I'VE DECIDED TO VOTE DEMOCRAT

Dear Family,Friends, and loved ones,

I know you all will be very surprised by my next statement, so I have listed below the reasons why I have decided to vote democrat this year.
Please take the time to read through them carefully, for I really would prefer if you understood my reasons before we next speak.

My Reasons:

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe I make too much money. I believe that since the government cannot take half of my talent, abilities, blood, sweat, tears, stress, and frustration to give to some other person who does not offer the talents and abilities I do, nor share my same work ethics...well then half of the money I EARN should go to that person instead.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there, they'll come over here, and I don't want to have any guns in the house to shoot them with.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my car.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that with the help of Acorn, my vote will count, and count, and count, and count, and count!

I'm voting Democrat because I think President Carter's fair housing law and President Clinton's extension of such, had nothing to do with the current economic disaster we face today. Besides, Barney Frank would never lie and Fanny and Freddy must be honorable institutions or else Barak would not have taken so much money from them, and would never have had one of their chief officer's as part of his campaign team! Please, Barak went to Harvard - so he cannot be that dumb.

I'm voting Democrat because I am a woman, and only Democratic women are stood up for by Women's Rights groups!

I'm voting Democrat because in the New Socialist United States, in order to make any real money, I will have to move to Hollywood to get a job as an actress. I hear they don't like republicans and lack of talent does not matter, so now I should have a real shot!

The final reason I am voting Democrat this year... with all this global warming, hell must have frozen over!


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Now that you understand my logic, it kinda makes you wonder why I would have EVER voted Republican, now doesn't it?

p.s. I stole this letter from an email that a co-worker of Jon's sent out. :)

A Must-See Video! Tons of Info. - FACTS

MAKING Money Shopping + Free Stuff

Ok, so I said in my last post that you'd learn soon why it's so helpful that I have all that extra storage space in my newly re-done basement. Well, here's why... I need it for stockpiling all the free or close to free stuff I've been getting lately.

A blog I discovered a few months ago: Money Saving Mom is what got me started playing "the drugstore game". I have always clipped coupons and used them for things we would normally get, but I never realized until recently, the possibilities and potential in couponing and smart shopping. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details of how to get started and all the lingo that fellow couponers use, etc. because so many blogs including moneysavingmom.com already have done such a great job at explaining all that. I just wanted to share with you my Walgreens & CVS shopping trips from this week. It was a really good week for stockpiling! So here goes... hopefully I don't make your head spin too much!

WALGREENS

Here's how I got all this stuff FREE, plus made $6.27:

Buy 2 Windex Spray Bottles -- 2/$5.00
Use two $1/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $2.00 ($1 each)
$0.50 each after coupons and rebate

Buy 5 Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminators -- $1.99 each
Use five $1/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $5.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.05 overage after coupons & rebate

Buy 1 Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Max Starter Kit -- $3.99
Use $3/1 manufacturer coupon
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $1.50
FREE plus $0.51 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 4 Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Bathroom Wipes -- $2/$5.00 x 2
Use two $0.75/1 manufacturer coupons
Use two Buy-one-get-one-free coupons to get two free
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $4.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.50 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 1 Nivea Mens Body Wash -- $4.99
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $4.99
FREE after rebate

Buy 2 Glade Wisp Candles -- $5.99 each
Use buy-one-get-one-free coupon to get one free
Get $3 in Register Rewards (good on my next purchase)
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $5.99
FREE plus $3.00 in overage after coupon, Register Reward and rebate

Buy 2 Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubbers -- $3.99 each
Use two $2.75/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $3.00 ($1.50 for each)
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $3.99
FREE plus $4.51 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 3 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders -- $3.99 each
Use three $2/1 manufacturer coupons
Submit for Easysaver Rebate of $6.00 ($2 each)
FREE plus $0.03 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 5 Glade 4 oz. Candles -- $1.99 each
Use five $1/1 coupons
Submit for Easysaver rebate of $5.00 ($1 each)
FREE plus $0.05 overage after coupons and rebate

Buy 2 Crest 6.4 oz Toothpastes -- $1.99 each
Use two $1/1 Walgreens coupons
Use two $1/1 manufacturer coupons
FREE plus $0.02 overage after coupons

Total before coupons & rebates: $79.79
Tax Paid: +$4.55
Coupons, rebates & Register Rewards: $-87.46
10% bonus for getting Easysaver rebates on a gift card: $-3.15
Total Made on Transaction: $6.27

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CVS

Here's how I got all of this FREE:

Buy 1 Arm & Hammer Essentials Cleaner -- $2.50
Use $1/1 manufacturer coupon
Submit for manufacturer Try-Me-Free mail-in-rebate of $2.50
FREE plus $1 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 32oz Vitamin Water -- $2.29
Receive $2.29 back as Extra Care Bucks (to be used like cash on next transaction)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 2 Always Infinity 18ct Pads -- $4.98 each
Receive $9.96 back as Extra Care Bucks ($4.98 each)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste -- $2.99
Use $1/1 manufacturer coupon
Receive $2.00 back as Extra Care Bucks
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Bic Soleil Razor -- $5.99
Use $2/1 manufacturer coupon
Receive $4.00 back as Extra Care Bucks
FREE after ECB's

Buy 4 Bic Soleil 4 ct Razor Refills -- $5.99 each
Use four $2/1 manufacturer coupons
Receive $16 back as Extra Care Bucks ($4 each)
FREE after ECB's

Buy 1 Mentos -- $0.79

I used Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) that I had from previous transactions to pay for this transaction. When you use an ECB in a transaction your total must be the same or more than the total of your ECB or you will loose the extra ECB's. This is why I bought the Mentos - to get my transaction up to the right amount so I didn't loose part of my ECB's. After the above transaction I now have $34.25 in Extra Care Bucks to use like cash on future purchases at CVS.

