4.06 miles @ 6:30 am
forty-three minutes, fifty-eight seconds
10:50/mile
There is an excessive heat warning in our area for the entire week.
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 15, ten miles
10.47 miles @ 6:30 am
one hour, fifty nine minutes, forty seconds
11:26/mile
I wanted to quit at about mile 7. I didn't. For one thing, I was still three miles from my car. That's why I make sur my route does not require me to pass my car because I am afraid I would quit.
Then, my gps watch showed I burned 1170 calories. That's motivating.
one hour, fifty nine minutes, forty seconds
11:26/mile
I wanted to quit at about mile 7. I didn't. For one thing, I was still three miles from my car. That's why I make sur my route does not require me to pass my car because I am afraid I would quit.
Then, my gps watch showed I burned 1170 calories. That's motivating.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Door to door sales
We have had a lot of door to door solicitors lately. Each summer we have a handful but this summer it seems extreme.
This is problematic for a few reasons.
First, we have had a some bad experiences. More than once we have made purchases we later regretted.
Once, it was magazine subscriptions. I placed an order and then changed my mind. I requested the refund I thought I was "guaranteed." After a big hassle we only received part of our money back.
Another time one of my husbands students was selling Cutco knives. We spent over $300 that we didn't have on knives we didn't really need. (That was exactly door to door.)
Yet another time we had someone come by to offer us a free estimate on siding replacement. We told the young man that came to the door that the was no way we would be able to get our siding replaced anytime soon. (I had just stopped working to stay home with our daughter.) We made it clear, someone could come give us an estimate but we would not be buying anything. When the guy came to give the estimate he hadn't been given that information. He was giving us the hard sell. I'm sure the job of the person who came to the door was only to set appointments. He didn't care if we were going to buy siding or not.
Lastly, we had a Jehovah's Witness come by once. It was a young boy (maybe 12 years old.) In trying to be polite, my husband listened to what he had to say. In retrospect, he should have said we are already members of a church that we are happy with. Ever since then (and it has been a few years) this boy has been coming several times a year. He has his hand outs and says his spiel. Though it is harmless, it is still a hassle. (Not exactly a door to door sales but similar enough.)
In addition to our experiences, my husband and I both tend to be suckers. Send a young person to our door and it is hard for us to tell them no. For that reason, neither of us wants to be the one to hear the sales pitch. I try to avoid answering the door. That only deals with part of the issue. That still leaves my husband having to say no. Usually he does, but that is not guaranteed.
I came up with a family policy. We don't buy anything door to door. That is not exactly true. We will buy Girl Scout cookies and the occasional candy bar. For the most part, we don't buy door to door. We always have the option to but it is nice being able to say, "We don't buy door to door."
I am sharing this today because of a couple experiences I have had recently. The first happened a couple weeks ago when I arrived home from picking the kids up from summer school. As I pulled in the driveway, I saw a young woman waiting by my front door. I knew what was coming. She started in with her friendly banter, asking me questions, telling me what she was working toward, and explaining how she was going to earn her points. I feel sorry for those kids. They are out in the summer heat, trying to sell products to people that they don't need and usually don't want. This time was different than any other experiences I have had because this young lady had a severe speech impediment. She apologized for it and explained that this was to help her with her speech and communicatioin skills. I explained our policy and after trying a little longer, she left. This really irritated me. This company is using kids with disabilities to play on the emotions of people hoping they will buy a product because they feel sorry for these kids. I think it is dispicable.
A couple days ago we had another young woman come by and this time she had a foreign accent, which she apologized for. I again explained our policy and after trying to convince me to change my mind, she finally left. I refuse to reward companies who use these kinds of tactics. I feel sorry for these kids and would like to help them but will not help the company they are working for. I absolutely refuse to help a company profit who uses tactics as deplorable as these. I feel like they are taking advantage of these kids and their disabilities (or other disadvantages) and are trying to take advantage of me. I wish I could think of something else to do. These practices must be working, otherwise they wouldn't do it. So, I'm not falling for it, telling everyone I know about it, and sending it out into blogland hoping others will do the same.
I think it's a good policy to begin with. "We don't buy things from door to door salespeople." Period. No need to explain. These recent experiences have only validated my decision to implement that policy.
I am linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
This is problematic for a few reasons.
First, we have had a some bad experiences. More than once we have made purchases we later regretted.
Once, it was magazine subscriptions. I placed an order and then changed my mind. I requested the refund I thought I was "guaranteed." After a big hassle we only received part of our money back.
