Outta here

Well, just as the school year is rounding out and I am supposed to be around more to blog, I am being whisked away to Bermuda on a cruise ship. I know, it's horrible. I am running around for last minute errands and trying to find some shorts that fit my curvy self and don't have a 6 inch gap in the back! Horrible, huh? I am packing and cleaning and ahh...how nice it will be to relax on a beach. I'll let you know how it goes! Hopefully I will have lots of time to brainstorm ideas for future blogs. Goodness knows I am coming home to the tasks of purchasing a car and a refrigerator and doing all my little home projects, not to mention training for the triathlon. Lots to write about.

Don't forget AAA for summer discounts

I just peeked at the list of summer discounts for AAA. Amy and I are taking advantage of the $33 price for Hersheypark tickets through the end of June valid on week days.

You can also go to Six Flags Great Adventure for $30 (that is a steal) or Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown for $30. With tickets more than $50 a pop, families can spend hundreds of dollars on admission. Not to mention souvenirs, food and other incidentals. And did you know you can get tickets to Regal Cinemas for $6.75 all the time? That sure beats the nearly $10 it costs at the door.

Ode to black beans

I am in love with black beans. I don't know when it started, but I can't stop eating them. I stock up on cans and cans of them at the grocery store. I eat them with rice, chicken, shredded pork and other dishes. If I can add beans to a pile of leftovers, I will. I LOVE black bean soup at Panera. I love black beans with my Mexican entrees. I just love, love, love them.
I should try to soak them, and make them that way. But it's always easier just to pop open a can.

Maybe I can find a good recipe for my own black bean soup.

To work or not to work, that is the question

I know it's a terrible dilemma. My paycheck continues to come through the summer, but I don't have to work. I will be writing for the newspaper, but there is always Cracker Barrel, too. But lately, I have been so fed up with working there. My schedule is complicated, since Nate works some weekends and has off others. He doesn't want me to commit to weekends, but I don't want to work weekdays. I have dreams of running errands and doing things on my own when no one else is around.
I want to work on home projects and go to Roots in Lancaster. I want to got to Eastern Market on Fridays and go for long runs and bikes in the middle of the week. These are all activities that aren't possible when you work full time.
I don't want to commit to anything this summer, because once fall rolls around, I am enrolled in two masters' classes and am starting a very demanding job as a full time learning support teacher. It's exciting, but I think I need a break before all the chaos and excitment starts.
Who knows, maybe I will just sit down and talk to Cracker Barrel, then I can make a decision from there.

When it's OK to waste

The last several batches of cookies I have made have failed to get plump. I know some people like flat, crunchy cookies, but I am not one of them. My mom makes the most killer chocolate chip cookies in the world. They are plump and lumpy and full of gooey goodness.
I consulted my mom on this problem. We decided it was probably the old baking soda I have been using, but I refused to throw it out. Not sure why. I am slightly obsessive compulsive about wasting. After making some white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies for a bake sale at school that were flat and crunchy, I have decided that enough is enough. I think it's OK to throw away the 33 cent box of baking soda (which I am sure is what I paid for it because it has the price sticker on it) and invest in a new box that will reincarnate my plump and lovely cookies. I know, it's scary to throw away food and baking ingredients when you are a frugal saver like me. But when it's just not doing the trick anymore, it's time! Phew, I feel better now.

$1 coupon doubler at Giant

Did you happen to see the Sunday circular?
Maybe I am super psyched because I haven't gotten the Sunday paper in some time and I miss my circulars and coupons (typical York County resident).
There are 4 coupon doublers for $1 and plenty of $1 coupons in the circular to use them with. I always use them on shampoos and soaps since those items are not likely to expire before I can use them. Saving $2 on four items ends up saving you $8. And, if you need to stock up on sodas for summer picnics, now is the time to do it. It's $10 for four 12 packs of Pepsi products at Giant. That's $2.50 a 12-pack. And I don't know if you've seen regular prices lately, but they are $5 or more for a 12-pack. CRAZY!
Cutting and matching coupons and sales is a great activity to do while watching TV.

Lovely weekend

I am so proud of Nate! When he booked our room at the Yorktowne, he asked if they offered AAA discounts! I am rubbing off on him. It saved us at least $10.
There are so many little ways you can save a few bucks that can add up to a lot.
Although our weekend wasn't cheap overall, we did save a little bit by taking advantage of coupons and deals.
Our weekend started at Cobblestones, where we used a 15 percent off coupon that was on our baseball game tickets for the next day. That saved us several dollars. We had a lovely dinner complete with Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer (YUM!). Then we headed back to the room to take a nap. The Louis C.K. show at the Strand was pretty good. He is very crude at times, but has a great message to give. We ended the night at the bar in the Yorktowne and ordered a pizza. The kind bartender hooked us up with the phone number for some pizza place I never heard of, but it was probably one of the only ones that delivered past 10:30 p.m.
Sunday we enjoyed brunch at Mezzogiorno in Central Market (which yes, is open and very busy on Sunday mornings.) I ordered the French toast special with berries and marscapone sauce. It came with a side of meat, which I didn't want, so Nate saved $2 by ordering his eggs and toast without meat and ate mine! That's team work.
We ended up at the Revs stadium to watch them play poorly and lose 6 to 1.
All totaled, I figure we saved at least $25 bucks with a few smart decisions. Hey, it's not much, but it's a tank of gas, right?