The ride just got bumpy!

ST. Patrick's day started out with a bang, when we got into a car wreck that morning!!! The luck of the Irish was not shining on us that day. I was taking Tim to his dad's shop so he could retrieve his car from an auto shop. I took a detour from the highway b/c of traffic. As I was making my way back to the highway a man was exiting a shopping center and pulled into traffic w/out looking. He later stated that he didn't see me b/c my car was a similar color as the road.

My reaction was funny, I didn't scream, I cried. I wasn't hurt, but very shocked. Tim was with me thank you God, if I had been on my own the situation would have been a lot more frightening. I did go in to work that afternoon, which may not have been the best idea. I hate being the center of attention and as my dad put it that was my 15 minutes of fame.

The really strange part about the whole wreck is that a few days before we were out to eat with Tim's parents. We were talking about car wrecks and his mom made the comment that most car accidents she has been involved in happened in a location that she did not usually drive through. How fortuitous.

This week has been a blur. My car was totaled, and we got a decent amount of money from the insurance claim. All of this happened at a pretty good time because Tim has been on Spring Break this week. I was hoping to find a new car before next week, but that's not happening.

So this week has been a wild ride, but I am glad its over and I'm ready to get off this roller coaster!!!

Thanksgiving adventure

My parents and brother are in town for the holiday. We have had a nice time. On Thursday we were at my aunt and uncle's house. Everyone was finishing the meal when my mom walked into the kitchen and asked if anyone had any benadryl. Jake walked into the kitchen and his whole face was beet red. He was allergic to something.

Thankfully my uncle's dad was there and he is a retired physician. Once Jake's tongue began to swell Dr. Estes decided he needed to go to the emergency room. So he and my parents spent the rest of the afternoon in the hospital. They made it home just in time for dinner.

We have come to the conclusion that Jake is allergic to kiwi. And I made the fruit salad. So the joke is that I was trying to off my brother.

I did it

I joined a gym today. This is a Christmas present from my parents. Thank you!! I went today to check on prices. The deal seemed so good I joined right away. I think I had a salesman that sweetened the deal to make it more appealing. He made it sound like this was the last day to take advantage. But I thought I might as well do it while I was there.

Exercising has been my nemesis since college, maybe. It is something I think about constantly but I do very irregularly. So the plan is to go in the morning. I'm excited about the classes, and hopefully I won't get bored.

What I have learned

Today I bought a double edition of the Sunday paper. (Double the coupons, too). I found the most usable coupons in the manufacturer's section. We shop at Target and I think these are the only type of coupons they accept. There was a Target flier in the paper, but it only lists their store sales. Another bonus I discovered that the manufacturer's coupons are good for several months. I separated them by the month. I would have liked to sit down and make my grocery list using the coupons but there was no time today. So I took them all and tried to nail down a few items that I could purchase using these coupons. There were several for items that we were needing, however, the Target brand of those items were signifigantly less expensive than the name brand minus the coupon price.

Today we only used one coupon. We saved one dollar and the paper was two dollars, so based on my first try we are slightly in the hole, but there are a couple of coupons that come to mind that can be used in the coming months. I am excited to see what coupons I can find next week. I might not get the double paper next time. I did read some of the paper this afternoon and I plan to recycle everything that was not cut out.

I almost gave up after today's dismal performance, but I remember the lady on Oprah saying it takes a little practice. I have also heard that shopping at discount stores like Target or Walmart are cheaper than just regular grocery stores.

Hopefully next week will be more successful.

Coupons

I was watching Oprah one day this week. I don't watch all of them, just the episodes I find interesting. This day the topic was thrifty living. A woman was interviewed who has saved her family tons of money grocery shopping using coupons. They challenged her to shop for a full weeks groceries, using coupons of course, and the goal was to see how much she could have the final total lowered. She got over $120 in groceries brought down to under $40 dollars. I was amazed.

I have tried to look for coupons online in the past. Most of the sites I found want you to become a member and there are so many to choose from. The free sites all appear to offer the same set of coupons. The coupon guru suggests buying several Sunday papers to find coupons. I think I will start with one and see what I find. I may have to shop at another store because I'm not sure that Target accepts coupons.

We don't buy a lot of groceries each week but I believe there is a way to get more for less money. I'm sure I may have to do some research. Hopefully it will be worth the effort. I'm excited to try!

On another note, Tim did pass his first certification test!! One down and one to go. The final test won't be until the end of next semester, then its off to find a job.

A Few Thoughts

Thanks to Larissa I am now more blog savy. The internet can be so overwhelming, there are so many options. Lately I am discovering that I like to keep things simple. Even when I was trying to choose my new layout I was fried by the number of choices. I like this one for now. I will probably change it at some point.

On another note Tim is taking his first certification test for school. It's a two day oral and practical exam. He is studying very hard, but I know he is anxious about it. I have full confidence in his ability to do well. Keep him in your prayers next Monday and Wednesday.