Loquacious Lady

Last year, I did a little compilation of some of my Friday Favorites that would make good gift ideas for Christmas. Since it’s now December, I figure it’s time to do it again with Friday Favorites from this year!

Give them Food!

Here’s a great (i.e.: simple and delicious) recipe for a treat to give teachers, neighbors or friends.

Or you could give a gift card to any of these restaurants. They’re all delicious!

Prime (They’ll serve you a steak you will want to take pictures of, no joke.)

Farm Burger (Organic and local burgers AND burgers for vegetarians. Amazing food.)

Der Biergarten (Lots of beers in lots of sizes. Also a menu full of German food that I’ll actually eat! It’s yummy.)

Give them Fun!

Buy them a game of Whirlyball with their friends. They will love you for it.

Is the person you’re shopping for under 2? They’ll LOVE Baby Signing Time. Fun music and videos for little people.

Shopping for a geeky parent? They will crack up over these onesies and shirts for their kiddos.

Give them Gadgets!

For the coffee addict, a Keurig is the way to go.

For the photographer, an expo disc and a gray card are both great presents.

For anyone clumsy with a phone, they will LOVE having an Otterbox. My phone still looks brand new, and my case has taken a beating!

Give them Something Useful!

I LOVE my Copco cups, and I take them with me everywhere. They keep me from spilling my drinks too! (Basically, it’s like an adult sippy cup.)

Karma Cards are a great gift for the eco-friendly person on your list.

From home decor to tote bags to invitations to jewelry, In Sweet Violets offers plenty of gift solutions. I love my earrings and necklace from that store!

That’s a Wrap.

If you weren’t sure of something to get for someone on your list, there are plenty ideas above for you to think over. And they span every type of budget. Happy shopping!

~Meghan

Today I’m going to share with you a recipe for something my friends call “White Trash.” I call it “holiday crack” because people make this around the holidays, and it’s SUPER addictive.

It’s also super easy to make. I first sampled this recipe at my baby shower in Covington, and the next week I was getting in touch with Kate, who had made it, to ask her for the recipe because I couldn’t stop craving it. It’s that good.

Kate had gotten the recipe from her Aunt Angela, and she graciously gave me permission to share it with all of you!

So here’s what you need:

1 box of Golden Grahams

1 bag of pretzels (I use the stick kind), broken into pieces

2-3 cups of salted peanuts

White chocolate bark (the recipe says one package, but  mine was a small box so I used more.)

1. Take the first 3 ingredients, and mix them together in a large bowl (or two, because this is a lot of food, and you don’t want to spill it).

2. Put the white bark in a microwave safe bowl, and melt it at one minute intervals, stirring in between, until it is smooth.

3. Dump the bark into the bowl(s) with the other ingredients, and toss with two large spoons until all ingredients are coated.

4. Spread out on large surface covered in wax paper and allow to dry.

5. Break into pieces and enjoy!

I have a few photos I took on my phone of the batch I made.

Here it is cooling:

And here is a little bit of it when dry (very close up):

I’m not kidding when I say it makes a LOT. I filled several large tupperware containers with it, and I took it to share at Thanksgiving with both my family and Tom’s. We are still eating it. (Not that we’re complaining.)

This would be the perfect recipe to make for Christmas because it makes so much that with one batch, you can set it out at parties, and you can package some of it up as part of your gift to neighbors, teachers, friends, etc. They don’t have to know how easy it is! (Unless you have a blog.)

So try this out. Trust me- you’ll love it!
~Meghan

The other day, my sweet mama took me shopping for some maternity clothes since nothing fits me anymore. We finished shopping around rush hour, so we decided to kill the time waiting out the traffic by having dinner. We ended up at Prime, a steakhouse right in Lenox Mall.

I don’t know if they do this every day, but when we went, they had a sign up saying their steaks were half price from 4pm-6pm. Sounds about perfect to me.

Mom and I both ordered iceburg wedges and petit filets. They were AMAZING.

The salad was crisp and fresh, and the steak was so delicious. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the seasoning on it was perfect. We didn’t need any sauce with those babies. (Forgive the photos- like last week, they are all from my cell.)

Mom also ordered the jumbo asparagus with hollandaise sauce. She said it was delish.

And I had a side of the cottage fries with caramelized onions. One word: YUM.

You wouldn’t believe how good those were. Crispy, flavorful, and delicious. Again: YUM.

