Atlanta's Frugal Mom

I originally wrote this almost two years ago, but as I get closer to sending my now SECOND GRADER off to school, and cope with also having a boy in pre-K, there’s still so much of this that rings true.  ….and I still don’t know how to do-it-all.  😉 Last week proved to be quite a week, to say the least.  My family and I spent the first week in August on vacation in Florida, first hitting the beach, then spending some quality time with the grandparents, and a day at Disney. We came back on Saturday, and my oldest was starting Kindergarten on Monday.  Seriously, the summer seemed to have just flown by.  I’m proud to say I held it together quite well, and masked my nervousness and sadness at sending my baby off to Kindergarten, in a school with kids all the way up to 8th grade.  It was the second day, when carpool began, where I nearly lost it – watching her walk away with her cute Ariel backpack.  Such a big shot.  What happened to my little baby?? With start...

  I came across this post, from an old blog I created about and for my daughter.  Unlike my actual daughter, this blog’s been neglected for about three years, but I wanted to breathe new life in to this post, as I still feel it’s relevant to her -and to daughters and children everywhere.  What’s on YOUR wish list for your children?   My Wish List for My Daughter October 2, 2010 My Dear Carol, As your mother, I wish for you many things in this life.  Above all, I pray daily that you live an exceptionally long, happy, healthy, meaningful, and purposeful life.  I wish this for you, and any siblings you may have.  I hope to help make those things attainable for you, with these things I wish for you:

It seems like it was just last week I walked my little girl in to Kindergarten .  And yet now, in a blink of an eye, she  was saying goodbye to Kindergarten .  While I knew she was more than ready to start Kindergarten , I still knew this year would be filled with many “new”s: she started a new school, venturing away from the preschool where she was already well-known; which also means she made new friends, whom she embraced with her big heart and they she; new teachers, all of whom she seems to like, her classroom teacher the most! In the last nine months, she’s become an even stronger reader, mastering even more sight words, gained more confidence as a reader, began to experiment with spelling, finished writing her own book, began formerly learning Spanish, learned how to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s, learned how to add numbers in her head, almost mastered shoe tying (gonna keep that on our summer checklist!), and grew by leaps and bounds in ways I never imagined! ...

So I created this bucket list back in 2010. I’ve been able to check off a few things on the list, which feels nice. Some items are goofy, and literally involve time travel – so until the good ol’ Doc brings me my own DeLorean, I’ll have to just consider those things wishful thinking. But the realistic items, I’d love to accomplish in some capacity. My Bucket List

Atlanta.  A’lan-a.  The A-T-L.  “Hot-lanta” even…  If you’ve spent any significant amount of time in my fair city, you’ve heard it all.  And then some.  But what makes Atlantans stand out?  What makes us who we are?  Here’s my interpretation.  You can probably relate, whether you’re a true native, or a transplant – if you’ve spent time in Atlanta, you can relate to these. Signs You’re From Atlanta That second “t” is silent.  The city is called “Aht/lan/nna”.  Period.  Ok, depending on how far back you can trace your roots, you may also omit the first “t”. Speaking of pronunciation, it’s called “Co-Cola”.  And it umbrellas every brown carbonated beverage known to man.  But drinking anything else is sacrilegious ’round here.  That pesky “P” word may as well be a 4-letter-word… At least once, you’ve smugly told an out-of-towner to just follow 285, ...

In case anyone is wondering why schools in the South close down at the mere mention of snow, take today in Atlanta as an example. Students and faculty are spending the night in a handful schools across the metro area, emergency shelters are opening up to provide stranded motorists a place to stay after spending HOURS in standstill traffic (usually because they ran out of gas!), GADOT reports over 940 accidents today, folks are opening up their homes to others in need across the metro area: the city basically shut down . Why?

LASIK giveaway, beach, and lemons posing as vans.  Yep, this is what I’ve been up to the last few weeks! We spent the last week at the beach – on vacation.  It was a much-needed getaway for all of us.  First, we visited hubs’ parents for a few days.  It was golf carts and dips in the pool galore!  Luckily, Florida’s weather faired better -um- dryer than Georgia’s did!     Then, we all hopped in the car, and headed to the beach for a few days. This was each of my children’s second time at the beach.  But really first time for my son, who just slept in the tent on the beach last year.  (Oh, the life of an infant.)  They each had an absolute BLAST!  From my son toddling after seagulls (“birdie WAIT!”), to my daughter’s ever-growing seashell collection, to just digging my toes in the sand (even for just a fleeting moment, before bouncing off to chase an active and curious toddler), to just -getting away.  We were LONG overdue, and m...

It’s been a rough week in our frugal household.  Most notably, my daughter -who turned 4 last Friday- came down with a nasty tummy bug, and has been OUT all week.  She started feeling off on Sunday, but woke up Monday morning feeling well enough to go to school and ballet, but didn’t touch her lunch.  She came home, took off her ballet clothes and put on her jammies and plopped herself down for a three hour nap.  (An unnatural act for a child who’d not taken a nap for over two weeks prior to this!)  Even after she woke up, she was rather puny and lacked an appetite for the remainder of the day…. Tuesday, same thing: she woke up feeling fine, went to her 4-year check-up and got her shots.  By the time we came home, she was starting to feel a little off, wouldn’t eat, and took a two hour nap.  That evening I knew we were dealing with a stomach virus.  And I’ll just leave it at that. She stayed home, sleeping it off most of the day on Wednesday.  (Skipping her...

