Hello my friends! I hope each and every one of you are having a BLESSED and HAPPY Holiday Season! And if Santa comes to your home, I hope he did you right this year! :-)
I hate to say it, but I've almost given up on the exercise until after the holidays. It's just been too crazy around here, I've been out of town a lot, and oh my at the food temptations! I've also had just a wee bit too much wine in the month of December.....and boy can I feel it! :-(
Like I've told you before, I'm not a big New Years resolution person. I have literally failed every single year when making them. Soooo this year, I'm resolving to do the things that make me happy! I'm going to update this blog more often, at least 3-4 times a week. Hopefully this will make me ACCOUNTABLE for what I'm doing (or NOT doing as the case may be!) to get into shape again. Maybe we can all help each other stay on track around here. That would be a good thing!
A bit of exciting news to share. I started a NEW blog - the title is "Shopaholic In Alabama". This blog is all about shopping for designer clothing & accessories, makeup, skin care, etc. It also provides the opportunity to tell you about local businesses in this area that you might not otherwise find or consider. Obviously I'm NOT looking for accountability there.....LOL. Be sure to check it out and sign up to follow. Great timing because right now I have a Lilly Pulitzer giveaway to celebrate the New Year! Believe me, You certainly want a chance to win that gem! Nothing like a little pink and green to brighten up the winter blues! Link HERE to view the blog.
I'm off to have some oral surgery tomorrow.........NOT looking forward to it! Will update again on Wednesday or Thursday, until then......stay STRONG - be HAPPY - and LIVE life! :-) XOXO
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
I've Fallen and It's HARD to get up!
Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I posted here.....you might wonder what in the world I have been up to??? Well I can tell you this, I have NOT been doing good on my diet and exercise program. :-( I know what you're going to say "well, it's the holiday season" and that is so true! I was trying to at least keep up with my exercise, but I haven't succeeded. Now I'm thinking, well if I can just get through the season without GAINING weight, surely that would be considered a success???
I hate to be one of those "new years resolution" people, because I truly believe resolutions set you up for failure. I don't know about you, but I tend to make them and break them by Jan. 31. However, I have to get back on the plan. My 40th birthday will be here on August 12, 2010.
How are you getting through the holidays? Are you staying on plan and focused? Let me hear about it! Help me get motivated again!
I hate to be one of those "new years resolution" people, because I truly believe resolutions set you up for failure. I don't know about you, but I tend to make them and break them by Jan. 31. However, I have to get back on the plan. My 40th birthday will be here on August 12, 2010.
How are you getting through the holidays? Are you staying on plan and focused? Let me hear about it! Help me get motivated again!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Binging & Purging
GOT YOUR ATTENTION, HUH!?!?!? :-)
Seriously, it's been a long time since I updated here. WHY, you wonder???? I wouldn't even know where to start. LOTS of things have been going on. I got sick. I was sick for 2 weeks. Was taking 5 medications at one time! Then I was diagnosed with migraines - and you guessed it - more meds! Ugh. That part of life is finally beginning to calm down, only about twice a week I have a headache now.
The "Binging" I want to tell you about.........I have been doing some serious shopping. Of course it's the holiday season and that sounds like a good enough excuse, yes? :-) Before you ask, of COURSE some of the items I purchased are gifts. And the others, they're for ME! HA. Probably the worst thing about it, I've managed to do most of this without leaving my pink laptop! I've purchased from Lilly Pulitzer, Sephora, Clinique, Lorac Cosmetics, Ebay, TJ Maxx (in person!), Belk (in person!). I might be leaving something out but if so I can't even remember, oops.
Also in the "binging" category..........THANKSGIVING. Did you eat as much as I did? We had the "traditional" thanksgiving feast - turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, hash brown casserole, corn, rolls, sweet tea. And the desserts - pecan pie (which isn't MY thing but DH and Dad indulged enough for me too!), lemon cake, rum cake (wish I had a piece of that one right now!), cupcakes, etc. A few days of that food and I felt like the stuffed turkey! HA. This week I've been trying hard to get back on a "normal" eating program. No junk food, yogurt and cereal for breakfast, dinner leftovers, salad or a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and a healthy dinner.
