What's That You Say? Two Posts, One Day?

Sorry for the lame title, hehe. 

I had to share a little score that I just encountered.  I went to Target to grab some K-Cups for the hubs.  He was out of them (for his Keurig).  Anyhow, even though I'd promised my kids it would be a fast trip, I wanted to check the clearance.  Just the aisle near where I was getting the coffee, not the whole store, I promise!  

From where I stood, there wasn't much to see, but I still felt compelled to check it out.  In fact, from where I was, the four shelves looked almost empty.  Anyhow, upon arrival I found my Brew Over Ice Perfect Black Tea K-Cups (which I ran out of about 3 days ago) sitting there, staring me in the face!  16 cup packs on clearance for 50% off!  5.48 per pack!!  And guess what I had...?  2dollar coupons!  (Remember when I talked about being a Bzz Agent and taking part in some Bzz Campaigns? Well, Brew Over Ice was one of them, and even after sharing my coupons with the folks I bzzed to, I still had some left for me...today they were put to good use!)  I scored 5 16 count boxes. Originally priced 10.99.  Clearance priced 5.48.  Less 2 dollar coupon...3.48 per box. (I'm doing the happy dance. Be thankful you can't see, I have no rhythm.)  I drink one of these a day maybe 3-4 times a week.  I think they're a nice little treat and this stash of 80 should last me a good long time!  Expiration is still 8 months away.  I'm absolutely thrilled!  Love a deal.  Now if I could do so well with the hubs coffee.  Fingers crossed.

Meatless Meals to Save ?

A while ago the hubs and I watched a Ted Talk that had to do with going meatless during the week. We talked about it a few times, wondered if it was something we could do, wanted to do, etc.

Last night, after discussing a few things, our current situation, our future (his military retirement is so close!), money and our health, the idea of being meatless during the week came up again. We've decided to give it a whirl. We'll aim for 5 meatless dinners a week (I'm not ready to do 5 meatless days, I'm already struggling with menu planning, tyvm!) and if we miss our mark, no big deal, we just try again.

Part of the reason is that meat can get expensive, another part is we'd like to eat better overall (we eat pretty healthily most of the time, but we've noticed an eating out trend recently.. not very thrifty!). I have some concerns though...mostly one. How do I make creative, tasty meals that are not one gigantic carb-fest? I'm not interested in meat replacements either. Once in a while would be okay, I suppose, but really those can be as pricy as the meat. I was searching the web for meals that moved me and I found some. Lots, actually, but so many had such a high concentration of carbs that I felt a bit worried. Should I not worry? I mean, I can just make sure breakfast and lunch are lower in carbs and higher in proteins I guess.

My only other concern is that my 10 year old isn't a huge fan of beans and I found lots of great recipes that take advantage of beans. I mean, he likes some beans, but I can't see him being thrilled about beans 5 nights a week. ;)

If you have any recipes, tips, tricks, hints or general ideas on this, I'm all ears!

A Couple of Thrifted Finds

While my mom was visiting we took a day to spend together, just the two of us girls. It started at The Good Will Store, headed to a consignment store and then an Antique Mall. We had lunch and hit up Marshall's and Old Navy. Apart from just having a fantastic time shopping and goofing off with my mom, I found a couple of good deals. Sadly, my skill at picture taking hasn't really improved much. Heh. I have been wanting (for a couple of years now) this shirt from Target, it's a One Star, long sleeve, button down top. Simple, but cute. Initially I wanted it in blue. I am pretty confident that it was 29.99 when I first decided I loved it. Now, it's 22.99. I can't explain why, but the price just rubbed me the wrong way. And that was before I began thrifting. Well, my hesitation paid off, I found one at the Good Will in my size, but in a different color than I'd have initally chosen. I didn't even care! It's a very light pink, I can wear it on its own or unbuttoned with a tank under it. I love it!

I was also able to find a 3/4 sleeve striped top from Banana Republic. It's a soft tee shirt with tiny button details on the sleeve. Very casual and easy to wear in the fall. It's got a wide neck, cutting almost to the shoulders, boat neck? Is that what it's called? I don't know. It's cute, it fit and I like it. :D

 I know, it's all wrinkly in the picture because I was too anxious to get the pic after I'd washed it.  I'm lazy like that.  Might explain the disappointing photography skills, eh?

