I've finally decided to apply myself to something and learn the ways of the Coupon Jedi. My friend "Coupon Chris" has taken me under her wing to teach me the ropes and share the secrets of her success.
I'll admit, for a long time I didn't really get her coupon zeal. She's kind of crazy about it. Most psychiatrists would diagnose her as a hoarder. She has such a stockpile of toiletries and non-perishable food that should The Bomb be dropped on Chicago, I am heading straight to Chris' because she has enough stuff to keep us all fed and bathed for quite some time. She told me that it helps her feel secure, that she knows her family will never starve. I understood that to some degree. Chris scurries from store to store in all her free time, racking up the deals and paying only pennies on the dollar for everything. Actually, now she is so advanced into the Coupon Jedi Knighthood that if she doesn't make money off of the deal, she shuns it. God forbid she actually pays for food! So I finally got curious enough one day and asked her to teach me.
After reading her super secret Coupon Guild message board (her husband calls it her "Masons Board" because when you coupon hardcore like this it's kind of like a cult) and a few chats to get my bearings, Tim took me for my first excursion. It was exhilarating! It was like that Queen Latifah movie with Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton where they rob the mint and get away with it. They paid me to take the stuff! And I walked out with $20 towards my next go at it! Saving money like this is like crack. Just one hit, and I was hooked. After that first trip Thursday night, I was jonesing for my next hit before my head hit the pillow. After Tim witnessed the miracle of working the deals like a symphony, he was into it. He started singing "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (from the movie "Office Space") every time we walked into a store. Friday night we went to dinner and did our regular mandatory non-deal shopping then hit a few Jewels. It still wasn't enough for me after we got home with a tired baby so I dropped the boys off and hit a couple more Jewels by myself.
This morning, we set out again. We're on a mission to get all the cocoa mix and send it to Sam, my friend that I've known since we were about 10, who lives in Guam, and pays exorbitant prices for all groceries because it's all shipped in to her glorious island home. Sam has hot cocoa for blood, she lives on the stuff. Jewel is paying me to take it out of the store, so I'm getting Sam as much cocoa as I can.
We hit every Jewel from Naperville to Elburn this morning. Tim's so cute, he came up with code names for us. He calls me Honey Bear (a reference to my honey pimping to our local co-op group) and he's Big Papa. With the little guy, it's kind of a pain to unload everybody to go see if they have the deal we want, so we were taking turns going in to scout out the shelves. He'd zip in and call me, "Honey Bear, it's Big Papa. The Eagle has landed, I repeat the Eagle has landed." And I'd be like, "Alpha Team, move in! Empty the shelf! We'll rendevous in Aisle 5!" We had a ton of fun. Naperville...all 4 stores....Aurora, St. Charles, Elburn and back. We have enough cooking oil, peanut butter and hot cocoa mix to feed a small army (and the nice boys at the Elburn Jewel offered to order me up a few more cases of cocoa...tee hee!)
I think I may have spent about $10 for the over $100 worth of stuff that now clutters my dining room table. My favorite transaction was the one where my total due was 18 cents, and the machine spit out a $10 off your next order coupon. After today's shopping I walked out with $20 in coupons to be used on my next shopping trip. So, basically I made money and even covered the gas we burned to do it. And I can't wait to do it all over again. I don't care that basically my guest room is now going to be my Stockpile of Extra Groceries Room. Tim's natural bent towards frugality makes him the perfect sidekick for my bargain hunting adventures. We had such a blast today.
I've got a new drug.
My name is Felicia, and I'm addicted to shopping for free groceries. Can I borrow your Preferred Card?
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Reflections on an election
Wow.
That was an amazing thing to witness.
For my family, the journey towards our vote on November 4th started in early 2007. As I carefully waded through the policies of all the potential candidates, I found myself coming back again and again to this Obama guy. He was different. He was young and energetic. His public speaking was electrifying. His policies were solid. As I searched more and more, I grew more and more disenchanted with the current political climate and hungered for something more. Something different. I opened my mind to options beyond my historically regular straight Republican ticket voting and saw something pretty on the other side. The day I stumbled across the Republicans for Obama organization, it was all over. I signed up, and have been working as the volunteer leader for my state's RFO chapter ever since. My vote had found a home.
Here's the thing, kids - at the top of my list of Things I Value As An American is one simple, two syllable word: "freedom". As an American, I am free to own as many Bibles or religious materials as I want. I am free to talk about my faith openly. I am free to worship as I wish, pray to who I want to, and financially support the church of my choosing. I know that if I hope to keep these lovely freedoms that I've known all my life, I must also protect the freedoms of others. And they may be freedoms I don't agree with.
So, why did I vote for Obama? How could I have been so duped? Well...
I want a drastic change from our current leadership.
I do not trust an adulterer and his corrupt, drug addict wife.
The thought of a Palin presidency makes me pee myself like a nervous chihuahua. She's not ready.
I do not want a 100 year war. I want Jessica Smith (and thousands of babies just like her) to spend her first year growing securely attached to both of her parents - not just her mama, because daddy's been stop-gapped.
Our education system needs revision and our communities need renewal. Obama's plan of meshing the two together makes sense to me. Let kids work to make their world a better place and we'll provide them the education to advance their ideas.
Our families need support.
Our businesses need support. Companies cannot be encouraged to send more jobs offshore. We need that "Made in the USA" pride back.
We need jobs created.
We need energy independence for survival. We need investment in on-shore emerging technologies.
We need international diplomacy by a level-headed leader.
We need social security reform and protection.
We need to support the infirm and aging.
We need to honor and care for our veterans.
We need to protect all of our freedom for everybody.
We need equality for all.
