Some of the cute bags that my co-workers made! |
Looking at ourselves and the world through the lens of the 21st century.
Monday, January 31, 2022
Are You Ready for Galentine's Day?
Saturday, January 29, 2022
When a Bargain Isn't a Bargain...or Is It?
I hate shopping. I know…I’m a weirdo, but I just hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I love to “acquire” things, but the actual shopping part…not so much. I hate traffic. I hate crowds of rude people. And I especially hate going out of my way to buy something specific only to find the store doesn’t have what I want. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve had to go out in search of an outfit for a specific event or to buy a gadget to fulfill a certain function in my home, and then to traipse from store to store searching for the right thing. The one that fits. Or the one that’s the right color. Or made out of the right kind of material. And as often as not, I never find exactly what I’m looking for, but have to settle for something that “will do”. I just hate it.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Hocus Pocus or Bogus... You Decide
She informed me that Orgonite is a special substance of organic material (the resin is supposed to be organic) that is combined with metals and crystals. The combination creates a tower that “attracts negative energies”. So the curiosity in me has not put this subject down ever since. I wanted to know who coined the term “Orgonite”, and what the scientific evidence was behind it. Keep in mind, I took geology in college, and never heard of Orgonite, so I was already looking at this lady with one eyebrow raised in disbelief. I am a believer in many things that are unseen by the eye, but I am not a blind believer; I need more facts. My findings so far have been all over the place, so I will just bullet point it out rather than regurgitate word for word what I have researched so far.
- Orgone is labeled as pseudoscience and fringe medicine and science (according to Wikipedia).
- It is a term created by Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian Psychoanalysis from the 1930’s
- Orgone is esoteric energy, life energy, spiritual energy; it can be more commonly called Chi/Qi, vibe, vibration, aura, light, or simply just energy, to name a few.
- Wilhelm Reich created an Orgone Accumulator that was a large wooden box which had specific layers to it. The subject would sit inside and the energy around and within would (in theory) be transmuted.
- Orgonite reportedly absorbs negative Orgone energy flow (DOR - Deadly Orgone Radiation) and transmutes it into POR (Positive Orgone) and releases it back into the atmosphere.
- DOR is said to be harmful to your mind and body.
- Resin is an electrical insulation material - remember I said it was versatile!
- Resin is not plastic, although it is similar, it can actually be made from vegetable oils. Here is a cool site where you can get all your questions answered about resin.
- The resin pyramids are called Orgonite or Orgone Accumulators because they follow the same principle as Wilhelm Reich’s original Orgone Accumulator.
- According to some, a proper Orgonite, or Orgone Accumulator will have a resin outer shell, a quartz stone, metal shavings and/or a metal coil. These parts aid the mechanics of the device.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Heard on the Podcast - January 26
- DSW Shoes
- Shoe Carnival
- Academy Sports and Outdoors
- Ross
- Torrid
- Cato Fashions
- Kohls
- Michael's
- Joann
- Bath and Body Works
- Ulta Beauty
- Sonic App
- Chick-Fil-A App
Monday, January 24, 2022
Why Pay Full Price?
Christmas is over and you guys are probably wondering why we are still talking about shopping. I say that it is never too early to plan ahead! Most people hate shopping, and I used to be one of them. My whole life, I have lived on a budget, and not always because I had to. When you grow up on a limited income, you have to sometimes appreciate the less expensive things in life. This has taught me to never pay full price for anything.
This shirt cost me $8 at Target |
Last year, Texas had a huge snowstorm (that I called Snowvid) that brought record-breaking low temperatures and rolling blackouts. At the time, I lived in an old house that already had leaky pipes, which led to my landlord eventually having to replace the pipes in the house. Unbeknownst to me, the leaky piping ran through my closets, and when I discovered the problem, I had lost a good portion of my clothing, shoes, and accessories to mold problems.