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Alright, now I've probably thoroughly confused some of you but hopefully also I've made some of you curious and interested in the whole idea of couponing and drugstore shopping. In just two months or so of doing this I've accumulated a very good supply of household things such as: toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, razors, shaving cream, medicines, feminine supplies, cleaning supplies, air fresheners, laundry supplies, dish washing supplies, and many other things including some food items - all for either FREE or VERY little. I'll admit, it does take a good amount of time to get started and learn the ins and outs, but at the end it's totally worth it, at least for me! If you've got questions I can try to answer them, or there are all kinds of blogs and websites out there that are dedicated to this type of stuff.

Have FUN!! Happy Shopping :)

What I've Been Up To

I'm Back! And I've got quite the list of things to update you all. First let me say, I'm sorry for those of you who regularly check my blog looking for updates and for a few months now, have found nothing. Hopefully after this post you will have some idea of what's been keeping me from blogging.

Since there's so much to say and I'm not sure where to start, I guess the easiest thing would be a list. Here goes:

~ On August 25th Nate & Shawna had settlement on their "new-to-them" house which they just moved into last week. The house was a fixer-up place that needed quite a bit of work to be livable for them. So, up until last Tuesday when we helped them move in, we were over there at least a few nights a week helping clean, tear down walls, paint, install closets, clear their yard, etc, etc. At first it seemed overwhelming but it's been really cool to see the house transform into a very cute, livable place. If I had some pictures I'd post them but I don't. Maybe I'll get some from Shawna later on.

~ One week in mid-August I decided I was going to completely re-do my basement to make it a usable and inviting storage space - a project I had been putting off ever since getting married. Our basement was old, smelly, dirty and creepy according to me. I very much avoided even opening the basement door, and I would only go down there in broad daylight while Jon was home - even that only happened a couple times since living here. I know, you all think I'm crazy, but you didn't see my basement before!

While I was motivated I wasted no time. Jon's mom graciously offered to help as well. We hauled everything out that was down there. Then we vacuumed and washed down everything. The ceiling was unfinished and not very pretty looking so we stapled up heavy duty plastic to keep dirt and insulation from falling down; it also gave the room a much nicer feel. Next we painted the walls, floor and stairs. And finally I went out and bought some heavy duty storage shelves for all around and filled them up with all kinds of things I had been storing elsewhere in our little house.

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures before we started, but I did take some mid-process and finish pics (below). It really looks like a different basement! I actually go down there quite often now, without any fear. It's so nice to have the extra storage space too (you'll learn more about why in another post). I still have a few more little things to do in the basement to finish it up, like fix some of the plastic on the ceiling and hang a fabric curtain all around so I can't see in the crawl space, but for the most part it's done. Here are some pics:

MID-WAY (we had already cleaned and painted the walls)

AFTER

~ Another thing that's been keeping me busy is watching my cousin Rhonda's son Aaron every Thursday from 8:30 am - 4:40 pm. Aaron is now about 3 months old but I started watching him when he was just over 2 months. He's a big boy and sometimes quite a handful but I've been learning a lot and gaining more experience having a baby around all day one day a week. I'd post some pictures but Jon's been taking our camera to work every day so I never have it around when Aaron's here.

~ We went for a week vacation to Myrtle Beach 2 weeks ago but I'm going to write another post with pictures of that so I won't say anything more right now. Stay tuned!



~ The rest of my garden really took off after I posted the last post. I had tomatoes and peppers galore for a while! With the tomatoes I canned 28 quarts of fresh tomato sauce. I'm hoping that will last us until next year for making homemade spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce and any other recipe I find. As for the peppers, we had a lot of habaneros as well as bell peppers which I left on the plants till they turned red. I washed, cut and froze a few quart sized bags of red bell peppers to use in all kinds of recipes throughout the winter. The habaneros were for Jon and he used them to make two different types of EXTREMELY HOT hot sauce. He also dried some and ground them down to a powder to sprinkle on food. The powder is so strong that when he uses it to sprinkle on food some of it becomes airborne and if you're right near him you feel it on your lips and in your nose! I stay clear of it and don't even like touching the jar. :) The picture above is our stash of tomato sauce and hot sauces. Which are all stored down in our newly re-done basement of course.

~ The week before we left for Myrtle Beach two of our friends, Amanda Reinford & Steve Heebner got engaged and they asked Jon and I both to be in their wedding party. I was asked if I would be Amanda's Matron of Honor and I gladly excepted! Amanda was my maid of honor for my wedding so it's really neat. All the little details that come along with being Matron of Honor have been occupying some of my time these last few weeks as well. I love it though! Weddings are so much fun - especially when you're in them and you know the people getting married. Manda & Steve's wedding is in early January so there's not long to wait!

~ Lastly something that's really been taking up a lot of my time these days is learning to MAKE money shopping at CVS, Walgreens & Rite Aid. You may have noticed a little while back the new link button that appeared on my side bar to the left. It has the picture of the little piggy bank and it says "Money Saving Mom" on it. That is the blog that started it all for me, and got me hooked on saving money, stock piling, and shopping at drugstores. There are so many more details to share and great bargains to tell you about that I'll dedicate another post specifically for this latest hobby of mine. :)

I think that's just about everything. At least all the main things I've been doing. Since this post is getting so long I'm going to end abruptly here and I'll start on the next post right away!