A Run and The Pub

Before all the snow and ice hit, it was relatively warm for a nice, albeit hilly, 7 mile run. I overestimated the chill and found myself stripping down everything I could that wouldn't get me in trouble.

We were pretty hungry after and seized the opportunity to try the new 500 calorie or less menu at McAllisters. I was delighted to see the chicken spud as an option. If it had some jalapenos and salsa, it would have been perfection.

We were thirsty too. Don't you love their tea?!

After refueling, I dragged MS to do the weekly shopping with me. Despite the mad rush for milk and bread, Publix had their game face on. It was crowded, but well stocked and we were in and out in no time.

Total: $59.07
Saved: $45.65

Favorite purchase of the week - Batter Blaster (not bladder baster, like I told MS on the way to the store)- Organic Pancake Mix. Normally $3.99/can on sale for BOGO. Had (2) $1 off coupons, paid $1 per can.

This, plus my CVS trip and grabbing a few odds and ends (read:ice cream) through the week put us right on target with the grocery budget.



Ahhhh...I heart Publix.

We Were Prepared

There were forecasts for lots of snow here yesterday. Lots, if you're in the South, anyways. Lots of snow turned into lots of ice. Neither snow, nor rain, nor sleet.....you get the idea. There are no snow days at my work. But, I wanted to ensure we were prepared.

After all, ice cream and brownies > milk and bread.

And just for good measure....

We also had some exciting company for the weekend.

We are light ages behind, but thanks to Netflix and some more up to date friends, we are enjoying our nightly dates with Don Draper and company at Sterling Cooper.

Some of us enjoyed the snow more than others. Eating the snow, laying in the snow, making yellow snow. Good family fun.

I'm dunzo with the snow. I have my own winter layer courtesey of Ghiradhelli. A girl can only run on a treadmill so long.

Praying for temps above 32,

Frugal Friday

The holdiays are over and we're trying to get into the normal routine. I've been saying for weeks I need to get back into the drugstore game, but when I realized I was down to my very last razor, I knew I could put it off no longer. I think we can all agree the price of razors alone is motivation enough.

 I was brave and did two transactions in the lunch time crowd. I would be lying if I said I didn't get a little flustered (how dare the women in front of me ask questions while I'm trying to get my basket organized) but I think I came through with a W.

Transaction One:
1 Excedrin Extra Strength
1 Excedrin Migraine (came with a bonus 8 Excedrin PM)
2 Excedrin PM

Used:
1 Free Excedrin Extra Strength coupon
1 Free Excedrin Migraine coupon
(2) $2.50 of one Excedrin PM.

Paid: $4.37
Received $10 Extra Care Bucks (ECBs)

Transaction Two:
1 box of tampons
2 Revlon nail cutters

Used:
$1 off tampons
$10 ECBs from transaction one

Paid: $7.07
Received $10 ECBs

So all those products for $11.44 out of pocket for around $40 worth of products, I should never have a body pain or trouble sleeping for the next 9 months and I have $10 to use on next week's sale. Conveniently, razors are on sale and you get $5 ECBs when you purchase. Feels good to be on a roll again.

I met my better half for lunch right down the street at a restaurant we had a groupon for. We ended up paying $5 plus tip for a sit down meal. Would have been a total win had I ordered a salad rather than crab cakes and fries, but I don't recall perfection being the goal here.

In less frugal news, these came in this week, just in the nick of time for this weekend's long run! How have I not been running in pink shoes this whole time? It's hard for me to resist pink running clothes and if I'm not careful I'll soon look like I'm sponsored by Pepto Bismol.

Happy weekend!

Hitting the Streets

It's tradition. Each year, we train for and run Mercedes Half Marathon through the streets of the Magic City.

Training for this falls in step with some other traditions. Namely, eggnog, cookies, cream cheese based dips, casseroles and weather that looks like this.

All this to say, I can't decide if this is a great time to amp up the running routine, or the worst time of the year.

Nonetheless, no matter how cold or busy, I know how heartbroken I would be race weekend if we weren't running. (Heartbroken might be a strong word here, work with me.) So early in the morning, out the door we go. Tights and all.

I would be lying if I didn't say crossing off runs wasn't a big motivation. (Things we aren't fans of - first week of training, strength training and cross training. That's what New Year's resolutions are for, right?)

Maybe some day we will move past the Novice training. Today is not that day.

We are closing out week 7 and it's getting increasingly harder to get up and run out in the cold as the mileage increases. Not pictured: my hair paying the price of me running late this morning.