Aside from that, I have also lost a significant amount of weight over the last two years and my school was coming out of quarantine, so I could no longer teach in comfortable clothes. It seemed like everything was happening at once: mold, moving, and the start of the school year. How was I to get a manageable well-fitting wardrobe by the time school started? Impossible…that wasn’t going to happen. The only shoes I didn’t lose were the three pairs I never put in the closet because I wore them consistently throughout the week
How I replaced my decimated wardrobe without paying full price:
Seasonal/Holiday Sales:
This one is pretty simple. Usually, at the end of the Summer or around every major holiday, stores will have some type of sale. At least twice a year, my favorite clothing stores have annual clearance events where they take extra percentages off clearance items. You just have to be smart and know when the “long weekend” holidays are, such as Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day. These are prime examples of holidays that retail stores have extended weekend sales to celebrate. Mark your calendars and check out online fliers to your favorite stores to make a game plan.
Teacher Discounts and Back-to-School Sales:
If you live in Texas you know about the famous tax-free weekend that happens every year in August so teachers and students can get discounts on back-to-school clothing. Basically, it is a weekend in August that Texans don’t have to pay state and local sales tax on their clothing (or school supplies). As a teacher, I make it my business to know which stores you can get an extra discount for flashing your teacher ID. We Are Teachers has a great blog highlighting some of the clothing stores where teachers can get discounts. Stores also offer senior discounts, credit card discounts, military discounts, first responder discounts, essential worker discounts, and student discounts.
Bargain Stores:
I’m not talking about Goodwill® or the Salvation Army®. There are stores around where you can sometimes buy quality clothing without buying secondhand. The stores I am listing are stores where I can typically buy articles of clothing in my style for less than $20.
Ross Dress for Less®: This is my go-to place for work dresses. I can get clothing in my size for less than $20, and the clothing is name-brand quality. You can also buy shoes, accessories, and household items here.
TJ Maxx®: This is my go-to place for work pants on a budget. I was able to buy some last-minute back-to-school pants (that I didn’t need to hem) quickly and efficiently. I also like their sister store Home Goods® for home/office accessories.
Old Navy®: Why is this store on this list? I mean, they are a major retailer. Old Navy® is a major affordable retailer. They also have sales pretty much every day of the year. Their clothes might not be the highest quality, but you can create a fashionable ensemble for less at this store.
Target®: This store is a given. I can buy clothing that I can wear on a daily basis at Target®, plus affordable shoes and accessories. I also like to shop at this store for household items and seasonal supplies.
The Clearance Section:
For those that like designer shoes and accessories (me), the clearance section of a store always has good finds. I am okay with buying off-season clothing for a lower price, especially if it is a brand that I particularly like, such as Torrid and Betsey Johnson. Listed below are some of my favorite go-to sites and stores for designer purses on clearance.
Price Comparisons:
When I talk about price comparisons, I am talking about shopping online versus shopping in-store. For example, the clearance section of Old Navy looks completely different online than it does if you walk into their store. Sometimes if you do a little research, you can find the same thing online for a better deal than you can in the store. A lot of retailers moved to online sales and curbside pick-up during the pandemic. So, stores will offer incentives to buy online and pick up curbside or have items shipped to the store for free. Listed below are stores that I only buy online because it is cheaper than buying in-store.
Playing the Long Game:
When I say playing the long game with a store, I am talking about finding a store or two that you are committed to shopping at and only shopping at that store for certain things. For example, I buy most of my shoes at Shoe Carnival® and DSW® and I buy most of my clothing at Torrid®. Because of this, I am a VIP member at all of these stores. I signed up for accounts with the store, and over time, I have built up buying credits with these stores so I can get some deep discounts and coupons. These discounts and coupons afford me to get outfits for an extremely low price or free. By signing up with stores I love, I can also get emailed coupons, insider monthly sales, and birthday discounts. The only annoying aspect is that you have to sift through a million promotional emails a day, but it is worth it in the long-run. I save the most money doing this. I was able to replace my molded shoes in a matter of months this way.
Coupon Apps:
I don’t always use coupon apps, but there are a lot out there. Check out Dave Ramsey’s 16 Best Coupon Apps of 2021 for a full list. I will list below the ones that I personally have used. You can get these apps for IOS and Android.
Ibotta®
Shopkick®
Target®
RetailMeNot®
GasBuddy
Paying Over Time:
This isn’t technically a discount, but stores having layaway options aren’t really a new thing. When I was little, my mom would put Christmas presents on layaway and pay for them over a few months. In recent years, pay over time apps have become popular. This is another way I was able to replenish my wardrobe, accessories, and household items. My absolute favorite is Klarna, and I have also played the long game with this company. Through Klarna®, you not only get to pay off your purchase in four payments but you can also get discounts at many retail stores every month if you buy through their app. If you make your payments on time every month, you also earn gift cards to shop with. You can also shop in-store with Klarna®.
