Since the last post, a massive amount of stuff has changed in my life – mostly for the better. To sum it up:

– I started my own mineral makeup company, and I make everything by hand. It started out as a hobby, but quickly shot up to a full time job. Things are going really, really well with it!

– I went back to school for a month, during a summer session.

– I bought a car. That ended up stalling the next day. That was a 2 week ordeal from hell, lemmetellya.

– Justin (the boyfriend/fiancee) got laid off. He hated his job, so this can be seen as a good thing, but we are nervous right now.

– I have started an Insulin Resistance diet. This restricts the food that I can eat but it works really really well at controlling my PCOS symptoms, and I feel so much better on it. I fell off the wagon during classes, and I’m looking forward to restarting it next week (I need to restock my food supply).

And because of these changes, I am excited because:

– I HAVE A CAR. When I tried to coupon before I was carless, so I would have to wait until late evening or Saturdays to find good deals. Now I can go any time, including Sunday mornings (when the deals are most likely still there).

– Justin is helping me with the business and is saving me a ton of time – meaning I can work at coupons again.

I really miss finding the good deals, and we are down to our last bottle of toothpaste and conditioner from the stockpile – and fear glazes over my eyes when I consider actually paying for anything like that.

So I plan to make some small changes – different layout, etc. But the coupon organizer is being revamped (and with the help of my new LABELMAKER OMG). With being on the IR diet things will be a bit different, and I can’t just buy any food without contemplating on how it fits into my lifestyle. But, I’m learning how to find coupons and deals for the food I can eat and enjoy. I also plan to track my weight loss, because my metabolism is returning to normal through the PCOS treatment and I can actually lose weight for the first time in my life.

I am so excited to be back!

Lots of people have asked me how I manage to get these subscriptions for free – and I admit, it used to take a bit of research. But since I have found the Free Magazines forum over at SlickDeals, finding free magazines has become a lot easier!

You mainly get free magazines through companies that sell trade magazines – specialised magazines for a specific line of work. To bump up the subscription numbers these companies add a consumer magazine to try to draw more people in. You don’t have to sign up for the trade magazine to get the consumer one.

RewardsGold and FreeBizMag are two popular websites to find free magazines. If you go through the forum and find one you want to subscribe to, click on that forum post. Find the link in the post to the offer, and click on that. Typically you enter in your first and last name and an email. I have a “freebies” email that I use for stuff like this – it’s a yahoo account that I never check. When it comes to picking a business and trade, find something that is similar to your line of work, or just pick “student” for everything. It will ask you to narrow down your line of work, and like I said, just pick something that is similar. (Honestly, I just go through and pick whatever my cursor lands on.) I then click “Submit”, and go to the next page, where you typically enter in your address. I make sure I do NOT put a check mark or choose any trade magazines.

When you are done, the magazines typically come pretty quickly. I have gotten subscriptions like this for a couple of years now, and it works great.

Another, although less “free” method of getting magazines is through a Points program. We are with National City, and we get 2 points for every dollar that we spend on our debit cards. Subscriptions are pretty low on the points scale but they tend to be a bit higher in quality compared to the completely free ones.

I hope this helps – we enjoy magazines, but they can get pricey! This is a good way to keep ourselvs entertained for very little effort.

Since I studied clothing design in school for a few years, I decided to break through my sewing fear (from an expensive and botched project) and to try a simple skirt. There were a lot of patterns out there that I liked, but they all had techniques that complicated the pattern. I decided, in order to get my sewing mojo back, I would make the simplest skirt I could.
And, it worked. Granted – I haven’t sewn a stitch of it. But the pattern drafting was extremely easy, and cutting it was a cinch. Since clothing can get expensive – and some of us can be picky about the styles we wear – I decided to round up some information that others might be able to use.

Skirts are really, really simple. I would have been done with mine in less than 20 minutes had I decided to do an elastic band waist, but because I am a bit larger I decided to put a zipper in to eliminate bulk.

I mainly used this tutorial here. It went really quick – drafted a quick pattern, folded the fabric like it said, and laid it out and cut it out. With the way the fabric is folded you have a skirt that has no seams in it – in total, it’s one piece of fabric. Put on a waistband/zipper or make a channel for elastic, hem it, and voila – you are done!

I am partial to the circle skirt, but I plan to try other varieties, too. Some sites I have turned up:

Skirts – Free Patterns

Circle Skirt Directions (includes a calculator that you enter your measurements into)

Half Circle Skirt pattern

5 Minute Skirt

Wrap Skirt

The “Oh Wow That Was Totally Easy!” Skirt Making Tutorial

And since I haven’t sewn a zipper in years, I decided to see if there was any tutorials out there that might smooth out the process, since zippers can sometimes be nightmares. I found this absolutely awesome zipper tutorial over at Sew, Mama, Sew! It uses a glue stick in order to hold the zipper still – genius! It makes installing a zipper a lot less scary!

