I am quietly awaiting the coming squaw line in the next hour or so; the temperatures have risen from the chilly 40’s of Monday to nearly 60 degrees this afternoon. It has been very windy and the leaves on the back deck have been swirling round and round. I love overcast days like this, it makes one so glad to be home.
Earlier this morning I had a lock smith come, the Baldwin Brass dead bolt lock on my front door was frozen shut and I could not get the door open at all! Besides being a fire hazard to us, I was unable to carry in firewood from the front porch to stow inside. I also needed the door to the deck checked as it wouldn’t latch properly. It seems things are forever wearing out, needing attention or breaking here at the Cottage. Thankfully the problems were not serious and my bill was only $45.00 for his service charge and repairs. What a blessing and relief. Perhaps I can swing having the plumber come next month as my bathroom sink is falling off the wall and the drain fell out of the bottom of the sink weeks ago!! Such are the blessings of a century old house…even with extensive remodeling in the 1980’s.
My mailer full of coupons came yesterday from American Consumer Services out in Oregon. Once a month I get a shipment of as many coupon inserts as they are able to stuff in the mailer. Then I separate the pages and cut out the coupons, as many as 6 of a specific coupon, and file them into my large binder that I take with me shopping. I have been using this service for about 4 months now and I find that I easily save the amount I spend on the coupon service and more. I have become a devoted grocery sales and coupon shopper. I am so grateful… this activity has saved me hundreds of dollars at the grocery and allowed me to stockpile basic needs. Now I only buy something if it is on sale and I have a coupon. I love being a “coupon fairy” too, leaving extra or close to expiration date coupons in the grocery aisles for others to discover and save.
I have also become a participant with the National Consumer Panel. I scan and record electronically all my household purchases and upload the information via my dial-up telephone line weekly. It is a bit of trouble I confess, but if I can influence manufacturers to create more healthful and ecologically friendly products, then I am glad to do the work. I also earn points which can be traded in for prizes or gift items and am entered into regular drawings for cash prizes.
