FUNNY IDEAS FOR TAX RETURN SPENDING

This blog post originally appeared in April of 2016. It was too funny not to run again.  LOL!

 
This morning, I woke up feeling the need for laughter...seriously...sometimes I just crave something FUNNY!  I also knew that I wanted to post something on this blog about tax time.  It is already the end of February and the tax deadline is coming closer and closer....and for some people, that means REFUND (providing that the government doesn't shut down).....that's a whole 'nother story!)

Anyhoo....I was cruising the internet highway and found some really hilarious tips on spending your tax return over at Won't Change The World.  I made a few changes here and there, to the original find.  Hope you enjoy them!!

1.   Give your tax return to me.  Seriously!  I'll spend it wisely!!  ;)

2.   Twinkies. Spend the entire return on Twinkies. I know food is often not a long term investment. Trust me when I say, Twinkies will last longer than you do. HA!

3.   Adopt fifty cats. This is a win for everybody involved. The animal shelters are over crowded and the cats need a home. Some people spend all their lives becoming the Cat Lady (or Man), you can do it in a weekend!

4.   Keep buying the same pair of pants from Goodwill and donate the pants back anonymously. Watch with pleasure as you confound the staff. The pants will become legend.

5.   Spend the entire wad on stamps and thank you cards. Thank random people listed in the phone book for strange things. “Ted, love the chinchilla!”

6.   Buy everyone at a bar a drink… of warm milk. Sing lullabies until you are kicked out.

7.   Hire a bodyguard to follow you around work. When co-workers inquire, look around, tell them the location of your last vacation, touch your nose, and scamper away. Then use all your vacation and sick time to disappear for a while. Let one of your co-workers “discover” you in the parking lot, disheveled and in tattered clothing.

8.   Married by Elvis in Vegas. Sometimes, memories are worth more than money.

9.   Give it to your dog to invest...he/she could probably do a better job than some of those fancy-pants financial advisors....and, it'd be cheaper!!  :P

10.  Hand random strangers dollar bills...tell them it fell from the sky.  Watch as everyone starts looking up.  Walk away...far away...  ;)

Feel free to add your own Funny below...Keep it Funny, though; anything serious will be deleted ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................>


HAHA!!! GOTCHA!!  :)

LONG TIME, NO BLOG!

Oh my goodness....what a nightmare it has been trying to get back into this little ol' blog!  Note to Self: Never Ever EVER let a domain name expire!  That's what happened to me and it took Weeks/Days/HOURS of work to get it back.  

And an awesome GoDaddy Tech Support Gal.  Who is now my #1 Fav Person on the Planet!! You ROCK, Katherine!!! 

MEMORIAL DAY 2016

Doing some shopping this Memorial Day?  Here is a list of that I have compiled for you.  Hope you all enjoy your day!  

Walmart

Score some Big Deals!

What to buy and what NOT to buy

Best Buy

Aldi's

Biggest bargains for Memorial Day!  

I was also sitting here thinking that I could blog on and on about all the great deals that are going on, because of Memorial Day, but it just didn't feel right. I happen to have the privilege of living right across the road from my small town's local cemetery. The flags are waving gaily in the breeze, and it just looks so serene and peaceful. There are older people buried there, young infants (how heartbreaking for those parents), young adults, middle aged people, and those who died in wars. Each grave tells a story; it just isn't always printed on the stone. I look at the dates and calculate how old the person was when he/she died, and I have also learned that dates are very meaningful. A lot of people passing away during the same time frame can signify an outbreak of some kind (like flu) or war. There are a lot of military personnel from our small town who died in the line of duty. As they lie there, day after day, year after year, I am especially reminded of their service during the days leading up to Memorial Day, because the cemetery staff raise all of the flags and also put small flags on the military tombstones. Regardless of how each of us feel about war, we should never forget those who died. Because of their actions, we still have our freedoms today.

"Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet Wave? O'er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave."

sargethepoet.com/tc_the_star_spangeled_banner

ingeb.org/songs/thestars

My thanks go out to all who are currently serving our country; May the Lord be by your side always!!

A. Marie

FREE COZI FINDS AND FREEBIES

I love these Cozi Finds and Freebies that I read about over on COZI/Real Simple.  I already filled out the form to get my sample of Fiber Choice Flavor Drops.  *Hint:  When you fill out the form, you must say that you use fiber daily. Otherwise, the survey won't let you continue.  

Today's Find: May 16, 2016 

Free Samples Available! Grab these free health and wellness products from Target before they're gone! Just answer a few survey questions to see if you qualify. Fiber Choice Flavor Drops & Advil Film-Coated Tablets.  

