Saving Money While Shopping Online

   It is no secret that I love to save money any way I can.  I get giddy over finding great deals and I love sharing them with others.  I also enjoy the convenience of shopping online since it saves me time and gas money.  Living out where I do, it is a 30 minute drive to get into a town with both grocery stores and drug stores.
   My husband and I take certain supplements each day to help us maintain our health.  Many of these supplements work for us where medications have failed.  Today was my stock up day for some of these supplements.
   I recently received a catalog from Puritans Pride that announced their Buy 1 get 2 Free  sale.  Today was the last day of the sale.  They also had free shipping today which made the deal even sweeter.  I went online and got my order ready to go.  With the sale I was essentially getting 10 free products plus free shipping in addition to the 5 products I was paying for.  Great deal!  However, before I hit the order button, I opened a new window on my computer and did a search for coupon codes for this company and found code for an additional 15% off my order.   Major score!!!  There are also some websites that allow you to get a rebate on a certain percentage of your orders with some companies.
   The internet is a tool that I use quite often to not only find coupon codes, but also to research and compare prices.  It is a great place to research both customer reviews on products and services and see what the Consumer Reports and the safety ratings are.  There are many companies that offer free samples and even full sized products for free to you to try and some even pay you to write reviews on them.  Over the years, I have tried and also reviewed many free to me products and have found some new favorites.  By using this wonderful tool, I have been able to save money which can then be used for other things and to continue to help reach our goal of being debt free.
  
  
   
 

Listening to Our Bodies and Resting

   Last night I was exhausted and felt like I had been hit by a truck.  By 9 p.m., I was in bed and watching Bewitched on dvd.  I got through 1 1/2 episodes before I turned off the TV and went to sleep.  That may not seem too unusual to many people, but I struggle with insomnia and for me to go to sleep that early is very odd indeed.
   This Summer was a busy one for us and Jeff and I felt like we were constantly on the go or working on projects.  We did take a vacation at the end of the Summer when Josh came home, but for all but 2 of those days, we were helping corral our grandsons who are 1 and 2 years old and are BUSY little people. ;)  Three days after our return home, I was back in the classroom subbing for the 4th and 5th day of the new school year and then back again right after the weekend.  
   I had originally had high hopes for getting a lot done today and had a very long "to do" list.  However, my body told me that it needed to rest.  I tried to argue with it, but it won. ;)  I finally admitted defeat and whittled my "to do" list down to the most essential things that needed to be done today.
   Bread has been made, as my dear hubby needed it for the sandwiches that he takes to work with him each night.  The rolls I had hoped to also make today, were not.  Scrapple was cooked up on the stove and put in the fridge in a loaf pan to set up so it can be fried later for dinner and served with some sweet pears and crisp apples.  Comfort food for the weary.  The blackberries were picked, the few that escaped the early killing frost, and that garden bed watered.  I may shred up the squash and freeze it for later, or it may wait until tomorrow.  I have not decided that yet.  I think I will roast the tomatoes in some olive oil and sprinkle them with some fresh cracked pepper and a bit of sea salt while I am cooking dinner tonight and then set some aside to freeze for pasta dishes later this Fall and Winter.  That is about as ambitious as I am getting today.
   I have come to find over the years that if I do not listen to what my body is trying to tell me and rest when needed, that I will crash and burn.  I will be more likely to fall prey to many of the viruses that sweep through the school and will take longer to recover from them.  In adition, I will not handle stressful situation very well.  I am working on trying to find a balance in my life in that area also and walking away from certain situations that cause my stress levels to rise to unhealthy levels.  I am hoping, that by listening today and resting, that tomorrow I will have more energy and be able to tackle more of the things on my "to do" list. 
   

Summer Swept By and Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

   Harvest in winding up here on the Palouse and there is a definite nip in the air.  We had our first killing frost here a few nights ago and my cucumbers, squash and tomatoes in the garden fell victim to it's icy touch.  Temperatures were in the mid 20F two mornings ago when I got up and got myself ready to go back to work after having the Summer off.
   Our Summer seemed to just wiz by this year.  We had major projects including a broken water line coming from the town's waterline and deep under our driveway that necessitated digging a very deep trench and replacing a long line of pipe on our side and also replacing some on the town's side.  Thank goodness for good and kind neighbors who not only gave us jugs of water and let us use their shower (since we had no water for 2 days), but who also helped us hand dig and then brought in a backhoe to make the job easier on us all.  We had to take out some tree stumps and my ivy and my driveway has now expanded into a parking lot of sorts. Again though, I am so thankful to live in my small farming community where neighbors help neighbors with projects big and small.

   We also took a family trip to Montana with our family when Josh and his girlfriend Marissa came home for a visit.  It was so good to have them here and to see 4 generations of our family together.  We all loved meeting and getting to know Marissa who is a very down to earth, funny, smart and beautiful person both inside and out.  One of the highlights of that trip for me was seeing my brother Fritz playing with my grandsons Bradley and Isaiah.  Isaiah and Fritz especially seemed to form a bond and I loved watching both their eyes light up when they played with each other.

   School started here again this week and I am off to a quick start with subbing.  I subbed in the 3rd grade both Thursday and Friday and was so glad that I was able to do some training on how to administer an epi pen after school one day since I am there so much and we have children with life threatening allergies.  I'm also booked for this coming Monday afternoon.  I met our new superintendent and our office staff told him that I was there 3/4ths time...I told him I would love to have benefits if that was possible. ;)

    With me back at work once more I am again going back to my time saving routines since I never know if I may be called to work early in the morning.  It makes it hard to plan out certain days to tackle projects here at home but I am so enjoying being back at work with the kids and staff. :)

And More Meals...

