Tag: coupons

Checked off…

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

Yesterday I managed to check off two big things on my to do list.  I got the taxes done for my mom and sister as well as the paperwork for my uncle.  Last night I finished writing the rough draft of Wayfarer 7.

This morning I promptly rewrote the ending as it felt bad and abrupt last night.  I woke up knowing a better way to end it.  One of my test readers said it felt too final and the tweak I had in mind I hope makes it feel less final.

However, this means I now have four manuscripts in the editing phase.  I will try to get them through this phase and into production.  It will take time.  I swear I’m going to write on the Defenders series next.

Before I turned to the Defenders, I want to get some crocheting done.  I think today will be a day of going through the LARGE stack of coupons I have to clip and then crocheting to see how many gifts I can make.  In all honestly I’m working on the throw I need to make and hoping I can finish it today.

As is normal for me after finishing a project, I feel rung out and used up.  The ending for seven was tough, One of the constants in the book goes away.  Now I’ll have to replace it in the next book but I’m not thinking about eight until I get some editing done.

I think I’ll work on crocheting for the next two weeks with the editing thrown in.  Hopefully I’ll be able to do a cover reveal for Wayfarer Aegis shortly.  I am excited for the release of all these books.  I love them all and can’t wait to get them edited and into production.

If I do the coupons, I can lay out my crocheting on the card table and figure out which projects I can get off my to do list.  If Ken doesn’t want to watch Babylon 5 with me, then I’ll probably listen to the new JD Robb book.  Either way, my crochet hook will be going and my brain will hopefully get a rest from creating – well creating a story anyways…

It’s dang cold out, it seems like the perfect day to stay inside and get things done, fun things like harassing my husband and crocheting.  All while I wait nervously for my test readers to come back with whether they like seven or not.

Scheduling…

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

My life is all about juggling the different aspects of it.  I’m working on a story that is pounding in my head and wanting out.  I have 11,000 plus words done in it already.  I’m also working on holiday gifts of which I have about thirty to make. 

Thursdays are my early day to leave.  I get off work an hour earlier which means I’m home earlier and have more time with Ken.  Last night I spent it with him, eating supper, watching West Wing, and crocheting. 

By nine last night, I had two gifts done and had listened to a couple of hours of my book.  I have three hours left in the book and am hoping to finish it tonight, along with a couple more gifts.  Right now I’m working on the gifts for student workers.  Once I have their gifts done (hopefully this weekend) I’ll start on the faculty gifts. 

I could have worked longer last night and started a third gift.  I thought about it but opted for sleep instead.  This week has been a good sleeping week for me with me actually having a couple of nights where I get more than two hours at a time. 

As I was crocheting last night I was thinking about the things I have to get done today.  In order to remember them all, I texted my email a list of what I wanted to remember.  Once I get home, I’ll be tackling that list before I go back to crocheting and listening to my book. 

My daughter – have I mentioned that my kids can be a bit smart ass? – my daughter told me the name of the next book in the series.  I told her I wanted to try to listen to a different book once I was done with the current one I’m listening to.  She laughed at me.  This does not seem appropriately respectful but not an uncommon occurrence.  Now of course I know the name of the next book in the series, I’ll want to read it. 

To be honest, I am digging the story of Eve and Rourke.  JD Robb (i.e Nora Roberts) is a master crafter of this story and I am thoroughly enjoying it – again.  I think this is the third or fourth time I’ve read through the entire story.

I’ll get to the other books eventually.  I hope I will.  I’m sure it will happen eventually.  I’ll get tired of the JD Robb ones – there are a couple in the series I’m not so thrilled with – and then I’ll switch over.  However, my goal is to finish Immortal in Death and then switch to Cast in Peril.  I just don’t know if that will work as my inner reader rules when it comes to what I listen to. 

Ken and I were talking about the schedule for the weekend.  We only have one commitments so that means a quiet weekend – hopefully.  I’m hoping Sunday will be a good day to sit and crochet all day – hopefully finish a number of projects and gifts. 

Saturday I’m hoping to work on manuscripts but I’ll have to see what all we decide to do.  Ken was talking about errands.  It will depend on what and when he wants to do them.  I have a stack of coupons I have to sort out – some for me and some for the girls.  At some point I’d like to clear off the couch as it is filled with manuscripts, crocheting, mail, and other random things.  Maybe I should make a to do list?

To Do … What Should I Do?

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing

It is errand weekend.  This means I have a list of things to get done that is somewhat extensive.  It also means I should not be staying up until 5:00 am writing.

Yesterday I was on track.  I came home, paid bills, took care of all the payroll stuff I needed to.  I was tired and cranky so I tried taking a nap.  It didn’t work.  Ken and I watched a movie – Erased – it was pretty good.  He went to bed and I started writing.

I wrote until 10:30, coming to the end of a scene.  I figured okay good place to stop.  I turned out the light and couldn’t sleep.  The next scene I wanted to write kept playing in my head to the point where after 45 minutes I gave up trying to sleep.