My last great find of the day was a little LeSportSac make up bag.  This little bag is 20 bucks new and I got it for less than 3.  It's practically brand new.  In fact, I'd guess it had been used once.  Love it.  It's funny, because when I saw it, I hemmed and hawed.  I need a new make up bag, mine isn't really coming clean anymore and I've been turning my nose up at the $10 + pricetags of the new ones.  But for some reason, I couldn't commit to this initially.  Finally though, I did.  And I'm glad!

At this point we moved on to a local consignment shop.  I wasn't impressed with much of what they had.  It felt as though very little of it had been cleaned prior to being brought in.  Very disappointing.  Left with nothing.

The antique mall was fantastic and I would have left with about anything in the store, loved it all.  But since I'm moving soon, I would like to wait before picking up any of those fantastic items.  Gorgeous chairs, handmade doilies, cake plates, crystal items.  Looove!  Favorite thing there?  !940-50's style short white gloves with teeny button details.  If I could have them, I promise I'd wear a dress and do my hair every day!  ;)

Prepping for a Yardsale

The time has come for me to start getting very serious about having this yard sale. School starts up in about 2 weeks. I'd kind of like to have the sale before then, but it's warm enough here for me to do it well into September. Initially I wanted to do it while my folks were in town visiting, but I didn't want them to feel like they had to do the work. My mom did give me some ideas about pricing and offered her opinion on what was worth keeping and what was worth getting rid of. My biggest issue is that I have a couch and loveseat that are structurally perfect, but the leather is cracked and peeled on the arms and the seat of the sofa has a hole. I figured I'd have to toss them, but Mom says to stick them out there and sell them as is. The hubs also thinks I should try and sell one of the kids bikes, which is a bit rusted and has a broken chain. I know that there are plenty of crafty types out there, but I feel weird having so much "fixer upper" stuff. I gave the kids the opportunity to go through their stuff and sort out what would be worth selling for them. Not surprisingly, they had a very difficult time with this. Everything was something they swore they'd be using soon, even after not using some of it for years. Some of it was emotional (trying to keep things they've had for years, but offering to sell things that were nearly brand new that they'd been desperate to have) and some of it was just pack rattish in nature. I feel their pain. Knowing that we're sizing down is hard. We're not just going to a smaller house, we're going from a house to an apartment. No more extra bedroom, no more back yard, no more garage. This is a huge amount of space to lose. I'm guessing we'll be renting a small storage unit for those few things we're totally unwilling to part with (in the hopes of having space for them in the future), boxing bag, chest freezer, trampoline, folding table. Holiday items are also giving me a little trouble. How much to I keep, just enough to add a few touches, I suppose. Do people buy holiday items in August...from yard sales? I would if I had the extra dough, I guess, but I wonder if anyone else does. So, I'm open to any and all suggestions here, how to do this yard sale thing right. Pricing, haggling, how long to stay out, is it okay to broken things out? I need to get rid of lots of stuff, is it tacky to put out things I think are trash (open rolls or wrapping paper, etc)...so much to consider.

Review: Bic Soleil Savvy Razor

So, I'm a member of the BzzAgent Community.  If you're not familiar with it, hit up www.bzzagent.com and check it out.  This community allows companies to spread buzz about products by word of mouth.  They take into account different aspects of your life (products you use, places you shop, etc) to match you up with products to try, review and generally talk about with the people in your life.  It's fantastic.

Recently I was sent (by bzzagent.com) a pack of Bic Soliel Savvy Razors.  I used them and I loved them.  Here's my review, do with it what you will.  ;)  Seriously, though, great product, I'll be making them my regular razor.  It's not a huge leap for me, I was already using the Soleil line, but these are superior to the ones I was using before.

