Back to Broke (I Mean School)

Well, it’s not that we ever left BROKELand, but now that school is back in session it seems we moved into a NICER more EXPENSIVE part of the community.  Our summer spending caught up to us when I started handing out money for clothes, and books, and lunches, (why exactly did God decide we needed to eat???) and apparently  we can’t get by without a clarinet for my budding musician.   UGH.  So broke means BROKE.  Even as I lay awake at  night wondering do I just go back to work full-time, God keeps giving me answers……this is what my 10-year -old brought home from school Friday.  I never got one of these when I worked round the clock and was a “News Goddess.”   So BrokeLand, put out the Welcome sign, we’re staying at least for a few more months.

Best Coupon EVER

Just yesterday when I was watching Oprah eating Bon-bons (okay there were no bon-bons!), I watched a woman win $25,000.  I was totally phsyched for her because it had DEEP meaning watch it over on Oprah, that’s a whole other story.  I was more jealous of all the audience members who went home with $5o0!!  Each and every one.  Yes, I’ve tried to get Oprah tickets before and never could, so not only do I not get to see her in person, I’ve got ZERO chance of any goodies, until now.

I missed todays episode but luckily I follow several blogs (Momswhosave.com) and they passed along the good news that Oprah and Payless Shoe Source were teaming up for a HEFTY coupon. I printed it so fast your head may have spun, I know mine did.  It’s the kind where you get 50 percent off EVERYTHING you buy.  Not one item, not buy one full price get one half off this was full-fledged, BREAKING NEWS I’M BROKE, certified GOOD news.

We just got back from Payless, and we were not alone.  Thank you Oprah for giving ALL of us a break and Payless, I’ll never forget you giving us a break either.  Good Coupons lead to Good Customers. (insert your best Terminator Voice here) Rest Assured Payless,  I’LL BE BACK.  And might I add, the girls at the New Market Square Payless store in Wichita, KS were absolutely AWESOME.  As busy as they were they couldn’t have been nicer.  When I said, I’m gonna go home and facebook and blog about it, they answered, “Please do.   This is a great deal!!”    Wish I had gotten their names, but Mr. Manager or Ms. Manager please let them know, they done GOOD.

Even I’m Not THAT Broke

Just got back from the grocery store.  It was a total success.  I mean how many times do you go to buy something, have a coupon, and that particular item happens to also be on sale??  Yep, it happened to me.  Thanks to All detergent and Dillons.  Funny though, I didn’t realize how valuable SOAP has gotten.

Check out the picture of my 12.99 bottle of laundry detergent.  Yes, that is an ALARM tied to it.  The lady behind me in line said, I’ve never seen that.  I said, “That’s what I said!”

Here’s the scoop.  The cashier at Dillon’s tells us it’s response to a big theft ring, yes, involving detergent.  I thought man are they making some new drug out of All?  Turns out, the cashier was told, the theives only want it to sell it on the black market.  No, I didn’t realize there was an underground run on soap, so I feel pretty lucky that I have my own bottle and its  completely paid for.  Then again, Breaking News Dudes, I am still broke, so maybe I’ll just check out a dark corner next time my ratty clothes need to smell better, I mean maybe I could be buying it on the low-down for just 5 bucks.     Well, that’s what’s happening at my grocery store, I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the next item to be put on lock down, my money is on the fresh flowers, have you seen the price of those babies??

Too Good NOT To Share

One of my favorite websites/blogs/daily emails comes from a woman in Colorado Springs.  She’s taught me a ton about saving money and always  has the best coupons, so you must check out http://springsbargains.com/

The two things that caught my eye, the free burger from TGIFriday’s, it’s a coupon but hey, that’s the next best thing.  The other is a coupon for $10 off Junior Fashions at Sears.  They have tons of shirts for the girls on sale for 9.99 so yes, it’s free! (Or so it seems, I’ll be trying it out in the morning, and I’ll show you what I bought, I mean GOT for FREE, right here tomorrow!!)

Couple other $$$ notes.  Thanks to coupons, I’ve been trying different products.  I like to think of myself as the ultimate consumer.  I’ve spent a lot (in the past) and I’ve spent next to nothing, and really, you don’t ALWAYS get what you pay for.  So I’ve decided that in the interest of saving you money by exposing crap, or costing you money, but ENSURING that you love something, I’m going to name names.

First off, if you’re shopping at Walgreen’s and buying Fabric Softener sheets, do NOT waste your money on the Xcel brand, 80 sheets for $5.49 on sale for 3.49 ( I must have had a coupon because I wouldn’t have spent even that on it!!)   They not only STINK, they don’t smell at all, and I tried to throw half a dozen in a single load.

I really want to love the Purex Complete 3-in-1 sheets, that you put in the washer and it serves as laundry soap, and softener….then you just toss into the dryer and it is supposed to continue it’s magic as a dryer sheet, but I can’t.  The poor thing is spent by the time it gets to the dryer.  I must be a very “nasal” kind of gal, because NO smell is fine for Body Odor, but for laundry needs give me something to make me go, MMMMMMMMM.

