Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time there were two married bloggers who got very, very busy and turned into terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bloggers...

Clearly you've figured out that story is about us. We haven't forgotten about our blog at all, we just can't seem to find enough time to sit down and share our exciting news with you all (no, we are not pregnant, calm down). Between school ending, two vacations, multiple jobs and snuggly kitten cats, we don't even have five spare minutes (okay, fine, maybe we have five, but we need more)! But, we're back from the good ole southern lowcountry and pinky promise to update this week. Stay tuned.

You Can Get Anything You Want At Annabelle's Restaurant

As should be obvious to everyone, we are trying to buy a house, and thus trying to save money. It's one of the reasons we started this blog in the first place (even though I am a bad blogger and have been neglecting our creation of late). As part of this search for our own home, we've been spending a LOT of time looking at properties. Sometimes this happens on a weeknight, and by the time we're done it's almost 9pm and the concept of cooking dinner is a nightmare - even more so than it is for me generally.

This confluence of events, and a handy-dandy Groupon, led us to Annabelle's in Hyde Park last month. This is a relatively new place as they just opened in 2010 and that newness is evident as soon as you walk in. The whole building is clean, modern, updated and open, providing a very welcoming atmosphere for a meal. They have ample seating both in the sizable bar area and in the rest of the restaurant, with TV's interspersed throughout the venue (which was key for us me this particular night, as I was able to catch the end of a Bruins playoff game while we ate).

The food here was very good as well. They advertise themselves as serving "traditional New England fare" but they have something for everyone, along with some interesting twists. Basically, they have a standard American dining menu, with everything from sandwiches to seafood and many cultural foods as well. Hard to not find something to eat when you dine here and more options are a plus in my book (though not necessarily going to get the Restaurant Impossible seal of approval, with their penchant for one page menus).

Sweet & Spicy!

About those "twists" on the menu.  One of the specials was Chicken & Waffles the southern-style staple. Liking both chicken and waffles, and never having had them together before, I obviously took the plunge. I was not disappointed. A delicious, flaky Belgian waffle was topped with crispy, succulent fried chicken with sides of maple syrup and hot sauce. While putting all these things together in one bite may sound odd, the flavors and textures all melded really well together. I'm sold on chicken and waffles and may need to explore other southern creation. My only beef is that one of my pieces of fried chicken was essentially just batter and bones though, which was disappointing.

Kendra got the wild salmon with jasmine rice and baby spinach over greens with a vinaigrette sauce, but in typical fashion subbed in rice pilaf for jasmine rice and added a side of asparagus. I had the leftover rice pilaf and it had excellent flavor, which was a nice surprise. The vegetables and salmon seemed to be good as well, as they didn't last long on the plate. Also of note, they bring delicious fresh baked bread before your meal, which melts in your mouth [not pictured due to the speed with which we devoured it]. It was like the peasant loaf of Joe's American Bar & Grill but we didn't share it amongst friends.

Now, given our Groupon, which was worth $35, we ended up paying about $7 bucks for the whole meal including tip. Not buying beverages goes a long way to keeping costs down. All in in, it was a nice dinner out at a new place that we'll likely go to again sometime. If you ever find yourself in Hyde Park, we'd recommend checking out Annabelle's - IF you can score a coupon. No sense paying full price for anything.

Free Money (Literally!)

April was a busy month for us. With a combination of Groupons and gift certificates we've been hitting up restaurants left and right. You're probably wondering where we got all these gift certificates since it our birthdays and anniversary (first one!) are still months away. Sad day. But, luckily, we have two magic websites to thank for that free money: E-Rewards and E-Miles. Both of these websites are pretty similar; they're a way to do online surveys to earn points. Those points can be redeemed for lots of things, one of which is a Restaurant.com gift certificate. We've already earned and used 3 $25 gift certificates, with one more on deck itching to be taken out! Not only is that a free $25, but earning them is so. freaking. easy. We can sit on the coach watching TV and do quick surveys that only take a few minutes. With the Restaurant.com gift certificates you have to spend a certain amount, which has been about $10 over the $25 but since all that money was free it's a CHEAP meal. If you love going out to eat and saving money, I highly recommend you check it out. What do you have to loose besides free money?!

Like A (Coupon) Virgin...

Tonight I felt like a magical couponing sensei and am proud to say I have coupon converts. Granted, teaching someone with OCD how to coupon is like giving drugs to an addict, but still, I'm happy to help anyone save money. Kind of makes you feel like Santa Claus.

