'Tis the season...to save money using gift cards

Gift cards. Love 'em? Or hate 'em? I have mixed feelings. They sure do make gift giving easy. I mean, you don't really have to think about it. Just find a store you think the recipient would be able to find something they like, and purchase a gift card. That way you're sure it's always the right size or color. And it's something they really like. But are they really worth it?

Once upon a time, gift certificates were all the rage. You could get them for all your favorite stores. You could even make your own. You didn't even really have to be all that creative. But that was part of the problem. They were easy to counterfeit. So back in 1994 Blockbuster Entertainment created the gift card. Blockbuster? Yep. They were followed by Neiman Marcus. Now, you can get them for just about anything from grocery stores, restaurants and retail. But buyer beware.

Cards like Visa and American Express charge extra fees such as a purchase fee and/or maintenance/inactivity fee. That's what I'd get hit with because in the past I have received gift cards, placed them in a drawer or even my purse, and that's where they have lived out the rest of their lives. So it might be better to stick with store branded cards. My oldest son looks forward to his Cabela's card. My youngest son thinks they're too much of a hassle and prefers an actual gift.

There are deals to be had when purchasing cards. Keep an eye out on sites like Groupon that sometimes offer a $10 Starbucks gift card for $5. Then there are sites like www.giftcardgranny.com that not only buys your unused gift cards, they also sell them for a discount. You can get a $200 BestBuy gift card for $180 with free shipping. 

I have found a really great way to save money using Fry's gift cards. Starting November 19, 2014, Fry's will once again be offering 4X fuel points when you purchase gift cards from them. Now, most people know that Fry's offers fuel points. For each $1 you spend there you are rewarded 1 fuel point when you use your V.I.P. card. So after the 19th, for every $1 spent you will earn 4 fuel points. And that will save you a lot of money when you fill up your gas tank. 

I plan on purchasing a few gift cards for my friends and family. But I also purchase the store brand card and then use them to do my weekly grocery shopping. Using the cards also helps me stay within my budget. 

Happy shopping!

Where are we Wednesday

I needed a vacation. Desperately. I had been talking to my cousin, who I hadn't seen in over 20 years, and we decided it was time for a reunion. Unfortunately, I wasn't really up for a long trip. And 1,200 miles separates us. So we thought it would be a good idea to meet up at our old stomping grounds. Back to the place we grew up. The place where so many of our memories were made. So I packed up my car and headed to Cracker Barrel. Did you know you can rent books on disc at Cracker Barrel? And you can return them to ANY Cracker Barrel. Sure did make time pass quicker. Then I hit the road.

Within a few hours I was back in familiar surroundings. Passing the hill on the side of the highway that, when I was young, people would try to make it to the top on their ATVs. Up ahead were "orchards" of windmills.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about these things. They're huge and noisy. Maybe they're worth it. About this time I needed a break and thought I should top off my gas tank, even though I could have made it all the way on one tank of gas. Upon getting off the highway, I saw this...

Share the sidewalk? With golf carts? The picture doesn't show it, but just out of shot there is a pole with a sign on it in the middle of the sidewalk. Those must be very narrow golf carts.

I grabbed a late lunch and zoomed off. 

Finally, I was close to my destination. Finally, things were starting to look familiar. Finally, I saw the sign that said I was home...

Ahhhhh...there it was...Huntington Beach...

I got my cousin and I a couple of rooms at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this place. They were so accommodating. So very nice and friendly. It's right across from the beach and we had rooms with balconies. We slept with the balcony doors open and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing every night. At night we could see the flicker of the flames in the fire pits and reminisced about the parties we went to on the beach, standing around those fire pits. 

The rooms here are very nice and comfortable. Can you see us up there on the 10th floor? Of course not! I'm in the car taking the picture! I loved waking up in the morning and looking out at the surf. And of course, surfers.

And then there is the changing out of the wet suit ritual...

Sorry, we have to keep this family friendly. The weather of course is awesome. There has hardly been any wind. And it's in the 70's. 

We decided to walk down to the pier. I did not recognize most of "downtown". Main Street. It used to be full of small local surf shops and mom and pop eateries. And now, it's full of condos and big surf shops and chain restaurants. But I don't care. It's the beach. That's all that matters.

Walking along the pier, we were enjoying the local wildlife. Like the pelican. And the "ducks".

Ruby's Diner is at the end of the pier. If you've never eaten there, I highly recommend it. The fish tacos are HUGE! And very tasty. 

After wandering around and visiting the International Surf Museum, we moseyed back to the hotel and had dinner at their restaurant, Shades. The weather, being still fabulous, allowed us to dine out on the patio. 

