It's Fair day! It's Fair day!

I'm so excited. My Sailor and I will be checking out the Puyallup Fair today!  I'm sure it won't be as huge as the San Diego County Fair (aka The Del Mar Fair), but I'm sure it'll be fun. The weather is perfect for it too. We're both pretty exhausted though. I'm not sure who needs to recover from his duty days more- him or me! But getting out is healthy so we're bound to do it! I'm really hoping the fair has cinnamon rolls. I saved my calories for some sweet treats, and I'm sure we'll do a LOT of walking. I wonder how many crazy rides he'll be able to talk me into. (Good luck, My sailor! If it only takes 1 screw to put it up, it only takes 1 screw to fall apart, so I'll pass, thanks!)

As for the toe - I can wear tennis shoes without screaming (thanks to gauze and lots of cloth tape - a MUST HAVE combo for any of my first aid kits). That's good news. It also looks MUCH better today than it did yesterday. Clean, not as red, so I might be able to dodge stitches and a doctor's visit after all. Yeah!

The Great Coupon Experiment

So I made a list and started coupon hunting just to see how much I could save this week. I actually went shopping on Wednesday. I've been looking forward to blogging about it for a
while now!

Now, this wasn't a "typical" grocery runs. We needed some cleaning supplies (paper towels) and I chose to stock up on a few of our favorites as they were on a great sale and will encourage us to eat at home, rather than go out when we're tired. I did end up running a little short on fruit - who would have thought we could go through 1 cantalope in 2 days? So it wasn't just "buy with a discount". It was "Buy healthy with a discount."

Stores visited: 2 (Albertsons and Sarrs)
Items Obtained:
15 rolls of paper towels - $6.99 (Regularly $9.99)
1 head romaine lettuce - $.69
5 extra large loose carrots - $.69/lb
5 Roma tomatoes - $.45/lb
44 loads worth of Arm and Hammer Laundry detergent - $3.99 (Regularly $6.99)
8 Yoplait greek yogurts - $1/each  (Regularly $1.54)
8 Lean Cuisine Frozen Entrees - $1.88/each (Regularly $2.49)
1 medium cantalope - $.99 (regularly $1.50)
Approximate total w/ tax: $30

We won't need paper towels for MONTHS, and the detergent should last into the winter. The Lean Cuisines will keep us from going out when we just want something simple and don't really want to cook. Veggies and fruit are necessities for healthy living, and greek yogurt is a great form of protein (more protein than 2 eggs in each serving, with none of the saturated fat).

So far, I'd consider it a success.

Too bad I recently added about $10 to the budget, when I cut open a toe. Not only did I track blood all over the house (I didn't immediately realize I'd cut my foot, I thought I just stubbed it...) but I could probably do with a few stitches. Armed with some new gauze pads and medical tape, my plan is to get through the weekend. And if I STILL feel I need stitches, I go in on Monday. There's a good chance of infection/contamination, since I cut it on Clydas's sharp bone - but don't blame the dog, it's my own darn fault. Thinking it was just his rope toy, I kicked it, hard, to send it flying across the room... I didn't realize the bone was right under it. Leave it to me!

Nap time for me, and then back to work!

A Linkful Blog of Goodness

First, the Sunshine!

I have almost 30 hrs of PTO saved up! That gives me some peace of mind regarding some upcoming plans I have to get away for the holidays.

Volleyball might start up next week! I'm excited to get back out and into a sport!

Payday!  Hey, it's something I look forward to twice a month!

One Step Closer to Being Debt Free! There are 2 credit cards that have been major sources of stress for me for the last few years. However, I've managed to chip away at them slowly. Last night, I made a phone call, told them I was trying to pay them off, and asking what they could do for me. Well, 'ask and ye shall receive' is very true. They lowered my interest rate almost 10% on each card! I also called the hospital, as I'm still paying off last years laparoscopic salpingo-oopherectomy (that's a scope assisted ovary removal for all of you non-medical folks out there). Yes insurance covered most of it, but there was still a balance and a few odd things that weren't covered. Anyway, I called them now that I am finally within $200 of paying it off entirely, and THEY knocked some money off as well! Not a ton, but some and every little bit helps! My foreclosure from 2005/2006 will be off my credit report next year for sure (yeah!) and my car will be paid off at the end of the month! That's a big fat ray of sunshine right there.