I found myself very pleased with the Soleil Savvy razor! A couple of bits of background for you, I'm one of those lucky girls who has super sensitive sking, so shaving stinks in general. I also have a large scar on my leg that is raised and opens up nearly every time I shave. Lastly on the list of things that are important to know is that my hair grows crazy fast. Those things having been said, I shall relate my experience with the Soleil Savvy. Point one-sensitive skin. I had zero issues with this since I began using the Savvy. No nicks and cuts, which I almost always get with a brand new razor. No razor burn, either. This is looking good already. Point two-that nasty scar. I dread the moment when I get close to my scar when shaving. I have to navigate the area so delicately and even then, it rarely ends well. I wind up with a bandaid that needs to be changed over and over because the lightest touch with a razor opens it up and the bleeding refuses to end. Not so with the Savvy! I gave it an honest try and didn't give in to the urge to just avoid that area entirely. I was so pleased to go over it with no issues at all. I'm really liking this razor at this point. Point three-fast growing hair. For years, shaving daily is just how it goes for me. I don't love it, but I'm used to it. Imagine my surprise the day after I first used the Savvy, when I jumped in the shower and found I didn't have to shave! I had to pinch myself. ;) Ladies and Gentlemen, I've found myself a new razor! Seriously, I'll never buy another one. I was already a user of the Soleil line, but I won't go back to the rest of the series after trying the Savvy. It's THE razor for me. As a bonus, the Savvy takes up very little space too, since you're just storing the replacement heads and not a stack of disposable razors. Heads are all used up, toss the whole thing and grab a new pack. Love it!

Unplanned Hiatus...Oops

Honest.  I hadn't planned to stop my journey.  Thrifting and decluttering are things I'm still thinking about daily.  It's funny that I think about it all the time, but I manage to forget to do the actual blogging.  Go figure.

I've decided to broaden my focus here.  I'm going to thrift, declutter and find my personal style (both on my person and in my home), but I'm also going to share my opinions on things I try.  Be it visits to local places or products I've tried.  Seems like that will give me a bit more opportunity to blog.  Sometimes I don't have a chance to go searching around the thrift stores or I'm not up for decluttering.

We're moving soon.  In the next 2-5 months.  Needless to say, that means some major decluttering going on.  I'm trying to plan a yard sale.  It's hard though.  I've never had one before, been to plenty, but never held my own.  I don't know what my old stuff will be worth to anyone, if anyone wants it at all.  I don't want to overvalue it and not sell anything nor do I want to undervalue it and cheat myself out of a few bucks.  I read that 70% off of the initial value is a good starting point.  I assume that's for stuff in great condition.  I have items here that are still perfectly usable, but not as pretty as they once were.  I'd still like to see if I can get a couple of bucks for those things.  Not surprisingly, I'm also worried about selling something and finding out later that I needed it.  Wouldn't that be a pain in the rear.  I'm fortunate to live in pretty much the perfect spot for a yard sale, so if I can make it past the planning stages, I know I can at least get people to stop by.

Hmm.  For now, I guess that's all I've got.  Promising myself I'll be diligent about blogging moving forward.  Yay me!

Finish This Before You Start That!

The last two weeks have been something of a black hole for me.  The time is vanishing and I've found myself feeling overwhelmed by many things.  In this time, though, I've noticed something about myself that directly contributes to my lack of organization. 

I'm an absolute scatterbrain.  I have a half dozen jobs that I started and never finished.  I start a job (laundry, for instance) and find something else to distract me along the way.  In the instance of laundry, it goes something like this. 

Gather laundry, walk to laundry room, get laundry started.  Notice dishes aren't done.  Begin dishes and then wonder if anyone left dishes in other rooms.  Walk down the hall to collect dishes, notice the floor could use a sweep, grab broom, sweep floor, forget dishes, forget laundry.  Now I have 3 half done jobs.  Laundry was started but abandoned part way through (I manage to complete the load I started...at least to the point of getting it dried).  I gathered the dishes and put them in the sink, but abandoned it to grab the broom and I've swept, but not mopped. 

I need to finish the jobs I start before moving on.  Some how everything seems so pressing when I see it, so I do that instead.  It's a funny thing, really, because I preach to my boys that they need to finish one playing with one toy before grabbing another.  I insist that they finish one page of homework before moving on to the next one.  So, why, I wonder, can't I practice what I preach?

I'm going to make it a goal this weekend to only do jobs from start to finish.  No half done tasks.  If this means that only one thing gets done, so be it.  I'd rather have one thing completed than 3 undone.