I haven't been this relaxed and at peace for a long time. Y'all are gonna be lucky if I come home. This is my home. This is where my heart is. And being able to spend this time with my cousin has been amazing.

Where Are We Wednesday

 APACHE TRAIL 

 

I needed a day away from the city. So a friend of mine, who is always up for an adventure, joined me on a drive down the Apache Trail. For those of you outside of Arizona, the Apache Trail is also know as State Route 88 and it runs through the Superstition Mountains. At one time it was a stagecoach trail named after the Apache Indians that used the trail to travel the Superstitions.

This highway gently winds its way East from Phoenix to Roosevelt Lake where it meets up with SR188 and heads to Miami, Az. We didn't go that far. But it does bear noting that even though we live in Arizona, and everyone knows that we have vast desert areas, we have over 100 lakes in our great state. On this trip we drove past Canyon Lake. There were plenty of places to stop on the side of the road to take a look. We went over a couple of bridges near the marina and decided one of these days we are actually going to have to go on the lake. Anybody have a boat?

I love the scenery on this highway. The rock formations are amazing. The Superstition Mountains are home to rock climbers, hikers and treasure hunters. The tale of the Lost Dutchman Mine is pretty well known in Arizona. Many people have gone missing looking for the ever elusive gold said to be somewhere in these mountains.

 A little farther down the road is a great place to stretch your legs and get something to eat. The Superstition Saloon and Restaurant has great burgers. And you can belly up to the bar and sit on real saddles that make up the barstools there. The restaurant holds down the boardwalk on this small strip of leftover remnants of what was a true Western town. Tortilla Flat started out as a prospector's campground for men looking for gold in the Superstitions. In 1904 it became a stagecoach stop. Now, besides the restaurant, there is a large souvenir shop and ice cream shop. At the end of the road is the schoolhouse that houses the museum. It's just a tiny little place. I couldn't fit my car in that schoolhouse. But it is full of old pictures that give you a better idea of what went on there back in the day.

We decided to head on back down the road toward home and stopped off at Goldfield Ghost Town. It's hard to believe there was a time that this town was on it's way to being bigger than Mesa. Back in its heyday Goldfield had 3 saloons, a general store, a brewery, boarding house, blacksmith and meat market. Unfortunately the vein faulted and the town withered away. Now, it still has the saloon, a coffee shop and restaurant as well as the Chapel on the Mount. 

The chapel sits at the top of the hill. The views up there are lovely. You can go inside the chapel and sit for a while. 

Heading back down the hill you go by the Bordello. I love this building. But as you pass this building there's a little sign that says "Live Reptiles". Follow that sign. It goes down around the back to a very out of the way room. Once you step inside the smell hits you. Yes, reptiles smell. And there are a couple where you can see them. There was a woman at the desk advising there was a $4 charge if you want to see the good stuff. What the heck, we forked over the fee and stepped in through the curtain. Inside were multiple enclosures housing over 20 different snakes, 10 different spiders, lizards, scorpions and the most ginormous roaches you've ever seen. You know those hissing cockroaches? Yeah, well, these were twice as big. The woman is Calleen. And these reptiles are her own personal collection. Reptiles don't bother me, but my friend was a little iffy on them. However, Calleen is so knowledgeable and so friendly that you forget your fear. She helps you see their personalities and the next thing you know you're standing with your nose almost touching the glass talking baby talk to the slithering snakes and spiders. She even showed us some very special tarantulas of hers that she does not put on regular display. They were beautiful.

After that we went back toward home a little further and stopped real quick at Apacheland. Once upon a time it was a movie ranch where several Westerns were filmed. It burned down once in 1969 and again in 2004. We originally stopped out to see the white chapel but stopped in to the barn to see pictures of actors who had filmed out there in the late 50's and 60's. It looks like they're trying to build it up again. There was some construction going on around the place. The chapel is very quaint. But for me it lost a little of its luster when we went inside and there was a very bad Elvis statue standing on a stage. No. I didn't take a picture. I couldn't. It was really bad.

So that's where we were Wednesday. Time to find some place with plenty of chips and salsa, beer and margaritas. If you're looking for a quick day trip out of Phoenix, this is highly recommended. 

So hit the road. Obey all traffic laws. Be safe. And have a good time.

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October PopSugar Must Have un-boxing!

Back in the 80's my mom had a monthly subscription. Each month a lovely little box would show up and I would get more excited than she would. Mostly because I knew she would give me whatever she didn't want. Inside that box were wonderful little treasures. Perfume, makeup, scarves, lots of lovelies. And now, I have a subscription of my own.

I discovered PopSugar must haves through a youtube channel I subscribe to.  Jen at The Busy Bee Buzz did an unboxing and I fell in love. Every month now I get my own little box full of lovelies. This October box is my third box. So far I have not been disappointed. The picture above is the inside of the box. Just opening it makes me happy. Even before I know what's inside.

