Choose another lane, honey!

Just want to give props to the KRAZY COUPON LADY for helping me to save over 50 bucks on my last two grocery trips! Imma krazy coupon clipping machine! It's actually fun now that I'm better at it. Krazy Lady helped inform me of little tips and advice, etc. Plus I love her blog because she has huge list of links to print coupons for 100s of brands! Hey, times are tough right now for us and saving a little money here and there is so helpful.

Here's my advice to fellow coupon clippers...

1. Plan meals

2. Eat before grocery shopping

3. Costco is a rip-off (yes I love it there, but I spend waaaay too much money in that evil place!)

4. Don't buy it just because you have a coupon for it.

5. I don't have a whole lot of brand loyalty. In fact, I LOVE generics :) I know, I'm weird. So, I print coupons online for generics at Target like Market Pantry and Up & Up...etc. You get the point.

6. Get over yourself and shop and the cheap places. Like the dreaded W's--WinCo and Wal-mart. Wal-mart will price match so if it's cheaper at Safeway (which is rare)--show them the add and you get the price and use a coupon and you've saved even more krazy lady.

Last night I saved 35 bucks in coupons at Albertsons! My shopping trip went from ~$85 to $50! I was so proud of myself :)


http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

2 Hungry Men

My sons eat as much as I do. Maybe more. It's amazing. Jake will eat anything and everything. He'll eat his own meal and then if I eat something he sits down next to me and makes me share.

This is a list of meals/food John ate just the other day---
(And, if this is what my 4 year old that weighs 28 lbs eats on a normal day, then what am I in for during the teenage years of the bottomless-pit-garbage-disposal-boy-stomach???)

BREAKFAST:
French Toast with cinnamon and sugar and syrup
2 scrambled eggs
4 sausage links
Milk
Apple juice

LUNCH:
A whole ham and cheese sandwich
AND a whole PB and J sandwich
Chips
YoKids Yogurt

Apple Juice

Milk

SNACKS:
goldfish crackers
chips
skittles

Juice
DINNER:
Veggies-a big bowl full
Meatballs-big huge ones, 4
Pasta w/ sauce
Milk
DESSERT-begs for it!

Operation Skinny Bitch (OSB)

I must talk about this. Please don't judge me. I should state that this "skinny bitch" diet/lifestyle is sugar-free, vegan, organic. Whoa.
It's day 16 on OSB. So far so good? I think so.

I need to state that this diet/lifestyle switch-a-roo is not about becomming skinny or being a skinny bitch. I am a petite person--hello? I'm 5 foot 1/4 inch tall. Therefore every 1/2 lb I gain is noticeable-very annoying. But as with all women, I have my problem areas. My biggest problem area is not my belly or hips or thighs but rather my bad habits.

I eat too much crap and I drink waaaay too much wine. I was feeling tired and unhealthy and I wanted to try to eat foods that would help me feel better about me, inside and out. Plus I'm super grossed-out by our country's meat industry. Just watch Food, Inc. http://www.foodincmovie.com/

OSB is just a new thing to try. I love all food. I love junk food. I love fast food. I love high calorie fattening food. I love healthy food too. I hate working out. I'll do it religiously for 6 weeks, then I quit completely. I know I need to exercise in order to stay healthy. That is my next big challenge--to exercise regularly. So maybe OSB will end the same as my my exercise routines and pretty soon I will resume my old disgusting ways of eating and drinking. Quick prayer: I hope not. I hope not. I hope not. I hope not!
It's not too difficult to stop eating meat or cheese and all the other obvious dairy products. But seriously, dairy is in almost everything! And sugar (The Devil) and all it's evil siblings are in just about all processed foods too.

As if it's not hard enough to only eat foods w/ zero sugar (even all the fake sugars, i.e. aspartame,) It's even more daunting to only choose truly organic foods and non-gmo and all that confusing stuff. It's even harder to cook and then watch my family enjoy steaks and juicy burgers and tacos and burritos and fajitas, meatballs, fried chicken, and cheesey creamy pastas. I could go on and on. My mouth is watering.

I've messed up a few times. Just with the sugar thing: I had wine a few times. Like last night watching The Oscars, I had like 3 glass, whoops! That's a lot of sugar. Oh well. Back on the wagon today.

I have lost a little weight, which is a huge motivator to keep it up. Please wish me luck because I need it badly.

http://www.skinnybitch.net/