Tis The Season To Be Broke! Part One

Well Hello There!

I haven't seen you in a while and due to good reason. I am now a Working Mama instead of a Stay At Home Mama. Oh the tears of joy I get to interact with Adults now instead of Toddlers. How quickly that dream crumbled when I learned that a lot of Adults still act like Toddlers! However, what's important is that I love my job and I am still struggling to learn to save money.
So what I bring today is this thought. Tis' The Season To Be Broke! For the first time in 11 years I did not go out shopping on Black Friday. At first I laid in bed and I wept it was as though I had lost a loved one you see. Most people would ask me "Hey Maria, What you doing for Black Friday?" and I would happily say, "Well I'm Black and it's Friday so I'm shopping!" hehehe.... Black Friday it's like a "Bad Romance" as Lady Gaga once said. Now, once I was done mourning my loss of all the wonderful deals I could have got. I quickly started thinking about all the crap that we really have and how much crap we need to get rid of so I can actually determine what is really needed on this years Wish List.
My suggestion to you all is to sit down go through all of your kids stuff including your own...just saying. Make a pile to donate, throw away, and keep. Then bag up the Throw aways and Donation pile immediately. Now you're going to go through the keep pile again and act like you never saw it and really ask your self, "Self do I really need this crap" and your inner self and is going to say something like "Hell Yea!" but, your new "I Don't Need All This Crap Self" will throw another half of it away! Wooo hooo don't you feel better? Now this is the time I would say to myself, "Self, I Got rid of all this crap now I have room for new crap woo hoo!" This would be a negative people. I repeat a negative. Don't do it for the sake of your Husband's sanity I repeat don't do it!
To be cont.....

True Confessions

It has been a long time and I have been meaning to document my works on frugality. However; I fell off the boat with that. Why you may ask? Changes! My husband was promoted and POOF off we go up north now to live. Which is great for him I'm very proud of him really I am but, I am sad very sad and that is how I fell off the boat of frugality and began drowning. I would go to a store and not need a single thing and come out the store with just about anything and everything including the hanger it came on. I was having a really hard time coping with the fact that we are picking up and moving again. Starting all over again. Calling another home our home again. I love my house here and I know it sounds so cliche but I love my house here dang it. I love my garden that my husband built me and my pond that he made just to make me happy, and the playground that he had built for our beautiful children. I don't like to move around but I do it because I love him and that's what is necessary for this moment. However, it is still hard to adapt to change when you are a person that doesn't deal with change well. I used spending money as a way to cope with what I didn't want to deal with in regards to this move and as I sit here typing this to you right now I feel overwhelmed with the massive amount of crap in this house. Massive, massive, massive, and blahhhhh. I made my bed and now I have to lay in it I suppose right. 1 1/2 weeks to go before the big move and all I can do is look around at the massive amounts of unnecessary crap I have. I spend every night not packing but sitting up in bed wondering how I am emotionally going to make it through this move with out a break down. This move is horrific to me. I know no one and all though I know I will sooner or later it is still horrifying sooooooo with that being said wah wah wah whoah is me. It's time for me to start donating some stuff and get my butt into gear and be a strong woman! Catch ya later!

Target Be Gone!!!

I will never shop at Target again. Why? Well first off all I shouldn't have went to Target but like I had stated earlier If I'm happy I go to Target and momentarily I was slightly over joyed so I thought it was time. Boy was I ever wrong.

It was a normal cold winter day in Huntsville and I had finally convinced my sister that I could control myself in Target so off we went. Once we had arrived we ventured off through the store with sparkles of hope in our eyes. We happened to walk past the shoe department and notice that our favorite number was displayed on a sign. 75% off shoes woo hoo. Bingo we had hit the jackpot. However, to my dismay once I had picked up the shoe it was only tagged for half off. So off I went to have the issue corrected. I bumped into a store person and explained to her how I had found these great priced shoes that aren't marked correctly and do you know what that wench told me? "I am in middle of re-visioning so no you don't get the shoes at 75% off." So I quickly said with a smile. "Okay so if your in the middle of re-visioning why didn't you pull the sign when you walked away?" She quickly rolls her eyes at me and says "Let me get a leader." Mean while I'm standing there while she is explaining to the leader while I am in front of her how she is in the process of re-visioning and she left the sign up and now I want the  75% off that the sign says. The leader looks at me and says "Looks your not getting that price!" I smiled and said "Look I know Target policy because I used to work for Headquarters and if you leave a sign up at the wrong discounted sign your supposed to give the customer the advertised price and then correct it after-wards." Now the store girl turns to the leader and says "She is something else ain't she?" as if I wasn't standing there. Then the leader walkie talkie for a LOD and asked what the problem was she then announces that she has a person claiming they are from corporate  demanding a discount. Umm I think not!!!That is not what I said right? So I stand there and the LOD turns the corner immediately in my face yelling at me????? He was like so your from corporate huh? Yea well what department do you work in? I was just like "Look I said I used to work for Head Quarters and I know your policy." He quickly cuts me off and says "Yea, well if your from corporate then you should know that we are re-visioning and understand that your not getting the marked price.." At this point my sister jumped in and was like " Why are you yelling at her? I watched the girl yank the sign down in front of me is this how you want to treat your customers?" He said "hmmmm YES". She said "Is this how you expect to keep your customers?" He said "Hmmmmmm YES." He turns and looks at me and says "Your pretty loyal to Target huh?" I replied "Yes, especially since I used to work for you guys." He said "hmm, well your not getting that price!" and he turns and looks at my sister and tells her she needs to keep her voice down when he is the jerk yelling at us! Then he says to me "I'm going to give you the price because your wasting my time and my employees time." I turned around and my sister said "Are you the Store Manager?" He said "Yes I am". She then said okay and walked away and went straight up to Customer Service and asked them to page the Store Manager. The lady at the desk says"Geez I don't know who that even is???????" The pages for the LOD its not GREG it's some other guy and of course he has a million excuses of why GREG doesn't typically act that way right and then doesn't take any of our information down and just completely blows us off. THIS IS WHY I WILL NEVER GO TO TARGET AGAIN!!!!!!!

