The Queen of Clearance - Part 1

I've often jokingly referred to myself as the Queen of Clearance. That's because I love the clearance section of any store. It's where I gravitate to first whenever I'm shopping because if I can get what I'm looking for at an extra bargain, well, I'm all about that life :-). Of course there are many others out there who probably call themselves by the same name, so I thought I'd provide some proof of why I deserve the crown ;-). This is just a small sampling of my clearance buys; many of the items I've bought on clearance have left my home as gifts that are super cute and no one knows that they were purchased on clearance. I call that a win-win.

Starting in my entryway, a couple of clearance bargains I picked up just a couple of months ago.

 Once stores were allowed to reopen the sales were abundant. Clearance aisles were filled with all the spring and Easter items that didn't sell and that needed to leave the stores so summer and fall decor could start occupying the shelves. I found these arches for above our front and garage doors at Hobby Lobby. The original price was $49.99 each, but I was able to scoop them up for $12.50 each. In case anyone is wondering, the wreath is one I made many years ago. It has undergone several transformations. Right now it's a simple fall wreath.

The monogram sign in my entryway is also a clearance find. I don't know what the original price was, but I picked it up at Hobby Lobby for $6.49. 

This artificial snake plant was purchased shortly after we moved into this house. It's from TJ Maxx, and I got it for a double bargain - it was on clearance for $16.99, but since I bought it on Monday I got my 10% senior discount as well, so my price was $15.29. It's really nice quality and heavy.

Another Hobby Lobby favorite is this chalkboard sign at the top of the stairs. The original price was $59.99. When I saw the price was reduced to $17.49, I knew I would find a place for this in my house somewhere! 

I never pay full price for vases, but I especially like to find them on clearance. Target is my go to for clearance vases. This one was $4.50, originally $9.99.

I found these three planters at Target for $4.50 each as well, reduced from $14.99. They are ceramic and can hold artificial or real plants. In my case only the cactus is real. It's out on my patio. The others are scattered around my house.

Kirkland's is another store where I've been able to get really beautiful decor at rock bottom clearance prices. This gather sign, for instance, was originally $29.99 but I paid $8.00 for it. However, my best clearance find at Kirkland's by far is above my futon.

This is not a small piece, y'all. It measures 46" x 34". The original price for this beauty was $139. It was reduced several times and was all the way down to $23.99 whenever I got to the store. I had a coupon that day; I ended up paying $19.75 for it! I mean, that is garage sale pricing! That is what you'd pay at a thrift store kind of price! I was on cloud nine that day!

Also in my office is this rose gold candleholder that I snagged for $5.50 at Target. I don't remember what the original price was but, y'all know Target prices. 

And what about big pieces? Furniture sized pieces? Yes, I've managed to get some good clearance deals on those too, not just little decor pieces.

Whenever I found this futon on the Walmart website, I didn't know it was on clearance. I just knew that $280 was way less than I'd seen it for several months on Amazon, Wayfair, Overstock and the like. I later found out this style was being discontinued. Another very similar style was replacing it, and Walmart was trying to get rid of their inventory. I've since not seen this particular futon in this color anywhere; you can find it in other colors but not for less that $400.00.

My sectional was also a clearance item. Costco was selling it for $899.99. They'd dropped the price to $799.99 but I had my rebate check, so my cost was $650.00. It's five years old and still looks great.

Sometimes the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby is a letdown, but whenever I needed a lamp for the side table in my office this was the perfect fit and it was only $19.99, complete with the lampshade.

I didn't realize how long this post was gonna be, and I'm not halfway through yet! Time to make lunch - this list will continue in another post. Stay tuned!

The Week In Review

Good morning! I hope everyone had a productive and pleasant week. I had some highlights that I want to share.

My son has a small desk fan in his bedroom which he has pointed on him during the night because he insists I don't keep the house cold enough. Clearly he doesn't pay the electric bill. Anyway, the fan was acting up (it was a cheap old thing) and Sunday night it simply stopped working. He had a terrible night sleep and had to get up early for his computer class the next day. I felt sorry for him, because it's no fun trying to learn while you're falling asleep, so on Monday I decided to run over to Target and get him another desk fan. I found one for just $15.99, but I also found something else.

