sweetsimplelife.com

For those of you like me whose ass is too good to use just any toilet paper, I have good news.  I am a regular shopper at Sam’s Club where I find fabulous deals on just about everything (even New Balance tennis shoes).  I am a huge fan of Charmin Ultra toilet paper.  When you come to my home, you will find toilet paper of the highest quality, 2-ply, super soft luxury on a roll.  Anyway, although I love Charmin, I don’t always love Charmin’s price.

I came across Member’s Mark Bath Tissue.  It stated that it was comparable to Charmin Ultra and that it was Ultra Premium toilet paper, so I thought I would give it a shot seeing that it was $1 or so less than the Charmin.  So I totally love this stuff.  It is just as wonderful as Charmin, without the Charmin price.  You can expect to spend approximately $15 for 36 BIG rolls.  Although when I went to Sam’s this week, it was $1 more, so watch the price (Sam’s must be catching on to me).  But when it’s cheaper, you should totally give it a shot, your ass will not be disappointed!

I'm Back!

After taking a break from writing for the past three months, I have decided to take my blog in a new direction and begin writing again.  You can thank the multiple people who have harassed me about writing since I started my new job (more on the new job later).

I am often told how I find the best deals on stuff, everything from 42″ plasma TVs to $3 tops at Ann Taylor Loft.  I have decided that I want to share my awesome bargain finding skills with you, my readers.  I will show you how to live a fabulous life full of fabulous things on a not so fabulous budget (all while living debt free, duh).  So put on your favorite jeans and call your mom, this is going to be great!  Oh, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

If you have been watching the news, or if you just come in contact with another living person, you know the holidays are going to be rough this year.  Many companies have gone bankrupt and/or closed over the past few months.  These companies include, but are not limited to the following:

• Linens N Things
• Steve & Barry’s
• The Bombay Company
• Sharper Image

All of these companies were fairly large, especially Linens N Things.  I am not all that surprised that Sharper Image is bankrupt, they sold nothing but useless junk (in my opinion anyway).  With these stores going under, their gift cards are (most of the time) worthless.  When you purchase a gift card you are essentially loaning the company money, making you a very small lender.  When the company goes under, you being the smallest lender, are paid absolutely last.  The majority of the time, this means you get nothing, nada, squat.

This being said, you should think twice about which stores you want to purchase gift cards from this holiday season.  Gift cards have been one of the most popular gift ideas for many years now, but this may begin to change.  I know personally, no one on my list is getting a gift card ever again.  I have a perfect example of what could happen to you.  My step-sister was married in May 2008.  She and her husband were registered at Linens N Things.  The day before their wedding, Linens N Things announced their bankruptcy and it was printed all over the local paper that the company’s gift cards were no longer valid.  Now, I forgot to ask her if they received any gift cards and if they were able to use them.  I will look into that.  The point of the story is that I was terrified for them.  Santino and I were getting married three months later and I knew if that had happened to me, I would have been devastated.  They could have ended up with hundreds of dollars of worthless gift cards.  Luckily, we were registered at Bed Bath & Beyond, which leads me to my next point.

If you are planning to purchase gift cards this holiday season, please, please, please purchase them from debt-free companies.  A debt-free company is a billion* times more likely to make it though this economic down-turn (*please note that this is not an actual figure, just my opinion).  There are many wonderful debt-free companies out there.

• Ann Taylor
• Gymboree
• American Eagle Outfitters
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Panera Bread
• Apple

These are just a few of the hundreds of debt-free.  I was very excited to find out that American Eagle Outfitters is a debt-free company.  I have been shopping there for many years, since I was in the 7th grade.  I actually worked at Panera Bread in high school and had no idea that it was a debt-free company.

There are a few companies that have not gone belly up quite yet, but I would keep an eye on them.  I am sure everyone knows about K-Mart and Sears, they have been on the down turn for years.  One company that I didn’t know about, but it doesn’t surprise me that they are going under is Circuit City.  I did recently purchase a new laptop from them and I am sad to say that they had less than acceptable customer service, the computer was a good deal though.

