Drivers #1

Why are drivers so bad?

We walk Snowy almost every day. Since we live on a busy road, we walk him on the back streets. People use those back streets as a cut through so they can avoid the main road. But what those people don't think about is that is our neighborhood and that people live there.

Yesterday, Snowy and I were out for a walk. There are no sidewalks and the lawns and grass are wet and muddy. I try to keep him out of the really muddy areas because he is so furry and we try to keep him as clean as possible.

What I don't understand is why drivers are so unobservant. We were walking on the street, side by side. Let's face it - Snowy is the size of most humans. There was a car coming at us and a school bus coming from behind us.  Instead of slowing down or speeding up so all four of us didn't pass at the same time, the car coming at us decided to pass us at the same time the bus did. I ended up jumping into a muddy, wet lawn and shoving Snowny in also. I, being the calm person that I am, had to yell at the car driver for being so stupid.  Would she have passed us like that if I was pushing a baby stroller? I would hope not because I'm sure someone would have gotten hurt.

So the next you are driving down a road and see people walking or running, think about them and how your actions will affect them.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Couponing

Everyone who knows me knew that Extreme Couponing was going to be a topic eventually.  I'll admit. I was sucked into the craze. Who won't be with the opportunity of free food and health and beauty products? Doesn't everyone need a stockpile of food to feed their family for a year?

I've always used coupons and enjoyed shopping for the best sale. Once I bought a dress in Kaufmanns (before it was Macy's) for $9.99.  It was a $120 Evan Picone little black dress. When I checked out,  I had the clerk double check the price and bought the dress on the assumption that some day I would wear it. It was probably the best $9.99 I've ever spent.

Watching the show "Extreme Couponig" made me feel like a slacker. Sure, I couponed but I didn't get items for free and I only bought items when I needed them.  I started by saving all coupons, even if it was for products I've never tried. My mom saved me her newspaper coupons so I had three Sunday coupon inserts per week, plus the weekly ones that come in the mail.  I cut out all of the coupons, and organized them in a Dollar Store plastic binder/envelope. I wasn't ready for the full size binder organizer yet. On Sunday's, I would check out the CVS, Target, RiteAid and Walgreen ads. I looked first for any free items in those ads. Then any items that I had coupons for and maybe had in-store rebates.  I found it frustrating to shop at the stores weekly though.  There was a shelf clearer in my area who would shop in Sunday's and clear the shelf of all of the really good sale products.  I found that if I waited until Thursday or Friday, the stores would be re-stocked.  I did this for a few weeks until I realized I was becoming obsessed.

My stockpile began to grow and we started trying products we've never used. Some things were tried and never used again and some became favorites.  I had enough body wash to last a year. Now I only go to one of the stores per week depending on what I need and what is on sale.

In researching couponing, I did find some really good websites. Some of my favorites are http://www.thekrazycoupnlady.com/.  If you sign up, you can receive a daily email with updated coupons, sales and rebates. Some others are grocerycouponnetwork.com and coupons.com.

I watched this season's latest coupon show about the Ultimate Couponer. What bothers me about these shows are that they are unrealistic shopping. I know I still have to buy milk, produce and meat on a weekly basis. But if you watch these shows, they never do. Also, I wish they would show how they save other places, like on clothes, furniture, etc, but they don't. On one of last season's shows, they talked about how a woman planned and bought for her sister's wedding but they only showed the food purchases. I think they should do a show on how to save on other wedding items.

So what did I do with some of my extreme purchases? Some we used. Some items I donated to the food bank. We really don't need 10 boxes of pasta. The food banks are always looking for products. They will also take health and beauty products. Some of the free toothpaste I've accumulated has gone there also.  My mom belongs to a women's group that send packages to the troops overseas. Alot of the personal care products have been donated to them.

Most expired coupons can be donated to the military http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for-military/.
So, ultimately, I've learned to watch the ads, cut coupons that I'll use, and buy what I need or can donate. Besides, I'm not going to spend 30-40 hours a week on couponing. I'd like to think I have better things to do with my life.

           
Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Pets

I was in the Pet Store yesterday picking up some pet food when I saw a sign that said "Pet Parents". I'm not real sure how I feel about that. We were never pet people until 2 years ago. I had never understood the whole pet thing- how people treated their pets, how much money they spent on their pets, etc. until now!