Five weeks to go. Updates to come.

Champagne and Cheese, the Finest of Things

I'm the first to admit New Year's Eve is incredibly overrated. Last year, I self tanned, teased and rolled my hair, got a mani/pedi, found a sequined dress (that I'm still looking for an excuse to wear again) and I would venture to say getting ready might have been the most exciting part of the evening. We had fun, yes, but the whole evening often seems really anti-climatic.

Now let Debbie Downer get to the point - we had such a good time this New Year's Eve! We went much more casual and started with dinner at an Italian restaurant. We split a medium pizza with jalapenos, sausage and ricotta. Bonus points: bottles of wine were half price.

 What to order???

The whole group.

The girls.

We headed downtown to a strip of bars that was hosting a NYE party. Look who we ran into!

I thought I had license on the eye roll.

I was a little sad to see 2010 go. I can't imagine a much better year, but feel free to surprise me 2011!

A Goal is a Dream with a Plan and a Deadline

Don't you love a good quote? This oldie but goodie came to mind when I started writing this post. I'm jumping on the bandwagon and sharing some of our goals for this year in hopes of being more accountable and more transparent.

Another tradition we began this year was our Goal Lunch. You can imagine how thrilled my Type B husband was when I put this on the books, but he always goes along with my requests. I like to think all the talk of good balance in pre-marital counseling has something to do with it.

We had loosely talked about some of the things we wanted to accomplish in 2011, but something about commiting to them on paper makes a big difference to me. I thought we would make this a little more festive, so we made a date of it at one of our favorite restaurants.

Here's a sneak peak of what we are aiming for this new year. I left a few of the more personal things off. No, those don't include a bambino. Yes, we broke them into categories.

Physical

1. Sub 2 hour half marathon

2. Run Statue to Statue 15k- main goal is to survive the mountainous climbs

3. Run two 10ks - time goal TBD

Spiritual - We've been visiting a church for a while now and we both feel this is where we want to be and want to further our involvement.

1. Find a Sunday School and become involved

2. Join the church. We are looking forward to this process and having a church home.

3. Continue devotional time together. We started this a few weeks ago and its something I really look forward to. Having a specific time to talk about our relationship and praying together can be a little awkward at first but I believe the benefits to this time together will be priceless. After finding this on a favorite blog this morning, I was even more inspired to spend this time investing in Matt.

Financial - This was the easiest category for me. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm nerdy about the budget. It is refreshing this year to have a partner in budget goals. 2010 mainly went towards paying off the car and a wedding, so this year we're playing a bit of catch up in some other areas and trying to find some balance and enjoy life. Sorry Dave, I just can't get on the rice and beans plan.

1. Triple emergency fund savings.

2. Begin saving for a house downpayment - I got seriously burned in the housing market crash and I will never, ever again buy without a good e-fund and a down payment. One of my bigger regrets. Although, it is what fueled me to be more responsible with money. See, always an upside if you look for it....

3. Pay cash for travel. This is one of the things I'm most excited about this year. I'm really looking forward to doing some traveling with MS. We are already enjoying throwing around ideas for potential destinations.

That's what 2011, hopefully, looks like for the Searsons.

After all, "A goal properly set is halfway reached."

*I'll be changing blog addresses, since we are no longer 'soon to be'. I'll keep you posted!*

Christmas Catch Up

I took a nice blog vacation with my real vacation, and I'm back feeling refreshed and ready to catch up. I had some vacation time that needed to be burned up, which made me feel a little old. I've always been the one kicking it in my cube on NYE, but this year, I took nearly the whole week off. We did some shopping, running, cooking and a whole lot of eating.

Let's rewind to Christmas.

One of our traditions is to eat Chinese, watch Christmas Vacation and drink eggnog. It was fun carrying on this tradition now that we are married and in our first place together.

Christmas Eve we went for a 6 mile run, attended our church's candelight service, and spent the evening with Matt's family. We had breakast for dinner, complete with a bloody mary bar.

We woke up Christmas morning to presents and mimosas! The Grizz was super excited. Being nice went straight out the window when he realized the stocking was full. He got a new leash with a flashlight and a place for poop bags. The joys of city life.

Then we headed up the mountain to my parents house. It was my first white Christmas ever. So festive..and what a great year for it!

We were excited to open presents and drink hot chocolate. With lots of marshmallows!

And of course, just admire the snow.

Hope each of you had a refreshing and relaxing break and were able to take the time to remember the real reason we celebrate.