Impromptu Haircuts #ThisIsWhyIDrinkWine

By Mindi Cherry on February 6, 2012
in Peeks At My Life

The scene: A bathroom

The props: orange handled Fiskars scissors on the counter…about 18 locks of beautiful blonde curly hair on the floor.  A 5-year old with brand new bangs standing in front of me.

Me: Elizabeth! What did you do?

Elizabeth: Nothing!

Me: Why did you cut your hair???

Elizabeth: I DIDN’T Mommy!

Me: Elizabeth, if you thought your hair was too long, I would have taken you for a haircut!

Elizabeth: But MOOOOOOOOM! I didn’t cut my hair!

Me: Then where did all this hair come from?

Elizabeth: I think it just fell off!

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Knowing Your Weaknesses (or This Is Why I Pay For Tech Support)

By Mindi Cherry on January 31, 2012
in Life As A Mom, Peeks At My Life

Today I had a Skype conversation with the 17 (soon to be 18) year old that handles all of my tech stuff for Moms Need To Know.  I am 42 years old and the extent of my formal computer education was learning how to use an Apple IIe in 1986.

(Note:  “Cron” is the return email on an automated email from my hosting service that I get almost every day telling me that something is wrong with my site, but everyone including my hosting service tells me that it is nothing to worry about)

  • Mindi:  MITCHELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Mitchell:  yes?
  • Mindi: It’s fixed….my site was down for about an hour because there was some sort of node or tumor or wart or something ;)
  • Mitchell: ;-) it wasn’t Cron?
  • Mindi: Cron still emails me
  • Mitchell: (headbang)
  • Mindi: today spamd and httpd and cPanel ChkServd got pissy with me
  • Mitchell:: oh apache?
  • Mindi: and they tried magic, but it took a while
  • Mitchell: toni had an issue with httpd too
  • Mindi: I guess magic…they said “A restart was attempted automagically.”
  • Mitchell: (headbang)

Note: Mitchell tends to bang his head quite a bit whenever we are talking about tech stuff

And THAT is why I don’t try to do certain things myself. Wonderwoman is a myth, be it in the tech world, being a mom or any other aspects of your life.

Know when to ask for help! There are so many people that are more willing to spend 6 hours because they are determined to fix things themselves, when they could pay someone $50 to fix it for them. Consider the value of your time vs. the money that it would cost to fix the problem (and save yourself from stress).

And consider how much you really NEED to know. I can probably live my entire life being happy to never really know who “Cron” is, or how to change my own oil in my car or how to sew my own curtains. For some things, it’s time to stop worrying about saving a buck, just have it done by someone else and move on to more productive activities.

(and if you are a blogger using WordPress, I can’t recommend My Frugal Tech more!)

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On The Bright Side, At Least I am Stuck in Steelers Country!

By Mindi Cherry on July 17, 2011
in Peeks At My Life

Hey guys! Just a quick note of explanation as to what is going on with the site and why so many regularly scheduled posts have yet to be posted.

I had the pleasure of attending the Savvy Blogging Summit 2011. I tried to get as much posted in advance as I could, but many advance ads that I normally receive in the mail on Wednesday did not arrive before my 7:00am Thursday morning flight and the courses at Savvy are intense and they (and the other activities) keep you busy from 8:00am until midnight each day. I squeezed some deals in here and there, but wasn’t able to keep up the pace.

On the bright side….I came out of Savvy with a TON of ideas for several series of posts that I think you are going to LOVE.

So fast forward to Sunday morning….Briana and I left in plenty of time for the airport (we were roommates at Savvy and were on the same flight that morning), but due to inefficiency at the Colorado Springs airport, I BARELY made my flight and Briana missed it (she was trying to check a bag). I made it to Chicago to catch my flight to Philadelphia, sat down to do some work during my 3 hour layover, turned on my computer and pretty much got a message that said “your battery is toast”.

I challenge you to find an available outlet in O’Hare on a Sunday afternoon!

So – no work to be done…s’ok – my plane gets in to Philly at 5:00pm, I’ll be home by 6:00pm and can get some work done…right? I hop on my plane to Philadelphia from O’Hare and about 45 minutes in to the flight, the captain comes on the speaker and tells us that we have a “hole in the plane” and are landing in Pittsburgh. If I live for another 80 years, I hope I never again hear “We have a hole in the plane”!

On the bright side, we didn’t crash!