In regards to fabric, you will probably have to guesstimate how much you need for your size. I tend to get 2.5 yards of 60” fabric. And if I find the fabric on clearance, that can mean a really inexpensive skirt! Also, if your fabric contains natural fibers – cotton, etc. – then I would suggest pre-washing the fabric if it is washable, to prevent shrinkage.

Please let me know if you have stumbled on any other great skirt or sewing tutorials out there – I’m always looking for something new to try!

There seems to be a lot of hubbub over this one, which The Consumerist has covered pretty well. Since since issues with redeeming the coupons seem to be ironing out, I thought it would be safe to try to redeem the coupons both me and the boyfriend received. We got a reminder email from Quiznos last night to print the coupons. We did, and decided to find a location to visit today.

We found a location, although the nearest was 15 miles away. But it was a sort of lame adventure.. what else would we do on a random Saturday? We piled in the car and drove to it. Once inside though, it was a small nightmare. We were told our coupons were no good, they wouldn’t accept them, but then when I tried to find a corporate phone number to find they decided to “try to run the numbers through.” We stood there for a good half an hour while multiple employees told us different things and took info off of our IDs. In the end, though, the coupons were denied and we were told they were fake and no good. Surprising since we had printed the coupons directly from the Quiznos email the night before.

In the end all was not lost – we were so hungry by that point that we went to the Mexican place next door and had the best lobster chimichangas possible. Still, we were bummed, considering we thought we would try something new. And standing in that store for a half an hour smelling the food and then being denied was a whole ball of fun, lemme tell you.

I’m not totally ripping Qiznos a new one yet. I know that there has been a lot of miscommunication on this one between the store locations and corporate. I have emailed millionsubs@quiznos.com with the complaint. I’ll let you know how this turns out.

And as an update to this post concerning my trouble with enrolling in free prescription programs – the issue has seemed to resolve itself. One day GlaxoSmithKline just started randomly sending me bottles of my medication – granted, it’s what the prescription was for, so I won’t complain. AstraZeneca was actually a pretty good sport – after the 3rd phone call where they had “not received anything from my doctor” when I know the doctor faxed something in, in exasperation I said “What ARE you guys? Is this really a prescription program? Or an illegal drug front? What are you guys selling?!”

I really wouldn’t recommend that technique for someone trying to enroll, but the guy on the other end of the line was a great sport, laughed, and gave me his personal fax number. A week later I had the meds. So good for both of the companies.

There are some great blog posts coming up – one in which I ponder the price of $20 chicken breasts and decide to debone a whole chicken (it’s just chilling in the freezer now and I am scared shitless) and review awesome and inexpensive makeup. Good stuff!

Instead, I’m sitting here with four Sunday papers with no coupons because it’s a holiday weekend.

Oh, well, at least they had the Target $10 gift cards with a new prescription.

Angel Food Ministries is a program where you place an order for a box of food at the beginning of the month, and the cost of a box is $30. It can feed a family of four for about a week, and the average retail price is around $60.

This isn’t a charity, though. The success of Angel Food Ministries depends on people buying boxes of food – the more money they have the more money they are able to buy more food at a cheaper price. There are no applications, requirements, income restrictions, or minimum limit. It’s the good quality stuff, too.. it’s not second hand food. Food stamps are accepted, though.

This month’s menu, for example:

1.5 lb. Sirloin Strip Steaks
2 lb. Tray Pack Chicken Breasts
1 lb. Boneless Pork Chops
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Nuggets
28 oz. Salisbury Steak Entrée
12 oz. Sliced Bacon
1 lb. All-Meat Hot Dog
1 lb. Stir Fry (Broccoli, Red Peppers & Onions)
1 lb. Carrots
8 oz. Breakfast Cereal
32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
35 oz. Crinkle-Cut Fries
7.25 oz. Mac ‘n Cheese
1 lb. Rice
1 lb. Bean Soup Mix
Dozen Eggs
Dessert

Plus, you can get add-on boxes, like a Assorted Meat Box, Fajita Kit, etc.

You can find your local host site here (they are located in local churches), and then you can contact your host site to order that month’s box. There are many sites located in Cincinnati, making it easy to find a host site.

It’s definitely worth trying, and you can save money in the process!

(And to avoid the inevitable – this story about Angel Food Ministries came out on the same exact day I started writing this blog post. I wasn’t sure how to handle this, but I decided to keep blogging about it because people can get good food at a great price. I hope that the investigation turns up nothing, but if it does I’m glad that the FBI is investigating. Reminds me of the Locks of Love controversy, no?)

