You Call This a Tote?

The Gold one is tote size; tiny two on the right-not so much

Glamour is running this promotion where if you subscribe to Glamour Magazine for 1 year you get a free tote set.  I have been subscribing to Glamour off and on for years.  After I grew out of Seventeen I found it to be a perfect mix of fashion, healthy and beauty tips and some good reading.  The fact that I would receive a tote set didn't motivate me to order it any more or less.  I've got plenty of bags at home.  I don't need anymore but if it's free,  I'll gladly take it.  

Don't they look nice and full in the pic?

So imagine my surprise when I get this package in the mail about the size of a magazine.  I hadn't ordered anything.  What could it be?  I open it to find my free totes but they are not quite what I expected.  No where on the free tote add did it mention size or material.  I looked.  But I did not expect them to be this tiny!!  If you are getting a tote you kind of imagine that it will be sizable enough to actually tote things around.  Especially when the post card says it will carry "all of your essentials."  A tote is big right?  Guess not.  It's either a classic case of product misrepresentation or just my fault for assuming but I can't be the only one who assumed they would be bigger.  I'm okay with it because they have come in handy for other things.  I just found it hilarious that I thought they were going to be the size of an actual tote and they weren't.  Maybe it's the word tote.  A better word would be mini tote, purse, or make up bag considering that's what size they are.   They were free so hey; can't complain too much. 

Well, if anyone else want's a free MINI tote set, you can get it at here at Glamour.   And when you see how small they are you can't say I didn't warn you!

More Money? Area Rugs Edition

When you buy a house and/or try to decorate a home you learn about all kinds of  things that you didn't realize were expensive but are.   I guess that is true of everything; because when I was planning our wedding there were all kinds of things along the way that I was shocked to find out the price of.  Some things I knew were going to be expensive like a closet organization system, hardwoods and granite but other things surprised me.  When we did our back yard I was surprised to learn that a pile of rocks could cost hundreds of dollars.  When we had our blinds and curtains put in I couldn't believe how much those were.  Mirrors are shockingly expensive too.  And lamps.  The price tags on decorative pillows is outrageous.  I mean, pillows?  Then  I couldn't believe how expensive a King size comforter set could be, then I was shocked that an average household kitchen sink could be $400 dollars and the faucet runs $200.

Damask Trellis Navy Blue Rug @RugsUSA

Am I just cheap?  Maybe, but now I'm shocked again and this time it's by how much area rugs cost.  If you want a really big one it can cost thousands of dollars which seems to be as expensive as having actual carpet installed in which case it's like paying for flooring twice.  So as with everything else I have to walk the fine line between not wanting to get the cheapest thing out there and not wanting to spend more then I can afford yet still ending up with a quality product that I will love.  It makes no sense to spend a dime on something you don't even like.  I love saving money but I'm not the thrifter, craigslist shopper type.  I wish I was.  The selections are random and limited so it could take forever to find what you want.  I just don't have the patience or the eye to find that diamond in the rough, bring it home, clean it up and make it look all shiny and new.  I will run all over town looking for the best deal though.  I comparison shop and look for coupons and research the hell out of everything.  I don't stop until I find the best deal around.  I probably wouldn't feel comfortable buying something like a couch or rugs pre-owned but I know that if I had been willing to hunt down things like our dining room set at on craigslist I could have spent a lot less money.  So, what did my latest bargain hunt yield?

Hand Tufted Alexa Pino Floral Red Rug @Overstock.com

Right after we got our hardwoods put in I saw a Groupon for Rugs USA.  I'll say it again.  I love Groupon!  For $95 I got $235 in merchandise so I spent $149 with free shipping on a 5 X 8 area rug for our living room.  The original price was $289.  It was on sale for 35% off and they wouldn't let me double dip on the sale price which is lame if you asked me but I still saved $39 more using the Groupon so whatever.  They had the red one too but I found a better price on Overstock.com.  It was 15% off which brought it from $284 to $242.  I found a $15.00 off promo code on their site for a total of $227 for a 7'6" X 9'6" rug and only $2.95 for shipping because Overstock is cool like that.  That one will go in the dining area.  I am shocked by how much we spend on things.  Things that we don't even REALLY need.  $376 for rugs on top of what we paid for flooring.  Really?  Oh well.  Maybe I could have done better but I feel pretty good about how much we spent considering how much these rugs can cost.  It's so hard to tell colors online but hopefully we like them.  We'd better.  Chances are we're stuck with them because I am not returning them and starting all over again.