Another time one of my husbands students was selling Cutco knives. We spent over $300 that we didn't have on knives we didn't really need. (That was exactly door to door.)
Yet another time we had someone come by to offer us a free estimate on siding replacement. We told the young man that came to the door that the was no way we would be able to get our siding replaced anytime soon. (I had just stopped working to stay home with our daughter.) We made it clear, someone could come give us an estimate but we would not be buying anything. When the guy came to give the estimate he hadn't been given that information. He was giving us the hard sell. I'm sure the job of the person who came to the door was only to set appointments. He didn't care if we were going to buy siding or not.
Lastly, we had a Jehovah's Witness come by once. It was a young boy (maybe 12 years old.) In trying to be polite, my husband listened to what he had to say. In retrospect, he should have said we are already members of a church that we are happy with. Ever since then (and it has been a few years) this boy has been coming several times a year. He has his hand outs and says his spiel. Though it is harmless, it is still a hassle. (Not exactly a door to door sales but similar enough.)
In addition to our experiences, my husband and I both tend to be suckers. Send a young person to our door and it is hard for us to tell them no. For that reason, neither of us wants to be the one to hear the sales pitch. I try to avoid answering the door. That only deals with part of the issue. That still leaves my husband having to say no. Usually he does, but that is not guaranteed.
I came up with a family policy. We don't buy anything door to door. That is not exactly true. We will buy Girl Scout cookies and the occasional candy bar. For the most part, we don't buy door to door. We always have the option to but it is nice being able to say, "We don't buy door to door."
I am sharing this today because of a couple experiences I have had recently. The first happened a couple weeks ago when I arrived home from picking the kids up from summer school. As I pulled in the driveway, I saw a young woman waiting by my front door. I knew what was coming. She started in with her friendly banter, asking me questions, telling me what she was working toward, and explaining how she was going to earn her points. I feel sorry for those kids. They are out in the summer heat, trying to sell products to people that they don't need and usually don't want. This time was different than any other experiences I have had because this young lady had a severe speech impediment. She apologized for it and explained that this was to help her with her speech and communicatioin skills. I explained our policy and after trying a little longer, she left. This really irritated me. This company is using kids with disabilities to play on the emotions of people hoping they will buy a product because they feel sorry for these kids. I think it is dispicable.
A couple days ago we had another young woman come by and this time she had a foreign accent, which she apologized for. I again explained our policy and after trying to convince me to change my mind, she finally left. I refuse to reward companies who use these kinds of tactics. I feel sorry for these kids and would like to help them but will not help the company they are working for. I absolutely refuse to help a company profit who uses tactics as deplorable as these. I feel like they are taking advantage of these kids and their disabilities (or other disadvantages) and are trying to take advantage of me. I wish I could think of something else to do. These practices must be working, otherwise they wouldn't do it. So, I'm not falling for it, telling everyone I know about it, and sending it out into blogland hoping others will do the same.
I think it's a good policy to begin with. "We don't buy things from door to door salespeople." Period. No need to explain. These recent experiences have only validated my decision to implement that policy.
I am linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
July 10, ten miles
ten miles @ 6:45 am
one hour, 56 minutes
11:39/mile
It was hot and I am tired. My running partner wants us to run a marathon in October. I don't see how we are going to do it. We would have to make the run we did today another time and half. Right now I'm thinking, "No, thanks." When I look at my GPS watch and it says we burned 1000 calories, though, that is pretty motivating.
one hour, 56 minutes
11:39/mile
It was hot and I am tired. My running partner wants us to run a marathon in October. I don't see how we are going to do it. We would have to make the run we did today another time and half. Right now I'm thinking, "No, thanks." When I look at my GPS watch and it says we burned 1000 calories, though, that is pretty motivating.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
July 2, five and a half miles
five and a half miles @ 7:40 am
one hour, three minutes, thirty one seconds
11:27/mile
I had to run without my running partner today, so I started much later than normal. It was blazing hot and I felt sick when I was finished. That is why I should run earlier. I also need to find some way to keep cool.
one hour, three minutes, thirty one seconds
11:27/mile
I had to run without my running partner today, so I started much later than normal. It was blazing hot and I felt sick when I was finished. That is why I should run earlier. I also need to find some way to keep cool.
