Update(s) and the Diet

Okay, sorry I've been MIA this week, but I've been in class and working nonstop. I'm taking a course so that I can be endorsed to teach gifted students, which has brought up a whole new group of educational rants about how students are under-served, which I'm sure I will bring light to in future. It's been a little busy. I'm really looking forward to Vacation Bible School at church and working on school stuff :).

I am also on day 7 of my HCG diet, and I am doing really well. So, for those of you who have never heard of the HCG diet, you're about to! Now, I am not recommending the diet, and I know that it is very controversial. If you want to know more, read the book Fat 2 Fab from Amazon (it's available in electronic or paperback).  I would never have started the diet if I did not personally know someone who had tried it because it is such an extreme (sounding, at least) diet. But, before I begin, let  me just say this: the controversies are not accurate. I would completely agree with the "experts" who are against the diet had I not read the book, Fat 2 Fab. It explains that the recent studies did not follow the exact specifications of the original protocol of the diet in 1950. If the experts are saying the diet is dangerous and doesn't work but thousands of people are saying it does and that the weight stays off, who would you believe? 

So the premise is that when women first get pregnant and don't realize it, they drop weight. The reason for this weight loss is the hormone HCG, which opens up the fat stores in the body, takes nutrients from the fat, and feeds the baby with these nutrients. Women drop a few pounds (sometimes noticed, sometimes unnoticed), and the baby is fed. Long story short, in 1950, a doctor found and used this hormone on hundreds of patients along with a diet plan. The patients lost at least 20 pounds and up to 34 pounds within a 6 week period and were able to keep the weight they lost off. It involves no exercise (unless the patient wanted to exercise, and the diet permitted mild to moderate exercise for no more than 30 minutes daily).

The diet has made a comeback in recent years, and it has thousands of success stories. The diet begins with you taking HCG, which is an FDA approved hormone for fertility treatments (not weight loss), for 40 days. I will just make the comment that many drugs are used for non-FDA approved treatments, like Metformin for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The "hormone" HCG is safe for men and women as far as side effects, as far as I have read and researched. You can find the hormone prescribed by doctors in the US in injection form or you can buy it online (use a reputable site; you can buy non-controlled prescription drugs for a 90 day supply without a prescription in the US, so it is legal to do so). However, the book that I read cautioned against homeopathic HCG, which is a mixture with only trace amounts of the HCG. The doctors who prescribe this at HCG Clinics may charge more than you can buy online. I paid 150 dollars for enough for me to do 4-5 "rounds" or 6-week diet periods for the next year. Some doctors (at clinics) will charge this for each shot or round, and it takes 40 shots (but some feel more comfortable under the direct care of a doctor).
 I want to explain the diet weight loss. I'm not sure if it's just with this diet or if it is with any habits, but you have to wait 2 days before you see the results of the weight loss, and you're going to gain weight from the first two days (I'll explain that in a second). So, for example, here's what I've lost:
Day 1: no change
Day 2: + .1
Day 3: + 1.9 (this is from day one of the actual diet- see the extreme gain?)
Day 4: + 1.7 (Day 2)
Day 5: -3.2 (This is the results from my first day of dieting!I'm not going to count this as weight loss because I have gained 3.7 total, so I will still need to lose 1/2 a pound before I get to where I was before)
Day 6: -1.5 (Now I have lost 1 pound from my Day 1 diet, and I am back in the positive!
Day 7: -3.4 (That's 8.1 Total in 3 days, or 4.4 if you factor in the gains I had the first 4 days!)

I should continue to lose between a pound to three pounds a day. The more water/liquid I drink the more weight I lose. I drink at least a half gallon of water plus any amount coffee or tea sweetened with Stevia I want. I take measurements and pictures once a week; I will begin those today, and I will edit the posts to add those in. The diet also says you aren't supposed to lose more than 34 pounds in a cycle so your body has time to adjust to the loss and your skin will retract properly. Obese people may lose 40 pounds.

