coupons, coupons, coupons

OK so I went to FHE tonight. I usually never go (because I hate it) but I also have very few friends in my new ward so I need to make an effort to be social. And, we'd been informed that a coupon guru was coming to teach us how to use coupons. I had to go to hear this crazy coupon lady speak.

I show up, and there are two coupon people there, both from my home ward. One is Stephanie, my young women's president growing up, and the other is a man whom I don't know. He calls himself Captain Coupon. Amazing.

I hate using coupons, with a few exceptions I'll get to in a minute. I assumed you'd spend hours cutting coupons and getting newspaper ink all over your hands to save about four bucks a month. And, quite frankly, I think it's embarrassing to use coupons. Little did I know the extent to which coupon clipping can save you money grocery shopping. This man and woman claim to save 80-90% of their grocery costs in coupons. Captain Coupon's all-time record is getting a $400+ grocery bill down to less than $20. There are apparently three types of coupons you can use in conjunction with one another: manufacturer coupons, competitor coupons, and doubling coupons (they merely double the savings up to 50 cents from the other coupons you're using). The right combination can bring your food items to a negative balance and help offset the cost of other food items in your cart. Grocery stores will not actually give you the money if you're left with a negative balance (as Captain Coupon once was) but will insist you buy more groceries. Basically these coupon gurus are feeding their families on little to no money and I find that quite impressive.

Now to the coupons I already know I like:

• Costco, in general, has some great coupons every month or quarter or however often they send them


• Banana Republic will give you 20% off one item if you fill out a customer survey online attached to your receipt


• Bed, Bath & Beyond has those 20% off coupons every now and then


• JoAnn Fabrics (and other craft stores) usually have coupons sitting by the door as you come in

Maybe, after FHE tonight, more coupon clipping will make its way into my grocery shopping. Does anyone know if Trader Joe's and Whole Foods accept competitor coupons? In any case, this was hands down the best FHE I've ever been to. So entertaining. And thanks heavens I was sitting next to Diana for continuous under-our-breath dialogue, because I simply could not text Kirst and Linds fast enough about Stephanie's appearance as the coupon Guru.

more of the same thing

I had to do the apartment tour in two posts because I was having strugs getting the photos to upload in the correct order. But as I'm typing this I'm realizing that this post (with photos which I want last) will appear above the other post. For heaven's sake.
Here is my desk, curtains, and BEAUTIFUL birthday flowers from RZ. I hope you notice the large pile of computer bags to the right of the desk. I now own three laptops, which is too many.
Bigger closet than I had at college, although still not a walk in.
I've clearly run out of room to buy new clothes but somehow I think I'll find a way. :)
And my oh so cute green and brown bathroom. You can see both walls because of the mirror. There's also a green fuzzy floor mat which I like very much.

hello, i live here

Here is a photo tour of my new apartment, as promised. This post only covers my bedroom and bathroom because the rest of the apartment is not yet in a state for showing off. Hopefully someday. Enjoy.

Come on in...
You know you're dying to come visit and sleep in my bed with me. I'm still missing one paper lantern as IKEA was out of the largest size both times I've been to pick up other items. And please note the frames I spray-painted and hung on the wall in lieu of a headboard.
I found this bedside table at TJ Maxx and I love love love it. I did from the very beginning but was worried it's actually hideous and I only think it's amazing so I brought my mom and sister in for a second opinion. They agreed that it's fabulous. I've been tempted to carry the mermaid theme throughout the rest of the room but have not. And I realize they are probably lesbian mermaids on the front, but I'm not threatened by that because I'm secure in my sexuality.
I love this dresser from IKEA. Kirst got the same one. Thank you Dad for putting it together. After finishing my bedroom I am so over furniture you have to assemble yourself.
My full-length mirror which is much prettier than the one I'd always have in my college apartments but does not have the same slimming illusion because it's bigger. I guess better information leads to better decisions.

greece baby

Well my first official business trip was to Athens, Greece for new hire training. I love my job and wonder how long they'll keep pretending it's super fun. Maybe forever?