Bottom line, after wandering around the airport for 4 hours, I FINALLY found an outlet in a restaurant in the Pittsburgh airport…..with just enough time before my 8:45pm flight to Philadelphia to write this post.

On the bright side, the Pittsburgh airport has an AMAZING Steelers store in it…and you know how much I love the Steelers.

I will start getting caught up when I get home tonight and all day Monday. Posts will go up in the following order:

Genuardi’s
Acme
Giant
everything else

Thanks for your patience!

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Confession of a Lapsed Couponer: Taking Stock and Starting Over

By Mindi Cherry on May 9, 2011
in Coupon 101, Peeks At My Life

I have a confession to make:  I haven’t been couponing for the last year!

Oh sure, I have used coupons here and there when I was doing my weekly shopping…but I haven’t been using coupons anywhere NEAR the level that I used to use them.  And aside from a few deals here and there…I haven’t worked the Drug Store deals for more than a year.

Why?  Well, there are several reasons:

1.  When I first started using coupons on a large scale, I went overboard.  I WAS one of those “shelf-clearers” that now annoy the heck out of me.  Because of that, our Health & Beauty stockpile got out of control.  I made the decision to “use down” our stockpile until I had no more than a 12-week supply of toiletries.  That point finally arrived about 3 weeks ago.

2.  We have been eating from the stockpile.  Like my health & beauty stockpile, my “food stockpile” was out of control as well.  Rather then go out and snag great deals to add to the stockpile, I have been forcing us to use what we have, get rid of the junk and get to the point where I can restock our pantry with only foods that I would be proud to serve my family (or the foods that, if I try to eliminte them entirely, my family will stab me while I sleep…like Cocoa Puffs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

3.  We have changed many of our eating habits.  I have been making more foods from scratch, buying more organics (which I usually find the best deals for on Amazon.com), I bought a quarter of a cow, etc.

4.  Lack of time:  the past year has been quite a whirlwind.  This site went from a little site that pretty much paid my electric bill, to a full-time job.  Time management has never one of my strengths and I was so busy finding deals to post on this site (and not using my time effectively enough to do so) as well trying to maintain a family and personal life, that couponing (and many other things, but that’s another story) fell to the side.

So why am I telling you this?

Because I miss using coupons.  I miss getting the deals.  I miss the feeling of connection that I had with you guys when we were all getting the deals together.  Oh yeah – and I was down to my last bottle of shampoo and the thought of paying for shampoo again was killing me!

Yesterday I went and did some deals at Rite Aid and Walgreens…and I realized how much I DID miss it…how much I enjoyed it…and how much I want to do the deals and share them with you in pictures.

Will I be “Extreme Couponing” like you see on the TLC program?  Absolutely not.  What I will be doing is rebuilding my stockpile in a sane and rational way…buying only things that we need and sharing the deals along the way.

Care to join me?

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Happy Easter!

By Mindi Cherry on April 24, 2011
in Peeks At My Life

Just wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a Happy Easter!

As I do every year, I am heading down to my sisters house in Baltimore, so whatever posts I can get done in the car on the way down to her house and once we get back late this evening will likely be it for the day. Regular posting will resume on Monday.

I hope you all have a wonderful and Blessed day!

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A Few More Words About My $6 Per Pound Beef

By Mindi Cherry on April 14, 2011
in Coupon 101, Peeks At My Life

I have received a bunch of questions on the post about me buying 168 pounds of grass-fed beef.  Many of the questions were the same, so I thought, instead of repeating myself over and over in the comments (and taking the chance that some of you wouldn’t check back for a response), I would put them all together in one post!

:: Where did you buy your cow?

I bought it from Wholesome Dairy Farm and I only bought 1/4 of a cow.  It was a very large steer and the “hanging weight” of that 1/4 cow was 168 lbs.  I ended up paying just over $675 for a BUNCH of meat!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Mark (and just FYI – he is one of the few farmers in PA licensed to sell Raw Milk), but I get the feeling that he only has a steer available every few months. I purchased through him on the recommendation of my friend/whole-foods-guru Jo-Lynne. My husband is ready to send out a lynch-mob after her (he still hasn’t forgiven her for our first foray in to organic foods..what will forever be known as “The Organic Salsa Incident”), but I love her.