I hope this makes you rethink your Christmas list.  I would definitely recommend you thinking twice when picking up a gift card this year, I know I am.  How do you feel about gift cards?  Do you plan on giving them this holiday season?

(Photo Credit, Above: Ange Soleil, Below: xoxreanna)

This is a guest post from my husband, Santino.

Photo on Flickr by Cindy Funk

Who in their right mind enjoys when the phone rings, only to discover that the friendly voice on the other end of the line is trying to sign you up to get a free Casio watch or beach towel? Ah yes, the wonderful world of Tele-marketers.

If the world of capitalism was a zoo, these folks would certainly be the roaches of society. That said, why not turn the tables and have a little fun when they do call.

 I personally run for the phone when it pops up on my TV that a Telemarketer is on the phone.  (Our TV has caller-ID.)  It’s a great way to have some good old fashioned clean fun and have some laughs with the family. Next time you are having dinner with the family, come up with a bunch of crazy, bogus business names to answer the phone with. For example, I recently answered the phone as “Herb’s Diet-Friendly Friend Chicken”. Its fun when you get a dial tone from them.

Another fun trick is to ask them questions or answer all of their questions contrary to what they are expecting you to say. For example, let’s say they are trying to sell you a vacation. When they ask, “Do you want to get away on a vacation with all expenses paid?”, answer back by saying, “Actually, I prefer to support the economy, local unions, and my fellow working man by providing some badly needed income to their respective businesses. After all, if everything was free, we would all be commies don’t you think?” I can’t tell you how fun it is when a Telemarketer stutters as they can’t find an answer to your question on their script.

Lastly, if you have a business of your own, turn the tables on them. Try selling your product to them and play their game. For instance, let’s say you sell makeup. After they give their little speech, return the favor by talking about your newest lip gloss. Heck, maybe you will make a sale. Anyway, as I always say, life is too short to get upset over silly things. Instead, enjoy the silliness in things you never thought were silly.

I would not normally talk about politics here on Sweet Simple Life, but I thought this web site was really neat.  If you go to glassbooth.org you can take a quiz and it will tell you how your views match up with all the candidates running this year.  It really makes you think about who you are voting for.  Take a look!

Photo by Southern Foodways Alliance

I know what you are thinking.  Many of you may know that I started a garden project in March that didn’t really pan out.  Here is how it went.  I picked a great place in our yard.  We live on a pond and my Grandmother, Ellen, told me to plant it as close to the pond as possible, that’s where the nutrients are.  So I began.  I decided to start small with a 5 x 5 area.  I dug up the area, by hand, on a hot Florida afternoon.  And then the kitchen came, but that’s another story.  My garden never made it past the digging up the grass phase.

So, I think I will start over on an even smaller scale.  I have been following JD’s garden project over at Get Rich Slowly for quite some time, you may want to check it out.  So here is my plan.  I am going to start a container garden (even though I do have plenty of room for a real garden).  There is logic behind using containers:

1. We have ducks.  My neighbors told me that they once too had attempted a garden, but the ducks ate all of the seedlings.  My thought on this is to put my containers  in the front yard, away from the ducks.
2. I get carried away.  I don’t even know if my garden will grow.  I once killed a cactus, (it was actually my cat, she dug it up) but that’s beside the point.  I think I can start small, with one container, then add containers as my confidence grows.  Eventually, I can transplant to a real garden.
3. I can just throw it away.  If for some reason it doesn’t work out, I can just plant something else in the pot.

Also for this project, I want to track my expenses to see if growing your own food really pays off.  So here is my initial investment:

• Potting soil - $2.09
• 16″ Terracotta planter (it’s actually plastic) - $8.97
• Broccoli seeds - $1.25
• Cauliflower seeds - $1.25
• Lettuce seeds (romaine) - $1.07
• Total initial investment - $15.65 after tax

I really only wanted to start with lettuce (we eat a lot of it), but Santino insisted on the broccoli and cauliflower.  I hope to plant everything this weekend, so I will keep you updated.  Have you ever planted a garden?  How did that go?

