Riding the Metro

I rode the bus into town yesterday! It was scary/exciting and really fun all at the same time. I had to pick up the babysitter, drop her off with all the kids, and drive to the park and ride by 4:46pm in order to ride the bus to arrive downtown at 5:18pm to catch the train to the Reliant Center. I was a little late in getting there, and that was nerve-wracking not knowing if I missed it or how soon the next one would come.

I didn't wait very long, maybe three minutes, and then the bus came. I was all jazzed to get on board and grabbed my bag and pulled out my money... but buses are like elevators--you gotta politely stand to the side and let everyone get out so that you can go in afterwards. With everyone coming home from work, that meant another three minutes of waiting for them all to get out.

Finally, I was able to board. I had three dollars out, ready to pay. My first dollar wouldn't go in the machine, and the bus driver informed me that it was only a dollar. So I picked the crispest dollar and attempted to get that in the machine. She looked at me with her tired eyes, waved her hand and said, "Just sit down." I looked up to find that I was the only passenger on the bus. Cool! I said, "Oh, thank you!" and sat right in the front, gripped the rail in front of me, and leaned forward for the ride. I was two years old all over again with a big smile on my face.

It was fun to be up high -- I could look the semi-truck drivers in the face. One of them got too close and the bus driver was telling him how to drive (kind of like how I do, but in a much smaller vehicle). I chatted with her because she was chatty and Josh had told me to use my big belly to see if the driver would have pity and get me closer to the train stop because I was facing a four-block walk after getting off the bus.

So I mentioned that I had to catch the train to the Reliant Center and she immediately pushed a button and a pass came out of the machine behind her. She pulled it out and handed it to me. "This is a transfer so you don't have to pay to ride the train." I was not believing my luck! "Thank you! So do I have to put this into something?" She said I just needed to show it if someone asked to see it. She asked what was happening at the Reliant Center and I told her about Dave Ramsey and how he teaches people to stay out of debt. She said she probably needed to come with me, and I laughed. Then she asked how long I was going to be there and I told her and then she reached for the ticket she had just given me and I gave it to her. She put it in the machine to the side of her (the one I couldn't get my dollar into) and pushed the button behind her and another ticket came out. She handed it to me and said, "This will get you down and back. It's good until this time tomorrow." Shoot! This lady either loved chatting, felt sorry for me and my big belly, or was just dang cool like that. "Wow! Thank you!"



We were making good time because the driver said she wanted to stop at the store and get some water. I offered her my unopened, chilled water bottle, but she wouldn't take it. (Maybe taking water from a pregnant lady is a sin in her eyes.) Then she told me about her three kids; boy, girl, boy; 9, 6, and 2. I listened to her stories, she asked me about my kids, and then we moved on to her job and what kind of license and drivers' tests she had to take and how much it costs ($60 for her license!) and how long she had been driving a bus and did she have to do the same route everyday (no) and if cops ever pulled buses over for speeding (they do!). See, a good friend (or about-to-be-moochy friend) listens and asks question--and I was working it. I learned a lot in the process, too.

We got close to town fairly quickly and there were tons more buses and we were going slower. I asked if she knew all the people driving. She said, "Not her!" referring to the bus that signaled to come into our lane, but took forever to do it, "She can't drive. I don't know what she's waiting for. When I change lanes and they don't want to let me in, I'm coming anyway!" I laughed and said that I had never heard a bus driver bash another one and she replied, "You saw that with yo' own eyes," and then "Girl..." and then she switched lanes to get out from behind the other bus. I was having a blast! A free ride on a bus all to myself with a driver with an attitude.

She did a very complicated exit, changing from 59 to 10 to the 45 and I got all turned around. By the time we were on Jefferson Street, I had lost my sense of direction (it's not a very strong sense anyway so it didn't take much for me to lose it). Luckily, she practically drove me to the train stop. I only had to cross one street and there I was. With another "Thank you!" and "Have a nice night!" I grabbed my bag and joined the masses on the streets of downtown Houston.

