Monday, April 30, 2012

READY SET GO

I am starting a new weight loss journey, yes, one of many but this is with a whole new attitude!  Yes, I have before pics but will not share them until I have a good after pic or two....giggle.

The plan is to cut back on what I already eat, denying myself nothing, eating smaller portions of the food I live on and not some weirdo plan.  Stop eating enough for two people, eat only what one person would eat and the fat will leave.  It's pretty simple, isn't it?!  Cut back on Diet drinks, more water, tea half and half, etc.

Plus I am working now, getting strong but still struggling with back pain but the knees, legs, ankles are improving.  I had to go back on the pain pill to work but it's something that must be done so do it.

After one week, down 1.4 lbs!   I have a nice vase that I will put in one dollar for each pound down I travel.   Come back later for a pic of the vase.  I will put it under this post.

Thanks to my friends, you know who you are, who have encouraged me!

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Friday, April 27, 2012

MURPHY & FRIDAY FUNNY

Here are some things happening at our house in Dixie, not necessarily in order of importance:

The Casa is sinking.  Yes, the foundation of our house has continued to sink.  It is an ongoing saga that will end up costing the owners/us thousands of dollars, between 10 and 40 to be exact, yes, thousands after that 10 and 40.  Boohoo.  Where is a good donate button when you need one, right?!  Eeeek.

The Hubbie starts work on Monday, full time to start then eventually switch to part time, gotta catch up.

I am working part time, list me among the un-re-tired.

Living with out AC until May, not so bad, so far, saving $$$$$.

Funny on Friday...saw this on pinterest  dot com several weeks ago, made me smile.  It has been around the Internet several times.
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

NEW MAGAZINE

I ordered this, so excited!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

MONEY TIP ON TUESDAY

Another way to save money these days is to always reuse items that can be reused.  Years ago, in college, we lived on very little, spent $10 per week for groceries.  Now, of course, that is impossible.  We were too poor to buy paper towels, paper napkins, luxuries like those.  When I fried potatoes, I used a brown paper bag to soak up the extra grease.  I reused aluminum foil, really, I did.

One thing I reuse these days, is plastic bags.  When I bake The Hubbies muffins, I put them in Ziploc bags.  When the bag is empty, I rinse it out and reuse after it has dried.

Never reuse a bag that has had things like chemicals or raw meats, dangerous for sure.

Still, if you can use something twice or three times, you can figure you paid half for whatever that item is or even one third.  

Don't throw stuff away without thinking about the possibility of using it a second time.  Don't keep stuff that is useless.

It's all about money, honey.
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Monday, April 23, 2012

THE WISDOM JOURNAL

One of the emails I receive is from The Wisdom Journal.  The blog is about saving money, getting out of debt, changing banks, much, much more.  

Recently, the owner, Ron Haynes, wrote about a book titled, Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea.  The book sounds amazing.  The post about the book, caught my attention.  Here is part of the post used with permission:


So here, coming to us from the razor sharp edge of life and death, are words and ideas that can give us personal strength and courage. Whatever you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it, that no matter how bad you think you have it, others would trade places with you instantly and compared to what others have been through, you’re fortunate. Choose to tell yourself these things over and over, and it will help you get through the rough spots with a little more grace … a little more courage … and a little more strength.
You CAN handle it. You are stronger than you think. And your life is a sweet blessing compared to what other people around the world are experiencing. 

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You can sign up here:

www.thewisdomjournal.com
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Friday, April 20, 2012

SURVIVOR

The day has arrived!  It is the annual fundraising campaign for finding a cure for cancer.  In our little town, there is a walk that goes from 6 pm to 6 am about this time every year.  (hope it doesn't rain!)  It is inspiring!

I am a 37 year cancer survivor.  I will be at the back of the line as a long time survivor, walking the survivor lap, then walking with The Hubbie on the caregivers lap, then family for another lap or two. 

If you are a cancer patient or survivor, find your local event and get involved.  You never know who YOU will inspire!

Here we are at the Survivor's Banquet last Monday.  Wow, we are old but thankful to be here and there!  ;)

This is Paul.  He is also a cancer survivor and is having treatments.  He sponsored the table we sat at and purchased these:
The Hubbie won them in a drawing and they are on the coffeetable as I type.  So pretty!  Thanks Paul.  Others attended, too, but don't know if they blog or have internet so I will not post their pics. 

It was a nice evening and good food!  Celebrate living is wonderful!
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

BIRDS

Well, obviously I lost a day, working, forgetting to add some jewel to my blog, snickering, missing Wednesday completely.

So, what shall I converse about today, this Thursday.  Thankfully, I have several money making tips in file so maybe that day's post will be pretty simple.