• Turn all of your clothes hangers around backward.  This may be a little bit more of a pain in the behind, but do it.  Turn around every hanger, I mean all of them.  Once you do this, wear your clothes as usual.  When you do laundry, put the hanger back in forward, this way you know which items you have worn.  Don’t touch any of the backward hangers for an allotted amount of them, we usually say 6 months.  This will all depend on where you live and how often your seasons change.  Here in Florida we have Summer all year except for 2 months of Winter (yes, be jealous).  Believe it or not, I actually have an extensive (well at least for Florida) Winter clothing collection.  This consists of sweaters, coats, and color coordinating scarves, gloves, and hats.  After 6 months, go into your closet and take out all items with hangers still backward.  Assess them.  Why haven’t you worn them?  Are they out of season?  If they are just out of season, keep them.  If you just haven’t worn them, then you need to  sell them, donate them, or freecycle them.
• Have you spouse or significant other go through your closet.  Yes, I said it.  I go through Santino’s closet and pick out things he tries to keep and still wears when they should have been tossed months before.  These items include jeans with holes that show his underwear, stained shirts, socks with holes, and boxers where the elastic has worn out.  These are things he would still wear if I did nothing about them.  He is a young professional, he should dress like one, not like a homeless bum.  Here is a thought, give the worn out clothes to a homeless bum, he will truly appreciate them.
• Use the shopping rule.  When we go shopping, if we buy something, we have to give something up.  If we buy a new T-shirt for example, we go home and get rid of an old one.  Hats are another item that are hard for him.  He has a hat basket and hats can only be stored there.  If the basket gets too full, he has to clean it out.  Usually when he wants to buy a new hat, he has to sacrifice 2 old ones for 1 new one.

All of this may sound harsh, but it works.  It is the only way we can keep the closet from getting out of control.  How do you handle this issue at your house?  Who has more clothes, you or him?  I think in most households, it’s the woman who has the shopping problem, Santino and I are the exception.

Rachel over at Small Notebook is having a giving away!  She will be giving away a  “petite original circle” necklace from Lisa Leonard, which is too cute.  Hop on over to Lisa Leonard Designs to check out her entire collection.  I know what everyone is getting for Christmas. 

To enter in the giveaway, head over to Small Notebook and leave Rachel a comment on her Jewelry Giveaway post telling her what you are thankful for.  What are you waiting for?

Since I am taking some time to focus on school, here is another guest post from my husband, Santino

Photo by JonesGGallery

On the menu today: Chicken Casserole

Items you will need:

1) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (1LB)
2) Cream of Mushroom Soup (1 Can)
3) 1/4 Cup of Milk
4) 1 Bag of Shredded Cheese (Flavor of your choice)
5) Italian Dressing
6) Stuffing Crumbs (1 Bag, any flavor)
7) Butter
8) Salt, Pepper, and Garlic

Instructions:

1) Marinate the Boneless Chicken Breasts for a few hours in Italian Dressing, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic. Add the chicken to a casserole dish and pour a little bit of the marinade on the chicken breasts. (Remember to use Pam at the bottom of the casserole dish to avoid sticking)

2) Mix the 1/4 Cup of Milk with the Cream of Mushroom soup in a bowl. Once mixed, pour on top of the chicken for the second layer of the casserole.

3) The third layer of the casserole is the shredded cheese, apply this on top of the cream of mushroom/milk mixture. Add as much or as little as you would like, depending on how cheesy you like it.

4) Add the stuffing crumbs on top to cover the lower layers. Melt about 2 table spoons of butter in the microwave and add it to the top of the crust layer.

5) Cook in the over at 375 Degrees for Approximately 34-38 minutes

6) Enjoy the Deliciousness