The whole time, I was keeping in contact with Josh. He was catching the train a couple of stops ahead of me, so we needed to time it just right for me to catch the same train. And it went over without a hitch. Standing on the platform, it's really not as scary as you think. There is a clock, there are signs showing the stops along the route, and there is a nice recording that tells you that the next bus is arriving in one minute and to stand behind the white safety line so you don't get whacked. I took the opportunity to eat a snack and take a swig of my water bottle.

When I jumped on the train, Josh was sitting facing two filipino ladies, and I sat next to him. This is a very strange lesson in train riding etiquette which is cousin to elevator etiquette--you just instinctively get this within seconds of being thrown in this position. You have to sit facing two other people, try not to touch knees, and not make eye contact. In other words, you have to pretend like they're not there. And to be polite, they pretend like you're not there either. They spoke in Tagalog the whole time and did a very good job of ignoring us--even when I did happen to make eye contact accidentally.

The worst part was trying to contain my excitement about riding the train for the first time to keep from looking like a freak and embarrassing my appropriately-dressed husband. Just about everyone was in business attire or some kind of uniform. I was sporting comfy pregnancy attire--a t-shirt dress and Crocs. Everyone had the "been there done that" bored look of someone who rode the train all the time. I really had to tone it down and focus on pretending to be a mature individual who was just as bored and experienced with life on the train.

I never did show my ticket to anyone. No one asked. No one asked to see Josh's either. He scored an all day pass from someone at his train stop. Instead of putting the dollar into the machine for a one way ride, he gave it to some dude in exchange for a normally $2 all day pass. So we both scored on the transportation costs, but what would keep people from just hopping on the train without having paid? It's way too easy. I wonder what happens if you get caught. Do they just kick you off? Or do they make you pay a fine? Well, I'll include a picture of my pass for fun.

When we got to our destination, we walked all over Reliant Park before we were able to get in to the right place. After the event, it was an easier walk to get back to the train stop. When we were on the train Josh turned to me and said, "So are you going to be OK taking the bus back? Do you want me to take the bag?" And we both laughed. Hey, I liked riding the train and the bus today, but not that much. Besides, I don't want to get too experienced and bored with life riding the train.

Happy Birthday Susie

Gotta love photoshop...


Title: sista from anotha mista

Aloha Friends

Last week I went to lunch with a bunch of ladies from Church. One of the ladies had helped out in Primary for several weeks as Primary Chorister even while she also served as a Den Mother in Cub Scouts... and had to give a 5th Sunday lesson to the combined RS and EQ... and played the piano at my son's baptism. She did everything without complaint and with smiles. (Maybe she yelled at her husband when she got home, I don't know, but I really doubt it -- she doesn't seem the type.) Anyway, we appreciated all of her hard work and decided to treat her to lunch. We invited her daughter-in-law to come since she is a teacher in the Primary and celebrated a birthday this month. I also invited my friend Brooke so that I could buy her lunch for her birthday and wouldn't it be festive to have all of us ladies together? I chose a new restaurant called Aloha Hawaiian BBQ and it was decided that we would meet there.

I caught a ride with Arwen since Susie had a headache and had to run an errand. I saw Susie at the school that morning because we were "helping" with picture day. We were really just standing out in the hallway talking and being bad examples to the kids waiting quietly in the hallway for their turn to go into the Multi-Purpose room to flash their pearly whites. We decided to leave early since we weren't really helping and Susie really didn't look that good, but we parted ways expecting to see each other at Aloha BBQ.

Arwen and I found Brooke (and cutie pie Kyra) waiting in the parking lot and we all went in together. Tobi showed up next with baby Emily in tow. Next, our guest of honor, Becky, came in with Ola and little Olivier. We decided what we were going to order and still Susie had not shown up. I half expected her not to come, but just as we ordered, she came in. She looked worse, but was determined to stay for lunch. After a little drug dispensing by parties that will remain anonymous, Susie started to look a little better.