June 29, three and a half miles
three and a half miles @ 6:30 am
thirty seven minutes one second
10:35/mile
thirty seven minutes one second
10:35/mile
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 21, five miles
five miles @ 6:30 am
between 50 & 55 minutes (we ran inside so I didn't have my gps watch plus we ran some on the treadmill and some on the track)
11ish/mile
between 50 & 55 minutes (we ran inside so I didn't have my gps watch plus we ran some on the treadmill and some on the track)
11ish/mile
Monday, June 20, 2011
adjusting to summer
In my house, probably like most, there is some adjustment when summer comes. Schedules and routines have to be modified. For us, in addition to my children being off school and home, my husband is as well. I have had several friends say, "That must be nice to have him home all summer." I usually say, "Yeah." But I am thinking, "You would think that would be nice but it is not as great as it sounds."
Usually, there is a period of adjustment and then we all settle into being around each other all the time. Right now, we are still adjusting.
During the school year, my husband is gone a lot. Since I am home all day it often feels like it is the kids and I and then he sometimes joins the three of us. When the end of school comes, suddenly he is around all the time. We have our regular schedules and routines, the way we do things and then he is there throwing a wrench in things.
Then, in the fall we have another period of adjustment. For the past several years each fall has been a different adjustment. In addition to my husband going back to school, one year we had my daughter start preschool, two years later she started kindergarten (half-day) and my son started preschool, the next year she started first grade (full day), this year my son will start kindergarten (our district just switched to full day.) Fall has been a time of a lot of change for us. After this fall, things should start to feel a little more regular.
So far this summer, I haven't yet figured out the best schedule for us. This is the first year the kids have taken summer school so the first four weeks of summer have them gone in the mornings. When I was making our tentative schedule I figured it would be similar to last year. The kids would have morning jobs, we would have some kind of activity, some daily reading, etc. School starts at 8, so there is no time before school to do a morning job. School ends at 12 but we don't get back home until about 12:30. By the time we finish lunch it is already 1. I haven't been able to figure out where to fit in reading, activities, and jobs yet.
The other adjustment I am having to make is having my husband around all the time. As much as I love my husband and enjoy being around him, we are not used to being around each other so much. It can cause quite a bit of tension. Plus, I always think, this summer we are going to split the work 50-50. He is going to learn how to do everything around here. No more is the burden for so much going to be on me.
But, as usually happens, I am just glad to have him around more so I am less annoyed by what he doesn't do. I am less stressed overall because I don't watch other kids in the summer. Some of the burden of the work load is relieved simply because he is here to help with the kids, do some cooking, and help with the dishes. We are no where near 50-50, though.
I know some of it is my fault. We have fallen into the habit we do each summer, which is very much like what we do all year. I still do the majority around here. It is just easier to do things myself. I would prefer he do something with the kids so I can clean or organize. I prefer things be done my way and I get a sense of comfort and accomplishment having cleaned and organized. That doesn't help me in the long run, though. He still doesn't know what needs to be done around the house or how things need to be done. I think he thinks he is doing a great job because he does something. I think something is the minimum. We should be able to have this house really clean and organized with the two of us being home. Especially with the kids being gone all morning five days a week.
We don't have great communication. I've tried to have the conversation about what needs to be done. Since he truly has no idea of everything that needs to be done around here (I'll have to write about how I think his mother created this monster) he says he wants me to give him a list of things to do and he will do them. In reality, he doesn't want me to tell him what to do. He doesn't like feeling like I am bossing him around. He also doesn't like me telling him how to do something.
While yes, I like things to be done a certain way, my standards are very low. It's not like Sleeping with the Enemy where all the can labels have to be lined up. It's more like when you do the dishes, I don't want to have to come back into the kitchen and finish putting left over food in the fridge (yes, I have had to do that) or if you use a rag to wipe down the counters, please rinse it (tonight I picked up the rag and it was full of pizza sauce.)
I swing from being so irritated and tired of those same things happening over and over to thinking, "Really, is it that big of a deal?" On one hand, no it's not. On the other hand, yes it is. Those are the kinds of things that drive me over the edge during school. When we are not spending time together and he is not home, those are the things that build up. Now, they aren't that big of a deal. But, in about 6-8 months when he is gone several nights a week and a couple weekends in a row. They will be a very big deal.
I have no idea how to figure this out. What I have done to this point, has not worked. I need to get him to do more this summer and all year but I have to get him to do it without feeling like I am telling him what to do. I guess I also need to let go of some things. Which, I have done but I guess I can do more.
Here is what I think I am going to try...
I am going to ask him to do some job every day.
