Pack Your Bags...

I can't wait for my upcoming annniversary vacation in June! I'm excited to see a different part of the world with my favorite person. I embarassed to say that I have been planning what I'm going to wear since we booked the cruise in the Fall. As of right now, below are a couple things on my wishlist for the trip. Be prepared, this list will constantly change.

Japan relief tee- Gap
Coral Marc Jacobs bag- Nordstrom
Ray Ban retro cat sunglasses- Urban Outfitters
Linen shorts- Forever 21
Linen dress- jcrew
Jack Purcell shoes- Nordstrom

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Basketball season at my son's school is here! Bryce is playing and doing quite well. He made the first basket of the season for his team and I see marked improvement in him with each game.

I am not sure how it happens, but at each game, I morph into, "Annoying Sports Mom". I continually yell things like, "Go Bryce!", "Get under the basket!", and my personal favorite, "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Look, I know we are at a game, not the library. Cheering is definitely allowed. However, I scream (and I mean scream).

I am positive that I irritate all of the parents around me. I know they sit there thinking, "Geez, why was my son placed on her son's team? Is the season over yet?"

My suspicions were confirmed when my father-in-law mentioned that every video clip he had of Bryce playing featured me screaming, at the top of my lungs. Great. When I held Bryce as a baby, I constantly wondered, "Hmmm..how can I both annoy others and embarass my son? Ah yes, be an overzealous fan at my son's future sports activities. It's almost too easy."

Of course I don't want to be this way, but I can't help it. If you have a scenario that turns you into, "Annoying Mom", please share. I'm hoping that I am not the only one who suffers from this.

Get Your Clip On!

My latest hobby has been saving money. As a result, I have turned to coupons. After watching Extreme Couponing on TLC, both Ryan and I caught the bug for savings. However, I want to know how their bill is only $7.00 for five carts of groceries. I guess I need to learn to walk before I can run because that kind of savings takes time to acquire. With the help of my coupon gurus, I am slowly understanding this strange mystery.

Last week, I decided to go to 3 stores: Food Source, Rite Aid, and CVS. After meticulously combing through my collection of Sunday paper coupons, I was armed and ready. Combining coupons with store specials, I saved:

• Food Source: $22.09
• CVS: $15.86
• Rite Aid: $5.18

I saved $43.13. Doing the math, I saved 32% on my total bill through coupons and deal hunting.

Sounds good, right? Well, by the time I figured out which place had the cheapest toothbrush and which coupon to use for that, I was exhausted. After all of the cross comparison shopping, I think I could feel my brain oozing out of my ears. Don't get me wrong, I love saving money, but that took some serious finagaling.

I have a couple thoughts for the REALLY EXTREME couponers:
1. With all the gas used on running to different stores, how much are you actually saving?
2. Stockpiling- Is it really necessary to buy 75 bottles of handsoap, even if there only $0.19 each? I wash my hands a lot, but dang, that's excessive.
3. Okay, so you bought 100 boxes of pasta for virtually free. Now you have to go to Home Depot and buy shelving to house all that stuff. Not to mention, what if you get rats from not moving through your food fast enough? That's another expense.

Let me hear your thoughts on coupons, tips on saving, favorite coupon sites, etc.