Everything we had there was so good. I wouldn’t have thought to head for the mall for a great steakhouse, but there it was. If you are in Atlanta, maybe shopping at the mall and wanting something better than Sbarros or mall Chinese food, try out Prime.

You won’t regret it!

 ~Meghan

The other day, I met one of my best friends since childhood, Claire Park, in Decatur for lunch. Lunch being a relative term since I was running late and got there at 2pm.

Anyway, we met at a place she suggested, called Farm Burger.

Y’ALL. Oh my goodness. It was TO DIE FOR.

Really. I wish I had brought my camera. I also wish I had thought to pull out my phone to take pictures before we had devoured almost all of the food. But it was that good, and we were so hungry.

So Farm Burger makes all their food with all organic, grass fed meats and local, seasonal produce. And you can taste a difference. This food is melt in your mouth good, and the generous proportions definitely fill you up.

We each had the $8 lunch special- a $6 burger, fries, and a drink. I chose “The Farm Burger,” aka the No. 1. It is a burger with grafton smoked white cheddar, caramelized onions, and FB sauce. (FB sauce is Farm Burger sauce. I had it on the side because it wasn’t really my thing, and went sauceless. I still found the burger heavenly.) And I had regular fries and root beer.

Yeah. I told you I didn’t think to take pictures until most of it was gone. It was SO good.

Claire had the No. 2, which is “The Veggie Quinoa Burger.” Pay attention vegetarians! This burger has: a quinoa burger (instead of beef), arugula, feta, pickled vidalia onions, and dijon mayo. Claire is not a vegetarian, but she says that it’s her fave burger in the joint. I didn’t try it because my doc told me “no feta cheese,” but I wanted to. It looked tasty.

Ummm. Soo….yeah, there is no picture of that burger because she ate it all. But look! There are some crumbs!!

And it was worth showing anyway, because see those fries? They are the regular fries, and they rock. SO yummy. And that basket is overflowing with them when you order, but we maybe, kinda, sorta ate a few.

Claire had really ordered the sweet potato fries, and when the waitress realized the mistake, she brought us a big bunch of them.

If that doesn’t look like “a big bunch,” that’s because we had already eaten 2/3rds of them. They were the perfect combination of salty and sweet, crispy and delicious. YUM.

I’m telling you, I have NO complaints about this place. The food was so good, and the laid back atmosphere was great. Here’s a shot of the front. There’s an outdoor patio, if you would rather be outside than in.

And I love that it was supporting local famers and animal friendly farming. That is so nice to see; I don’t feel like a lot of restaurants do that. And while you might pay more for a burger here than say, McDonald’s (gross), you can taste the difference. And it’s fairly priced.

I’m a true fan. By the time we were leaving, I was plotting a double date so I could see both Claire AND Farm Burger again. It’s gonna happen.

~Meghan

ps. Farm Burger is located in two places, so far:

Decatur-

410B W. Ponce De Leon, Decatur, GA 3003o

 Buckhead-

3365 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30305

WOW. I can’t even remember the last legit Friday Fave I did. You all must think I don’t like anything anymore! And the truth is that for the last few months, I haven’t been many places to blog about.

But I do have to talk about this one gift I’ve received that I LOVE. My Copco Sierra Tumblers have it goin’ on. They look like disposable cups, but they are hard plastic- even the straw- with lids that screw on and seal tight.

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My friend Jenn gave me the pink one in June. She had been using these cups for a while and let me borrow one when I was at her place. And I loved them. She remembered that and gave me a new one of my own for my birthday.

Let me tell you something- I use that cup EVERY day. Unless it’s in the dishwasher. I fill it with ice and water, and it goes everywhere with me. All over the house, in the car, even to church. I love it.

And then I made a big mistake. I left it at my friends’ house when I was babysitting their girls. I realized it on my drive home and called them to ask them not to toss it away (it really does look disposable) and just to get it back to me when they could.

Since they were going out of town, they had a new one- the orange one- sent to me from Amazon. And two weeks later, they returned my pink one too. SCORE! Now I can rotate them, so I always have one to use, even if the other is being washed.

Having these cups while I’ve been pregnant has been a huge plus because when you are nauseated and lying on the couch, having a straw and a spill-proof cup is pretty much the best thing ever. And I am thirsty all the time.

But if you’re not a cold beverage person, like me, you can still get in on the awesomeness. Coffee drinkers? Meet this jewel:

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It’s the Copco Acadia travel mug. I think I want to get one for fall and winter for hot chocolate, hot cider, and hot tea. Mmmmmm.

