Disappointing weigh-in Wednesday...

I shouldn't be too upset considering I haven't been very active and I had an awful weekend of eating (Easter yumminess) but it would have been nice to see a weight loss this week.

Starting weight (with weekly weigh-ins): 206
Current weight: 206
Difference: 0

Also, the 10k is this weekend. *shudder*

Beginner Couponing 101

Let me start off by saying that I, myself, am totally a beginning coupon-er :)

I LOVE that everyone enjoys seeing the deals that I get and asks me for tips. I hope that along the way, I can get better and we can all help each other be savvy, saving shoppers!

Where do I get my coupons?
There are a TON of ways to get coupons. I subscribe to the Sunday-only Washington Post. Truthfully, I receive my subscription for free (currently) because I had left over flying flyer miles from when I worked at UVA and had to fly a lot.

Aside from the Washington Post, there are ways to get them online. I'm partial to coupons.com because I access their site through Swagbucks. By printing my coupons.com from the Swagbucks website, I get 10 Swagbucks for every coupon I redeem. This has helped me get (so far) $85 FREE dollars worth of Amazon.com giftcards. If you are interested in signing up for Swagbucks, click HERE and you can sign up! If you have questions about Swagbucks, let me know!

Links to print coupons:
Coupons.com (without signing up for Swagbucks)
Smart Source
Mambo Sprouts (organic and green living ones!)

How do I get the best deals possible?
My suggestions for getting the best deals possible are really easy but can take a little bit more time. I like to check the weekly advertisements to see what is on sale, then match my coupons to the sale items.

Stores like Target and Rite Aid have their own coupons. For Target, it is as simple as going to THIS website and printing them but for Rite Aid, you do have to watch their videos HERE - but it is worth it because for both Target and Rite Aid, you can use one of their store coupons PLUS a manufacturer's coupon (also called 'stacking').

Yes, it does take some time, but I do NOT spend that much time with my couponing. A little planning can go along way! A few ways to save big: take a few minutes to check the sales paper to see what is one sale, plan your menu for the week - perhaps plan around what's on sale, see what coupons you have to go along with your sale items. That's it! You're bound to save money with just a few easy steps.

How do I organize my coupons?
I'm not gonna lie, I have a binder. I love my binder. It is just a regular, three-prong binder. I picked up the little plastic holders that hold baseball cards and use those to display my coupons. I use one pocket per coupon so that it is easy to see which coupons I have. They aren't organized alphabetically, but because I can see the coupon through the plastic, it is easy to see which items I have coupons for when I'm at the store.

I also have a smaller, accordion-type folder that is often called a 'coupon organizer' or even a check organizer. I do use that sometimes when I have coupons that are stackable so that I appear organized when I go to the store.

How do I hear about deals, super double coupon days, etc?
Social media is a beautiful thing. I follow all sorts of grocery stores (Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Giant) through a variety of means: Twitter, Facebook and email listservs. I have a 'junk' email address that I use for shopping and list sign up so my 'real' email address isn't cluttered with sales and deals. Even if you don't get their emails or their hard-copy flyers, you can go to the grocery store websites and view their weekly ads. Also, you can create a shopping list so you'll know exactly what you are looking for when you go to the store!

Bonus information: Harris Teeter is having Super Double Coupon days starting tomorrow, Wed. April 27th through Tues. May 3rd! (The folks I follow on social media post this type of information every day! It's great!)

How do I get things for free?
I absolutely love getting things for free. A lot of companies use Facebook to advertise free items. Also, I follow a lot money saving blogs. I learned about these blogs from my little sister in my sorority - who also has her own savings blog now! From the blogs to other social media outlets, I've heard about many giveaways and it is always fun coming home to freebies in my mailbox!

A great site for free items is All You. You can sign up for their daily email and they will direct you to various to sites to sign up for the free item of the day, or give you instructions on how to receive the free thing.

