Can I get a loan for a hair cut?

When did getting your hair done necessitate taking out a second mortgage? For me personally, if I want my hair cut, colored and styled it will cost me $150 at the salon in my town that hasn't made me look like the end of a Q-Tip or had me sporting a pond-scum color. I enjoy getting my hair done, but honestly, I can think of at least 150 other things I could do with $150. So, I usually end up needing or doing something else instead. I haven't had my hair done since July. Yes, I said July. I tried coloring it myself. It was supposed to be Soft Brown. At least that is what the box said. And the model on the cover had beautiful soft brown hair. I'm guessing now it was either her natural color or a good use of PhotoShop (probably the later). My hair, on the other hand, was a light reddish brown. More emphasis on red than brown here. Oh well, I had to embrace my red self because I had 150 other things I needed to spend $150 on.

Today, I took my daughter to get her hair done. She has not had it professionally done in two years. Yes, I said two years. Needless to say, my daughter's hair was in desperate need of some professional help. It was beyond dry, broken off and had more split ends than a freshly plowed wheat field. I've tried to do my daughter's hair. Really, I have. But her hair is of a different texture and requires different care than anyone in my family. I was in way over my head and needed to call in the professional. "Bruce" was wonderful. He didn't berate me too badly over the condition of her hair. He guided me through exactly what he was doing and what it was going to take to get my daughter's hair back to a shiny and healthy state. Several treatments of this, several trims here, this shampoo, that conditioner, this moisturizer, that creme, this spritzer..... (I will state here, for the record, that he was not trying to sell me any products. And I did not purchase any either. He was simply informing me of what needed to be done.) Dollar signs were flashing through my mind like an out of control cash register. To be realistic, I KNOW I've spent as much, if not more, in all the wrong products for her hair in a feeble attempt to repair it myself. I finally passed out when he told me that what she really needed in a few months, once he was able to get the hair all healthy again, was a special treatment. A $300 treatment! I knew she needed this treatment. I had been told by others many times before (none hair professionals, but with similar hair). They had just avoided telling me how much this treatment would cost. I guess they know me all too well and figured I would find 300 OTHER things to do.

After her first appointment, her hair is beautiful. It is soft and silky. Not coarse and frizzy, like it would always be when I did it.  Lesson learned.

PS: I've decided to start accepting Hair Treatment Donations.

Bren

My name is Bren, and I coupon.

I've said before that I am a couponer. Yes, I am one of those people who holds up lines, questions the cashier when something doesn't ring up correctly, and there is usually a manager involved at some point. Now, I am a couponer, but I am NOT an extreme couponer. I have never been able to go into the grocery store and spend $4.39 on a $16 million order. I am happy when I can save more than I spend.

People have asked me how long I've been couponing. Well, that depends on how you look at things. I started clipping coupons when I first got married (22 years ago). I got more aggressive about it when our kids came along. But, and this is a BIG but, I always forgot to take them with me to the store! I would have boxes, envelopes, bags and organizers full of coupons.... all sitting in the cabinet. I would occasionally remember to take some with me, but then would realize on the way home that I forgot to give them to the cashier. Oh yes, I was one extreme couponer! Now flash forward 22 years. I was watching that show on TLC. You know the one. And thought, "Hey, I want groceries that will feed my family of five for a month for $.74." I mean, who wouldn't? Right?? So, I got organized. I found a binder, had some old baseball card sleeves and got up at 6:00 am on Sunday morning to buy 8 papers. I clipped and clipped and clipped and clipped and clipped. I sorted and sorted and sorted and sorted and sorted. Then I decided that 8 papers was really too much. Since then, I've scaled down to two papers (much more manageable), unless I find out that there is going to be a REALLY good coupon in the paper.

This new organized me started in May. Since then I can honestly say that I have saved over $2,000. I buy things only when they are on sale or I have a coupon. The best savings is when you can combine sales and coupons. I do not have a basement piled high with enough food and toiletries to supply Somalia for a year. But, I do have enough for my family for at least a little while.

