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Goodbye March, hello savings!

mycoupons | 31 March, 2007 06:38

Wake up, sleepy heads! Get your coupons together and figure out the deals. (I am too lazy to do it for you!) Charlene is at my house, and we are halfway through a bottle of merlot. Sorry for any typos. Happy CVS’ing!

Get $5 ECB when you buy $12 worth of Folgers classic roast 39 oz. OR Splenda 200 Count. LIMIT 1.
Get $3 ECB when you buy any three Nabisco cookies:
Nilla Wafers, Chips Ahoy or Fig Newtons LIMIT 1.
Get $5 ECB when you spend $10 on these: Febreze fabric refresher spray $4, Febreze air effects 2 for $5,Swiffer disposable cloths 32 count, wet cloths 24 count, dusters 2 count, or duster refills 10 count $6. Febreze noticeables scented oil warmer $7,Mr. Clean Magic reach, Swiffer complete or Carpet flick $10.
Get $5 ECB when you buy Brita pitcher filters 3 pack. LIMIT 1.
$14.99.
Get $2 ECB when you buy Keri lotion 15 ounce. LIMIT 1.
$7.99.
Get $10 ECB when you spend $20 on any Nivea visage or body care products LIMIT 1.
Get $4.49 ECB when you buy Softsoap pure cashmere or Natra-oil body Wash 12 ounce. LIMIT 1.
$4.49- FREE
Get $8.99 ECB when you buy Almay Hydra color lipstick. LIMIT 1. $8.99- FREE
Get $2 ECB when you buy any of these Neutrogena products:
Healthy skin glow sheers
3-in-1 concealer for eyes
Moisture shine soothing lip sheers
One Step gentle cleanser 5.5 ounce. or One Step eye make-up remover pads 30 count.
Get $2 ECB when you buy any of the Maybelline products featured here: LIMIT 5.
Define-a-lash mascara $4.99
Super stay silky foundation $8.99
XXL volume & length mascara $5.99
Expert wear shadow duo $3.99
Expert wear shadow quad $5.99
Shine seduction glossy lip color $5.99
Get $2 ECB when you buy two Revlon color silk or root perfect color. LIMIT 1.
Get $2 ECB when you buy L'oreal preference hair color LIMIT 1.
Get $6.99 ECB when you buy Just for Me texture softener LIMIT 1.
Get $2 ECB when you buy any Mitchum deodorant. LIMIT 5.
Get $1 ECB when you buy Men's or Women's Speed Stick deodorant LIMIT 1. *Excludes men's 24/7*
Get $3 ECB when you buy Bic soleil razors or refills. LIMIT 1.
Get $1 ECB when you buy Neosporin cream, ointment or Neo 2 go. LIMIT 1.
Get $10 ECB when you buy Accu-Chek diabetic monitoring kit. LIMIT 1.
Get $10 ECB when you buy CVS digital one time use camera or video recorder LIMIT 4.
Get $5 ECB when you spend $20 on these P&G products. LIMIT 1
Pantene Pro-V, Charmin ultra toilet paper 12 pack,Tide simple pleasures, Bounty basic 8 Pack paper towels,Crest toothpaste,Downy liquid 60 ounce,Therma care therma wraps, Bounce dryer sheets,Always maxi or ultra thin pads (14 - 24 count)and panty liners (34 -60 count.),Cascade powder or gel 45 ounce,
Dawn dish detergent.

Have a great weekend!
Until we meet again,
Cici
Cici@MyCoupons.com

Come fly with me

mycoupons | 30 March, 2007 06:30

A world class jet-setter, I am not. I fly, on average three times a year. I never go to exotic destinations like London or Cape Town.

Nope. I go to Philadelphia, Denver, and Las Vegas.

On planes, like all other aspects of my life, I always get the shaft. I inevitably sit next to the smelliest, gassiest, largest person on the plane.

So, when I read of Rachel Collier being kicked off of a Continental Airline flight for COUGHING, I was a bit ticked.

What I wouldn’t give to sit next to someone that was coughing.

