You Saved $$$ Today

I love a good deal. I have in fact blogged about good deals I have gotten in the past because they are usually awesome and I want to share. I am convinced that nothing is actually worth the full price it's usually labeled with. There might be rare exceptions, but I think they are so far and few between, we will pretend like they don't exist.

Yesterday Rob and I had a big day running errands. We went to Micheal's, Target, and Wegmans. It's kind of a risky move for a Saturday following a snow storm, but we braved the crowds anyway armed with a shopping list and fist fulls of coupons. At Micheal's we had to get two frames; one for a frame that broke a while ago and one for a collage photo our friends gave us for Christmas. Micheal's had a sale going for 40% off frames and then an additional 25% on top of that. So we bought two frames and some ribbon for the wedding for what one frame would have originally cost us. Not bad!

We moved onto Target where we were only going to pick up some healthy and beauty items because they are usually cheaper here than at Wegmans. (I love my Wegmans, but it's basically true for all grocery stores.) While strolling the aisles at Target, we found they had a lot of things on sale and even found a few target brand coupons hidden in the items (like an Easter egg hunt!) which is great because we can use them in conjunction with manufacturer's coupons. I think on one set of items we bought we actually made money on. Combine the coupons with Rob's discount and we saved over $20 which was almost half our original total. Wohoo!

Wegman's also proved to be pretty rewarding with our coupons and discounts and bottle returns. Not as much as the last two, but I think we did pretty good. What I wish Wegmans was able to do was display the amount saved by buying their brand item instead of the name brand stuff. Most of the time even if I have a coupon, it's cheaper to get the Wegmans brand item, which was almost never the case in GA so it's taken some getting used to.

In total we saved almost $50 on our trip out getting the things we needed. I just can't imagine going out without coupons and hunting for good deals. Then again, I also know there are people who are much better at this game than I am, but so far I think I am doing ok. Here are some sites that I find really helpful when trying to find a bigger discount on something (especially retail stores).

For the crafty types, signing up for AC Moore and Micheal's online will get you coupons in addition to what's in the paper. My sister passed on a 60% off coupon to me from Micheal's that I printed out about 10 of and used them to buy wedding supplies. Huge savings.

Retail Me Not - Great for buying from retailers online, plug in the name of the company and see if there are any deals active
Coupon Mom - Printable coupons for groceries
Coupon Album - Similar to Retail Me Not
A Full Cup - Signed up for this recently, but haven't figured out how to really work it. I guess you can trade coupons you have. I think you can also search, but I haven't had time to go back.
Target - As I was explaining to Rob what I was blogging about, he informed me of this site. Better late than never. :P Also, if he goes with you, he is worth 10% off. :)

So go forth and save!

My Laptops

When I am home sick, it's a party in my lap.

What Sounds Like Nails On A Chalkboard?

Before I even begin this blog entry, let me start by saying I think everyone is entitled to enjoying whatever kinds of music makes them happy. The problem occurs when people assume that their musical tastes are the same as everyone else.

I love music. I love variety. But I don't love all music. I don't really care for most rap music, but what I really can't stand is country music. When I hear country music playing it kind of makes me want to go play in traffic. There's something about it that makes my ears curl and it just deflates me.

Half of my time at work is spent next to the shipping department in this new job. They often have music going but usually it's the Oldies from like the 50s-70s. It's easy of the ears and kind of makes you bop around sometimes. I think Oldies is a perfect choice for shared music because it's one of those categories of music that the majority of people can at the very least tolerate. I would say this is pretty key when you have 10-15 people working within ear shot and having people passing through all day long.

Sadly the man who is usually in charge of the music selection was out today and the guy that's normally in the way back was brought up to the front. He just loves his country. I notice that my boss who usually sits in that area all day is missing on the days when the music has changed. Could be coincidence, but I think he doesn't like it either. :P

The other oddity that sometimes happens regardless of music choice is the other individual who whistles to whatever is being played. I never thought that would grate on me, but apparently that's right up there next to country music. I think it's because they think they are totally in tune with the music, but it's never so. It's like those people who think they sing really well but don't. It just ruins the music.