Our lunch came and we were able to chat and eat and even Susie ate. She really liked the gingery teriyaki sauce. Everyone liked the food and we had lots leftover for everyone to take some home. I was relieved to know that the place I picked was a hit.

And then disaster struck. Or at least, I like to call it a blessing in disguise (sorry Susie). Susie went to the bathroom feeling very nauseated... and then she asked me to drive her home. Her husband was working about an hour and a half away, so calling him was out, and I was glad for the chance to do my BFF duty. Driving a friend home is not a big deal to me. Jumping off a cliff is, and I was pretty sure that if Susie needed me to jump off a cliff, I'd do it. And besides, it was nice to get the chance to "put your money where your mouth is," you know?

So... my friend was sick and really not looking too good, but I was just so excited to drive her big black Chevy Tahoe. (Woo hoo!) And when we were in the car and I was behind the wheel of the "batmobile" she asked me to help her pick up her kids from school--as if that would be too much to ask--but I was just excited to pick up Brooklyn from Mother's Day Out! And what a reaction I got from little Brookie! When she first saw me, there were loud, surprised, happy exclamations coming out of her and then she immediately burst into tears. It was almost like I had rescued her from the darkest dungeon. The little princess thrust herself into my arms when the teacher brought her to me -- all the while trying to keep her contained because it was nap time for all the other little kids.



(This is Brooklyn. Ain't she the cutest dang thing?)

I didn't get the same reaction when picking up the older kids, but pretty close. I got hugs and smiles. These are the best kids, man. They are loving and respectful and kind, and they all helped their Mom in the smallest way when they knew she was sick. I dropped them all off at home and walked down the street to my house. I could tell Susie was grateful, but still really sick and needing to sleep it off. That was enough for me, but she didn't leave it at that.

The next day she brought me the best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in a cute box along with a plate of sugar cookies and a card. It was the equivalent of a dude on the Budweiser commercial saying, "I love you, man!" and she actually did write that in the card. Isn't she the best?

Now her birthday is tomorrow and she stopped by my house today. The doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, there was Brooklyn standing there with a bag she stretched out to me. I was happy to see her in her cute outfit and matching hair tie. The girl is always bedecked with matching bows of some kind. So in the bag is the first outfit we have received for our baby girl (the one that kicked the crap out of me last night while watching House, MD) and a cute little album for holding--what else??--COUPONS!

I was so excited because I've been trying to come up with a good way to tote my coupons with me in case of a shopping emergency. That's when your husband drags you out the door on a Saturday and you end up at HEB shopping for groceries and you didn't bring a shred of clipped newspaper money. So now I can't wait to get organized.

Isn't Susie great? She gives presents on her birthday. Now that's some swell friend! I love that we live down the street from each other, our kids go to the same school, we both serve in the Primary at church, and when my little Zoe comes out we'll have the same order gender of kids as she does (girll, boy, boy, girl). Which is way cool because I want to be just like Susie. I already stole her frog program (see Josh's youtube video... maybe I can figure out how to post it here).



OK, lest my other BFF's in CA get jealous... I love you guys, too! Kristen's birthday is on Sunday and Betty is also hapai and having a girl just like me. They're just so far away. They ought to be happy that I'm no longer all by myself out here in the Great Lone Star State. It's nice to have someone's back and for them to have mine.

BTW, it's kind of funny that after helping Susie out, I fell asleep and didn't pick up Seth on time. In fact, I was 40 minutes late. Josh was already on his way home from work worried about what happened to me. I was so zonked I didn't hear the phone ringing off the hook. He forgave me for the big scare because he was able to eat the leftovers from Aloha BBQ. Mac salad is the way to a man's heart and forgiveness.

OH! I forgot to tell you about the shave ice dessert at Aloha BBQ! It's to die for... a bowl of shaved ice topped with chopped strawberries, chopped mango, chopped honeydew--each in its own quadrant, topped in the middle with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then drizzled with some kind of yummy tropical sauce. No one else makes this... not even the other Aloha BBQ in Katy. It's a $5 dessert, but well worth it... especially on a hot day... it's very refreshing. Go get some. The website is www.aloha-bbq.com.