• Free samples of Go & Grow products for toddlers from Similac
• Free sample of Purina ONE Tender Selects cat food
• Free sample of Biotrue Contact Lens Solution if you qualify
• Free 2-pack sample of Excedrin Migraine
• Free sample of the new Garnier Fructis Grow Strong hair care
• Free sample of Philosophy Hope in a Jar
• Choose from three K-cup samples of Green Mountain Coffee: Breakfast Blend, Nantucket Blend, or Dark Magic Extra Bold.
• Free sample of Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygenating Gel Cream.
• Free sample of Playtex Sport products
• Free 2-pack sample of Yogi Tea
• Free sample of COVERGIRL + OLAY Simply Ageless 3-in-1 Liquid Foundation
• Free sample of Lancome Visionnaire Nuit moisturizer
• Free Edible Arrangements Dipped Chocolate box on your birthday
• Free sample of NIVEA In-Shower Body Lotion
• Free sample of L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare

This is only a partial list of their samples.  Head on over to COZI Finds and see all that you can sign up for.  And It's FREE!!

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Amazon Subscribe & Save

I love finding great deals with Amazon's Subscribe and Save!!  This is a terrific price for a 3-Pack of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap, Rhubarb,12.5 Fluid Ounce.  There are other scents to choose from, including Honeysuckle and Lavender.....my son just happens to love the Rhubarb scent!  :)

**Note, if you order the Lemon Verbena scent, there is a 20% coupon applied to first delivery of this subscription.  Nice!!

Amazon's prices fluctuate, so snag this deal while you can!  

MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS FROM THE HEART

Flowers, Chocolate, Jewelry. Those items spell one thing to me. Money. It's nice to be acknowledged and appreciated on Mother's Day, but I always hate for my offspring to dole out cash for material items.  Yes, it is sweet that they are thinking of me, but you know what? The BEST gifts are those that come from the heart.  

My favorite Mother's Day gifts from my kiddos have been the ones that they made themselves.  When my two were little, they'd color me pictures, pick flowers from the yard (yes, even dandelions, LOL) that I would put in a vase and admire, or even make me a snack to eat for breakfast: I say snack, because one year it was peanut butter crackers.  But those were the BEST peanut butter crackers I ever ate!  :)

This year, instead of focusing on what you can buy your Mom, think outside the box.  Write her a little note and let her know how much you appreciate her. Call her on the phone and ask her about her day, instead of the other way around.  If she lives nearby, take her a plate of homemade cookies and include a framed pic of the two of you that she can display on her table.  Better yet, attach a magnet to the back of it and she can hang it on her fridge!  Is Mom a gardener or enjoys flowers?  Instead of spending big bucks at the florist, visit your local greenhouse and pick up some pretty potted flowers (or herbs).  It only takes a little bit of time and creativity to make an inexpensive gift that Mom will surely love.  Check out these creative ideas to wrap potted plants.

Love using essential oils?  There are many ways to make inexpensive gifts using those oils.  One of my favorites is to make a linen spritzer.  It's so easy to make and so appreciated as a gift, especially if you make one that uses essential oils that are calming and relaxing.  And we all know that if there is one thing that Mom's crave, it is peace, quiet, and calm!  :)

Momma's R&R Linen Spray

1 Cup water

1 tablespoon inexpensive vodka

40 drops of Lavender essential oil

8 oz spray bottle

To use, just shake & spray!

You can even mix and match to create your own one-of-a-kind blend! For example, use Lavender&Geranium, Lavender&Rose, Lavender&Sage....the possibilities are endless. Wrap a bit of twine or a piece of lace around the neck of the bottle, attach a little card and voilà...beautiful, handmade gift!

I have a Organic Carrier Oil Giveaway going on right now over at my other blog! There are eight days left to enter!!  Be sure to head over HERE and get in on the action!!!  :)

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE AMAZON 5 DOLLARS AND UNDER

I love using Amazon's Subscribe & Save program.  Currently, Amazon is offering an extra incentive to their program:  If you order 5 or more items, you will save an additional 10%!!  Their normal percentage off is 5%, so this is a great deal!

Today, while putting together my 5 items, I was having a tough time trying to find a 5th item.  I didn't want to spend a ton of dollars just to get 15% off of my order, so I started looking for items that were $5 or less....and I found quite a few of them!  I compiled a list to help you meet your "5 a month" goal so you can get your 15% off!!

