decisions...

Some friends are like hula hoops. As long as you do all the work of supporting them & keeping them up, they'll stay at your side. But if you stop...they drop.

this was borrowed off of a friends status on facebook but it was something I pondered all weekend.

do you have a friend that always seems to take but not give? who complains about having to do so much but yet finds time to do what they want while others sacrafice? I do. I have two of such people in my life. Well I should say HAD! This summer has been a summer of growth not just for me physically and emotionally but also spiritually. Sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to something/someone you have known for 10+ years, but sometimes it is for the best. Sometimes it is the hardest thing you have ever had to do but most of the time it is for the best. Sometimes!

Giving up someone as a friend can be the hardest thing to ever do in your life. I picked up my phone numerous times to call this person when i found a good deal in the store, when I had some exciting news to share and when i needed a shoulder. It was hard to break that habit of mine but after almost 2 months of it I can almost say i am 'cured'. I still see this friend out and about and I am cordial and nice but not friendly. Another friend put it as cautiously friendly. But then I also found that the person I had confided in about friend above was running her mouth to friend above about what i said. So another friendship belt cut! LOL. Luckily this friend was and always had been one that was a give to me, i need, i want, friend so there wasn't too much to loose~ not much time and effort was required to just say ignore for them. LOL. (I am so loving the 'hide' button on fb)

But God gives us people for a season and it ok to let go when the season is over. Do I want a bestie I can confide in? by all means, but I also learned that I have that in two people. First off is God, he hears all my concerns. Secondly is my bff of 19 years, my manbear! I love both of these strong men in my life.

I also learned it is ok to have acquaintances, not friends. You don't have to be everyone's bff in life. One of the hardest things for me to learn was to say 'no' to others that were constantly needy. People tend to remember all the things that they helped you do, but forget what you have done for them. Yes, you helped me move, for 4 hours, not all day like you keep telling people. But do you remember the numerous times, and i mean numerous times, I babysat one or all of your kids so you could run your errands for an hour that turned into 3 hours because you found more to do? Yes, there is still some bitterness but it is getting lighter. I am human, therefore I feel! LOL. But like I said I have been working on this for the summer so I will put some more of it 'to bed' as time goes on.

Some friends are like hula hoops. As long as you do all the work of supporting them & keeping them up, they'll stay at your side. But if you stop...they drop.

This is my new thought on life...who is my hulahoop and who is my waist~!

Starting over

Do you ever feel that somewhere/sometime in your life you actually WANT to start over? I do..I have~ I am going to be laid off in September (isn't it cool to actually know rather than find out unexpectedly) so I have decided on how I want to bless my family and my life with what I can do. I fully expect to find employment by then but with my wrist issues still up in the air I am not sure what I can find. I want to wait out until I am let go because of a 2,000 retention bonus if I stay (can you say cha ching). Anyway... I am 'starting over' with the coupons since I haven't really been doing much deal seeking on a weekly basis because my stockpile has been so large. I want to get it to a years worth by the end of 2010. I am believing I can do it. Right now my 'focus' will be on paper goods.. I don't have much in the way to tp, pt or cleaning supplies (well the cs i do but definitely not the paper goods). I also want to stockpile laundry detergent and such for cleaning the laundry. Oh lord help me as I fill up this garage!~

Updates...
Gurl is about to enter her SENIOR year at highschool. Right now the plan is to graduate in December instead of June (a whole semester early) and have a semester of college under her belt when her friends graduate in June. So proud of her.

Bigboy is an upandcoming sophmore who is in the midst of severe football training and practices... eeek! (one of the reasons I need so much for laundry, lol).. He is our surprisingly tall member of the family. Guess we know how to grow them big in the south~

Manbear is going back to school in the fall after taking the summer off (we so needed this as a family) and we are looking forward to some job changes possibly.. (we pray for this daily as we need a better job for him). His diabeties is doing much better and he mostly has it under control.

I broke my wrist at work, and it is the 'stores' fault. Not sure what that means exactly other than I have been on light duty since it happened and it is amazing how much you rely on your wrist and hand to do things.

We still have all the fur children, although this year may bring the end to a few of their lives. Not from us doing anything but two of them were already fully grown when they adopted us and they are both showing their 'age' .. pray the end is swift and painless.