In the end, I want what all people want. I want what all parents want, too...a better life for their children. When I would get tired of making calls or canvassing door to door, I would look down at my sweet little boy and see the hope and innocence in his eyes. He doesn't know how bad it is. But he trusts me to make it better. So I'd make one more round of calls, or give one more interview representing Republicans for Obama, or knock on one more block of homes. This kid is counting on me.
Last night, as I tucked him into bed I kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "We did it, my Moose. We did it, and I did it all for you." I pray he will somehow remember last night. History was made. The political climate was changed. Millions of people stood in line to make their voice heard. Millions of people believe that we can repair where our country is broken. Millions of people have been roused from their laziness and worked to inaugurate a revolution of positive change.
The deep rooted cancer in American society cannot and will not be changed by our nation's next President. Or the next one or the next one or the next one. God's people need to wake up, put their shoes on, and take the love of God to those who need it. While I'm excited about the remarkable victory of my candidate, I know that President-elect Obama is no Savior. He can only do so much. But what he's done in this election has been heartening. People have been encouraged and mobilized to work and reach out and spread the word and hope and wait and expect change to come. Hopefully some of that positive momentum will be infused into our churches and homes, and we can get out there and continue to impact the world.
As Americans, we are free to dream as big as we want to dream and work as hard as we possibly can and we can wholly expect that our dreams and hard work will be honored and rewarded. As Christians, we know that the only true Savior of the world has been here once, and He will return again. While we wait it is our duty to work hard, love others, and share God's truths. We know that only God has the power to change the world. This election is a place for us to launch from. Let's leave the "king's heart in the hand of the Lord" and get busy with what we can do to make our world a better place. We don't have any room and we don't have any time for bitterness or anger here. The election is over, God has spoken. This is where all Christians need to get on board...for with God, all things are possible.
Peace.
That was an amazing thing to witness.
For my family, the journey towards our vote on November 4th started in early 2007. As I carefully waded through the policies of all the potential candidates, I found myself coming back again and again to this Obama guy. He was different. He was young and energetic. His public speaking was electrifying. His policies were solid. As I searched more and more, I grew more and more disenchanted with the current political climate and hungered for something more. Something different. I opened my mind to options beyond my historically regular straight Republican ticket voting and saw something pretty on the other side. The day I stumbled across the Republicans for Obama organization, it was all over. I signed up, and have been working as the volunteer leader for my state's RFO chapter ever since. My vote had found a home.
Here's the thing, kids - at the top of my list of Things I Value As An American is one simple, two syllable word: "freedom". As an American, I am free to own as many Bibles or religious materials as I want. I am free to talk about my faith openly. I am free to worship as I wish, pray to who I want to, and financially support the church of my choosing. I know that if I hope to keep these lovely freedoms that I've known all my life, I must also protect the freedoms of others. And they may be freedoms I don't agree with.
So, why did I vote for Obama? How could I have been so duped? Well...
I want a drastic change from our current leadership.
I do not trust an adulterer and his corrupt, drug addict wife.
The thought of a Palin presidency makes me pee myself like a nervous chihuahua. She's not ready.
I do not want a 100 year war. I want Jessica Smith (and thousands of babies just like her) to spend her first year growing securely attached to both of her parents - not just her mama, because daddy's been stop-gapped.
Our education system needs revision and our communities need renewal. Obama's plan of meshing the two together makes sense to me. Let kids work to make their world a better place and we'll provide them the education to advance their ideas.
Our families need support.
Our businesses need support. Companies cannot be encouraged to send more jobs offshore. We need that "Made in the USA" pride back.
We need jobs created.
We need energy independence for survival. We need investment in on-shore emerging technologies.
We need international diplomacy by a level-headed leader.
We need social security reform and protection.
We need to support the infirm and aging.
We need to honor and care for our veterans.
We need to protect all of our freedom for everybody.
We need equality for all.
In the end, I want what all people want. I want what all parents want, too...a better life for their children. When I would get tired of making calls or canvassing door to door, I would look down at my sweet little boy and see the hope and innocence in his eyes. He doesn't know how bad it is. But he trusts me to make it better. So I'd make one more round of calls, or give one more interview representing Republicans for Obama, or knock on one more block of homes. This kid is counting on me.
Last night, as I tucked him into bed I kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "We did it, my Moose. We did it, and I did it all for you." I pray he will somehow remember last night. History was made. The political climate was changed. Millions of people stood in line to make their voice heard. Millions of people believe that we can repair where our country is broken. Millions of people have been roused from their laziness and worked to inaugurate a revolution of positive change.
The deep rooted cancer in American society cannot and will not be changed by our nation's next President. Or the next one or the next one or the next one. God's people need to wake up, put their shoes on, and take the love of God to those who need it. While I'm excited about the remarkable victory of my candidate, I know that President-elect Obama is no Savior. He can only do so much. But what he's done in this election has been heartening. People have been encouraged and mobilized to work and reach out and spread the word and hope and wait and expect change to come. Hopefully some of that positive momentum will be infused into our churches and homes, and we can get out there and continue to impact the world.
As Americans, we are free to dream as big as we want to dream and work as hard as we possibly can and we can wholly expect that our dreams and hard work will be honored and rewarded. As Christians, we know that the only true Savior of the world has been here once, and He will return again. While we wait it is our duty to work hard, love others, and share God's truths. We know that only God has the power to change the world. This election is a place for us to launch from. Let's leave the "king's heart in the hand of the Lord" and get busy with what we can do to make our world a better place. We don't have any room and we don't have any time for bitterness or anger here. The election is over, God has spoken. This is where all Christians need to get on board...for with God, all things are possible.
Peace.
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