Some of my favorite deal blogs (who you can also follow on Twitter and Facebook for some) include:
Money Saving Mom
Deal Seeking Mom
Smart Couponing
Living Rich with Coupons
A Happy Saver

A final suggestion for blogs/deal sites is to look up some in your area. For example, if I want deals specific for the Northern Virginia area, there are two blogs I go to:
Capitally Frugal
Coupon Cravings

Any final tips or suggestions?
Couponing can be fun and it can save you money but I advise you to proceed with caution. Yes, it might be awesome to get a lot of things for free or for pennies but unless you have the space and want to be prepared for the next 150 years, it's NOT necessary to be an extremely extreme couponer. Also, it is important to make sure you are using coupons for items you need or would be purchasing without the coupon. If you buy something just because you have a coupon and you don't use the item, you have lost money.

Also, from a nutritional stand point, make sure those foods you buy with coupons aren't overly processed; it can be so easy to get sucked into purchasing foods that aren't high quality because you have a coupon.

As I get better in my couponing, I'll post follow-up posts but for now: What do you think? How can we help each other become savvy, smart shoppers? Feel free to post suggestions below!

Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna...

Guess what we're doing?!

We're gettin' hitched...again :)

We didn't have a wedding when we got married (eloped, courthouse style), but we have always wanted an actual wedding to share with our friends and family.

Our anniversary falls on a Saturday this year so it is perfect timing :) With the small window of time and limited resources, our ceremony and reception will be small but lovely, about 50 or so people. Unfortunately we won't be able to invite everyone but we hope people will understand our wish to keep things on the smaller side.

We will have more details to share in the coming weeks!

Note: that is not my wedding dress but it was one I tried on for fun :)

Weigh-in Wednesday: Round One

Today was the first Wednesday without my regular blog posting on That's Fit.

Note to self: just because you don't have that blog assignment anymore doesn't mean you can be eat everything in sight and stop working out.

Noted.

So, as promised I will continue to blog here but I am also going to take a weekly photo on Wednesdays of the scary numbers on my scale and post here which adds yet another layer of accountability...and a dash of humbling humility.

Truthfully, tthe number today wasn't as bad as I expected.

Goal: get back to overweight not obese status (202).

Rite Aid Trip

So I am slow to start shopping/saving at Rite Aid, but I think I did pretty good:
-Vitamin D softgels
-Two bags of halls
-Tampons
-Breathe Right strips
-1L bottle of Listerine
-2 cadbury creme eggs (yuck - for Peter)
-2 reese's eggs (also for Peter and yes one is missing from this picture)

Originial total: $32.27
Paid out of pocket: $4.40
Total saved: $27.87 or a savings of 86% (I think...my math struggles)

Win!

Financial Peace University - Officially Registered!

I am super excited! I registered for BFF Dave's Financial Peace University (FPU) Friday! The instructor had an extra kit so I was able to pick it up ahead of the start of our class!

FPU runs for 13 weeks starting in May! Woo hoo!

Five years ago, the world stood still...

Every year, I re-post this blog somewhere with very minor updates. I wrote it shortly after everything that happened at Virginia Tech. For me, it is so important to reflect on what happened so that the memory of those 32 victims doesn't fade away. For some people, it is just a spot in history, but for me, it is part of my life.

"This is a tragedy in American history. so for today, forget any and all of your college affiliations. For today, We are all Hokies."

My heart hurts.

I really can't explain the amount of pain the events that happened at Virginia Tech truly caused. I know there are various levels of grief and I wonder if I'll ever move past the "shock/not being able to accept" phase...even four years later.

My dear sweet Hokies, while you are with us in spirit, you have so many friends, families, strangers who wish nothing more for you to be with us physically. To my friends, Ryan, Caitlin and Erin, I've had dreams where you are alive and well...waking from those dreams causes an eerie sense of reality. Ryan, to hear your outrageous laugh, would literally be music to my ears...

There's just so much pain that simply won't go away, and it never will. The Hokie Spirit and community is one of pride, but we still feel so much pain. The Hokie community, one that is so loving and warm, was struck with an enormous amount of evil that shook each of us to our very core.

The questions that linger...all of the "whys" and "what ifs," that might never have an answer. The fact that one individual could take the innocent lives of 32, injury 23, disrupt the peace of a school community of 28,000 and to make the world look at Virginia Tech in sheer and utter disbelief.

One. One person. One individual. One former student, who walked our halls, our campus, shared in our community. One.

One. One school. One spirit. One legacy that will not compromised by the actions of one.

I miss you, Virginia Tech.