I should probably preface this whole post by explaining that the night started out with my friend (and virgin couponer) Christine telling me she thought I was "sick in the head" (direct quote) and pictured that I was a big, creepy hoarder. (Friends, she meant all this in the kindest way possible I promise. Plus, let's get real, we all know I'm a bit crazy!) Anyway, I countered with some recent pictures of some of my best "hauls" and she did a 180. Or a 360? She was ALL about the coupons once she realized we weren't stockpiling dingy cans of beans or cases of toilet paper like Honey Boo Boo's mom. She demanded a trip to CVS on the spot and luckily there was one across the street. There always is. 

It's hard to describe this shopping experience at CVS, but when I say it was like a kid in a candy store I'm not lying. We went right to the coupon machine and scanned both her CVS cards to get the store coupons. Luckily, she got a few good ones we could use AND some Extrabucks so it helped jump start her first purchase! We only did one transaction on some Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner to practice. It's on sale this week 3 for $10 so she got one of each which came to $6.66. Here's a rough play by play at the check-out counter: 

Clerk: "Did you find everything okay?"

Christine: "Yes." And then announces: "I have coupons." (Spills them onto the counter) "I don't know if you need to put them in any special order."

Clerk: "It all adds up!" He finishes ringing everything in and then does the coupons. Total is down to $3 and something. Christine is so excited. "Do you want to give your email address to get a 20% off coupon?"

Christine: (freaking out) "Yup! Absolutely." 

Clerk finishes with her email and CVS card and the total is down to $2.32. (A savings of $4.24!) I take a picture to commemorate the momentous occasion! How happy is she?!

We then leave the store, at which point she says she's all in on couponing and that she apologizes for saying I was sick in the head. (Thank you and you're welcome!) We immediately schedule a Sunday couponing 101 date. Moral of the story: extreme couponing changes people's lives. Or at least makes them a whole lot happier to shop at CVS.  

Deals! Deals! Deals! Deals! Everybody!

I have been a bad, bad extreme couponer. Working, house hunting, and jet setting to Vegas has made it challenging to find any time for couponing! (I know, my life is so hard). Luckily, we've been so well stocked that it hasn't really been a problem. But after a nice crazy weekend in sin city, I need to replace a few thing so I'm hitting the sales at CVS. And, as our faithful readers (all 12 of you?) I wanted to give  you a heads up on a few good deals going down this week through Saturday that make a few things almost free or at least really cheap. Everyone loves a deal, especially if you've only got $20 in your pocket. Alright, let's pop some tags!

Physicians Formula make-up is amazing and has so many organic products. In fact, I'm wearing their organic mascara right now! This week if you spend $14, you get $10 in Extrabucks back which is like paying $4. Plus, there was a coupon for $1 off a few weeks back that if you still have makes the transaction extra magical.

I have been waiting for a CVS Purex sale for so long and it has finally come! Both the detergent and the gel packs are on sale for $2.88 and there's an instant $1 off coupon at the coupon machine. Plus, if you're like me, you've stock piled manufacturer's coupons for $1 off and will be scoring two of these for 88 cents each (between myself and Nate, my faithful couponing assistant).

Everyone loves minty fresh breath and Listerine mouthwash or Reach floss is on sale for $3.99 with $1 back in Extrabucks. Coupons for both of these products are everywhere, including online usually so you can definitely save an extra $1 which makes it like you paid $1.99.

Now despite spring being upon us, a weekend in Vegas casinos has brought on some serious sore throats in our household. Luckily, we can score two packages of Halls cough drops for $3 with $1 back in Extrabucks. Don't worry, I've got another $1 off coupon which is like paying $1 for two or 50 cents each! Goodbye tickle!

For those of you who may have picked up a few habits from me in the past, you should definitely combine these great deals with Extrabucks you already have! Remember, Extrabucks never expire! And always scan your bag tag because every 4 scans is another $1 in your pocket. If anyone is ready for the advanced course, do separate transactions so you can pay for the next with the Extrabucks you get back. You might be able to get all of this (and then some) for free! I've had $9 in Extrabucks burning a hole in my coupon folder and I'm ready: Look for my update later this week after I shop. In the meantime, I'd love to hear how everyone else's shopping goes. Happy couponing!

