no walking today, it rained all day.

Got John Frieda hair care samples today.
Got another CD for my nieces Bday delivered. $5.99 and got the Miniature camper I ordered for her on Sunday. Very fast delivery on that.

My mom called in a panic because she needed to print out 48 postcards and their ink wasn't working. So she forwarded the doc that I created for her last year to me and then they came over with the postcard papers. It took maybe 5 min to print them out.

While she was here she told me she was telling my Dad I would be really proud of them because they saved $160 today. I don't preach about saving money, they have plenty, I just like to talk about the good deals I find and I like to share them when I think they are applicable.

Anyways, I asked her how much she spent to save $160. She spent $160 I guess Walgreens had Nature Maid vitamins as a BOGO. They take a lot of vitamins, probably 15 per meal. Some of them are $30 and $40 a bottle, like for the flex ones. I don't know what they're called but they are for flexible joints. If they're going to take that many vitamins anyways, it's a good deal to get them half off.

Finished listening to Callahan's Key by Spider Robinson. Sci/Fi Very good and funny.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got the last of my computer rebates in the mail today. $30 I got over $500 back in rebates for the purchase, it was aggravating doing all the paperwork and waiting for the money, but I guess it was worth it in the end.

Went shopping with mom today.

First stop Barnes and Noble. Got 2 books for my niece and 2 for me. Had a 15% off one item coupon that I printed out, one for me and one for my mom. Spent $26.83

Next stop Family Christian bookstore. Mom had a 20% off everything coupon. I found a financial book I'd been looking for for a while called How to Save Money Every Day by Ellie Kay. Spent $5.12

Next stop the bank where I deposited 2 rolls of quarters and several rebate checks. I also got cash and travelers checks for my vacation

We went to Fargo's for lunch. It's an old fashioned pizza parlor. We had a coupon for buy 1 salad get 1 free. We each had a salad and split a small pizza. Yummy! The total was less than $10 and mom paid since I drove.

We went to the mall and I bought nothing.

Next stop Linen's n' things. Found some strawberry glasses my mom wanted so got them for mother's day. Had a $5 off $15 purchase coupon. Spent $23.97 With the book I got her, mother's day is done now.

Went to JoAnn's where I bought nothing.

Went to Target where I bought a lot. I wish there was a super Target close to me, the prices on the groceries were terrific. I get sugar free Log Cabin Syrup, at the grocery store it's $3.50 the same bottle was $2.59 plus there was a $1 off coupon attached. Got 2 bottles. Walnuts are very expensive in the grocery store, got 2 lbs for about half of the grocery price. Got 21 oz of mixed Macadamia, almonds and cashews for $6.94 they sell for $9.99 in the grocery store. It would probably be worth the gas to go there once a month and buy non-refrigerated groceries. I saved $16 on just 3 things that I buy a lot.

I also bought some fun stuff for me, using my extra fund. A small CD player that I can move from room to room while I'm cleaning and listen to CDs. $25. The new Toby Keith CD. $14, a book at 25% off, 2 plastic drinking glasses and a bunch of snacks for the trip. Total spent $91.87

Next stop was Wendy's were I had a coupong to buy 1 get 1 free for their Frescetta sandwiches. Spent $4.18 Had one for dinner and will have the other for lunch tomorrow.

Final stop was Maggie Moo's for ice cream. Mom paid again.

Got my mail when I got home and got a 6.99 rebate from Gillete razors in the mail and Free Dentyne Gum and mints.

Fun day but very tiring.

snowed again today so no walking. Just a light snow, but it lasted most of the day.

Doing some searching for rental cars for our Canada trip. We need one to get from Calgary to Edmonton. It's looking like $200 for the 2 days. It'd be a lot cheaper if we were returning the car to the same pickup. Need to make a decision and make the reservations this weekend. I wanted to go with Enterprise since they pick you up, but they are closed that day. It seems like Monday, May 22 is a holiday in Canada. Victoria Day. Who Knew?

Finished listening to the library book on tape On the Run by Iris Johansen. Mystery/Romance. Very good.

walked with mom for 55 min

mjrube94 I sent you an email.

I decided I was going to start cleaning my house on Thursday nights instead of waiting till the weekend and taking all my weekend time. I worked for 2 1/2 hours tonight cleaning the downstairs and I am really tired. But it feels good knowing it's done and I'll have more free time this weekend.

Got a free Sckick Quattro Midnight razor in the mail today.

Finished reading my book Decision at Doona by anne McCaffrey. Sci/Fi Ok

walked with mom for 55 min

Got the $20 Exxon gas cards from Great Fun in the mail today.

mjrube94, if you still want to swap,
reply to this post and I'll send you an email with my address and you can send me yours.

I also got a free Glad Flex trash bag.

Does anyone know of a good website to buy cheap nuts?