So, I wanted to share my Harris Teeter trip with you. This week the great grocery chain was having Super Doubles. Meaning, they would double the value of any coupon with a printed value of up to $1.98 (usually stores only double coupons that are up to .99). This means that all of my $1 off coupons have instantly become $2 off, and my $1.50 coupons are now $3 off. You get the idea. So anyway, I went last night and the store had been cleared. There was nothing left of the things on my list. * I will note here that I am NOT a shelf clearer.* This morning, I heard through the couponing grapevine that Harris Teeter had restocked their shelves. The angels were singing and I heard their calls!

Here's what I was able to get today:
4 packages of Sargentos shredded cheese
2 boxes of Trix cereal
2 boxes of Honey Nut Chex cereal
1 Sara Lee pound cake
8 Totinos pizzas
2 packages of Pepperidge Farms Goldfish
2 boxes (24 ct) Eggo waffles
2 packages of Pillsbury brownie delights
2 bottles of Tropicana orange juice
1 carton of Minute Maid orange juice
1 gallon of milk
3 containers of Activia yogurt
2 packages of English muffins
4 packages of Oscar Meyer turkey hot dogs
2 large bags of Snyder's tortilla chips
1 3-packs Orbit gum
2 squeeze bottles of Parkay butter
1 package of Old El Paso Tortilla stuffers
1 box Cocoa Pebbles cereal
1 box of Honey Comb cereal

I paid $60.36, and according to my receipt, I saved (drum roll, please) $108.88.

Also, notice that everything I bought is BRAND NAME (except the milk & English muffins, which were HT brand). My family had been living off generic for so long, they forgot what the "real" stuff looked & tasted like! Before, a typical trip to the grocery store would run between $250-$300, EVERY week! I am proud to say that I have dropped that amount significantly.

So how much are you saving?

Bren

Thankful Thursday

It is Thursday, so that means it is Thankful Thursday today.

So, what am I thankful for today?

1. Toilet paper
(Remember, it will always be at the top of my list. And, there are some days where I am a little more thankful than others that I have plenty of it.)

2.  Coupons
Yes, I am a couponer. I'll talk about this another time. But today I'm thankful that I had coupons and was able to get three free shirts!

3.  My comfy bed
Where I do most of my blogging.

4.  Red Box
DVDs for $1, and if you've got coupons they're usually FREE!

5.  Facebook
Depending on whose status I'm reading, I can feel either very old or pretend that I am still young and hip.

6.  Tomorrow is payday!
No explanation necessary on this one.

7.  I won free pizza today!
Yum!

8.  There was one last Diet Dr. Pepper in the fridge.
DH and I decided to give up all soda buying, so I am savoring my last one!

9.  Fairly normal hair
Tried to get a picture of a lady I saw last night at a restaurant whose hair extended at least 12" ABOVE her visor. 

10.  That my teen-aged sons know how to do their own laundry.
Teen-age boy clothes STINK!!

What are you thankful for today?


Bren

Fun Facts Friday

Yes, I know it's Saturday, but if I did everything in a timely manner I would not be an Incurable Mess, now would I??

Today I am dedicating this blog to all of our government officials.

1.  In Indiana, it is illegal to take a bath between the months of October and March.
Note to self: do NOT go to Indiana for Christmas.

2.  In Baldwin Park, California it is illegal to ride a bike in a swimming pool.
Well dang...

3.  It is against the law in Hawaii to put a coin in your ear.
But it didn't say anything about putting it up your nose.

4.  In New York, it is illegal for a woman on the street to wear "body hugging clothing". However, it IS legal for a woman to go topless in public, as long as it is not being used as a business.
No comment...

5.  It is illegal to eat ice cream on Sundays in Oregon.
That is why today is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day. An excuse to eat the whole container today.

6.  In West Virginia, it is perfectly legal to take home roadkill for supper.
Strangely, I'm not surprised.

7.  A recently passed law in Texas requires criminals to give at least a 24 hour notice to their victims, either verbally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
Hey buddy, I'm going to break into your house tomorrow night at precisely 10:45 pm. Please make sure to turn your alarm off and put your dog up. Thanks.

8.  An elephant may not be used to plow cotton fields in North Carolina.
Well, now what I am going to do with Jumbo?

9.  Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands in order to legally wear false teeth.
I wonder if those who are unmarried or widowed must only eat pudding and oatmeal?

10.  It is illegal in the state of Florida to fart in a public place after 6 pm.
I know so many people who would be arrested for this one!