Prices as of today ($5 and Under), 4/30/16:

Maxwell House Iced Coffee Concentrate

Yogi Honey Lavender Tea

Queen Helene Cocoa Butter

LÄRABAR, Gluten Free Fruit & Nut Food Bar

Seventh Generation Laundry Sheets

Dial Complete Foaming Antibacterial Hand Wash

True Lime/Cherry Limeade Stick Pack

Fiber One Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Simply Organic Turmeric Root Ground

Simply Organic Ginger Root Ground

Annie's Chewy Gluten Free Granola Bars, Double Chocolate Chip

CLIF CRUNCH - Granola Bar - Peanut Butter

Suave Men 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner

Vaseline Lip Therapy, Creme Brulee

One of the best things about Amazon's Subscribe & Save?  You can cancel anytime! So, if your order comes and you decide you don't want to continue with it at all, or want to change our your items for different one, it's no problem!  The flexibility of the program is awesome!

Let me know what great deals you found that were $5 and under for Subscribe & Save.  I'd love to hear about them!  :)

10 TAX RETURN IDEAS

10 HILARIOUS WAYS TO SPEND YOUR TAX RETURN

This morning, I woke up feeling the need for laughter...seriously...sometimes I just crave something FUNNY!  I also knew that I wanted to post something on this blog about tax time.  It is already April 7 and the tax deadline is coming closer and closer....and for some people, that means REFUND (providing that the government doesn't shut down).....that's a whole 'nother story!)

Anyhoo....I was cruising the internet highway and found some really hilarious tips on spending your tax return over at Won't Change The World.  I made a few changes here and there, to the original find.  Hope you enjoy them!!

1.   Give your tax return to me.  Seriously!  I'll spend it wisely!!  ;)

2.   Twinkies. Spend the entire return on Twinkies. I know food is often not a long term investment. Trust me when I say, Twinkies will last longer than you do. HA!

3.   Adopt fifty cats. This is a win for everybody involved. The animal shelters are over crowded and the cats need a home. Some people spend all their lives becoming the Cat Lady (or Man), you can do it in a weekend!

4.   Keep buying the same pair of pants from Goodwill and donate the pants back anonymously. Watch with pleasure as you confound the staff. The pants will become legend.

5.   Spend the entire wad on stamps and thank you cards. Thank random people listed in the phone book for strange things. “Ted, love the chinchilla!”

6.   Buy everyone at a bar a drink… of warm milk. Sing lullabies until you are kicked out.

7.   Hire a bodyguard to follow you around work. When co-workers inquire, look around, tell them the location of your last vacation, touch your nose, and scamper away. Then use all your vacation and sick time to disappear for a while. Let one of your co-workers “discover” you in the parking lot, disheveled and in tattered clothing.

8.   Married by Elvis in Vegas. Sometimes, memories are worth more than money.

9.   Give it to your dog to invest...he/she could probably do a better job than some of those fancy-pants financial advisors....and, it'd be cheaper!!  :P

10.  Hand random strangers dollar bills...tell them it fell from the sky.  Watch as everyone starts looking up.  Walk away...far away...  ;)

Feel free to add your own Funny below...Keep it Funny, though; anything serious will be deleted ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................>



HAHA!!! GOTCHA!!  ;)

DUSTING OFF THIS BLOG

It certainly has been awhile since this blog has seen any action.  I thought I'd post a recipe that was popular with reader's a few years back.  It still is as yummy today as it was back then!  

SOUP SUPPER

I love to buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store....I can serve the chicken for supper one night, along with potatoes and a vegetable, and then I can use what is left from the chicken to make soup!  If you don't care about the extra fat in your stock, you could make this all in one day.  However, I like to "de-fat" my stock, so it takes a bit longer.

Ingredients:

1 leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken

1/2 bag (6 oz) extra wide noodles

2 quarts chicken broth (boxed/canned or from bouillon) 

2 big carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds or half-rounds

salt and pepper

In a large stockpot, place the chicken along with the sliced carrots.  Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  I like to simmer until the chicken comes off the bones easily.  I then take the chicken out of the broth, remove all of the meat, and return the bones and skin to the water.  Put the meat back in the fridge and simmer the stock for about 4 hours.

**I've found that if you put the leftover chicken pieces in with the bones while you're making broth, the chicken meat tends to lose nearly all it's flavor. Better to save it & add in later.

After the stock is finished, strain and cool.  Then I refrigerate the stock overnight and the next morning, I take off the fat that has risen to the top.  I save this in a container, in the freezer, to make suet for the birds.*Recipe for that coming soon!