Finished listening to the library book on tape The Body of David Hayes by Ridley Pearson. Mystery. Very good.

walked with mom for 55 min

I got two $50 checks in the mail for my computer rebates. I think there is one more left. I also got a $25 GC to Barnes and Noble from My Points. So $125 total. Very good mail day

The ground was covered with white stuff when i got up this morning, but it quickly melted. It was still chilly when we walked at 5:00 but it was blue skies and gorgeous. We've been seeing some of the first wild flowers on our walks. My parents live in a forest and I love walking there, it's always interesting.

Finished listening to the library book on tape Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan. Supernatural/Romance. Very good.

we had a small snow storm and it was cold today so no walking.

I could not believe this day at work. I feel like I had 50 million interruptions. First one way, then another way, then on to something else and most of it was a total waste of time. I felt so frazzled by the end of the day and don't feel like I got anything accomplished.

But since I didn't walk the evening felt longer and I was able to relax and enjoy it.

Finished reading the library book Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag. Mystery. Very good. Also read two of the Money magazines I picked up at the library.

walked with mom for 55 min

Went to King Soopers for groceries this morning. It just wasn't my day. They were out of radishes, jewish rye bread, and Dove chocolate. I spent $31.93 on food and $12 on books and magazines.

Went to Walgreens and spent 1.07 then to Albertson's were I got the radishes that King Sooper's was out of the onion I forgot. Spent $3.79

Got gas for 2.76/gal spent $15.58, ouch!

Went to TGIF for lunch. We had a $5 off $20 coupons. I spent $8.25

I fixed a big batch of chili, a big batch of oatmeal and chopped up all my veggies for the week.

Parade had a big article about how the American Dream is impossible for most people anymore. It gave examples of people who have too many bills and no savings. I realize that some people have things happen that make it hard for them to get ahead. But a lot of the so called middle class make enough money to live better than they do, they just don't having the knowledge and/or self-discipline towards money. Waiting to save up the money for something before buying it instead of putting it on the credit card and paying for it two or three times.

It's the tone of these articles that get to me. Like this state of affairs was imposed on these people and they have no say in improving thier situations by spending their money better, by going back to school and getting an education in different fields, by getting better jobs or by doing any of the hundreds of things people can do to make a good life for themselves in America. Things that they don't have the luxury of doing in other parts of the world.

Millions of people live the American Dream in America. Millions of people save money. Millions of people have a good life and raise a family on less than $50,000 a year. How come we never see articles about these people? Maybe it's because they aren't victims and have taken charge of their lives instead of going around blaming the government or business or society for their inability to save money.

walked with mom for 55 min

Filled out forms for 3 rebates today. The $25 Great Fun/Buy.com rebate. The 14.95 Kingston USB rebate and the $10 NetMagazine rebate.

Used my new USB to back up my PC. So easy!

Got a $30 rebate in the mail for my computer. Still have 2 outstanding rebates from the original 11.

I got my bill from DirectTv today and it shows they will have a free Total Choice Premier weekend May 19 - 21. Free HBO Starz, Showtime, Cinemax and 3 sports stations. I'm going to be on vacation that week so will miss it.

Went to the library and checked out some back copies of Money and Real Simple. I like the Real Simple magazine, but man do they have a lot of advertising.

Finished reading my book Sharper Than A Sperent's Tooth by Simon R Green. Sci/Fi. Very good series. Smart. I've always like reading about mythology and this series is a modern twist on a world where gods and mythical beings are real. Lot's of references to my past mythological readings.

walked with mom for 55 min

I had a good mail too. I got my other book from Barnes and Noble. Got my free USB and I got the CDs I ordered for my niece's bday.

Need to fill out the rebate forms tomorrow and get them in the mail.

By the way if you have a Discover Card and go to Barnes and Noble through their site you can get a 7% cash back bonus. That could be doubled depending on how you cash in your rebates from them. Probably best reward deal out there for Barnes and Noble.

Finished reading the library book Crazy Cool by Tara Janzen. Romance. Very good.

walked with mom for 55 min

Went to Village Inn for dinner. Spent $7

Was a good day for allergies only had to take the pills once. I'm hoping the 12 doses I got in the Tylenol Severe Allergy pills for .49 cents will last through the whole season for me. I usually only get the allergies for a few days in the spring and then again in the fall.

Got one of the books I ordered from BN today. The one for mother's day.

Also got my flex health payment reimbursment for medical expenses.

Finished listening to the library book on tape Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts. Romance. Very good.

walked with mom for 55 min

The worst thing about allergies is they make my eyes water and then I get sleepy.

Sent for the $20 in Exxon Cards from Great Fun. They replied to my email saying their records say it's Exxon and not Circuit City, even though I printed out the page that shows Circuit City. They want me to call an 800 number. But I'm not going to mess with that since someone offered to swap cards with me. Much easier to do that.

