More Free Stuff

So today I went back to Albertson's armed with my coupons. I bought 1 gallon of organic milk, a bushel of celery, a tomato, a cucumber and 5 pounds of bone in chicken breast. I used the $.99/lb coupon for the chicken, and a free milk coupon plus $8 off my total purchase coupons I earned on our last trip to Alberson's. I spent only $.65 for the whole thing! Savings of 111%

Today's Savings

Today my daughter and I had a successful day of couponing. We went to Albertson's and bought 8 boxes Kraft mac N Cheese ($.79 ea), 8 cans Hunt's pasta sauce ($.89 ea), Chix of the Sea Albacore tuna (8 at $.88 ea) A jar of Orville Redenbacher's popping corn on sale with coupon, a free donut with coupon and $3 off my total order with a catlina I received during my last visit. Total savings of 57%, plus 10 lbs of Salmon fresh caught for only $1.99 lb. Then we went to 7-11 for the 7-11-2011 free slurpee and got the car's oil changed with a $3 off coupon, where they gave me another coupon for a free car wash. All in all a good day, and getting better at this saving money thing. Kind of a rush!

Extreme couponing

I remember 17 years ago when I was first married, we were dirt poor. In love, but broke. We had an apartment over by the Vancouver Mall and I ended up staying home with our 2 yr old son. I had to save money so I began couponing. I even asked my husband for a birthday gift of the Sunday Oregonian so I could clip coupons. Now with the down turn in the economy,  it's come back into fashion (if it was ever in fashion to begin with) With our new plan to downsize, I began clipping coupons again. I saw extreme couponing show on TLC and thought it was a bit over the top, but still fun. Now I'm getting into it, and without shame I am totally challenged to have a $300 plus trip and pay under $10 or nothing. I've already saved over $100 on my last 3 shopping trips. It's more complicated than it seems, especially since we eat mostly organic. But I have been able to stock up on paper products and some items such as cereal and mac n cheese.

Fresh Meat try outs

I haven't been on my skates for approx 3 months but decided (foolishly) to try out for the Rose City Rollers Fresh Meat program anyway. This is the training program for Rose City, like a farm team. The only way to get recruited onto a real bouting team is to get onto fresh meat. Since they recently re-vamped the try out process making it waaaaayyyy harder to make the team, I figured I better show up and experience the try out in order to be ready for real the next time.
It was a grueling first hour of solid pace line with weaving drills, I was having a hard time keeping up and Minnie (Van Mayhem) my fave Wreckers coach asked me to step inside the track (with the kindergarten babies) until I could join the line again. Ouch! But I was slower, to be fair. The judges had been picking girls off the track the whole first hour, so I felt good that I was still around after that first hour, I made it to the top 15!
Then, Draggin Lady (very gently) asked me to leave the track, *sting* I was so bummed, my goal was to survive the whole try out. But, when you aren't on skates for 3 months and try out for the 5th ranked derby program in the world, you really should not expect to finish.
I stayed and watched the others kick butt and finish the try out and I have to say, it was totally fun to cheer them on (since I have a pro cheer background was pretty easy)! I was stoked for the girls who made the team, no real surprises there, they are all amazing!
I kept my gear on since my regular Wreckers team practice was right after the try outs and I clearly needed the extra practice, when a miracle happened. Honey Hellfire, my favorite jammer who was was also judging the try out, came up to me and told me I needed to come back and try out again. She said I had *fire*, made my whole year! Honey didn't make FM her first time either, and now she is one of the greatest players in the league. *Inspiration* that's what I needed, just a little glimmer of hope to keep rollin'!

Time to make a life change

So many are on the bandwagon of "life change". But I am serious. Last year at the age of 37 I went through some major life changes.  I realized how unhappy I was at my job, a business I had started 10 years prior with no money, no investors, no credit cards (I didn't have one back then) and just an idea and a belief in myself.

My husband did not even support it. He didn't care what I did as long as it didn't effect him or the family negatively (financially speaking). That business was now a huge success, but I was a slave to it and very unhappy. The time I spent with my family was short and strained. Now my husband and I have worked through our marriage issues and are finally in the same place. I am in the process of selling my business, and he is ready to step out on his own.

I have decided that I will shed all the things that make me unhappy. We are selling our large home and downsizing, although not into a "tiny" home, one that we can own outright: mortgage free! I have begun to try things I have wanted to try without apology. 1) Roller Derby 2) Pilot License 3) Finish learning Mandarin 4) Travel 5) Launch a new website and store...