Happy 2011

Happy New Year!!



I have really been pondering the new year over the last week. It's so interesting to think that you have been given a new year with a fresh slate and more opportunity to improve in all areas of your life. I don't make resolutions because I personally think that is a waste of time, but I have my "goals" that I would love to achieve. I did put them in writing but I'm not putting a lot of pressure on myself. I think we do way too much of that.



So at the beginning of this new year I would just like to say how thankful I am for GOD giving me another year. HE continues to bless me and my family and even though I make so many mistakes and am often disappointed with myself, HE continues to love me. How incredible is that?



Okay, so enough sappy stuff.




I worked last night and it was not a particularly eventful New Years Eve and for that I'm also very thankful. I am too old for drama and craziness and love a night when I don't have to deal with it.




I did have the "opportunity" to deal with a bit of a attention seeking preteen who I'm sure would not want me as his mother. After listening to him for about as long as I could, he finally made a statement about leaving a tourniquet on too long and wouldn't that cause his arm to fall off. I told him that if I left it on too long (perhaps hours, days, weeks.....) then that could happen but I had no intention of doing that. He proceeded to inform me that if I did could I just leave it on his pinky fingers because they were useless anyway. HELLO. I had to immediately inform him that they were indeed quite useful especially when that was all you have. I told him my daughter used hers without much difficulty at all. He then asked me (in that annoying know it all voice) if she could play the piano. My reply "No, not yet but she's trying. Can you play the piano?" Uhhh. His answer would be no. I rest my case.





I had the chance to watch Extreme Couponing on TLC this week and have had some time to reflect on it. If you know me, I am a big time couponer, or at least I thought I was until I saw that show. I am apparently an amateur. I think the show attempted to portray the people as a little on the crazy side and that bothers me. However, I would probably think the same thing if I saw someone buying 1,000 boxes of cereal or causing the scanner to stop working because apparently you can't use over 1,000 coupons in one transaction.......They all seemed to thrive on having a stockpile and I think that's great. I have a much smaller version of one myself and hope to continue to get lots of free or almost free items. However, I can't imagine having that much stuff unless I was donating a lot to a food bank, shelter, etc. The person with the 1,000 boxes of cereal was doing that and that was great, the other lady....well, I'm not so sure about her. However if she lived nearby and I needed to borrow some toilet paper I would certainly know who to call.



On the coupon note, I did my year end tally yesterday and if my calculations are correct I saved $2,538 this year which was $3 less than last year. I also received $391 in rebates this year. I had imagined that I would take that money and save it for vacation, emergency fund, etc. but I didn't manage to do that. That is a goal for this year, but we shall see.




I enjoy couponing and the challenge of seeing how much I can save. I think it's crazy to toss away coupons when it's like throwing money in the dumpster. I realize that if it causes you to buy things that you wouldn't normally buy, then that is wasteful, however if those items are free or close to it then there is your deal. Yes, I have approximately 10 tubes of toothpaste right now and I have lost count of the body wash and deodorant, but I have 2 teenage boys so it's not going to waste. If you are not a couponer, then I encourage you to rethink it. It may take some time to clip them and decide where your best deals are, but in the end it's worth it.




Cory (Brady's best friend) asked me if I could teach him to coupon when he goes away to college. Apparently he was very impressed when he saw some of my loot recently and wants to learn the strategy behind it. It made me chuckle to hear a 17 year old boy talk about couponing.




So, enough already. I need to get busy. Apparently laundry and dishes don't take a New Years break.