Rest and peace

I've been quiet for the past few days. Some things have been happening that have caused a lot of unrest in our house, but the worst is now over. I'm glad to be done with one issue in particular, after over 3 years of anxiety and anger. It wasn't a great outcome, but at least I can now have some peace.

I'll probably lay low a couple more days, just to rest. Just wanted you all to know.

Savior, grant me rest and peace...Let my troubled dreaming cease...

Kroger therapy

My angry breakup with Walgreens was eased some today by a GREAT Kroger run.

For all the items above, I spent only $26.33, of which $5.75 was tax! I've got enough for dinners and lunches this week, and extras for the coming weeks. Some of the highlights were:

• Pillsbury brownie mix, on sale for $1, bought four and used four $0.40 coupons (doubled) to make them only 20 cents each
• Chef Boyardee cans (yes, I still like to eat Beefaroni every now and then!), on sale for $1, bought six and used two $0.35/3 coupons (doubled) to make them 80 cents each
• Yo-Plus yogurt 4-pack, $2.49, used a Shortcuts coupon for $1 off and a Mfr. coupon for $1 off to make them 49 cents
• 1 package of Old El Paso taco shells and 1 package of tortillas, $2.19 each, used $1/2 Mfr. coupon, and a peelie from the box to get 1 taco seasoning pack for free
• Country Bob's sauce, free after coupon on postcard (to get one, go here)
• Cottonelle single roll 4-pack, $0.99, used $0.50 Mfr. coupon (doubled) to get it free
• Trident, on sale for $0.50, used a $0.55 coupon (reduced by cashier) to get it free

And the biggest highlight of all, the one that paid part of the bill:

• Glade Plug-in Gel Warmers, $1.89 each, bought six and used 3 BOGOF coupons for a total of $5.67...and the scanner printed off $12 in Kroger catalinas!

In case you don't know (I didn't know for the longest time), a catalina is like a voucher good for your next purchase at Kroger. Sometimes they are for specific products, but in this case, the catalinas said "$2 off your next purchase," so I could use them for anything.

The Glade Wisp candles are giving a $4 catalina for each one purchased, and I tried to buy two this morning, using a BOGOF printable coupon. Alas, the cashier and manager went back and forth about taking it, then (after making me wait for about ten minutes) they decided that they wouldn't accept it because of the high dollar value. I asked that the cashier just void the two, and he accidentally ADDED two. Then he voided all four, and neither the cashier nor the manager asked for me to give them the four $4 catalinas that printed off. I figured, well, they wasted my time, didn't let me use a perfectly valid coupon, and then didn't ask for the catalinas back, so they're technically mine to spend!

In all honesty, the catalinas I got for the Wisp candles just make up for past instances of scanning mistakes and bad food that I never got around to returning.

Well, I feel much better after my Kroger therapy session. Katy Coupons got her groove back!

I'm making a clean break.

Last night, I broke it off with Walgreens.

Oh, I've been flirting with them for a few months, taking advantage of a few good sales and free-after-rebate items. But they've never been able to do for me what CVS does. Each visit frustrated me more and more, culminating in last night's terrible experience.

I had my list ready to go, fully prepared to play by all the random coupon rules that my local stores keeps throwing at me. I had only one coupon of each type and more items than coupons. Everything hinged on whether or not they had stocked those five items. I was thrilled to see that they had, so I loaded my basket and headed to the cashier.

This little older lady at the register was so kind to me in the past. I would let her ramble on about her family and this and that, because I wanted to build a report with her. Tonight, she seemed completely different. She didn't seem to recognize me, and she was NOT kind at all. She scowled at my coupons, then told me that I couldn't use a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon (from the Oct. EasySaver Booklet). I gently tried to explain that the two coupons are completely different, and that they are normally allowed.

Then it was, "Well, you can't use them both because your total isn't above $20." That didn't make sense at all, but I gently pointed out that my total was over $38. Obviously she (and the manager she called over at this point) felt like I was running a scam or something. I just kept pointing out the facts. They finally tried scanning the EasySaver coupon, and it beeped. They refused to make it go through, spouting off other ridiculous excuses.

I was finally so frustrated that I quietly asked that they void the transaction and let me have my coupons back. I left cordially, without a big fuss, but I knew that I would never shop in that store again, and possibly not in Walgreens period.

So, no deals. I wash my hands of Walgreens. I will still file for the rebate items I already bought, but I think I'll have them send me the rebate in cash instead of a gift card. I really don't want to have to return there.

CVS and I are exclusive now.

Walgreens is the place to be this weekend!

Thank goodness I didn't declare a Walgreens Hiatus...They just released this $5 off $20 purchase coupon for this Friday and Saturday. Boy, we couponers can do a LOT with this!

I won't give details now (since everything depends on which items are in stock), but suffice it to say that I plan to do two transactions this weekend, spend about $23 in cash, and get back $36 on my gift card. Sweet!