Why Kroger?

Kroger is back in my good graces with the grocery game, and inquiring minds want to know how I left them in the first place. I will oblige, but first, you must know that my life is about other stuff, too, not just grocery stores. Judging from the majority of my blogs so far, you would think it's all I ever think about. I'm just excited, OK? I'll move on to other subjects as life goes along. No worry beef curry.

So... here we go.

When we first moved to Texas, I thought Kroger was the best grocery store available. Josh's parents really like their Colby Jack Cheese. They buy blocks of it and freeze them, and each one is savored. They don't have a Kroger where they live so they stock up on it when they come visit us. So maybe this behavior spurred me on. I went to Kroger all the time when we lived in League City.

When we moved up here, I started doing mystery shops at HEB and I noticed that they really push the friendly staff factor. They get graded on it -- even the guys gathering carts in the parking lot were expected to say hello to you if you happened to walk by them on the way in or out of the store. Pretty soon, our HEB stopped getting mystery shopped because they basically kicked butt on everything they were expected to do. They were nice and helpful and I liked their dry bulk section where you can get dried mango that looks the right color (can't stand the neon orange ones - you know they added something to make them that unearthly color) and oatmeal that hasn't been crushed to powder (takes longer to cook, but the texture is worth it).

So HEB started to look good and they are right across the street from Kroger, so it would not have taken much for me to switch, but I didn't switch until one fateful night...

I went shopping at Kroger around 10pm and had filled my cart to overflowing. When it came time to check out, the only stands open were the do-it-yourself ones. There were a couple of employees standing around and they did not acknowledge me standing there until I asked them, "Do I have to check out here?" And then one of them said, "Uh, yeah." I was flabbergasted. Did he notice how much crap I had in my cart? Keep in mind that the DIY stands were not as cool as the ones at Wal-Mart with the conveyor belt to put stuff up on or the multiple bag holders that turn and let you keep bagging until there are six bags full. I began to scan my items and realized that I didn't have anywhere to put them. I was getting a burning in my face and it was starting to spread out to my ears. I was getting worked up at the ridiculousness of the situation.

I had not done more than a few scans when, with a toss of a ramen noodle package, I turned to the two slackers and said, "You know what, if you can't open a regular stand and check me out, then I'm just going to leave my cart here and go home. This is so stupid." They had been standing there joking around with each other not caring that I was about to buy enough groceries to pay for both of their wages for the night and then some. I was so mad and then they had the audacity to be perturbed by my behavior? Uh-uh. So they fumbled around a bit, scanned everything for me, I paid, left and never went back.

Until now. Money changes everything. I still think the service at HEB is better and the produce is better, but Kroger has better sales and is fueling my weekly excitement and latest addiction. What can I say? Maybe those two jokers got fired or maybe they changed the policy. I noticed that when Susie and I went to check out these last two times, they automatically opened up a real checkout stand without being asked. That's right. That's how it should be.

You know what's funny? When I did mystery shops I didn't get paid very much. You were expected to spend at least $10 and then they paid you $12. So I figured it was like getting a $12 coupon. Looking back at it now makes me laugh because getting $77-$100 off is so much better!

More Grocery Fun

In the interest of time and due to Betty's observation of how I "like to write long things," I'm just going to write a quick blog to let you know how much I saved when I did another grocery run last night.

Because I'm doing the free trial with the website where I get my lists, I decided to shop at Randall's last night (AKA Safeway) and I found that the list had errors. Some items weren't on sale or they were different brands than what was stated on coupons. I almost didn't stay to get the other stuff on my list, but I forged ahead with my daughter's help. She liked having a mission and she likes food, so we combined the two interests for a family night of fun at the grocery store.