As always, click the jump to read the rest of the article. Nothing explicit or gross, just wanting to cut this for uninterested readers.

I put off trying cloth pads for a long time. My periods were never heavy – it just made more sense to buy a 100 pack of liners and be on my way. But, as a lark, I decided to make a few cloth pads and try them. A couple health reasons helped push me over the edge here, too.

I AM NEVER, EVER GOING BACK.

There are a huge variety of fabrics you can use for making cloth pads – flannel, fleece, cotton, hemp, etc. But I decided to try good ol’ flannel, because it is soft and they have cute prints. I bought 2 half yard pieces – so a yard of flannel, and it was $3 total, and a pack of twelve snaps, which were $1.22. I printed out a few patterns online and dug out my sewing machine.

I tried three different patterns, and I was able to cut NINE pads out of this. This comes out to 47 cents per pad! On most pads I used two inner layers for absorbency, but on a few I used three or four for heavier days. I used three different patterns to try them out, but if I was only using one I could have probably gotten more out of the fabric I had.

Fabric and patterns laid out

I am really, really impressed with them, and they are very comfortable – you can’t even tell that they are there. And there is something about not having to be reliant on a disposable product, and using something that I made, with my two hands, to take care of myself. Plus, I feel like I’m screwing over “the man”, because pads are expensive as holy hell! These are a one time cost, and a pretty low cost at that – and the product I am getting is so, so much better than the plastic-y disposable pads.

I started with this page, which has a good amount of links and info concerning cloth pads. I used the 11 inch pad and pantyliner pattern from this page, and I also made a few of these – they are the simplest to sew, and the most economical for fabric use.

There are also two very good communities on LiveJournal that you can get information out of: DIYPads and Clothpads. Make sure to check the memories in each community – there is a *lot* of info dealing with washing, construction, use, storage, etc.

I have had a lot of questions concerning washing the pads – especially since I don’t have dependable access to a washer and dryer. I plan on handwashing them, using hot water and a scent and dye free soap. The blood issue *does* squick me out a bit still, but I know that I will get used to it over time. Plus, the benefits of cloth pads far outweighs me going “ew ew ew” for a few seconds, and if you take care of them quickly, the staining is minimal (or none at all). I typically get to a laundromat or other laundry facility once every few weeks – that’s enough to get them a good, hot wash. And (as you quickly learn when you don’t have access to laundry) I plan on making a large number of these to get me through the no-washer times. Plus, they are fun to make. Quick to sew, but fun fabrics, and you will actually use them!

Here are a few of the pads I made today. As you can see, they don’t have to be perfect.

This is a pad folded and snapped closed – so easy to throw in my purse!

And as to that “What will you do if you go out?” question I am bound to get – I plan to make a small bag, possibly out of a water-resistant fabric. Used ones will go in there and get washed when I can get to it. Also, the chance of leakage with these are very, very low, so I am not over-concerned with that.

I am really happy that I decided to make the leap to cloth pads, I wonder how I messed with the disposable ones this entire time! If there is anything I’ve left out that you’d like to know, or anything I can help my readers with – please let me know! Making the change to cloth is a lot easier than it sounds – and it’s healthier for the body, and saves a lot of money!

Also – flannel is on sale at JoAnn Fabrics for $2.49 a yard till February 21st! It would be a great time to stock up, it’s usually $5.98 a yard.

So, Acer sent the laptop back to me, completely and utterly untouched and unfixed. Even the problems that would NOT even be close to being caused by this mysterious liquid – loose hinge for the screen, bad touchpad – they didn’t even bother fixing. Thanks, Acer.

They sent it back in a box that I had sent it in, and the box was wearing thin and breaking in spots.

A couple shots of the box.

Same packaging, everything, and no paperwork – so I have no idea if they even opened it, what they *might* have done to it, nothing. If something would have happened to the box since it was so flimsy anyways, there would be no identifiable info about the laptop itself.

Here are a couple of pics of the outside of the laptop – the touchpad, the lose hinge, etc.

This is the back hinge. The white residue you see is from duct tape.. I had to use duct tape to keep it from wobbling. I took it off before I sent it back.

This is the touchpad, and this is the wear from only a year and a half worth of use. The buttons want to fall out, the color is actually wearing down, you can see scratches on the laptop. The laptop has spent most of it’s time on my desk. The touchpad itself was faulty.

It’s just made from cheap plastic, as you can see. Hasn’t held up well.

This is the bottom of the laptop. I have no idea what this white powder is, but it is covering a lot – I just thought it was worth noting.