I have had him swish & swipe, I do ask him to empty the dishwasher, we take turns dropping the kids off and picking the kids up. Actually, that has been huge. I have been running a lot in the mornings. I get up and out the door before the kids get up and he has to feed them, get them dressed, and ready to leave. That is what I am going to try to do with things around the house. I am going to give him the same kinds of opportunities.
I am going to have to really be focused on doing that. I tend to revert back to what my mom always did (which I have written about before) try to make everything easy on my dad. Instead of requiring him to do his share she did everything she could so he wouldn't have to anything once he got home from work. It didn't matter whether she was home with little kids all day or if she was also working full-time. That is a hard habit to break though. When I think about it, I get frustrated not only at myself, but also at my husband. Now, he is no where near like my dad. He does do dishes without being asked, he does stuff with the kids, he will cook. But, he is also fine letting me do a lot more than he does.
We'll see how this works, I'll keep you posted.
Usually, there is a period of adjustment and then we all settle into being around each other all the time. Right now, we are still adjusting.
During the school year, my husband is gone a lot. Since I am home all day it often feels like it is the kids and I and then he sometimes joins the three of us. When the end of school comes, suddenly he is around all the time. We have our regular schedules and routines, the way we do things and then he is there throwing a wrench in things.
Then, in the fall we have another period of adjustment. For the past several years each fall has been a different adjustment. In addition to my husband going back to school, one year we had my daughter start preschool, two years later she started kindergarten (half-day) and my son started preschool, the next year she started first grade (full day), this year my son will start kindergarten (our district just switched to full day.) Fall has been a time of a lot of change for us. After this fall, things should start to feel a little more regular.
So far this summer, I haven't yet figured out the best schedule for us. This is the first year the kids have taken summer school so the first four weeks of summer have them gone in the mornings. When I was making our tentative schedule I figured it would be similar to last year. The kids would have morning jobs, we would have some kind of activity, some daily reading, etc. School starts at 8, so there is no time before school to do a morning job. School ends at 12 but we don't get back home until about 12:30. By the time we finish lunch it is already 1. I haven't been able to figure out where to fit in reading, activities, and jobs yet.
The other adjustment I am having to make is having my husband around all the time. As much as I love my husband and enjoy being around him, we are not used to being around each other so much. It can cause quite a bit of tension. Plus, I always think, this summer we are going to split the work 50-50. He is going to learn how to do everything around here. No more is the burden for so much going to be on me.
But, as usually happens, I am just glad to have him around more so I am less annoyed by what he doesn't do. I am less stressed overall because I don't watch other kids in the summer. Some of the burden of the work load is relieved simply because he is here to help with the kids, do some cooking, and help with the dishes. We are no where near 50-50, though.
I know some of it is my fault. We have fallen into the habit we do each summer, which is very much like what we do all year. I still do the majority around here. It is just easier to do things myself. I would prefer he do something with the kids so I can clean or organize. I prefer things be done my way and I get a sense of comfort and accomplishment having cleaned and organized. That doesn't help me in the long run, though. He still doesn't know what needs to be done around the house or how things need to be done. I think he thinks he is doing a great job because he does something. I think something is the minimum. We should be able to have this house really clean and organized with the two of us being home. Especially with the kids being gone all morning five days a week.
We don't have great communication. I've tried to have the conversation about what needs to be done. Since he truly has no idea of everything that needs to be done around here (I'll have to write about how I think his mother created this monster) he says he wants me to give him a list of things to do and he will do them. In reality, he doesn't want me to tell him what to do. He doesn't like feeling like I am bossing him around. He also doesn't like me telling him how to do something.
While yes, I like things to be done a certain way, my standards are very low. It's not like Sleeping with the Enemy where all the can labels have to be lined up. It's more like when you do the dishes, I don't want to have to come back into the kitchen and finish putting left over food in the fridge (yes, I have had to do that) or if you use a rag to wipe down the counters, please rinse it (tonight I picked up the rag and it was full of pizza sauce.)
I swing from being so irritated and tired of those same things happening over and over to thinking, "Really, is it that big of a deal?" On one hand, no it's not. On the other hand, yes it is. Those are the kinds of things that drive me over the edge during school. When we are not spending time together and he is not home, those are the things that build up. Now, they aren't that big of a deal. But, in about 6-8 months when he is gone several nights a week and a couple weekends in a row. They will be a very big deal.