I do have to highly recommend the Glade, Fragrance Collection soy candles.  Thanks to a trusty coupon I tried three and while I like this  Mcintosh Apple smell, the green one I used all up was even yummier.  Totally would buy these again, but being to notches tighter than tight, I might have to wait for another coupon.

The jury is still out on Walgreens brand “Big Roll” Toilet paper.  I bought it because it’s way cheap, and way big, but it sort of feels CHEAP.  My thought, when money is tight and guests are coming, stock their bathroom with this stuff and keep the good stuff for your own arse.  Now aren’t you glad you didn’t even have to ask.  :)

A Little Spending Experiment

If I am on the spending wagon, then I better just admit it, I fell off of it last week.  I fell so hard, I’m lucky I didn’t lose an arm, a leg and half my retirement savings too.  I did a little retail therapy at one of my favorite boutiques, and came home with a sack filled with just two pair of jeans and a shirt, and a debit card transaction that showed more than 400 dollars had been taken out of my account.

Told ya, this was no little bump on the head, this was a fall the size of  Texas, but even new jeans didn’t make me feel like dancing a two-step.  I slunk to my car with the BFF in tow and we sat there, looking at each other.  Then it started, she started going on and on, about how this is so not YOU.  You, Anita Cochran, don’t go spending 400 dollars on stuff you don’t need, much less don’t even really LOVE.  ”What the Hell are you doing???” Melissa asked.  Actually I don’t know what she really said, other than, “Didn’t you see me shaking my head???” At that point, I was hoping her head would spin all the way around and land back in the story to get my money back.  It didn’t, but by the time we got home, we were both so sickened by the overspending that at least she quit talking.  It’s not that she wasn’t right, oh she was right, but I already knew that and was beating myself up the whole time too.  I bet my tongue lashing will leave a mark so deep I won’t buy jeans for a year.  (Ok I won’t buy jeans over 30 dollars a pair for at least a week or so!!)

The end of the story goes something like this, I returned the two pair of jeans and got a good 300 bucks of my money back.  I needed to do that, it’s not fair to my family to make the sacrifices we have these last few months, and spend foolishly on something like that.  Just for a moment I returned to the days of yesteryear, when money was coming in and all too often was going out again on things that needn’t cost as much.  This time however, I noticed, I nearly barfed from the regret, and I righted my wrong, and now I’m ready to hang tight to the tight-wad wagon again.  The one thing that money couldn’t buy me was freedom, and now that I have it, I’m not gonna let a stupid thing like stupid spending drag me back to a time when working was all I knew, when spending was all I wanted to do, and where answering to EVERYONE else became a way of life.  Granted I’d be wearing spectacular jeans when I got there, but frankly, as Melissa would say, “I’ve seen your ass in all your jeans, and it pretty much looks the same  no matter which one you’re wearing.”    So the next time you see me, look me in the eye, because the rear is gonna look just like it did the last time we met and be covered in the same ole denim.

We Did It

It’s a been awhile since you’ve heard from me, I was moving.  It sounds more like we went on a coast to coast ordeal, but our move was really only about a mile west of our old house, and let me tell you it felt like it was a world away.

Luckily, we scraped up every dime we could find to hire movers because frankly, 45-year old backs are almost useless.  Then to prove that point wrong, I was on my feet for two days straight, so much so it called for Lortab Monday morning to keep me from chewing my aching legs off.  Typically my line is, “I’d rather chew my arm off”….but in this case, insert LEGS.   Anyway, a couple days later and I’m wiped out still, but on my purple couch finally wielding the laptop to prove to you all that downsizing pays off.  Well, I have no proof, but I do have pictures of the new digs, and frankly, that’s what you’re here for.  To keep you coming back I am only gonna piece meal this little unveiling, and just so you know, not a single room, is COMPLETE yet, so by next fall, I’ll have eeked out as much mileage out of this move as possible.

We’ll start with a little peak at the kitchen, a self-portrait, I took on moving day, while I was waiting for my junk to show up.  Someone had to wait on the cable guy, and luckily, it turned out to be me.  Got to admit the get-up wasn’t probably the most appropriate for heavy lifting, but hey, it worked and as you can see in this picture, I was actually smiling.  The move felt good, but not until I arrived at the Barbie house.  Saying goodbye to the old house was hard but only  until my things were taken away….as soon as my stuff was out, so was I.    That was the moment my new life began, that’s the moment I finally felt free.

It’s about to get better

I’m knocking on wood as I type this, but it appears our house has sold.  I couldn’t stop screaming when we got the news, because to me it’s the voice of God telling me I’m not as dumb as I am blonde!  This new life of mine only works if we downsize, and the biggest expense has been my castle.