Bren

Thankful Thursday

Well, it is Thursday again, so I guess that means it is time for Thankful Thursday...

I have discovered a new show on Lifetime that is strangely addictive. Dance Moms follows a handful of mothers whose preteen daughters are competitive dancers at a studio in PA owned and operated by a-piece-of-work coach named Abby. As a "Cheer Mom" of a preteen competitive cheerleader, I find that I have a lot in common with these mothers. Like them, I put hundreds of miles on my car each month taxiing my daughter to and from practice. Like them, I spend hours upon hours each week volunteering my time to do whatever is needed, spending more time at the gym than I do at home. Like them, I want my daughter to succeed at what she loves. So, what exactly am I thankful for? I am thankful for all the many ways that I and the other cheer moms are NOT like them.

1.  To my knowledge, the police have never been called to escort one of our parents off the premises.

2.  We are a boring bunch. Which is why, I'm sure, Lifetime has not come knocking on our door.

3.  With mere minutes before our kids hit the stage, we are in the front row ready to cheer them on, not at the bar getting hammered.

4.  We know that our coaches truly love each and every one of our kids, just as if they were their own. As a result, our kids love their coaches.

5.  We get along. Really. For the most part, we do. And I am thankful for the many dear friends that I have made at the gym.

6.  Our coaches would NEVER ever let our kids dress or dance like prosti-tots.

7.  We are not paying $16,000 a year! Although, I haven't actually added it up....

I could go on and on. But the bottom line is, I am thankful that I am not on national television, because with the right editing, I guess anyone can look like a psycho.

What are you thankful for?

Bren

Random Ramblings

I always seem to have random thoughts in my head, and usually there is a conversation or two. I am rarely at a loss for words, and this week I will share some with you.

1.  I really really want to "accidentally" step on the back of someone's pants who are wearing them so low they are hanging off their butt and are having to use one hand to constantly pull them up. I'm sure it probably wouldn't faze them, but it would give me great satisfaction.

2.  Shooting milk out of your nose actually burns a little, but not as much as soda.

3.  As I get older, I have found that I have more things in common with Whoopie Goldberg. Only, I'm not willing to make a commercial about them.

4.  A wet dog stinks really bad. However, a wet dog who was playing with a dead animal and is now asleep and passing gas is even worse.

5.  I must rely on other people's memories of my childhood, because I can't remember a thing.

6.  If you take the time to clip and plan with coupons, you can save a lot of money. And tick off all the people in line behind you at the same time.

7.  Americanized Mexican food is better than Mexicanized American food.

8.  If you really want to embarrass your teenagers, mow the grass in a tube top and curlers.  
Note: I have never done this, since I have broken all child labor laws by having my offspring mow the grass themselves. However, the thought has crossed my mind....

9.  No matter how hard you try, there are some children that you just cannot "trick" into eating generic.

10.  The advantage of having maxed out credit cards, an empty bank account and bad credit is that nobody wants to steal your identity.

Bren

Fun Facts Friday

It's officially Friday, so time for Fun Facts Friday!

1.  Watching an hour-long soap opera burns more calories than watching a three-hour baseball game.

2.  Pearls melt in vinegar.
Do not try this one at home, especially if the pearls are not yours.

3.  Every citizen of Kentucky is required by law to take a bath at least once a year.
I'm not sure I would want to be the person that has to enforce this one!

4.  However, if you lived in Boston in 1845, you had to have a doctor's prescription to bath.

5.  There is enough energy in one bolt of lightning to power a home for two weeks.
Just think how much we could save on our electric bills!

6.  The ears of a cricket are located on the front legs, just below the knee.

7.  In New York, it is illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.
But I guess it's okay if the trolley has stopped.

8.  In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter to church.
However, bad toupees are perfectly legal, no matter how much they make someone laugh.

9.  The only nation whose name begins with an "A", but doesn't end in an "A" is Afghanistan.

10.  In Michigan it is illegal to place a skunk inside your bosses desk.
To the other 49 states.... please send me a video if you do this!

Note: All facts listed here were found on a new app I downloaded onto my phone. A really cool app that gives me hours of fun when in a meeting, however I cannot take responsibility if they are not true.

Bren