I always check out the clearance sections at Target, especially the purse section because I've found some absolute treasures there. This trip didn't disappoint; I found this adorable mauve purse that was originally $36.99 marked down to $18.49. This is going in my Christmas gift stash!

I did go to the Dollar Spot, though not expecting to find anything I wanted. I was wrong.

These little pumpkins are adorable! And at $3 each I couldn't pass them up. I put them on the corner of my dry bar, and only then realized how perfect they were.

The colors match my Dollar Tree florals exactly! How cool is that?!

I hadn't been to Ross in a while, and since it was on my way home I decided to stop in. I had gone back to Ross whenever the stores reopened but twice left empty handed because the store had virtually nothing in the home decor department. Like, empty shelves everywhere. This time it wasn't as bad (though they certainly aren't well stocked yet) and I was able to find this beautiful throw blanket:

It's cream color so it can go pretty much anywhere. It is so soft and cozy, too. I wanted something different for my bed because the throws I have are the same color as the bedspread so they blend in. I wanted something that would stand out but just a little. This fit the bill.

On Tuesday I was on the phone again, this time with AT&T. I use AT&T for my home internet. Last year when we moved into our new home, they offered me 300 Mbps for $50 a month. I'd been paying about $84 a month at the old house, so a savings of $34 a month was music to my ears. Of course that promo was for 12 months, and it was coming to an end, so I decided to see what other offers AT&T had going. The service I currently had, with 300 Mbps, would be going up to $80, but an offer for 1000 Mbps was available for only $59.99. That obviously made no sense, so I started up a chat with one of their agents asking why the discrepancy. After beating around the bush he finally told me that it was because "we want everyone to have fast internet!" Give me a break. I asked a couple of times if the price was actually $59.99, if there were any hidden fees or if this was the actual price. I was assured this was the true price. I also asked if there were any other promotions, and the agent said he'd send me an email with more information. I thanked him and went on looking for other options.

A couple of days later my son asked if I'd gone ahead and upgraded, since he had checked and was able to download to over 900 Mbps. I was pretty surprised and said no, but I remembered I'd received an email that I hadn't looked over yet. When I did, I saw that not only had the agent gone ahead and switched our plan, he upped the price to $69.99. Well, Mama wasn't happy about that. So Tuesday I called and explained what was going on. I quickly realized it was an error on their part. I should not have been offered this promo because it was only for new customers, but since it was their goof-up the new agent said she'd go ahead and honor the price. Then she came back and said she couldn't offer me $59.99 but she did have an offer that was $20 off the $69.99 price and it included the 1000 Mbps plus HBO Max for free. I don't care about HBO but I was only too happy to take the higher speed internet for $.01 less than I'd been paying the past year. Lesson here: always question what doesn't appear right. It can end up saving you money.

On Wednesday we went back to our old neighborhood. My son had been lamenting for the past year that he hadn't found a barber as good as the one back home. I knew it was true; the barbers where he was going, the same place my son-in-law C goes to, were always rushed and did a mediocre job at best. Lucy takes her time and gives him the royal treatment, plus it's always exactly what he wants. I surprised him and made him an appointment with Lucy. After I dropped him off I went to visit my BFF and realtor. We had a nice visit for an hour before it was time to pick E up again. Then we drove by the old house. It doesn't look the same. The new owners painted the exterior, changed out light fixtures and a window, put in new front doors, took down all the coconut palms and the palm trees in front of the house. They even put in a new mailbox and new numbers on the house. It was bittersweet; of course I knew they wouldn't keep the house the same, but it's strange to see it look so different after 20 years. Still, I'm constantly reminded of how God has blessed us, and I'm happy for the new owners.

I didn't do much on Thursday except rest. I pulled a muscle in my back so I took it easy. I studied for our women's bible study on Friday. Since my old church is still doing everything virtually I'm able to participate in the group bible study which I am so extremely thankful for. We are studying Jesus's parables. This past Friday we studied Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the persistent widow. We learned about praying continually and not losing heart. Such a timely Word for the season we're living!

Then yesterday I served in children's ministry at our new church. I like the lady I'm co-leading with; she's a hoot! I also love teaching the children. I'm normally pretty shy, especially in large groups of people, but with the kiddos I come alive. God has shown me that teaching is what He wants me to do, and I'm blessed to be able to do it.

