Thursday is for Trying

"You gotta get up and try, and try, and try” ~ P!nk

8 a.m. came and went. 9 a.m. came and went. It wasn't until 10 a.m came along did I think I could try. Try to get out of bed. The back is still icky but I knew if I wanted to change my day into a Thrifty Thursday I had to get out of bed. And even try to get dressed.

I had an eBay package to mail.
I received $12.27 in my Paypal account.
I spent $3.12 on shipping.
I figure I'll own $1.30 in fees.
Earned $7.85

The heating pad I ordered online came today. It was only $6.05 and I had a gift card to use on it.
Spent $0

I had $15 in coupons for Staples that were getting ready to expire. Finally by noon I was able to pull on the sweats and head out the door. Took hubby with me, which means lunch has to be included.

A coupon had us sharing a super-cheap lunch. Even beat last Friday's lunch price.
Spent $4.24

Then one package of paper towels on sale for $8.
Bubble wrap on sale for buy two get one free. $11.98 for three rolls.
$15 in coupons
$.30 in tax
Spent $5.28.

Totals:
Earned $7.85 on eBay
Spent $0 on heating pad
Spent $4.24 on lunch
Spent $5.28 on paper towels and bubble wrap.

At the end of the day I had only spent $1.67 for all this and lunch to boot. Thank goodness I made it out of bed and made today a thrifty one.

Woeful Wednesday

“That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt” ~ John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Wouldn't you know it, the day after I face my truths is the day the pain is excruciating. A take-my-breath-away kind of pain. Is it from thinking about (and writing about) things yesterday, facing who I really am and what I believe about myself? Is it from my late-night grocery shopping trip? Is it my body's way of telling me to knock it off when I have thoughts of maybe going to work?

I have no flipping idea. I just know that my day is spent in the recliner with the heating pad on my back. Headphones on while hubby watches TV. Maybe some pain meds thrown in.

Woe is me. Today only, I hope.

Truthful Tuesday

“Telling an introvert to go to a party is like telling a saint to go to Hell.” ~ Criss Jami, Killosophy

Society values people who are energetic and outgoing and exciting and fun. For years I tried to be that person. I really, really tried.  Every morning gave myself a pep talk to help get introvert-self into teacher mode. Socially I committed to Christmas parties and birthday celebrations, baby showers, and weddings. Yet when the day came I would cancel. Then once my health deteriorated (has it really been 15 years?) it became downright impossible to be "on" anywhere. It was absolutely exhausting.

I even wrote about it on my blog six years ago:

It makes me sick to think about how hard it used to be. How hard it was just to get myself to work every single day. I remember the torture it was getting up, showered and dressed. I remember all too clearly the severe pain that filled my mornings. The pain so severe that I cried day after day on my way to work. The pain that stayed with me all through my work day. 

Now that I haven't been working for two full years (and haven't had to be fake), I have some clarity.

• Mornings are not for me. I remember the days of needing to take three hours to get showered, dressed, and out the door. Now I can wake up, put on some sweats, and shower once my body is ready. It still may take three hours but I decide what time I want to wake up.
• I need sunshine. Dreary, raining days are depressing. I'm slower, not motivated, and feel grumpy without sunshine. If our daughter didn't live nearby we would up and move to a warmer climate. If money was no object we would live on a cruise ship.
• I like not talking to anyone. Hubby had wanted me to take him to the movies today but changed his mind. Honestly, I was happy I didn't have to interact with anyone at the box office or concession stand today. 
• I am fearful of running into people I know when I go out. I usually go to the grocery store late at night. If I need to go to a department or discount store I go on days I know school is in session. You'll never find me out of the house on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• I like being alone and need personal space. With hubby home all the time I've found the best way for me to have some space is to go into the sewing room and shut the door. I put on my headphones and then do my thing. Some times I write. Some times I organize fabric. Some times I go on the internet. Some times I just sit.
• I like animals as companions. We had to put our kitty down a couple years back. Kiddo let me babysit her new puppy last year but now he's grown and doesn't need me around. In the summer I get to foster baby kitties but in the winter there are no babies around. I miss that.
• Calling attention to myself would be pretty close to the worst thing in the world. As a fat person I was invisible. When I started losing weight I was getting more attention. I hated that and think that is one reason I started eating again.  
• I have an addictive personality. I keep trading one addiction for another. Food. Work. Gambling. Alcohol. And sometimes more than one at the same time.
• I will never work in public education again. It's not for me. Enough said.
• I struggle with the disconnect between the person who I am at home and the one I am when traveling. Hubby and I have spent all of our vacation time from work - Spring Break, summertime, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break, long weekends - traveling. Now we have all the time in the world since neither of us is working, yet have not one vacation planned.  Which is unfortunate because I feel like a normal person when traveling. Not like an abhorrent introvert.
• I have a great fear of not being perfect enough. I have plenty of memories and stories and pictures from all of those years of travels. Enough to write a dozen books I'm sure, but fear of not doing it right holds me back.

I'm clearly not living up to my potential. Maybe even wasting my skills. The ultimate Tuesday truth.

Early Monday Morning

“There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them.” ~ Jo Walton

I'm not usually up early enough to see the sunrise but I made it today.

Saving Money on a Sunday

Every Sunday I get a bit giddy from my savings. What do I do every Sunday?

Hang up laundry to dry. In my bathroom. Cha-ching!

Is a Cruise Right for You?

It's Cruise Ship Saturday! Today we have some questions to help you decide if a cruise is right for you.

"You can find tranquility, you can find party, you can find new friends. I'm a cruise convert." ~ Guy Fieri

Still working on the revisions for the new edition of Cruising with Confidence.
An excerpt from Chapter 1:

Several words may come to mind when thinking about a cruise: 

Fun...Adventurous...Confining...Formal...Exhilarating...Scary...Complicated...Fancy... Relaxing...Busy...Confusing...Rich...Expensive...Crowded...Intimidating...Titanic 

When discussing whether or not to take my first cruise the words with negative connotations dominated conversations. After years of cruising I now lean toward the positive sounding words. I can even say “Titanic” out loud, while on a ship, and not be afraid of jinxing things! I’ve moved from a nervous to an excited to a confident cruiser.
In deciding if a cruise is right for you, the elementary teacher in me would like to ask some questions: 

• Does your dream day consist of hanging out by a pool and working on a tan?
• Are you a dancer, a reader, a trivia lover, or a movie buff?
• Do you enjoy trying new foods? Prefer eating the same thing every day?
• Do you like conversing with other folks from different places? Long for alone time?
• Are you the type who likes being on the go?
• Would never having to make a bed, cook a meal, or wash a dish work for you?
• Do you like dressing up in fancy clothes or rather wear shorts and t-shirts all day?
• Are you looking to reconnect with family or friends?
• Does the idea of traveling to a foreign country excite you?
• Do you like the idea of getting a good value for your money? 

Answering yes to just one question could mean a cruise vacation is right for you.

Saying yes to cruising is also saying yes to beautiful sunsets at sea.

The Friday Fives

I thought I was going to be able to report on five things that I did today having to do with the number five. Didn't happen.

1. It was 50 degrees today! It felt downright warm in the sun.
2. Thanks to a coupon hubby and I had a $5 lunch today.

3. I thought I was going to be able to report I revised five chapters in the Cruising with Confidence book. Nope, but after a full week I've finished revising the 12th chapter today. Woo hoo! I have a few more edits and one more chapter to write and maybe, just maybe, the new edition to be ready before the end of the month. Again, woo hoo!