http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/video/extreme-couponing-saving-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-12491099
A friend at work shared this with me, and I was mortified. These folks make a full time job out of couponing, but I loved that the one guy gave alot of it to the church foodbank.
And it also makes me sad that they zeroed in on the overweight girl while she buying candy and really unhealthy stuff.
I dont have time to coupon like this. I just look for good deals on things I need. I dont see any point in buying something I'm not going to use just because it's free. If I stumble across it and I have time to get it and I can donate it to a local shelter, I certainly will, but I'm not going to get crazy in order to do it.
Ugh.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Cash Paid for Christmas
This is the second year that we've paid for Christmas completely in cash. Prior to this journey, we used credit cards for everything.....with no regard for how much anything cost. As long as there was room on the card to buy it, we did. The sad thing is, I bought for people I really didn't have any reason to, either. I got caught up in the spirit of the season, but when you can't afford it, it becomes more stressful when the credit card bill comes in, then warm fuzzies you get from the spirit of giving when you're making the purchases.
We had a total budget of probably less than a third of the crap we spent several years ago. Most of that was spent on Miss Elizabeth, our niece, and the only child currently in our family - well, close family anyway. Some of my cousins have some kids, but we're lucky if we see them once a year, considering how far apart we all live now. I think I've finally got the rest of my family onboard for doing the Secret Santa thing next year. It's just too expensive to buy for so many adults, and those that I've talked to agree that it would be easier to buy a nicer gift for one person than to try to come up with some item that's affordable that they don't really want or need for everyone. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE to give....and I cannot wait until the day I can truly afford to give and it not feel like a burden.
Tomorrow morning, hubby and I will have breakfast and open gifts from one another. I'm going to bake in the morning to take goodies to our families. We have the church service at 5 tomorrow evening, and then we'll be driving up to my parents house in Winder to spend the night, and have Christmas Morning breakfast with them. I'm hoping we'll be able to go to the IMAX at Mall of GA to see the new 3D Tron Legacy movie that afternoon.
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
We had a total budget of probably less than a third of the crap we spent several years ago. Most of that was spent on Miss Elizabeth, our niece, and the only child currently in our family - well, close family anyway. Some of my cousins have some kids, but we're lucky if we see them once a year, considering how far apart we all live now. I think I've finally got the rest of my family onboard for doing the Secret Santa thing next year. It's just too expensive to buy for so many adults, and those that I've talked to agree that it would be easier to buy a nicer gift for one person than to try to come up with some item that's affordable that they don't really want or need for everyone. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE to give....and I cannot wait until the day I can truly afford to give and it not feel like a burden.
Tomorrow morning, hubby and I will have breakfast and open gifts from one another. I'm going to bake in the morning to take goodies to our families. We have the church service at 5 tomorrow evening, and then we'll be driving up to my parents house in Winder to spend the night, and have Christmas Morning breakfast with them. I'm hoping we'll be able to go to the IMAX at Mall of GA to see the new 3D Tron Legacy movie that afternoon.
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The 7-8 Year Student
Warning. I'm going to offend some of you with this post. If you're easily offended, you might as well stop reading now.
I have some friends who constantly whine and moan and complain about how long it's taking them to get through school. They gripe about finals and beg for a pity party about why it's going to take them another 3-4 years before they can graduate. And these are folks who have been in school 2-3, 4 years already. So why is it going to take them so long to finish?
Stupidity, that's why. These folks changed universities, or majors, or a combination of, when they were already at least a junior in college. Hello? Really. I mean if you are already THAT far into your education, does it really make sense to change your major or university to pursue something else, and basically have to start all over? The folks I have talked to about this situation always say the same thing "my previous classes didn't transfer, or they all became electives and now I need new general level classes."
Say what? Okay so if you had been SMART and took the "standard" generic level classes your freshman and sophomore years, more of those classes would have been transferable to another school or major. But I'm guessing you were too big for your britches and dove head first into those lower level major specific classes, which DO become electives when you make the SILLY choice to change majors after being 75% of the way through anyway.
Here's an idea: If you're going to put yourself in a position where you're basically starting over from scratch and are going to need another 4 years of school anyway, why not finish the degree you started, and then go to grad school for your passion?
"That's not a fair assumption, Amanda. You're just being mean." No I'm not. I'm being realistic. I learned about halfway through my junior year that I really wanted to work in finances rather than computers. But there was no way I was going to change my major or university that late in the game. So what did I do? I finished what I started, thats what. After I graduated, I worked in IT for a year and a half. It sucked. I hated it, and I went back to grad school for more education in the field I was now interested in: finance.
I spent 7 1/2 years total in school, with a 1 year break in the middle. I have a bachelors AND a masters. Why any doofus would go to school 8 years non stop for a single bachelors degree is stupid. If you're going to spend that much money on your education, you might as well make it worth it. 8 years for 1 degree is a poor financial choice.
Now, before you get all up in my case about this, I'm not saying don't change your major and or university. What i'm saying is, if you don't know for certain what you want to do with your life, play it safe and take generic classes that are probably transferable over many different types of degrees. And do some soul searching EARLY on, if you think you may want to do something else. Eventually, though, you're going to reach a point that it doesn't make sense to change your major. you might as well finish what you start and go on to grad school afterwards.
//end rant.
I have some friends who constantly whine and moan and complain about how long it's taking them to get through school. They gripe about finals and beg for a pity party about why it's going to take them another 3-4 years before they can graduate. And these are folks who have been in school 2-3, 4 years already. So why is it going to take them so long to finish?
Stupidity, that's why. These folks changed universities, or majors, or a combination of, when they were already at least a junior in college. Hello? Really. I mean if you are already THAT far into your education, does it really make sense to change your major or university to pursue something else, and basically have to start all over? The folks I have talked to about this situation always say the same thing "my previous classes didn't transfer, or they all became electives and now I need new general level classes."
Say what? Okay so if you had been SMART and took the "standard" generic level classes your freshman and sophomore years, more of those classes would have been transferable to another school or major. But I'm guessing you were too big for your britches and dove head first into those lower level major specific classes, which DO become electives when you make the SILLY choice to change majors after being 75% of the way through anyway.
Here's an idea: If you're going to put yourself in a position where you're basically starting over from scratch and are going to need another 4 years of school anyway, why not finish the degree you started, and then go to grad school for your passion?
"That's not a fair assumption, Amanda. You're just being mean." No I'm not. I'm being realistic. I learned about halfway through my junior year that I really wanted to work in finances rather than computers. But there was no way I was going to change my major or university that late in the game. So what did I do? I finished what I started, thats what. After I graduated, I worked in IT for a year and a half. It sucked. I hated it, and I went back to grad school for more education in the field I was now interested in: finance.
I spent 7 1/2 years total in school, with a 1 year break in the middle. I have a bachelors AND a masters. Why any doofus would go to school 8 years non stop for a single bachelors degree is stupid. If you're going to spend that much money on your education, you might as well make it worth it. 8 years for 1 degree is a poor financial choice.
Now, before you get all up in my case about this, I'm not saying don't change your major and or university. What i'm saying is, if you don't know for certain what you want to do with your life, play it safe and take generic classes that are probably transferable over many different types of degrees. And do some soul searching EARLY on, if you think you may want to do something else. Eventually, though, you're going to reach a point that it doesn't make sense to change your major. you might as well finish what you start and go on to grad school afterwards.
//end rant.
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