Couch to 5K....

Have you heard of this program? The hubs and I are starting it tonight and I could not be more excited! One of my goals this year was to find an exercise program and stick with it (besides my normal gym routine). Sure, I go to the gym and lift weights and do the elliptical or the treadmill, but I wanted something extra and something that would give me true satisfaction in the exercise department.

For the past few months I have really wanted to start running. It just seems fun to me...to be able to run on the treadmill, out in the beautiful weather or competing in races.

A friend told me about the Couch to 5K program and sent me the link. This program is literally what the title states....it takes you from being a non runner to being able to run about 3.5 miles in 9 weeks...for me it may be a few months, but I don't care how long it takes as long as I can do it.

Here is the link:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Stay tuned for my progression! I can't wait to start!

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Cleanliness is next to impossible....

I kid, but that is how I feel these days. The hubs and I are very busy people...often times we get home around 6pm from work then have errands to run or clients to meet after hours or have other appointments that take away from time being at home.

It seems that weekends are always taken up doing yard work, meeting clients or with family outings...and while I love doing all of that, it's really hard to keep a clean house and be a busy person. I LOVE a clean house and hate disorganization.

This weekend I started to work on a simple cleaning list of small things I could do to keep the house spic and span during the week. I am sure I will add on to this list over time as it is a simple list...but it is a start.

Here goes:

Sunday:

• I wash my sheets and comforter as needed


• Wipe down stove, countertops and dishwasher


• Clean Frig


• Clean microwave


• Straighten pantry


• Laundry

Monday:

• Put weekly mail in appropriate place


• Vacuum and sweep hardwoods


• Dust livingroom surfaces


• Tidy livingroom

Tuesday:

• Vacuum all bedrooms with carpet


• Clean guest bathroom (wipe down countertop, clean toilet and windex mirror)

Wednesday:

• Tidy office and throw any unnecessary papers away


• Disenfect kitchen sink


• Put weekly mail in appropriate place


• Laundry

Thursday:

• Sweep and mop hardwood floors


• Clean master bathroom (wipe down countertop, clean toilet and windex mirror)


• Dust master bedroom

Friday: day off! Fridays are usually spent having dinner and drinks with friends.

Saturday:

• Mop guest and master bathroom floors
• Clean master bathroom tub and shower

2x a month I plan on cleaning the guest bathroom shower. It is rarely used so it does not need to be cleaned that often.

This is a new thing for me...usually I do all my cleaning in one day and end up spending the whole day cleaning. Hopefully this schedule will help me tackle my cleaning.

If you have a cleaning schedule and would like to share...I would love to hear from you!

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Want $300 next month?

I have become an avid user of coupons. Last month I saved the hubs and I over $300 on our grocery bill, just by checking sales and using coupons. It is becoming sort of like a game for me now...how much money can I save? Or how much money can I make...yea, I said make. I made $5 dollars at CVS the other day.

Today alone, between grocery shopping, a trip to CVS and Target I saved us $66 dollars, plus I got a free movie ticket. Now DH and I can go see a movie with our free ticket + using a gift card we received at Christmas...will cost us nothing to go!

I thought I would share a little bit of my Target shopping experience today:

I bought all of this for.....$12.17 dollars today!

Here is my breakdown before coupons:

• Sparkle Papertowels: $3.49
• Hefty Trashbags: $4.99
• 2 Candle holders for the screen porch: 2@ $2.50 for a total of $5
• Tampax Tampons: $3.14
• Nivea Body Wash: $ 5.49
• ELF Makeup Brush: $1.00
• ELF Bronzer: $1.00
• Vaseline Infusion Lotion: $5.99

Total with tax: $32.20

After coupons and tax -I paid : $12.17

Total Savings at Target: $20.03

I went to CVS this evening and purchased:

• By one get one free Dove Invisible Solid Deodorant $3.49
• 4 bags of Hershey candy ( 2dark chocolate kisses, york peppermint patties and reeses)
• Jergens Healthy Glow Lotion

The total bill came out to $19.26, but after using (2) $1.00 off two bags of Hershey candy, $1.00 of Jergen's lotion, $3.00 off Dove Deodorant (it cost me $.49 for 2 Dove Deodorants/ Dove is $3.49 + $3 off coupon and BIGI= $.49) and around $5 in CVS extra care dollars I only spent around $7.00. Plus the 4 bags of Hershey candy gave me a free movie ticket after mail in rebate. You cannot buy a movie ticket + candy for what I paid today at CVS. On top of it...I made $5 extra care bucks to spend again next month.

It takes a little bit of planning and work ahead of time to get great deals....but for me and the hubs it is totally worth the extra money in our pockets!

Some of my best sources:

www.coupons.com clipcoupons virtually and print

www.redplum.com

www.southernsavers.com - this is a fantastic blog that started my journey in couponing

www.target.com - Target has tons of coupons of their website

www.publix.com I used to shop at Wal-Mart for cheap groceries...now I can shop at Publix, get better quality and pay less! Publix has great B1G1 items each week and have great coupon policies. Just check for your local policy on their website.

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My favorite things...

Getting down to business....my favorite things this month:

Ok, okay...so I am REALLY late on the whole Lost thing. In truth, I didn't really care for the show when it came out. I watched 2 episodes and completely gave up on it. Fast forward to this month and it is my favorite thing this month! The hubs and I watch it instantly on Netflix and we are seriously addicted to it. Do they have a Lost Anonymous class?! We only have a few episodes of the first season left and I cannot wait to see how this story plays out.

The hubs and I have Netflix and we love it. We gave up going to the movie theater ( have you seen how insanely expensive a ticket is these days?) to cut out a few expenses and get out of debt. We pay $15 a month for 2 movies that we can watch and return (so for us it ends up at about 8 movies a month) plus we get instant access on our PC and TV for tv shows and movies. Sure we don't get to see the newest releases right away....but we love the money we are saving!

My Blackberry Curve has become a time saver in the past month with business really picking up. It's my alarm clock, calendar and planner, has several apps that I have downloaded that gives me healthy nutrition options when I am needing to grab something fast on the road, it allows me to check my e-mail, surf the web and keep in contact with clients. Let's just say....it's a busy real estate agent's electronic best friend!

I was gifted a bottle of the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio...and I must say it is fantastic. It's cool and crisp and is the perfect glass of wine to sip in the evenings on my screen porch.

So there you have it! My favorite things so far this month!

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Lady Gaga + Ikea = One crazy weekend...

I am giddy with excitment (like a schoolgirl who found out her favorite crush wants to take her to the dance) for girls weekend!

My friend and I scored tickets to the Lady GaGa concert in Charlotte, NC...we are going to be good little monsters (for all you gaga lovers:) and rock out Saturday night and totally enjoy the concert. Then, early Sunday we are hitting up Ikea for some great stuff.

I cannot wait to make my list for Ikea stuff and put together an awesome outfit for the concert!

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