I'm sitting in the hotel by the airport for my last night. Our Internet access has been awful, limited to 2 hours per day and very slow because everyone is on at the same time. About halfway through training some first years figured out the admin password for the instructor's Internet which lasts all day, but updating my blog during class would have been too conspicuous.
Here's a photo tour of the trip highlights-- I definitely saw less of the city than on other European adventures when I'm not being tortured in a conference room all day.

Here's a sneak peak of the trip:


My training group for the first week. There were participants from 12 countries (US, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Singapore, and clearly some others). I'm on the far right in a blue sweater and orange dress.

View of the conference rooms from above. I wish every morning I could get to work in 5 minutes by just taking the elevator downstairs.

A really darling patio restaurant one of our first nights there. The jet lag was probably killing me by this point in the night.

Opa! The fav cheer of the training attendees. I had to take one pic so I didn't feel like I was missing out on all of the fun. Licorice flavored hard liquor doesn't sound that great anyways so whatev.

Dinner at another fun place in Plaka-- our most frequented area of town. This is my new friend Kim who just moved to Portland after growing up in Chicago and attending school at Wisconsin. I'm really relieved she's cool.

fore!

I forgot how many attractive men golf. Any time of any day at any given golf course there will be men you wish were in your foursome. Or twosome if foursome sounds like a lot to handle. :)

Maybe I like the clothes the best. A nice preppy pair of Bermuda shorts paired with a polo shirt is probably my fav summer look (neck and neck with the poolside bathing suit).

Today my brother and I rented a golf cart which I've never done in the handful of times I've been golfing before. I really liked it. It was so nice to not carry that huge frickin' bag around. Of course, the break for my shoulders didn't improve my swing any. Whatev.

just call me grace

A week or so ago Shondel came to Utah for a visit and we spent Saturday on the boat.  My goal this summer had been to greatly improve my wake boarding skills because I'd made so much improvement in my snow skiing last winter.  I still suck just as much as I ever did.  Luckily I've mastered the art of enjoying activities you are not good at.

I spent many outings this summer trying to figure out if I'm goofy foot or regular.  I found photos of me in the past wake boarding with my right foot forward sometimes and my left foot forward sometimes.  I took Daniel's long board out in front of the house to figure which I preferred.  I have no preference.  Daniel thinks this is an a

nomaly.  I think it shows my natural, ambidextrous talent for water sports.

The great highlight of the day was getting up on the wake surf for the first time.  I like the wake surf because you're going so slow it doesn'

t hurt when you fall.  And I always fall and it tends to be pretty hard.  Nothing quite like a high speed, high pressure enema to end your turn behind the boat.

reg, bec, audit

That's the order I'm taking the CPA sections during August. There's another one coming (financial) in November. I spent the first month of my summer in Spain. Then I came home to my parents' house and have proceeded to do next to nothing everyday. There are intermittent activities of course, but most days consist of sleeping, exercising, and running errands. Note I left eating out on purpose as I've been on a diet and don't do much of that. I go boating too and have been working on my wake boarding and wake surfing skills (blog post to come). My goal for the summer had been to take all four sections of the CPA exam but as the summer closes and I haven't been studying I've let myself off the hook. I'm only taking three sections this summer. So I find myself tonight finished with the Reg lectures (but none of the assignments), one diagnostic exam, the exam tutorial, the handful of CPA-provided practice questions, and ready/planning to take the test tomorrow. I may throw in another practice exam in the morning. All in all I feel pretty comfortable with the material. This low level of preparation over just one week is ridiculously irresponsible. Every section I fail costs me (or really my dad) about $200 I can never recover. But in all honesty I'm taking the CPA exam about as seriously as I take everything in my life. I plan to repeat the one week cram session for the next two sections. I get my scores back in October, and, if I've managed to pass three sections of the CPA exam before beginning work, that would be HUGE. I'd be an all star for sure. If I fail I'll probably keep it pretty quiet at work and study more the next time around. I'll let you know how this works out for me. :)