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!
Aug 13, 2011 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
This is my response to a writing prompt from Writer’s Digest Community last year.
BENDING THE RULES: The sign said “No shirt, no shoes, no service”—but that didn’t matter. He had to get inside.
The sign said “No shirt, no shoes, no service” – but that didn’t matter. He had to get inside. He laughed at the thought of what he must look like to passers-by. No doubt, a down-on-his-luck replica of that famous you-know-who celebrity. If they only knew. Nothing is ever as it appears.
“Get a job!” someone scowled, causing him to jump back. He lost his footing on the wet sidewalk and landed, bum first, into an oily puddle. I need a stunt double, he mused to himself, then broke out into hard laughter. For it was always his choice to do the stunts himself. It gave more honesty to the scenes, he often said.
And now, with no director or script or camera crew, here he was. On the rain-soaked streets; trying desperately to reach her.
She glanced back playfully; egging him to keep after her, daring him to the chase. He rose to the challenge and started again. His stride automatically increased in large bounds but his focus turned to recall of how they met. There had been auditions and screen tests. Agents and managers. Meetings and negotiations.
She’s stubborn to work with, they warned. She has a will of her own. But he always loved a challenge. And he always got the girl. There was no need to think otherwise. Until now.
Their courtship barely started and he was in love. The tables had turned, and this strong leading man was now being led.
And so he chased. Whenever they weren’t working, and sometimes when they were, he pursued her in a manner almost ridiculous. Like now.
It had started when she greeted him in costume. She often found him half-dressed. Giving him no time to prepare, she grabbed his sandwich and ran away with a smile and “come get me” look. The chase, the game, the race. It was all on.
He gave no care to anyone or anything except pursuing her, and suddenly she was trapped. She managed to escape into the deli, out of the wet falling sky.
The irony struck him. Her beauty had always opened doors for her. Here he was. Soaked. Dirty. Determined.
He paid no attention to the sign, and strode in. With authority. She backed into a corner, almost laughing. The patrons, drying and feeding themselves, stopped to observe, whisper, and gawk. He gave no attention to his peripheral vision.
Finally, with no place to go, he backed her into the corner. She took one bite of the sandwich and dropped the remnant on the floor. She was collared, and she knew it.
He smiled his Oscar-winning smile. “Tell me you love me,” he urged as his embrace became more of a stronghold.
She looked up, licking her mouth more for his benefit than hers. Almost nodding, definitely winking, she answered.
“Woof.”
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 11, 2011 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Kate is a valued friend of mine. We haven’t known each other long, but she’s become important to me. She supports me. We talk almost every day. She never fails to uplift and encourage me. She trusts me. So when she asked me to proofread this essay, I asked a favor in return: to publish it for her here on my blog.
This is Kate’s Story.
Living with Tourette Syndrome there are many things I have come to accept. I accept that there is no cure, I will always be “different”. I have learned to deal with the aches and pains that often accompany my incessant tics. I have learned techniques to minimize my symptoms though I will never fully master them. I have accepted that others will always stare, that some find my loud “wah ahh” sounds funny. I have even accepted that because I am different, being bullied is just a part of my life. As much as I try to educate everyone I come into contact with about Tourette’s, not all will be understanding.
My life is what it is and I had accepted that until my friend Jeromy suggested I read “Twitch and Shout: a Touretter’s Tale” by Lowell Handler. It was great to read that someone else had a similar experience with not being diagnosed until early adulthood. I was enjoying the book until I found myself suddenly enraged by the fact that we faced such similar tales of a lack of understanding about our shared condition, twenty years apart.
Has nothing changed in twenty years? After venting my frustration to my Facebook friends I realized that something has changed. In the 1980’s Handler met very few people who had even heard of Tourette’s. By the time I was diagnosed in 2001 just about everyone seemed to have seen the movie “Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo” and while I’ll admit I did find it funny and I love the way he took his “client” with Tourette’s to a ballgame where it’s OK to swear, that perception that Tourette’s is a “swearing thing” made life with Tourette’s even harder. Where Handler encountered people who had never heard the term “Tourette” before, I encountered people who said, “Oh, you mean the swearing disorder?” Or the oh-so-memorable incident in the grocery store when a teenage girl said, “Oh my god, you are sooo lucky, you can just, like, swear all the time.” (She’s sooo luck I didn’t punch her!) In the twenty years between our experiences, Tourette’s had gone from being a little known neurologic disorder to being the punch-line of a joke; one that’s not very funny to those who suffer from it.
The night I read the book, I had a nightmare. I was out with my young friend Ryan. She also has Tourette’s. We were in a crowd when someone started mimicking my vocal tics. As always happens when I feel self-conscious, my tics increased in frequency and severity. The mimicking turned to taunts and my tics got even worse. I had no control of my body and was even unable to get myself and Ryan away from the situation until someone else stepped in to help. Once out of the crowd my rescuer asked if I was okay. I responded with, “I’m used to it, this is just part of life with Tourette’s .” Ryan exploded. “How can you accept this? Is this what my life will be?” While I’m thankful it was “just” a dream, it was actually more than that.
How can I accept that as a normal part of my life? Even before I knew what Tourette’s was, I was always “the weird kid”. I knew I wasn’t normal. Other kids and adults who saw my behaviors as a discipline problem constantly reminded me of that. The bullying I experienced as a child just continued on into adulthood. The guidance counselors always said that bullying was just part of life so eventually I just accepted it. I learned to handle it because I know who I am; those who pick on me, don’t. I never thought of my acceptance of my situation as affecting anyone but myself … until I met Ryan.
Tourette’s is hereditary so I’ve always know that if I have kids there’s a chance I may be the parent of a child with Tourette’s. I always thought of that in terms of fighting with schools and making the tough decision of whether to medicate. I never thought of how my current acceptance of the way things are would affect those who come behind me. But Ryan is behind me. Twenty years my junior, and very similar to me. At ten years old she is reaching that age where the comments will start being directed at her, not her parents. She will have to endure the same ignorance of our shared condition, but why should she? Shouldn’t my having been through it have some positive impact on her future? Is my not standing up and fighting back, not abandoning my own fears and stepping up to lead a campaign of Tourette’s awareness (similar to autism’s Autism Speaks), my accepting that this is just part of my life.. really me accepting it for Ryan? Am I accepting this for all the Ryan’s out there? Maybe it is time for me to move past my fears and do something so twenty years from now Ryan won’t be feeling the same way.
In a recent conversation with Kate, she told me that while there’s a lot of activity to research Tourette Syndrome, not much is being done in the way of actually helping those who suffer from it. She credits knowledge as a main staple in helping her, and enabling her to help others. If you know someone who suffers from Tourette’s, compassion and education is key. None of us are alone. And we all have something to offer. Thanks, Kate.
For more educational information, visit www.tsa-usa.org
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
