I Should Have Been a Spy...Or At Least A Therapist

In January 2008, I began my internship at Target. My internship required me to work in each area of the store to learn how everything functions together. On my second day of work, my boss told me that I would be working with the Assets Protection team (otherwise known as, the guys the catch shoplifters).


I made my way to their office and walked in. There sat my future (now current:)) husband. He was sitting there watching a bunch of cameras on television screens looking out for shoplifters. I loved working with these guys for a few days. The idea of watching people when they had no idea anyone was watching them was fun to me.


Fast forward 4 years. A lot has changed and I am now married to that handsome man I met, but some things never change--he is still watching out for shoplifters. 


Day in and day out, Eric watches people. He has mastered the art of sneaking around, and loves it. I, too, have always loved to "people watch". You always wonder what people are thinking, where they have been, what they have done with their lives. Much of our time together while we are out and about is watching and listening to other people interact. The other night at dinner, for instance, there was a couple sitting next to us. You could clearly tell they were on a first date. Eric and I smiled at each other, knowing this was a conversation we had to listen in on. They met online. He left the Mormon church and is an Aggie. Both are divorced. Both are bitter at the world for all of their problems...and so on and so on. Our dinner was spent mostly in silence enjoying listening to them.


Eric's passion for his job and my love of people watching would seriously make us the perfect spy couple. If only the government would hire us. Or, I could get my masters to become a therapist and sit and listen to people talk about their lives, which is a pretty close second to being a spy. I may just have to look into it.


The next time you are in public, don't do anything stupid. You never know who is watching you. :)

Extreme Couponing: "More Like Hobby Couponing For Me"

My sister came home one day about a month ago with tons of little boxes of toothpaste--all for free. From that moment on I was sold on couponing. I asked her how she did it, and she explained it to me. She gave me this great book to read, "Pick Another Check Out Lane, Honey." You can click on that title and it will take you to Amazon. The book took me about 2 hours to read (VERY SIMPLE), and it was written by the ladies from the TLC show. You can also visit The Krazy Coupon Lady website. For the past month, I have learned so much about saving money on everyday items we use. 

I know what most of you are thinking...I don't have time to do it. In all reality, it doesn't take much time at all. It requires a little thought and a couple of hours a week clipping coupons from newspapers and printing online coupons. I mean, really, aren't you just sitting in front of the TV on Sundays watching football? Pull out those scissors and start cutting! I see this as a part time job. With the amount of money I am saving for me and Eric, I am keeping more money in our pockets. 

This first month, I will say, I have probably spent more money than I normally would; however, the idea is to save money in the long run. You create what they call a "stock pile" of items. For instance, here are 2 of my favorite scenarios to give you an idea of what I am doing from my favorite store, Target:

Listerine (the big 1 L bottles)
Regular Price: $4.99
On Clearance: $3.48
I use a Manufacturer's coupon: $2.00 off any Listerine product
THEN use a Target coupon $1.00 off any Listerine product
FINAL PRICE: $.48


I bought 4 bottles that day totaling $1.92, a total savings of $18.04!

While it may seem excessive to buy 4, Eric and I do not need to buy any for a year!


Need another example? Like most girls--I HATE buying tampons every month. Why should we have to pay $4.00 for something we have no control over! Here was my deal of the day yesterday to make me feel a little better about it--also from Target:

Tampax Compak Pearl Tampons
Regular Price: $3.99
I use a Manufacturer's coupon: BUY 1 GET 1 FREE  (YES! These do come out from time to time)
Then, I stack $1.00 off Manufacturer's coupon on one of the boxes (the book can help you understand this better) 
FINAL PRICE PER BOX: $1.49

I had 2 sets of these coupons, so I got a 4 month supply of tampons (4 boxes) for $5.96, a total savings of $10.00!

These are just a couple examples of the great deals I have come across. Along with these deals I have gotten sooo many free products: Cortaid, Prevacid, Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner/& Mousse, deodorant, etc. and not travel size!