Part of the reason I worked so hard, and worried so much about losing my TV income, was that I knew we couldn’t afford this house without it.  I would do almost anything to keep this house.  It’s not a mansion, it’s not the most expensive house on the west side, but it’s unique and screams ANITA lives here (well it did till I took the Billboard with my face on it down from the garage walls, that puppies going to the new house!)

Well anyway, I clung to this house thinking it was partially responsible for making me happy.  I loved how it functioned for our family, however I was too busy paying for it to really enjoy it, or even spend much time here.  These last few weeks, things have finally settled down and I have been home for several hours at a time, just LIVING.  It’s priceless.  I hope that living debt free in our new home, will be even more valuable, if not, I’m getting dibs on buying this place back, that is if I can get that  high paying TV gig back too.   Just Joshin’ folks….because Breaking News:  I may be Broke, but I’m happier than Anita Cochran has ever been even sitting at her favorite Starbucks store!

 

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House Of Cards

   My whole plan to live on less is going right down the toilet because our house isn’t selling.  Granted we’re in a recession, I should have thought about that, and I did….I just somehow thought if I corrected my errors, the Powers above would play along.  So far, not happening.

      Here’s what I’ve learned about that.  Back when I was preparing to quit my job, and get used to less money, I started the process of refinancing the home.  The idea was get the monthly mortgage as low as possible and buy myself some time to adjust to a new way of life.   The experts talked us out of that.   With up front costs, they told me that I’d be nuts to refinance unless I was staying in the home, because what if it did sell, I’d be out several thousand dollars.

    My gut told me the experts were wrong, so why didn’t I listen?  Because I figure someone else knows more about money than I do.  The thing is, no one knows how uncomfortable I am with payments like I do, or how I feel about MY money.  I should have trusted myself, and we’d be sitting in a still for sale house, but we’d have more money to spend each month.  So, Breaking News:  I’m Broke ….but  what I need to remember is I’m not stupid I’m Anita Cochran, and  from now on, I’m taking my own money advice because so far the experts haven’t done me many favors.

 

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Coupons, You Gotta USE em

   I have turned a corner in my living with less mindset.  Granted, I still got a little tinge of jealousy when I recently toured one my Doctor friends new homes.  It’s HUGE, the kind I will never have as long as I’m not willing to work 18 hour days to get it, but the funny thing is I was even more jealous this weekend of the guy paying in front of me at Walgreens.

     This guy had a young child in his hand, a cart load of stuff, and I saw a fist full of coupons.  My thought, this ought to be interesting, was an understatement.  Five bags later and staring at a 52 dollar tab, he handed over those coupons and brought the total down to 24 dollars.  Green Eyed Anita said, “Wow you did good.”

    The guy laughed and said, “My wife is the coupon queen.”  I thought no she’s a coupon genius not only did she cut the bill in half, she sent the husband out to do the shopping.

   So anyway, as I’m just getting all into my coupon cutting world, and finding that there is free money out there, if you’re willing to ask for it.   Now I cut coupons, I go online and load them on to my Dillon’s card, I even google for them when I’m looking for specific stuff and you know what?  While it’s not keeping us out of the poor farm,  it’s stretching our dollars and it’s fun.  Granted if  I was working like a dog, I’d have no time to search for coupons so I can see how for some people it wouldn’t really work, it certainly didn’t for me in my old life.  But breaking news folks, I’m broke, and right now, coupons are cool!  I’m Anita Cochran, you’re listening to KKRDonline.

 

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Me & My Big Mouth

  Just when I think I’m really smart, I say something really dumb.  Or in this case, just say something I should have done my homework on before SPEAKING up.  Remember last week when I whined about having to use paper envelopes to carry my cash around?  That’s a tip from Dave Ramsey, and I’m sort of giving his Total Money Makeover a run for my money.  

     Well, as soon as that little dittie of mine hit the air and internet I had mail.  Apparently, my idea that he make a leather version of envelopes to cut down on paper cuts, had already been sent to the Mr. Ramsey, and yep, he’s hawking them on-line.  Guess how long it took me to order one?  I think less than 40 seconds, but don’t quote me on that.

    It is kind of funny he’s selling stuff to people who aren’t supposed to be spending money!  But he’s doing it right.   First, I’m serious about the little paper nicks…and his version looks like that will be nearly impossible.  Second Ramsey is smart  enough to price it right.  Wallet sold for just 10 bucks.  Breaking News, I’m broke, but even I can dig up 10 bucks.  and last but not least, Ramsey who won’t let us use credit, only accepts debit cards on his site.  (Or at least it only CALLS it a debit card which is exactly how I paid for mine.)

So it’s all confirmed and that little envelope replacer should be in my grubby little hands this week, great timing.   Payday is coming so we’re gonna have some money to put in it.  I’m so excited I can hardly stand it, and since that was so easy, I’m now gonna suggest Mr. Ramsey send us all 100 bucks to get us started on his smarter spending habits.  Man I can’t wait for the email that tells me that’s already being done too.   I’m Anita Cochran, for KKRD online.

 

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