The first two days you take the hormone you eat as much fat (not carbs) as possible. The third day is when you begin the 500 calorie diet. Woah. I know. It's a little (or a lot) crazy. But, let me explain. You are not living on 500 calories. You are living on 500 calories plus the calories your body with help with the hormone takes from the abnormal fat in your body. You are not on 500 calories for the rest of your life. You are on 500 calories for the rest of the diet, which is 40 days. Amazingly enough, on the 500 calories, I have not been hungry. I do have the habit of eating at certain times, and so occasionally I am mentally hungry (like when I get home from school/work, so I take a small portion of my fruit for dinner and eat it). I also get hungry right before the usual time that I eat. The meals fill me up, and I am pretty happy with the diet thus far.

Here is the usual meal plan:
For breakfast, I drink a cup or two of coffee or tea.
For lunch, 4 things: 100 grams of an approved meat, one type of an approved vegetable, one of either: an apple, handful of strawberries, grapefruit, or orange, and a grissini (a crispy Italian bread stick) or melba toast
For dinner: the same thing as for lunch except that you must change the type of meat

You can spread out the fruits and bread stick so that you eat your lunch apple for breakfast or have an afternoon snack or midnight snack.

You can do a shorter round, which lasts 26 days or more, if you want to lose less weight.
You will be a lot hungrier once you've lost all of your "abnormal" fat, or the fat you're not supposed to have.
The diet also cautions against losing too much weight or extending the HCG for fear of immunity.

Again, let me say that I would have never done this diet had I not personally known someone who did it and was very successful. I also encourage you to read the book for yourself if you're interested in trying the diet, not relying on the internet stuff, but read the book, Fat 2 Fab. I'm sure there are other HCG diet books out there, this was just the one I happened to read, and I really liked it because it explained everything.

Summer Lovin'

Okay, so I was going to write this seemingly insignificant post about my favorite summer things. But, after reading/hearing the news of a former college dorm mate who supposedly shot and killed one woman and wounded two others, it seems unimportant. It seems insignificant. Last year, I heard about one of my residents who was murdered, and this year, it's a murderer that I knew.

How can someone go from having such a high potential to being a murderer? He wasn't just a smart guy. You aren't in the Academy at West Georgia and just happen to be smart. These kids were smarter than I'll ever be. A lot of them probably have or are at least close to having a genius IQ. They might be low on the social poll, but it was because they were awkward. They lived and went to high school at the University. Wouldn't you be a little awkward too if you were living on a college campus going to high school? Some of them hadn't even gone through puberty, but most of them graduated from there to go on to great things. Most of them live up to their high potential.

Just tell me, now, what is the world coming to?

Youth Trip

Sorry it's been a few days. My small youth group at church just got back from a 3 day trip to Pigeon Forge. We had a blast! I love short vacations! When I get the files, I'm planning on uploading some photos from our trip.

We even made some really sad attempts at prank roller coaster pics. Next time, I think I'll be more prepared!

& ps... if you ever go to Dollywood and like Roller Coasters... You MUST do the Thunderhead!

~Ash

To-Do List (In Progress)

Inspired by Hannah, I'm working on my to-do list for the next year or so. I think it's a good habit to have these sorts of goals :). I'm not sure if it will be my 25 before 25 or my 20 before next year, as Hannah's already taken the cute title, and I turn 25 in two months. But, I've definitely taken a cue or two from Hannah's list, because I think they're fun :).

To give a preview of my list, here are the first 15 things (not necessarily in order)..... if you have any suggestions, please feel free to suggest:
1. Learn to Sew
2. Crochet a blanket (I've crocheted quite a few half-blankets in the past, but I always get bored and quit half-way through)
3. Lose x number of pounds or more
4. Hike in the Great Smokies (last time I got too winded, and I want to hike some of the falls)
5. Unpack, Clean, and Decorate my house so that people can come over
6. Get my financial and home files in order
7. Get my computer files organized
8. Take a photography class and start shooting
9. Buy a nice camera
10. Send Christmas cards
11. Go on an actual honeymoon with the hubby
12. Finally learn to play Moonlight Sonata all the way through (I can play the first page or two; I've taken piano lessons in the past, just never stuck with it, so I'm mostly self-taught)
13. Begin learning Brahms' Waltz in A Flat Major
14. Learn to play 5 chords on my guitar
15. Host a party or two at my house
16. Go on a road trip

There will be some sort of teaching goal, some sort of education goal (personal education), and some sort of reading goal as well. I also want to have a few health and wellness goals in addition to the 2 I have and a spiritual goal or two. I want to make my list holistic.