I killed it!!!

My publix trip last night with out children was extremly eventful. I was able to go in to the store on a mission like my sista from anotha mista does. I printed off this detailed list from a blogger by the name of Southern Savers and saved my sanity lol. Guess how much I saved???? WRONG !!!! lol. I saved so much it was sick! My total was $160.99  minus $58.96 in special price savings minus $38.40 in Vendor coupons and minus $14.30 in Store coupons my total came to $49.33, and let me tell you when I was in line we were cuttin up lol. The bag boys were chanting at the Cashier "Do It Do It", the man in line behind me was like "I'm not going to express I got to see this." and the cashier was like "I'm feeling the pressure after getting all these coupons!" It was hilarious and I had a great time saving at Publix I heart you guys and enjoy my shopping with you!

 

 So this picture doesn't include the Smithfield 1lb Bacon and 3 Marie Calendars Frozen Entrees

 

Trapped in a Box

Well it is pretty easy to not have the urge to splurge when you try to keep yourself busy. I watched my sister from anoter Mister's kids today and that kept my mind off of going shopping.
I started reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey on Saturday and I have to admit he is hilarious,blunt, and truthful. I have to admit that I am that red faced kid in a store screaming, crying, and stomping because I want it now!!! I would like to think of myself as maybe a calmer version of Willy Wonka's character Veruca Salt one who owns no credit cards. Yes, ladies and gentleman I own none I have never qualified for any and thanks to Mr.Ramsey I am relieved knowing that creditors don't think I have the strength to resist splurges and go over. However, for years I felt angry and Black! Yes, BLACK! I told myself that they won't give me a credit card because they know I am black, However; this theory pathetically deflated off into the sky when one of my bestfriends (whom happens to be black) got 8 credit cards. What the heck man? Why can't I get one? Why can everyone else get one but me???? Now after reading The Total Money Makeover I am so relived that I have never been accepted for one. Why?
1.My name is Maria and I am an Emotional Shopper.

2. My name is Maria and I act like Veruca Salt from Willy Woka and the Chocolate Factory.
3. My name is Maria and I have to trap myself in a box(aka home) to prevent the need to spend any money.
You see it is simple! A person like me needs to stay far away from credit cards YES farrrrrrr away and the creditors apparently knew that! Either that or GOD!
I look forward to sharing more with you thanks for following me through my journey!

I am so proud

Today I went to Publix with my Sister from another Mister Karen. Not only does she force me to get in and out but she makes me have my act together with my coupons. I went in with a list of BOGO's only and with store and manufacturer coupons for these specific BOGO's and I only spent $14.63. This includes 6 boxes of PopTarts, 3 boxes of Slim Fast Meal Bars, 1 six pack of SlimFast Meal Shake, 1 Coffee Mate 15oz, 1 Huntz Ketchup, 1 Kraft Mayo, and Orville Kettle Corn 6 pack of popcorn.

Confessions of an Emotional Shopper

Yesterday....was a really rough day. Why? Because I had to go to Wal Mart I needed cilantro and pork I had planned this huge dinner for my family which consisted of Lumpia, Fried Rice, and Cream Cheese Wontons. Before shopping in WalMart I decided I had to stay on the Food side of the store or that is when trouble would occur. However, once I had entered the store that is when I had found reasons to go the "Other Side". I decided that the toys were marked down at a really good price and I should stock up after all birthdays were coming up soon. I had also decided that I needed 6 rolls of wrapping paper because I was saving us money in the future. By the time I had left the store I was so happy and full of excitement I felt like I was walking on clouds! Until, my husband called me. "Maria, you left 3 hours ago what is taking you so long?" "Umm, you know I just ummm WalMart and their funky long lines make me so sick honey!" My husband then reiterated the fact that I have a New Years Resolution and that WE as a family sat down and made goals, and that my friend, is when my high slipped away into the abyss of sorrow and my stomach began to drop. The utter thought of disappointing my husband and letting my family down destroyed me emotionally. So what did I do? Go home you may say? NO, I tell my self I will make it up to him by buying him a calling card so he can call his family! (OMG! As I write this I feel the stupidity seeping out of my fingers and realize that this blog and your support is exactly what I need to beat this.) Then I finally took my sorry butt home where my husband awaited for my arrival. Lesson of the day I need HELP and here is an article that I found. Shopping Addiction. The documentation of my struggles are to be continued......