So I watched The Bachelorette yesterday. I'm a day late, as usual, because my husband doesn't want to watch it (go figure) so I wait til he's at work. DeAnna was down to her final 4 guys. Not that it matters because it probably won't work out with any of them and I really should focus on more important things, but here is what I think:

JEREMY is the guy who shares her pain of losing a parent. He, apparently, has lost both. I can't even imagine. I have, however, lost my father. So I understand how it could create a very strong bond between two people; though I don't know because my husband has not shared that experience.

While he seems the best fit for her, Jeremy has already admitted that he doesn't have time for a social life. So I don't know how he thinks he's ready to take on a full-blown relationship and possible marriage. On a personal note, I think he's boring, but that's me.

JESSE is the opposite of boring, but is so not someone DeAnna could settle down with long term. He's the snowboarder who is proving to be one of the nicer guys, but they're just too different.


JASON hasn't really shown much of who he is other than a father. DeAnna says that doesn't bother her and I give her credit for that because I don't think I could date someone with a kid. Not because of the kid but because I wouldn't want to deal with an ex.


GRAHAM is by far the one she had the most sexual chemistry with, but that's all there was. He didn't open up at all and so she let him go. She had to really because she would have been a complete hypocrite to have kept him considering she made such a big deal out of being open to the process.

After all's said and done, I don't think she has a good option for what she seems to want, nor do I think she ever did out of the men they had on the show.

Don't get too excited. I don't know how many there will be of these, considering it's not my favorite thing to do or anything. I just thought I'd pass on the tip that my mom told me about cleaning your windows & mirrors with newspaper instead of a cloth or paper towel. I know how it sounds, but it works--NO STREAKS! Just make sure that you don't use too much newspaper or I'll feel guilty that it's not being recycled.

Save $10 when new customers use Google Checkout at Buy.com. Personally, I'm going to try and find something as close to $10 as I can with free shipping for a possible free gift. OFFER EXPIRES 6/30/08.

Here's a tip for those of you who partake in the great deals you can get on NatureMade vitamins via CVS and Walgreens, like the one I got here. There are codes on the bottles that you can use at NatureMade.com to get $5 and $7 coupons sent to you.

There are also codes on the Coca-Cola products that can use to get some good rewards here. I've gotten a poster and a calendar thru Kodak so far, but I've got tons of points I haven't spent yet. I did have to pay shipping which sucked, but I'm still glad I did it.

Pampers has "Gifts to Grow" points found on their products that can also be used towards rewards, such as toys, other diapers, books, photos, gift cards, etc. I try and stay loyal to Pampers, but sometimes I just have to buy what I can get the best deal on, even though I prefer Pampers over all others. Read more about that here.

Sign up at Red Robin here and get a gift plus a free burger on your B-day

Join Home Depot's Garden Club here and get coupons sent to your email

Evian 1 liter bottled water is BOGO F. They were $1.79 at my store but I hear it varies. I had a $1 coup from Money Saving Mom here. It's another you need to print at 50%. So I got 2 for .79.

Huggies Mega pack on sale for $13.99. I had a $1 coupon (I can't remember if it came in the paper or via Huggies directly) I also used the 2 $3 off $15 from cvs on the 2 transactions and so I apply these to the diapers in my mind.

Making my grand total $7.15. Considering that diapers were included, I'm happy with that. Of course, I paid with ECBs from last time, so I'm even happier that no money came out of my pocket.

Just a quick note: When I was trying to decide the better deal on diapers this week between a mega pack at CVS on sale $13.99, or jumbo pack at Walgreens on sale $9.49, I came across this spreadsheet Baby Cheapskate did. I'm always forgetting how many diapers come in a pack so it worked great. Thought I'd share.

I wanted to share some of the great finds I've gotten from other blogs lately. Thanks especially to Money Saving Mom. Hers is one of my favorites.

**Hot Deal** . Get a free 8x8 photo book ( 30 free pages) 200 free 4x6 prints, and 200 free 5x7 prints when you join artscow.com. Get an extra 10 FREE with the code: FREE10XPB. Just sign in, go to "Credit & Discount", enter the code and click "Validate".


You can get subscriptions to magazines like, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, Cosmo, Redbook, Smart Money, and more at AdPerk by watching short advertisements. Ads are typically worth 1 to 2 credits and these add up to get the subscription of your choice. You can surf other web pages while "watching" the ads. Just be sure to have the sound up so you can enter the code at the end of the ad to earn your credits.