Oh, Walgreens. Are you trying to win me back? I'll lead you on a little longer...

Quarterly Report

Well, I've been playing the Drugstore Game for three whole months now, so I figured it was time for a little reflection, in the form of a Quarterly Report. Here's a list of my accumulation from both CVS and Walgreens...

Stocked for at least 6 months:

Shampoo
Conditioner
Razors
Shaving cream
Body wash
Toilet paper
Name-brand cereal
Mayonnaise
Pasta sauce

Stocked for a year or more:

Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Deodorant (for both of us)
Feminine products
Hand soap
Dishwasher detergent
Dish liquid
Kitchen trash bags
Contact solution
Headache medicine
Sinus/cold medicine
Household cleaners
Facial tissues
Cotton swabs
Paper towels
Make-up (foundation, concealer, powder, mascara)
Nail polish

I'm sure I've left something off the list, because there's just so much! I really need to take a picture of the bathroom closet. Lance refers to it as our Mini CVS.

So, having spent only about $120 total for all of this, I consider this quarter a great success! The only drawback to having a fully-stocked Mini CVS, though, is that I really don't have a need to shop for a long while. Will that stop me? Not if there are money-makers to be had.

And then there's always the Grocery Game...

This message is Baxter-approved

And while we're talking about free samples, your four-legged friend would want you to go here and try a sample of Greenies pet snacks! We were sent a dental bone, which Baxter devoured in a span of 90 seconds.

Something tells me he liked it.

You have GOT to try this!

I got a free sample of the Fiber-One Oats and Chocolate flavor Chewy Granola Bar by signing up here.

Go right now and sign up for yours, because it's RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS!

I just ate another bar myself (from the box I bought with coupons from Kroger last week), and just HAD to write about it! These bars are gooey, chocolate-y goodness that rival any candy bar. And they are packed with healthy ingredients!

I have found my new favorite mid-afternoon snack.

CVS Hiatus

Okay, so I have money, I just don't want to spend it.

I'm taking a break from CVS for a week or two. I've looked at the sneak peek ad for next week, and nothing is jumping out at me as a stellar deal. There will be a freebie (after ECBs), but it's not something I care to make a trip for. Can you believe it??

It will be kind of nice to take a break, really. As with anything else, you can have TOO much of a good thing. I've been CVS-ing for a good three months straight, so a short hiatus is well-deserved.

Even though I don't spend much at CVS, I'm trying to limit my spending across the board in order to pay off our debt sooner. Fewer store visits means less unnecessary spending each month. Less spending means extra money in the budget to go towards our school loans. And, in the end, no school loans and other debts will mean we can live off one income come Baby Time! See, there's a long-term plan here.

No money, no problems.

It's not a gas shortage. It's a brain shortage.

I'm so sick of this hysteria over the gas shortage in Nashville. Reports say that the concern over the "crisis" is causing Nashvillians to go through FOUR TIMES as much gas in the past week as normal. People are stockpiling and hoarding. People are waiting in line for over an hour (wasting gas) just to "top off" their already-half-full tank, while others (myself included) are on empty and have nowhere to buy just five measly gallons.

I'm not one to buy into rumors and worries about shortages. But apparently I was a little too optimistic last Monday when I bought only five gallons to get me through the week. I figured I'd not fill up all the way, since gas was starting to become scarce, and I knew I could wait it out. WRONG. I overestimated the amount of brain-power in the average Nashvillian. Or maybe I underestimated the power of the rumor mill. In any case, I'm on empty and having to find a back-up plan to my failed back-up plan.

All this has served as a reminder for me: Never take anything for granted! We never know what may be taken from us, whether temporarily or permanently. We should be grateful for every single thing (or available commodity) we have, and thank God every day! Today I have a car, a home, a loving husband, available food, running water...Will I have those tomorrow? I don't know. So I will praise God today for His goodness and mercy!

(And while I'm at it, I'll ask for patience...)

Happiness is...

...a clean, organized kitchen.

I've been busy this weekend.

Yesterday Lance and I got a lot done. We went to Lowe's to pick up two more sets of industrial shelving in order to start organizing the eBay room. As he was putting those together, I got the drill out and began installing the 23 knobs and 8 handles in the kitchen. Whew! It took a while, mostly because I'm super-obsessive about centering and leveling everything, but I'm very pleased with the outcome. And now we can open doors and drawers easily!

Having knobs and handles inspired me to move everything out of storage and into the cabinets. Even though I'm feeling terrible today, I managed to get every last dish out of storage and into its new home. Then I cleaned up, and even hung a few decorations. I had Lance help me move the jute rug, which was previously under the dining table, into the kitchen. I like it better here, I think. This way the hardwood will be more protected from things dripping from the sink or stove.

It's odd...I'm often more productive on days I feel bad.

Well, it's almost church time, so I'll sign off. Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!