As for the other stuff:
 I'm very thrifty shopper. It's not uncommon for me to go without something or repress some shopping impulse because I can get it cheaper somewhere else, later, or because I don't really need whatever it is to survive. (Example: for YEARS I went without cable TV, and if it weren't for my job, I wouldn't have cable now.) But I thought I'd take a cue from my blogger pal ThatDisneyGirl  and see if I am missing saving/earning oppurtunities.
  Here's the video that reminded me how just a little extra work can add up to a very good thing:

If you like what you see, vote for her by clicking the here.

So I signed up for a legitimate survey site. I'm still not convinced, as many of the things you are asked your opinion on require signing up for something. It's kind of like the mystery shopper - for example, applying for car insurance quotes and being contacted regarding those quotes. Eh, I don't have all day to answer the phone, so I skipped that one. I've yet to see if it really paid off, but I've found that Ebates is awesome. In less than a year, I've received over $50 I wouldn't have otherwise gotten on internet purchases. My Sailor has started using the Ebates account when he orders computer parts online. If your curious, click here to sign up and see if you could be getting money back on your purchases. Ebates also offers discounts as well, so it's been really handy. I've been using the money for things usually toward the wedding. For example, my hair piece would have cost me over $30. Because of the money in my paypal account from Ebates, it cost me $15. Not bad, right?

I'm also learning how to coupon smart. See, I'm a savvy shopper, but I don't really use coupons that often. At least, not on everyday items. So I started taking ThatDisneyGirl's tips to heart. She shares them here on her blog Great Big Joy...on a little tiny budget. Normally, I find that shopping at certain stores gives me a better discount on some things. For example, I get my produce from a farmstand. Not all of their deals are fabulous, and they don't always have what I want in stock, but usually I can get a fridge full of healthy fresh produce for under $25. So I don't really "shop around" for produce. This week, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I am situated between FOUR grocery stores, and see how much I can save by using coupons and checking mailers. So far I've clipped a few good one. I'm just making sure that I'm not clipping a coupon for something we don't need. Overbuying with a coupon doesn't save anything. Today's first coupon will probably be for the oil change at Jiffy Lube. I signed up for a rebate that came in the mail just in time for my car to need an oil change. Since it's our one (almost paid off) car, we're really working on keeping it in running condition as long as we can. So I try to walk anywhere within a 3 mile radius. (You're also less tempted to overshop when you realize you have to CARRY IT HOME!) Not only does this help me stay in shape, but it's better for the planet, my car, and my wallet!

I'll keep ya posted on how the experiment goes!
Any money saving tips you want to pass on?

Oh yeah - I also walk EVERYWHERE I can!

Some Fun and Mixed Emotions

I've been such a mixed bag of emotions lately, I have a hard time making sense of it enough to blog it out. So let's catch up, shall we?

Sunday was bitter sweet. It was the closing day for Into the Woods. (Click here in case you missed the opening night blog.) The show went great, the goodbyes were unexpectedly emotional for me, and left me feeling a bit on the blue side. I had a lot of fun with the show, and I'm now completely exhausted, but I wouldn't have traded a moment of it. Funny how life does that, huh? While I didn't make any life-long friendships out of it, it's great to see people around town and actually recognize a few. Makes it feel a little more like home.

And now it's officially September. I'm reminded with each passing day that My Sailor will be deploying soon. I've been asking him to take a weekend off before he leaves, but he tells me won't be possible. He's actually schedule for duty at least 1 day/night at least 1 weekend day for every remaining weekends he has here.  I was really hoping we could have one solid weekend together, with no rehearsals, no duty days, no work, etc, but now it's clear that that isn't going to happen. And that doesn't make me happy. Sure, I'm putting on a good face daily, doing my best not to dwell on it - but I'd be lying to you (my readers - ye brave, ye few) if I didn't say the situation can be extremely frustrating. Him leaving hangs over us like a little cloud that we choose to ignore most of the time. Don't get me wrong - I'm not frustrated with My Sailor, I'm just generally frustrated with the situation. I hate waiting around, and planning (or, in this case, not planning) my life around anyone's schedule leaves me feeling just that - like I'm waiting around for him to have time to spend with me, doing my best to remain available.

So, I'm still learning as I muddle my way through all of this.

But I'll tell you what - I couldn't be more grateful for my family and the skills I've learned from them over the years. (Not to mention the skills I learned from an amazing therapist during my recovery from a nasty divorce.)

So what's my solution to all this?

Embrace the new adventure!  So my journey through WWCA's Into the Woods is complete and the timing isn't right for a new show just yet. Shows are a large time commitment that I'm not ready to make for the above mentioned reasons - there will always be a show going on that I can audition for. Time with My Sailor is hard to come by. It wouldn't be fair to anyone to get into one right now, especially since I'm planning on traveling home for the holidays to visit my family.

