My Mississippi

Increasingly over time, I have begun to notice that people who weren't born and raised in Mississippi, even if they have visited, have a distorted view of our glorious state. The extent to which they are willing to believe certain things astonishes me. Things such as the idea that people don't wear shoes when grocery shopping, that all  hospitals only have one doctor, and he/she lives hours away from the facility, and that Mississippi is only good for producing racism and rednecks.

My Mississippi is nothing like that! My Mississippi is a place whose namesake was anointed to a mighty river, the largest river in North America as a matter of fact. A place were riverboats churn and trains whistle. This is a place where a story teller with a slow southern drawl lures you in and holds you for awhile with a tale so outrageous it must be true. It's the place that birthed Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Willie Morris, Shelby Foote, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, Stephen Ambrose, Walter Anderson, and John Grisham. People whose works are not only considered masterpieces, but whose words stood for and affected social change. My Mississippi cuddled Jim Henson as he dreamed of Miss Piggy and Kermit. In my Mississippi, the blues of B.B King rolls into our ears, warms our souls, and spreads smiles onto our faces. It's a place where our hips still shake to the beat of an Elvis song.Our eyes gaze upon fields of snow white cotton fields, not forgetting the past, but grateful for the present. It's a place were pine trees reaching for the heavens replace skyscrapers, magnolia's burst into bloom, and mockingbird's sweetly sing. My Mississippi is a place were fried chicken and mashed potatoes, shrimp and grits, tomatoes sandwiches, and sweet tea are on the menu at restaurants and at your best friend's house. It is a place were we brew our own booze and call it Lazy Magnolia. It boast outstanding plantation homes that hold an aura of mystery as to the skeletons in their closets. After all, what fun would it be for a southerner to live in a place with no secrets. In this place, hospitality and gossip abound with hugs and kisses and "ya'll come on in." My Mississippi is an innovative leader in Polymer Science, and tests rockets for NASA at Stennis Space Center. Fun can be found in catching lighting bugs, jumping into a creek, or stomping through a mud puddle. In my Mississippi, Eagles, Bulldawgs, and Rebels fight for a touchdown on Saturdays. Sandy white beaches glitter beneath my feet and draw me into the Mississippi Sound where bottle-nose dolphins play, fishing abounds, and the sun turns us a toasty brown. My Mississippi wraps me in a blanket of warmth and sings me to sleep with the song of a cicada. So come on in, ya'll, to my Mississippi.  

I loved to hear about your Mississippi.

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOX

Scenario Ideas and CVS

The CVS ad is very light this week. However, it is a good week to stock up on things if you are just beginning to coupon.

Remember at CVS, you must have a card. Be sure to check the item sizes to ensure you are getting the product that is on sale. It is important to remember that stocking up doesn't mean leaving the store with a buggy full of stuff. It means leaving with the stuff you need when items are at their lowest prices and using coupons if/when you have them.

If I were just beginning, my scenario would look like this:

Transaction #1 (Because there are not BIG ECB deals, I will get them all in one transaction.)

1 Oral B Indicator toothbrush$1.99
1 12.6 oz Pantene Pro-V Shampoo $3.48
1 12.6 oz Pantene Pro-V Condition $3.48
1 11.6-12.8oz Colgate Advance whitening toothpaste, twin pack $2.99

Use:
$2.00 Oral-B Indicator PG 7/03
$3.00/2 Pantene SS 6/19
$.50/1 Colgate SS7/10

Total due (w/tax): $7.29
Get back ECB's: $5.00 ($1, $2, $2)

Transaction #2

1 Cottonelle Ultra tissue 18pk $8.99

Use:
$.75/1 Cottonelle 12+  SS 7/17
$1.00 ECB
$2.00 ECB
$2.00 ECB

Total due (w/tax): $3.87

Total for all transactions: $11.16

Leave a comment or message me, if you have questions.

Until next time..

XOXOXO

* Update* Scenario Ideas and Walgreens

So, after shopping at Walgreens, today, here are how my totals came out. Actually, much better than I estimated. I completed the 3 transactions below just as planned.

Here are the totals:
Total ticket (total savings + total paid)= $50.38
Total saved (with sale prices and coupons/RRs): $32.15 (64%)
Total paid: $18.23

Until next time...

XOXOXO

I taught a coupon class Wednesday night, and it was sooo much fun! I know everyone who came is putting their shopping lists together and getting ready to hit the stores, Sunday! This week I will be shopping at Walgreens. I thought it might be helpful to post my scenario in advance this week.

*Remember* When shopping at Walgreens, you get register rewards (RR's), and you must have the same number of items as you do coupons. RR's count as coupons.