I do feel that it stinks that they do that, especially when I told them there isn't an Exxon Station in Colorado so the cards were worthless here.

Finished reading The Ship Avenged by S.M. Stirling. Sci/Fi. Ok.

went into the office today. Spent 3 1/2 hours in meetings. I'd like to know when they expect me to get any work done.

Went to Staples and got printer ink. Had an old cartridge to recycle so got $3 off. Spent $56.37 This comes out of my maintenance/repair fund.

Went to Barnes and Noble and had a 15% off coupon on top of my 10% off membership. Spent $6.56 on one book. Still using my free GC.

Went to Wendy's on the way home. Spent $6.42 got dinner and chili for lunch tomorrow.

Got an email from Great Fun telling me how to get my $20 in Exxon Cards. The deal was I would get $20 in Circuit City cards. I sent them an email saying I wanted the Circuit City cards since we don't have any Exxon stations in Colorado and they would be worthless to me. We'll see what happens. That stinks changing the deal after the fact.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got my haircut at Great Clips. Spent $11 had a $3 coupon I printed out from the Entertainment website.

Ordered a year of Family Circle from the magazine website where I get $10 back. Spent $11.97 but it's only 1.97 after the rebate. I figure I should get the 1.97 back in coupons.

I have a bunch of rebate forms I need to fill in and send out. Maybe this weekend.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got a free Swiffer Duster sampler in the mail.

I read several finance blogs a couple times a week. One of the blogs is

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/

Today they had a link to
http://www.magazinepricesearch.com/

Which compares prices on subscriptions.

They showed a 3 year Kiplinger's Financial Magazine subscription for $4.91. 14 cents each! I buy Kiplinger's a couple times a year and read it at the library most months. It's my favorite of the financial magazines because I think it's geared more towards average people than the others.

Any ways I clicked on the link and was told to use code DCMPS40D $40 off of 10 magazines. I completed the order and I was only charged $4.91 after the discount. But it gets even better. When I checked out I was given the change to join GreatFun for $1 and get a $20 GC to Circuit City. Plus if I joined GreatFun I would get $10 discount on another magazine. What a deal!

But wait there's more. (I had to do that ) I checked on fatwallet and when you join GreatFun and you make a purchase at Buy.com you can get a $25 rebate. There's no minimum purchase so you can just spend $25. I did this last fall and it worked great although it took quite a while to get the rebate back. Here's the url for the rebate form
http://www.ecustservice.com/premiums/greatfun/25buy/

So to reiterate
3 years of Kiplinger's personal finance magazines for $4.91
1 month trial at GreatFun $1
Total spent $5.91
Get $20 GC to Circuit City
Get $10 discount on another magazine purchase
Get $25 rebate back from Buy.com

Finished listening to the library book on tape Origin in Death by J.D. Robb. Mystery/Romance. Excellent series.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got a Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste sample and a Degree Ultra Clear deodorant sample in the mail today. And they both came with coupons so I can get trial sizes for free too

I signed my parents up for the Red Robin e-mail club because it's my Dad's Bday on Saturday. They got the email to get a free burger and are planning to use it tomorrow.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got a $10 GC from Walgreens

Finished reading my book The Truth About Love by Stephanie Laurens. Romance. Very Good. It took me 3 days to read this, which is a long time for me. It' only 421 pages long, I just haven't had a lot of time to read.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got the Best Buy rewards from when I bought my computer in January in the mail today. But I only got half of what the sales person and their website said I should be getting, so another phone call. BLEAGH! Got $15 in rewards.

I still have 4 rebates outstanding on my computer, but expect them to get here eventually.

Finished listening to the library book on tape River's End by Nora Roberts. Mystery. Excellent book. I just love Nora Roberts books. She always has characters that you feel are real people. She has great story lines, great dialog and really makes you see her story in your mind and hear her characters. It's a good thing she writes so much, I devour her books.

walked with mom for 55 min

Afterwards my dad was telling me how much the new tires he needs is going to cost him. I asked him if he'd looked on the Internet. No, he's not a computer person and he can't talk mom into doing too much for him, because she get's tired of it.

He had called around town and the cheapest quotes he got were $850. So I found the same tires online at Discount Tire that he could go to in town and get for $760. That included mounting, taxes everything. Saved him over $80. He thought that was pretty cool.

I keep trying to get both of them to expand their computer capabilities since they have the time to do this kind of research.

Met an old co-worker for lunch. Spent $9. Was nice to catch up.

Sent off this months pre-payment for the mortgage $1500

walked for 55 min with mom

Went to dinner with parents at Rosies. Spent $6.50

I wish, i wish, i wish, i was retired. I need more time to do all the neat things there are to do on the Internet to make and save money.