We use this quote a lot in sorority life, but to those who are severely immersed in the Hokie culture as a student, alumni, faculty or staff member - the love that we feel towards our sweet Virginia Tech - rings true more and more each day, "From the outside looking in, you don't understand and from the inside looking out, you can't explain." There are simply no words to explain my love and adoration for the campus and spirit that was my life for five years and that continues to stay with me.

When I say that I am a graduate of Virginia Tech – a proud "double" Hokie – I say that with so much love and pride. When people give me the sad, "Oh I'm so sorry" look or don't really know how to respond, I sometimes just want to say: April 16^th is NOT Virginia Tech.

The students, the resilience, the Hokie Spirit, the academic excellence, the community, the mountains, the Drillfield, the residence halls, the outlaying area, the cheers ringing out from Lane Stadium, the thunder of a new sense of belonging for our basketball team, the overall athletic and academic prestige, the research, the amazingly gifted and talented students and faculty, the reasons that I could go on for days with this list – THIS is Virginia Tech.

We will NOT be defined as "the school where the shootings happened." We will be remembered for all of the greatness and esteem that our traditions, spirit and continued excellence exude.

This has been the longest but at the same time shortest four years. I still remember April 16, 2007 like it was yesterday...

Ashley had come to visit me for the weekend in Blacksburg and she was going to leave on Sunday, the 15th but ended up staying until Monday. I was going to go into the Theme Housing Office but was actually going to go to Charlottesville that day. As she was about to leave, everything began to unfold. I remember her calling me when she was on the interstate saying there were police cars and ambulances coming in every direction.

I turned on the tv in shock and disbelief that there was a shooting in West AJ...the same West AJ that the year before I had worked inside of as a community advisor and as advisor to some of the residents in that residence hall. Then the phone calls, emails and ims began saying that one of my friends who was an RA had been shot, but that he would be pull through...unfortunately, that was not the case. You probably saw Ryan's beautiful smile plastered on your tv; oddly enough I had been prepared to see that smile in person later that evening at a special program devoted to the ten-year anniversary of the Imaginarium (special RA programming and resource room on campus).

The nightmare didn't end there and we all know the rest of the awful story. I remember watching some of Caitlin's residents on tv being interviewed and saying that they were worried about her and hoped that she was safe...only to find out that yet another beautiful Hokie, a student I had meetings with and had a working relationship with, was also taken from us.

The following day all of the names had not been identified but the lead facilitator to the freshman class I co-taught sent an email to each of our students making sure they were safe. Later, I went into the theme office and one of my former colleagues asked if I knew the news. What news? Two students from the WING (the theme program I co-taught) had also died. I remember screaming right then and there when she read Erin's name.

I feel like every single time I think, dream, read, etc. anything involving the tragic events of April 16th that I am in a really, really awful movie. There are some wounds that never heal. While we try our best to move on, it is an image and constant reminder to the pain, terror and fear that we lived.

Alesha and I went to Poor Billy's for dinner the same day all of the additional information came out from NBC and there were reporters every where. One lady tried talking to me us, twice, and thankfully Alesha was composed enough to tell her nicely that we weren't interested in talking because words were not coming from my mouth, only sobs...

Nikki Giovanni's poem at the Convocation Ceremony was beautiful. As she said, "no one deserves a tragedy." It was poignant and thoughtful but also filled with strength and passion to begin the long road to recovery.

"We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. we are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech."

Dr. Zenobia Hikes did so much for our Hokie Community to help us regain our sense of belonging, even though we had lost our beautiful innocence. She was a powerful woman in a petite frame and lead us in a much-needed round of "Let's Go Hokies!" that day. She too, is missed as she passed away a couple years ago due to a heart condition, but she is a permanent fixture in our Virginia Tech family.

My heart hurts, but my love has never been more powerful. Leaving Blacksburg has been - and continues to be - one of the most difficult situations for me. Not because of what happened in April, but because of all the beautiful, exciting, wonderful experiences that happened in the years that I spent in Blacksburg. Thank you, Virginia Tech.

Mobile blogging?

This. Is. Awesome.

I am blogging. From my phone. Faaantastic!

I apologize in advance for the random blogging that is sure to happen :)

Also, hello to anyone finding this blog by way of my That's Fit blog! Thank you for joining me over here as I continue my quest for fitness!