House Hunting Hoopla

Daylight savings weekend seems to be the unofficial start to spring, and in that spirit we went to our first open houses on Sunday. The weather was nice, despite the recent dump of snow, and it seemed a lot of people had the same idea we did. Some even had the same routes planned. We saw a range of houses: some without finished walls (or any walls at all for that matter) and some that were so updated they looked like an IKEA showroom in Dubai (if you saw the house this would make more sense). Because of all of this grown up "fun" we've been having, I thought I'd share our reflections on the home buying process thus far.

1. Every bank assumes you can't actually afford a house, have the worst credit on the planet, and are up to your eyeballs in debt.

We've talked with 3 banks so far and the conversations always start off the same. Here are a few highlights:

• "Your debt ratio can only be 41%."
• "Unfortunately you need good credit in order to qualify."      (Hey now, we have excellent credit!)
• "You're a teacher? So you make what? 30K?"
• "That'll put your monthly mortgage payments around $1800." (We pay $1640 in rent and it goes up to $1795 on 6/1)

After we establish that we are actually competent, rationale adults things proceed much smoother from there. But it's not over yet so I kind of want to make a T-shirt online with our financial stats. Thoughts?

2. People have terrible, crazy taste. I mean terrrrrrible. 

This one, let's be honest, is no surprise to anyone. But it is staggering how much junk people accumulate and how little people "design" their homes. Has no one been watching HGTV? You've got to stage, buddy! I can't imagine myself living in your house with a picture of your round, hairy, shirtless man circa 1984 on the dresser. It's March: your penguin Christmas decorations are distracting me!

3. Houses priced correctly sell FASTER than you can schedule a tour. (Literally!)

I've been saving houses we like on Redfin for open houses or future tours. Every day I log on I have to delete at least 1 house that now has a sale pending, just days after appearing on the market. How did they even get their paperwork together that quickly? Does everyone have a fairy downpaymentmother? Is there anywhere I can find one? 

Overall, it was exciting and overwhelming to look at houses, but we saw one we liked which was encouraging (we'll see how long our luck holds out). This is all just in time really, because our neighbor's "performances" are reallllly getting old.

Anyone have an entertaining house hunting stories of their own?

Lobsters Are A Girl's Best Friend

For those of you reading this blog that don't know me well you must understand that I love lobsters and all things Maine, our home state. (Fingers crossed there's at least ONE of you out there that isn't our family or close friends!) If I'm being totally honest, I don't just love lobsters, I LOVE lobsters. Some people might say it's an obsession. I will ignore those people. I have a lobster T-shirt, lobster PJ shorts, lobster PJ pants, a lobster hat, lobster art work, the list goes on. Okay, fine, maybe those people are right. But regardless, I promise that if you come to our house, you can't really tell. It's not like I have a bathroom entirely decorated in lobsters. Or lighthouses. Or anything like that.

Unfortunately, although Nate tolerates my crazy, he does not tolerate eating lobsters. But lucky for me, my best friend Mary from Adventures in Kindergarten feels the same way about lobsters as I do: our hearts yearn for them! So naturally, when I saw a Groupon for a lobster dinner for two for $30 at Dolphin Seafood Restaurant & Bar I had to snap it up and invite Mary. REAL lobsters in the dead of winter are a rare find so it was exciting AND cheap.

We finally had a chance to use our Groupon last week, after snowstorms, ear surgeries, and general school madness tried to prevent us from enjoying our crustaceans. It's hard to describe this place because at first you think it's pretty nice, and it does have a good atmosphere and beautiful fireplace.  But then when you look closer, there are some strange decor elements, like faux rock tiles made from stickers? And strange "wave" dividers between the bar? Basically, it was perfect.

We got to start with a shrimp appetizer and then we each got a lobster with two sides. The lobster was of course delicious and provided us with a serious workout. Those suckers were the hardest hard shells I have ever had. Ever. I'm not kidding. Like trying to break rocks. I really could have used a mallet to break the claws. Here's a picture of Mary's beauty. (I should have taken a picture of the table as well. Whoever thought linen tablecloths in a seafood restaurant was a good idea must have been nuts).

Since it took us so long to eat, their Sunday night trivia started so we played for a while: bonus! We held our own for some time, but trivia is really not a two person game. And we didn't have Nate to scream at us to stay focused so eventually we gave up. Oh well, we were really there for the love of lobsters... and the affair continues...

Kicking Butt & Taking Savings

As January came to a close, I thought it might be a good idea to look back over the month's finances and see if this whole saving money thing was actually working. I will save you the boring details of how I went back to each of our credit card statements and totalled up all the food costs for each month back to September. Well, I'll save you most of the boring details...