Anyway, I pretty much use these cups Every. Single. Day. So I thought it only right that I share. Have a wonderful weekend!

~Meghan

*I am trying something new- an affiliate link from Amazon. If you decide to swipe up one of these awesome cups, it sure wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you used the links I provided. =) And you can get them in other colors than the ones shown here.

My favorite sound right now is the sound of Jellybean’s heart pumping away. I wish I owned a stethoscope so I could listen to it whenever I wanted.

Today I had my 16 week appointment, although I’ll actually be 17 weeks tomorrow. It was the quickest, easiest appointment so far. I was weighed, gave a urine sample, had blood drawn, listened to Jellybean’s heart, talked to the doctor, and left. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy!

Not even a pelvic exam or anything. Just pressed on my tummy some, looked at my chart, and said everything “looks perfect.” Sweet!

Here is a video of Jellybean’s heartbeat from today. The quality of the machine was not as clear as normal, but you still get to hear it. =)

Love that sweet baby.
~Meghan

Well, Memorial Weekend kicks into high gear tonight, and I am pumped. I have a busy, wonderful schedule ahead:

Friday- Tom and I will be catching up on all our shows. That means finally getting to watch NCIS’s last episode (we cancelled cable, and use Roku, but Hulu Plus doesn’t get NCIS). And then it means Big Bang Theory Marathon!!

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We are so hooked. Everyone and their mom was telling us we would love it, and they were correct. (Sheldon is the funniest of them all, so far.) We have been getting the first season via Netflix, and I’ve never been able to get Tom to sit and watch tv so willingly before. LOVE BBT!

Saturday- In the morning, Tom and I are trekking to McDonough to check out Rachel and Chris‘s wedding venue. I’m excited to see where I’ll be shooting my first wedding!!

Then we return to Suwanee for lunch and probably some pool time. And playing with the dogs in the backyard. And time for reading for me and video games for Tom.

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He works so hard these days, and he never makes time for fun things like that for himself anymore. I’m gonna make him.  And another datenight…Maybe we should use some of our freebies for the movies and see something in a theater. Yay!

Sunday- Sunday, we have no Transit, so I will most likely skip driving all the way to Alpharetta for church and instead catch a service online.

I will also be hittin’ up Stone Mountain with Tom and some of our besties, Justin and Jenn.

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But before we leave, Jenn and I will be putting some pork in the Crockpot to make this when we get home:

(source, and recipe)

I am gonna crush that deliciousness. YUM. (I need to eat breakfast right now. So hungry.)

Then we will watch a movie, probably, and just hang out. And they’ll spend the night.

Monday- Actual Memorial Day. Pool time with J&J and Tom, and hopefully Jonathan, Lisa, and the fab. four (their many children) can join us! We’ll have sandwiches, chips, and watermelon there.

Later in the day, we and the Smiths will grill out (YUM, cheeseburgers) and might watch another movie. Or more BBT, Season 1. The Smiths are big fans of it too, and they’ve been telling us to watch it for…oh, about…forever.

So that’s my AWESOME Memorial Day weekend.

What do you have planned?

~Meghan

White balance can be a difficult thing to figure out sometimes. Usually, if you set it to the appropriate light source, it does pretty well at making your picture look true-to-life with colors.

Here’s a picture of some person’s camera’s white balance options. Mine offers these as well.

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And if you don’t set your white balance correctly, your colors can be off. For those of you who constantly notice a bluish tint to your photos, that might be why. See?

For those of you who use your white balance setting, have you ever had a hard time figuring out what to set it to when you are in an area that has more than one type of light?

For example, my kitchen is not a great place for preset white balance lighting. There are windows that give some light, and there’s incandescent light as well.

Or say you need to photograph something in a room that has fluorescent light overhead, incandescent light lamps, and huge windows giving natural light. Which setting do you choose?

Well, none of them is going to be ideal. When I was at Help Portrait, a photographer there, Marcus, showed me a great solution.

The Expo Disc is a disc that you place over your lens.

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It refracts all the light in an area, so when you set your camera to manual and take a picture, it gives you a gray photo.

What you do is set your camera to custom white balance before taking the picture, and aim it at the light source (or, if possible, go to where the subject will be and aim at the place you will be standing to take the photo).