But, what is the new adventure?




In order to end this listless feeling, I need define a direction here. So here are my plans:

Join the YMCA - They have some fun looking classes and this is a great way to focus on my health and to make sure I get out of the house. When you work from home and live in a new place, ya' need something else to go out for other than the eat.

Register for the Princess 1/2 marathon, 2012 - Having a small vacation to look forward to will help BIG TIME! Registration is $140 if I register before October 2nd and the race is on February 26th, 2012. There is a free training program that looks completely do-able. It would have be running (or run/walking) 3 days/week.  So while I have no fear of being unprepared physically, I know there is the chance that My Sailor won't be there to cheer me on. It would mean the world to me for him to be able to attend, but I know I'll have to be prepared to fly solo on this one. Well, maybe not completely solo! I am part of a running team (TeamVoice) so, instead of dreading going it alone, maybe I should look at this as a chance to make some new friends?

Join the Navy Women's Volleyball team - It's not yet clear how much of a time commitment this may be, but I'm in! I'm looking forward to finding out if I still have that ace of a serve I discovered in my youth. I'm betting I can figure it out again. ;)


Set build - To help stay plugged into the local theater community, I've voulenteered to keep on helping out with set building when I can.

Wedding DIY - With our wedding coming up next year, there are PLENTY of little projects to keep me busy - like building my feather fan, figuring out a new stationary design (since the Animal Kingdom was ex-nayed due to budget restraints and guest limitations). The Art Man ) will (hopefully) still be doing the artwork for them. Then it's just a matter of putting them together, coming up with a schedule of events, booking things, and then the final step of paying them off! Of course, the pay off won't come until closer to the event, but it's nice to get a start on everything and have actual dates and vendors set up. I already have Save The Dates ready for a new date to be put in (most likely, October 18th, 2012).  I'm also thinking of customizing some Keds for my wedding shoes... we'll see how creative I get, but I have some ideas.

Writing my first books - Since I write for a Disney World Fan magazine, and my family is already behind me being a writer since I was first published as a teenager, I've decided to go ahead and start work on some young children's books. Now, I don't do art, but I'm thinking doing Disneyland based, personalized, choose your own adventure books might be a fun way to indulge my Disney passion - and hopefully make some extra money! Though the thing about writing is that most authors don't get out much!

Offer Dog Walking Services - Since My Sailor and I have decided to extend our current lease, and the holidays are coming up, I think I could make some extra cash and get to know my neighbors by offering a dog walking/house sitting service. Of course, I'd have to work this around my schedule, so we'll see where this goes. It'll largely depend on where Thanksgiving finds me, and how long I'll be gone for Christmas. One good thing about My Sailor not taking any time off - I'm wracking up the vacation time!

So that's the map for the fall/winter... It's just the waiting to get into all of that that is killing me. But no matter what happens, it's fair to say that I'm gonna miss this guy... badly.

A Little Christmas in September

Source

As I sit here on a quiet Sunday morning, enjoying a cup of warm cider, wrapped up in a blanket with a cuddly boxer dog using my knee for a pillow, I realize that Christmas is only 3 months away. This year certainly flew - not to mention has seen a ton of changes! Today, the weather is crystal clear and a beautiful 70 degrees, but I'm sure soon enough it feel more and more like fall - and then winter will seep in.

I can't wait for cool weather, warm fires, bundling up under a blanket. I'm also looking forward to the fall care packages that will be going out as soon as I get to baking as well.

Yeah - it seems a bit early to start thinking about the holidays, but I guess I just love the way they feel so much that it's hard not to get nostalgic and excited at the same time. With the snow still capping the mountains, I have to wonder what the winter vibe will be like here (even though I'll be in Southern California over Christmas).

In the mean time, I'm trying to get My Sailor to take a weekend off with me. According to my calendar, he'll have duty just about every weekend this month. Duty usually leaves him pretty well exhausted, so I feel like we could both us a little down time together without writing or a play, or work catching up with us. We'll see how it all pans out, but I'm hopeful.

Anyway - I'm think I'm going to settle in to watch a Christmas movie before I head off for the final performance of Into The Woods! While I'm considering doing one more play this year, I'm thinking that I'm probably going to have my hands full between training for the Princess 1/2 in Feb 2012 and Volleyball. We'll see how ambitious I get. ;)

Hope everyone is enjoying the last vestiages of summer! Tomorrow is a TRUE day off for me (no work, no shows, no writing) - so tell me how are ya'll planning on welcoming the fall?