Any suggestions?

Why Education Needs Some Serious Reform

 Cheating Teachers

I hate this article. First, because I'm a teacher. Second, because I'm from Georgia. It shames me to be lumped into not one, but two categories with these people. If you don't have time to read the link above, let me just briefly sum it up for you: teachers cheated (yes, teachers and principals!) on the CRCT. It's the biggest cheating scandal in the nation (doesn't that make you so proud to be a Georgian?).  It may have even involved some superintendents. It's actually led to the first law enforcement investigation.

Now, if you're not familiar with the Professional Standards Commission (the PSC), which holds us accountable for, you guessed it, professional standards, let me tell you a little about testing ethics and the PSC. If we're caught cheating on an assessment, we're subject to losing our license to teach in the state of Georgia, among other things. It is also a criminal act to cheat on a test, as of last year. Georgia also has very strict testing rules, and let me tell you from personal experience- those tests are guarded better than the arc of the covenant (just google the CRCT testing administrative test booklet online- it's available for public viewing). We're even held accountable when there is a certain percentage of erasures on the test changed from wrong to right answers (now imagine if a kid misnumbers on the test what nail biting we do!) It's not that Georgia doesn't have the laws in place, they do. It's not that we're not forewarned of the consequences, we are. It's not that there aren't precautions in place to keep us from cheating, there are. But there's a problem. A big problem.

The problem is high stakes testing. There is so much seriously wrong with the way that the system is run that it can't be fixed over night. Or even in a week, month, or a year. This process will take years to fix. We can't get a true assessment of what's going on in a system, school, classroom, or in a kid's mind from one test, one day out of the year. We can't teach to a test. We can't treat our students one way all year round, give them accommodations and modifications, and then one day test them in a different setting under different circumstances and then expect results to be the same as every other student in every other classroom in every other school.

What we can and should expect is that every child can learn, and that every child should experience growth from year to year. What we need to assess is the measure of that growth, along with a portfolio of proof. What we need to look at is the success of a child in school in order to promote a better citizen later in life. What we need to look at is the curriculum and how it measures up to what they will be learning in college. We need to be including 21st century tools in our instruction in order to produce a student worthy of the newest technology out there when they walk across that stage and into a new life. We need to see teachers growing professionally so that they can give the best they have to the citizens of the future.


We cannot and will not ever do this with high stakes testing. High stakes testing is the worst thing we can do for everyone involved. We are telling our students they have to pass this one test at the end of the year in order to prove the year successful, and thus we are creating the most test anxious kids. I have had students on anxiety medication in third grade in order to cope with test anxiety! What are we telling our kids? We're telling teachers that they better have good scores, or else their job might be hanging in the balance (and don't even get me started on merit-pay for teachers- this is when teachers get paid based on the performance of students on the test). Many teachers are convinced that the only way to achieve this is to teach to the test (this is teaching so that kids will be successful on the test, not necessarily learn the curriculum & often they don't use the powerful instructional techniques to teach this way). I have heard of teachers using test-coaching books 3 hours a day for their at-risk students! This isn't teaching. It isn't learning. This is drilling. This is memorization. We're telling schools that if they don't make Adequate Yearly Progress (or AYP) towards that 100% goal, that instead of giving them more money or help, we're going to take it away(this is part of No Child Left Behind, in which 100% of children, no matter what disability or income are supposed to pass the high stakes testing we have in place). And, don't forget, because of No Child Left Behind, 100% of our children will pass the test, or else! Forget about the schools, like mine, who have 89% of students on free and reduced lunch, so parents aren't available for help after school. Forget about those students with disabilities. Forget about the students who are slow learners, but don't qualify for special education so they get pushed further along and fall further behind. In No Child Left Behind (or as teachers like to call it, No Child Left Untested), the only ones that get to move forward are the ones that are naturally high achievers or at least average learners. The rest are stuck where they are (at least we're not leaving them behind anymore, right?).

Now you tell me, if you have a sick child, are you going to take away his medicine, because he will get better on his own or at least, die trying?