We had a family reunion in July that was awesome!

We are planning a trip to Denver in June 2011. It will be a lot of saving from here to there.. pray for that to happen!~

So my goal between now and Dec 31 is to get as many cleaning supplies (laundry included), toilet paper and paper towels I can into the house for the least amount of $$ out of pocket. Want to join me in my quest?

Posting savings is my goal... I will succeed!~

Blessings to you all~

Maribess

wow..alot has changed since I last posted..

Almost a year ago.. gurl is now 17, boy is about to be 16.. man bear has been in school for almost a year and wow, I have a new exciting job!

We are also moving into a new home...more details to follow..I love ya'll and thanks for being on this road of savings with me..

Last years savings was almost 17,000 in sales/coupons and we spent 1700.. not the 1500 I needed but with the new job we ate more 'fast' food...

You are right..

I am lame.. I haven't been doing this..so my goal this weekend is to keep you all updated on my sales.. I have had LOTS of good deals..and saved all my receipts.. LOL!
Anyway.. updates.. BigT is now 15, Gurl is growing up too fast, Manbear is still plugging along and probably going back to school next fall to get his 4 yr degree... we have prayed about it and we will see what God has planned for us.

It is either feast or famine with my job, either working 40 or 20.. hehehehe. Gotta love it. I have had to work the last two Sunday's so we haven't made it to church, miss that..

I have been shopping on a weekly basis with Busdriver (sister in law) and we are getting good deals and getting to know each other better. LOVE ya Busdriver!

Other than that Easter is Sunday and for the first time we aren't doing baskets (sniffle...) but the kids are getting too old for it anyway so we are just getting them itunes gc and movie passes that way we know they will use the them...

I PROMISE to get this updated.. plus I desperately need to get all those receipts OFF my desk!
Thanks TK and TF for encouraging me on this challenge...you both are wonderful cheerleaders..

Hi ho hi ho it is off to work I go.

Blessings!
Mari

I received an award...I am so pumped

Thanks so much to http://thewayisave.blogspot.com/ for my first ever award~
Just when I thought my day was going to the dogs...
THANKS so much~! I mean it.. I am so excited I can barely believer it.
I am supposed to list 7 things I love...

1) my husband
2) my kids
3) my mother in law
4) all seven of my fur children
5) my job
6) MOST of my friends (eheheheheh)
7) God (actually HE is first)

I have to nominate 7 other blogs, which I will have to do in a bit seeing it is a heck of a day and I have my 14 yr old puking and my 16 yr old running a super high fever of 103 even with motrin..so I promise more updates later.. Ireally really really do!

My life ..

has been consumed with working and my husbands kidney stones.. he ended up having to have surgery and then a 'stint' in place for 2 days afterwards.. so that was like a week out of our lives.. anyway I am off to work unexpectedly this am so I promise to get my deals posted about what I have done.. I am such a slacker! Anyway I am happy to say stone mikie (we always name them) was lasered and removed and dad and stone were seperated successfully. Memorial donations can be made at .. oh I am so kidding!
Got to jet to work, boss's kiddos are barfing and it is up to super merchandiser to come in and swoop to fix all jams, work all orders and restock shelves where it is needed~ so I am off to save the cookies!

Sniffle...

I went from 7 followers to 5.. but that is ok.. I am doing THIS for me and my family, not for glory and followers.

I have been spending a lot of this week helping a family that was burned out of their home. It wsa super cool for me to get that phone call, go to my pantry and 'hook them up'.. they won't need to buy HBA items for a while.. and it isn't like it put us in a bind at all. I LOVE that I was able to do that. Been running freecycle errands and getting things for them.. also had some chest pain and was in er .. not sure what was going on there but we will find out one day eh?

I have made some COOL purchases so tomorrow I will update them for you...

I am also going shopping alot with my beloved sister in law and learning alot about them.. and actually am growing to think of BUSDRIVER as a great sister in law... we are becoming friends as well as 'inlaws'. I love ya BUSDRIVER!

As you can see I have code names for people in my life.. that is to protect their innocence AND guilt.... :)

None of my purchases were major but rather a bit of sliding ECB's around and floating the RR from walgreens...

No food bought this week.. hard to believe!

God bless you all~
Mari