In my "purging" process......I have a constant battle with my CLOSET. Me thinks this is possibly related to binging #1 which is shopping, Duh. Anyway, I have been cleaning out and listing some items on Ebay. I have to free up some room around here. I have two closets and they're bursting with "stuff". I'm having to get "creative" about how to store things. If you know someone looking for good stuff, please refer them to my blog and tell them to check my Ebay listings in the bottom right corner. Help a girl out! :-)
I hope you're having a nice holiday season. We've been under a coastal flood warning and have had storms the past 2 days. I'm ready for the sun to come out again!
Happy Holidays!
Seriously, it's been a long time since I updated here. WHY, you wonder???? I wouldn't even know where to start. LOTS of things have been going on. I got sick. I was sick for 2 weeks. Was taking 5 medications at one time! Then I was diagnosed with migraines - and you guessed it - more meds! Ugh. That part of life is finally beginning to calm down, only about twice a week I have a headache now.
The "Binging" I want to tell you about.........I have been doing some serious shopping. Of course it's the holiday season and that sounds like a good enough excuse, yes? :-) Before you ask, of COURSE some of the items I purchased are gifts. And the others, they're for ME! HA. Probably the worst thing about it, I've managed to do most of this without leaving my pink laptop! I've purchased from Lilly Pulitzer, Sephora, Clinique, Lorac Cosmetics, Ebay, TJ Maxx (in person!), Belk (in person!). I might be leaving something out but if so I can't even remember, oops.
Also in the "binging" category..........THANKSGIVING. Did you eat as much as I did? We had the "traditional" thanksgiving feast - turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, hash brown casserole, corn, rolls, sweet tea. And the desserts - pecan pie (which isn't MY thing but DH and Dad indulged enough for me too!), lemon cake, rum cake (wish I had a piece of that one right now!), cupcakes, etc. A few days of that food and I felt like the stuffed turkey! HA. This week I've been trying hard to get back on a "normal" eating program. No junk food, yogurt and cereal for breakfast, dinner leftovers, salad or a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and a healthy dinner.
In my "purging" process......I have a constant battle with my CLOSET. Me thinks this is possibly related to binging #1 which is shopping, Duh. Anyway, I have been cleaning out and listing some items on Ebay. I have to free up some room around here. I have two closets and they're bursting with "stuff". I'm having to get "creative" about how to store things. If you know someone looking for good stuff, please refer them to my blog and tell them to check my Ebay listings in the bottom right corner. Help a girl out! :-)
I hope you're having a nice holiday season. We've been under a coastal flood warning and have had storms the past 2 days. I'm ready for the sun to come out again!
Happy Holidays!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saving Big $$ - Here's How!
Many of my friends have asked me "HOW" in the world I am saving so much $$ on my groceries, toiletries, cleaning products, etc. I am going to attempt to give you ALL some $$ saving tips that will work regardless of what grocery store is in your area. This is a BRIEF overview on GROCERY and I am happy to answer any specific questions - just be sure to comment below. In a few days, I will blog about the drug stores and how you can work those deals!
GROCERY STORE - Here are my rules:
1 - Shop by a LIST and only buy what's on SALE. Smart shoppers know that sales "cycle" - meaning if something is on sale this week, it will go on sale again. Most sales cycle between 4-8 weeks, so for instance if I need taco kits and they're on sale this week, I will buy enough to hold me the 4-8 weeks until they go on sale again.
2 - SALE ITEMS - Concentrate on the Buy One/Get One Frees. This is a smart strategy. Depending on your grocery store policy, the item will either ring up at half price (meaning you only have to buy one to get the sale price) OR full price (and you must buy two items to take advantage of the sale). Be sure you have a COUPON for EACH buy one/get one free item you're buying. 2 taco kits on BOGO = you need coupons for 2 kits.