Then they have a little leaflet inside that explains all of your goodies.
 

The first thing I took out was this darling pair of socks. They're Happy Socks Animal Socks. They're an adorable leopard print made of combed cotton. Combed cotton is much softer and stronger than regular cotton because of the way they treat it before spinning it. These socks are definitely soft. I can't wait to wear them.
 

There's always some sort of sweetness in the box. This time it's Pumpkin Spice Maltballs from Dean & Deluca. I love maltballs. And these are scrumptious with a hint of pumpkin. I was afraid at first the pumpkin would be overbearing since they are so very orange. But they are very delightful. I usually keep my goodies hidden in my desk drawer. Otherwise my kids would eat them.
 

Also included is a sheet of Halloween Designs from NailedKit. Unfortunately I just got my box 3 days before Halloween and don't have time to do my nails with them. I might do the cool orange squiggly lines for November since they're a nice Autumn color.
 

Now, I'm not sure why this picture came out so blurry. It's not like the pencil was rolling around. This is a butter London Wink eye pencil. It's gray and great for a smoky eye. It goes on like, well, butter. 
 

Oh how I love soap! I love soap! This is K. Hall Designs Shoreline Shea Butter/Olive Oil Bar Soap. The smell is wonderful! Kind of like Ivory but with a zing of citrus. Soaps like these are so nice that I hate to use them. I'll have to make an effort to use it. I mean, what good is it if I leave it on the shelf?

Ooooh! A candle! I love candles! See? These boxes are just full of my favorite things! This is a chalkboard candle by Mine Design. You can write whatever you want on this reusable candle. I'll have to think of something very clever. I love that it comes with it's own chalk. This has a very light vanilla/citrus type scent. 
 

Now this is really cool. When I first took it out of the box I didn't know what it was. It just looked like an acrylic slab. But then...there was a small slit on the side and when I pushed the top half of the slab, it came apart. And it turns out this is a magnetic acrylic picture frame! This is the coolest thing ever! I love it! Now I just have to find the perfect picture to put in it. 

So that was my October PopSugar must have box. So much fun. I'm already excited about my next one!

No more lost sunglasses!

I love sunglasses. I have several pairs. I like them plain, sparkly, colorful. It doesn't matter. Expensive or cheap. I'll take 'em. I also have a puppy.

I love my puppy. She's so cute. She's getting so big. Over 40 pounds now and 10 months old. She's so soft and...well...puppy.

She greets me at the door when I come home. So very excited to see me after being apart for 9 hours. She jumps up to see what I have in my hand. Something for her maybe? Usually not. But she is still full of enthusiasm as she prances down the hall to my bedroom. She'll jump up on my bed as I set my purse and work bag down. Then she will shove her head into my purse and start rooting around because I have undoubtedly hidden some tasty morsel in the darkest regions of my handbag just for her. And what she comes up with are my sunglasses. As I yell for her to drop them she jumps down and dives under my bed for cover. I can hear her crunching them before I can grab a broom to try and retrieve them. This is an everyday occurrence. I have started closing my purse up before setting it down, which does deter her from gaining access to whatever pair of sunglasses I have worn that day. But I have other pairs just waiting for her in a basket on my vanity. And they are just within her reach if she cranes her neck. I am tired of wearing sunglasses with teeth marks. So I found a solution.

The other day I went to Goodwill and found some picture frames that were priced so cheap I couldn't pass them up. Some of them had pictures in them, but there are no rules that say you can't take the pictures out. So I bought them. They were all 99 cents. One was of a little boy and girl on the beach. Cute. But nothing I wanted to keep.

 I also recently purchased some ceiling fans. My oldest son has assumed the task of installing them. There were some extra lengths of wire. I assume that's ok that they were left over. I mean, the fans seem to be working just fine. So I gathered up some of the wire because I just knew I could find something to do with it.

Then it dawned on me. A way to keep my sunglasses out of puppy's reach. But first I would need to change out the picture in the frame. Since I was doing this for sunglasses and I miss the beach so very much, I decided on a favorite picture of my favorite place. Bolsa Chica Beach.

Then I cut the blue wire into smaller lengths to fit across the picture. I pulled them across the glass and tucked them behind the picture securing them with tape and fitting it all back into the frame.

I hung the picture next to my bedroom door. Then, I gathered up the sunglasses I could find. (I'm still missing my white ones with the polka dots!) I slipped the glasses onto the wires and voila! I now have a place to keep my glasses where I can see them all and just grab the ones I want as I'm walking out. Best of all, unless she grows 3 more feet, the puppy can't reach them.