The items below I purchased at Target last week. I paid $10.31 (including tax) when total regular retail was $70.80 (excluding tax). This was possible by using a variety of manufacturer and store coupons, and by combing the clearance sections.


While Target has great bargains, it pales in comparison to what Rite Aid has to offer. The items in the two following pictures retail for $390.91 (excluding tax), but because of sales and major couponing I only spent $180.47 purchasing everything. Now, these are some great bargains, but what makes this story beautiful is that I will be receiving over $200 back, mostly in the form of checks, but a portion in Rite Aid gift cards (which in my book is as good as cash).


Just to give you a taste of how it works, take the Bayer Quick Release Crystals; originally $4.99, they were on sale for $3.99, I had a coupon for $1.50 off, and then there was a $3.99 Rite Aid Rebate. What this boils down to is that I spent $2.49 for this product and am receiving $3.99 back in the form of a check. I sometimes wrestle with the idea of purchasing a product just because I can it for free or get money back, but I've recently solved that dilemma to some extent. Zyrtec is an allergy relief product, and I don’t have allergies, but I do have FIVE bottles with thirty capsules each. No one in my family has allergies either, so I listed the Zyrtec on ebay, and just sold two bottles for $17.14 (less a few dollars for shipping and handling). The Zyrtec cost me $50.00 total, I’m getting $55.00 back, so any proceeds from ebay are just profit.

I love Rite Aid, I really do. I can't wait until the new Rite Aid flyer comes in the mail every Wednesday or Thursday, and Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times because they mean new coupons have arrived with the newspaper. I usually spend a few hours each week at Rite Aid, and am a frequenter of three different locations (Brunswick, Freeport, and Topsham) because if one sells out of a product that I need, then another is sure to have it.

There were rumors going around the internet that Rite Aid might be going out of business, and if this were to happen, I would truly be heartbroken.

One Year Ago

Last year on Halloween I skipped my psychology class, and Casey and I drove to Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Unfortunately Paige was not in a great mood, and she wouldn't even look at the people who came in the room to show her their costumes. In the first pictures she is sharing some goodies with Luke the power ranger from her coveted candy bowl.

Paige surprised us all by asking to go to the playroom even though she clearly wasn't feeling well. On the way there she insisted that she carry her lunchbox, the candy bowl, and an apple on her lap. She didn't complain about how heavy all of those things were, but when Grandma asked, Paige admitted that they did make her legs hurt.


In the playroom with Grandma-and she picked up a cupcake on the way (which I think she held onto for an hour or two but never ate).

Olivia Paige

Our wee grand-baby at one day old
(blanket by great aunt Liane).

It all makes cents

This is for all those people who wonder why I'm an accounting major:


This is an excerpt from my bookkeeping records of 1998 (which means that I was eleven). The "G" at the beginning of an entry signifies a gain, and the "L" a loss. My biggest loss was recorded on June 13th when I decided to take a two dollar bill out of my piggy bank to save. One of the larger amounts that I gained was $1.33 from Uncle Keith. He used to give Pat, Casey and me his pennies, and it was probably the highlight of my week. I remember being horrified when Keith told us that he hated pennies and threw them out (and it's a shock I still haven't recovered from). You can see in the upper left hand corner I wrote "Kieth" and "Keith" because I wasn't sure how to spell his name. The one cent loss on June 19th was because Pat made me pay him a penny for a potato chip during a trip to New Hampshire. I was trying to figure out why I had so many "found" entries, and I think it is because I was allowed to look through our vehicles and keep any loose change that I found.

I hope this blog post has assuaged any worries that an accounting career won't be a fulfilling one for me!

The Cold War rages on

Today I was on Facebook reading the details for Tufts' annual "Spring Fling," which is happening next weekend. As I scrolled down the page, I noticed this conversation on the message board, between complete strangers:

(Natalya)

Natalya Korbastyakova: It is going to be very very very much fun!!!! :)
Kolme Juut: you have a very very very long name
Natalya Korbastyakova: Excuse me but I don't think it is respecting to make fun of my name just because I am from diffrent countrey. They teach us in school that Amerika is land of EQUALITY and TOLERENCE but you show me that if some one is diffrent that you will not accept them and laugh at them only because they are diffrent. I think you shoud be ashamed of this behaviour.
Chris Brunquell: no. pointing out a long last name is legit. chill out
Ian Herran: hey natasha its spelled AMERICA
Natalya Korbastyakova: Hey Ian its spelled NATALYA... so stupid

Graduation present?

So. Awesome.

Time for a change

I think the title of this blog should be "Mainely Shannon." I mean, she's written about the last ten posts. Shannon goes to the doctor. Shannon gets engaged. Shannon makes a hat. Enough already.

In case you didn't know, there's a bigger world out there. One that isn't made of yarn. For instance, a new Rambo movie just came out. Also, today is Mendelssohn's birthday. You think Shannon is going to tell you about these things?

The point is, Shannon doesn't speak for the Randalls. Don't forget it. And once her last name is Brown, I say she doesn't get to post on here at all.

Oh yeah, this is a hat she made me for my birthday. The yellow stripe was supposed to be one stitch lower, but you get the idea.

Finished

I finally used the skein of yarn that Liane sent me last year. I had been wanting to try this pattern from knitty.com for awhile so I just changed the needle sizes a bit to make it work, and I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out.