Well, that's been my week. I'm heading off to online church now. I encourage everyone to find a Bible teaching, Bible believing church. Start a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's never too late, and there's no time like the present. Have a blessed week.

Monthly Menu Plan

I worked on my meal plan for October this week. Most folks are experiencing fall weather; South Florida won't know about this till November, sometimes December. Still, I love classic fall cuisine, so I added a few favorites to this month's menu plan, along with some staples and a new recipe I saw Mandy make on her YouTube channel, Mandy in the Making. Here's what I came up with for this week:

Soups and chili seem to cry out, "It's Fall Y'all!" so of course I added beef chili to my list. Comfort foods also scream fall to me, so I've added meatloaf, chicken & dumplings, mac & cheese, and sausage gravy & biscuits. The new recipe I want to try out is Chicken Bacon Ranch soup. You can watch the video here. I figured, it's got chicken, it's got bacon, and it's made in the crockpot; what's not to like? Another crockpot meal for this month is jambalaya. Mine isn't what I'd call authentic but it's a family favorite. I posted the recipe on my blog several years ago. You can check it out here. 

Off I went, first to Aldi's and then to our neighborhood Walmart. 

I got a bunch of meat from Aldi's. I'm praying the worst of the hurricane season is over so I don't have to worry about having too much food in the freezer. For this month's menu plan I needed a lot of ground beef; thankfully it's back down to $2.99/lb. at Aldi's. I also got ground turkey to make turkey patties, and pork chops to fry up. I needed green beans and mixed vegetables but Aldi only had the green beans.

Most of what I got from Aldi was produce. All my produce except for the bananas were from Aldi. I didn't get bananas from Aldi because the store was packed and I couldn't get to them, which happens often. Aldi's prices, especially on produce, are usually better even than Walmart. I got onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, apples, bell peppers, salad mix, along with lactose free and almond milk.

I didn't get a whole lot from Walmart, just what wasn't available at Aldi. I did get a couple of large salads that were reduced because their sell by date was Sept. 25. That doesn't bother me, since I ate one already and the other will disappear today. What's really funny (and the reason I think they didn't sell) is that these are supposed to be Caesar salads made with romaine lettuce, but instead they were made with iceberg lettuce mix (the one that includes shredded carrot and red cabbage). Someone dropped the ball whenever they made these salads. I didn't care; I like both iceberg and romaine lettuce.

I had a small dry goods haul from Aldi, but y'all, I can't even tell you how excited I got when I saw they had pumpkin spice oatmeal!! I first tried this last year and I could not get enough of it. It is so delicious! I didn't have oatmeal on my shopping list, but whenever I turned around and saw this, I knew I had to grab it. I'll admit it, I'm a pumpkin spice junky. Give me pumpkin spice everything! The net zero bread is for my daughter. She asked me to pick it up for her, since she's doing keto and knew I'd be going to Aldi this week.

I also got a few dry goods from Walmart; again it's what I couldn't find at Aldi, like the chili diced tomatoes. Aldi usually has fire roasted diced tomatoes that are really good, but they didn't have any this week. I buy my son this big box of Pringles that lasts him a couple of weeks at least. And of course his flavored waters, but I also got him some small cans of Pepsi. He has a computer art class Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 am, and the soda helps keep him awake. I would have bought Coke but they didn't have any small cans.

Now the big question: how much did I spend? I didn't get any household goods this time around; everything was food. All my meats were from Aldi, and there was quite a bit of it. I spent $90.69 at Aldi, and $41.74 at Walmart. I find it surprising that my Aldi bill was just a little over double my Walmart bill, but I got so much more food at Aldi (including meats which totaled $36.79). While it's true that Walmart is right around the corner and I have to drive out a little farther to get to Aldi, I think in the long run it's definitely worth the trip.  

Less than a week till October! 

My IRS Woes

 Everyone who loves tax season, raise your hands...

I'm waiting...

Yeah, me neither.

Let me tell you about my tax woes and why the IRS is not on my Christmas list.