This being said, I hope that I have never subjected people to anything like this. If I have, I apologize. It drives me to brink of tweaking out at work and I would hate to think I would have done that to someone else. I just hope the normal guy is back tomorrow so I don't loose my mind.

Enjoying Winter CNY Style

The holidays are over and the invitations are out, now that we have a little free time on our hands, we have been trying to get out and experience the CNY winter we have been having for the last 2 months. There's a lot to do if you don't mind being bundled up and playing in the snow.

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get out and snowshoe around Beaver Lake Nature Center which I haven't done in forever. Thankfully it's a skill that comes pretty naturally, however I would say, running in snowshoes is not a wise choice. We spent a few hours with Josh and Anne trudging around the lake and enjoying hot cider after. Fresh air does wonders for the body. Even if it's 30 degree fresh air. :)

This weekend we actually got out to the slopes at Labrador Mountain for the first time this season. Skiing here is a LOT different than the last few places we have skied. For one, we didn't need to take an air plane or sit in the car for 9+ hours. The other was the fact that it was a one day trip, not 3 or 4. This meant that when the legs started to feel it, we would call it a day and go home. When you are in Colorado, you suck up that pain and enjoy the wonderful skiing experience that is the West and have fun. You can regain feeling in your legs later. :P

We managed to stay upright most of the day and had a pretty good time. We started on the "bunny" hill and migrated over to the 3 person chair lift after a few runs. Even though it recently got pretty warm around here, the skiing was still pretty good. It's not powder, but it's not a sheet of ice and it's not granulated slushie mix either so not prime conditions, but definitely ski-able.

I actually learned to ski on this very hill on a learn to ski day in high school. I think I went about 3 times in high school and then maybe once or twice in college. The most skiing I ever did was the years I lived in DC with the trips in CO and up to PA. I really enjoy it, but it costs $$ for the lift ticket and I can never justify a season pass because too many other things are always going on. Maybe next year it what I always tell myself and this year is no different. :)

If we get really ambitious, to continue our outdoor experiences in CNY, we might hit up the Clinton Square Outdoor Ice Skating Rink next weekend. It's going to be one of our last "free" weekends until after the wedding. That's ok with us because it means we will be partying and carrying on in the meantime!

A Family Wedding Gift

We received a special wedding gift last weekend. My parents presented us with this gift which has some ties back to my family. In my grandparents house, back in the time that my dad was growing up (eons ago really), they used to have a clock that sat in the living room. It was a wind up clock that would sit on the mantle as a prominent piece in the living room. That particular clock has since been displaced somewhere outside the family, however my dad bought a replica for himself about 7 years ago. For one of our wedding gifts, he found an original smaller clock for Rob and I.


It's a 8 day clock which means once a week, we need to remember to wind it otherwise it will run out of spring power and be right only twice a day. You can hear the pendulum swing back and forth making the "tic-toc" noise. It chimes quietly on the hour and at half past it will ding. It's added a nice sort of white noise and I am happy to have a familiar family piece in our house.

Homemade Bread

A while ago, Rob and I decided we just weren't finding bread we liked enough, so we thought we would give it a go and make our own. For a while we were making loaves by using the Kitchen Aid mixer to make the dough and then waiting for it to rise and then punch it down and put it in the pan and then wait again and then bake it. It worked, but it was a pain.

For Christmas, my parents got us our bread maker we had put on our registry. They knew we were making our own bread and thought it would be a good gift to have early. We were quite thrilled and surprised to get it. They also supplied a number of bread related items including flour and yeast which was helpful.

Sadly, the first box we opened had a scratched pan, so we traded that one in and received our replacement while we were out wedding planning so we just had our christening event with our first baked loaf tonight. It was amazing! We made a French Crusty Garlic Loaf. It smelled great and tasted awesome! We even have the ability to delay the start on the bread maker while would allow us to wake up to fresh sweet breads on the weekends, which I can't wait to do. Overall, pretty thrilled to be able to set it, forget it, and get delicious bread.

Cat Naps

After I had gone to work, Rob snapped some photos to show me what happens when I leave.



Lazy bums!