Woman's Day magazine- just fill out a form. It's as easy as that.

Buy $25 worth of beauty products at Amazon, get a subscription to Us Magazine -OR- $19.80 back thru mail in rebate. Go here to find out all the details. I know the purchase must be made in one transaction, from one seller. Scroll down the page and read the "Terms & Conditions" to find out how to get the money instead of the subscription. Personally, I'm trying to find free shipping on my order and I'll be set. $25 dollars worth of stuff for $5.20--not bad. Offer expires July 8, 2008

Apparently Amazon also sells grocery items in bulk for discount prices. I had no idea about this but saw it on Wantnot.net. She mentions a code "MAYGRCCL" that you supposedly can use for $10 off a $25 purchase. I'm not sure if it's still good but it's worth a try.

Request and receive a $10 gift certificate from Outback Steakhouse when you send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Outback Steakhouse Fathers Day Certificate Request
2202 N. West Shore Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607.
Must be received by 07/05/2008 and certificates must be redeemed by 07/20/2008.

Get a free 30 day food kit for your dog or cat from Purina by calling 800-521-6300 and answering the automated questions.

HippoPost- You can make your own postcard by uploading photos and adding a message. Hippopost then sends an actual postcard (not an e-card) to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada for free! The card will have a small ad placed on it, which "pays" for your postage. Personally, I wouldn't mind getting a postcard with an ad, knowing it saved postage and the price of paper and ink. Believe me, I do a lot of printing and the price of ink adds up.

My husband and I went out to see a couple movies over the weekend, one of which I was very excited about, The Happening and one that was more for my husband, Iron Man.

I purposely hadn't listened to any reviews of M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening because I knew I'd see it no matter what. M. Night Shyamalan has gotten some harsh criticism in the past for movies like Lady in the Water, but I've always loved his stuff. In fact, he's 3rd On My Lists for best director. This movie, however, is the exception.

While there were many reasons why the movie sucked, I'd have to say the main reason I didn't care for it was the acting. Zooey Deschanel had already proven herself to be a horrible actress in the tv mini series, Tin Man; but I usually like Mark Wahlberg. This was the first time I noticed what an incredibly bad actor he is. The movie did have John Leguizamo, who I like, but he was only in it for a very short period.

After he was gone, we were left with some ridiculous excuse for a love story between these two horrible actors, given a horrible script and I started to wonder if M. Night did this on purpose. Surely, if one of his movies sucked, it's because he planned it that way. Maybe it's supposed to seem absurd, resembling some older absurd movies that he was fond of. I mean it's possible, right? I don't know, I just know that it was bad people, bad! I am so disappointed. Speaking as a M. Night Shyamalan fan, don't waste your money.


Iron Man, on the other hand, saved the day. This movie rocked! Robert Downey Jr. was made to play this part. I can't imagine anyone else doing it as well.

As far as the storyline, I didn't know much about Iron Man other than what my husband told me, so I just assumed it would be yet another superhero movie. To my surprise, it was pretty believable. Unlike a man getting bit by a spider or falling from another planet, a billionaire genius could build a suit that could fly and be used to defend our country. At least I thought so until I wrote it down. Now it just seems far fetched.

It really is good though. Contrary to how it may seem, I do tend to like the superhero movies, with the exception of The Hulk. Why they are making another one when they just made one five minutes ago that sucked royally, I have no idea. That aside, Iron Man was good just as an action movie, superhero aside, for those of you who don't like comic book movies.

I am a little behind posting these but here are my most recent deals. Most had nothing to do with this weeks sales, so they're still good!

@ Wal-Mart
Purina Cat Food 3.98, used $4 off coupon here. FREE. I don't have a cat but got it for someone who does.

Zout 2.84, used $1 off coupon FIP and will get full refund here. FREE

LiveActive cereal $2.98, used $3 coupon here. FREE

2 Kotex trial size 16 ct. pads $1 each, used 2 $1 off coupons here. FREE

Oral B Floss .97, used $1 coupon FIP. FREE

Smart Balance Butter $1.50, used $1 FIP. Paid .50

2 bottles Dr. Pepper $1 each, used $1 off 2 coupon here. Paid $1 for 2. You have to register, then push "need a code?" at bottom. They'll send code to your email address. Once entered, you can print a coupon.

Fiber One cereal sample sent via Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has all kinds of samples you can sign up for here.

Sunsilk BOGO free, 2.99 -$1 coupon attached to bottles and $1 coupon FIP. Paid $1 for 2.

