Money Saving at the Local Grocery Store: Penny-pinching Diva

Penny-pinching Diva Strikes Again!

I know you know by now that I love to save money. I love coupons. I love sales. I love deals. So, when I found some today, I was ecstatic and decided to share the fun. So, here goes.

I went to my local grocery store, Pilgrim’s Food liner~which can be quite expensive~and found some great deals. I found bananas that were on clearance. These bananas were turning brown and about to ruin. So, why would I buy them? Simple. They were an awesome deal. I took the bananas and turned them into 2 great breakfast meals. They became banana nut bread, which I like to eat with my morning cappuccino, and they will become banana pancakes. Here is a great tip. Instead of using pecans in my banana nut bread. I used walnuts. They are cheaper, and once they are chopped up and added to the mix, they taste the same.

Since the holidays are over, I want to try to eat healthier. I found carrots on sale along with collard greens, Dole salad, and spinach. I love all of these, and they are healthy. So, win…win. I also got to receive a Box top for education. (This is an awesome program. Be sure to see if your school participates or to find a school that you can donate them to at http://www.boxtops4education.com/ )The coupon is located on the carrots. This will be collected and given to my local school. See. I am saving money and helping the local school.

(The bread smelt so good. I couldn't wait to eat it. So, I cut off a piece and had a bite.)

I didn’t use any coupons on this trip. Wow! My grocery does double couponing on Wednesdays. I love this, and I usually wait until Wednesdays to make most of my purchases, but today, I was just on a quick grocery run.

Well, my banana nut bread is ready. And, I will be digging in!

How the Holidays Can Ruin Your Sex Life

The Holidays Can Ruin Your Relationship

The holidays are here and you are so excited. You get extra time off from work to spend with your family and that special someone. Just think about it. Extra time to spend with your man. Things couldn’t be better, right? Wrong! The holiday can wreak havoc on your relationship.

Too Much Company

Too much of anything can be bad. And, having too much company can be deadly to your relationship. The holidays are when piles and piles of well-meaning relatives tend to show up. These guests~whether invited or not invited~can put a damper on your love life. For instance, you and your “Boo” want to spend some time together. But, how can you when your sister and all of her kids are running around the house. And, for some reason, these relatives don’t seem to find it necessary to excuse themselves when you and your special someone are trying to have a conversation or be romantic.

No Privacy

Okay, this one is any extension of the last one. During the holiday, it is almost impossible to have some private time. Whether at home or at work, people are everywhere. For some reason, the holidays and all of that sugar seem to dull people’s common sense. Friends and family seem to find it necessary to spend as much time with you as possible. So, they invite themselves along on “trips to the store” a.k.a. “bootie calls”. They bang on locked doors because they want to tell you something cute that your crazy uncle did. They eavesdrop on phone conversations. They snicker when you are kissing your significant other under the mistletoe or on New Year’s Eve.

Fatigue

The next romance killer of the holidays is fatigue. Let’s be honest. The holidays are exhausting. All that shopping, cooking, and pretending to be happy are enough to wear even the Duracell Bunny out. So, who has the energy for “romantic time”? Sure, your mind may be saying “yes”. You may even be in the mood. But, the need for sleep will trump the need for sex any day.

Packed Schedule

The holiday are fun. The holiday are exciting, and we all want to get it all in…the parties, the celebrations, the trips to see the extend family. Well, all of this fun can prevent you and your lover from having any fun. By trying to squeeze in everything, you can sometimes forget to leave time for just you and your spouse.

So, what can you do? Simple. Keep it simple. Don’t overschedule your time off. Say “no” to some of those party invitations. And, if the house is full of noisy, nosy relatives, dish out the money and head to a hotel for a few hours of alone time with your partner.

Keep the Receipts/Do the Survey

Keep the Receipt/Do the Survey

Tips on Saving Money and Getting Things for Free!

Okay, so you went shopping, and you have one of those pesky receipts. They are just trash or extra paper for you to dispose of. Wait. Before you throw that receipt away, read it!

Why in the world would you read a sales receipt? Because it will save you some money. If you take the time to do the survey on the receipt, you can get a lot of free perks. In my book, How to Pay Less for Everything and Even Get Some Things for Free, I talk about how you can save money with those pesky receipts. One great thing about those receipts is that most of the time the companies offer you rewards for taking their surveys.

Popeye’s chicken is currently offering two pieces of chicken and a biscuit with the purchase of a large drink. All of this will cost you about $2.40. Wow! This is great deal considering you are getting a meal for the price of a large drink.

Subway gives you a free cookie in exchange for your input. One cookie may not seem like a lot, but you can add to your lunch as a tasty snack. Remember, the goal is to save money and share my opinion.

Burger King offers you a free whopper just for your opinion. And, I love whoppers. I just pay for some fries and a small drink. Another quick and simple meal for less.

JCPenney offers you a 10% off discount for sharing your experience. This discount is good for the entire day. I used this coupon this weekend~which is tax free weekend~and save a bundle. I was able to purchase some jeans I had been wanting. I got the 10% discount. Plus the jeans were on sale, and I didn’t have to pay any tax. I was happy as a chicken looking at a June bug.