That gives you a more accurate reading of the light the subject will have on them/it. Then when you take the shot, your camera will set your white balance to the gray photo the expo disc helps you take.

It’s really simple. I wish I could tell each of you how to set your camera’s custom white balance, but there are WAY too many cameras out there for me to know how each one works.

Not to worry though, because all you have to do is Google how to set the custom white balance for your camera’s make and model. So many people have tutorials out there to show you how your exact SLR can do that.

Your camera will be perfectly set to take photos that show the true color and lighting in that space.

Then you put your expo disc away and photograph!

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Here is an example of a before and after expo disc shot.

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Don’t you think that looks so much better?

Another option is to use a gray card. This takes into account reflected light, and some people like it better. It’s also much less expensive.

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Basically, you take a picture of the gray card in the setting you need to customize your white balance for, and that’s what you set your white balance to.

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Because cameras are not as adept as our eyes in reading colors accurately in each light setting, they have to compensate by adding or subtracting gray to/from subjects. Something white will have some gray added in; something black might have a bit of gray taken out. It’s not a true reading.

So when you use a gray card to set your white balance, it takes in the light sources, and you’re set to get a more accurate color representation in your photos than you would with a white balance pre-setting alone.

Both of these are good options, and it’s a nice tool to have in your camera bag just in case you need it.

If you already do this, what do you prefer? Expo disc? Gray cards? Why?

~Meghan

This is Day 5 of the Meghan’s Guide to Couponing series. So far we’ve looked at: The Different Types of Coupons, How to Stack Coupons, How to Organize Your Coupons, and When to Coupon. Today we’re going to look at couponing in drug stores, which can work a bit differently than grocery stores.

Today I’m going to focus on CVS, but you can find guides to Rite Aid and Walgreens too, on Southern Saver’s website.

Extra Care Bucks

Okay. CVS has a rewards system that deals in “extra care bucks” or “ECB’s.” These are earned by buying certain products from CVS, and the “bucks” are only good at CVS. You must have an Extra Care Card in order to earn them.

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If you’ve ever looked at a CVS flier in your Sunday paper, you might notice that they have a lot of “It’s Like Getting It Free after extra bucks!” or “It’s like getting it for (enter amount less than regular price here) after extra bucks!”

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How It Works

Basically, each week in the CVS Flyer, there are certain items they are selling that can earn you ECBs. After you buy them, the amount of ECBs you have earned prints at the bottom of your receipt.

You MUST have your receipt(s) in order to redeem your ECBs.

Now you can use your ECBs right away, or you can save them up. They work just like money in CVS, but if you’re smart about it, you’ll use it to help buy other items that will also earn you ECBs.

Confused?

I don’t blame you. It makes more sense in a scenario, so we’ll do a couple.

Scenario 1:

Say you see this ad for Free After ECB Crest products.

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So the first time you go to buy it, you have to pay $3.29 (minus any coupons that would apply to the product). Then your receipt prints out, and you have earned $3.29 in ECBs.

You go back to the toothpaste aisle, pick up the exact same product, bring it to the front, and it rings up for $3.29. You hand the cashier your receipt, and the ECB for $3.29 covers the cost of your toothpaste. You get that one for free, and when the receipt prints, you get another ECB for $3.29.

Now you could just do that all day until the toothpaste is gone, which is why they put limits on how many you can buy per household. But if you shop the Free ECBs each week, you will end up with a lot of free products, or products you only paid for once but got a bunch of in the end.

Scenario 2:

You see this on Southern Savers:

They’re great about giving you “Deal Ideas” to help you work the system to your advantage.

So. You have to spend $15 dollars on Excedrin products to earn $7 of ECBs. You think to yourself, “well, that’s not ‘Free After ECB.’” And you’re right. But you can still score a super cheap purchase.

The first time, you buy the 3 Excedrin products at $5.59 each, and you use the $2.50 off coupon. You end up paying $9.27 out of pocket, and you earn $7 in ECBs.

Then you buy the same products again, use the other $2.50 off coupon (because you buy 2 Sunday papers and would have 2 of those coupons), and use the $7 ECB from your previous purchase. You end up spending $2.27 out of pocket for over $15 worth of products that time. AND you still earn another $7 in ECBs.

Now, if you never use Excedrin or Excedrin PM, that might still not be a good use of your money. But if you do, then you just got six 20-count boxes of Excedrin for $11.54. That takes the price per box from $5.59 a piece to $1.92 each. That’s pretty good.