A cough, even a dry, hacking, put a pillow over her face cough has to be better than what I have experienced while suspended thirty-five thousand feet over our great country.

In 2000, my husband and I took a red-eye to Los Angeles. Of course, I was not seated next to my husband. I was 9 rows behind him. He fell asleep before take off.

I, on the other hand was seated next to Don Juan himself. He started with small talk, I explained I was on my honeymoon. He then told me his life story. By the time we were somewhere over Arizona, he had had too much drink and was crying like a baby. He then asked if I was a member of the ‘club.’ (The mile high one) When I told him no, he inquired if I wanted to become one.

Believe it or not, that was mild considering what I have experienced while in the friendly skies. I have been vomited on, cried upon, and once spent six grueling hours sitting at the gate in Philadelphia while the plane was de-iced. They wouldn’t let us get off the plane, heck, they wouldn’t even let us stand up.

That is truly the closest I have ever come to going completely and totally shitzo. And to add insult to injury, I was sitting next to a woman who was experiencing minor gastrointestinal distress. She made no excuses, or even attempts to mask her malady. She did, however, apologize.

At least I had that going for me.

But of all flying stories I have, by far the one that goes down in history is the time I was en route to Las Vegas. The weather was horrible, the turbulence was abundant, and I was sitting next to a man who was convinced we were going down.

To ease his fear, he drank himself into a comfortably numb state. I was relieved when he fell asleep, even though his head was on my shoulder. I was reading my book when he woke up, turned to me and said “Are we in Denver yet?”

Confused, I explained we were not going to Denver, we were going to Las Vegas.

He laughed at me and said “Funny.”

It hit me that he was not only extremely drunk, but very confused.

He fell back asleep and when we touched down, I stood up to get my bag from the overhead bin. He was still fast asleep and snoring. As I exited the plane, I told the flight attendant that the guy in row 12, seat B was still sleeping.

She glanced back at him, then said “Oh, that’s one of our Captain’s. He just got off an international flight and we are giving him a ride back home.”

Nice.

Needless to say, every single time I board a plane now, I look at the Captain.

If I ever see Captain Morgan sitting at the controls, I am going to stage the biggest coughing fit I can muster.

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

The tribe has spoken

mycoupons | 29 March, 2007 10:13

Thursday’s are reserved for your questions. I will answer anything within reason. Of course, I am not an expert on anything, but I do like giving advice and pretending I know what I am talking about.

Laura B. from Green Bay, Wisconsin sent the following question:

We (DH, me and 1 child) are having trouble making ends meet. We live paycheck to paycheck and never seem to have enough money. We rent an apartment and want to buy a house someday. We do not drive fancy cars or go on vacations. Dh and I are fighting all the time about money and I am about ready to crack. Do you have any ideas for me?

Well, Laura. First, breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

If your situation is really as grave as you portray, then I have to point out the obvious. The fact that you emailed this letter to me is the start point. Unless you telepathically sent me this message, I am going to assume you have internet service. I hate to tell you this, but that is an expense you can cut right away. Having access to the internet sure FEELS like a necessity, but it is a luxury. If you absolutely cannot live without checking your email or reading a re-cap of The Amazing Race- go to your local library, they have computers where you can access the internet for free.

You stated your situation is dire, so I am going to give you straight answers here.

If you are having trouble making ends meet, your problem is simple. Your ends are too big, or your means are too small. Or both.

If you have already cut out every imaginable expense you can, and are still having trouble making ends meet, then you need to make more money.

Cutting expenses is HARD. Almost inhumane. But, there are tons of things the average family spends money on that are not needed.

All you really need to sustain life is shelter, food, and clothes. Have you ever seen Survivor? Yes, seems archaic and extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Boy, do I have some desperate measures for you!

Cancel your internet service. Turn off your cable. Stop delivery of your home newspaper. Do not renew magazine subscriptions. Turn your home phone service to the lowest possible base plan. Turn lights and appliances off when not in use. Carpool. Drink water instead of soda or juice. If you smoke, quit. Use disposable diapers. Make your own baby wipes. Get movies from the library (You’ll be there using the internet anyway!) Cut your own hair. Do your own nails. Start a weekly potluck lunch at work. Eat hotdogs and macaroni for dinner instead of steak and asparagus. Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Shop at Goodwill and garage sales instead of the mall.