Office Depot gives you a $10.00 coupon that is good on a purchase of qualifying merchandise. I love this one because I just wait until I am out of both my colored and black ink, and then, I use my coupon. This saves me about $5.00 on each ink cartridge.

Wal-Mart, Fred’s, and Walgreen offer to add your name to a monthly drawing for cash and prizes. I am all for prizes. I haven’t won any yet, but I do know someone who has.

So, don’t throw that receipt away. Use it to voice your opinion, share your shopping experience, and get some things for free!

Revenge Sex: The Big Pay Back

 

Sexual Revenge

Okay, you have caught him cheating. Maybe, he confessed. No matter how you found out, you found out. And, it cuts like a knife. You trusted this man with your heart, and how does he repay you? He goes out and does this! Now, what do you do?

Do you leave him? Do you stay with him? Either way, you are out for blood. You want to make him pay for all the nasty things he has done to you. So, what is the best way to hurt him? The first thing that crosses your mind is to wound his pride like he had done yours. You want to humiliate him. And, what better way than to have revenge sex?

Well, girlfriend, let me tell you. That is one of the worst things that you can do. Why? Why should you stay straight when he has gone off the deep end? Because as much as you will hurt him, you will end up hurting yourself.

I get it. You’re mad right now. But, what about later? What happens when the smoke blows over? You will discover that you have been no better than him. And, what if the two of you decide that you want to work things out? How do you think your little indiscretion will play into all of that? If the two of you have children, how will this make them feel? And, most of all, how will you feel?

Yes, you are hurting, and you want to lash out. But, it is not worth it. Believe me. I know. I was the queen of revenge at one time in my life. Thankfully, as I have gotten older, I have gotten wiser. I have learned that having an affair just to punish him always backfires on you. You end up feeling cheap and betrayed. Revenge sex does not kill the pain of his betrayal.

So, what do you do? You find strength in yourself. You turn to God. You turn to your friends. You examine the situation and try to figure out what went wrong. You pick yourself up and move on. You don’t use your body as a pawn in a game.

So, sista, keep your head up! Brighter days are ahead.

The Handwriting on the Wall: Ignoring the Signs of a Break-Up

 

The Handwriting on the Wall

A while back, a young lady called me. She was very upset. In fact, she was literally in tears. Her boyfriend had finally called it off, and she was absolutely devastated. I did all that I could to comfort her and reassure her that everything was going to work out all right. The thing was this. I already knew this day was coming.

The young lady had been giving me calls for the past few months. She had been confiding in me about the problems that she and the young man had been having. And, for me, it was as plain as the nose on my face that things were not going to work out. She was a nice girl. She was pretty. She was working hard to get her education, and she was trying to motivate him to do the same. But, he simply wasn’t as gung-ho as she was about anything. He wasn’t as serious. While she wanted to settle down, he wanted to continue to play around.

I tried to warn her gracefully, but she just didn’t seem to get it. She was always finding a way to justify his behavior. But, the handwriting was on the way. Of course, I am a pretty good bit older than she is, and as the saying goes, “I been there and done that”. So, the break-up was no shock to me.

Well, I said all of that just to say this, “Wake up, ladies. Wake up.” Stop fooling yourselves. When he is not treating you the way that you should be treated…when he has checked out emotionally…when your heart starts whispering that he is being unfaithful…listen to your heart. Listen to your guts. Don’t close your eyes. See the handwriting on the way. Be aware that he is cheating. Be aware that he is getting ready to leave you. I recently wrote an eBook called, Hey Sista, Practical Advice for Women. It is sold on Amazon. In it, I give the warning signs of an impending break-up. Learn the signs. Watch the signs. Follow the signs. Guard your heart!

Knights In Shining Armor

 

Knights in Shining Armor

I can remember reading all those fairytales as a child. I can remember reading about the princess or damsel in distress and the wonderful, knight in shining armor coming to rescue her. I believed those stories and wanted to be rescued. My most of my young life I believed that a man could solve my problems. I kept thinking, “If I can just get married…I would have someone to help me pay these bills.  I would have someone to come home to…someone to talk to about my problems…someone to help me raise my kids.”

Praise God, I have finally woke up. I no longer center my life around my wedding~which has not come~but around what I can do for myself. I look to my own resources. I realize that even if there was a man here, it doesn’t mean that I will have the financial help that I have been longing for or the person to listen to my problems or the person to be here with me raising my children. I am not saying I will never marry, but I am so glad that I realize marriage is not everything. There are no knights in shining armor. Men have problems too. Marriage is a compromise. It would not be all about me and my needs. So, to all those women who are still unconsciously looking for a man to rescue them, I would like to say “Wake up!” Face reality. That man that you are waiting on to save you, maybe waiting on you to save him.

Build yourself up. Don’t spend your life looking for Mr. Right. To be honest, there is no Mr. Right. There are men who are more compatible with us than others. Learn to love yourself. Learn to be happy with the woman that you are. Before you know it, the man who is right for you will show up (if that is what you want).

So, good-bye Cinderella. Good luck Snow White. Good night Sleeping Beauty. No more kissing frogs, Tiana. I am doing just fine.