Yard sale deals

John took me to yard sales on Saturday - what a good guy! There were only three listed, but I found two more. One of the ones we went to ended up being at John's commander's house, which was funny. But I got some fun stuff there. Here are all my finds.

Sweater $1
Urban outfitters shirt/dress $2
Forever 21 shirt $2
Purse 50 cents
Banana Republic sweater $1
Loft vest $1
Old Navy pea coat $5
I got this blank ruffled tank at Target for $5. Love their 75% off rack!

Headband debut

I'd been wanting to try making one of these flower headbands, but hadn't done it yet. Finally busted out my crafts downstairs last week so I would have something to do that was semi-constructive. Here's the tutorial I used. I'll be putting them on my bows website Fit to be Tied, if anyone wants to order one.

Recovering

Had my hip surgery last Thursday...everything went well. Thanks to all of you who prayed. God blessed me with a great surgeon, and he was so helpful along the way. The surgery was about three hours, but they did a block on my leg (to numb it) that crossed over to my other leg, so I had to lay there in recovery until the numbness in my good leg was gone before I left. I didn't end up getting home until around 7:00 that night, and I had to be at the hospital at 7:30 that morning, so it was a long day. John's been taking good care of me. He had through Wednesday off after the surgery, but he also had a lot of homework to get done, so we didn't actually get to spend a lot of time together. I was really thankful he was so sweet though. Things have been a little harder since he went back to work. The days are so long because I'm pretty much confined to the couch. I can drive now, so if I have to get out, I can. I've had a bunch of various doctor/chiropractor appointments this week. It's just hard getting around anywhere on my crutches for too long because they hurt my armpits, and it's hard to carry stuff. The last couple days have been especially emotionally hard because I've felt so isolated here...really missing my family and wishing they could be here to help and feeling alone since I don't have a lot of friends here yet...or much of a life so far. John's been working long hours this week, so I've had to do everything on my own, and it just gets discouraging. I get worn out easily. Sigh. John got a call during the night to go to Japan, but as of now, he's not going yet. I hope he can stay here until Tuesday when I fly to WA for a week to be in a wedding. I'm excited to see my family!

Here's me in my usual spot. I like to call this one "Shhh...just go."
At first I really didn't want to rock this motorized cart, and I got A LOT of looks, but I really needed to get out of the house.
My cat is such a lover!! Which is good because I eat it up, but I cannot tell you how much hair is on our floor and couch right now! Seriously driving me nuts!

Smart Shopping

I attended a short class on base called Smart Shopping. I thought the notes might be helpful to some of you:



Shopping Psychology

1. Where are most sale items located? The back.
2. They give you bags to fill in some stores (so you feel like you have to fill them) or they'll start a dressing room for you.
3. Why is sale merchandise often in bins, barrels, or in complete disarray on clothing rack?
It gets your attention to come over because you don't want to miss out on what people are getting.
4. Where are most generic items located on grocery shelves? Bottom.
5. What's located at eye level? What they want you to buy.
6. On cereal aisle and checkout, who is being targeted? Kids. Have a plan so it's not chaotic.

Fast Food

-Red and yellow colors on restaurants names (to attract you).
-Those colors stimulate hunger.
-Green color is healthy.

Retail Schemes

-If you use a cart, you feel like you have to fill it even if you only need a few items. Mentally prepare yourself to only get a few things and grab a basket.
-Mirrors on wall. If you don't like the way you look in the mirror, you'll want to buy stuff to make you look better.

Check out prices

-Compare clearance prices to original prices.
-Check the prices that come up at register.
-Price out accessories and merchandise from "discount stores."

Credit card loyalty discounts

-Sign up now for 10% off now.
-For every $400 you spend, you get a 20% gift card.

What you're really getting!!

-Extremely high rates!!!
-An invitation to impulse buy (it's easier to put it on a card than pay cash).
-More debt (the only way the card is useful is if you pay them off at register).

Is buying bulk better?

-Practical shipping: what will you use? Check expiration dates.
-Comparison shipping: what should you consider? Shop with a calculator to see if it's a good deal.
-Don't go for the gimmick!
-Carry cash and don't go over your limit.
-Don't get to register and be surprised.
-Use your notepad to make a grocery list.
-Use a calculator to keep a tally of your items.
-Kids think "it's just money" when they see you swipe your card instead of cash.

Best time to buy things

-6 weeks after your merchandise hits the floor, on a Thursday evening or Friday morning.
-At outlets, don't buy unless it's on sale.
-Right after a "friends and family sale - this is end of the season merchandise.