Back in March - early March - March 6, to be exact - I filed my taxes online. I used to file my taxes in February, right after I got my W-2, but last year I had an issue. My employer had not filed her taxes, and had not sent in my W-2, so my return was put on hold. I worked with the IRS Tax Advocates but my refund was held until June. So I figured this year I would give my employer's accountant a little extra time and I'd file in March. Of course, no one knew at that time that our entire nation would be on lockdown for the next three months...

Within a couple of weeks of checking to see if my return was processed, I knew something was wrong. Everyone who had filed after me had already received their refund. On March 27 the dreaded message "Your tax return is still being processed" came up on my IRS2Go status. It was my oldest son's birthday so I decided I'd call the tax advocate office on Monday. There was no answer, but I left a message. Keep in mind, at this time we were looking at being on lockdown for a couple of weeks, then maybe a month, then we'd see what would happen. No one knew how long this quarantine was gonna last. I figured they'd come into the office, at least to listen to messages. I left another message the following Monday, April 6. I decided at this time to also mail in my request for assistance, again thinking someone would be coming into the office to check messages and/or mail. I tried calling the IRS as well, but no answer and no way to leave a message. Surprisingly though, I did receive the stimulus money in April because I'd received a refund for the 2018 tax year. At least they didn't hold that back too.

Finally, on July 10 I was able to talk to an IRS agent. They told me they still had not received a W-2 from my employer. What upset me the most was that I knew they had the numbers, because after the problem with my 2018 taxes I personally made sure that tax payments and paperwork were being sent in. My employer was upset as well, and she called her accountant who assured her all paperwork had been submitted to the IRS, but to be on the safe side he'd resend. Of course there was nothing I could do at this point, since the IRS will inform you NOT to call them again for 60 days after they've checked status. So I had to wait.

I finally received a letter from the IRS on July 25. It was a generic letter stating that they were still verifying any number of problems, including verifying employment. I realized they'd only generated the letter because I'd called in. This letter said I was to wait 60 days from the day the letter was generated, which was July 22, before I could call them. But since I'd talked to an agent on the 10th I decided I'd wait 60 days from that date and if I hadn't received my refund I'd call then.

September 10 I tried calling the IRS several times, only to get cut off. I called the Tax Advocates instead, and explained my situation. I was asked if I was in danger of being evicted from my home (I'm not) or of having my utilities cut off (again, I'm not). Since I was not in dire straits, they told me they couldn't help me but would transfer me to an IRS agent. I spent two hours on the phone with a very sweet lady out in Texas who was extremely helpful. She was able to tell me that yes, my employment and income had been verified (hurray!) but my return was still on hold (boo). At first she blamed the pandemic and being shut down for three months, but as she reviewed my account she said there might be another error, this time with one of my credits (what?!?!). The system kept going down so she wasn't able to verify, but instead she gave me another number to call so I could find out from this other department if that was a problem as well. Trouble was, their system was down too. It took a couple more calls to their office to find out that everything on my return looked good, but now it was pending manual release by yet another IRS agent and I would now have to wait 60 days from August 13 before I could call them again, though it did appear I would be getting my refund in OCTOBER!! My frustration was mounting but once again, there was nothing I could do.

On Saturday September 19 I received a call from none other that the Tax Advocates office. The lady there told me they'd received the forms I had mailed asking for help in resolving my issue with the IRS. Remember, I mailed out the forms April 6. Here it is over 5 months later and they finally are getting to the mail. She asked if I still needed help, so I explained everything that had gone on since March, including the fact that the Tax Advocate office had refused to help me because my case was not considered urgent enough. She was surprised at that, and said based on my application I did qualify. They gave me a case number and said I would receive a call from their attorney sometime this week. 

As of today, I'm still waiting. My biggest complaint in all this is not the fact that my return was held up again (though that's pretty annoying). It's not that a pandemic hit and the hold was extended - everyone has been affected by the quarantine. It isn't even that they are behind after being shut down for three months - I'm not an unreasonable person. My issue is the fact that it took two separate departments to verify and approve my return, but it is now pending a "manual release" by yet another agent who has to review the entire return and give it an okay. Good grief! How many IRS agents do you need to (screw in a lightbulb?) approve one return?! I thank God everyday that I'm not in a position of losing my home or unable to feed myself and my son. I'm thankful that He has provided for all our needs. I can only imagine how desperate it must be to really need this money and to have it held up. I will continue to wait, call if I need to, and pray for those who are also struggling with the IRS. I feel your pain.