I don't, in any way, shape, or form condone cheating. But, can you blame a child who is afraid of failing, a teacher who is afraid of losing her job or getting a pay cut, a principal is worried all the teachers at his school could possibly be fired if they don't make AYP and his job will be replaced by some robot of the state (this can happen if you don't make AYP 5 years in a row), or a superintendent who fears the same fate? 

You can't tell me that there's not a better way.

Recipes for the Fourth

I promised that there would be recipes on this blog. And, although the fourth has already passed, how about a little red, white, and blue?

Sorry for the not-so-great picture. It was taken with my Droid because I've lost my Cannon. Anyway, these are Kool-aid pies, and they are very easy to make (and also fairly cheap for pies). The recipe can be easily modified for people with diabetes or who are dieting.

1 Packet of Kool-aid (any flavor of your choice; I suggest a flavor like Fruit Punch or Strawberry for your first one, just so you can try it out, then go wild)


1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (If you are worried about sugar, you can do evaporated milk and add sugar or sugar substitute to taste, or you can use the low-fat stuff)

1 8-oz Tub of Cool Whip (You can also use reduced or low fat)

1 Graham Cracker Crust


Mix your the sweetened condensed milk, Kool-aid, and Cool-whip together. *Tip-If you have time, I suggest thawing your cool whip thoroughly because it does mix easier. If you can't, when mixing, just add a little at a time (I have had to do this numerous times, especially when I've had a get together I've forgotten about and needed to make something fast. It still works, it's just a little harder to stir).*
Spoon into the Graham Cracker Crust and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Slice and Serve :).

Now for the Punch.

I made Patriotic drinks as well. I've also made the Strawberry Punch for True Blood nights and more. They are delicious!

I use Verdi Spumante (It's a cheap Italian sparkling wine that's about 7.99 for a large bottle), but you can use any brand of champagne or sparkling wine. You can also do flavored versions (I really like the raspberry)
Strawberry Juice (or any fruit juice, really; it depends on what fruit you want to add)

Strawberries
Mix it all together and chill.
I made a blueberry version and a strawberry version. If you do not drink, I think you could probably use sparkling cider and get the same results. 
One thing I did to make it pretty, which unfortunately you can't see in the picture, was make an ice ring with the strawberries and syrup (along with a little water). If you want to make a really good ice ring, use a bundt pan.
As always you should, DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

Hope you had a great 4th!

Sunday Scripture

Luke 19

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

 ¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

 ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

 ⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

 ⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

 ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Notice verse 7. He has gone to the house of a sinner. This is a pretty important verse for the modern church I think. I think we often get caught up in tradition and being religious. But, Jesus hung around with despised people and sinners, not religious people. Are we so stuck in tradition that we are forgetting who we are intended to serve? If the most despised person walked into the church today, how would you react? Would you welcome him with open arms? Would you turn away in disgust?

I was really moved by a message by the preacher at First Baptist Church of Cleveland, TN last Sunday on this passage and this topic (I listen to him every Sunday on the way to church). It really made me think about things. I will come back later and add the link to his message once I find it online.

My 10 Favorite College Experiences

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. So here goes my favorite experiences in college.

1. Move in weekend:  Thursday night, I spent all night packing the gazillion boxes I had, plus my aunt gave me everything from Pepto to toilet paper (you know, just in case). I was so nervous, I couldn't sleep, although I had plenty of pain killers because I had just had my tonsils removed the week before. Friday, bright and early, we took the two hour trek to college, moving in everything but the kitchen sink (because I really needed all that stuff). I hugged my mom, my grandma, my sister, and we all said goodbye like we were never going to see each other again. Like a deer in the headlights, I began setting up my new room with my best friend and new roommate. The minute I turned on my computer, everything crashed. Leading me to believe that I needed to return home the next day, so I took the 2 hour drive back to have my computer formatted.

Lesson learned: No matter how prepared you are for college, something will always go wrong (but it's okay!).

2. My first day of class: This day was so important to me because I got the phone call I will never forget. I have a very aggravating and annoying uncle who lives to bother me. Most people would be appalled at how he chooses to aggravate me. But bright and early that Monday, I got a phone call, a special phone call. He let me know how proud he was of me for being one of the first to attend college (and on my dad's side, I was the first to graduate from high school!). He wished me luck and told me he loved me. That phone call is something that I will cherish probably for the rest of my life. I'm a dork. And, I'm a sap, I know. But it was sweet (I know, Travo, you will probably never let me live down the fact that I called you sweet).

