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Creating a better me.

I have a stack of self-help books on my nightstand. I’ve read about half of each of them. I start one, but then I find something else about myself that I need to fix, scour the internet obsessively for the book that will change my life, and cast the first book aside. Over and over and over again.

I’ve got books about dieting, books about not dieting, books about listening to my kids, and books about making sure my kids don’t end up hating each other. I’ve got books about compulsive eating, books about how to get my kids to eat (but not too much!), books about living wholeheartedly, and books about managing money.

I’ve mastered none of these skills.

Yet I continue to search, to find the one thing that will fix whatever is broken inside me.

But I don’t know what that is. I continue to treat the symptoms, not the disease. I find something new to obsess about pretty much on a daily basis. My google search button is just about worn out. I’d say I don’t know where to start, but clearly starting isn’t the problem. It’s finishing that I am unable to do.

Maybe it’s my fear of failure. If I follow through with something – if I finally give up carbs or set a strict budget or take the right vitamins – what if it doesn’t work? What if my unnamed issues – whatever they are – are still there?

Then what?

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Two-timing at the drug store

Happy Monday! I didn’t make it out to go drugstore whoring  coupon shopping until Friday last week, so today you’re getting treated to last week’s shopping trip and this week’s shopping trip. You lucky dogs! Last week I just went to Rite Aid. Here’s what I got:

Last week's Rite Aid trip
Last week’s Rite Aid trip

 

Two children’s Advil $4.99 each = $9.98

Two Chapstick, 2 for $3

1 Colgate MaxWhite, $3.50

total = $16.48

coupons I used:

-$5 off two Advil Rite Aid coupon that printed on the bottom of my receipt last time I was there

-$2 two $1 off Advil coupons from coupon inserts

-50 cents Colgate coupon from coupon inserts

-$1 Rite Aid Chapstick email coupon

-$1/2 Chapstick coupon from inserts

-$3 +UP Rewards from last Rite Aid shopping trip

= $3.98 plus tax (I can’t remember the tax total and I already tossed my receipt, oops!)

PLUS I got back 75 cents from my ibotta coupon app deposited in my PayPal account! AND I got back $1 +Up Reward for the Chapstick and $3 +UP for the toothpaste,  making this transaction MORE THAN FREE. Weeeee!

(P.S. You should really sign up for ibotta if you haven’t already! The coupons are awesome and high-value! Sign up here.)

Armed with my 4 +UP Rewards, I returned to Rite Aid Sunday to get some more deals. Here’s how it shook out:

This week's Rite Aid trip
This week’s Rite Aid trip

Tresemme shampoo and conditioner, two for $7

Two Ragu pasta sauce two for $3

Colgate Optic White toothpaste, $2.99

total = $12.99

coupons I used:

-$3.50 BOGO free Tresemme coupon from RedPlum 1/27 insert

– 40 cents/2 Ragu coupon from same insert

-$4 +UP Rewards from Friday’s transaction

=$5.09 + 70 cents tax = $5.79

I got back $2 +UP Rewards from the Tresemme, $1 from the Ragu and $1 from the Colgate, plus $1 from my ibotta coupon app deposited in my PayPal account for the Colgate as well. So basically that cost me 79 cents. WHAT UP!

Now, on to CVS. I had 4 CVS Extra Care Bucks that I needed to use, so I decided to buy some soda for Joshua’s upcoming birthday party next weeeknd.

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7UP products. It’s for the family, I’ll have to buy myself a 2 liter of Dew. 🙂

Twelve-packs of 7UP products were 3/$10 with 4 ECBs back, so that’s what I did. Not too exciting! I used my 4 ECBs I already had, paid $6.70 with tax, and got back another 4 ECBs. Cheap soda FTW!

Well, that’s what I did at the drugstore this week! Have you been coupon shopping yet this week? What deals are you gonna get?

 

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If I could go back in time and punch myself in the face, I would

For all my pontificating about baby names, I sure did screw up my daughter’s.

Growing up, like a full fifty percent of my peers, with the name or nickname “Jenny” – I know that it’s very annoying to have the exact same name as everybodyelseintheuniverse.

This morning my sister-in-law sent me this link to the Huffington Post on Facebook (via NickMom):

Granted, Sophie is six years old and *so far* the only one in her grade at school, but I still feel like a big, giant failure in this department.

Her name is Sophia Diane, after my mother, whose name is Diane. I almost used Diane as a first name, but I just couldn’t come up with a middle name to go with Diane. My grandmother also had this problem, because my mom has no middle name.

I should’ve tried harder!!!

Oh, well. At least her name isn’t Honest’I or O’Malley (my friend who is a substitute teacher sent me that gem via text last week – as well as a Sphia – that’s right – Sophia without benefit of the letter “o”).

But seriously. I screwed up! Sigh. Tooooooooo late. Parental failure complete. But at least now I know who she should marry! Clearly she is destined for Maria’s little boy, Mason. They would make a very cute couple!

 

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