Coupons

So last night I finally went grocery shopping. We were long overdue and starting to spend money on just grabbing food to go because we didn't have much to cook with. Since it had been more than two weeks and I needed a lot of cleaning and pet supplies I knew it was going to be expensive. But I took the time to actually go through some of the coupons I had clipped, made a list (which I only deviated from for two items - chips and salsa), and then bought store brand or sale items whenever possible.

I am psyched - I saved $33 just in coupons and sales. That seemed like a lot to me. And I found out that Kroger doubles manufacturers coupons. So that deodorant that was already on sale with a $.50 coupon ended up costing like $.73 instead of $3.

You will now start to see me like those little old ladies with their coupon organizers walking around the store.

Springtime

On my walk with Ahab yesterday morning.

A Space for Creativity

I cleaned out my studio on Sunday and when I walked in last night to get something I was so pleased to see it looking ready for a new project. The cut out squares of fabric waiting to be sewed into napkins were nicely folded in a pile. The desktop was totally clean. My knickknacks were all happily displayed. I actually got really excited to do something creative this weekend.

I came across this series of writer's rooms through The Guardian UK. And then this one of artists' studio spaces. Anyhow it got me thinking about how lucky I am that I can even have one small space to myself.

at least one of us isn't worried

I have confirmation that what we've noticed in our home the past six months is a shared phenomenon. Ron's work has been steadily increasing despite our concerns that tattoos would be considered a luxury in today's weak economy.

On my way into work yesterday morning there was a piece on NPR's Marketplace about how well the tattoo industry as a whole seems to be doing. I'm trying not to question why it remains successful and just be thankful that Ron's getting the business.

Tattoo Barbie

Apparently Mattel has released a new "Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie". If anything it just shows how mainstream tattoos have become in our culture.

Apparently some parents apparently find it offensive - despite the fact that Barbie doesn't come with tattoos and that what you can use are all temporary. In this news article, one parent notes "I think it's attracting kids too young that want to expose parts of body to show off tattoos." It struck me because A. most people don't get tattoos to show off body parts. Unless they are exhibitionists in which case they'll show them off anyhow and B. it assumes that people get tattoos only in areas which wouldn't normally be shown off. I mean, if I didn't have tattoos on my arms, it wouldn't be a big deal to wear a sleeveless shirt right?

If I were still little and getting this Barbie, I would likely want to decorate her myself with more permanent tattoos. Like the many times that I tried to cut my Barbie's hair only to find out that if you kept cutting she had this weird tri-mohawk where the hair was sewn into her head.

Worrying

So the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran an article yesterday discussing the possibilities of further lay-offs and possible furloughs for university system employees. At this point, all we can do is conjecture about what will result. I've been lucky so far, but I feel like I need to plan for the worst just in case.

I know that people everywhere are dealing with lay-offs and lost income and job searches. But it is scary to try to plan a wedding (even a very small, fiscally responsible one) during times like this. It's also incredibly frustrating to feel like we're really doing well at this point in aggressively paying down debt, living below our means, and taking responsibility for it all and that could easily be derailed if we lose income. Sometimes it can feel really defeating that we're taking these hits and we've been trying to be responsible.

Worst case scenario - I lose my job entirely. Here's what I'm guessing would happen. We'd have no health insurance at all. We'd have no long term savings. We'd have to take on a roommate to help with rent & utilities. We'd have to cancel the wedding. Paying down debt wouldn't happen for a long long time. Ugh. It's depressing.

To end on a more positive note, in the meantime, we'll be constricting our spending (I know this is one reason the economy sucks) and socking as much into savings and debt as we can.