How to quit shopping at Target

After doing my pre-holiday/bday season budget, I realized I spend too much of my money at Target. Nothing crazy and NOTHING like that woman on Hoarders (Dear God, that show is scary!) But with a college student's budget and a kid to support, $25-30 a month at Target is more than I want to spend on life's extras.

Sooo...

Step 1. No more Starbucks at Target. That's half the battle right there. It's so nice to head to Target w/ The Girl and grab an apple juice & a latte. We walk around the store, enjoying our drinks and each other's company. My solution? Pack a sippy cup of juice and a thermos of a fake, office kitchen made, latte when going. I'll save about $10 a month!

Step 2. Make a list, and actually stick to it this time! I'm always making lists (Shopping lists, To-Do lists, Weekly Menus.) Sometimes items on my shopping lists can be found at Target! We get there and I pick up the items on my list: new pink Sharpie, extra socks, and new lip gloss. Then I decide I need mittens, Autumnal tights, an aqua Sharpie (for contrast, duh), etc. Next thing I know, my $9 list turns into a $22 purchase! Now I'm going to make a list; and ONLY buy the things on the list. If I see something else I want, I'll write it down. If I still want/need that item in a week or two, I'll put it on my official Target list. This sounds more complicated than it actually is....I promise.

OMG. I could have pink sunglesses, RIGHT NOW.
But seriously, we were just trying stuff on for laughs.

Step 3. Just stay the hell outta Target! I'm not saying go to WalMart instead (Seriously, this is a Bad Idea .) Instead, I'm suggesting I think really hard to see if I actually need whatever I wanted to buy. If it can at all wait, I'll put it on the list & wait until I actually need it. No more "recreational" Target shopping for me!

I don't think I'm at the point where I need 12 steps to quit Target; three will do. So, anyone else been caught is Target's sneaky tentacles of shopping joy?

Look at the puppy! Doesn't he make you want to buy crap from Target?

Although I must note I'm still a little pissed at Target for giving money to a very anti-gay rights candidate. But that's another story....

Picture Post, Spaghetti Squash & Pleather Pants!

I am by no means a professional photographer; or even an armature one. All pictures are taken with my trusty camera phone. I do wish I could take much better pictures of my food. The pictures never do the meals justice. One day I'll be able to afford a snazzy camera and take a class to learn how to use it!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Heading here every year brings me back to the time when I was pregnant and OBSESSED with eating anything orange or squash related. I plowed through pumpkin after pumpkin. Luckily, I perfected the art of homemade pumpkin pie and all sorts of ways to prepare cold season squashes!

Look at all this plastic pumpkin carving crap!



Mommy & Daughter Pumpkins


I really need to buy stock in Target. I seriously love that store. Our Target is especially nice. Always clean, friendly people work there, and they have a Starbucks. Win. However, lately they've been chronically
under stocked on the things I need, but have all the useless things I don't need. Hmmmm. But they DO have a great sunset!

I had to buy myself a Dora the Explorer toothbrush that day.

Yet, these were a plenty! Because every 4 year old girl needs shiny faux pleather leggings.

I'm a sucker for produce. There are so many wonderful local sources in my area. I live super close to an orchard/farm, close to a huge pick-your-own farm, and within driving distance in VA are the Maple Ave Market & a Wegmans! I've fallen into the habit of buying the veggies without a plan. But I don't mind at all. I get a kick out of looking at my pile o' veg and coming up with a recipe that fits my mood.

Poblanos & cherry tomatoes grown in a coworker's garden. Turned into Chorizo w/ angel hair pasta in a red wine poblano sauce.

All veggies grown w/i 100 miles of my house (except the onion).
NC-17 zuccinni grown at a friend's house.
Turned into moroccan veggie curry.

So tasty; and healthy.

Hmmm, what to do w/ spaghetti squash, tomatoes & peppers?

Spaghetti squash spaghetti!

How a Laundry Fail Can Inspire an Actual Horror Movie!

I try to take great care of my jeans, because 1: It’s next to impossible to find a flattering pair. 2: I only buy jeans I love, so I don’t want to ruin something I love! 3: I would just have to buy more jeans, and that’s a pain (see #1.) So I lovingly turn them inside out, wash them on super gentle in the coldest water possible, with the special super dark Woolite. II toss them in the dryer for only 5 MINUTES; then finish them off on my nifty Ikea drying rack. I’ve kept some nice pairs of jeans around a long time by doing this.

One day my sister decided it’d be cool to throw a load of towel into my jean wash. Totally not cool. I went to change out the load, and when I saw the towels, I must have assumed I only THOUGHT I put in jeans; so I left them there for my sister to deal with. After 2 days I went back down and the towels were still in the washer….and not smelling too great. I did what I felt was best, cranked the washer to high, added the regular detergent, some vinegar and salt and let that baby go! Go domestic me!

As I pulled the nearly sterilized towels from the wash, I made the horrible discovery. Three pairs of my BESTEST JEANS!

Like a desperate idealist ER doc, I tried valiantly to save the jeans. Don’t fade on me!! You’re not going to shrink today!! Not on my watch! I tried gently stretching them, dying them, everything!

So what does this have to do with horror movies??

Well, I couldn’t wear the jeans, and I didn’t want to toss them; so I had to donate them. But to where? Then I remembered my work w/ Habitat for Humanity and how they were collecting jeans during the spring to turn into insulation for the homes. PERFECT! My jeans can live on, helping a family stay warm, and helping the environment. Jeans? Live on? Here’s where my mind starts to wander…

You know those movies where the nice couple moves into a cute old house and they find some creepy doll in a closet? And that doll is actually a memento from some kid who’s family was viciously murdered in the house? What if you bought some totally cute eco friendly home w/ your cute fiancé, and the walls were insulated with jeans…..from murdered teenagers!! We could totally get M. Night Shyamanananana to do this!



Here’s how it goes. There’s this seriel killer out there, and he killed a whole bunch of teens (you know, horror movie teens; the cheerleader, the insecure one, etc); instead of collecting driver’s licenses or necklaces. He took their jeans! But he never paid his storage bill on time, so everything got sold and some guy made them into insulation to put in this green home. Totally plausible, right? I mean, some guy in Silence of the Lambs had a storage unit I think. (That and building homes on burial grounds is so done)



This home's insulation contains more than just thermal energy. It also contains the souls of murdered teenagers!!

The young couple (just starting a new job? Maybe as a reporter??) moves in to the home. They’re all eco conscious and such. Maybe they have a dog. After a week or so, they hear strange noises and weird crap happens. Everything escalates and they feel they’re in danger! They track down the guy who built the house and through usual horror movie reporter action, they discover the jeans’ true origin!

But how could this end? It’d be great if we could end it all eco friendly like, and not do things like burn the house down. How about…

A: Hire a super natural contractor who rips out the drywall and buries the jeans in some spooky cemetery nearby

B: Um…move?

C: Track down the killer and bring him to justice! Find moms of teens and comfort them.

D: You tell me!


Testing!