Anywho, for our purposes here (so people will still read the blog!) I'm just going to stick with a one month comparison: December. In December, we spent $477.47 on dining out. And by that I mean all food and drink purchased outside of grocery shopping. DO YOU SEE THAT NUMBER?! You don't even want to know about November. Or October. Or September. Suffice it to say that we seriously needed that resolution. Suffice it to also say that I was a tad bit seriously nervous to calculate January. I mean, it felt like we were doing a good job, but it also feels like we don't watch too much TV and eat healthy (ha!) 

Ready?

This is where an HGTV show would cut to commercial.

Good thing we haven't gotten picked up for a show... yet. Alright, enough drama and stalling. I'm proud to report that our January dining out spending was just $109.58! DO YOU SEE THAT NUMBER?!! We. Are. So. Awesome. And rich. Or at least not poor. Basically, the lesson here is that we are dominating this resolution and with all the hundreds of dollars we're saving each month we'll have a house in decades years! 

Groupon: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Our hunt for a good deal didn't begin when the ball dropped in Times Square. We (read: Kendra) has always been on the lookout for solid bargains, which is how we came to have a Groupon to Jerry Remy's. We paid $15.00 for $35.00 worth of food. This kind of Groupon where you save more than 50% is the best because it's boom! Free money! Last night it was time to cash in on the savings. We made a reservation for 8:00pm (highly recommended on the weekends by the way) and we caught the last parking spot around the corner. Sweet luck.

We'd never been to Jerry Remy's before and let us just say that they are indeed a sports bar and they have TVs the size of your house. Not ours because we don't own one yet. After we were seated we inspected the menu to calculate the best use of our money. How close could we get to $35 while still eating things we liked? Luckily for us, Jerry Remy's is not expensive, and although we vowed to cut soda in restaurants to save the few bucks, we actually had to both order one to spend our dough. Nate decided on the Remy Burger. Shocking, I know. I went for the Ty Cobb salad with a few modifications. Again, shocking, I know. At least we're good looking?

Aside from our bonus sodas, we also shared a big ol' bowl of clam chowdah. (Not pictured due to hungry bellies and forgetful minds). The place was packed for the football playoffs (that's still happening?) and because it was a Saturday night. On top of that, they seemed down a couple servers so our poor guy Albert spent the whole time running around like mad. 

Overall, the food was pretty good and we'd totally go back. Especially because we still have our Groupon. But we'll get to that. Nate reported that the burger was a bit bland and could have used more thousand island dressing. But a little extra ketchup solved that problem. My grilled chicken hadn't yet seen the grill, but my new piece was hot and moist. The clam chowder was delicious and had hints of bacon which is always an insta hit for us. 

And here comes the best part. Are you ready? As we went to pay the bill (which was originally $40 after taxes) our server Albert apologized for all of the inconveniences and waiting and said he was taking care of the bill for us, we could keep our Groupon and come back again. Total charged: $2.68 plus tip. Total gained: $35.00. So our initial $15.00 investment has gone a long way. 

It's kind of like the blogging gods knew we were working on our first post. If you decide to check out Jerry Remy's definitely ask for Albert. We know we will on our next visit. 

Let Them Eat Cheap

With the New Year brings a flood of resolutions: get skinny, work out, save money, blah blah blah. Most of these only see the light of day for the first few weeks in January before they fall by the wayside. So obviously we've made all three of these resolutions, but we aren't delusional enough to think that we'll actually stick to them all, especially when our couch is so darn comfortable. Sigh. That being said, we are serious about buying a house this year. So we can stop living on top of other people. And have enough space in our closet so that we don't have to unpack everything just for a new roll of toilet paper.

Saving money isn't hard if you're a recluse and never do anything. Unfortunately, we have a (small) social life and enjoy doing things. One of our big weaknesses is that we love to go out to eat. It tastes delicious, you don't have to cook it, and it cleans up itself. What else could a person want? But if you recall our resolutions from above (that we almost just talked ourselves out of writing this last paragraph) that plan doesn't make our wallets fatter or our waists thinner. Hence this blog. Beginning with this new year, we've challenged ourselves to put our couponing skills to good use and cut back. The plan is to go 365 days without dining out...

...without some kind of coupon/Groupon/discount/deal. (If you actually thought we were going to give up restaurants, you have way more faith than we do). We figure blogging about it is a good way to stay accountable. And who knows, maybe someone will actually read it? Feed us? Make us famous? Solve the whole money problem once and for all? But until that happens our scissors are poised. Bon appetit.