That's What you Spend on a Mani-Pedi

Today was a very productive day.   More productive than I intended, actually.  This is the first time today that I've really been "still".  And that's how I became more productive than planned.  I had such a momentum going, that I kept seeing little projects that needed tending to and I did them.  Whut?  I know.  Then I started stressing when I looked at the clock and I smacked myself on the forehead, "You are not going out of town tomorrow night.  You can do this tomorrow night!"

THANK you!  Now I can be a slouch again.

Of course, I've not had very many productive weekends of late.  And, since yesterday was a total loss of a day, I suppose I shouldn't feel triumphant about today.  Yesterday I slept a lot.  Not napped, but slept because my body needed it.  Why would my body need so much sleep?  Because I was horrendously hung over.  And what exciting thing could have happened to make me hung over?  A coworker (who used to be my dearest friend, but I've distanced myself from because she's ... a mess) called to bitch about work, her life, and this that and the other.



I had planned on just having a couple of Cosmos, pick up my apartment, plan some future blog posts...  THe usual.  But, as I listened I poured the Cosmo bottle empty and found myself weaving out to my garage to find that bottle of wine that someone gave me and I forgot in the car and then put in my garage when I was on my way someplace and didn't think it would be good to have in my car.  And I poured a couple of glasses of THAT.

Haven't been that hungover in a while, actually.  Not throwing up, mind you.  Just eating Advil like candy, watching LMN, eating what my stomach could bear and then sleeping.  Then waking up sweating and feeling bleah.  Gone are the days that sleeping just a little longer in the morning and having a few big glasses of water will cure all that ails you.

So anyway, leaving the house to get the Sunday paper would have been all I had to do in order to be more productive than yesterday!

Instead, I got online and looked at the circulars for CVS and Walgreen's and separated my coupons (I keep my coupons for three weeks after they've been issued and usually cash in on a lot of sales on those items because stores didn't sell all the stock they got in preparation for the coupons), made my lists.  Whatever those two locations didn't have on sale, I'd check at the grocery store.

Let's just say I took in a haul today that included 36 cans of condensed soup, six boxes of cereal, 10 of the individual cereal tubs, 8 jars of spaghetti sauce, 12 packages of Tuna/Hamburger/Chicken Helper, and 12 boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes.  There was a lot more, but I'm sure the list is already boring and baffling.  Why would a single girl need so much food?  It's not for me, it's for RLF.  Things are tight with two kids in the house, so I try to help out when I can.  Plus I do get a high when I find the "deal" and save money.

I could give her the cash, I guess.  But I think the added bonus of the food I deliver is that she doesn't have to pack up an 11 month old and his 7 year old half sister and drag them to the market on a Saturday or Sunday since she's working all week and exhausted when she gets home.  Plus, she's a good sort and she doesn't complain about what food is brought to her -- she and her family eat it.

And that would be the reason I get so much enjoyment out of the whole thing.  Things were not easy for her growing up.  While things aren't exactly perfect now, she's never been "too good" or "picky" when it's free.  I get so frustrated when I talk to people who are struggling to get by but complain about what is given to them for free.

It doesn't even have to be someone who is struggling.  Years ago, I was helping out at an event at a local college which involved giving out free pizza to a group of freshman who had just arrived on campus.  The Pizza Hut was providing the food for free (hoping to get customers).  To make it easy, they brought cheese, pepperoni, and sausage.  We still had kids being brats, "Mmmm... Don't you have any veggie?". "Oh, is the pepperoni organic?" (WTF?  It's fucking pepperoni -- there's nothing organic about processed meat) and my favorite, "Are you out of the Chicken Alfredo?"

It's FREE!

But the cherry on the top might be my grocery store... Let me say that I love my grocery store, but Sunday mornings are not the best time to go grocery shopping -- anywhere, I think.  I got in line and it took a while to unload my cart.  Behind me was a well dressed couple and it was apparent that they were already not pleased as I was trying to keep up with the conveyor belt.  The bagger was definitely not pleased, but she's the stupid one and not pleased about life in general.  I also think she hides because I try to scope the bagger before I get in line and, somehow, I never see it's her until I'm half unloaded.

I was feeling really self conscious because my grocery store is in a neighborhood where people don't struggle.  I shouldn't feel self conscious when I slap down my pile of coupons (and I am NOT like those folks on the TV show).  I shouldn't feel like, "Oh they're looking at me and thinking I'm poor."

Then it hit me.  I shouldn't feel like they're looking at me and thinking I'm poor.  Who gives a shit?  I straightened my shoulders and folded my hands while the cashier cheerfully rang my coupons through.  I watched the couple out of the corner of my eye.  The woman was getting a nervous look on her face while the man watched the total decline.  When the last coupon had been swiped and I had saved $43 (told ya I'm not the people on TV), the man nudged her and said, "I guess she just proved that using coupons isn't a waste of time.  That's what you spend on a Mani-pedi."

The woman sighed and gave me a stink look.  I smiled and pushed my cart out the door -- almost skipping.