I have to admit, I am defeated. I think the main thing that broke me was the constant jerking and pulling from the customer service at Acer. Insisting they want to make me happy, paying for FedEx shipping back, offering to correct the wrongs that they made and then deciding against it. Telling me that they wouldn’t touch it, and if they did, it would be $449. Naming a mysterious liquid as the problem, making even outer fixes like the touchpad and hinge un-doable. Assuming that I accused the repair reps of spilling a drink in the laptop when it had never even crossed my mind.

But even though I am defeated when it comes to this laptop, I can honestly say I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure everyone knows the lack of quality and horrible Acer customer support offers. I will make sure that everyone I know, speak to, pass on the street, run across on blogs, forums, social networks, anyone that is looking for anything computer related will know what hideous treatment they give their customers, and that they have no problems promising something then deciding differently. I would have taken them very little to make me happy, but instead they give excuses and false promises.

I don’t want anything from Acer anymore. But what I do want is for people to know how Acer treats the people that buys their products. I have filed a report at RipoffReport.com, I will be filing with the BBB, and I will be contacting the consumer media watchdogs. Yelp is probably a good idea, too.

If anyone needs the contact info for the top 5 executives at Acer, here you go:

These are the person business emails of some of the Acer Pan America Executive Team

Rudi_Schmidleithner@acer.com, President
Mark_Hill@acer.com, General Manager, Acer America
Mark_Groveunder@acer.com, Vice President, Customer Service
Clarence_Worthington@acer.com, Senior Director, Sales Operations and Fulfillment
Joe_Castillo@acer.com, Director, U.S. Retail Sales

• Cleanse your skin using a gentle cleanser in order to remove surface oil, dirt and germs. If you have oily or combination skin, use a foaming gel cleanser; if you have dry skin, look for a creamier blend that won’t dry out your skin

• Exfoliate. Natural exfoliators include: Ground oats and pineapple. Grind oatmeal in your food processor and add 3 T. oats to 2T. plain natural yoghurt or whole milk. Apply to the face and remove after 10 minutes with a warm towel. Or put ¼ cup pineapple and 3 T. plain natural yoghurt into the food processor and pulse. Once combined apply to the face and remove after 10 minutes with a warm towel

• Massage- This is where having a partner to help is great. Here is a great protocol for facial massage:
• Apply the massage cream or lotion and begin massaging the face and neck areas in small symmetrical circles. The strokes should move up the neck and along the contour of the face. Do not leave out any facial muscles.
• Next, gently glide the back of the hands across the fore-head with light pressure. Placing the thumbs side by side on the center of the forehead with the hands cradling the face, draw the thumbs outward towards the temples and make a gentle sweeping movement around the temple. Repeat the movement several times to relieve tension in the temples.
• Apply pressure in the hollow areas under the eyebrows by placing the hands along the sides of the face; use the thumb to press gently under the ridge one spot at a time. Move the pressure point from the inner to the outer edge of the brows and repeat the thumb pressure. This technique can help relieve tension headache.
• Position the thumbs alongside the nose bridge with hands cupping the face. Firmly slide the thumbs downward to the nostrils and outwards along the contour of the cheeks applying pressure along the way. Gently release the pressure when the thumbs reach the hairline. Then pull both hands up alongside the face towards the top of the head and away from the face. Repeat this motion two more times.
• Position fingertips in the cheek muscles and gently make circling movements counter-clockwise for a few times moving along the cheek muscles. This motion alleviates tension in the cheek area.
• Gently stroke the ears with the index fingers and thumbs while moving along the rims of the ears. This technique is very relaxing and enjoyable.
• Position the fingers just behind the neck while pressing with a thumb pad on a spot in the jaw area and circling this spot before moving to the next one. Holding the chin with the fingers, stroke the chin with the thumbs using circular motions downward. Finish the jaw massage with gentle strokes alongside the chin. This movement releases tension in the mouth and jaw.
• Make circular motions on the scalp and comb the fingers through the hair to release tension from the face and the head and to stimulate the scalp.

• Finally, remove the massage cream or lotion with fresh and damp cotton pads. Most facials end with a special lotion applied to the face.

• Apply a mask. If you have oily or combination skin, use a clay-based mask; for dry skin, look for a hydrating mask. Most beauty supply stores or drug stores sell masks in small sachets if you do not already have a favorite mask. Apply mask to the skin, being careful to avoid the eye area (this can lead to sagging skin). Leave mask on for 10 to 20 minutes or as directed. Remove the mask with warm towels and follow with a light spritz of toner.

• Moisturize. Apply a light moisturizer in order to prevent dehydrating the skin. Look for a moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher in order to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.