like to have about 5 people read my book for me, specifically to offer me editing advice.

If you would like to help me, and read the book, and then you decide you don't think I should have written it ... I don't really want to know that. It doesn't really help me ... I still plan on publishing it whether or not you think it should be used as toilet paper.

However, I truly want you to ready through it and offer me corrective advice and suggestions so I can make it a helpful tool.

Thanks so much for you time!
If you're interested, shoot me a comment below, or send me a message on facebook, or send an email. If you don't know my email, and you want it, let me know in the comments below.


Talk soon!
Al

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief on DVD


This week is a week my girls have been looking forward to since they first saw Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief in the theaters. This is the week it came out on video. They loved the movie and to be honest so did I. After my 9 year old saw it she wanted to read the book right away. I think any movie that encourages reading is a good thing. I have been meaning to read the books as well.

Anyway the movie came out on DVD and Blu-ray this week. I picked it up on Blu-ray on Tuesday. My daughter went to watch it with her cousin on Tuesday and they had a great time. Now since we got the movie they have both watched it about 4 times. They love it. When I finally had time to watch it last night they sat down with me and watched it again. Truly a great movie that I hope will be the first of many Percy Jackson movies. It is just such a fun movie that if you didn't get a chance to see in the theaters I highly recommend you give it a try now. You won't be disappointed.

Unnatural History


My girls particularly my 9 year old is in love with this new show, Unnatural HistoryThe. If you don't regularly watch The Cartoon Network then you probably wouldn't know what this show is and let me tell you it is very entertaining. In fact it's a show that my whole family has sat down and watched together the past 2 weeks and we are looking forward to this weeks episode or adventure.

The show centers around a teen boy named Henry who has grown up all around the world and learning exceptional skills along the way. His parents think it's time for him to go home. They send him to live with his uncle and his cousin Jasper. He will attend a school that is part of a museum. There he works in a room where there are all kinds of historical artifacts that need to be logged and he finds all kinds of things. Adventures are abound and what I really love is they mix in real historical information in the show. So while watching the show my kids are being entertained by the action and there is quite a bit and they also learn about some interesting things from history. I love history as does my husband and my oldest daughter now my youngest is getting interested. I say bravo to The Cartoon Network for airing a show like this. My girls don't usually watch The Cartoon Network. Well except for Total Drama Island/Action/World Tour, but now they will be tuning in every Sunday night at 8:00pm. If you haven't checked the show out you should it really is a fun show.

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