The backyard backs up to woods.  We really enjoy watching the wildlife that live in the woods.  We have critters that visit the yard, rabbits, racoon, armadillo from what our neighbor has told us and of course lots and lots of birds. 

Birds seem to have so much energy!  Have you ever noticed that about them?  They fly, they sing, they eat, all in the flash of an eyeball.  Plus, they stand up on those tiny little legs, smaller than toothpicks, supporting their entire weight.  Amazing if you think about it!!  No engineer would agree with such a structure plan!  It would never work, there is not enough strength in the base, the weight will crumble the structure, etc.  True, in a manmade structure........

Have a great day!  It is Thursday, tomorrow is Friday, then the weekend.  Soon April will be over and then May.  My, my, soon I must complain again about how fast the time is flying.  ;)
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

NEW SCREENS $$$$

Two years ago, our little town was hailed upon, yeah, hail from the sky.  Our neighborhood received damage to their roofs and most now have new ones, including us.

Another thing that was damaged was the window screens, all ended up with holes of various sizes.  I could not find a place that sold screens.  Lowes, nope, Home Depot, nope, Ace, nope.  Why?  Too many different sizes I was told, you can make them yourself, I was told, me giggling, that's not going to happen, phooey.  Ace would do it but the cost would be labor AND materials, really, don't think so!  I found a screen place in the nearby bigger town, took a screen with me, got an estimate of $16 per screen, hummm....I'll have to talk to The Hubbie about it, waited.

So, The Hubbie and I made a trip to WM to look at doing them ourselves, translation him doing them, didn't buy the stuff that day, decided to put it on the to do list. 

Now that the weather has suddenly warmed, we need screens to be able to open the windows, not run the AC.

So, The Hubbie took the biz card, the screens and headed to the near by bigger town.  Guess what?!  He got a better deal!!!

Replace each screen, using the same frame for only $6 !!!! each !!!  One had a bent frame so that cost was $17.20 for an entire new screen with frame.

Total for all new screens, 8 total, was ONLY $66 American!!!!  What a deal!  Told The Hubbie, couldn't make it for that, which is my life motto, as you may or may not know.   Plus there was enough money in the budget envelope to have them all done!

TRUE!  Buying the screen material, the cording and the tool would have been more than having them done!!!

So, the tip for today is, let the man of the house handle the man stuff.  He could possibly come up with a better price dealing man to man!!!!!

Good Job, Hubbie!
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Monday, April 16, 2012

APRIL 15 PLUS ONE

Yeah, I know this is April 16, not 15.  I just wanted to post about my Mom.  It was her BD yesterday although she has been gone for almost 25 years.  She was only 58 and died of breast cancer.  She had a radical, got it all, but never really recovered.  Her right arm and hand were constantly swollen because of drainage problems relating to the removeal of lymph nodes. 

Sadly, the cancer spread.  The last six months + of her life, she was bedridden because there was a tumor on her spine, move the wrong way and it could have snapped her spinal chord.  The final months the pain was so bad she was on morphine 24/7. 

I am thankful that my brother was able to live with her and help take care of her during that time although she did have 24 hour nursing care.  I lived in NC, way too far away.

She was a good Mom, did the best she could and was so proud of her grandchildren. 

So, the years have vanished, almost overnight it seems. 

Both of my parents died in their fifties.  I have outlived them both because I will soon be 64. 

Thankful to still be alive, breathing, working, more.

You never know how long your life will be or how short it will be.  Life truly is like a vapor, vanishing away.

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

SHOUTIN TIME

The Hubbie has a job!!  YIP YIP YIP YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

SAVING MONEY TIP TUESDAY

This tip is an old one with our twist on it, most people are not willing to sacrifice their comfort. 

In the winter, keep your heat on 62 degrees.  In the summer, keep your air on 73.  If you must, as I do, use fans to circulate the air.  You can buy a big box fan for about $10 or $12 at a Dollar General store. 

Electricity is only going to go up from here so be ready for bigger bills if you don't find ways to cut back now.

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Friday, April 6, 2012

CELEBRATION TIME

This is a picture of a craft project but it sums up so much about what we are celebrating this weekend. 

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour to so many. 

He is the way, the truth and the life.  Seek Him and you will find Him in the Bible, not an extra book, but the Bible.  He is there and there is life eternal.

Celebrating His Life and sacrifice but also His victory over death! 

HE IS RISEN!!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

IT'S NOT JUST ME

Today I worked in the near by bigger city for a few hours.  I was working, almost finished, crossed paths with a sweet little lady with a huge grocery cart, waiting for her son.  We exchanged kind words.  She then asked me, do they make you work on Saturday?  I looked at her and said, it's Thursday, mam.  She said, oh, yes, it is!  I told her, don't worry, I get my days mixed up, too, even have to look at my phone to tell what day it is.  She then laughed and said, well, it only gets worse.  We both giggled like school girls and I moved on.  She walked in the direction of the checkout lane, having met up with her grubby looking grown son who was scowling.  She was a sweet little old lady, thin, gray hair, no glasses, wearing a pink blouse and dark slacks.  She seemed like she needed some attention and I was glad to share a laugh with her.

