A City Life For Me

Well…sort of.  Today we made our last major purchase in preparation for baby’s arrival – a stroller.  It is a major purchase that didn’t cost us a major amount.  For several weeks I have been watching the Craigslist ads for a stroller in good condition at a reasonable price.  Today I went and bought this stroller for $20.  It hardly has any wear, the colors are neutral, and the price was fantastic! A couple of weeks ago we received a wonderful gift from Ben’s Aunt Paula, Aunt Jennifer, and Grandma Hamilton – the car seat!  We were able to find an extra car seat base on Craigslist for $5 to leave in the second car.  Things will be much easier if we don’t have to move the base!  Since we already had the car seat, I was searching for a stroller that would be compatible.  The car seat easily snaps into the stroller to form a travel system. When I brought the stroller home I pulled all of the pads off and washed them.  Ben helped me reass...

On Saturday , 9/12/09 Ben and I left at 3 a.m. to drive to Washington, D.C. as part of the taxpayer protest on Capitol Hill.  Ben’s mom & brother, Evan, drove down from Massachusetts and we met at the WWII Memorial.  The people were supposed to gather at Freedom Plaza around 9:00 a.m., and the March would commence around 11:30 a.m.  We were three hours early, and the amount of people congregating was phenomenal!  There were signs, flags, and colonial costumes .  We were there to protest big government, out-of-control government spending, congressmen & senators who aren’t listening to the people, and the proposed government takeover of healthcare.  We were also defending the Constitution.  At first I was disappointed that I had not taken the initiative to make a sign.  Then as the crowd became larger and navigation became harder, I was relieved that I didn’t have a sign to deal with. The March on Capitol Hill had police permission to go d...

This Saturday, on 9/12/09 there is a national march in Washington, D.C. against big government.  It is referred to as the 9/12 Project, with events all over the country, and it is spearheaded by Glenn Beck.  The goal is to return our country to the spirit on 9/12/01 – the day after the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City.  On that day it was not about Democratic or Republic, red state or blue state, but it was about America .  The 9/12 Project is based upon 9 Principles and 12 Values, outlined at www.912project.com as follows: The 9 Principles 1.  America Is Good. 2.  I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address. 3.  I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess f...

We spent last weekend in NC working on the baby crib.  We left Thursday night after Ben got off of work, and we drove to Kenny’s new house in Newland, NC.  We stayed with Kenny and commuted an hour and a half into Shelby everyday.  During college Ben worked with Mike Greene, a custom furniture maker in Shelby, NC.  Mr. Greene graciously allowed us to use the shop this weekend to complete the crib.  (In May when we attended Kenny’s graduation Ben had cut out all of the spindles & parts of the crib). On Friday we had a short day at the shop.  We slept in since we had driven through the night and arrived at Kenny’s at 3 am.   We also had a dinner engagement with Ben & Carrissa Stalcup – our friends from college.  Ben routed the edges of the spindles and finished drilling holes.  I sanded.  And sanded.  And sanded.  I think that Ben secretly enjoyed delegated most of the sanding to me because during college Ben did a ...

Today our local consignment/resale store was running a special – fill a bag with as many clearance items as you can stuff, and it’s all $10.  I was considering skipping it since we don’t know if we’re having a boy or girl.  Since a friend was going, I decided to tag along and go for half boy & half girl items.  My friend is due on Sunday, and she is having a boy.  We were warned to be there early as there is a long line.  So we arrived at 9 am, an hour before opening, and stood outside in the hot humidity.  The bags were huge – probably 13 gallon trash bag size.  I didn’t even fill my bag, but I got a lot!  It was all summer items, but I got a lot of newborn onesies and some outfits that are bigger for next spring.  I also picked up some items for another friend at church who just had her first baby girl.   The boys clothes – About 7 onesies, 3 onesie/pant sets, two denim/overall sets, 6 miscellaneous items.   The girls ...

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant, 75% of the way there!  I still feel like I don’t look very pregnant, but it usually depends on what shirt I am wearing.  I had a pre-natal appointment on Monday.  Everything is going well.  After my next visit I will start going to the doctor every two weeks.  I scheduled a tour of the hospital today – I was lucky to get a slot on October 21, 2009, only two weeks before my due date!   People have been very generous to us, and I have picked up a lot of baby items very cheap.  Someone at church gave us a car seat (for when the baby is no longer in an infant seat).  Others have given diaper covers, money, the crib mattress, toys & teethers, a crib mobile, and maternity clothes.  I have a good stash of onesies and sleepers to get started.  Mom & Dad gave us the pram, which will double as our “bassinette” in the beginning.  A neighbor of the Hamilton's sent a crocheted afghan.  Ben is buildin...

Since we had a CVS open just around the corner, I have been able to save a lot of money on toiletries & beauty items.  I have read the stories of people getting several bags of items for just a few cents out-of-pocket.  I was anxious to accumulate enough Extra Care Bucks to do the same.  The sales have not been great the last couple of weeks…until yesterday.  I walked out of the store paying nothing out-of-pocket, and I saved $93.51 by combining sales, manufacturer coupons, and CVS coupons.    I transferred my pre-natal vitamin prescription to CVS, and they gave me a $25.00 gift card.  I paid $10.99 for the prescription.  I used $17 in Extra Care Bucks, and I spent $7.78 on the gift card.  I have been trying to build my ECB’s, and I was able to earn $19.77 by using only $7, and I still have $17 on my gift card.  Yeah for CVS!!!   I did three separate transactions in order to maximize my savings.  One of my transactions...