Month: November 2013

4-Day Weekend

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Joe took Friday and Monday off so we could enjoy a four-day weekend together (I always have one because I work Tue-Thu).

Friday we headed over to IKEA to enjoy a cheap breakfast and ended up buying a roasting pan for the huge 19 lb. turkey I got on sale at Jewel earlier in the week (only 49 cents per pound without any coupons or minimum purchases). We also went to the Brunswick Zone nearby to play a few games (air hockey and skeeball) before heading over to Whole Foods to get some vanilla beans since I’m making my own vanilla extract.

We had lunch at our favorite Vietnamese place before grabbing a movie from Redbox (The To Do List which wasn’t that great) for later in the evening.

Once we got home I started working on making some Magic Cookie Bars when Brother #2 called asking if we wanted to hang out since he had just gotten off work nearby. I said sure, and he was over about a half hour later.

We ended up going to Target to buy some frozen pizzas and appetizers (their Market Pantry honey BBQ boneless wings were really good) for dinner which we ate while watching the aforementioned mediocre movie.

Saturday morning we headed over to Kohl’s so Joe could look for running shoes. He found a nice pair for $45 before discount; they were $30 after using a $10 coupon from Discover and a 20% friends and family coupon.

We also went to Meijer to look for biscuits & gravy fixings and I found an inexpensive food processor there. I’ve been wanting one for awhile, but since I don’t have the need for one too often, I didn’t want to spend much. They had a nice Hamilton Beach 8-cup processor on sale for $25 so I had to get it!

We also snagged another Redbox movie – The Purge which was pretty decent.

Sunday we used the new food processor to make homemade hash browns along with biscuits and gravy after an unsuccessful trip to Walmart in search of running pants for Joe and fleece Cuddl Duds leggings for yours truly (they’re selling for only $10 so of course they were out of stock as they normally sell for $28). We rented another movie, Planes, which wasn’t that great. I also made spreadable butter at half the cost of the store bought variety by following these directions. I’ve made it in the past using canola oil but didn’t like the taste as much.

We didn’t do much today other than return the movie since it was snowing. Staying cuddled under the electric blanket on the couch and watching tv was fine by me. Only two days of work this week and we get another four days off together!

And then there was warmth

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The building where I work can get pretty cold, and despite wearing two pairs of socks I’d come home with feet that felt like ice blocks. So last week I bought some fuzzy slipper boots at Kohl’s and brought them to work. I keep them in my desk and change into them when I arrive, like Mr. Rogers. My feet would still get pretty cold but at least not as bad as before.

On Wednesday Target had a one day only 40% off sale on cold weather boots in their Cartwheel app. I lucked out and snagged the only black pair in my size (selection was terrible). I also found a $5 off apparel and accessories mobile coupon to use for additional savings. After scanning my Cartwheel barcode, my cashier stated she had to enter the discount in manually because it hadn’t worked. It wasn’t until later that I realized that she over-discounted the boots.

Target Receipt

The receipt doesn’t really make sense because the math doesn’t check out. I’m no math whiz, but 40% off $34.99 is $21, not $26. It appears the cartwheel app only applied a 25% discount and then the cashier gave 40% on top of that because the price of the boots ended up being $15.95 before my $5 coupon so they really only cost me $10.95.

Boots

Can’t complain about the error, though, since it was in my favor! Plus they are cute, comfy, AND keep my feet nice and toasty at work. That’s a win-win.

Lotto Dreams

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This is just a fun little day-dreaming post where I list all the things I’d do if I won the lotto, in no particular order:

Pay my parents’ bills so they could live comfortably without worry.

Put money aside for my disabled brother so he could live comfortable without worry.

Put money aside for my other brother just to be fair. ;)

Take my stepson to Disney World.

Purchase a moderately larger home (about 2000-2500 square feet; nothing crazy big) with a full finished basement with a game room (specially a poker table, an air hockey table, a pool table, and a dart board) and at least a few acres of land so I could have a pool as well as put in a large detached mother-in-law suite where I’d foster cats waiting to be adopted.

Purchase an RV so we can travel the U.S.

Buy new carpets and a shower curtain for the master bathroom.

Buy this camera lens for my SLR.

Buy a Samsung Galaxy S4 & an iPad for my stepson.

Buy myself an iPad mini.

Buy my husband a PS4 & Xbox 1.

Travel to Ireland, England, and Australia.

Donate money to charity.

Buy a new 65″ Samsung Smart TV for the living room.

Volunteer at the local library working in the computer lab once I grew tired of traveling.

Buy a new more comfortable mattress.

Buy a new car, but nothing over $30k.

Get a dog, and possibly some lizards & frogs as I think they are cool pets.

P.S. The above doesn’t list the fact that I wouldn’t brag to anyone about my good fortune (mostly out of fear that I’d never know who my true friends were and/or someone who try to harm me or my family) and I’d invest my winnings wisely so I’d never have to worry about money again.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Misty Saturday

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After visiting the produce market this morning we stopped at Sonic to use a Groupon. We took the food to go and went over to the arboretum to drive around. We messed around with our phones’ camera settings to take a few interesting photos despite the gloomy skies and mostly bare trees.

Fall Leaves

On the way back home we stopped at the newest grocery store in the area – Mariano’s. It was hella-crowded so we only stuck around long enough to visit the gelato bar. A mini size, which is about the size of a large scoop of ice cream, is only $1 which is the perfect size/price for a little treat.

Other than making a nice meatloaf for dinner, we just watched TV the rest of the day, catching up with one of my new favorite shows, Shark Tank.

October Catchup

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Just for the record…

We didn’t do much for our anniversary on the 23rd. We just went to Claim Jumper for dinner. We enjoyed a 4-day weekend together but didn’t go away like we had originally contemplated.

Halloween was anticlimactic as usual – only 9 kids this year.

I guess that’s about it other than the fact that someone has purchased the unit next door and has had hired workers to remodel it. We’re not sure whether the owners are planning to live there, rent it out, or flip it. Only time will tell.