Now, the work week is over and I even managed to clean the house today, wash the sheets on the bed, too.

Working makes me appreciate being retired even more!  
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

WORDEE WEDNESDAY

---copied from Pinterest, a site that I like but be careful because some people are classless and post pics that are not in good taste. *****************************************

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

THRIFT STORE SHOES

I like shopping at thrift stores but I am very slow, meaning almost never ever, do I buy shoes from a thrift store, even with tags still on them. Ewwww as they say. I just cannot stand the thought of walking in someone else's dirty, sweaty, nasty shoes. However, there is a new thrift store in the area that is run by a relator and seems to be higher priced items. The money from the store goes to support several non profits.

I have purchased things to sell on Ebay as well as a vintage Fisher Price City that I have kept for the GRAND son (gave it the once over with Clorox!). The last time he was here, he spent hours playing with it. I can always Ebay it when he out grows it. Yes, it was with the original box.

I found these shoes, thinking I would Ebay them.
BUT because they are an 8 NARROW, my size, I tried them own and instantly made the decision to keep them for ME. My foot is narrow and I do have a problem buying sandals because my feet slip through.

When I came home, googled the brand, yes, bingo, the 'cheapest' shoe was $79+! The shoe most like this one was was $95+!!!

Guess what I paid......trumpets, please.....$00.95 !!!! Yep, only 95 cents!

So, a good clean up with Lysol, some time in the sunshine, I'm set. Dinah, a fellow blogger, reminded me about bedbugs so I checked these, cleaned them, now will enjoy them, reminding myself I am wearing a pair of shoes that originally cost close to $100.00!!! BIG smile.

Money saving tip for this Tuesday....shop at nice thrift stores but be careful of bed bugs cause they will bite you if you don't watch out.... BIG smile #2.
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Monday, April 2, 2012

DAH SHOES, DAH SHOES

Yes, I know that years ago the intro for that old TV show was really....

Dah Plane, Dah Plane.

Too young to remember it, well, never mind then. Grin.

This is an update on my shoe deal from last week, now the world, can be at ease. I started this new job and my knees were killing me! I had to literally hold onto The Hubbies' wrist in order to walk, next option was my cane, after this one day of working. He was taking to me Shoe City to buy a pair of good shoes, price no object, we're looking at quality, Carol, not cheapness. WOW! Okee Dokee. This man wants me working but working in as little pain as possible. I can handle that, yep.

I sat down and he bought me a pair of Skechers to try on, pink and gray with pink or gray laces. I put them on, stood up, took a few steps and it was like a miracle, could not believe it. The pain in both knees stopped, honest Injun, vanished. There was a sale buy one, get one half off but because I did not know if they would work for work, we decided on one pair (74.99). It was $5 off, too.

I was feeling so great that I was at the clearance section looking for Easter heels, which I found for $10,(orig 29.99) with $5 off!! At the same time, several pairs of flip flop like Skechers were on sale (orig 54.99) for $20 with $5 off, too. It was acutally $5 off all pink stickered items.

As we were heading to checkout, The Hubbie was talking to the Store Manager about the brand in his size, etc, which the store did not have available for some reason, can't remember.

Me, being the cheapskate...cough, cough, bargain hunter I am, asked the manager if I decided to come back and get a second pair, could I still get the 50% off deal. He said well, when will you come back, next week, six months? hahahah Any how, he agreed to sell me a second pair for the 50% off. The Hubbie has agreed and I am headed back tomorrow to get a second pair of Skechers.

Love, love, love these shoes!!!

At checkout, me, beging the cheapskate....cough, cough, bargain hunter I am, (yeah repeating myself, guess it would have been just as easy to copy and paste...snickering) asked if there was a Sr Dicount? BINGO!!! HOORAY!!! Yes, 10% off total purchase price....WOO HOO A !!! Another $9 in American money off the price of my three !!! pairs of shoes. Now check out the pic from last week. Nice, huh?!

Plus there was a little bargain box at the checkout where I spotted a two pair pack of Peds (see photo) for $2.00, on further clearance was only $1 (orig 5.99).

I love a bargain!! I also love spending money to save money!! The second pair I will get in a bigger size for wearing socks in the winter and will save them until the first pair is shot. Why not? Nothing, is going down in price and I really do not expect these shoes to get any cheaper, either.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Happy Monday!
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