Lesson learned: Tell my loved ones how special they are and how proud I am. They may never forget it.

3. The first weekend I actually stayed at UWG: I loved living at college. I was far enough away to be semi-independent. However, since I only lived two hours from home, I could go home every weekend. I fully intended on staying at college through some weekends, I really did. But, I was really homesick, so I usually made the trip every weekend. My RA's (Resident Assistant) and my friends at college finally convinced me to stay one weekend. One of those friends was Anthony (he called the high school students who lived in the building Gnomes, and he was a great first year friend). He also convinced me to buy a Nerf gun. Now, Nerf guns were illegal in the dorm, but the first floor RA on the boys' side tended to look the other way as long as we didn't shoot him. So for about three hours, we had a Nerf fight. I don't remember much else about that weekend, but it definitely made me want to stick around for more weekends, and I started staying more often!

Lesson learned: If you're going off to college, stay a weekend or two and hang out with some friends. You might (big emphasis on the might) even study a little! But you'll definitely be glad you hung around!

4. Becoming an RA (Resident Assistant): This was my favorite for soooo many reasons! First off, I'm one of those nerdy dorks who enjoys being an RA (and I actually miss being one now that I'm out in the real world). I had some great and not so great experiences, and I learned a lot from this job. I learned a lot of skills that helped me in the "real world", like presenting things, interviewing, and resume building. I also got a lot of networking done and made some great friends along the way (most of my friends I've lost contact with, other than facebook, along the way, but they were great friends for a season or two). I wish I could tell you about all of my experiences, and maybe one day I will, but for now, let's just leave it at that.

Lesson learned: If you are not going to get a job in college, talk to your RA, you will learn some really valuable lessons!

5. Partying: Now, I didn't party like the traditional college person would and I don't recommend it. Most of the people I saw partying hardcore (remember, I was an RA) only lasted a year in college at most. However, I do think that letting loose every now and then didn't hurt. I didn't say that you had to drink, smoke, or do drugs. But, do go out and listen to some great bands at a cheap price ($2-5!), and dance a little. You're young, and you're only young once! Enjoy it (just not the night before a test)!

Lesson learned: Let loose!

6. Public Speaking with Dr. H: This was one of the best classes I ever had. Not because I learned anything in particular, but because this professor was so awesome. He was hilarious. He made class fun. Actually, one of our assignments was to find something to be crazy passionate about and go rant and yell about it on central campus (this spawned from a class discussion about this crazy preacher guy who used to come to campus and tell us all we were going to hell). Every college should have a professor like this (the fun kind). At least one. That's all I'm asking.

Lesson learned: Find out from your friends who that awesome professor is and take his or her class. It's one class, what will it kill you?

7. World religion, Ball Room Dancing, Culture, & Photography and Short Stories: These four classes were amazingly eye opening. They all sounded incredibly interesting, and was something I was interested in. I absolutely loved studying about all of these, and the experiences I had in these classes were amazing ones. I won't say they were the best, but I was intrigued and challenged in them, which put them in the top 5.

Lesson learned: Find a class that really gets you. Yeah, a class that is all about what you are all about. Even if  it doesn't relate to your major. Enjoy it, but learn from it. Don't make it an easy "A". Make it the easiest A you worked your butt off to get just because you could. A well rounded college experience is what those first two years are for.

8. That Really REALLY horrible, no good, teacher: I'm not using this as a top 10 because I'm running out of experiences. I'm naming this because it was a true learning experience. First, we are all going to encounter people that we don't like or that just seem plain evil to everyone around them. This professor was just that. She didn't show her good side to anyone. And I mean ANYONE. We all hated her. But, no matter how many complaints were made about her, we still had to have her for this one class. IF. WE. COULD. MAKE. IT. It was really and truly one of those classes. She really weeded a lot of us in the education program out, because many girls couldn't handle her. But I learned that sometimes you have those experiences with those kind of people. You have to. It's part of life. And, I also learned that there was a softer side to her once you got to know her. She just didn't have good social skills and seemed a lot meaner than she actually was.