I have no idea how to figure this out. What I have done to this point, has not worked. I need to get him to do more this summer and all year but I have to get him to do it without feeling like I am telling him what to do. I guess I also need to let go of some things. Which, I have done but I guess I can do more.
Here is what I think I am going to try...
I am going to ask him to do some job every day.
I have had him swish & swipe, I do ask him to empty the dishwasher, we take turns dropping the kids off and picking the kids up. Actually, that has been huge. I have been running a lot in the mornings. I get up and out the door before the kids get up and he has to feed them, get them dressed, and ready to leave. That is what I am going to try to do with things around the house. I am going to give him the same kinds of opportunities.
I am going to have to really be focused on doing that. I tend to revert back to what my mom always did (which I have written about before) try to make everything easy on my dad. Instead of requiring him to do his share she did everything she could so he wouldn't have to anything once he got home from work. It didn't matter whether she was home with little kids all day or if she was also working full-time. That is a hard habit to break though. When I think about it, I get frustrated not only at myself, but also at my husband. Now, he is no where near like my dad. He does do dishes without being asked, he does stuff with the kids, he will cook. But, he is also fine letting me do a lot more than he does.
We'll see how this works, I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I am the worst mom ever (the tooth fairy forgot to come to our house)
My daughter lost her seventh tooth yesterday. "Lost" is misleading. She actually yanked it out.
I forgot to leave her money...again.
Yep. This is not the first time the tooth fairy has forgotten to come to our house. It is like as soon as I walk out of her bedroom at night the thought flies right out of my head. (I thought I wrote about this before but my search didn't turn up a post about the tooth fairy. Maybe I just thought about it.)
She's lost seven teeth and I have forgotten at least three times.
Last time I told myself I was going to set something on my bed so I would see it before I turned in and would be reminded that there was something I needed to take care of. I forgot to do that, too.
The first time it happened she came into my bedroom a little upset saying the tooth fairy didn't come because her tooth was still under her pillow. I said maybe the tooth fairy let her keep the tooth because she wanted it so badly and we should go to look for the money. I took the money with me and put it under her bed so it looked like the money fell there. That seemed to work.
The next time it happened I was running when I realized I forgot to leave her money. My running partner had her phone so I called home. I think she was awake when I called so I told her that I asked the tooth fairy not to come because I had a special present for her since it was her golden tooth. (It was her sixth tooth and she was six.) I had picked up a Belle barbie for the tub and was waiting for a good time to give it to her. That worked well.
This morning she came in and said she didn't look in her tooth pillow because she wanted me to look with her. I'm wondering if she was testing me. Did she already look and know the tooth was there and wait to see if it would be gone when we went back in? I had gotten a gift for her because she is seven and lost her seventh tooth, another golden tooth. Actually, I had to pick it up yesterday because I wasn't expecting her to lose her tooth yet. She hasn't talked about a loose tooth at all. Last night when she went to bed she said nothing about a loose tooth. Lately, when she would talk about a tooth maybe being loose she would talk about it being another golden tooth and about the special gift last time. (When I accidentally started the golden tooth tradition I didn't think she would have a second golden tooth.) I had her stay in my room while I went to get the gift. I slipped into her room and hid the money (a quarter for each year of her age.) Again, the tooth fairy must have let her keep the tooth since she liked it so much. (She took care of it all day yesterday and brushed it before bed.) The money was under her mattress, right below where her pillow is, technically it was "under" her pillow.
How many times am I going to do this? I refuse to take full responsibility, though. My husband has never helped me with this. Not once has he reminded me to leave the money. My guess is he never thinks about it either. (Although, that probably is another issue entirely. The fact that I do almost everything like this that has to do with the kids.) I hope I get it together soon. This little girl is going to figure it out soon enough and I don't want it to be because of my screw up.
I'm linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
I forgot to leave her money...again.
Yep. This is not the first time the tooth fairy has forgotten to come to our house. It is like as soon as I walk out of her bedroom at night the thought flies right out of my head. (I thought I wrote about this before but my search didn't turn up a post about the tooth fairy. Maybe I just thought about it.)
She's lost seven teeth and I have forgotten at least three times.
Last time I told myself I was going to set something on my bed so I would see it before I turned in and would be reminded that there was something I needed to take care of. I forgot to do that, too.
The first time it happened she came into my bedroom a little upset saying the tooth fairy didn't come because her tooth was still under her pillow. I said maybe the tooth fairy let her keep the tooth because she wanted it so badly and we should go to look for the money. I took the money with me and put it under her bed so it looked like the money fell there. That seemed to work.
