jody's blog
random thoughts, ideas and chaosthe retail garden [day 133]
Not much to report on the shopping front. I did take these photos a few weeks ago. I just thought it was a little bit funny that they look like a little flower garden of retail shopping, entertainment options and restaurant opportunities... I'm glad the PTA is...
waiting pays off [day 132]
I really like my house. I've lived here for almost 4 years now and I've remodeled 95% of it myself. The one downside about my house is the lack of windows, resulting in low light in most of the rooms. On top of that, I have large trees outside blocking the little...
spoiled suburbanite [day 131]
I'm spoiled to my 1.5 mile drive to work. I have an SUV and I fill it up about every 3 to 4 weeks, unless I have some unplanned trips to Dallas or something. I decided to walk to work a couple of days ago. It takes just under 30 minutes to walk to work. I live in...
ounce for ounce, drugs might be cheaper [day 130]
Today is my oldest son's birthday. We had a barbecue for him last night with some of our close friends. It was great! So you might be curious, wanting to know what was different about his birthday with the shopping challenge. Here they are. Gifts. I gave him a...
charitable marketing. yes or no? [day 129]
Is charitable marketing good? I've been thinking a lot about this lately, as it's a huge and fast-growing trend. It works, but is it ethical and trustworthy? As David Frey wrote on frugalmarketing.com, "Many savvy small businesses are affiliating themselves with...
I can’t cook without a rhino [day 128]
I ran out of propane for my grill, however I did have a back up tank. I do the Blue Rhino program since it's easy to get the tanks at any local store. I use my grill pretty frequently, as it's pretty much the only cooking skill I have, thanks to my good friend Amy....
I bought a bunch of stuff [day 127]
I went to the thrift store a couple of days ago. I really didn't need anything but winter coats for my boys, but I was also kind of looking for a chair for my kids loft room. I bought the following: Winter coat for my son (he outgrew the old one) Winter coat for me...
bad design [day 126]
Yes, I'm a fan of apple products. In the graphics world, their products are far superior and much more dependable than PC's. With one exception. Power cords. My G4 Powerbook went to my kids after almost 5 years. It still works great, and it was my main computer...
recovering windex addict [day 125]
Yes, in my house, if you couldn't clean it with Windex, it wasn't meant to be cleaned. I'm pretty sure I had a bigger addiction to Windex than the guy on My Big Fat Greek Wedding. All was well until I ran out of Windex one day... I mixed vinegar and water in my old...
how did I not know it was there?! [day 124]
Today I decided to do a little bit of landscaping now that the weather is a bit cooler. Frying in my yard is not at the top of my happy list. I started pulling weeds in the front, working my way around the house. When I was over by my bedroom window, I heard a...
just updates [day 123]
Just a few updates today, no rants. ;) Birthdays. My son's birthday is next week. We shopped on eBay for gifts or I told him he can have some money to spend. He doesn't want a party, but just a barbecue with some of his neighborhood friends. Other than a few Lego...
slurpeevader [day 122]
Halloween is right around the corner. It's not even October yet and I've seen several houses that have already started decorating with the orange and black ghoulish accents. Thinking ahead on halloween and my shopping challenge, I pondered the whole halloween event...
when I grow up, I want to be a waterbed [day 121]
Fast food condiment packets. Messy editable liquids in convenient, tiny portions, designed for eating 'on the go'. My favorites are the Taco Bell sauce packets with funny sayings on them. I still feel like fast food eating is similar to retail shopping in a way, as...
pulling food out of the trash? [day 120]
For some people, that's a completely insane question. After all, who would pull food out of a trash can? Especially if you don't need it? Well, someone I know did just that. To protect my friend, who did what I probably would have done, I will change some the...
an ipad or an xbox 360? [day 119]
I went to the store yesterday... for my son. My oldest lost his Gameboy charger and has been begging me for the past few days to take him to Game Stop so he could buy a new one. He knew he would have to pay for it with his own money. He looked around the store at...
stuff, stuff and more stuff [day 118]
I finally finished cleaning out my garage! I still have tubs of stuff to go through, but at least I now have space to create art. Last Saturday I brought 2 carloads of stuff to the local thrift store, Frisco Resale. Normally my routine is to drop off a load, then go...
toiletries or TOILET trees? [day 117]
Yesterday, I was explaining my no shopping challenge to some friends. Apparently this was the first time my oldest son has heard the details of this. The only retail items I can purchase are groceries and toiletries. He asked, "Why would you buy toilet trees? They...
I have that color [day 116]
This weekend I would have shopped if I could. I had a little time to work on some projects in my house. I needed a gallon of paint to finish a few walls and a ceiling that needed to be touched up and painted. I had to make due with the paint I had. Let me just say...
labeled: TRASH [day 115]
Dumpster diving. I have to say, I really love those two words together. It never ceases to amaze me what retailers will throw away, expensive stuff, stuff that could be used elsewhere or repurposed. The corporate blockheads force them to throw everything away...
room dump [day 114]
Just thought I would share an interesting photo. Out in the middle of nowhere, dumped in a field, I found almost an entire house full of discarded furniture. I thought this was funny (in a not so humorous way) that a living room set up was thrown in one place. Sofa...