Imagine all three of my kids wearing Heely's and flying around me, the cart, and other people. I spoke sternly to them in the beginning, but as always, they half listen and then get going with their Indy 500 race around the frozen coolers. Finally, I decided to give my boys missions, too. It takes them longer, but it channeled their energy productively. I usually have two of the same coupon, so they had fun being the first to find the item. Zack practices his reading skills and Seth looks for the picture. It kept them close to me and we got done quickly.

Another bonus to getting the kids' help was getting them to understand the value of a dime. When we got to the check out, I told Sarah to watch the "fireworks" with me. We started at a total of $194.29 and watched the deductions go down to $71.21. Woo hoo! Sarah was impressed. The boys just wanted to buy gum.

When we got home and got everything put away, it was bedtime for the kiddies. I wanted to head back out to Kroger for another grocery run. Different things were on sale there, plus, I wanted to see if they restocked items from last week's sale that I still had coupons for.

Before I could head out, there was s a knock at the door and it was Susie. She was holding a couple of bags of groceries and wanted Josh to do a Price is Right game. She set everything out and asked Josh to give a total of how much he thought all of the stuff is worth. Josh guessed about $50 worth and she was impressed that he came so close to the right amount. Then she asked Josh to guess how much he thought she saved. He said 50%, so $25 spent. Then she blew us down with her $5 and change total spent. She loves flooring us. The woman is a legend.

After that, she went home to drop off her stuff and came back to go shopping with me on my Round 2. We left kind of late and got back kind of late, but it was fun (and safer) having someone to shop with at that hour. She did not plan on shopping, but she found coupons in the aisles and saved a bunch on whatever she did buy... I can't remember her totals, but it was like $70 down to $37 or something crazy. My total went from $156 to $78. Not as good as Susie, but I bought some items that were not on sale or I didn't have a coupon for.

All in all, it was another successful week of shopping. I can't wait until Saturday! I look forward to going to buy my Early Edition Sunday papers, and when I have a month's worth of coupons, I'll save even more money because so far, I'm set on toothpaste, soups, kids' snacks and cleaning supplies for the rest of the year. What will I stock up on next month??

Since I'll have to soon start paying full price for the lists, I will most likely stick with Kroger and drop Randall's. I was irritated with the amount of errors on the list (same goes for HEB which doesn't have as many good sales anyway). I did like the way the Randall's receipt printed out in categories, though. That was kind of cool. Still, it seems like less problems crop up at Kroger.

And I am done here! I realize that I am incapable of just giving you totals, and while this is shorter than my first blog, I really do like to write. Sorry Betty!

The Daddy Rocks

Sometimes Moms can let things go with their kids... Daddies hardly ever do that.

Well, the good daddies don't anyway.

I was listening to Dave Ramsey while working and a caller asked him what the title was of a book that he had recommended. He went on and on about one of the best books he has ever read called "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" by Meg Meeker, M.D. So I Googled the book title and the first link through Google Book Search had excerpts from the book. I strayed from my work long enough to read the beginnings of many chapters. I wanted to get the gist of it to see if maybe Josh could benefit from it in his relationship with Sarah and his other daughter soon to come into the world.

Chapter One is "You Are the Most Important Man in Her Life". It's funny how that title strikes me... there's power in those words. We may all assume it to be true, but having it flat out stated makes me look at the idea in a new light. I went on to read how daughters need a hero and someone who will protect them by saying what needs to be said and doing what needs to be done. Dr. Meeker talked about how embarrassed she was when her father called the restaurant where she was out on a date when she did not come home on time. She later recognized it as a way of protecting her.

Sarah isn't of dating age, but lately she has been displaying some weird speech habits. I noticed it mostly when she was with her friends, and it's weird to see them all act exactly the same and sound exactly the same. So I kind of let it go, thinking that it's just a phase. Plus, I don't always trust my ears even with my hearing aids in. Well, Josh has been bringing it up lately because he's the sound guy and everything and anything that is dissonant grates on his ears. Tonight it got pretty heated because he was trying to tell her not to talk that way and she was being disrespectful by talking back and acting like he didn't know what he was talking about. At one point he told her that she had developed a bad habit and he would not let it go.