Lesson learned: Sometimes you have to deal with mean people and sometimes those mean people aren't as mean as you'd think.

9. Going in-depth with my career choice: I did a lot of soul searching in college. I'd like to think that I'm always soul-searching. It's a good habit. But once I finally figured out what I wanted to do, at least for the next few years, I learned a lot about being a teacher. I chose a really good college for education. I had some awesome experiences and I absolutely loved planning for my own classroom. I also got to do a special internship with a local school system and learned so much through that.

Lesson learned: Pay attention to what's going on in your classes, especially ones that directly teach you about your future career. No one likes to work with an expert idiot.

10. Graduating: Although I did spend an extra year in college (only because of a special internship), I was so happy to be done, at least for a while. Walking across that stage to receive that diploma was one of the best experiences one has to offer, because it meant that I did something awesome. I was the first person in my family (on my dad's side) to graduate from college, and I am darn proud of it. I worked hard to get where I am, and I'm glad I have a diploma to show for it.

Lesson learned: You get what you work for.

Hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to post your favorite things about college!

Why I Coupon

Many of us are changing our spending habits with the economy. I had been reading blogs like Moneysavingmom.com and hearing testimonies from friends, so I decided to make a new resolution for the new year (2011) that included becoming a coupon-er. My first trip to the store was with a handful of coupons. It took 2 hours to buy $75 worth of groceries, but I saved $15! I was hooked. Over the year, I've saved over $1,000 between store sales and coupons. I coupon because it's fun. I coupon because I save money, and I coupon because I've learned how to do it effectively.


I am by no means what you see on TV. I buy what I need for the most part, and then spend a little extra stock-piling. I save, on average only 20-60 % of my bill. I do try to keep my coupons organized, so I do get funny looks while going grocery shopping (I mean, who carries two notebooks while shopping, honestly?). But I usually only shop at one store, with the occasional Wal-mart, Costco, or Target. I honestly get upset when I see shows like Extreme Couponing because it gives the responsible and ethical coupners a bad reputation. Plus, what are they going to do with the 1,000 tubes of toothpaste? Unless they're giving it away to charities, why even bother?

There are a lot of myths with coupons.

First, is that coupons is actually what saves you money. No, this is far from true. The store sales save you the most money. Then, when you have a coupon for the item that is on sale, you get an extra savings. Extreme couponing (at least the way they show it on TV) is a lie. First, who has 20-40 hours to spend clipping, budgeting, planning, and shopping? If you have this much time, then please, by all means, show me where you got it. Show me what you are NOT doing because you are spending all this time clipping. Also remember that most coupons value from 35cents to 1.50 at most (and some stores double up to 50, 60, or 99 cents). Occasionally, you will find higher value coupons.

Second, you can walk out of the store with everything you need for pennies on the dollar. No, this is also a myth more often due to the "Extreme Shows" as well. Yes, you can get the occasional items for overage (if the stores allow it), free, or for a few cents (but do you really need 50 boxes of facial tissues that you got for 10 cents?). However, most of the time, as stated before, I only save between 20-60%. Most of the time the couponers that you see on TV call the stores ahead of time and make agreements so that certain items are in stock, certain coupons can be doubled which can't normally be doubled, etc., so the store and the person can get more publicity.

Third, couponing takes a lot of extra time. No, I spend one to two hours a week couponing most of the time. I have 9 Sunday papers delivered to my house. I sort, stack, and staple all like coupons before clipping them. Then I file them according to what aisle they go in. For sale match-ups, I use three websites to do the work for me: moneysavingmom.com southernsavers.com and time2saveworkshops.com . I like southernsavers the best for coupon match-ups, but I occasionally use the other sites as well (on a side note, moneysavingmom is a favorite of mine because she also blogs about other things).

If you are interested in couponing, I suggest taking it slow. I will probably post later on how to get started and what I've learned along the way.

So Sorry

So I'm working on a plan to blog regularly (not that I have any followers right now anyway), but my cousin is over for the week and needless to say, I haven't been on track. I plan on lots of blogs in the future though :). It's my therapy.