New Tires! BFF Dave would approve.

So today, April 13th 2011, I am getting new tires on my kia sportage.

Why on earth is this important?

It's quite the accomplishment really. Since around October/November, I've been on a crusade to save money, reduce spending and payoff debt. It - in one word - sucks. It's hard, it makes life even more difficult than it already was and it can sometimes be frustrating.

Today is one of those moments where I feel like my hard work is paying off. New tires are not cheap. Peter put a little bit towards them because he wanted to make sure I had very good, very safe tires but I saved $530. I DID IT. For three months, I've tucked away $10 here or $20 there. Our tax return was small, but we decided to put that towards the tires. Whenever I spent under my budget on groceries or other things for the month, that went towards my tires. Instead of buying a new shirt or new pants, I threw that money towards my tires. Whenever I had any spare money at all, it went into my "Tire Fund" envelope.

Other than housing or the down payment on my car, these tires are probably the largest purchase (in terms of the amount of money) that I have made. I know that perhaps $530 doesn't sound like that much money, but to me, it's a mini-fortune! AND I SAVED IT!

The best part about it, is that I paid cash for new tires without having to add to my enormous amount of debt - woo hoo! Yay! This is my first of hopefully many 'paying cash' milestones :)

I *really* needed this accomplishment because I've been really down the past week. I started last week with two additional sources of income. While not much, they did provide a nice little bit of padding for my savings account. This week, both of those side jobs have ended - which is fine. We are going to be ok; these jobs were helping to fund my next savings goal ($2000 saved) so it will just take me a little bit longer to get there.

Another thought that weighed heavily on my mind was the possible government shutdown. Neither Peter or I work for the government; however, most of his customers where he works are government contractors or employees. If they had shutdown, it is highly likely Peter's income would have suffered.

But it made me question how would we survive if either of us either lost our jobs or if we were laid off for an undetermined amount of time? It is a really scary thought! My goal after reaching the $2000 saved mark is to try and get enough in savings that we would have one-month of expenses stowed away for our emergency fund. I know that BFF Dave wants you to have your debt paid off before working on your three to six month emergency fund, but life is way too uncertain and we must all be prepared for the unexpected.

So, more cuts will be made to my budget. Through couponing, planning ahead and looking at various grocery store sales, my goal for the rest of April is to trim $30 each week off of our grocery budget which would lower our grocery budget each week to $50. It will be a challenge, but through savvy shopping and proper planning it is totally doable!

Goals for the remainder of April:
1. Register and pay for BFF Dave's Financial Peace University class being offered in Leesburg starting in May.
2. Cut grocery budget by $30 the last two weeks of grocery shopping for April thus allowing me to pay for said class.
3. Using the final round of paychecks from the side jobs to reach $2000 goal.
4. Plan out May's budget.

I can do this. I will do this. And again, I do apologize if I seem boring or ridiculous about saving money. I'm just so determined to be debt-free by the time I'm 35...and considering I have approximately $55,000 (remainder on car + student loans), I have a looooong way to go. I refuse to waste money right now.

Everything I spend money has a line item in my budget. If it's not in the budget, it doesn't happen. You may be thinking, but Ashley if you are saving money, the doesn't that mean you can spend it? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Emergency funds are intended for emergencies, not for going out with friends, new clothes, shoes, random things that look nice. Emergency funds are there when true catastrophes happen (job loss, death in the family, major illness). If you don't have an emergency fund, I highly suggest you start one. BFF Dave suggests a $1000 fund to start (or even $500 depending on your monthly income and expenses). Currently, we live paycheck to paycheck. If either of us were to miss out on a paycheck, our ability to pay our bills would be jeopardized so trust me when I say this: if we can get an emergency fund, you can too!

Looking for ways to save money? Perhaps some of these thoughts will help:
Do you really need cable? Internet? Nope. (We don't.) Those are luxuries, not necessitates.
Do you really need to spend a ton of money on groceries? Nope. Be a smart shopper!
Do you really need a fancy coffee drink every morning? Nope. You will survive. I promise.
Do you really need a new pair of pants? Nope. There will be plenty of clothes to purchase - when you are out of debt.

Also? Every time I feel discouraged or feel like I'm not getting anywhere, I'll just look at those new tires and receive an instant dose of encouragement.