3 - COUPONS - SAVE all your coupons. Get them from your Sunday paper. Get them from your uncle who doesn't save his coupons. Have friends that don't coupon save them for you (although I don't understand why someone wouldn't coupon in these tough economic times!). Save the ones you think you won't use, because sometimes a deal comes up that you'll need that coupon! Try to get at least 2 copies of the coupons in every Sunday's paper, then you'll have multiples to take advantage of the buy one/get one free sales that will happen!
4 - BRAND LOYALTY - Forget about it! Don't worry about being loyal to your same brand of peanut butter - buy what is on sale and what you have a coupon for! There are very few exceptions to this rule in my house - COKE products only! Heinz Ketchup only!
5 - COUPON STACKING - Occasionally a store will put out a "store" coupon for a particular product. You can then "stack" that coupon with a "manufacturer" coupon and use 2 coupons per item you purchase. EX: There's a Publix store coupon for Scrubbing Bubbles for $1.00 and you also have a MANUFACTURER coupon for $1.00 on Scrubbing Bubbles. You can use these 2 coupons together to save twice the $$ on your item. This strategy also works at drug stores like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid. Target also stacks coupons. How do you know whether it's a store or manu. coupon? Look at the top of the coupon and it will state "manufacturers coupon" or "Target coupon/store coupon". See, that was easy!
6 - COMPETITOR COUPONS - Learn whether your local grocery store accepts competitor coupons. These days, many of them do. Find out which ones they accept and concentrate on those. Many stores will accept the store coupons for an individual item and then you can stack them with a manufacturer coupon. For instance, at my Publix, they will accept a Target coupon for ex: $1.00 off a particular item. Again combine that with a manufacturer coupon to save lots of $$$ . Additionally, my store will honor the drugstore coupons that state "$5 off your total purchase". CVS/Rite Aid, etc puts out coupons all the time for $5 off $25 purchase, etc. Become familiar with these policies and learn how to use them to your advantage.
7 - LITTLE SPECIAL THINGS - My Publix store will accept a "Register Reward" from Walgreens as a manufacturer coupon. PLEASE NOTE - this is NOT the norm or standard. Most stores do NOT accept these, we're just very fortunate that our Publix does. I generally have about $8-10 a week in these Register Rewards, which deducts from my overall grocery bill and adds to my savings. Next you'll ask "But HOW do I get these register rewards"? Each week in the Walgreens sale flyer, you'll notice items that will state "Earn $$ Register Rewards with purchase". I get the RR's by purchasing those items. The RR's can be used at either my Publix, OR at Walgreen's on your next purchase. This is a simple way to save $$. Of course anything I purchase to get those RR's, I make certain it's either already FREE (after the RR of course) or I have a high dollar coupon to make it worth my while.
8 - PRICE MATCHING - Note that some stores (Wal Mart, Walgreens, Target for sure) WILL price match an identical item in a competitors ads. They generally will not match the BOGO free items or % off items, but if say milk is $2.99 in another store they will generally match the price.
9 - Last but not least - ORGANIZATION - this one is HUGE. In order to coupon effectively, you have to be organized. You need to know what you have and what you need at all times. Different people use different organization systems that work for them. Me, I haven't found the perfect one yet. I'm still learning. I still make a mess of it, but I'm trying. The biggest thing is going into that grocery store with a PURPOSE and a PLAN. I cannot stress this enough!
WANT TO GET STARTED???? I have links to several of the blogs I follow their advice - see the sidebar to the right. If none of these stores are in your area, google search the store name and savings, coupons, blog, etc. Believe me, regardless of which grocery store you frequent, someone in the blogsphere has figured out how to work their sales, deals and coupons. In these tough economic times, paying full price is unheard of! This is one bandwagon you need to jump on - and quick! :-)
Can't wait to hear from everyone!