And then she got all blubbery and upset because she feels like her parents don't understand her. So I'm watching my child cry and my husband not letting it go, and while it's hard to see her cry because of the words coming out of his mouth, I could not help but support him. He is doing her a favor by pointing out to her a bad habit and giving her good advice about how to fix it. This is a form of caring and protecting and using words that she may not appreciate right now, but if Dr. Meeker's book is right, he will help mold her into her best self. I really admired him for doing what he did tonight. He wants to raise her right and I appreciate his role in her life and how he is taking responsibility for it. I would not want to be the daddy, so we make a good team.

It all ended well with hugs and I love you's and that's really what Sarah will take away from this. So when I read "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" (got it requested at the library), I think I might just find that Josh is already doing what he should to raise a strong daughter.

Fun & Games at the Grocery Store

So I've been dying to blog about my first official coupon grocery shopping excursion since last Tuesday when I went with my friend Susie. She's the coupon queen and was telling me about how much money she saves and how much stuff she gets for free. I kinda thought she was exaggerating... I mean, c'mon... she said she paid something like $76 for $296 worth of groceries just by using coupons from the Sunday paper. That's insane, right? Couldn't possibly be true... but call me the crazy one. Not only was she telling the truth (honestly, she doesn't have it in her to be so deceptive) but she showed me how much fun it was. You could seriously get high watching the cash register cha-ching backwards. I'm so giggly about it that my friends in Cali think I'm nuts.

OK, so here's the deal. You watch the sales at the grocery stores or their ads that come in the mail, and then match the coupons that come out in the Sunday paper with the same items. Now if you're lucky enough to have a grocery store that will double and triple coupons, you are the envy of all those in LOND (Land of the No Doubles). It's like having a strawberry the size of a small child. We're talking crack - a major high at an affordable price.

If you want the high to sustain itself, you buy Sunday papers in multiples. Susie buys between 3 and 6 newspapers every Saturday morning, I guess it's the early edition of the Sunday paper for people like us who don't spend money on Sundays. They're normally $1.75 each, but if you get them at Walmart or the Dollar Store, then they're a buck. And you have to get there early enough... sometime just after 10am before they're all gone. How many papers you buy is determined by the size of your family and how much it takes to keep them satiated. Susie immediately recycles the newspapers at the school while keeping the plastic insert containing the coupons. She's got this thing down, I tell ya, even to the point of saving the Earth.

Instead of cutting out the coupons and creating a filing nightmare for yourself, you keep them intact until you need them. Most importantly, each booklet has a name and a date in tiny print on the outside going up the spine. You might get a couple of SmartSource ones, Valassis or a P&G Saver all on the same date, so you throw these together in a file (or in my case, a pile). Coupons run about 3 months before they expire, so you keep them because you don't know when that item will go on sale.

OK, so far, if you're anything like the lady who checked us out on Tuesday night, you're thinking, "I just don't have the patience for this," and "blah, blah, blah." Am I right? I'm right. I know I'm right because I used to clip coupons and then get to the store and spend like 20 minutes trying to find the dang thing and then finally giving up with the realization that convenience has a price and it's the 32¢ I would have saved if I had found it. So it's not really worth the 32¢ but is it worth saving 50% off your entire bill? Uh, yeah... so stick with me, I'm almost to the good part.

Now, imagine that someone already looked up the ads and cross referenced the coupons and all you have to do is look at a list and pick which ones you want to take advantage of. Easy peasie, right? And because all the items are already on sale, then you're going to find the item quickly because grocery stores put up little flags of some sort to draw your attention to the bargain sitting on the shelf. You could probably have the patience for coupons if someone already did the paper work and because, admit it, cutting the coupon out is really fun -- it's the best part. Ask my kindergartner.

Now imagine that someone did that for all the grocery stores in your area. Now you get to see which stores have the better deals or the stuff that you want or need that week, and all you have to do is compare the lists someone already put together for you. The list shows original price, sale price, the coupon to use from what booklet and what date (see the date helps in finding the right coupon), additional specific grocery store sales (like getting $5 back for every 15 participating items that you buy), the price you will actually pay, and then the percentage that you save.