Walgreens 7/17-7/23

Transaction #1

1 32oz Drano $3.50
1 Pledge Spray 9.7-12.5 oz $3.50
1 Schick Disposable Xtreme 3, 4pk $5.99

Use:
$3.00 Schick Xtreme 3 printable coupon

Total due (w/tax): $10.90
Get back RR's: $3.00 ($1, $2)

Transaction #2

2 Dove Men+Care Soap 6pk $6 each
1 Penway 2 pocket folder $.09

Use:
$4.00 Dove Men+Care coupon RP 6/26
$1.00 RR
$2.00 RR

Total due (w/tax): $5.94
Get back RR's: $4.00

Transaction #3

2 Chex Mix 5.5-8.75 oz $1.50 each
1 Pure honey 12oz $2.50 w/ in ad coupon (coupon will come in sale paper on Sunday, if you don't get the paper, yet.. grab the ad when you walk in the door, and tear the coupon out while in the store.)

Use:
.50/2 Chex Mix Reg SS 6/12
$4.00 RR's

Total due (w/tax): $1.39

Total for all transactions: $18.27

In the end, this will be probably be a 40-45% savings trip. Ideally, we want our trips to save us 50-60%. However, in reality, I am getting things I need like Drano, Pledge, and honey and stocking up on things like soap and razors. The important thing is that you get the items your family needs when they are on sale.

Until next time...


XOXOXOXOXO

Great CVS trip!

I had the best CVS trip I have had in a while, yesterday. They have some pretty good deals going this week, and luckily, I was able to take advantage.

Here is how it worked out.

Transaction #1

2 375ct Q-tips 2/$4
2 Head & Shoulders 2n1 shampoos $4.99 each
1 Gillette Pro Fusion razor system $9.99

Used:
$4.00 Gillette pro fusion coupon
B1G1 H&S coupon -$2.99
$5.00 ECBs from previous week
$1.50 ECBs gained from this quarter of shopping

Total paid $11.70; Total saved: $21.07

Cash back:
$7.00 ECBs

Transaction #2

2 large packages Starburst 2/$5
5 2Liter Cokes $.69 each
3 15ct Mentos gum
1 Charmin 16pk

Used:

$1.00 off 3 Mentos gums
$.25 off Charmin
$7.00 ECBs from previous transaction

Total paid: $14.66; Total saved: $24.85

Saving percentage from both transaction 64%.

Until next time..

XOXOXOXO

Zing, Zang, 4th of July

Wes, Clint, Angela, and I had a fantastic 4th of July weekend! Fishing, swimming, going to the beach, eating, watching the circus, ice cream caking, sleeping at the movie theater, gawking over dolphins, and 40lbs of shrimp later, the weekend could not have been more perfect.  Oh and did I mention, Wes had a birthday! Not surprising, I didn't take many pictures. But here are few from the circus.

I don't dine with flies

I don't dine with flies. The sooner the flies learn this, the happier we will all be.  

Story number one

I don't dine with flies.  For eight weeks, I had fresh fruit and vegetables on my kitchen counter, in my frig, dried up on plates left in the sink, everywhere for eight weeks. I only saw maybe one or two fruit flies.

Now that all the fruits and veggies are gone, there appears to be an army of fruit flies determined to take over my kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, every room. I don't dine with flies! My homemade vinegar traps and a friend's aimless swings of a fly swatter at the ceiling, along with shouting and crying are fighting a hard battle and slowly winning the war. One million fruit flies have dwindled to about 20 give or take a few. I don't dine with flies! So go ahead, taste the vinegar; take a nice long swim!

Story number two

I don't dine with flies! While I enjoyed a ham sandwich, goldfish crackers, and kosher dill pickle on a camping trip, several overgrown, striped, blood sucking flies dined on me! Their bites stung and caused me to shout curse words, stomp, scowl, and retreat to the safety of the hot truck cab where I barely missed bumping into a momma raccoon that was climbing onto our picnic table to steal our bread. I don't dine with flies or raccoons! 

Until next time..

XOXOXOXO  

Zuppa Toscana Morehead Style*

Zuppa Toscana Morehead Style

2 Turkey sausage link styles
8 slices Turkey bacon
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
2 tbls olive oil
4 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups of water
1 bunch of kale, removed from stems and torn into pieces
1 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, place potatoes, garlic, and onions. Cover with water. Let boil until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. While boiling, saute sausage and jalapeno pepper slices in 1 tbls of olive oil until brown. Move to a bowl. In same skillet, fry bacon until crisp in 1 tbls of olive oil. Crumble bacon into pieces. Add sausage, peppers, and bacon to dutch oven. Let simmer 10 minutes. Add cream and kale, heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

XOXOXOX