got the smarts real good.

I pride myself on using coupons and being cheep. Yesterday I made a trip to the grocery store and scored over $260- worth of groceries for $100- less. I will never be one of those extreme coupon people, because I refuse to buy 3,000 tube of toothpaste or 500 containers of mustard (I hate mustard anyways.). But I try to save when and where I can on food products that will actually be eaten. I generally try to estimate spending per shopping trip $130-$150 per trip which is typically every two weeks. So I am sure we are much lower then the average family (this is a contingency on the fact that we have anywhere from three to six people whom are in this house hold for meals on any given day). I get a rush when I save, and I totally get pissed if I find out I had a coupon for X, or the circular for the Thursday paper offered an additional coupon the day after and I could have saved another $2.50. Which I noticed today. If I didn't have plans to work today I might have held off one more day. The thing is what we don't spend in groceries every other week, we usually make up and more in dining out. We are so bad about that part. I am working on it. So groceries done. I may have to go again next week for our trip, but we will be well fed and well hydrated for the next week plus. (Here is a picture and that wasn't everything. Best score had to be on the make-up I purchased. I paid $3.00 and some change for blush and hot pink nail polish which I already put on my ugly toes.)

The cement people have been busy and when I returned from the grocery trip this is what I saw in the backyard.

It looks so weird. I just cannot wait for it to be done.

Yesterday beside my trip to the store I also took a trip to my step son's Jr. High School. Ben has been accepted into the National Jr. Honor Society. I guess he really does got the smarts real good (John Travolta from Urban Cowboy..love that movie). We are all so proud of him. I know I cannot make claim to ever have had such an induction, and this was the first ceremony for any of my children I have ever attend. You rock it Ben. I know he works hard and has always been driven so I am so supper proud of him. We enjoyed the ceremony and I was impressed by these young people who truly ran the show, and clapped like a crazy lady when Ben's name was called. My friend Sandy's son was also included so I cheered for him too. Here are a few evening trip pics.

 Getting his certificate. The ceremony was quite detailed. There were five candles lite for each of the core areas of Honor society expectations; Scholarship, Citizenship, Service, Character, and Leadership. The class officer president did an amazing job with the entire ceremony, she even sounded better then the school principal.

 Here we are! below is Sandy and her son Justus. YOU BOYS ROCK!!!

I have work today, so I am off to the former job site. I am feeling a little resentful that I agreed to do these few extra shifts, but hey it's money and tonight I am attending an SBH dinner. Outpatient was told several months ago if we obtained a three year certificate from the state the president would have a dinner for us. The first date set for the dinner was while I was still working and it was changed, so I did not expect to be attending, but glad I got an invite. It will be a nice chance to reconnect with my former co-workers.