If you are looking to buy organic local meats (or any food) in the Philadelphia area, I highly suggest that you check out Eat Local Philly to find a supplier near you!  If you live outside of the Philadelphia area, check out Local Harvest

:: How much room do you need to buy that much meat?

As Diane said, I needed room for about 2 laundry baskets of meat. However, as I mentioned, I only bought 1/4 of a large steer and she purchased a half-steer. The “hanging weight” of the share of my cow was 168 pounds……use this as a guideline.

:: How is it packaged?

This is going to vary from vendor to vendor, but in my case, everything was packaged in the perfect portions for a family of 4 (1 lb of ground beef, enough of a roast for 1 night family dinner, etc) and was vacuum-sealed. Check with your vendor to see how they are packaging it!

:: You are buying a pig?????

I have no desire to recreate “Babe” in my back yard. I just want to buy a pig (post butchering) from a local farmer. Aside from the fact that my Homeowners Association Board would likely have a heart attack if I kept a pig as a pet, I have no intention of having my kids get “attached” to their food supply! I try to teach them from where their food comes (and that it doesn’t just magically appear in the supermarket wrapped in plastic), but I am not going to have my 4 year old ride her next source of pork chop dinner around the back yard! I am SO not ready for that conversation!

Did I miss any questions or do you have another? Leave them in the comments!

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Why I Recently Paid $6 Per Pound For Beef

By Mindi Cherry on April 12, 2011
in Coupon 101, Peeks At My Life

$6/lb?  Are you kidding Min?

Nope – not kidding.

Last week, I drove 45 minutes and purchased 168 lbs of grass-fed organic beef.  The “hanging weight” was $4.10 per pound (that includes bones and yucky stuff…although I DID take the tongue and the liver because they were free and I have 2 different neighbors who told me on Facebook that if I couldn’t figure out what to do with them, they would be happy to take them.  But still…ICK!).  When you figure out the actual price I paid for the beef that is now in my freezer, it works out to about $6 per pound.

I would hope it would come as no shock to you guys that I don’t take advantage of every deal that I post on this site.  My job is to post the best deals at the Grocery Stores as well as the Drug Stores, regardless of if they are on my shopping list for the week.  Those of you that have been following this site for more than 6 months know that I have been making a VERY gradual (due to family resistance) move towards more whole and organic foods. This has kicked in to high-gear now that I have a daughter (concerns about hormones in the meat/dairy-related products..an ENTIRELY different post!)

So why am I telling you this?  Is it so that I can gloat “HaHa!  I had $700 in my account to write a check for a buttload of beef!”?  Absolutely not.  There is NO gloating here!

But I want you to know this….

Because I haven’t paid for basic toiletries and have been saving 50-95% on my groceries for quite some time, I WAS able to pay for things that truly matter to me….like buying organic pastured meats.

So couponing isn’t just about paying nothing for groceries and toiltries.  It’s is about saving money on the things that don’t matter to you, in order for you to be able to spend money on the things that DO matter to you!

Now I just have to break the news to Brad that I want to buy a pig…….

What are you doing with the savings that you are getting from saving on groceries and toiletries (note:  saying “being able to pay the rent/mortgage and NOT getting evicted” is still a great response.  We all have different situations and I have received enough emails from readers to know that this is EXACTLY the case.  There is NO shame in that!)

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We Interrupt This Blog For a Personal Note

By Mindi Cherry on February 22, 2011
in Peeks At My Life

Last night, I found out that one of my college boyfriends had died.

This is someone who “put me through the wringer” (in a 19-year-old-everything-is-the-end-of-the-world-way), but at the end of the day, he was a NICE guy, with problems.

Twenty years went by and I can honestly say that I only thought of him a few times.  Then, he Friended me on Facebook about 6 months ago.  He was living in sunshine, married to a beautiful woman and seemed happy.  We had a bunch of email conversations about the past, present and future.  Every bad thing that I had blamed him for in our past relationship was gone.  We were grownups now.  We became friends.

And now he is dead.

I don’t know HOW he died, but I can tell you from almost 42 years of living, that you can read VOLUMES in to an obituary.  Someone requests donations to the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association?  It’s a fairly good bet that they died from cancer or lung disease.  So when I see that my friend is requesting donations to a local mental-health program…what am I to assume?

PLEASE – I have lost peripheral family members and friends to mental health issues.  If you know anyone suffering from depression…do what you can.

