Cheapskate

I am a penny pincher. A cheapskate. A tightwad. And I'm proud of it. I really don't like to spend my money on anything. When I do break down and spend a little (or a lot), I always feel like I'm spending too much. I like getting stuff for free (and I often do) but my FAVORITE thing is when companies pay ME to take their stuff (and they sometimes do).

Most of the time being a penny pincher is great. (Remember when I got $170.00 worth of groceries for $1.50? That was sooooo cool!) With a little effort, I can find (almost) anything on sale. But sometimes, being a penny pincher REALLY STINKS.

Take for example, exhibit A: Tonight, Garrit and I went to Target to buy a few essentials. We checked out and Garrit paid for the groceries. I was busy with Drew so I didn't calculate before hand how much our purchases would cost. When I heard the checker say, "$101.98" I nearly fainted! "What in the world did my crazy husband buy?" I thought to myself.

While happy-go-lucky Garrit was pushing our shopping cart and baby to the car, I frantically checked our receipt. I stopped in my tracks as I read the first item on the list.

Cream of Weber Orange Juice... $4.99

"What! That's outrageous! What a scam!" I cried as onlookers quickly escaped to their vehicles wearing warm, winter coats and cold, contemptuous looks. "How can they charge $4.99 for a gallon of orange juice???" I yelled. "A can of orange juice concentrate costs 99 cents at Wal-Mart!"

Then came the melt-down. I won't tell you all the gory details. I'll just say that as I read the receipt aloud there in the Target parking lot, I had a "tantrum" (to put it lightly). That was about 2 hours ago and there is still a hint of steam billowing out of my ears.

Garrit has been very patient with his penny pinching wife. He likes to save money too. However, sometimes (like tonight) my frantic frugality frustrates him. We didn't buy anything REALLY expensive at Target; just some jeans for Garrit, jammies and socks for Drew, and ingredients for the curry I'm making for dinner tomorrow night. So, why did I freak out in the parking lot and totally embarrass my husband and sister? Like I said earlier, "sometimes being a penny pincher REALLY STINKS".

So, I'm sorry, Garrit and Sarah, for the rampage. And I'm going to try not to worry about the 5 dollar orange juice, the 4 dollar carrots and the 25 dollar jeans. And I'm going to be thankful for all the really, really cheap things in life. Like beans. And 75 cent bread at the Hostess Bakery outlet. And the "as-is" section at Ikea.

The End.

P.S. If you like to save money too, check out www.pinchingyourpennies.com.

You're Ridin' It, Dude!

My husband is so cool. Here he is indoor surfing.



Indoor surfing! Why didn't I think of that? Now Utah really does have it all!

Anyway, the Flowrider is this machine up in Ogden that shoots jets of water so powerful you can surf (or boogie board) on them. On Friday we went up to Ogden with Schmath, Ryan, and Ben. The boys got their surf on inside while the girls window shopped outside in the bitter cold. Yeah, us girls were pretty jealous. It looked like a blast!

So, next time we're in Ogden, I'm going surfing!

Anyone else want to go?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some things I'm thankful for:

Smarty Pants

Here are a few of Drew's new tricks.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's Drew, Pardner

My dad just commented on this slide show. I had to post what he said becuase it's so funny.

Dad: "This is how Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers got their start."

"Drew is a good name for a cowboy. If the bad guy says "Draw", Drew might say, "It's "Drew" pardner". The bad guy will pause to think, "drew or draw? Present tense or past?", difusing the tension."

Isn't he funny?