Super Saver Saturday

I have wanted to go to my favorite thrift store for a couple of weeks now and I finally got to go there today!

Sawyer (my 18-year- old son) needed a pair of gray slacks. We found a pair in his size that he liked. Because all long pants were on sale at half off we were able to get the pants for $2.00! Yes, you read that correctly-the original price was $4.00 and we only had to pay half today.

I also bought a lovely set of books for my 5-month-old grandson, Liam, for Easter. This Brimax board book set titled My First Prayers contains 8 very sweet books and is in a nice little case. It only cost $3.00! I am ecstatic over this find. Take a look at these hastily snapped photos and see if you don't agree.

I love these titles!

Isn't this adorable?

I also bought Liam a baby swimsuit and an adorable Onesie-type outfit for his Easter gifts from his Gigi and Grandpa. 

My son found a movie he really liked for only $4.00 and I purchased a beautiful copy of The Night Before Christmas that will surely find its way to a deserving niece or nephew this coming Christmas.

Some of you may remember my recent post on Valentine's Day where I had a mini-rant about people being unprepared for holidays and how despite a very limited income I manage to provide gifts to make the holidays special for my family. 

Thrifting is one of my best weapons in my quest to provide while living within my means. Try it, you might like it!

I would love to hear about your great deals so please share by commenting!

Love Is In the Air

Valentine's Day is here once again. I love holidays, probably more than most people but a trip to the store just about made me hate Valentine's Day.

 Last night I had to go to the grocery store to purchase some mundane items: bananas, lunchmeat, cheese, bread. I could barely get up and down the aisles for the massive crowds purchasing helium balloons, bouquets of flowers, and candy.

People obviously had not planned ahead and were in a frenzy of buying everywhere in the store. I did not buy a single Valentine themed item at the store because I had stocked up for Valentine's Day as far back as the day after Valentine's Day last year.

                                                                            

We have pretty limited finances so instead of foregoing giving gifts and making holidays special for my family, I plan ahead. I bought a romantic coupon book last year and kept it for this year for my sweet husband. He was just as thrilled with it as he would have been had I purchased it at full price. After Christmas, I saw some lovely body scrubs, sprays, lotions, and such on markdown at my local HEB grocery store so I bought as much as I could afford in the four fragrances that were available. Guess what my dear daughters will receive from me for this Valentine's Day? 

I have made this activity of acquiring nice, thoughtful gifts on an extremely low budget into a game that I quite enjoy! I encourage you to give it a whirl too. 

Our Valentine's Day was quite happy because we didn't spend what we couldn't afford! How was yours?

Adulthood, part two

My youngest son is graduating from high school in May! I feel like I am graduating too!

I am on a quest to get my home back into an adult status. I feel somewhat like when I moved into my first grown up place and wanted to decorate and organize it for my maximum enjoyment. I think I am entering Adulthood, part two.

I find myself eradicating the Captain Underpants books that are somehow still showing up on the bookshelves in unexpected places. I am not as patient when my daughter leaves my grandson's rattles and baby seat strewn all over the living room.

Just today I turned a bookshelf that was housing some home school curriculum that hadn't been used in four years into a storage for my exercise equipment. My kettlebell, jump rope, free weights, exercise videos, yoga mat, and more are now all housed in one place.

I don't want tons of responsibilities these days...I have elected to work part-time instead of full-time (see my previous post Full Time Job No Thanks). I want to take French classes, write and submit articles, and enjoy an adult beverage in the evening.

Don't get me wrong- I love my five kids and two beautiful grandsons. I just want to enjoy time with my husband and time for myself. Adulthood, part two is something we all should aspire to enjoy and explore!

Gluten-free and Feeling Great!

In 2005, I had an emergency appendectomy. Afterwards, in an attempt to eat healthfully, I began eating Special K, Kashi cereal (7 whole grains), and oatmeal. I did not feel great eating these foods. In fact, I felt downright sluggish, had digestive issues (don't worry I won't go into detail!), and was disconcerted at my results.

True to my nature, I began researching these symptoms. These symptoms and others with which I had suffered from for years such as: migraines, menstrual difficulties,pervasive fatigue, and itchy fluid filled blisters on my hands, fingers, feet, and toes pointed to gluten intolerence or celiac disease.