I could go on, but I think you get my point.

If you have to get a second job (or a first) do it. Same for your husband.

Put your dreams of home ownership on hold for now. You need to focus on the present. And don’t worry, you’re not missing much, the housing market stinks right now. With the cost of insurance and property taxes on the rise- homeowners are getting shafted.

Just remember, food, shelter and clothing. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING else is a pure luxury. And remember, it won’t be forever. A few months of living like a castaway can change your life.

You may realize you don’t miss some luxuries, and don’t need them back. You also may find that you are spending more time with your husband and your child, doing simple things, like playing tag outside.

I know it stinks. I have been there. But, a lot of sacrifice can pay off in the end. In more ways than one.

Your situation will not improve on its own. You have to change it.

Good luck,

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Privacy please

mycoupons | 28 March, 2007 06:30

* Editor’s note* some information contained in this post may be graphic.

When does information become TOO Much information? Or as my ten year old niece calls it - ‘TMI!’

As you know, the results of Anna Nicole Smith’s autopsy results were released on Monday. As if the statement by the Broward County Medical Examiner wasn’t enough- the actual autopsy report is available for public viewing. I am choosing NOT to publish a link to this, but it is something that can be found easily with Google.

Yes, she was a celebrity. Yes the circumstances surrounding her death were awkward, but, she was a human being. She loved, and was loved. Does she really deserve to have such personal information about a body that she obviously loved broadcast?

I certainly hope that if an autopsy is ever performed on me, the report will not be available for public viewing. Call me a private person, but I’d rather the world not know the contents of my stomach or the appearance of my genitalia.

My friend who emailed me the report was very excited at her discovery. She found it so ‘neat’ to be able to read all the sorted details of this poor woman’s body. I can understand the attraction- nobody likes other people’s business like I do- but the question begs to be answered, when is enough enough?

The internet has afforded us as a community so many things. The ability to find out very personal information on another is merely an extra. It shocks me the things an average person with a search engine and some time can find.

Why do we justify the encroachment on our neighbor’s privacy to be acceptable when we are sitting at our desks with American Idol playing in the back? The things we can find with the click of a mouse are things we would never imagine finding if it meant crawling through a window, and looking through our neighbor’s desk.

I am nosy. I freely admit that. One of my favorite movie quotes of all time is “If you don’t have something nice to say, come sit by me.” I am and always have been a gossip. I like other people’s laundry. Just not the dirty laundry.

For the purposes of this article, I researched my husband’s old football coach. I found things within seconds that I am sure he would rather I not have. I know his age, place of birth, address, phone number, where he went to college, that he got divorced in 1998, that he foreclosed on a house in 2001, and that he is currently looking for a SWF 35-50 who likes sports and doesn’t mind smokers. I also saw a picture of him in a very unflattering light.

I know intimate details of this man’s life, and as far as I know, the only tie I have to him is that he coached my husband twenty years ago. I have never met him or spoken to him. Yet, I could pick up the phone and call him right now. Or hop on a plane and show up at his front doorstep.

I feel that we as a society are becoming too lax in our own protection. We are posting too many details of our lives on our My Space, You Tube and Blogs. We are sharing what should be personal information with people we do not even know exist. Sadly, we are opening ourselves up to a whole lot of trouble.

Want to have a My Space? Fine! Be smart! Set it to private. Want to post pictures of yourself in compromising situations? Ok by me, just do it on a password protected page. You never know when that knock at the door could be trouble.

My daughter Lauren, (by the way that is NOT her real name) has become quite the computer guru. We have shortcuts set up for her to click on Noggin, Nick Jr., and Playhouse Disney. We also have parental controls in place which keep her from visiting other sites. She was at a friend’s house last week. She told her friend about Jo Jo’s Circus game on the Disney website. The friend got on her mother’s computer, and typed in Dizni.com. (Points for trying to spell!) Thank GOD the mother walked in just as Lauren was about to click on some links.

