I generally am a pretty happy person. Well, maybe not but I can usually keep my disatisfactions to myself.
But I've been having a really rough patch lately.
Have I mentioned I have 3 teenagers?
Since the oldest #1 son is off living the high life at college I can't complain too much about him, as I'm not dealing with him on a day-to-day basis.
It's the other two alien life forms living in my house.
Yes, I called my beloved children aliens....deal with it!
Because afterall, that's what teens are....aliens.
The hormones have overtaken their brains and bodies, turning them into people I don't know anymore.
And most days, that means people I would really rather NOT know!
And it's just to the point where I can't even say a word to them without being demeaned in some way....either with a look, a sarcastic tone, a negative put down.
I've.
Had.
IT!
It's parent abuse.
It's got me depressed.
And I just want to run away.
I find myself thinking as I'm doing a chore around here, why the hell do I even bother?
Doing their laundry.....why do I bother since they'll just dump it on the floor.
Cooking meals....half the time they say they don't want to eat since it's something they suddenly don't like.
Cleaning up after THEIR dogs.....it's easier just to do it because I am tired of fighting with them to do their chores.
Why do I go through all the hassle and trouble to coupon and shop strategically so I can get the things they want and not go broke in the process?
What does it get me? A snarl, an eye rolling, a put down.
Yes, they KNOW everything and I'm just a pitiful old stupid woman who's ready to be wheeled to the nursing home.
When school lets out in the afternoon, I spend the rest of the day/evening avoiding my own children.
Yah, I know this phase will pass but please, can it pass a little faster?
I just don't get why mothers have nervous breakdowns when they become empty-nesters!
I'll be the mom throwing a block party the day the last kid pulls out of the driveway headed for college.
Ok, I'm done with my depressing babbling for now.
Time to go get a spoon and seek out my only true friends, Ben & Jerry.....
Sluggy
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Fried Fish...A Breading Idea
If someone is cooking fish and there is a southerner involved, you know that fish traditionally will be fried. While fried fish is NOT the healthiest choice around, sometimes you just have to give in to your inner Southerner and make it!
In the south when it comes to frying fish, like Shakespeare might have said if he was from North Carolina, "The breading is the thing."
If a southerner is frying up a mess a' fish that breading will involve cornmeal.
Everyone has their own ratio of meal to flour that they prefer....some even fore go the flour altogether and bread in straight cornmeal.
I also love one of the quintessential southern side dishes that goes with fried fish....hush puppies! That slightly sweetened, oniony ball of fried dough takes me back to my youthful days. Nothing beats a good puppy....
But fried fish and fried hush puppies are just too much fried for my old clogging arteries.
Here is how I get the taste of both with half the grease....
I use hush puppy mix to bread my fish!
This simple yet elusive taste combination was borne out of neccessity. One night as I went to bread some fish for frying, I discovered I was out of cornmeal..oh the horrors! I didn't even have one of those handy little boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix to substitute for the missing ingredient.
But I remembered I had a bag of hush puppy mix, which is basically cornmeal and flour with some spices and a touch of sugar.
So I used the puppy mix for my breading.
Let me tell you, it was a taste of heaven!
And not only was it a great way to get BOTH taste treats and a grease & calorie reducing move(since I only consumed 1 fried item, not 2)but it was a time saver too since I didn't also have to make the hush puppies.lol
Sluggy
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2 Manu Qs+Wellness CRT Q=Cheap Herbal Essences at Rite-Aid 3/14-3/20 *UPDATE*
Ok, if you have a Wellness Card and used it at Rite-Aid this week or last, you probably received a Q printed on yout register receipt(CRT Q)for $1 off any Hair Care Product purchase priced at $1.99 or more.
The week of 3/14-3/20 at Rite-Aid HERBAL ESSENCE Hair Care Products will be on sale for $2.99.
Take that CRT Q and the Herbal Essence BOGO(Buy any Herbal Essence item, Get a Styling item free) Q from the P&G 2/7 insert to your Rite-Aid AND the $1/1 Herbal Essences Q that is due in this Sunday's inserts.
Buy 1 Herbal Essence Shampoo or Condition and 1 Herbal Essence Styling Product.
These will ring up for a total of $5.98.
Hand over your $1 Hair Care CRT Q, the $1/1 Herbal Essence Manu Q from this Sunday's insert and your BOGO Herbal Essence Styling Product ManuQ. The BOGO will get you 1 product for free and the other 2 Qs will be taken off your other Herbal Essence product.
$5.98-$4.99=$.99.
Pay $.99 for both items.
A nice price for Hair stuff!
Sluggy
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Rite-Aid Trip on 3/6/10.....Strange Register Voodoo Makes me Smile!