Mental illness is, in many cases, a biological problem and we can’t save everyone.  But I have friends and family members who are kicking themselves because they deemed a friend or family member “too high maintenance”..and then they were dead.

If you love someone..tell them that EVERY day. If you see someone in need…TRY to help them!

:: To Bob:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
…The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

RIP Bob – you will be missed!

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Superbowl Predictions? Go Steelers!

By Mindi Cherry on January 23, 2011
in general, Peeks At My Life

As many of you know, I am a HUGE Steelers Fan.  As I am writing this, there is still another 5 hours until the Steelers/Jets game to see who goes to the Superbowl and I can.not.wait!

I’m hoping for a Steelers/Packers Superbowl.

Who do YOU want to see in the game on February 6th?

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2010: The Year That Was…..

By Mindi Cherry on December 31, 2010
in general, Peeks At My Life

As the final hours of 2010 draw to a close, I am sitting down for the first time and really thinking about the year that was 2010.

I kicked off the year by heading to New York City with some local blogging friends to attend the Martha Stewart show about blogging.  We spent a fun night partying in NYC before getting up at the crack of “Oh My God It’s Early!” to shiver outside.  Watching Martha in action was so much fun (and we especially had fun with the producer/stage manager who didn’t seem to know the difference between a blog and a Tweet)

Just a few weeks later, I was off to Nashville to attend the Blissdom conference. That conference changed my entire outlook on this site and helped me refocus on what I wanted to do here.  It was also at this time that I really got to know some of my favorite Frugal bloggers.  We had so much fun running around and learning from each other.  As an added bonus, we got to head to Dave Ramsey’s headquarters, get a personal tour of the building and MEET DAVE!  That trip ended up being an extra day…if you remember, that was the same weekend that the entire East Coast got hit with a blizzard and the airports all shut down!

In March, I learned what I was REALLY made of…and that is steel.  I came under attack by one of the most vicious groups on The Internets (these are the same people who have hacked government websites, Sara Palins site and many many more).  The Frugal Blogging community rallied around me and saved my behind.  I have to tell you, it gave me great joy to know that, in the end, I won!

In April, I was asked to speak on a panel for a Philadelphia-area bloggers event. We had a great morning mingling and talking about how to take your blog to “the next level”.  I am still in shock that so many people seem to look to me for advice!

That same month, we had The Great Hamster Escape of 2010. I thought that sucker was gone for good, until 3 days later when I was sitting on my sofa and looked up and saw him looking at me! (FYI – he has since gone to the Great Habitrail In The Sky!)

April 16, 2010: my favorite date of the year….that is the day that Elizabeth said to herself “I think I will try to use the bathroom”.  About 10 days and only a few “accidents” later, my days of buying diapers were over.  I had been buying them every.single.week since May of 2001.  I was MORE than ready to be done!

The Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, I woke up literally unable to move.  Three hours later, I was in the hospital crying in pain.  It took an unGodly amount of drugs to manage the pain as well as correct the problem (and I still have no idea what caused it) and I pretty much ignored this site for 3 days…and you guys didn’t leave me.  Thanks for that!

The summer went as normal…until I received an email from the people at Subway inviting me AND my boys to Los Angeles.  The entire event was centered around Subway and their support for Little League.  My boys got their first airplane ride and their first chance to see the Pacific Ocean.  To this day, they describe it as their favorite vacation!

Then we got Coupon…my beloved dog and the official Moms Need To Know mascot!

Oh – and who can forget BlogHer and me running around New York City with some of your favorite Frugal Bloggers?

And then there was Chicago.  I was once again invited to be a Savings.com DealPro.  I have been a huge fan of Savings.com and this trip brought out the ultimate geek in me!  I learned so much about the “geek side” of blogging (I am a PROUD geek) and I got to spend time with some of my favorite other bloggers…AND I got to get felt up by Robert Knepper!

And then there was the Cookie Swap That Changed My Life.  I still get misty thinking about the children of the Milton Hershey School.  I have been on many Brand/Blogger Trips, but none of them have affected me as much as this one did.

And here we are….New Years Eve.

As I reflect on the events that changed me this year, no list would be complete without YOU.  That you continue to visit this site each day both amazes and humbles me. Who am I?  Just Mindi Brown who married a great guy and became Mindi Cherry and because I had 3 kids, I needed to save money.  In my wildest dreams, I never thought that my needing to save money could affect so many people.

And your comments and emails inspire me every day.

So thank you…and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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