Eric is still slightly apprehensive about it, but I think we will really start seeing the savings over the next few months. I am just now finding the courage to tackle the grocery store, but last week I saved $20 on groceries that would have cost around $60, or about 30% on our total. 


While I'm not going completely crazy like some of these ladies, I have found this to be such a fun hobby! You don't have to spend hours in stores or even hours clipping coupons. Every little bit can save you money on items that you use anyway! My sister and I share deals and coupons all week, and love finding those awesome buys! At this point, I don't think I will ever pay full price for anything again! 


In case any of you are curious, here is a picture of my super messy "stock pile" not including the bbq sauce I got for $.25! I plan on getting it all organized soon!:)

 

Experiments & Adventures

I'm learning that as a newlywed almost everyday is an experiment and an adventure. From what to eat for dinner each night to fun hobbies, experimenting is probably the best word to describe the way we are living right now!

Experiment #1: Dinner

Poor Eric. He has suffered through several awful dinners, but always with a good attitude and he never complains- one of the many reasons why I love him. My favorite kitchen item is my crock pot. It is so easy to just throw food in there in the morning and dinner's ready to go when I get home. I have cooked delicious pork chops and chicken and some decent dinners using my handy dandy crock pot. The worst idea I have had? Letting pot roast sit in red wine in the crock pot all day. The recipe sounded good, but WOW, it wasn't. I got home to the smell of fermented wine which made me want to gag, and therefore, the meal was a disaster. One of the better non-crock pot recipes I found, I actually cooked last night for my brothers, sister, and Eric and it seemed to be a hit (so they say). I thought I would share it with you because it was super easy and tasty!


Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

These are, without question, the best best best best BEST chicken enchiladas ever. Ever! They are drizzled in a creamy, cheesy sauce and baked until golden and bubbly.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals ever! :)

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
8 (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pint whipping cream
Directions…
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.

Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.

Look at that bubbly cheesy goodness! :) One enchilada is plenty for one adult but these things are soooooooooo good I usually end up stuffing myself with two. I just cant help myself. :p

Read More http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/creamy-chicken-enchiladas.html#ixzz1XNpmTd4o

We actually used corn tortillas and it was amazing! If you have any other easy recipes that you would like to send my way, please do!

Hopefully, through these experiments, I will soon be a better cook and the suffering will end for Eric.

Experiment #2: Brewing Our Own Beer & Wine

For Eric's birthday, I bought him a Mr. Beer brew kit, because he has always wanted to try and brew his own beer. It is quite a process, but it's easy and fun! Come by the first week in October for a beer tasting. I'm not a fan of beer, so he will need a second opinion. I, on the other hand, love wine. I found a super easy, redneck way to make wine online and decided to try it out! If it works, I'll have to post the recipe on here. For now, take a look at our "fermenting closet" aka. our guest room closet.

The one thing I have learned through experimenting is that it keeps life fun and entertaining!

The big question of the year...

How's married life? ...

This seems to be the first question I get asked when running into people I know, and it will probably continue through at least the first year of marriage. The answer I give to everyone after 2 1/2 months? It's great! I love it! This extremely broad and unspecific question cracks me up. We are newly weds! Of course it's wonderful! If it weren't, we would be in trouble! The better question? What is it like living together?

Before Eric and I got married, we took premarital counseling classes. They really prepared us in different areas: spiritually, financially, using conflict resolution, etc., but I don't think anything prepares you for living together.

There are so many things we have learned about each other in such a short amount of time while living in the same home. Here are a few examples:

*How we both sleep at night....he talks, I snore (occasionally)
*We are both equally clean and equally messy. This one is definitely a blessing. We never fight about the cleanliness or messiness of our home. The house is messy during the week but gets cleaned on the weekends. This works for us.
*I like grocery shopping alone.
*Our ideal weeknight? Grilling and watching tv at home.

I know the list will grow over time with many more fun and exciting years ahead of us, for better and for worse. So far, we have been extremely blessed with a healthy and happy marriage and love living together despite the quirks.

When people ask me--How's married life?... and I answer it's great, I love it! I am definitely telling the truth:)