Homemade waffles with homemade huckleberry syrup.

Sloppy Joes with yellow beans and squash from our garden.

Crab cakes, red potato salad and watermelon.

Salmon, baked potatoes, roasted squash and tomatoes from our garden (hubby had yellow beans from the garden instead of the squash and tomatoes).

Tuna and pasta salad with all kinds of veggies included.

Tomato and Havarti melts on whole wheat English muffins.

My birthday dinner~corn on the cob, pasta salad, strawberries and raspberry salad (from the garden), bacon wrapped steaks with sauteed mushrooms.

Meatloaf with roasted potatoes.

Orange chicken over rice, Asian veggies.

Double stuffed and baked potatoes, green salad from the garden.

Homemade BBQed chicken pizza.

Turkey burgers, carrot sticks and chips.

Kalua Pig, rice and cabbage.

Cheese tortellini, salad from the garden, garlic bread and a nice glass of wine.

Garden salad with strawberries, lettuce, strawberries and blueberries from our garden.

Cousins!

Isaiah, Hailey, Uncle Jaysn and Bradley

 

   Our niece Shannon, her hubby Travis and our great-niece Hailey came over for a visit recently and we had a wonderful time together!  I loved having our family together and seeing everyone laughing, sharing meals and enjoying each others company.  Hailey kept Bradley entertained for hours and I think he really likes having such a fun big cousin. ;)

 

The Pain Behind the Smile

  

Within the past few days, the world lost one of the most talented actor/comedians to ever grace the planet.  Robin Williams was found dead from an apparent suicide.  He had been struggling with substance abuse and depression and it took him to the darkest of places where he just wanted to pain to end.  My heart aches for him and what he was going through and also for his family that is left behind.

   Robin Williams had the ability to make us all laugh and also cry.  How many of us took "refuge" from the storms of life all around us by watching him in "Mork and Mindy", "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Night at the Museum" or one of the many other movies or shows he was in?  From what I am reading online, it seems like he was always there for his friends, family, our troops, and for children were facing hardships and needed some laughter and fun in their lives.  This incredible man gave the world the gift of laughter, all the while masking the terrible pain that he was feeling inside.

   Even in his death though, he continues to give us yet another  gift...the gift of awareness of depression and sometimes the  substance abuse that may go along with it that is used to try and dull the pain.  So many people, ones that most would never suspect of struggling with depression, are coming out and sharing their story of their own struggles with this debilitating mental health issue.  For so long it has been considered shameful to either suffer from it or have a family member that does.  It is an illness, just like any other illness, be it cancer, lupus, diabetes, and it should not be something that we whisper about, or blame the person for having it.  I personally believe that many lives could have been saved if the stigma and shame attached to depression had not been placed there by society as a whole.

   I'm willing to bet that every single one of us knows at least one person that suffers from depression...but we may not even realize it.  Sometimes, people with the biggest smiles and the most infectious laughter, are hiding behind that mask hoping that you do not see the deep pain they are in.  They have learned to mask the pain for many reasons; shame, fear,and expectations of others are the ones that immediately come to mind.  All the while, they are living with this dark secret that keeps pulling them down further and further.  Sadly, some of these people will never get the help that they need to help them climb out of that deep and dark hole.  And some, like Robin Williams, tragically see no other way to stop the pain but through suicide.  

   I hope that we, as friends, coworkers, family members, and society, will help get rid of the stigma attached to depression and help those that are struggling with this disease get the help they need and deserve.  So please be there for others. Be kind, be supportive and help them, or even yourself, know that it is ok to ask for and seek help and that there are many people who do care.

    


   

Recent Yard Sale and Thrift Store Finds

Jeff and I have been having great luck lately finding things at yard sales that have been on our "wish list" lately.  Our best score was a Mantis tiller that is very similar to this one (minus the kick stand).  The one pictures above is on sale right now at Amazon.com for $336.92.  We bought ours from one of my former students for $10.  Major Score!!!
    

 Bella rotating Waffle Iron $14.99 (retails for $69.99).

 Brand new Toastmaster Bread Machine $7.50 (retails for $40.00 used at amazon.com marketplace)

 Set of 2 Royal Kona Coffee mugs .49 each  (retail $7.45 each), I had to buy these because they are from my home town. ;)

Lots of DVDs and CDs ranging from .90 , $1.00 and $2.00 each.



Some of the other items that we have scored lately:
~recliner chair for $10
~2 nice bar stools for a total of $3
~a KitchenAid pouring shield .75 for my 5 quart mixer (retails for $24.99)
~lots of books and toys for the grandkids
~books for me .10 to $2.00
~a huge old woven laundry basket for $3
~a vintage miniature Mickey Mouse tea set made in occupied Japan for $2.50
~lots of assorted jewelry .25 to $2.99
~a cute bedspread $2.00 and quilt $2.00
~purses .49 to $4.99
~scarves .99 each
~clothing (most new with tags still attached)
~dog gate that you put in your car to keep the dog in the back $14.99 (retails for $35.99 on sale at Amazon.com)
~old china plates .49 each
~lots of tempera paint, new sidewalk chalk, foam craft sheets .49 and .99 each
~storage containers and baskets .99 each
~another waffle iron that makes animal shapes brand new in box for $4.99 (we thought the grandkids would get a kick out of them)

I know there are many more things that we have bought.  The items above are just a snippet of things that we have been blessed to find lately.  If you are not shopping yard sales and thrift stores then you are missing out on some great bargains!