I place the stock back on the stove and add the canned broth (if you want a thinner soup, you can add more broth after the noodles are cooked).  After the stock has started boiling, I add the noodles and cook until tender.  Then I cut the chicken up into cubes and add it to the pot.  Heat on low until chicken is warmed through.  Salt and pepper to taste and Voilà!!  SUPPER!!!!

My Mother!

Happy Mother's Day to the Most Wonderful Momma EVER!!

May all of you wonderful Mother's have an awesome, Awesome Mother's Day!  :)

A.Marie

FISCAL CLIFF AND ALL, IT'S TIME TO END 2012

Thank Goodness!  I don't know about you, but I am really getting sick and tired of 2012.  It's time for something new!  However, since we as a nation are counting down to a fiscal cliff, I'm not sure if 2013 is shaping up to be any better than its predecessor! 

With that being said, I need to focus on the positives of this past year and just forget the negatives.  Old with the Old, In with the New.  That has to be my motto.  I am ready to get back into blogging a bit more frequently than once every 6 months.  Now that I have my own laptop (YAY!), I can blog whenever I want and from wherever I want.  Such Freedom!  So, expect to hear a bit more about me and my crazy life and I can't wait to hear about yours. 

So, get that champagne chilled, or whatever it is you like to toast the New Year in with....I prefer Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice, and sing "Auld Lang Syne" with friends and family.  Raise that glass high and bid "adieu" to the past year and say "Hello" to the new.  It's gonna be a better year...we have to have faith and believe that!

Until Later,

A.Marie





 

BUDGET TIME

The summer has just flown by and September is now here.  Where has the time gone?  It has been a very rough summer for us.  Hubby was laid off in late June and that sent panic throughout my entire brain.  I felt like that robot on the old television show, Lost in Space, that goes running around in circles yelling, "Danger, Will Robinson!"   That's what I wanted to do....go around with my budget book yelling, "Danger! No Money!"

Hubby eventually went back to work in August, but after about 4 weeks, he has been laid off again.  Hopefully it will only be for about 2 weeks, but, still....2 weeks.  On unemployment pay.  I am most definitely having to re-learn how to make a dime go where a dollar should.  This is making for a major brain strain.

I have gotten lax in the past few years and have strayed away from the budget system that I really like:  The Envelope Budgeting system.  I'm not hawking anyone's particular product, but when it comes to budgeting, Dave Ramsey's envelope system is the absolute easiest and best system out there.  I am going to implement that system again and hopefully, if I am able to stick with it, I will have positive results. 

 

What system do you use to budget your money??

 

A.Marie

 

 

A Happy Day!

Today is the day....along with my twin sister, Teresa, we are celebrating our 48th birthday! Or, as she likes to say, it is the 27th anniversary of our 21st birthday! LOL!!


Does anyone else share a birthday with us? What about a June birthday? If you do, let me know and I'll give you a shout out on this blog!!!


It is hot, Hot, HOT here today. I was hoping for some rain, but it doesn't look like Mother Nature is going to cooperate. Oh well, that's okay. I have some clothes hung on the clothesline, and the sight of drying clothes always lifts my spirits.


Have a wonderful day, everyone!! 


 A.Marie

Armed Forces Day is TODAY Saturday, May 19, 2012

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days.

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.

 Teen son and his high school Band are going to be playing at the Armed Forces Day event to honor our County's Veterans at the ASTA Care Center in the neighboring town.  I cannot wait to hear them play "America the Beautiful" and "Battle Hymn" as well as "Star Spangled Banner" and "Main Street Parade."  It should be a very moving ceremony and I'll try to get some pics so I can post them later on.

Have a wonderful day, everyone! 

A.Marie

Audit finds College Illinois deficit remains : Pantagraph.com | Central Illinois

Audit finds College Illinois deficit remains : Pantagraph.com | Central Illinois

The College Illinois saga continues....I am going to contact CI by phone and ask them some questions.  I'll update all of you when I get some answers!!


A.Marie

MONDAY MORNING RAMBLINGS

Hello there, everyone!! My goodness...I have totally ignored my blogs for too long; I miss all of you and am going to do much better with my posts.  I enjoy writing but, unfortunately, life gets in the way.  Kudos to all of you who manage to blog day after day....You all Rock!!!