Well, this store only had 1 SCR item left that I wanted, the Listerine Pocket Packs.
So I wandered around the aisles looking for what else I could buy as inexpensively as possible, to get me up to $20 so I could use the $5 off $20 Q.
I ended up doing the PREVACID Deal this trip as well, though I didn't need it to get to $20. Now I know Prevacid will be on sale next week at Rite-Aid but since I am getting everything OOP back, except for the $4 they will deduct for the ManuQ that was with the Rebate form in the Parade Magazine, I'm not concerned. No matter the OOP now, I'll get it back minus the $4 Q amount.
So here's what I bought....
4 x Kleenex Tissue on sale BOGO($2.49)=$4.98
1 x Ocean Saline Rinse on sale=$.99
1 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale=$2.49
1 x Colgate Toothbrush on sale=$2.49
1 x Prevacid 42ct.=$28.99
2 x Revlon Eye Shadow on sale BOGO($4.99)=$4.99
1 x Listerine Pocket Packs on sale=$3.99
2 x Ricola Cough Drops on sale($.99)=$1.98
SubTotal....$50.90
Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks IPQ=$5.00
1 x $1/4 Kleenex Tissue ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/3 Kleenex Tissue AdPerks IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 any Oral Care over $1.99 Wellness IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Colgate Toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 any Oral Care over $1.99 Wellness IPQ=$1.00
1 x $2.90 10% off Wellness Discount on Prevacid=$2.90
1 x $10/1 Prevacid Manu IPQ=$10.00
1 x $10/1 Prevacid 42ct. AdPerks IPQ=$10.00
1 x $4/1 Prevacid Peelie Q=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Revlon Eye ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine Pocket Packs ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 any Oral Care over $1.99 Wellness IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Ricola Cough Drops ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$42.00
$50.90-$44.90=$6.00 OOP
I have spent enough at Rite-Aid that I get an automatic 10% discount on any item I buy that isn't on sale.
That is why I received an additional $2.90 off the Prevacid that wasn't on sale.
You'll also notice that I used THREE coupons on the Prevacid. I came armed with a ManuQ printed from the Prevacid website and an AdPerks Q...which doesn't look like your normal AdPerks Q.
The box of Prevacid also had a $4 Peelie Q on it. After the cashier scanned the box she started to remove the Peelie so she could scan it. I said not to bother with it since it was only for $4 and I already had 2 coupons to use on the Prevacid. She then said that I could use that 3rd peelie Q for another discount on the item. I attempted to argue(LOL)since the RA coupon policy I had said 2 Qs per item, not 3. Cashier said that they always let people buying stuff use any peelies on the products, even if they have other Qs.
OK.....lol
I must have looked dubious so she called over the MOTD=Manager of the Day, and asked her. She said fine, take all the Qs!
Gee....it's like I didn't WANT to use as many Qs as they would let me, huh?
So on my $28.99 Prevacid, I got a $2.90 wellness auto. 10% discount and $24 in coupons taken off.
So I paid $2.09 for the Prevacid!
And then I'll get $24.99 back for the MIR!!!
Like I said, $6 is what I was suppose to pay.
What I actually paid was $2.00 OOP.
When the cashier went to use any of the 3 Prevacid Qs, they beeped....peelie, AdPerk and ManuIPQ.
Every.
Last.
One.
So she tried taking off the Prevacid item and adding it back onto the transaction multiple times, trying different coupons against it. One time 1 Q went through but not the next....so she kept putting on and taking off the Prevacid and assorted Qs.
Finally she called over the MOTD again and had her key in or authorize or whatever it's called all 3 coupons.
My register receipt ended up being about 3 ft long!lol
And my total was now $2.00 instead of the $6.00 I had calculated it would be.
But after all that....and holding up the line for 15 min.....I didn't want to argue again and spend more time redoing this disaster of a transaction, so I just shut my mouth, paid my 2 bucks and got the hell out of Dodge!lolol
The next day I went over the receipt and found the error....the cashier had added the $4 peelie Q discount once and hadn't taken the discount off again and then gave me the $4 Q discount again in the midst of the Prevacid coupon fiasco.
I figure, it all evens out in the end, since there are times they forget to use some of my Qs.
I got the better end of the stick this time....next time, who knows?
Ok, so I am OOP $2.00 for this transaction.
I qualified for a $3 SCR(Listerine) so this becomes a $1.00 Moneymaker!
Add in the $24.99 Prevacid MIR and I've got a $25.99 Overage...WOOT!!!
Sluggy
Tuesday Frugal Tip Because Spending Money Sucks!
Ok...this isn't a ground breaking, new way to save money.
And it won't save you A LOT of money all at once but if you do this and live to be oh....120, it might save you enough to pay for your trip to the Scooter Store for your motorized chair.