GROCERY STORE - Here are my rules:
1 - Shop by a LIST and only buy what's on SALE. Smart shoppers know that sales "cycle" - meaning if something is on sale this week, it will go on sale again. Most sales cycle between 4-8 weeks, so for instance if I need taco kits and they're on sale this week, I will buy enough to hold me the 4-8 weeks until they go on sale again.
2 - SALE ITEMS - Concentrate on the Buy One/Get One Frees. This is a smart strategy. Depending on your grocery store policy, the item will either ring up at half price (meaning you only have to buy one to get the sale price) OR full price (and you must buy two items to take advantage of the sale). Be sure you have a COUPON for EACH buy one/get one free item you're buying. 2 taco kits on BOGO = you need coupons for 2 kits.
3 - COUPONS - SAVE all your coupons. Get them from your Sunday paper. Get them from your uncle who doesn't save his coupons. Have friends that don't coupon save them for you (although I don't understand why someone wouldn't coupon in these tough economic times!). Save the ones you think you won't use, because sometimes a deal comes up that you'll need that coupon! Try to get at least 2 copies of the coupons in every Sunday's paper, then you'll have multiples to take advantage of the buy one/get one free sales that will happen!
4 - BRAND LOYALTY - Forget about it! Don't worry about being loyal to your same brand of peanut butter - buy what is on sale and what you have a coupon for! There are very few exceptions to this rule in my house - COKE products only! Heinz Ketchup only!
5 - COUPON STACKING - Occasionally a store will put out a "store" coupon for a particular product. You can then "stack" that coupon with a "manufacturer" coupon and use 2 coupons per item you purchase. EX: There's a Publix store coupon for Scrubbing Bubbles for $1.00 and you also have a MANUFACTURER coupon for $1.00 on Scrubbing Bubbles. You can use these 2 coupons together to save twice the $$ on your item. This strategy also works at drug stores like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid. Target also stacks coupons. How do you know whether it's a store or manu. coupon? Look at the top of the coupon and it will state "manufacturers coupon" or "Target coupon/store coupon". See, that was easy!
6 - COMPETITOR COUPONS - Learn whether your local grocery store accepts competitor coupons. These days, many of them do. Find out which ones they accept and concentrate on those. Many stores will accept the store coupons for an individual item and then you can stack them with a manufacturer coupon. For instance, at my Publix, they will accept a Target coupon for ex: $1.00 off a particular item. Again combine that with a manufacturer coupon to save lots of $$$ . Additionally, my store will honor the drugstore coupons that state "$5 off your total purchase". CVS/Rite Aid, etc puts out coupons all the time for $5 off $25 purchase, etc. Become familiar with these policies and learn how to use them to your advantage.
7 - LITTLE SPECIAL THINGS - My Publix store will accept a "Register Reward" from Walgreens as a manufacturer coupon. PLEASE NOTE - this is NOT the norm or standard. Most stores do NOT accept these, we're just very fortunate that our Publix does. I generally have about $8-10 a week in these Register Rewards, which deducts from my overall grocery bill and adds to my savings. Next you'll ask "But HOW do I get these register rewards"? Each week in the Walgreens sale flyer, you'll notice items that will state "Earn $$ Register Rewards with purchase". I get the RR's by purchasing those items. The RR's can be used at either my Publix, OR at Walgreen's on your next purchase. This is a simple way to save $$. Of course anything I purchase to get those RR's, I make certain it's either already FREE (after the RR of course) or I have a high dollar coupon to make it worth my while.
8 - PRICE MATCHING - Note that some stores (Wal Mart, Walgreens, Target for sure) WILL price match an identical item in a competitors ads. They generally will not match the BOGO free items or % off items, but if say milk is $2.99 in another store they will generally match the price.
