Getting out there and doing something.

 

So I know that I have written about this before, and I have said that I am going to change my ways and start living for me.  Yet honestly, my steps forward with this have been tiny. I am often disappointed in myself, and then I am get harder on myself, get depressed about it and in the end do even less. So this weekend I took the initiative and got up and did something… well on Saturday at least,  Sunday I slept in till almost 2 in the afternoon and missed the farmers market … no fresh goat cheese or bread for me this week.

On Saturday I visited the Portland Saturday Market, went to the Red Bull Flutag, went to a 80th Birthday Party for one of the wonderful ladies I help support [it was nautical themed as she is going on a cruise to the Bahamas in September] the library where I checked out 7 books and finally I attempted to go to the Tualatin Crawfish Festival … but I had a really hard time finding it (moved locations) and when I did finally find it there was not parking, and I was irritated at that point anyway so I went home. 

The market is always a good time, I love just wandering up and down the isles looking at all the amazing things that people craft. It often makes me envious of my own lack of skills, but also spurs me a bit to be more crafty.  I have a lot of ideas, I just never seem to put them into play.

Flutag was a really great experience, and I am glad I went. I nearly talked my self out of going since it was 105°F outside, and we all know how good I am at talking myself out of things.  The event was so SO crowded thought, it was hard to see anything at the launch site.  I was glad they had several large screens up where you could view the action.  I had the most fun though looking at all the flying contraptions that had yet to take flight however.  It was spectacular to see everyone's creative ideas. Check out some of the awesome ideas in the pictures below. My favorite team was the Game of Bro’s.

 

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Sláinte,
Kat

Being “that” shopper

So I have never been “that shopper” the one who calls out the cashier on their mistakes, or goes to customer service about a pricing error, or going back 2 days later when the item I just bought goes on sale. I never wanted to be seen as annoying or impertinent, I didn’t want to cause a seen or hold up the line. I was embarrassed and always just sucked it up and paid the higher price without saying a word… although I would totally complain once I got home to my roommates. Anyhow, recently I have begun to do these things, partly at the prompting of my roommate who is a floor lead at a huge outdoor retail store and partly because I want/need to save as much of my money as I can. Although I did recently get a promotion (which is going amazing by the way) it also came with a zero overtime policy and I quit my part time nights and weekend job to accommodate the hours. So all and all I am making about the same / sometimes a little bit less than I was, but working a lot less as well. (having a personal life = TOTALLY WORTH IT)

So it started out when I was buying my new fishing pole, the sign above it said $79.99 when the sales man suggested it, on sale from $123.99 yet when I went to ring it up it run up at $99.99 so I said something to the cashier, she looked it up on the computer and it said $99.99 so she called her manager over who walked in back with me to see the sign. Apparently the sale for &79.99 had ended the day before but since some failed to remove the sign they honoured the price. No one looked at me like I was being obnoxious, they were all super friendly and accommodating. And just by asking about the price difference I saved my self $20!!

I have now done this a half a dozen times at several different stores and they have all been perfectly polite about it, no one looked at me like I was being discourteous or impudent! I have saved upwards of $100 in just a few weeks by politely asking questions about the sticker price (ring up) vs sales signs. I even went back the following weekend with Greg to get him a fishing pole as well, and the same combo I had gotten was on sale again for $65.00 so he got it as well. While checking out when it rang up at that price I jokingly said "hey that is cheaper than what I paid last week for mine." and the cahier was the one who suggested I go up to customer service and they would refund me the difference... and they did I got another $14.00 back!! Saved a total of $34 on my fishing pole!!

HAHA not a great pic of him, he was being blinded by the sun but here is Greg with his very first ever fishing pole! 

So I guess the moral of  my story is that if you are not being a total ass about how you are presenting the information, the store clerks and customer service agents are more that willing to help you out in your quest to save a penny.

 

Sláinte,
Kat