1. Big appliances - Sept/Oct
2. Cars - Sept (look at date on car and get a car fax report)
3. Computers - July/Aug
4. Cookware - April/May, Oct/Nov
5. Furniture - Jan/July
6. Jewelry - Avoid holidays, V-days, and Mother's Day (100% of jewelers' profits are during that time!)
7. Linens and bedding - Jan
8. Toys - Oct/Nov
9. TVs and home theaters - winter holiday sales and Jan
10. Airline tickets - depends
- don't buy before 120 days out
-90 days is the same
-21 days is pushing it
-14 days it will go up
- best time to purchase is middle of the week
-8:30, 12:30, 5:30 are times prices are updated
-look for tickets late on Wednesday evenings

Shopping online

www.retailmenot.com

Can the item be shipped to store? It's not free shipping if you have to spend a certain amount to get it.

Coupon Clipping

Where can you find them?

1. Commissary - when you enter
2. Sunday paper
3. Online sites like www.couponmom.com

-double coupons
-store rewards

-get coupon organizer
-make shopping lists
-ask friends about their favorite deals

Life

Life Update

1. California: I'm definitely liking this state a lot more than I thought I would, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I live in northern California. Nothing against southern, but northern seems more like home. The sun shines a lot more freely down here (western Washingtonians are understandably jealous), which makes a big difference in my mood. I cannot wait for summer. Cannot.

2. Church: We finally picked a church - it's the one that we have been going to the most, and after trying several others, decided to take the plunge. We (John was only able to go to half of them because of work) attended a four week class there (Connect) that is required in order to serve at the church. We're hoping to get plugged in soon. The church is called The Father's House and the more I go, the more I like it. I feel like their teachings on everything are so legit and the worship is great. Pretty much the best of both worlds if you know what I'm saying. Which is a good feeling when you are looking for a new church. It's 4000+ people which is why I was hesitant about it at first. There's nothing wrong with big churches; I just wanted something smaller this time. I think it will feel more like home when we get involved.

3. Job: I am interviewing for a job tomorrow on base. For those of you who know me, you know I hate speaking in front of people. I especially hate trying to sell myself to someone who doesn't know me, and I wish that people just knew me and my character. The job is an "Office Automation Clerk for Youth Programs" and yeah, that job title is as cryptic to me as it is to you. Even from an HR perspective, I think that job descriptions are so off from what you actually do in the job. They always make them sound harder and more complicated than they are. I'm hoping that's the case in this one. I'll keep you posted. It has been a big application process, so I'm looking forward to it being over.

4. Bible study: It's been a good Beth Moore study, and last week was the end of it, so now we're starting "The Power of Praying Woman" study by Stormie Omartian. I love her books, so I'm excited about it. I feel like I'm getting to know my Bible study girls a little better as the weeks go by, and there are two girls I hang out with outside of it. I just have to remember that making friends in a new city just takes time. Sigh...

5. Couponing: I've really been getting into couponing, although I'm still learning how to get the best deals. It's kind of addicting/a rush of adrenaline when you get something free. It is fun to save money on everyday items!!

6. Surgery: My hip surgery is this Thursday, the 3rd. I was just so excited to finally be getting it done that I wasn't nervous, but now that it's getting closer, I'm a little nervous. Mostly because I don't know what to expect. The last time I was under anesthesia (college: wisdom teeth), I started crying (I guess because I felt so out of it) when I was getting into the car after the "surgery." Yikes. I hope that doesn't happen this time around. I'm also nervous about having to lay on the couch afterward for days. I'm not sure how long recovery time is, but I have to be on crutches for 2-4 weeks. Oh boy. John took a week off from work so he can help me, which I'm relieved about.

That about wraps it up. Praying like a fool this week with all that's going on. Your prayers are appreciated, too!

Office organization

So....my husband doesn't exactly like to file things right away...or ever. He says he is organized at work (taking his word on that one), but at home he has a harder time. To be fair, I didn't have tabs on our files to show what each file held. I just kind of memorized it by the way it looked because I file most of the stuff. Anyway, this mini project should have been done a long time ago, but the piles of mail seemed overwhelming. It feels so much better now that it's more organized. Here's some of the stuff I got rid of.


And here is the after. Nothing amazing, but it should make our lives easier. : )

Palm Springs Trip

My friend Katie is getting married this month, so last month three of us went to Palm Springs to stay with our friend Shannon for a bachelorette weekend. Everyone else flew, and I took the road less traveled. Literally. Not much going on down the 5. It was cheaper to drive, and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although my neck and back were pretty messed up by the time I got home! We were there about three days, and it was glorious. The temperatures there right now are pretty cold in the mornings and nights, but during the day it got to 80 a couple of the days, so we laid out here. It was A-mazing.


We also got Fro Yo and pedicures. It was a great weekend to relax with good friends and laugh A LOT. I don't know a lot of people in CA yet, so it was just nice to be with people I can be myself around and who get me.

Me, Emily, Katie, Shannon

We went to dinner the last night for Katie's bachelorette mini party.



Before the other girls got there, Shannon and I went to the estate sale of Frank Capra! It was pretty awesome.

His son, Tom, was there signing pictures.
This is the one I ended up getting.

What a great weekend!!!