The next time it happened I was running when I realized I forgot to leave her money. My running partner had her phone so I called home. I think she was awake when I called so I told her that I asked the tooth fairy not to come because I had a special present for her since it was her golden tooth. (It was her sixth tooth and she was six.) I had picked up a Belle barbie for the tub and was waiting for a good time to give it to her. That worked well.
This morning she came in and said she didn't look in her tooth pillow because she wanted me to look with her. I'm wondering if she was testing me. Did she already look and know the tooth was there and wait to see if it would be gone when we went back in? I had gotten a gift for her because she is seven and lost her seventh tooth, another golden tooth. Actually, I had to pick it up yesterday because I wasn't expecting her to lose her tooth yet. She hasn't talked about a loose tooth at all. Last night when she went to bed she said nothing about a loose tooth. Lately, when she would talk about a tooth maybe being loose she would talk about it being another golden tooth and about the special gift last time. (When I accidentally started the golden tooth tradition I didn't think she would have a second golden tooth.) I had her stay in my room while I went to get the gift. I slipped into her room and hid the money (a quarter for each year of her age.) Again, the tooth fairy must have let her keep the tooth since she liked it so much. (She took care of it all day yesterday and brushed it before bed.) The money was under her mattress, right below where her pillow is, technically it was "under" her pillow.
How many times am I going to do this? I refuse to take full responsibility, though. My husband has never helped me with this. Not once has he reminded me to leave the money. My guess is he never thinks about it either. (Although, that probably is another issue entirely. The fact that I do almost everything like this that has to do with the kids.) I hope I get it together soon. This little girl is going to figure it out soon enough and I don't want it to be because of my screw up.
I'm linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Another lesson in couponing
Another lesson in couponing. That's what I'm telling myself my latest venture to Walgreeens was. It was a learning experience. I'm doing that because if I let myself get annoyed because I made yet another mistake I'm going to take my coupon binder and chuck it out the window. I might bash it against the wall until it falls apart. Maybe I'll give it to my two year old Labradoodle and let him have at it.
Can you tell I'm a teeny bit frustrated?
Here's what happened. I went to Walgreens yesterday to try to score some free Bayer. I don't use Bayer but I was talking to my mom about couponing and when I mentioned Bayer was free with a coupon, sale, and register rewards she told me my dad takes Bayer every day. When I saw this Bayer deal at Walgreens I thought I'd stop in.
I had my coupons, found the items, and headed to check out. When I tried to use my $5 register rewards on a total of $5.48 it wouldn't take it. The cashier said the total was under $5 before taxes. I thought that couldn't be correct because I know our tax rate isn't that high. Maybe tax was paid on total before coupons, that doesn't seem right. Maybe it was because I was going to earn register rewards and the register deducts that when figuring the subtotal you can use register rewards on. I didn't ask because I had no confidence that the cashier would know. She might give me an answer like she knew but I wouldn't have completely been convinced she knew what she was talking about. So I paid with cash figuring I would use the register rewards later (I hope I need stuff from Walgreens before they expire!)
When I got back to the van I realized I only received $1 in register rewards instead of $1 for each Bayer offer (I bought two.) Right away I knew what I thought happened. There was probably a limit of one register reward per transaction. I looked in my ad (that was in the van in my coupon binder bag) and, yep, that was it. I should have known better. So, my free Bayer cost me $1. Grrr. OK, that is still a good deal for my mom & dad. I also had a rebate form at home where Bayer will send me a check for whatever I paid after the coupon. That made it a little better (though I could have used that in addition to receiving the register reward.) Plus, it was only one dollar. The monetary value isn't the point. It isthat I screwed up again.
That's not all. I later realized I wanted to get mac & cheese while I was there. Kraft mac & cheese was on sale for $.67 with a limit of three. If I had gotten those I would have been able to use my register rewards!!
I'm going to take a deep breath and try to forget it.
I don't like not doing things well and I don't feel like I am doing this well. I'm getting better though so I'm going to give myself a break. Plus, I am saving a fair amount of money so that should comfort me.
Can you tell I'm a teeny bit frustrated?
Here's what happened. I went to Walgreens yesterday to try to score some free Bayer. I don't use Bayer but I was talking to my mom about couponing and when I mentioned Bayer was free with a coupon, sale, and register rewards she told me my dad takes Bayer every day. When I saw this Bayer deal at Walgreens I thought I'd stop in.