Got It?

Hopefully that makes more sense. The great thing is that even with all the savings, as long as you ring up an item that earns ECBs, you will get the full ECB value of that product.

Eventually, you will hit the limit or stop because you have all you need (and wanted to leave some for other couponers), and you’ll have remaining ECBs on your last receipts.

When you do, make sure you hold onto that receipt. (Sidenote: don’t leave these receipts in your car. Heat/Sun damage will blacken them out, and you won’t be able to use them if that happens.)

You’ll be able to use it some other day on other purchases. If you play your cards right, you’ll be able to get more Free After ECB items without paying the initial first product cost because your old ECBs will cover it.

For example, in the above Scenario 1, you could have gotten 2 Crest toothpastes without paying for it because of the $7 ECBs from a previous trip. Then you would have earned $3.29 in ECBs per toothpaste, which would have come out on that receipt, which you could have use to buy two more toothpastes free.

Tips

There are some additional things worth noting.

- When you sign up with CVS for your Extra Care Card, you will get a coupon mailed or emailed to you for $4 off of a $20 purchase. However, if you use that, you should do it BEFORE using any other coupons at the register. If you have $20 worth of items and get $5 off in coupons, your total will no longer be $20, and the $4 off of $20 will not apply.

They also sometimes just send Extra Care Cardholders other $ off of $$ coupons, and the same applies in those situations.

-The Free After ECB items can be really specific about exactly what is free. It might be worth bringing in your flyer so you know for sure you have the right item.

-When you use your ECB receipts, you have to give up the entire amount of ECBs on that receipt at once. So if you had $7 in ECBs on a receipt, and you are only buying $4 worth of items, go ahead and grab some gum or lotion or whatever else can make up the difference so you don’t waste your ECBs.

-CVS stores often have a kiosk in them where you can scan your Extra Care Card. When you do, it will print out random coupons for you. Make sure you scan your card as soon as you enter the store. The coupons can be really great sometimes, and it might affect what you had in mind to buy.

-Sometimes cashiers or managers don’t understand why registers are having issues giving you the ECBs you earned or accepting a coupon it should. Something that might help is this letter from CVS Corporate explaining what is and is not acceptable with coupons. It’s not a bad idea to print it and keep it in your coupon binder, just in case you meet some friction at the register. (And in fact, it’s not a bad idea to print the coupon policy for each store you shop at in your binder.)

Each Store Is Different

Each drug store has their own rewards system, and it’s worth looking into each one so you maximize your chances of saving money.

Once you understand how each system works, and you combine coupons with their rewards system, you’ve set yourself up to save a LOT of money. Drug stores are where it’s at for free items, so I highly recommend trying it out.

~Meghan

This post is Day 4 in the Meghan’s Guide to Couponing series. So far, we’ve covered The Different Types of Coupons, How to Stack Coupons,  and How to Organize Your Coupons. Check those out, if you haven’t yet, and then make sure you catch today’s post on when it’s best to use those coupons (and when it’s best not to use them)!

Tips For Maximizing Savings

Before I even begin to talk about when is best to use and not use your coupons, I wanted to share a few tips, or suggestions, that will make your couponing work for you so much more. Some of you may not be able to do all of these things right now, but if you can, I highly suggest it.

1. Get an extra fridge/freezer. This is so helpful for when you find a great deal you want to stock up on, but you don’t want the food to go bad before you can use it.

2. Pay attention to the prices. If you don’t know what the general prices are of something, you won’t know if you’re getting a deal or not.

3. Get over your brand loyalties. Or at least, know when you need to have brand loyalties and when not to. Most things are just as good with store brands or a brand that you have a coupon for, so try things out, and figure out what you can substitute and what brands you can’t live without.

When To Shop

Sales Cycles

One thing I’ve learned from reading other blogs is that all groceries go through sale cycles. About once every six weeks, a product will hit the lowest price that a store will sell it for. This is when you want to buy. And you want to stock up on it. Buy enough to last you until the next cycle has passed so you can stock up again when the prices dip again.

Say that you watch price of Cheerios, which normally costs $4 a box. But after a few weeks, it gets to the bottom of its cycle and it goes on sale for $2.50. You have waited to buy it, so you go digging around for your General Mills coupons, and you have two manufacturer’s coupons for $1 off any General Mills Cereal and two store coupons for 50 cents off a General Mills cereal.