Glucerna Shakes $4.94, used $10 coupon here. PROFIT $5.06. You have to join, enter info and click "calculate body mass", "lose weight", "next". Fill in more info then "finish". When you "return to personalized page", you'll see where to get the coupon. It can be printed twice.

Bic Razors 4 pk $4.43. I used a $2 off coupon (I'm not sure where I got it), plus there was a refund for up to $4 in the paper as well. PROFIT $1.57.

2 Clean & Clear samples .97 each - 2 $2 coupons here. PROFIT $2.06.

1 Johnson's shampoo sample. .89 - $1 coupon here. PROFIT .11.

I wasn't really excited about the deals this week so I was in no rush to get them, but I ended up with a couple good ones.


Johnson's Buddies Bars .99 each. I used 2 $2 off 2 Johnson's no more tangles shampoo, conditioner products -or- Johnson's Buddies products found here and 1 $1 off Buddies products here. So all 5 were FREE!

If you buy 2 Garnier Nutritioniste products, you get $10 ECBs. So, I bought the 2 Garnier Nutri-Pure Microbead Cream Scrubs for $5.99 each, suggested by Money Saving Mom. Roughly $12 and I used 2 $1 off coupons from the paper, plus a $3 off $15 CVS coupon, making it free plus $3 PROFIT.

Select Nivea for Men products on sale 2/$10. Buy $10 worth get $5 RR, plus I had 2 $2 coupons found here. I paid $1 for both products shown.

**Hot Deals** $5 off $20 at Walgreens Friday the 13th only found here. Of course, I just went and Walgreens is really on my last nerve so I may not go myself.

Rebate for Zout up to $4 here. Expires 10/31/08. Thanks to The "Cent"sible Sawyer for both these deals.

It might surprise you to learn that I am a Battlestar Galactica fan. Typically, this would not be my cup of tea. I'm definitely not a huge sci-fi fan. I started watching it with my husband and, before I knew it, I got pulled in.

For those who don't watch, it's a show about cylon machines vs. humans in space, trying to find earth. That's a very short summary but it's the best I can do. Odds are if you don't watch it, you probably don't care anyway, but I'm telling you, you missed out. It really is jammed packed, edge of your seat, what are they going to do next entertainment.

Edward James Olmos (not my favorite) and Lucy Lawless are probably the best known stars, but the whole cast is good. English born actor, Jamie Bamber plays American Apollo. This is something I don't understand. If you need someone with an American accent, why not hire an American? Yes, I'm referring to you too, "House".

To me, this is no different than when white men played Native Americans in movies or having John Leguizamo play a little person in Moulin Rouge. If I was a little person actor I would have been peeved about that myself. But I digress. Bamber plays a great Apollo, but it's just a quandary to me is all.

Another surprise, to me, is that I watched Hot Fuzz the other day, again for my husband's sake. Again, I found that I liked it. This is after seeing Shaun of the Dead, by the same people, and not liking it. Thus, I was sure I wouldn't like this either but I was wrong.

It is supposed to be a action movie spoof/comedy. I don't know that I thought it was hilarious or anything but it was entertaining. I would cut back on the gore if I were them. It's unnecessary. The movie was good without it.

I have been watching a lot, and I mean a lot of movies lately and this one held my attention which is more than most of the other garbage I've subjected myself to.

I've written before about my quest to lose weight. It's not going so great right now because, as much as I want to be motivated, I'm just not. The last thing I want to do in the world is hit the dreaded treadmill.

So, I've been trying to think of ways to get my exercise without feeling like I'm exercising. DDR has been great. If not for that, I may not get any exercise other than cleaning and chasing my baby around.

Now, however, Wii has released Wii Fit as well. I was a little hesitant about getting it at first because it does look more like another piece of exercise equipment than a game. Then my husband told me that they're making other games for the board and so I figured we'd end up getting it eventually anyway and might as well take the plunge now just to see if I like it.
In the Wii Fit game, you take a body test first that measures your BMI among other things and then gives you an "age" based on those things. It's too depressing to even say what my age is. I tried not to let it get me down though because these are things I already knew I needed to work on.


The game lets you keep track of progress as you try and meet goals you set for yourself based on what the game tells you is a healthy score. You're then giving a trainer to work with and you start "training".


There are four modes in which to train: yoga, balance, strength, and aerobics. There are several games within each mode, including things like hula hoop(which I am the master at in real life), and soccer, skiing, running, etc. The more you play, the more time you collect and thus the more games you unlock.