The Week In Review

 I had planned on posting more this week, but it seemed like the time got away from me. A lot of my time was spent on the phone - not my favorite pastime but sometimes it's got to be done.

The first call this week was to my internet provider, AT&T. We were having issues with the WiFi - internet worked but nothing was connecting. Thankfully they came out the same day. My son E is doing college online so having reliable internet is crucial. The guy found the problem right away. The first technician had put the WiFi extender in the wrong room and had done the connection incorrectly. I was annoyed at the guy, because he insisted none of their technicians would have done the connection this way and it must have been us. I tried to find the paperwork from the first technician but of course you can't ever find anything when you need it. Ultimately he accepted what I said, though I don't think he believed me. Anyway, he fixed the problem. That was my Monday in a nutshell.

As I mentioned in my previous post, fall decorating is an ongoing thing in my house. I add, subtract, move things around and generally change things till I feel like they look right. I added a few more things here and there, such as in the office/guest room.

I didn't make any changes to my desk other than the storage box. I don't want to have too many things on my desk cluttering the surface space.

I did, however, add a few little touches to my bookshelf (sorry about the glare, this room gets a lot of sunlight). Again, not too much, just enough to remind me that, according to the calendar, it's almost fall.

The little box of assorted pumpkins that I picked up from Hobby Lobby came in handy. I've scattered them all around the house. This one found its way here, next to the ceramic bowl my son R made for me whenever he was in middle school. He's getting married next month; I can't believe how the time has flown.

I got these gold and white pumpkins several years ago from Target. They used to be on my kitchen shelves, but this year they're making their appearance in the office. I don't like switching everything out yearly; instead, I like to buy pieces that I really like and use them year after year.

I added these pillows to my futon. I got these off of Walmart.com about three years ago I believe. They were two for $10, and they are so pretty!

I had two sets, this one and a more traditional set that would have worked for Thanksgiving as well, but I decluttered those whenever we moved. I now wish I hadn't, because they are so sweet and because Walmart doesn't carry them anymore. But I am thankful I kept these. The colors work really well with the rest of the decor in this room.

I did make a small adjustment in my master bedroom. I put this throw blanket instead of the textured one I had initially put down because the color on the first one was off. This throw is pretty much the same color as the bedspread. I want another throw but I haven't found one yet that I like enough to purchase. I've also been considering possibly upgrading to a comforter instead of a bedspread, but again I haven't seen anything I'm attracted to. I'm not in a rush; it's not a need, it's just a want. There's plenty of other things I could be purchasing instead.

Speaking of other things to purchase, I did my weekly grocery shopping for the fill in items I'd need for the coming week. It wasn't a lot of food, just a lot of money (ugh).

Walmart was my first stop:

Y'all, it wasn't even that much food. How did I end up spending $53?! I will say this, the Marketside pepperoni pizza was pretty good, and for $7 I guess I can't complain. It's not as good as the pizza from Costco but it's still good.

Next I went to Costco to pick up some kielbasa sausage and allergy medicine. That's it. Sausage and Allegra. This is what happened:

I got the sausage. I got the allergy medicine. Then I remembered my son told me his socks needed replacing so I got him a pack of Puma socks for $12.99. As I walked by I noticed they were carrying Pocky again, one of his favorite snacks, and they were on sale, so I picked up a box of those. Oh, but it didn't end there...

I love Costco sales! These Fila sneakers were just $17.99! I'd been thinking of getting some nice sneakers because my current ones are looking a bit worse for wear, but I don't like spending a lot of money on sneakers. This price is right up my alley! Of course that meant my total at Costco was $84, but I know I got good deals. The allergy medicine alone is $33 but my son has to have it. 

What else happened this week? Hmm...I dyed my hair because my roots were out of control. My son and I went to my daughter's house for dinner yesterday. We played Disney's Jungle Cruise board game and had a lot of fun. Was there anything else? Oh, that's right. I mentioned spending a lot of time on the phone. That's a whole other post in itself. Let's just say I'm not happy with the IRS. Yep, I've got a story to tell. Stay tuned.

Continuing The Fall Decorating Process

 Last Saturday I left off here...