The boys had always wanted a dog. We were always too active of a family we thought. The boys were older so we decided to get a dog.  The boys researched what type of dog would be best for our family. It had to be able to travel, like the cold as well as the beach and water in the summer, be even tempered,and easy to get along with.

Snowny (alias) is our 2 year old, 150 pound Newfoundland. When we got him, he was this little black 15 pound fur ball. He falls into most of our criteria. I'm glad that because he is so big that he is even tempered. Although he doesn't like the car and acts that we are torturing him when he has to get in, we always take him fun places, like the beach, up the mountains, to Nate's house at college,  and the boys lacrosse games.  He is definitely now part of the family.

In the fall, he hurt his leg playing with the neighbor dog. When we took him to the vet, she said that he had torn his ACL and would need surgery. The surgeon confirmed this and we had the surgery done.  For 8 weeks, we took turns sleeping on the couch because he wasn't allowed to go up steps and being so big, no one could carry him.  Now we are debating when to have the surgery on his other knee.

He is great company for me when no one is home. I'm glad we had him when the boys went back to school in the fall.  It was lonely with no one in the house and he gave me a purpose. Besides, it's nice coming home when someone is excited to see you, even if it's only because he knows he's getting a treat.

He is now like one of the family, but I don't consider myself a pet parent. He's a non-human addition to the family dynamics.

Absolute Minimum Pricing

I was really surprised to see that JC Penney's is changing their sales practices. I have to agree with them. This past holiday season was ridiculous with the sales, coupons, rewards, etc. As a consumer, it was great but I think the retailers lost money. I also think that returns after the holidays was confusing for the buyer as well as the retailer.

Many years ago before Kaufmanns was purchased by Macy, I thought that they should go to the Absolute Minimum Pricing theory. They too were having sales every week, always had coupons, and had clearance sales. Who as a customer wants to buy anything full price if you know it will be on sale tomorrow or next day. I know I never did and still never do. I thought Kaufmanns should have reduced their prices to their minimum pricing (a reasonable price for them and the customer), run sales four times a year, one for after every season- winter, spring, summer and fall, and clearance out any items still left over after the season sales. It seems as though this is similar to what Penney's is going to do. I'm curious to see if other retailers will follow suit.

We, as consumers, will have to re-train ourselves in our thinking. I know I am always out for the best price. With Penney's, you'll have to take your chances if you don't purchase immediately and hope the product is still there when you go back again.  But isn't that with all retailers. Do you buy today with a coupon or wait until tomorrow when the sale price is lower!

         
      Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Valentine's Day

I think Valentine's Day is the most stressful holiday for new and young couples. You don't know what she expects. You don't know what he's thinking. I think it's a setup for huge let downs.  The holiday is so commercialized. There is so much emotion revolving this day.  And what if you are single, how do the commercials and advertisements affect you?

Should you get her jewelry? How much should you spend? How much does she think you're spending? Diamonds- that's a really big commitment, emotionally and financially.  Gold or silver? I think it depends on where you are in your relationship.

Send her a dozen of red roses? Maybe you aren't to the red rose stage, but somehow pink or yellow roses don't seem like the right message. 

Chocolates- As a self pronounced chocoholic, any type of chocolate is good for me. It's good that Sarris Candies had produced and shipped their V-Day candies before their fire.

Lingerie - Who is it really for? Him or her! 

Dinner- Should  it be that perfectly romantic meal? Candlelight, just the two of you, some romantic setting. Personally, I think you should make an effort for something special that he and she would both enjoy. Stay home or go out but one thing, McDonald's doesn't make the cut for this date.

How do we spend Valentine's Day? We generally have a nice dinner out. But if there is something else going on that day, we don't stress because we didn't get to celebrate.  Because after 28 Valentine's Days together, we both know we still love one another.

So hugs and kisses to my three guys. And Happy Valentine's Day!

     Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Retirement

Are we ever going to retire? I often ask that question.

Last week, Joe and I were down at the beach. We were younger than everyone there by at least 20 years. All of the snowbirds head south for January and February.  The couples we talked to were impressed and surprised that we could spend a week at the shore in the middle of February. But this is our slow season so we take advantage of it while we can.  Besides, 75 and sunny sure does wonders for your mood in the middle of winter.