In conclusion, after reading my Grocery Shopping on a Budget blog, I obviously love to shop and I love to find the best deals. I hope that my tips are helpful to you in your future shopping endeavors. I’d love to hear from my readers about where they like to shop. I’d also love to help you get the best discounts on the next shopping trip that you take. Comment below with your favorite store and send me some suggestions if there is a store or app that I haven’t mentioned above that I need to check out. As always, let’s continue the conversation on our Facebook Group.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Fascinating Food Videos and Where to Find Them
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a foodie. I like to do what I call “experimental cooking”, and I am always looking for new ideas to experiment in the kitchen. The topic for this week on our podcast was relaxing YouTube videos and nothing relaxes me more than watching a good food video whether it is on YouTube or TikTok. I can scroll for hours watching videos and getting ideas.
Where do I find the best food videos? We live in a time where most social media is interconnected, so one video on YouTube can also sometimes be found on Facebook or even Snapchat. I probably watch most videos via Snapchat. You can also find some great videos scrolling on Facebook, Instagram Reels, or TikTok.
Favorite Video Channels:
ChefClub®: I like ChefClub because they make bold food videos and recreate classics. You can check out their YouTube channel here and their website here. Warning: their videos are not diet-friendly but that’s what fascinates me about them.
Tasty®: Everyone loves BuzzFeed®! Tasty® is an offshoot of the company that compiles comfort-food recipes and recipe videos. I have been a fan of these videos for years, and I have even bought one of their cookbooks as well as cookware sets with their logo. Tasty has cooking and baking products on the shelves now. You can find their videos here and their website here.
SoYummy®: SoYummy is another site that has simple and affordable meal videos that I like to watch. I like them because they make videos out of simple ingredients that most people have in their homes. They are very similar to Tasty®, and they also have their own cookbook on Amazon and Kindle. You can find their videos here and their website here.
MyCupcakeAddiction®: Another channel I have been following for years is MyCupcakeAddiction. I love to bake and I love watching baking videos as well as cooking videos. One of my favorite things to bake and experiment with is cupcakes. MyCupcakeAddiction has always been a baking inspiration to me. Elise Strachan of MyCupcakeAddiction also has her own cookbook and her own brand of earrings called EarCandy. You can check out her videos here and her website here.
AllDayIDreamAboutFood®: I have talked about Carolyn Ketchum before when I have talked about sugar-free and keto recipes. Of course, she would be another favorite of mine because I am on a journey to better myself through eating less sugar and gluten-free. I am a recent fan of her recipes and videos, but I cannot promote this woman enough. Go check out her videos here and her website here.
I could go all day raving about food videos because I simply love watching them and trying to recreate them. I want to know what your favorite food videos and recommendations are. Please comment below with suggestions. Also, go check out our Facebook Chat here and continue the conversation.
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Can Relaxing Videos Really Be Relaxing?
I’ve been spending a lot of time wasting time lately. I blame it on stress. Whenever I have a deadline, or I feel too much pressure, I just have to escape into something mindless and unproductive to let off steam. I always feel guilty about it, but I shouldn’t. After all, it’s a form of self-care, and self-care is not selfish.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Heard on the Podcast
- Insight Timer app
- Lo-Fi Hip Hop
- Chill Rock
- Lo-Fi Holiday
- Halloween Movie Music
- Mae
- 11 Hours of Calming Seas
- Autumn Rain on Windows Ambiance
- ASMR
- Hygge
- Yule Log
- Binaurals
- Singing Bowls
- White Noise Generators/Videos
- Fan Sounds
- "Sleep with Me" podcast
- BabypupsIG
- My Miniature Life
- Tiny Kitchen
- Nail Tech Videos
- Bob Ross Videos
- Facebook Page
- Facebook Chat Group
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Christen's Relaxing YouTube Recommendations
5 Ways to Manifest Your Best Life
Hi there, and welcome back! Since we have been heavily focusing on goals and planning, I thought we should discuss manifesting. I love this ...