If you've tuned in to any episodes of TLC's  Extreme Couponing , then you've seen the overwhelming stockpiles the shoppers have built!  Certainly in comparison, theirs puts my meager stockpiles, if you could call it that, to shame!   Thank you, Coupon Queen Laci , The benefits  of couponing are maximized when one learns to stockpile, without a doubt.  Buying items at their lowest sales price, and stocking up on said item, certainly saves money in the long run.  It is an amazing way to ensure that you are not overpaying for items; nor that you'll have to run out and pay too much for an item, simply because you didn't have it in stock when it's needed.

I feel truly blessed to live in a town where my daughter can spot geese at the pool, at the mall, and -well- just about any where.  Yes, they're mean little boogers up close, but from a distance, they are a creature of awe. She also gets a glimpse of deer in our backyard from time to time, and in many surprising spots.  There are horses down the street in a private backyard, as well as "in town" in Dunwoody.  Finally, we've spotted about a dozen ducks recently at our dear ol' Dagwoods.  After all, what's better to watch whilst eating one's pizza? Yes, we live in a heavily populated, concrete-laden pocket of Atlanta; but we are still privy to select reminders that nature is still all around us, without having to take a drive out to "the country." What signs of nature do YOU see near you?  :o) Happy Wednesday, y'all! Keep on saving!  :o) --Barbara

Perhaps by now, it's well-known that my three favorite "C" words are Carol (daughter's name), Coupons (duh), and CLEARANCE (double-duh)!   Coupled with my strange obsession with boxes and various storage containers, this deal at my local Kroger immediately coaxed me over. I snagged 10 storage boxes (shoe box size) for a TOTAL of $2.50!! What will I do with all of these boxes?  I don't know yet, but for a quarter a piece, I simply couldn't resist indulging in my OCD-driven obsession with all things organization.  :o) READERS RESPOND : What sort of items do YOU find irresistible when the price is right?

Any good couponer has experienced that invigorating  coupon high , but what happens when you find yourself going to extremes, all in the name of saving a few bucks?  There’s been quite a buzz in the blogosphere created in recent months thanks largely in part to TLC’s  Extreme Couponing .  Many viewers are left with the impression that couponing creates, or encourages hoarding, shelf-clearing of sale items, and downright obsessive behavior.*   Admittedly, I’ve found myself in situations where I was running out to buy something, all in the name of a “good deal”, only to later be ridden with buyers remorse, often thinking, “I didn’t even really need  that product!”  I’ve spoken to many of you, my dear readers, and quite a few of you admit to being new to couponing, so please bear my cautionary tale.  Just like any thing else, couponing CAN become addicting, and it, too, may spiral out of control. Two and a half years ago, when my daught...

Any good couponer has experienced that invigorating  coupon high , but what happens when you find yourself going to extremes, all in the name of saving a few bucks?  There's been quite a buzz in the blogosphere created in recent months thanks largely in part to TLC's  Extreme Couponing .  Many viewers are left with the impression that couponing creates, or encourages hoarding, shelf-clearing of sale items, and downright obsessive behavior.*   Admittedly, I've found myself in situations where I was running out to buy something, all in the name of a "good deal", only to later be ridden with buyers remorse, often thinking, "I didn't even really need  that product!"  I've spoken to many of you, my dear readers, and quite a few of you admit to being new to couponing, so please bear my cautionary tale.  Just like any thing else, couponing CAN become addicting, and it, too, may spiral out of control.

  Why haven't you seen many posts lately from Atlanta's Frugal Mom?     It's simple: I've been busy playing with a red-headed monkey at the park, enjoying this awesome weather!     Spring seems to have (almost) sprung -- hooray!! Happy Friday, y'all!  :o)

Anyone who’s known me for any length of time will easily testify to my simple, comfortable clothing style .  And I use the term “style” rather loosely.  I have never been a fashion queen , and was well in to my late teens before I even realized that fashions came in seasons.  In fact, until recent enlightenment, I thought Jimmy Choos was some kind of trendy restaurant …

The end of August has always proven a little bittersweet for me.  A new school year begins at this time.  As a nerdy student, and later as a teacher, I greatly anticipated the excitement and wonder that a new school year held.  However, a new school year means summer is coming to a close.  Summer has always been my favorite time of the year, filled with whimsy and carefree wonder. Also at the end of August is the beginning of a new college football season.  Okay, this is just plain sweet.  Nothing bitter about this, unless the  Dawgs  are off to a bad start. As August winds down, there are more personal ramifications for me, as my birthday comes at this time of year.  Perhaps most of us still enjoy that childlike wonder and excitement in the  idea  of our birthday.  However, as we accumulate more and more birthdays, many  see them as just another slap-in-the-face reminder that we are getting older, and-infact- have more good years behind us than in front of us.  (I’m not saying I...