9 - Last but not least - ORGANIZATION - this one is HUGE. In order to coupon effectively, you have to be organized. You need to know what you have and what you need at all times. Different people use different organization systems that work for them. Me, I haven't found the perfect one yet. I'm still learning. I still make a mess of it, but I'm trying. The biggest thing is going into that grocery store with a PURPOSE and a PLAN. I cannot stress this enough!
WANT TO GET STARTED???? I have links to several of the blogs I follow their advice - see the sidebar to the right. If none of these stores are in your area, google search the store name and savings, coupons, blog, etc. Believe me, regardless of which grocery store you frequent, someone in the blogsphere has figured out how to work their sales, deals and coupons. In these tough economic times, paying full price is unheard of! This is one bandwagon you need to jump on - and quick! :-)
Can't wait to hear from everyone!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Day #9 and I'm a BELIEVER
OK let's be honest. We all have to believe in something, right? For so many years, I have absolutely REFUSED to believe that eating right and exercising was the only thing that would get the weight off and keep it off. I thought there was some "trick", some SECRET that I wasn't privy to. Well.....honestly! I was wrong. DEAD WRONG.
This is DAY #9 OF NO EXERCISE. Laying around the house. Eating junk, especially junk that is EASY. Well guess what! I feel awful. I'm bloated. I've had too many Diet Cokes. Not enough water. Chocolate chip cookies. Pasta. A few salads thrown in for good measure. A few Activia yogurts. But mainly bad stuff and no movement. Hopefully in a few days I will be well enough to get back on the program.
The hardest part is always picking yourself up and starting over again!!! Bad habits are so easy to form, and so hard to break! When you feel discouraged, how do you pick it up again? Is it the motivation of a new piece of clothing? The admiration of a loved one when they compliment your weight loss? Talk to me, I now know for 100% SURE that the diet and exercise work, and they make you feel good about yourself.
This is DAY #9 OF NO EXERCISE. Laying around the house. Eating junk, especially junk that is EASY. Well guess what! I feel awful. I'm bloated. I've had too many Diet Cokes. Not enough water. Chocolate chip cookies. Pasta. A few salads thrown in for good measure. A few Activia yogurts. But mainly bad stuff and no movement. Hopefully in a few days I will be well enough to get back on the program.
The hardest part is always picking yourself up and starting over again!!! Bad habits are so easy to form, and so hard to break! When you feel discouraged, how do you pick it up again? Is it the motivation of a new piece of clothing? The admiration of a loved one when they compliment your weight loss? Talk to me, I now know for 100% SURE that the diet and exercise work, and they make you feel good about yourself.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Lilly Pulitzer Resort Must Haves !
Editor - Polyvore
WOW I discovered this website called Polyvore - been playing with it for the last hour and ♥♥♥ it! What an EASY way to show you everything I'm dying for from the recent Lilly Pulitzer Resort collection. These are all MUST HAVES. Note the color schemes - I tend to stick to what works best for me. The entire resort collection is absolutely TDF!!!! Lilly has knocked one out of the park this season!
The obsession continues. I don't think you can go to the doctor and get a pill to cure this one! :-)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Kate Spade Sample Sale!
kate spade
Let me tell you guys - being sick, having a powerful pink laptop with a wireless connection, and a working debit card in your possession can be a huge pile of trouble! The fun kind........that is! :-)
This week KATE SPADE had their sample sale. It only happens a few times each year. Love me some KS. Over the past few years I have moved away from the Juicy Couture and Coach and now favor the Kate Spade. Perhaps it's my age, I AM getting older after all! I find their styles a little more classic, overall less trendy and absolutely LOVE the colors. Their pinks and greens go with ALL my Lilly Pulitzer....which everyone knows if I leave the house, I have on some Lilly!
OK to the fun stuff. I got this fabulous WESTBURY drawstring opus bag in the Berry color, and the matching WESTBURY Maria wallet/checkbook in the Berry. I can't wait to rock these all fall and winter. Happy Early Holidays to me!
What designers are calling your name these days? Talk to me!
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