Oh yeah, about that...

OK, so recently I wrote a blog about the things I love. Since no one screamed at me and told me it was a horrible idea, I thought it'd be amusing to make a list of the things I hate. Ok, 'hate' is a strong word. Things that annoy me. In a humorous, make-me-wanna-roll-my-eyes kind of way. ;) Feel free to join in or disagree in comments!! :) Also, there's no way I can get through this without a paranthetical running side commentary so...uh... heads up on that one.

1. Eyeballs. (If you thought you knew me and didn't realize this would be my first, you don't know me at ALL.)

2. When customers at work give me the "Hang on, I'm on the phone" finger while I'm trying to take their order (Hi, yeah, remember when you pulled up to a drive through window like you wanted something?? Go ahead and spit it out and I'll make it for ya. We're at a stand still until then. Just saying. ***)

3. Jon Bon Jovi. (Seriously, who does that guy think he IS?? And that's not his real name. Honestly.)

http://blog.villageorigin.com/tag/bon-jovi/

4. People who are repeatedly late. (Enough said. And I try to avoid this myself.) 

5. When people don't realize they have an INSANE amount of dog hair on them. (I have a dog that sheds sooo bad. But do I pick him up and rub him all over my body before I walk out the door? No. Because that would be stupid. Keep the animal hair ON the animal or buy a lint roller.)

6. The fact that no matter how many times I check my pant pockets there is always change littering my floors because they fall out of the laundry.

7. People who 'like' crunchy cookies. (Seriously, people. Have you ever eaten a soft, chewy cookie? Why, whhhyyy would you prefer crunchy, dry, disgusting-ness when the alternative is sooo much better?!? What is WRONG with you?!? Whew. Glad to have that off my chest.)

            

8. Jersey Shore. (One day, those poor kids are goona wake up at 40 someting years old and realize that all of their stupid mistakes are forever recorded for everyone to see and they're gonna be really, really upset.)

9. Enchiladas Mole. (It's so bad, I don't even wanna go into what it is. And unfortunately, Ryan likes to eat it on a regular basis. Gag.)

10. The sick, queasy feeling I get before deciding to give an artist a 'thumbs up' on Pandora. (All it takes is one bad choice to totally bring your favorite Pandora Station down. And there doesn't seem to be any take-back-sies. I'm feeling anxious so I need to stop thinking about this now.)

Whew. Glad to have that all out in the open!!

***The exception to this are my wonderful, 'regular' customers who wouldn't ever have to order again in their lives because I'll make 'em what I know they want every single day. If one of you is reading this... don't worry. You don't count. ;)

Next step, Rehab.

Boys and girls. Ladies and gentlemen. Friends and family. I have a confession.

I've been getting high.

You may be asking yourself what substance it was that took such a straight laced girl as myself down. Well, I'll tell you...

It's coupons (gasp).

You may have remembered in an earlier post that I mentioned Ryan and I were on a saving kick... We (and by we I mean ME and Ryan would agree) to be debt-free in three years. That means no consumer debt. As in, no more credit card payments, and no more car loans. Both (!) our car loans will be done in just under 3 years, leaving us at that point, hopefully, with just our mortgage and my student loans. Which are both reasonable, and I'd argue, perfectly acceptable according to most personal finance gurus. They are considered to be the only "positive" forms of debt because at some point they will both pay you back in a sense. We don't have a whooollleee lot of debt, but things build up over the years (especially with one of us in college for the past umpteen years) and we decided it'd be better to be free and clear.

So I figured my options were: make more, or spend less. I've worked as many as 3 jobs at once in the past. And I'd do it again if I had to. But I would really, really rather not. I'd done the "make more" bit and while it worked out ok, I wasn't really super happy doing it. (Read: I was exhausted and grumpy all the time). So I decided to spend less. The only real way to do this was either eat nothing but Top Ramen every night, or bite the bullet and learn about this whole "couponing" mumbo jumbo.

ADDICTED. It can be, at times, like legal stealing. Without the moral or legal implications. When you get a good deal, it's what I imagine getting high feels like. Giddy, excited and a little lightheaded. (Ok, I exaggerate a little) And I'm not even very good at it yet. YET. But I will be. I've only been at it for 2 weeks. The first week I got my feet wet with a few double coupons at Albertsons and a few manufacturer sales. I was interested, but not impressed. But then this week was much better. I got things for free, planned an entire meal for Ryan and I that cost a total of $1.50, and today at Target I saved $30 dollars on about $74 dollars worth of groceries and personal items (tampons, razors, etc.) I paid $44 dollars, plus got a $5 dollar giftcard to use on my next Target trip.

The one thing I'm having an issue with is the idea of "stockpiling." Avid couponers swear it's the only way to really be a successful couponer, but I'm not convinced I really have the space for that sort of thing. I was considering putting some shelves in the garage, which isn't really being used right now since Truth Remains has vacated it, and we don't park in there... I could even buy a stand alone freezer for out there... hmmm...

SO. In conclusion... I <3 coupons. Don't judge. And here's the most helpful websites I've been using:
http://www.frugallivingnw.com/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
I found both of these off a friend's facebook page. So, friend, if you're reading this... thanks and sorry I'm a creepy FB Stalker!! :)

ALSO! If you want to get your feet wet, here's my favorite coupon tip most people haven't seemed to catch on to: You can buy the Sunday paper, with all the inserts at the DOLLAR STORE. Making it half price instead of the $2 it normally is!! WooHoo!