When the Stress isn't worth it.

I'm starting this blog off with a photo of a fantastic memory because tonight, I found a smile that I struggled to find a bit today.

I'll admit it. Few things scare the crap out of me like BIG PURCHASES. Lately, we've been discussing a LOT of them, so I've been feeling kinda overwhelmed. From buying/building/renovating a house, to the wedding, I've been trying to keep my cool, while secretly there is a whirlwind of "OMG, How are we going to pay for this??!" buzzing through my brain. Today, though, it feels like a weight has been lifted as we got some news from Disney.

Basically it boils down to this: If we want our ceremony in the Animal kingdom, we'll have to kick in about $4k more and cut the guest list down to 35 people.

While disappointing, this is a very clear reality check for me. It boiled down to a simple question: Which would I rather have? A chance to celebrate with my family and friends and have it paid off before we do it? Or a chance to celebrate with a handful of people in a unique venue and pay it off for a few years afterwards?

Even for a Disney Freak like me, this wasn't a choice. I'd rather be able to invite more people. When I proposed it to My Sailor, he agreed. No Animal Kingdom for us. So while we're a bit disappointed (again), it's actually freeing in a lot of ways!  The decision on the dresses for the ladies has been made, and we still have the quote (which includes 65 people in a wedding AND Reception AND Illuminations Dessert Party for a little more than Disney would have charged us for the Wedding alone) from Shades of Green, so it's looking like we'll be heading back to our original plans for a morning Shades of Green wedding w/ a Brunch reception.

Also, by going with Shades of Green, I can take my bridesmaids up on their offers to help out with flowers, center pieces, and things before hand! It'll save money, time, but most of all help us all get closer to each other as we all pitch in for this event.

And ya know what? That sounds awesome. I do believe I'm starting to get a healthier perspective on this whole thing.

I used to feel bad about taking family and friends up on their offers to help. After all, they are all having to travel for our big day. But I don't anymore. I realize that helping gives us a chance to bond and gives everyone a chance to be a tangible part of a remarkable occasion. We're still getting our invitations done by a local artist, and we're probably going to have the cake topper made for us as well. Talk about a customized event!

I also realized something I lose sight of. Wedding planning should be FUN! If it stops being fun, take a step back and double check that your priorities are in the right place - rather than focused completely on one day. Yes, it's an important day, but it really is just one day.

Sure, we want to show everyone a good time, but the truth is, WE ARE IN DISNEY WORLD WITH OUR CLOSEST LOVED ONES! OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME! I'm going to Disney World with my family, My Sailor's family, and our closest friends. And taking a smart start to our future seems so much better than a debt filled one.


Moral of the Story: Sometimes stress is an indicator that a change of plan is called for.

  I actually can't wait for our Shades of Green day. After all - we're already getting the best part of this deal.

Confessions and Fresh Starts

One of the best things about life is true forgiveness. It's a gift we give ourselves sometimes. It's picking ourselves up when we stumble. It gives us the freedom to start again, change course, or just cut ourselves a little slack.

Lately, I've been cutting myself some slack in the food and work out department. Don't get me wrong, I'm still doing my daily mile with the dog, but sometimes that's all I get to. And yes, I've been eating my calories - and lately a bit more. 

With My Sailor leaving soon, I decided that now isn't the time to stress out about any of this. So I'm cutting myself some slack and deciding to move forward. I work long days a when My Sailor has overnight duty so that I can duck out early and spend time with him when he's free.

I realized the other night that our spending is getting surprisingly under control, despite all the craziness lately. I signed up for Mint.com. It's an amazing service that breaks down your spending habits into weekly or monthly updates. It links all your credit cards and bank accounts to really give you a complete picture of how you're doing.  For example, I noticed that we spent almost $70 last month at COFFEE SHOPS! We don't even really drink coffee!  That's WAY too much! So I'll be sticking to my tea and Tassimo at home. (My Sailor immediately trembled in fear as I can now see how much he spends at vending machines on base.)

In October, I'll be starting the Galloway training plan to get myself through (drum roll please) the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon in Feb! I figure My Sailor and I can use a short trip to Disney World to get our Wedding planning visit under our belts and to use our free day we have from the passes we bought for my birthday last year or head over to Universal and check out the Harry Potter attractions. My goal is to have all my weight lost by the time he returns! It's about 30lbs, so I think it's nearly doable.

So there we have it - forgiveness is giving ourselves the freedom to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on.