I had my coupons, found the items, and headed to check out. When I tried to use my $5 register rewards on a total of $5.48 it wouldn't take it. The cashier said the total was under $5 before taxes. I thought that couldn't be correct because I know our tax rate isn't that high. Maybe tax was paid on total before coupons, that doesn't seem right. Maybe it was because I was going to earn register rewards and the register deducts that when figuring the subtotal you can use register rewards on. I didn't ask because I had no confidence that the cashier would know. She might give me an answer like she knew but I wouldn't have completely been convinced she knew what she was talking about. So I paid with cash figuring I would use the register rewards later (I hope I need stuff from Walgreens before they expire!)
When I got back to the van I realized I only received $1 in register rewards instead of $1 for each Bayer offer (I bought two.) Right away I knew what I thought happened. There was probably a limit of one register reward per transaction. I looked in my ad (that was in the van in my coupon binder bag) and, yep, that was it. I should have known better. So, my free Bayer cost me $1. Grrr. OK, that is still a good deal for my mom & dad. I also had a rebate form at home where Bayer will send me a check for whatever I paid after the coupon. That made it a little better (though I could have used that in addition to receiving the register reward.) Plus, it was only one dollar. The monetary value isn't the point. It isthat I screwed up again.
That's not all. I later realized I wanted to get mac & cheese while I was there. Kraft mac & cheese was on sale for $.67 with a limit of three. If I had gotten those I would have been able to use my register rewards!!
I'm going to take a deep breath and try to forget it.
I don't like not doing things well and I don't feel like I am doing this well. I'm getting better though so I'm going to give myself a break. Plus, I am saving a fair amount of money so that should comfort me.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Summer spending money for kids
With the summer, comes an increase in the amount of money spent on entertainment. I wanted to come up with a way to limit how much the kids spent each week.
It started a month or so ago with the ice cream truck. Every time that (damn) bell rings the kids look at me. Of course, I want to indulge them but I do not think it wise to say yes each time. In order for the kids to know whether it was a yes or no day without me having to make the decision each time, I decided I would buy from the truck once a week. If they wanted ice cream another day, they would have to use their own money. (I should write a post about how we do allowance.) That worked ok. The truck didn't come as often as I thought so I ended up buying it almost every time. Not really how I thought it would work.
After school got out, we started going to the water park where we have season passes. The food there is very reasonable. Plus, since we have season passes we get 20% off at the concession stand. In the past, we would get a treat each time we went. We didn't go that often so it wasn't a big deal. This year I see us going more often. Again, I don't think it wise to allow them to have a treat each time since we will be going so frequently. Just like with the ice cream truck, I wanted the kids to know whether it was a yes day or no day without me making the decision each time. (It gets tiring being the bad guy.)
I told the kids they would each get $5/week for extra spending money during the summer. They could use it to buy a treat from the ice cream truck, treats at the water park, snacks at the movies, etc. My son asked if they could use it to buy toys and while that wasn't the original intent if they want to save it and forgo treats that was ok with me.
The first time we went to the water park they both spent their entire $5. It was difficult to watch and keep my mouth shut. I figured (like Love & Logic suggests) that this is a lesson better learned at their young age when the stakes are low ($5 each) than when they are older and the stakes are higher. First, they each bought an ice cream. Then they each bought a pretzel (which neither finished.) Lastly, they each bought a slushy drink, large of course. I reminded them once that this was their money for the entire week but let them decide how it was spent.
Unfortunately, this happened on a Thursday and the kids get their money for the week on Sunday. I was worried that the lesson would not be learned. They got to spend their entire $5 at one place and didn't have to experience not having money for something else. I told myself that we have a lot of time left this summer so even if they don't get it this time, there will be plenty of opportunity.
During dinner the following Sunday we hear the ice cream truck. Out of habit, the kids look at me. I told them they get their money for the week on Sunday if they want to spend it. Of course, they did. They ran outside while I got the money. We talked about the prices. I was so happy with what happened next. My son (age 5) bought one of the least expensive items. He bought one of the plain popsicles instead of one of the character ice cream guys. My daughter (age 7) didn't buy the least expensive, but she didn't buy the most expensive, either. I could see her looking at the prices trying to decide if the item was worth the price. Then, we went to the water park on Monday. They both bought a treat but they bought one. Today, we went to the water park for the second time this week. Again, they both bought a treat, but one. I know my daughter was looking at the prices because that was how she described what she wanted. "The dollar fifty one on the right."
