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Well, I have recently fallen into the cult of couponing!

Is it easy?  NO!  But so far, it has been pretty rewarding...and maybe, just MAYBE, a little, tiny bit fun.

At first, I didn't understand why people even bothered with coupons.  They are usually for expensive items that still don't match up to the store brand's prices even after a coupon.  But after talking to a few people and reading a few blogs, I gradually got the idea that coupons are generally for items that are already on sale, or for items that will bring you some type of reward just for buying them.

I have now realized the importance of looking to see what is on sale.  I just finished my first coupon excursion at Kroger yesterday.  I made a list of things I absolutely had to have and things that were on sale that I thought I would enjoy or thought I would use in the future.  I do not have the space to stockpile things at the moment, so that was out of the question.  But...I ended up buying $131.75 of groceries for $96.13, which is a savings of 27%!  I know...it's not too much yet.  But I hope to keep looking through our local ads every week and trying to match them with my ever-growing pile of coupons (which I need to organize somehow) to save us some money!  Two small snags we encountered in our experience: 1) Assuming that some fruits and vegetables are in packaged in one-pound increments.  2)  We intended to buy sliced cheese that was on sale, and we picked up the wrong brand, which was not on sale.

Yes, is is time-consuming so far, but I hope as time goes on, I will get a lot faster at this and that it will be well worth it.  My eventual savings goal for grocery trips: 40-50%!

O, Snowy Night!

It snowed in Memphis last night!  This photo was taken not too long after it started.  Much more came after this!

Why do I care?  I'm originally from Mississippi.  It NEVER snows there!  Well, except for this year.  Before last night, I had never...

made a snow angel, or...

made a snowman named Lester, or...

eaten snow cream (which was delicious), or...

witnessed my dog prancing around in this unfamiliar icy whiteness!

Obviously, I was happy!  Something about the snow made me feel like a child again.

After Phillip and I played outside for a while, we went back inside to enjoy a game of Monopoly...and I LOST!  All I can say is that I handled it better than I thought I would.  He had better watch his back next time, though...because I'm feeling pretty fierce about it.

Happy Snow Day, everyone!  It was nice to get a taste of what northern states get to experience all the time.  The snow is melting now, and it's back to the normal routine tomorrow!

Here's to 2011.

After a lovely 10-day break from work, here I am in 2011.  Although I am excited about returning to work tomorrow, I have very  much enjoyed my break and there are still things I wish I had done!


My break was pretty much a whirlwind.  We started things off on Christmas Day with Phillip's family.  Great day!  We got to see all four of his amazing nieces and nephews, and I truly treasure my time with them (and the rest of his family, of course!)  After a meal at his grandmother's house, we returned to his house for the rest of the day.  We gave out gifts of homemade treats (toffee squares, spritz cookies, and brownie-covered oreos), and I received a beautiful garnet necklace, a set of pinch bowls, and an apple corer/slicer/peeler!  I definitely see more apple pies in our future.  As you can see, I have definitely not resolved to start a diet in the new year!


After returning to Memphis for a few days, I went back to my hometown for Christmas with my dad's family.  We went to my grandmother's house for present-opening and lunch, and it was so nice to just relax with them.  My grandmother also gave me some old pieces of silver, which I am now using as a centerpiece for my dining room table.


The next day, I went to a Christmas celebration for my mom's family at the cabin.  The cabin is my family's hunting cabin that we all gather in for special occasions, and it's also special to me because it sits in the spot where my family and I once lived.  I got to see my grandparents and the children I love in my own family, and also got to enjoy some great appetizers, which I have no problem making a meal of.


I came back to Memphis again on New Year's Eve, just in time to celebrate with Phillip!  I fixed up some black-eyed pea dip and some Mexican cornbread, and we watched Beauty and the Beast on DVD...yes, we're old and boring, and we don't care!  It was exactly what I wanted.


The next days have consisted of taking care of a sick puppy (he's fine now!), watching the Gator Bowl, cleaning and organizing the apartment, watching more movies, going out to eat with my dad's family at O'Charley's...and now I'm here, blogging.


Of course, I'm going to tell you what my resolutions for 2011 are.  One resolution has been ongoing for a while now...get out of debt!  I want to completely rid myself of ANY debt, including student loans.  I'm almost positive I won't be able to accomplish that goal this year, but I CAN make significant strides toward it.  I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and I'm going to continue applying his financial principles to my life until I am finally where I want to be financially.


Another resolution I have is to account for every single one of my pictures.  I have around 1,500 pictures that I have never even developed, and many more that aren't in photo albums or scrapbooks.  I also want to properly organize them on my computer and back up the files.  This resolution will probably be expensive/time-consuming, but I will feel so much better when it's done!


Last...I want to further foster my spirituality and become more full of love and peace.  Pretty broad goal, I know!  Phillip received a hard-cover copy of The Shack (his favorite book) as a gift, and I finished reading it yesterday.  However controversial the book's theology may be, I truly enjoyed the book and was inspired not only to work on my relationship with God, but with others.


I tried not to have too many resolutions so that I can focus more on each one of them.  That's what seems to work best for me every year, as opposed to making 10-20 like I used to!  I wish I could remember who said this many years ago when I heard it, but I can't...instead of making many resolutions, I try every day to be a little bit better than I was the day before.


Happy 2011, everyone!