Only took a month!

I want to thank Amber, tootie, Sharla, John Deere Mom, Brittney Kaye, and daisy .... for guessing on my "What a Deal" post, all the way back from April 21! Holy cow!



I can't believe no one said... "hey, Crazy Daisy... tell us what the heck you bought for $22.99 that was originally priced at $229.99! Geez, how long does it take?"



Well, I guess it takes me just under a month. Sorry. I kept meaning to post it, however there is so much going on! And with so much going on, I have so many things i want to share, however haven't had a chance!

Okay, Okay.. anyhow, on to my awesome purchase!

Here it is...



Isn't it just grand! Not worth $229.99, however very much work $22.99!

I actually purchased 2! One for the guest room, and one for the master bedroom!

What a Deal!!!

I found this amazing deal today at Kohls!!! We are still 'decorating' our new home. We are in no particular hurry, just finding things as they are on sale, or clearance...

I was so excited and it fit perfect perfectly once I got it home...

Care to guess what it is?

Freebies and Samples

Trying to save as much as we can, I have been searching out coupons, samples and such. Here are my recent finds!

$2.00 off coupon for Febreze Laundry oder eliminator
Free sample of Pantene hair product
Crest samples/coupons
$5.00 off Blue Buffalo Natural Dog food
Free sample of Quaker Oats
Free sample of Total cereal
Free sample Fruit and Nut granola bar
Free coupon for Quiznos!
Free Coupon for Kashi frozen Entree
Cheerios Coupons
Free Walmart Samples

Have you found any cool deals lately?

Frustrations and Downfalls

The list I made yesterday... well, let's just say I was not very successful in completing it. Instead I will work on it the rest of the week. I was over ambitious in planning.

(*Live blogging... my husband is pouting that I'm "ignoring him". I say, "I'm blogging, not ignoring you." Now, he is crowding me on the mini couch we have and inhibiting my typing abilities. I apologize in advance if this ends up being a mess of a story!)

Yesterday, I received a call from my accountant. She insisted that we owe $1500. in taxes! WHAT? Seriously. I know nearly zip about taxes, but I know better than that! Basically, when I started to ask questions, she didn't care to answer, making a reference to us making enough money. I'm not sure if she was saying we could afford to pay it, or what. Either way, I was insulted and ticked off (We make very little money. I'm in school full time and we pay a ridiculous amount in rent). So we are looking to figure out this mess, and for a new accountant.

I got home, and started making Potato-Veggie Frittata (which, BTW was AMAZING). As I started looking through our freezer, we are actually getting low on some stuff! Generally, we have plenty flour, rice, and such. The dry stuff. However running low on chicken, fish, sauces, etc. Remembering my goal to not buy any stuff (that I talked about here and here), I added several things to my list. We could have made it through this week. However after talking it through with my husband, we decided to go ahead and buy groceries. We had a couple Costco coupons that expire at the end of the month, and had the time to go. So, I didn't make it the entire month with out buying groceries and other stuff. However I feel good about making it a solid three weeks. Last Saturday, I walked through Target just to feed the shopping urge. I thought it had given me my fix. Guess not :-)

This morning I proceeded with my routine... Wake, not want to get up, go back to sleep, husband wakes me again, I get a drink of water, start shower... jump out of shower! With in 2 minutes of starting my shower, it went to 100% cold. NOT OKAY. I jumped out. My husband, in our 2nd bathroom had just done the same. He at least had the shampoo rinsed out. I, on the other hand, had not! We have had this issue before, however our apartment continues to insist the problem is fixed. Hum. Nope. I was almost an hour late for work. Luckily I only missed my prep time and not appointments. Our lease is up in September. Thank goodness.

So, between my frustrations and the downfall of my 'No Shopping in March" it has been an interesting start to the week. Do I dare ask what tomorrow will bring?

Going through shopping withdrawal

This no shopping thing is harder than I thought it would be. Of course I'm motivated by having a tidier (that is a funny word) apartment, and saving money, yet I am still feeling the urge to shop.

This project is forcing me to examine my need for things, and shopping. If I am just as happy with a walk through the park looking at waterfalls as going through the mall, why does my car usually end up in the parking lot of the mall?

Is't it fascinating how there is a culture of having stuff? There isn't anything in particular I want, or need. I suppose it makes me feel good to buy new things. A new toy can be fun for awhile. Yet, then it finds a home on a shelf, or in a box, and is forgotten about.

Even as I sit here on my couch and look around there is junk are treasures everywhere. This is a great time for a change. It might not be an easy 2.5 more weeks, but it is time to move beyond the notion that I need new stuff. I may just have to extend my ban on stuff. We will see...

Budget makeover

Along with what seems like a million other things this weekend, my husband and I are working to figure out a new budget. Overall, what we had was okay, however with my upcoming graduation, we want to make sure we have a little extra money set aside in case I do not get a job right away.

Sure I would enjoy not having to get a job for a couple months. I could "catch up" on scrapbooking, spend time with family, finish cleaning/organizing the apartment... the list goes on and on. However, my not having a job would put a huge damper on our wanting to move out of the apartment into a house, or townhome.

Driving to work/school is the most costly thing for us, other than rent. We are thinking about listing some items on ebay, we already use coupons and shops grocery sales, for extra cash. However are open to suggestions! Does anyone have ideas on where to look for "extra" money?