Needless to say, everyone we spoke with were retirees. It makes me wonder if and when we'll ever be able to retire, even though Nate asked if we were ever planning on going back to work (since we've taken off so much time lately).

While we were there, we met a wonderful gentleman and entrepreneur named Joe. Joe owns Hamburger Joe's, which is a great little burger joint. We have always admired how busy the restaurant stays, even off season. We've also said that we wish we could buy this little gold mine. Joe is probably in his 70's and still involved with his business. But he seems to be type of man who would always be involved with something, which brings this story back to us.

Joe and I would like to retire sometime before we hit 70. But I think we need to be involved with something to keep us from getting bored and being boring.  I've often heard that you have to have 5 and 10 year plans and goals before you retire so as you have something to do in those early retirement years. Even though the construction business has afforded us a good living, I think there has to be more to life. 

As Terry has said, you often hear that if you put aside $100/month starting when you are in your 20's, you'll have $1M when you retire. I wish I could say that we took that advice.

What our goal is to own properties in resort communities. We have dabbled in it for years. Some of our investments have been great and some, we'll say, have been learning lessons. We are thinking about heading further south into Florida. Because of the economy, friends have told us that there are deals to be made. I think of real estate as diversifying our portfolio. We know that we can work well together. Visiting the various properties, arranging maintenance, etc. I think would be a way we could retire early and still stay involved in a business. I will keep you posted along the way.

Happy retirement to those fortunate enough to be a retiree and hope to join you, sooner than later.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Bucket List

Does your Bucket List change as you get older?

I never had a "bucket list". I guess there were always things I wanted to do, but yes, that has changed over the years.  When I was in my 40's, Joe was going to surprise me with a car driving lesson at Richard Petty driving school in NC. When I looked less than excited, he said that I mentioned years ago that it was something I would love to do.  I was probably 25 when I said it. Now, I am older and more mature, and no longer wanted to do something that involved speed, possible injury...

Things I've done:  

• Married a great guy
• Raised my sons and saw them get into great colleges.
• Have some wonderful friends
• Got my ears pierced last year.  I am a needle phobic so this was a really big deal for me.
• Got contacts (that same phobia thing with foreign objects being in my eyes)
• Spent time on a Caribbean Island.
• Visited New York City
• Created a website

Things on my list:

• Start a successful blog (We'll see that goes)
• See the boys play a lacrosse game against each other. (Feb 11 is the scrimmage date)
• Go west and see the Grand Canyon.  We have never done a West trip and I think I would be wonderful to see all of nature's glory.
• Visit Napa Valley on a wine tasting trip. Even though I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means, the trip would be a great source of wine (and information)
• Publish a cookbook.
• Spend an entire summer at the beach
• Write a book.
• Take cooking lessons in Italy.
• Have a closet just for shoes.
• Get my MBA
• Retire by 55 and buy vacation rental properties
• Play with my great grandchildren

Things not on my list:

• Any type of extreme sports - helio skiing, climbing Mt Everest, running a marathon, jumping out of a perfectly fine airplane, etc.
• Visiting really remote places. I'm all about indoor plumbing, climate controlled environments, and not having animals and insects in my space.

I'm sure this list will continually change. I'll keep updating as I add or delete.  What is on your bucket list and does it constantly change?

       Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Music

Since I was in my early teens, I listened to Classic Rock music, even though back then it wasn't known as "classic". Several years ago, I decided that I had been listening to the same music for 30 years, so I started listening to some of the other radio stations. About 4 years ago, Nate decided that he liked country music. Even though it was one kind of music I had never really listened to, I learned that I really enjoy it. Granted you have to get past the party songs about red plastic cups and Jose Cuervo. Also the songs about how she/he left me, the dog left me, etc.  But let's admit it, girls, as a scorned female, wouldn't you want to take a Louisville Slugger to that guy's favorite car or truck.

What I like is the basis of county music songs. They are about loving and appreciating the ones you are with. Be glad that you get to wake up in the arms of the one you love. Be happy of the family time, both good and bad, that you get to spend together. You get through the bad times. It's just life. Enjoy your kids.

But when you get up in the morning, be thankful for what you do have. As Kenny Chesney says, don't blink or you'll miss life.