Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Copenhagen Diet

Started exercising of late – its been more than a year and I must lose the baby weight! I hate exercising, just as I hate watching what I eat. I am the worse candidate for weight loss.

Prior to turning 25, I never had to exercise; I was blessed with great metabolism. I miss those days, when I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever. Sigh.

I was actually thinking, the best diet I’ve been on was when I wasn’t on a diet but living in Copenhagen, Denmark. At that time I was a poor student, couldn’t afford lavish groceries, food was rationed (I didn’t go hungry just kept proportions sensible) and I walked EVERYWHERE. But the way the city was laid out, walking everywhere was not a headache they way it seems to be here in America. I remember walking and enjoying myself. As for portions, so much better there in Europe, not the crazy huge things they give us over here, plus groceries over there were not cheap, which in a way is good, prohibits one from buying useless food. Here in America, do you find, the worse the food is for you the cheaper it is?? And there is so much bad stuff out there, good God, I have a heck of a time just getting through the bakery section in the grocery store!

I suppose its all about self-control and I’m trying to gain some - I want to get back to my old pre-pregnancy clothes. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Los Angeles Times

The family and I were in Los Angeles for the weekend; just a quick weekend to see some of my husband’s family. It was nice, because I got to sleep in and it rained! I so miss the rain here in Arizona.

My brother-in-law so sweetly got me a copy of the Sunday Los Angeles Times, which I had mentioned Friday night. I couldn’t believe he remembered, so kind of him! I miss reading a Sunday paper. We don’t subscribe to the Arizona Republic because it is so conservative. I just can’t support right wing agendas if I don’t have too (which is also why I no longer buy Angel Soft toilet paper, because Angel Soft is owed by the Koch brothers). One of the best parts of a major Sunday newspaper is the opinions and if the newspaper is decidedly more Republican, I know which why those opinions are going to blow.

The reason I wanted the L.A. Times was for the coupons! I am a coupon junkie. No, I haven’t become like those crazy coupon ladies one see’s on television (that is just insane, those people have to build a separate room for all the crap they accumulate and really how many of the exact same type of cereal can one eat before one goes mad??). In the office someone taught me how to coupon properly, there is a whole methodology to this thing….you clip the coupon and than you wait to see when a store is doing a sale on the item or if they provide an in-store coupon, you can couple the two together.

Through my couponing I’ve gotten name brand laundry detergent for $3.00, boxes of specialty tea for $1.00, free Pepperidge farm cookies and much more (in one instance I got rebate money through my couponing)! Yes I will readily admit there is an element of a game here, you look for discounts, you watch for sales, and you combine coupons, like one big treasure hunt! It does take a bit of time, but for me no more than 10 – 15 minutes. Its not for everyone, but if you are like me and enjoy a good deal, you will enjoy this method of saving.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Yard Sales



This past weekend baby and I were suppose to go visit Virginia, but the baby was still under the weather and I didn’t want to take her on a plane and get more sick (her father would kill me).

Funny how life changes when you become a mother – people use to say that to me all the time when I was expecting and I thought they were on crack, but they were correct! My whole world revolves around this tiny 22-lb person. It’s a little Neapolian dictator in our house (lol, just kidding, though when she cries loud enough, things get moving).

On a different note, since I was stuck in Phoenix for the weekend, decided to make the most of it and went yard sale’ing. I like to think of myself as something of a yard sale professional. I have been shopping yard sales since high school with my mother in Virginia. We know how to bargain, what to look for, what to pass on. I find the best way to yard sale is to pick a neighborhood or section of town and focus on that area, until you have discovered where is the best locale for getting cheap but good deals! I am still discovering Phoenix, so I can’t say with certainty which is the best place to go; but I’ll tell you the place I went to this weekend was not it! I only hit one big sale, a church event (much easier to do, because so many people in one spot). No one was selling anything under a $.25! That’s crazy! I expect, when I go to a yard sale to get things sometimes for a dime or nickel and I also expect if I make you an offer lower, you would consider. That was not the case here. For example, there was a lady selling children’s books for $.50, I offered a quarter…without blinking an eye she said, “no.” I walked away, keep your books.

Isn’t the purpose of a yard sale to clean out your house – not to make money? I think some people forgot that principle very easily. Do you really want to haul all your junk back to your home? Where are you going to put it? This yard sale was in a more affluent part of town and I have discovered, the rich don’t know how to put on a yard sale. Best place I’ve been to yard sale, West Virginia, now those people know how to do it right – you can get such great stuff for a steal! Can’t wait for spring to hit the East Coast, than my mother and I can go yard sale’ing over there (only in PHX do they buck yard sale etiquette and hold yard sales year round and on Sundays! Those are strictly no-no’s).

This yard sale wasn’t a complete bust, did pick up a cute decorative box, some plastic utensils, a basket for gift giving and a cute hair clip for the baby.