I brought up my tubs filled with fall decor. I love whenever I bring up my decor that's packed away; it's like opening up a brand new package, because I can't remember what it was I had. I pulled everything out and started separating it into groups.

I was glad I'd gotten more pillows. I decluttered a few when we moved because we only had the one sectional. Now I had this futon as well, and I wanted to add a few pillows here.

As I take my everyday decor down, I wrap it in old pillowcases. This protects anything that is breakable and is a way of recycling items that I would have gotten rid of otherwise. 

I've had this glass pumpkin for over 12 years. It was a gift from a vendor when I was working as a purchasing manager for a company that closed in 2008. That's how I know it's that old. It was originally filled with candy. Now it's full of orange potpourri. I put it on one of the glass shelves above the dry bar.

 On the next shelf above that one I put this pretty candle that I got on clearance from Target years ago. Since my son E and I have allergies I don't typically burn candles, but I do like displaying them. This one has leaves cut into the wax and a little acorn charm tied around it with twine. I decided that was enough for the glass shelves; I wanted to keep it simple.

I added a couple of pumpkins to my dining room table to complete this look. Dollar Tree has some of the best little pumpkins for $1.00. I've had these for at least a couple of years. They are heavy and really nice quality.

This light up train station is a treasure I've had for many years. It's decorated for fall on this side, and for Christmas on the other. This was from House of Lloyd, from their Christmas Around The World collection.

Next I moved on to the living room. I took away some decor and added some pumpkins. Not too many, though. I feel like it's easy to go overboard and have clutter instead of decorations. The jar on top (I call it my genie jar) was originally in the dining room but I needed some height here. I added two pumpkins; the green one was from the Target dollar spot last year and the white one I got at Walmart. The one on the bottom shelf is the only new pumpkin, from the ones I picked up at Hobby Lobby. 

I did a similar look on the other bookshelf. I try to keep them symmetrical but not identical The Autumn Greetings sign I got from the Dollar Tree this year, and the white pumpkin on the bottom is from Hobby Lobby. 

Over in the corner I replaced the summer artwork with this framed piece that I bought years ago from Kirkland's. It has the first two verses of Psalm 23. I changed out the white flowers in the black vase with these tan and pink flowers in a mason jar, and added a pumpkin from Walmart. That was all it needed to give it a fall touch.

The coffee table got a slight makeover. This tray was on my dining room table, but I put it in the living room instead. These two Dollar Tree pumpkins have the same colors as the vase, and the green leaves match the candles perfectly. Oh, and the Hello Autumn sign in the background? It's under the television set, and I picked it up at Dollar Tree this year too.

There were still more pumpkins, so I decided to add a few to my bedroom. This little grouping is on the nightstand nearest the window. The larger pumpkin is a candy jar that I picked up a couple of years ago from Walmart. I wanted to mix up the colors so it would coordinate with the other nightstand.

A tiny Target pumpkin made its way to my picture shelf.

I moved on to the master bathroom. I don't normally add decor to the bathrooms, but I had this one pumpkin left and I figured it would brighten this area nicely.

We mustn't forget the kitchen! All I did here was add my ceramic scarecrow next to my Puerto Rican Cuisine cookbook. I'd already switched out the flowers; I didn't want to add a whole lot more. Besides, my bowls, which are there all the time and are used daily, have a fall vibe of their own.

I was really excited to fix up my patio area. Everything I have here came from our old house, and all of it is either from Walmart or the Dollar Tree. Y'all, it's possible to decorate a home on a budget and still have it look really cute. You don't need a fortune to have a lovely home.

I did end up making a switch in the living room. When I was unpacking the pillows and deciding where to put them, I found my pumpkin pillow that I got a few years back from Big Lots. I tried it out here and I liked it better than the Costco pillow. Which made me sad, because I really love that Costco pillow. What did I do with it?

I added it to my bed! Whenever I tried it here I knew this was the perfect spot. The colors match beautifully and pulled the whole room decor together!

That's where I finally stopped. My brain was drained from all that moving and switching! Of course I love every minute of it. And trust me, I'm not done. Things have moved around a little here and there, but that's the beauty of decorating. By making small changes we keep everything looking fresh and new. Happy Fall Y'all!