I have visited blogs but haven't left many comments.  Too much going on in my little world and I have been a bit discouraged.  Teen son is in his senior year at high school and that has brought quite a bit of challenges.  But, it is now the beginning of April and he has decided where he wants to go to college, where he wants to live next year, college visit has been scheduled and completed, college application completed and accepted, FAFSA filled out and completed, summer classes signed up for and paid, and in two days, he will sign up for his fall sememster classes.  WHEW!  No wonder my little head has been spinning....and, he hasn't even graduated from high school yet!  haha

AND, I FINALLY figured out why I was having so much trouble with my blogs.  It's because I was using Google Chrome and not Internet Explorer!  No kidding!  I used IE today and POOF!!  All of my problems with blogger, Entrecard, etc., have totally disappeared!  UGH!!  Can you believe it?  I have struggled for weeks with this and the problem was just a teeny bitty one. 

So, fill me in on what is going on with all of you in your little worlds!  In my small corner of the world today, it is windy, sunny, and about 60 degrees right now.  I am going to make myself a pot of coffee and tackle the mountain of bills on my desk.  Then, I am going to attempt to get the floors swept.  Wish me luck on that!!  LOL!!!  ;)

Until next time,

A.Marie

Christmas Spending: How did you do?

You know the old Christmas song, "Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting fat....."


Well, this is how the song should go now that it is December 26th:  "Christmas is over, the Goose is very slim....."   LOL


I saved, I splurged (a little), and am now spent.  Time to start all over again for next year!


How did you do with your Christmas spending?  


A.Marie

UPDATE TO ORGANIC ACRES POST....MOOLALA ROCKS!!

So, I posted this morning about our Organic Acres fiasco and how I sent an email to Moolala requesting my money back.  I expected to hear back from them next week.  That is the usual time it takes, it seems, for a company to respond to a complaint.


Not Moolala, however!!


I emailed them around 8:00ish this morning, and at 8:30 am I received an automated reply that said I would get a personal response within two days.  At 11:00 am this morning, I received this email:



I'm so sorry you have had this experience with one of our merchants. This is certainly not what we want for our members!


Organic Acres have had several issues over the summer and fall and we had hoped they would be able to resolve their issues, but it now seems unlikely that they will be able to fulfill the rest of our members' orders. I know this was a great deal and it’s disappointing that it’s fallen through.


Because this transaction is more than 90 days old our payment processor is unable to refund to your credit card. We can send you a refund check or you can use the funds to buy another voucher.


I've refunded $19.00 to your Moolala Rewards Account 


To request a check all you need to do is login to your account and fill out this form (you can use the link below to go directly to the right page) and you'll receive a check within 10-14 days.


Or, you can use these funds to purchase deals you'll receive an additional 5% bonus instead of the normal 2%.


Again, I'm sorry it turned out this way. If there is anything else I can do for you just reply to this email and let me know.


Thanks!


Pamela


for the Moolala Member Experience Team



How's that for Customer Satisfaction?! I clicked the link that was provided, and YES! The money is back in our Moolala acount!  Hubby and I are very, very happy to have our money back (okay, I know it was only $19.00, but around here, that's a lot of dough)!!  


I am extremely happy and very grateful to Moolala, and after this experience, I won't hesitate to recommend their deal site to anyone!!  Like I said in the blog title, 


"Moolala Rocks!"  

ORGANIC ACRES SCAM *TOTALLY RESOLVED*

Way back in April, Moolala had an Organic Acres deal that I blogged about and a few of you signed up for:

http://www.mymoneymissiononline.com/2011/04/19-for-taste-of-farm-sampler-box-plus.html)  

Well, I am here to tell you that it appears we all were fooled....that it was just a big scam....and if you haven't received your box, which you most likely did not, there is someone that you can contact, at Moolala, to get your money back.  

This is the official email that I found on the Moolala site:

OFFICIAL ANSWER:

Hi, Jon Dale here, I'm the Chief Happiness Officer at Moolala. I wanted to provide you with an update on the situation with Organic Acres.  Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming response and circumstances beyond their control, Organic Acres has not been able to fulfill many of our Members' orders. 

As you know Moolala guarantees every voucher you buy.  As a result if you’re one of the ones who hasn’t received your veggies we’d like to issue you a refund. Please contact us at support@moolala.com.

If you didn’t receive your veggies we’re really sorry, we know this was a great deal and it’s disappointing that it’s fallen through.

If you have any questions please email us.

Thanks,

Jon Dale
Chief Happiness Officer at Moolala

He calls himself the Chief Happiness Officer...Now THAT is FUNNY because I know that I sure am NOT HAPPY with them!!  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

HAVE A VERY BLESSED THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!