You buy two boxes of Cheerios, which on sale cost $5. Then you use your coupons. Since the 50 cent coupons double, and you have two $1 off coupons, you end up saving $4. And you only spend $1 for 2 boxes of cereal.

Ka-Ching!

Now, not all items have the same cycle, so you need to watch the prices in your stores and note when each item you regularly buy hits its lowest price. That price will not appear again for weeks, so stock up.

That’s when having an extra fridge comes in handy, especially when the thing going on sale is meat or cheese. Both are expensive, and both freeze well. There are almost never coupons for meat, but catching a good sale and stocking up is a major money saver.

Time of the Week

Each week, stores change their sale items. But they don’t all change it up on the same day. Southern Savers has a list of when which stores release their fliers here. (They also have each store’s couponing policy. After seeing that, I added the link on my How to Stack Coupons page as well!)

A lot of serious couponers will go the day that the sales kick in for the stores they shop at so they can get all the goods they need before others wipe out the good deals. You certainly have that option, and you’re more likely to get all the deals that way.

Personally, I don’t want to be running around town all week, so I pick a day and run my errands then. So I just hit all the stores I want to hit on the same day, trying to shop in an area where the stores are all close together. It works for me, and it saves me gas money, which is no less important than saving money in the grocery store. To each their own, though.

When/How NOT to Coupon

Don’t Buy Just Because You Have A Coupon

That’s right! Just because you have a coupon does not make everything a good deal.

It is better to let a coupon expire than to buy an item when it’s not on sale. Trust me on this. If you use a coupon on a sale item, you will get it for next to nothing. If you use a coupon on a full-price item, you will save next to nothing.

Also, if you have a coupon for a sale item, and even with all those savings it will cost you more than the store brand, just get the store brand of that item. Unless it’s one of those brands you just can’t live without.

And don’t worry about letting coupons expire! I just learned about how to keep those expired coupons from going to waste.

Did you know that military families are allowed to shop with expired manufacturer’s coupons for up to 6 months past the expiration date at their commissary if they are stationed abroad? It’s called the Overseas Coupon Program, and I just love the whole idea of it. That’s where my expired coupons will be heading soon.

Know When To Pay Full Price

Yes, saving money with coupons is great. But let’s get real. Coupons for produce? Meats? Milk? Baked snacks? Other healthy alternatives to junk food? They are darn near impossible to find.

So trust me on this one- it is better to spend more money and be healthy than to save tons of money on loads of processed foods and be a fattie.

I love chips just as much as the next person. Actually, that’s not true. I love chips more than most people. And I love getting a good deal on them. But in an effort to be healthier, I have found myself shelling out a little more at the register in order to get some healthy items into my shopping cart.

I don’t want to see a high number on my receipt, but I’m more eager to avoid a high number on my bathroom scale. Know what I’m sayin’, Willis?

Anyway, you can sometimes find better deals on those items in bulk, so shop around. I go to Sam’s for meat if it’s not on sale at my regular grocery stores. I can get a LOT of frozen, uncooked chicken breasts for $10 there, and since I’m freezing a few weeks’ worth of chicken when I get it on sale anyway, I’m all for getting it cheap all the time.

Don’t Be A Greedy Jerk

You know that show about extreme couponers? I can’t watch it. Those people are ri-dic-u-lous.

Here’s the deal. Saving money is nice, but it should not take over your life! Remember your kids? Your spouse? Your pet?  Sheesh. They deserve some dang attention, and spending all day, every day, planning your shopping because you’re addicted to the rush of savings is so unhealthy. (Trust me, you really do get a rush seeing a big chunk of change roll off your total.)

Also, can we talk for a second about what to buy when you coupon? These people often buy things they don’t need, use, or even want, just to get it for free. And not only that, but they buy so much that it expires before any one family could possibly use it all up. Wasteful!

And one more thing- other people want to save money too! People who will actually USE what they buy. So, yes, stock up. But be courteous. Don’t clear the shelf of all sale items just because you can (exception being if there are only a few left on the shelf). Leave some for others to take advantage of too!

The one exception to buying things you don’t want or need just because it’s on sale, for me, is if you are giving it away. There are so many people in need, so many food banks that would be oh-so-grateful for donations. So if you’re doing it for a good cause, that’s different. Still don’t take every sale item, though. That’s just rude.

Drug Stores

That’s where we’re headed tomorrow. And my soapbox talk about not being greedy should especially be applied there. You’ll see why.

~Meghan