What will be hard is if we do something else this week and they want to get a treat and ask me to get it for them. More likely instead of asking if I will get it for them they will say they will pay me back. I will have to be strong and say no. Sometimes that is easier said than done. We have a movie theatre where ticket prices are $1.50. We are talking about going to see Hop (again.) We always get popcorn at the movies. I know it will be a better lesson if I stick to the plan, but it won't be easy. They both have a little bit of money left so maybe they will be able to pool their funds and share.
So far, I am happy with this plan and it seems to be working the way I hoped. I'll have to try to remember to write about this at the end of the summer and give an update on how it worked the rest of the summer.
I am linking up to Works for Me Wednesday. (Darn, I was thinking it was Tuesday night. It's already Wednesday. I'm number 207 on the list. I might have to link up again next week so I can get closer to the top.)
It started a month or so ago with the ice cream truck. Every time that (damn) bell rings the kids look at me. Of course, I want to indulge them but I do not think it wise to say yes each time. In order for the kids to know whether it was a yes or no day without me having to make the decision each time, I decided I would buy from the truck once a week. If they wanted ice cream another day, they would have to use their own money. (I should write a post about how we do allowance.) That worked ok. The truck didn't come as often as I thought so I ended up buying it almost every time. Not really how I thought it would work.
After school got out, we started going to the water park where we have season passes. The food there is very reasonable. Plus, since we have season passes we get 20% off at the concession stand. In the past, we would get a treat each time we went. We didn't go that often so it wasn't a big deal. This year I see us going more often. Again, I don't think it wise to allow them to have a treat each time since we will be going so frequently. Just like with the ice cream truck, I wanted the kids to know whether it was a yes day or no day without me making the decision each time. (It gets tiring being the bad guy.)
I told the kids they would each get $5/week for extra spending money during the summer. They could use it to buy a treat from the ice cream truck, treats at the water park, snacks at the movies, etc. My son asked if they could use it to buy toys and while that wasn't the original intent if they want to save it and forgo treats that was ok with me.
The first time we went to the water park they both spent their entire $5. It was difficult to watch and keep my mouth shut. I figured (like Love & Logic suggests) that this is a lesson better learned at their young age when the stakes are low ($5 each) than when they are older and the stakes are higher. First, they each bought an ice cream. Then they each bought a pretzel (which neither finished.) Lastly, they each bought a slushy drink, large of course. I reminded them once that this was their money for the entire week but let them decide how it was spent.
Unfortunately, this happened on a Thursday and the kids get their money for the week on Sunday. I was worried that the lesson would not be learned. They got to spend their entire $5 at one place and didn't have to experience not having money for something else. I told myself that we have a lot of time left this summer so even if they don't get it this time, there will be plenty of opportunity.
During dinner the following Sunday we hear the ice cream truck. Out of habit, the kids look at me. I told them they get their money for the week on Sunday if they want to spend it. Of course, they did. They ran outside while I got the money. We talked about the prices. I was so happy with what happened next. My son (age 5) bought one of the least expensive items. He bought one of the plain popsicles instead of one of the character ice cream guys. My daughter (age 7) didn't buy the least expensive, but she didn't buy the most expensive, either. I could see her looking at the prices trying to decide if the item was worth the price. Then, we went to the water park on Monday. They both bought a treat but they bought one. Today, we went to the water park for the second time this week. Again, they both bought a treat, but one. I know my daughter was looking at the prices because that was how she described what she wanted. "The dollar fifty one on the right."
What will be hard is if we do something else this week and they want to get a treat and ask me to get it for them. More likely instead of asking if I will get it for them they will say they will pay me back. I will have to be strong and say no. Sometimes that is easier said than done. We have a movie theatre where ticket prices are $1.50. We are talking about going to see Hop (again.) We always get popcorn at the movies. I know it will be a better lesson if I stick to the plan, but it won't be easy. They both have a little bit of money left so maybe they will be able to pool their funds and share.
So far, I am happy with this plan and it seems to be working the way I hoped. I'll have to try to remember to write about this at the end of the summer and give an update on how it worked the rest of the summer.
I am linking up to Works for Me Wednesday. (Darn, I was thinking it was Tuesday night. It's already Wednesday. I'm number 207 on the list. I might have to link up again next week so I can get closer to the top.)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14, three miles
Three miles @ 6:45 am (in heavy rain, it wasn't raining when we began, though)
29 minutes 06 seconds
9:40/mile
29 minutes 06 seconds
9:40/mile
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)