PROS: I like the games. I like that the games guide you, showing you how to do the movements properly, helping you find your center of balance.

I liked that you can do the games without getting too much of a sweat. I don't like playing games that I need to shower after playing. While it might be great for losing weight, it keeps you from playing with others.

CONS: What I don't like is that if you want to play with others, you have to keep going out of the game to a plaza to switch miis. It's really inconvenient. You really should just play one person at a time.

I also don't like that the games are really short. I think you do the ski jump twice and then you're on to the next game.

All in all though, I'm glad we got it. I'll let you know if it helps me lose any weight.

After seeing prize codes listed on Mommy Gets Paid's blog (see blogroll), I decided to check out what it's about. Turns out the codes are for a site called Points and Prizes.

From what I gather so far, you can search sites to find code words that earn you points. These points are used towards free prizes (shipping is supposedly included), making them completely free.

The words are really easy to find and the sites are legitimate, not like some of these things that just send you to sites trying to sell you something. It looks like the words earn around 250 points each, so don't be put off by the prizes points being in the 1000's. Get 500 points for signing up.

Today's words (you can only do 5 in an hour):

SHEER
CHEESE
EPIC
MAJOR
MISSILE
SPARE
RUSH
FORUM
GOLD
WRITER
DIVING
PRIZE

There are a bunch of other features on the site, such as contests, freebies and coupons. I haven't had time to do too much other than get the codes today, but I'll let you know if I find any good stuff.

I had some $5 off $15 CVS coupons that were ending yesterday and so I made a mad rush to get a list together and go. Because I wanted to use more than one of these coupons, I had to do my shopping in three transactions.

1. If you buy $20 worth of Pampers, you get $5 ECBs. There was a $2 coupon FIP. So, I bought 2 things of jumbo diapers, on sale for $7.99 a piece and 2 things of wipes on sale for $2.99, for a total of $21.96.

$21.96
-$5 CVS coupon
-$2 coupon
-$5 ECB
=$9.96

2. Buy $20 worth of Charmin, Bounty and/or Duracell get $10 ECBs. I bought the 3 Duracell for $2.99 each and 2 Bounty paper towels for $5.99 each, totalling 20.95.

$20.95
-$5 CVS coupon
-$1.50 in coupons FIP and there was a coupon attached to batteries
-$10 ECB
=$4.45

3. Pantene shampoo is 3 for $10 plus get 3 ECBs = 3/$7 - $4 in coupons FIP = 3/$3

Huggies lotion or wash is $3.49, get 2 ECBs = 1.49 - $1 coupon FIP = .49

CVS band aids are $1.99, get $1.99 ECBs (limit 2) = FREE

Chex on sale for $1 each - 4 $1 coupons found here = FREE

Dawn is 2/$2 with 1 ECB = 2/$1 -.75 coupons FIP = 2/.25

Glade is .88 and I had a BOGO free coupon so I got 2 for .88

Listerine is $3.49 with $3.49 ECBs(limit 2) = FREE plus get $1 coupons here for a PROFIT of $1 each.

All of that originally totaled $32.21.

$32.21
-$5 CVS coupon
-$16.96 ECB
-$3 off $15 coupon You can get one by following instructions on Money Saving Mom's blog here.
-$12.63 other coupons
= PROFIT $5.38

So, transactions #1, 2, and 3 totaled $9.03. Of course, I used my ECBs from last time and so I paid nothing but tax on all of the things shown in picture.

There are some other deals I went for but they were already out. I'll have to get them next time. You can view CVS' ad here.

Feel free to share your deals by clicking the Mister Linky below.

If you read my post here, then you know Post It had an offer for a free gift after you buy $15 worth of their products. I did this because they had a really good deal at the time where, with coupons, I ended up getting the Post It's free, plus a profit of $4. Then, I got the apple shaped Post It pad shown as my gift.

I just found that Post It has another deal where you buy 1 Post It flag and 1 Post It Note from the ones shown in the offer and get a $5 McDonald's card.

Personally, I just bought several more Post It page Markers at Wal-Mart. You can get $3 off 2 coupons at the bottom of the page here. Wal-mart has flags or "markers" for .97 cents each. Buy 2 for $1.94 and use the $3 coupon for a profit of $1.06. Thanks Centsible Sawyer for that tip.

Both deals end June 30th but the Post It coupons are good until the end of December.