I'm reading The Mom's Guide to Earning and Saving Thousands on the Internet by Barb Webb with Maureen Heck. I've only read one chapter so far and then went to thier website at

www.momdotcom.net Then I spent two hours looking around and filling out freebie offers. Good stuff.

Under their extras tab are some really cool tracking forms for rebates, shopping lists etc. If people are into mystery shopping they have a whole section on websites for that too.

I wish I had more time to visit some of the other websites they listed in their book. Maybe this weekend.

I'm not a big shopper, either online or off, but I do like to get good deals and if I had more time I could ferret them out, track them and take better advantage. I don't take advantage of a lot of things because it's just one more thing to deal with and manage.

walked with mom for 55 min

Got a free sample of Dove Calming night soap bar. I personally think it stinks. I'm not a flower smell person, they seem to give me headaches, but it's free and I can always pass it on if I decide not to use it.

Finished reading the library book One Last Look by Linda Lael Miller. Mystery. Very Good.

walked with mom for 55 min

Was able to get access to the site today, so hopefully whatever the problem was is gone. I enjoy checking in and reading everyone's blogs every day. Not to mention checking out the freebie section.

Got my last half.com book sale back in the mail today. I guess the label came off. I sent the buyer an email and will resend it tomorrow.

Went to Village Inn for dinner with parents. Spent $9

Finished listening to the library book on tape Slow Burn by Julie Garwood. Romance/Mystery. Very good and very funny. How can you not enjoy a book that starts out,

"Her Wonder Bra saved her life."

I still can't get to the site today unless I try through my works VPN. If I'm outside of the VPN I get page cannot be displayed. I don't know if my ISP is blocking the site or what the problem is. If I can't figure it out, I'll probably have to stop visiting very often. I shouldn't be going through the companies VPN even though it's on my own time.

Walked with mom 55 min today.

Yesterday went into town and spent $13.95 at Staples. I had an old ink cartridge so got $3 off. I bought a new plastic floor protector for under my desk chair. Mine was breaking up into little pieces. It's 4 years old.

I went to Bed, Bath n Beyond and got a cool expandable strainer. I make pasta a lot so this strainer is very neat because it folds flat and doesn't take a lot of room in your cupboards. It was $14.99 and I had a $5 off $15 purchase so I bought a cheap piece of candy to make it over $15. Spent $11.92

I got my passport today. I think it's about 4 weeks since I sent it off. I also got a free Purpose moisturizer sample from WalMart and a $20 rebate for my computer.

I had computer problems yesterday and couldn't get to the site to read the latest blogs. Finally got it worked out today.

Walked 35 min with mom yesterday and today.

Got my last months Walgreens rebate for $10.98 in the mail, still expecting another $10 GC from them.

My bother's bday is the 27th and my BILs is the 25th so we always celebrate them together. My bother turned 40 this year and my BIL turned 45 so of course my mom had to decorate with buzzards and black balloons etc.

We had dinner at my parents, steak, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, deviled eggs, salad, and rolls. So good. Chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. I didn't have any cake, I don't particulary like chocolate in any other form except candy. I don't like chocolate milk, ice cream, pudding, pie or cake.

Spent quite a bit of time talking to both nieces, which I always enjoy.

Finished reading The Lion's Daughter by Loretta Chase. Romance. Ok.

Looks like HBO might be free for the whole week. However, there hasn't been any movies I want to see since Sunday, but I'll keep checking back.

The snow from yesterday melted today, but we're supposed to get some more tomorrow. Haven't been able to walk outside for two days. I miss it.

Finished reading my book The Good, The Bad and the Sexy by Emily Carmichael. Romance. Ok, but this was a new author and I won't be looking for anymore of her books. Pretty cliche.

snowy day today so didn't get to walk. Got my tax refund $424 and a CC rebate check for $55.32

Sent for my March Walgreens rebate $16.98 and resubmitted the $30 software rebate, hope it goes through this time.

walked with mom for 55 min

My Grandma is staying at my parents for a couple of days so I had dinner there tonight. Enchiladas, yum!

We played cards all evening. Nice time.

Very happy with myself. Drove into work today but didn't stop to pick up any dinner on the way home. Progress.

Went to Walgreen's and spent $16.97 will get a $10 gift card rebate.

Deposited rebate checks in the bank.

Got a free sample of Degree Ultra Clear in the mail.

Won 10 more bottles of Coke.

walked with mom for 55 min

Won 10 more 2-liter bottles of Coke. I'm up to 25 now. I don't drink coke, but I can give them as gifts or maybe get some other product that I can drink or donate them.

Got my $10 Pepsi rebate in today's mail, plus another sample of Dove shampoo and conditioner. I don't think I've paid for shampoo in over 15 years.

Mailed the book I sold on Half.com and spent $1.59