May 4, 2013 |
Friday was “Bring Your Frog to Work” Day.
Okay. Not really. But it should have been. For me it was. Maybe I’ll start a trend. Yup. It’s already on my iPhone calendar. Every First Friday in May shall be “Bring Your Frog to Work Day”.
I had intended to spend my lunch hour at the Park behind my office, taking photos of flying hawks and scurrying ground squirrels. Instead, it evolved into me taking photos of Nippers every chance I got.
It started with him accepting his role. That is, being the Frog that I took to work today.
Bring Your Frog to Work Day
When I won the monthly office contest, he helped me celebrate.
Red Robin…. yumm!
Then he joined me for lunch.
Tacos and Frogs. Do they really go together?
Later in the afternoon, we did the daily bank- and mail-run for the office. He wanted to check our P.O. Box. Sadly, other than himself, it was empty.
Postage Due?
Shortly after, it was time to wind up the work week and head home. But not for long – I won tickets to the local minor league baseball game for tonight. Nippers and I took Dot, my Second Daughter, and my Second-Second Daughter to see the High Desert Mavericks wallop the Lancaster Jethawks. It was quite the game! Back and forth, strike outs, errors, runs, outs… it was intense! And oh, so fun.
Nippers at Stater Bros. Stadium. My little photo-bombing frog.
Mavericks Warming Up
After a while, the girls and I got hungry. Every Friday home game is Family Feast Night: hot dogs and sodas for just a dollar each! Nippers certainly likes his foods…
Ballpark Food. Yummm!
In keeping with my Luck lately, halfway through the second inning, a Mavericks staffer walked by and handed everyone a card. Okay, sure. Everyone got one. But if I hadn’t won the game tickets, I wouldn’t have been present to get this ticket. Am I right?!
Bowling, anyone?
And then of course it was time to document the humans. My Second Daughter Elisa Jo took this wonderful photo of all of us.
A new kind of Family Game Night.
We sang the Seventh Inning Stretch. We sang “Sweet Caroline”. We ate dollar hot dogs and drank ballpark beer (well, two of us did!). We freaked out, multiple times, when a moth the size of Calcutta decided it really loved Dot and Elisa Jo. And we were laughed at, often, by those around us who experienced our girlish screams.
Would we do it again? Quicker than you can say, “Yes!”
The Mavericks won. It was a wonderful game. Not slow and draggy as some baseball games are. At first it seems the Mavs had no kick and were gonna go down without a fight. But by the third inning they snapped to and gave the Lancaster Jethawks a run for their money! In the end, the Mavs won 7-9.
Friday’s over. “Bring Your Frog to Work” Day is done. But the memories of this nearly perfect day will remain. Can a frog bring you luck? I’m pretty sure mine can. Does. Has.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jan 12, 2012 |
It’s getting so close, I can taste it. Which is a good thing, since it’s all about making great food at frugal costs.
What is it?
The Unemployment Cookbook, of course.
And even though it’s been my main writing focus lately, it’s not my only focus. I’m still working on my Devotions and Screenplay and Book Series with Megan. And I’m still blogging every day and on facebook every day.
And so are you. You know how I know? You comment. You like. You link. And I want to thank you for that. In a big way.
So here’s the deal: I’m offering up two free copies of The Unemployment Cookbook as soon as it’s published, which should be within the next month (hopefully a lot sooner!).
The first will go to the 100th person to “like” my Facebook Page. Just click this link and it will take you there.
The second will go to the 50th subscriber to Frankly, My Dear…. Again, just click this link and it will take you there.
Just a few rules:
1. No manipulating the system. You can’t be a current subscriber/follower, deactivate, and then resubscribe in order to win. I already know you’re here.
2. Only one entry per person per site. Some people follow me only on facebook. Some people follow me only the Blog. These are two separate giveaways, so following me on both will not increase your chances.
3. This is not a random choice. You have to be the 50th Blog subscriber and/or the 100th Facebook follower to win.
That’s about it. Thanks so much, and good luck!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 16, 2011 |
Hey, everyone!
So, you know I’m nuts about blog giveaways (and have populated Snobby Kitchen by entering more than a few).
Well here’s one that I stumbled upon through a fellow blogger’s site.
This is Burlap & Buttons, a great blog I just discovered. Kirstin is a crafter and she’s offering a free Wreath just for commenting on her blog post here.
Even if you’re not interested in winning, take a look at her blog. You’ll find some amazingly creative ideas on decorating, some family stories, and just good reading.
Be sure to tell her Hi from Frankly, My Dear Mojo…
Aug 16, 2011 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Yes, this post is actually about coupon clipping.
No, I am not some poverty-stricken rundown woman with curlers in my hair dangling a cigarette. Neither am I an extremist who’s going to hoard supplies that I’ll never use. While the thought of selling to my neighbors in times of dire need sort of thrills me (especially since my neighbors CHOOSE to not be prepared), I guess I’m not really an I-told-you-so kinda gal.