Here's a real life example from Tuesday night... Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rollls have an original price of $1.39 and they went on sale for 99¢. There was a coupon in SmartSource for 50¢ off on 9/9. Now, if the coupon is doubled, then the item is free. Maybe you don't even buy this item normally, but if it's free... and you have little kids that could wrap little sausages up and eat pigs in a blanket for dinner... then all of a sudden you want 10. So buy 10 papers and get 10 coupons and get 10 for free. Technically, I don't think Kroger will let you get away with getting a free item of one kind more than once. At least, that's what the crabby lady on Tuesday said. So if you're bent on getting those 10, you might have to make 10 different transactions - ie. take stuff to your car and come right back in to do it again. And before you balk at that idea, what if you had 10 other kinds of free items that needed separate transactions? You'd do it... maybe not 10 times, but at least three. Or come back the next day and do it again... seriously, you'll get addicted to the feeling you get when your cart is full of stuff and your receipt goes from 3 digits to 2.

OK, now for the catch -- there really isn't one, but you're all waiting for it, so here... So far, you've spent $1 per newspaper and the fee it costs to join the website that did all the paper work for you. I'm doing a $1 trial for 4 weeks right now. If I decide to stay on, I will pay $10 for one store every 8 weeks with each additional store being $5. So if I want to do three stores, I'll pay $20 every 2 months or $10 per month just to get the lists. I'm thinking of doing 2 newspapers per week, so that's another $10 per month. That's $20 per month spent total.

On Tuesday, my bill rang up to $132 and change. I let the cashier scan everything in and then gave her my Kroger card and watched the show. And then I gave her my coupons and the show got even better. (This is the high I was telling you about... you almost need popcorn with butter and furikake and mochi crunch -- especially for Susie's stuff -- she bought $339 for $162) When the cashier finished, my total came to $65 and change. So in my very first week, I covered the $20 per month for three months. I think it will be worth it to stay with the website. Who wants to get cross-eyed doing all that work themselves?

One thing that my friend Betty brought up is "Do you have to go to more than one store?" This is assuming that I am trying to get every category of product in each trip. I'm not. This is a totally different way to shop. Let's say that toothbrushes are on sale with coupons and extra incentives, the works... so much so that you get them -- brand name toothbrushes -- for 23¢ each. You're going to buy more than one. You could buy enough to stockpile and have on hand for the entire year at that price, and then you don't buy toothbrushes again for a long time. Or maybe it's free, and this particular thing happens once every quarter... this is how Susie built up her emergency kits with medicines and her bathrooms are full of shampoos and deodorants that she got for free. And they are all brand name items. So to answer the question, "Yes." You might go to more than one store, but maybe not all in the same day. You might collapse with giddiness and get taken to the funny farm because it really is so much fun! And besides, if you save lots of money and keep getting that high, then you'll need another fix and going to another store gives you a change of scenery. You'll go willingly.

OK, I can't think of anything else to say at this point, other than the fact that I owe Susie an unlimited number of invites to come over and play Wii Bowling and a major Thank YOU! It's nice that I can be apprenticed like this because she tells me all her little tips in person... like making sure you grab a few of those free coupons that come out of the electronic machines in the aisles of the grocery store. You know, the ones that you always have to yell at your kids to keep them from playing with because they keep making the little slips of paper come out like magic (sensor activated). Now they can play with them and I get free coupons. Bonus!

Ask me anything you want to know that I left off and if you want to know the website, I'll tell you. I just didn't want to be taken for a salesperson in one of those MLM companies (been there, done that). Let me know what you think. I'm posting pictures for Susie's sake. They won't be very exciting, but maybe she'll read my first blog. It is a major tribute to her. I could have written about my family or my bolo headed husband (I like it, cheese) or the little one growing in my belly, but no. I wrote about my coupon queen and mentor, Susie Q.