He's 2

*Happy Birthday... what?*

It was my nephew's 2nd birthday on Saturday so we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to my sister's new home in the middle of the desert.  It's at the foot of a mountain and it's HOT.  I don't know how people who live there can stand it.  You feel like you are walking around in an oven when you are outside which is why they made sure to get a house with a pool.  I never understood why parents go all out on Christmas and birthdays for babies.  At that age, if you make a big production out of it then it's for yourself and not the kid because they don't know the difference and they certainly won't remember it.  When you are two you have no idea it's your birthday.  You don't even know what a birthday is.  My sister saved herself the time and the expense and kept it simple again this year.  It was just our family.  We gave him presents; which he didn't have a clue as to why he's getting.  Not that he would care anyways.  She bought a bunch of cold cuts and toppings so we could make sandwiches and we had macaroni salad, three bean salad and chips.  Instead of cake she made brownies because the birthday boy really isn't all that crazy about cake.  We sang happy birthday and then ate brownies and ice cream for dessert.  He spent most of the time we were in the pool crying even though he usually loves the water.  It's normally just him and mom in the pool so birthday or not he didn't appreciate his pool routine being disrupted by us.  Kids are so funny.

I think next year he'll have a better understanding of what's going on but for now it was just another fun day with the family for DJ.  He's getting so big and is such a cutie.  Now that he's older maybe my sister will stop using months to describe his age.  Instead of saying 24 or 27 months, she can just say he's 2. 

Friday Confessional

I confess that after Direct TV dropped MTV then added it back we DVR'd all the Teen Mom episodes we'd missed and had a Teen Mom marathon extravaganza over the weekend.  The show is as terribly addicting as it is terrible and I'm not naming names but some of them; Amber, are complete train wrecks.  Sadly, I can't stop watching.

I confess that when I turned on my radio in the morning on the way to work last week I was crushed to find that AJ and AJ in the Morning was no longer.  He's gone with no explanation.  They've replaced him with someone else and it's just not the same anymore.  I may even stop listening.  AJ MADE that radio show.  He was so funny and what will happen with AJ's Annual Kids Crane Toy Drive?  So sad.

I confess that I think my 10% off Proctor & Gamble E store link is a total bust.  It's no surprise.  I've never been a good salesman.

I confess that sometimes I strip down naked in the laundry room so I can wash EVERYTHING including what I'm wearing.

I confess that I sit at work with a space heater on all day even when it's 80 degrees outside.  Did I mention that space heaters are banned?  Shhhh...don't tell anyone.

I confess that I'm still a little bitter that Mary blew up the toaster at work four months ago.  I love Mary but I also loved eating Fiber 1 toast with reduced sugar jelly on top every morning.  In her defense the toaster was like 20 years old so it wasn't really her fault.  Toasters got banned so I had to find a new breakfast.  Boo.

I confess that I have a pretzel addiction.  They give me my "chip fix" because they are munchy and salty yet don't have all the fat and calories of actual chips but what they do have is tons of sodium.  It's been about two weeks since we ran out and I haven't bought any since.  Let's see how long I can last! 

Cinnaminy Goodness

I confess that I ate five cinnamon rolls this week including the one I'm going to eat tonight.  The husband baked AGAIN!  He made brownies last week and this is his 3rd time making cinnamon rolls this year.  I'll be lucky if I still fit into my skinny jeans by Fall.

Have a great weekend!!

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