I decided to eliminate gluten from my diet. My headaches left and haven't returned, I am no longer fatigued, and I feel great. I lost over 45 pounds through a combination of eliminating gluten, exercising, and learning what a portion and proper caloric consumption are for me.

I generally don't spend a lot of money on specialty gluten-free items because they can be a bit pricey. Instead I make food that is naturally gluten-free.

But, for Chinese New Year this past Sunday, February 10, I gave a new product a try. I purchased A Taste of Thai fortune cookies. My daughter, Hannah, who is a fellow celiac, and I thought these fortune cookies were really tasty.

The fortunes inside were really lovely too. I purchased these at my HEB Plus for $3.45.
I highly recommend these for your next gathering where you are planning to serve Chinese food. It really adds to the occasion, in my opinion.

Finding Myself Through Weight Loss in My Forties

In 2009,at the age of 45, I decided to reclaim myself. I had spent the past 24 years focusing on everything and everyone but myself. My reclamation project started with my weight and fitness.

I weighed 175 and at 5 feet, 1/2 inch tall was obese. I started exercising at a Planet Fitness near where I worked walking on the treadmill. The first time I ran I could only manage 30 seconds before breathing so hard that I could not keep running! People, I was in bad shape!

I loved going to Planet Fitness-it is truly the no-judgment zone!. No one bothered me there so I was free to exercise without feeling overly self-conscious. By April 2009 I had lost 15 pounds and was feeling so much better about myself and encouraged that I could achieve the results I desired.

I had fun buying exercise clothes and shoes. I really like the Danskin line of exercise clothes and shoes. They are affordable (a boon to my limited budget!) and attractive. 

Just yesterday I bought a cute pair of Danskin shoes at Walmart. They are black and pink and very lightweight. I am going to break them in by walking a couple miles today.

Anyway, fast forward to 2013. I have lost a total to date of 43 pounds and plan to lose 18 more.

I have discovered Classical Stretch with Miranda Esmonde-White, Yoga with Wai-Lana, and Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews. All of these are on my local PBS HD channel! My library offered free fitness classes last summer and I tried Zumba, Nia, and Pilates. I have gotten out of my comfort zone and found the true me once again!

In my weight loss journey, I didn't anticipate that I would not only be healing my body but also my emotional issues. I came face to face with the reason why I allowed myself to be so unhealthy for so long. I cried a lot but on the other side of it I found strength and determination that has carried into every area of my life.

I plan to share a lot more on this topic. I am passionate about fitness, weight loss, and eating well. ; )

Hanging with the oldies

On Thursday mornings I visit my in-laws for a bit until it is time for me to go to work at 10 a.m. They are both seventy years old and I find their conversations pretty entertaining.

This morning my father-in-law shared the information that the Academy Awards has placed some restrictions on what the actresses can wear to the awards because of the scanty outfits that have been worn over the past few years.

Dad said, "Yeah, like when Jay Leno wore that dress that was showing all the way to her navel."

It took me a second to process this info and I realized that he was a bit confused...

I said, "Dad, I think you mean JLo not Jay Leno."

"Oh, yeah, well I was close," he replied.

I will be laughing about that one all day!

Full Time Job- no thanks!

At the end of August 2012, I was let go from a part-time job I had held for seven years. My good friend, for whom I had worked, discovered that she would have to seriously change her lifestyle which caused her to decide to sell her business.

At first, I began looking for a job. I already had another part-time job but it is tied to the school year so when school is out, I do not receive a paycheck. I went on several job interviews. I received an offer for a job that would have caused me a 45 minute commute during rush hour traffic and a six day workweek.

I was not excited about this at all...

My friend had told me about a company called TaskRabbit. It is kind of like Craigslist meets eBay. People who want jobs done post the jobs they will pay a person to do. The person who wants to do the job bids on what they will charge to do the job. The twist is that the TaskRabbits (the workers) are background checked and approved by TaskRabbit so people have peace of mind when hiring a TaskRabbit.

I have met some really wonderful folks through my TaskRabbit jobs. I generally have at least two jobs through the service each week. I arrange these jobs around my life, instead of arranging my life around my work.

I have recently decided that I am enjoying this new lifestyle so much that I am not going to pursue a full-time job after all.

I encourage you to check it out and get $10 off your first task posting by using my code:

https://taskrabbit.com/PAL/362004