• Posts Tagged ‘Life in General’

    My Free From Everything Day

    by  • June 4, 2011 • Ramblings

    Today was the first time in I am not sure when that I have been completely free of everything. Usually, when Sawyer goes to my mom’s, James is still home. About 75% of our baby free days/nights, we go out and do something, even if it’s just dinner, shopping, or riding around. The other 25% of that time, we hang out at home, watching movies, playing games, and other fun stuff. When James watches him to give me some free time, I either go out with my mom and/or sister, work, or clean. All that is fun or needs to be done.

    I feel like I never get *ME* time. I am not really complaining because I love my role as a stay at home wife and mom, but sometimes, it would be nice to get a break…not just from my baby either. I couldn’t tell you the last time that I have been free from all commitments…I honestly don’t think it’s been anytime since Sawyer has been born. James has gotten a little bit of free time while on his two business trips he’s taken this year. Granted he spends all of that time in a hotel room, but at least he has the option to go out and explore the location he’s at or just relax without dirty diapers, chores, and work.

    Last Friday, when I had to go pick up James from his business trip, I was alone for a few hours. My sister had taken Sawyer back with her to her house because he was staying the night there. However, I worked up until I had to get ready to pick him up so I didn’t really get to enjoy the alone time.

    Today, however, was awesome. James took Sawyer to visit with some of his family about 45 minutes away. No one was here but me. I had no work commitments that had to be done. So, from about 1:20pm until a little after 6:30pm, I did absolutely nothing…and it felt great! Well, I take that back. Most of the time was spent laying on the couch, laptop on my lap. I did get up and eat lunch exactly when I wanted, rather than when a certain little monkey was napping or playing happily in his play pen or highchair. It was only 5 hours, but it was SO nice!

    And now that we are back in reality, I have about 3 loads of laundry and a living room and kitchen that need to be cleaned!

    Extreme Couponing is Hard Work

    by  • May 25, 2011 • Shopping

    A couple weeks before Extreme Couponing began airing on TLC, I got into collecting coupons. I joined the forum, We Use Coupons, and started following a few bloggers who manage to get $100 worth of stuff for like $5. I really enjoy reading about how others save so much money with coupons, but I have decided I’ll probably never make it to that level, for several reasons…

    1) I don’t have the time to read through all sales papers, check blogs, check the forum, buy newspapers, clip coupons, and order coupons online. The extreme couponers will tell you it’s easy and that you just have to make time for it. The three Sundays that I spent doing all of that, I was working on my coupon stash and shopping lists for more than 3 hours! I can’t spend that much of my life on coupons at the moment.

    2) I end up using coupons for things I wouldn’t normally buy. I don’t need that much coffee. Or noodles. Or soft drinks. Or whatever else people are getting 50 or more of when they use their coupons. I can’t seem to find coupons for brands and items I already use. I have made some substitutions when it comes to brands, but there are other things I still want to buy and coupons do not exist for those items.

    3) Every time I gather up several coupons for a really good deal on an item, the store were I can get the best deal is ALWAYS sold out. I had 10 Dial soap coupons that went to waste. The same for 7 Birdseye Steamfresh frozen veggie coupons. Currently, I am on the hunt for Huggies Swimpants that I can get for $2.99 (regularly $9.99) at Walgreen’s but the 3 in my area are all sold out and have been since the first day of the sale…I apparently live in a city of shelf clearers.

    4) I recently went printing crazy and ran the printer out of ink on coupons I probably will never use. I realized then you have to figure in the costs of obtaining coupons, and that should offset your total savings. Newspapers, printer paper, ink, and the gas to get the papers and to visit several stores should all be figured in…which would probably put me in the negative for most deals!

    I have managed to stock up on laundry detergent (8 bottles) and Similac formula (approximately 25 bottles) but would love to stockpile some of the items we will always need, such as toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, etc etc. It just seems I can’t be in the right place with the right coupons at the right time.

    WAHM Woes

    by  • May 6, 2011 • Home Life

    As many of my readers know, I work at home as a freelance writer. Basically, this involves writing content for other people and getting paid for it. Since just before Sawyer was born, I have been looking into other ways of making money online so I don’t have to work so much each week and still make the same amount of income. This hasn’t been the easiest task. I think it’s one reason that this blog gets deserted so much. By the time I finish working, I don’t have the desire to type up a blog post.

    I have been dabbling in Internet Marketing for a couple years now, but just got serious about it in the last several months. My goal is to have all of my income be passive, with very little maintenance work required. This is possible, though it takes a lot of initial set up. I have been selling content recently, which is a bit different than freelance work. With freelancing, you have clients and you write what they want you to and get paid for it. With selling, there’s not guarantee you will make money. It is riskier, but the benefits outweigh the possible negatives…if you learn how to do it right.

    I have been kinda burned out on my work this week, which is why I have turned to my blog. It’s difficult to work at home with a 7 1/2 month old, even when James comes home from work. Then, there’s dinner to be cook, kitchen to be cleaned, laundry to be done, and 50 other things that I need to do. This is the time I am supposed to work, since I don’t get much computer time during the day. Plus, I am not where near by goals at this point, but I think the off time I have taken this week will allow me to start fresh next week. Being a WAHM is definitely no walk in the park, but I wouldn’t trade the ability to stay home with my son for any job at the moment!