But I am a storyteller, so here’s today’s story.
I’ve clipped coupons before, saved a few bucks here and there. But this weekend I watched a handful of “Extreme Couponing” on one of those cable home improvement networks. Which I found ironic, because last week I joined a local Facebook group, “Bargain Babes”, started by my friend Genny. She’s a great couponer, and now she shares her wisdom and experience with the group. It’s very interactive. Since we all live in the same area, we each post the different sales and rewards that we know of so others can find the same great deals. It’s a sisterhood of scissoring.
Suffering from a ridiculous allergy attack or severe summer cold (still not sure yet which it is, but that’s a different story…), I didn’t do much of anything yesterday but rest a lot and clip a little. I reviewed the current ads, my current coupons, and I made my list. I called the local market to make sure I knew their coupon policy. Yes, they double the value but only up to $1.00 total savings per item. Yes, they take internet coupons. No, they do not take expired coupons.
Armed with a two-page list of what coupons I wanted to use, and only six other items on my grocery list, I made my way to several stops.
First, I know a lot of people will take whatever they can get for free or near-free. Brand names don’t matter to them. Unfortunately, because my daughter and I both suffer from chemical allergies, I am cautious to switch once I find a brand name product that really works for us. Having said that, I’m not above trying new things as long as I know they won’t hurt me.
Second, stack ’em high! The store I went to today doubles the coupon value. Score! If I have a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon, each for $0.50 for the same item, I can use them both. That means, each coupon is doubled to a dollar, and since I have two coupons, I’ve just saved $2.00 on one item! Some coupons require you to buy two or more of the item to get the savings. Guess what? Stack ’em again! Same scenario as above, same two coupons, PLUS a third coupon good for $0.50 off one item. Doubled again. I just saved three bucks. Which makes my on-sale granola bars, FREE. How awesome is that?
Third, get a rain check. If a store advertises a sale, but that product isn’t on the shelf, go to Customer Service with the ad, and have them issue you a rain check. This worked for me the week before Easter when I was in search of a head of cabbage. Vons had a ridiculously great price in their ad. But when I showed up in the produce section, I was told “someone” forgot to order the cabbage. They didn’t have any. But I got a rain check for the sale price, good for 90 days. No, it didn’t help my Easter dinner. I bought cabbage elsewhere for that. But I was able to later get more cabbage for $0.33 when everyone else was paying close to $1.00. Nifty, huh?
Fourth, don’t have a coupon for a favorite item? Go online. Most companies offer printable coupons on their websites. If not, you can call and praise them and they’ll usually send some to you. The drawback of this, is that they only send you a few, and you have to wait for snail-mail time, which is usually several weeks to over a month. When my daughter was born, I called her formula maker and they sent me new coupons every month. Not just the cheap-o “buy ten, save $0.30” kind either. They were awesome coupons. “Buy two get one free.” Who doesn’t love free?
Fifth. Don’t go all over town for a $2.00 savings. You’ll spend more than that in gas. Every stop I made today was within one mile of each other. It made it a lot easier to hit one side of the street, then head back in the other direction. Piece of pie!
So.There I am this morning with my lists and my budget and my daughter. First up: CVS Drugstore. I figured I’d dip my toe in the water before I dive on it. I had two coupons for the same item: Advil. The first coupon was Buy 3/Save $5. The second was Save $2. For the first coupon, I picked up three travel size Advil. You know, the mini bottles that only hold ten tablets. They were supposed to be $3.29 each. With tax, it was over $10. I used my CVS Saver card and Green Tag. This is a leaf-shaped tag with a bar code they scan once a day. If you use the Green Tag, they don’t bag your items. I either bring my own bag or put the items in my purse. Four every four swipes, you get a $1.00 Register Reward. So my first purchase with the three Advils cost me only $5 and change, plus I got my $1 RR. The second Advil was $4.49 plus tax. Minus my $2 coupon, minus my $1 RR, I paid only $1.76 for a $5 bottle of pain reliever. I’m pretty happy about that! And now I’m hooked.
I saved 15% on a box of Cafe Mocha k-cups at Bed, Bath & Beyond with their coupon.
Then I headed to Vons. My total rang up to $169. With my Vons rewards card, I saved $35. Then I handed the clerk my coupons. All my coupons. Pretty much one (or more) for almost every item I bought. And item by item, I watched the total go down. The end result? $107 and change.
And you know what? It was fun. Can’t wait to do it again.
There are many more lessons I’m learning. By no means, am I an expert. But for my first real couponing attempt today, I feel pretty successful. Especially when I treated my daughter to lunch at McDonald’s and for less than the price of one combo meal, we used our free drink coupons, ordered cheap sandwiches and had lunch together. No fatty fries. Good savings. Great day.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