So what’s the point to this rant?? I don’t know. I am just scared for my children, and my children’s children. I am scared that we are becoming so desensitized to personal space and private information that by 2020, we will all be walking around with microchips on our foreheads.

If you have kids, PLEASE install parental controls on your computer. If you have a website, please be careful what you share.

And if you have a minute, go look up YOUR old high school coach. (I’m kidding!)

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

How would you like your eggs?

mycoupons | 27 March, 2007 06:11

If you were being sent to deserted island and could only take one item and one person- I suggest you take 1000 eggs and me.

My skin is so greasy, that you could literally fry an egg on it. GROSS!!

I saw my dermatologist last week. I again complained about my oily skin.

I have tried no less than fifteen soaps, lotions, and creams.

No matter what I did, my skin always looked like I had slathered on olive oil.

After hearing my rant, my dermatologist asked which I wanted first, the good news or the bad news.

I never know how to answer this question! I mean, if I take the good news first, no matter how elated I am, I will still be feeling queasy, because I know the bad news is just around the corner.

On the other hand, if I take the bad news first, I’ll be so pre-occupied with the horror I just heard that I will not get to relish in the good news to follow.

I opted for the bad news first.

“There is really not much more you can do.”

Ok. So I have been sentenced to life as a grease face. There are worse things, I suppose.

And the good news?

“You won’t have wrinkles when you get old!”

Well slap my butt and call me Sally! You mean when I am ninety-six peeing in my pants and calling out to my cat that died three decades earlier, I’ll still have the face of a thirty year old? Albeit a greasy one?? Sign me up!

Not exactly good news to me.

I care what my skin looks like now. Will I care what my skin looks like 60 years from now? I doubt it. 60 years from now, the only thing I plan on caring about is whether I wake up every day.

“There is one last thing you can try.” Dr. Death told me. “St. Ives apricot scrub.”

I started wondering how to book a flight to St. Ives, wherever that was, and how I was going to get their scrubby apricots back through customs.

“You can get it at Wal-Mart.” He offered.

Wal-Mart?!?!

I have had prescriptions filled for creams that have removed the top layer of my skin, prescriptions for soap that contained more alcohol than my dorm room refrigerator, and a $200 non-insurance covered prescription for a lotion that I had to wear GLOVES to apply. And he is telling me the holy grail of face cleansers is sold at Wal-Mart???

Off I went. To Wal-Mart (Not St. Ives) I picked up a bottle for less than $5.

I took it home, and was impressed that I didn’t have to don protective hazmat gear to apply it. I wet my face with warm water and started scrubbing. The scrub is made from apricot pits, and is very dry and rough. Once I rinsed it off, I did not look greasy.

I went about my next task, and when I checked the mirror ten minutes later, I was still NOT greasy.

An hour later, no oil. For the rest of the day, I remained oil free!

That was last Monday. It has now been a week, and I can honestly say that I am NOT oily. I use the scrub twice a day- morning and night and I look SO much better.

I emailed my dermatologist this morning: (He is a life-long friend of my parents, so I can talk to him like this!)

Dear Dr. Death,

I wanted to thank you and let you know that the St.Ives apricot scrub is working! My face is not oily, and I am so happy to have found this wonder wash! My skin is as dry as a desert, and I love it. Seeing as how I am a ‘have my cake and eat it too’ kinda girl, I was wondering if I could still retain the right to have no wrinkles when I am old.

P.S. I think it only fair that you take me on the next drug company paid vacation you are treated to. Since I have been your guinea pig for the last ten years, while you used my face to sell expensive prescriptions, I think you owe me this.

Sincerely,

Cici

He replied this evening:

Dear Cici,

How does Barbados in the spring sound? And, sorry to burst your bubble, but you were going to get wrinkles anyway. I was just trying to make you feel better.

Love,

Dr. Death.

I’m going to wash my face!

Until we meet again,
Cici
Cici@MyCoupons.com