See this?
This is a mini Oreck Vacuum Cleaner called the Buster. I got if for free when hubby bought me a big Oreck about 6 yrs ago.
I heart my baby vacuum.
It's highly portable & lightweight, not like the big vacuum cleaner. It has a strap so you can wear it on your shoulder while you vacuum.
It's good for cleaning stairs, around the edges of the room or under/near furniture where the big vacuum can't go.
Since moving here 10 yrs. ago we have slowly reduced the number of rooms in the house that have carpeting to 4, so I don't use the big vacuum nearly as much as I use to, but I continue to use the baby vacuum a lot!
Vacuum cleaners are great.
But besides the electricity they draw to operate, there is another continuing cost associated with them....well, unless you bought one of those bagless Dyson ones.
Vacuum bags.
It's sort of like printers, you know?
The printers are cheap but the ink cartridges will bleed your wallet dry.
Vacuums are not too expensive but buying those vacuum bags for them every year is an annoying expense I'd rather do without.
And I do.....do without that expense.
See this?
It is my vacuum bag for my baby Oreck vacuum.
This is the last bag from the original set of 12 that came with the vacuum when we bought it new.
I have been using/reusing this bag for the last 3 yrs.
Yes, I said three years.
That was when I discovered we were on the last bag, three years ago, and told the kids NOT to throw out the bag when it was filled.
And I have been taking it out, emptying it out gently into the trash and reusing it ever since.
In the 1st three years we used/owned the vacuum we went through a bag every 3 months...4 bags a year.
A dozen new bags cost $15 and lasts us 3 years....for an expense breakdown of $5 a year for bags.
After 3 years of reuse my last bag has about had it and will need replacing soon. I am coming around to facing the fact that I'm going to have to buy a new bag of bags soon.
$15.
Ok...$15 might not sound like much but I am sure you could think of things you'd rather spending $15 on or save $15 for, right?lol
Once I buy the new bags, it's the LAST TIME I plan on buying bags for this vacuum.
It will then be a contest to see what goes to it's reward first....me or my baby vacuum!
3 years out of 1 bag x 12 bags=36 years.
I'm pushing 51.
Let's hope the vacuum goes to Oreck Heaven before I do...because if this 86 yr old half-blind woman has to drive her motorized scooter to the Oreck store to buy more bags, it won't be pleasant!
Sluggy
And it won't save you A LOT of money all at once but if you do this and live to be oh....120, it might save you enough to pay for your trip to the Scooter Store for your motorized chair.
See this?
I heart my baby vacuum.
It's highly portable & lightweight, not like the big vacuum cleaner. It has a strap so you can wear it on your shoulder while you vacuum.
It's good for cleaning stairs, around the edges of the room or under/near furniture where the big vacuum can't go.
Since moving here 10 yrs. ago we have slowly reduced the number of rooms in the house that have carpeting to 4, so I don't use the big vacuum nearly as much as I use to, but I continue to use the baby vacuum a lot!
Vacuum cleaners are great.
But besides the electricity they draw to operate, there is another continuing cost associated with them....well, unless you bought one of those bagless Dyson ones.
Vacuum bags.
It's sort of like printers, you know?
The printers are cheap but the ink cartridges will bleed your wallet dry.
Vacuums are not too expensive but buying those vacuum bags for them every year is an annoying expense I'd rather do without.
And I do.....do without that expense.
See this?
It is my vacuum bag for my baby Oreck vacuum.
This is the last bag from the original set of 12 that came with the vacuum when we bought it new.
I have been using/reusing this bag for the last 3 yrs.
Yes, I said three years.
That was when I discovered we were on the last bag, three years ago, and told the kids NOT to throw out the bag when it was filled.
And I have been taking it out, emptying it out gently into the trash and reusing it ever since.
In the 1st three years we used/owned the vacuum we went through a bag every 3 months...4 bags a year.
A dozen new bags cost $15 and lasts us 3 years....for an expense breakdown of $5 a year for bags.
After 3 years of reuse my last bag has about had it and will need replacing soon. I am coming around to facing the fact that I'm going to have to buy a new bag of bags soon.
$15.
Ok...$15 might not sound like much but I am sure you could think of things you'd rather spending $15 on or save $15 for, right?lol
Once I buy the new bags, it's the LAST TIME I plan on buying bags for this vacuum.
It will then be a contest to see what goes to it's reward first....me or my baby vacuum!
3 years out of 1 bag x 12 bags=36 years.
I'm pushing 51.
Let's hope the vacuum goes to Oreck Heaven before I do...because if this 86 yr old half-blind woman has to drive her motorized scooter to the Oreck store to buy more bags, it won't be pleasant!
Sluggy
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