Of course the next scene needed prep, this meant of course additional scenes.  I worked on it until almost 5:00 am this morning.  I came to the end of the scene and knew EXACTLY what the next couple of scenes were going to be.  I did not write them, they are still bouncing around in my head.  The problem is I couldn’t sleep.  I’d been up almost 24 hours and still my brain would not shut down.

I forced myself to sleep through sheer willpower I think.  It took a while but I eventually got to sleep.  I slept for an hour or two and woke up.  I took one look at the clock and made myself go back to sleep.  I dozed for an hour before I fell asleep again.

I’m freaking ridiculous.  I got up a little after 10 this morning and I’m trying to get a pile of tasks done including getting the coupons organized.  I have a novel ready for production including cover.  I still have to settle on a title which is driving me crazy.  I have ideas but none of them click really for me.  It is going to be a series and ironically I already know the title for the second book (it’s the one I worked on all night).

I’m setting aside my urge to write in order to get a few of the business type things done.  Coupons, grocery list, and errand list all need to be made up.  Ken is being amazing and running the errands this weekend so I can work on production.  When I get all of those practical things done I’ll see what I work on.  Being tired, my brain will have to dictate what I’m capable of doing.  There are three strong contenders with a fourth possibility.  I could clear the table (it is clearer than it has been in months) in my office and finish organizing.  I could work on production of two novels I have ready for production.  I could write.

As tired as I am all three sound appealing because they all accomplish different things I’ve been working on.  I have the feeling it is going to be a weekend of little sleep and lots of stuff done.  At least I hope so.

Coupons and Organizing

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing

Vicki got me a binder for my coupons.  Up until now I’ve been keeping them in my card holder.  It is difficult to keep track of what I have with them in my card holder – they were just bunched together.  With the binder, I have a slot for each coupon. 

We generally shop at Woodman’s so I took the store layout from their web site and organized the coupons according to how the store is organized.  This will be my first week using the binder; it will be interesting to see if I like it better. 

The other store we go to (Schnucks) is having their 11 for $10 sale again.  I like these sales because you can mix and match.  I look through their flyer but I also like to wander the store to see what isn’t in their ad.  This sale is a good time to stock up. 

After these two errands tomorrow, we have to go to the post office.  I have to mail out another review copy of Moon Affirmations.  I have an editor who will put it out to her reveiwers and hopefully put in her magazine.  Stephanie also left stuff at our house when she was home that we have to ship down to her.

I think it will be a calmer weekend for errands with only a few errands.  This is good and will hopefully allow me time to work on writing activities. 

Don’t forget – my books are 25% off right now at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kevvs229

Need a Weekend to Recover from My Weekend

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing
Yesterday was exceedingly productive.  Ken got up early to collect firewood from his brother’s house.  On the way home he stopped at Sorg’s to pick up our order.  I made sure I was up, dressed and organized by the time he got home. 
We went to Schnuck’s grocery store as they were having a 10 for 10 get the 11th free sale.  We bought only sale items and saved about $94 dollars between sales and coupons. 
Back home, Ken had fixed my chair sort of so I worked on Moon Affirmations – the paper edition.  It is in the review process and I’m obsessively checking every hour or so to see if it has finally made it through review.  I also wrapped three of the graduation gifts I had finished crocheting. 
In the evening we wandered out again to go to Walmart.  Ken found the last graduation gift I wanted so he picked that up.  Then we went to Target for Stephanie who wanted Brewer’s sunglasses.  Sadly they didn’t have any.  Finally we stopped at Woodman’s to do the last of our shopping.  We only got about three or four things that we didn’t have a coupon for and we saved $21.25 in coupons. 
By the time we got home Ken was done.  I came back to the computer and did a few things on the next project.  I’m organizing my poems.  This means I have the electronic file, paper copy, and it listed on my spreadsheet.  I got through A’s and B’s last night.  I also obsessively checked on Moon Affirmations.  Moon Affirmations made it onto Barnes and Noble this week as well.  
I played on the computer for a bit before I settled into the living room to read a book.  I’m reading Lean In.  It is a very good book.  It is about how women struggle for acceptance and equality even in today’s supposed enlightened era.  I recommend it for all people.
Unfortunately I slept poorly again.  This is about three weeks of sleep being elusive to me.  It would be nice to go to sleep easily and actually stay asleep for four to six hours. At this stage I’m lucky to get four solid.
Today is process food, obsessively check on Moon Affirmations, and relax at some point.  I want to get food prepped for me to easily grab it during the week for breakfast and lunch.  If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you know I’m not a morning person so it has to be exceedingly simple or I won’t remember in the morning.  I’ve got dip, turkey burgers, and coleslaw to make.  I have to prep cucumbers, peppers, and other items to go in the freezer.  If I have time, I want to work on the poetry project as well.  You would think with all we did yesterday we could sit back and relax today but that won’t be the case.
Moon Affirmations is now available at:
Available for sale at:
Available on Amazon:
Available on Barnes and Nobles:
Secret Past is available at:
Available on Barnes and Nobles:
Available for sale at:
Available on Amazon:

Coupons, Crocheting, and Book Sales

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing
Ken did the grocery shopping this morning and saved over $9.  We went through yesterday and made the list partially based on the coupons I had.  Every little bit helps when it comes to the budget.  Today I have to get envelopes ready for the people I’ve clipped coupons for and get them out in the mail tomorrow. 
I got a start on Moon Affirmations yesterday.  I’m now working with the images and trying to figure out the best way to get them into the document.  It is a challenge.  I am also looking at how they look in the manuscript and if that is what I want.  It is time consuming and complicated.
When I had to give up working on the computer, I worked on graduation gifts.  I have one nearly done.  I have one more small thing to make and then I’ll move on to the next person’s gift.  I also have to go through my lovely stash and find material to create a baby gift.  These are always fun to make and give as it helps the new parents celebrate the coming of new life! 
Today I’m planning to watch tv and crochet.  I woke up tired so I’m going to take it easy and now do very much other than crochet.  It will be a very peaceful day I hope.

Book sales are steady.  I’ve sold 17 books since I published.  I’m ridiculously happy about it.  It seems sort of silly after all it is most likely just people who I know.  However, it is the accomplishment of a lifelong dream to have a book out there.  I’m proud of finally getting it done and grateful for all the support I’ve had from friends and family. 

Secret Past
Available for sale at:
*  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426548
*  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Eileen-Troemel-ebook/dp/B00JL38Z7C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397101326&sr=8-1&keywords=secret+past+by+eileen+troemel
*  Paperback version both large print and regular print:  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Eileen-Troemel/dp/1499123965/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1397535584&sr=8-1 

Coupons

by eileentroemel, posted in Life
With the new Roku, I just watched all the episodes of Extreme Couponing.  It is interesting to see the how people save money obsessively.  There are definitely some good ideas on using coupons. 
I guess I was inspired after Ken told me we couldn’t do stuff like that.  I said I don’t have the time to be that obsessive about it.  However, I did make more effort to sign up for our local store’s flyer. 
It was interesting to go out to their flyer and see what they have on sale.  In the past I thought this was a waste of time – I’m just going to buy what I need.  However, I realized if I shift how I buy from the buy what I need to buying what is on sale it will save money.  Obviously starting out, I’m still going to have to buy needed items but over time I’ll be able to stock up on certain items and then they will be at hand. 
For instance, this week there is a sale on pasta.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find a coupon for the pasta.  I can however, stock up on the items on sale as it is a really good deal.  Then I won’t need to buy pasta for a while – plus it is my favorite brand.  My favorite peppers are on sale for an incredible price.  We will buy several bags of them, bring them home, chopped them up, put them in the freezer.  This means when Ken is cooking all he has to do is go in the freezer to grab peppers. 

I’m still going to need all the normal stuff but I will budget to stock up on those items that are on sale so I won’t have to buy them again for a few months.  Then over time I will need less when I go to the store.  Matching sales with coupons increases my savings and lowers my grocery bill.  I’m not saving millions but if I can increases my savings at the grocery store it will help the overall budget.

Coupons

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized
I have become obsessed with coupons lately.  When I know I’m going to buy a particular product then I go to Google, type in the name, add the word coupon and see what is out there.  Vicki does most of our shopping and she has become an expert.  In two shopping trips she saved us over $35 just by using coupons.  That’s enough money to cover one of her prescriptions. 
I know a lot of coupons are only pennies off but if you use them wisely you can save some big money.  Here are a few of the tips we follow:
1.      Don’t bother with coupons for items you aren’t going to use.  Unless you want to try something new it is just a waste of money to buy a product that will never get used.
2.      Watch for sales of items you use, add in the coupons savings and you are saving even more.  We just went to Walgreens where we buy most of our over the counter stuff and they were having a special on buy one get one half off or free.  Just by paying attention to this we were able to save over $100 in in-store specials and then another $7 in coupons.
3.      Ask friends and family if they get coupons in their papers or mail.  Trade with them for their unused coupons.  Hopefully you don’t all use the same products.
4.      Mine the flyers for the stores where you shop.  This will allow you to make the most of your coupons and stretch your money. 
5.      Go to the website for products you use regularly.  Sign up for their newsletters and offers.  This may get your coupons that aren’t published in the papers and other places.  You can sometimes even get free samples from them. 
6.      Google is your friend.  There are a ton of sites out there that offer coupons.  Go to Google and search the name of the product and add coupon.
7.      One site I’ve found (and I’m sure there are a ton more) is coupon.com. They seem to have a variety and all you have to do is wade through the listing to find what you need.  It is fairly easy to use.
8.      For non-perishable items, when they go on sale, stock up.  I buy a particular brand of juice.  I can’t ever find coupons for it but it doesn’t have to be refrigerated so when the store has a sale we buy extra.   

I’m not a coupon queen in any way but these few tips I hope will help people get started.  While 40 cents on dish soap may not seem like a lot of money, when you have 10 coupons for that or more it can add up pretty quickly.