Not the Delightful Disney Sort of Frozen

I am a thrifty person. Not cheap, just thrifty. Okay, maybe it would be accurate to say that I'm up along the very border of cheap. Only my toes are over the line. Today I would like to share a story from my college years, when I was working as a Pizza Hut manager, about one of the many times trying to save a few dollars has put me in a stupid situation.

I had a coupon for a free car wash. The regular price was $4.99, so without the coupon there was no way I would ever be getting my car cleaned. My car wasn’t dirty enough to justify using the coupon, so I continued to put off using it until the day before it expired. Although it was the middle of January, I took my Alero through the automatic car wash after leaving work, shortly before midnight. It was the last day before the specials changed at the grocery store, so after the thorough washing, I decided to drive next door to do a little grocery shopping before going home. I zipped inside right before the store closed and came out about 15 minutes later with a basket full of bargains. I had a little trouble getting my trunk to open, but didn’t really think anything of it. Then, I went to open my car door.

The driver’s side door was frozen shut! So was the passenger door! After working such a long shift, (my usual day started at 6 am and ended close to midnight without any breaks) my mind had been too sleepy to ever say Hey! What happens when you pour water on something and stick it in the freezer, stupid? Okay, to be honest, I probably would have made this mistake even without working that day. After all, my $4.99 coupon was going to expire!

I hadn’t met my Sexy Nerd yet so I had no one to call for help. It really wouldn’t have mattered though, as I was too much of a penny-pincher to have a cell phone (if Sexy Nerd hadn’t insisted on getting me one after another stranded/dangerous situation incident, I still wouldn’t have a one.) So, what did I do? It was after midnight, with no one around except three homeless men, (the grocery stores in the bad parts of town always have the best prices!)

I climbed into the trunk, pulled the little strap to unlock the back seat, pushed the back seat down with my legs, climbed over the back seat, wiggled my way over the tiny center console into the front seat, shoved the frozen front door open, went back around to close the trunk, hopped back in and was on my merry way.

Me being so cool (and so smart!) in my college apartment.

Sexy Nerd would like to add to the above photo that my apartment reeked from my guinea pig, Mr. Ducky.

What’s the wackiest thing you’ve ever done to save money? I want your tips!

Today's post is a blast-from-the-past (less affectionately known as a rerun) because I'm taking the Nanowrimo challenge and am 100% dedicated to finishing the 1st draft of my novel this month. Stop distracting me! You know, because I would totally be writing a chapter right now if I weren't posting this on my blog...not researching an Albuquerque to Tucson to California to Las Vegas road trip, obviously. And I really should be getting my Christmas cards out soon...

Cake Mix Pancakes with No Eggs

When making Cake Mix pancakes , the scrumptious possibilities are endless. Red Velvet cake mix pancakes. Chocolate cake mix pancakes. Butter Pecan cake mix pancakes. Funfetti cake mix pancakes. (Yes, Funfetti cake mix pancakes!) With this 2-ingredient recipe, you can turn your favorite cake mix into your favorite pancakes. Pancake making at its finest. Cake Mix Pancakes with No Eggs Personally, I think my funny napkin is the icing on the (pan)cake. It's Sunday morning and you're planning to do all the things today - scrub those grody baseboards, polish your quartz countertop that was supposed to be low maintenance but actually isn't at all, sort through the disaster that is the freezer. While on your superhuman kick, you think I'm going to make my family pancakes for breakfast. Not just any pancakes - the best pancakes ever. I may even serve them as breakfast in bed! You pull out your favorite pancakes pan. Yeah, you're awesome sauce. But oh...

Chemical Peel Before & After

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Hello Fresh Complaints

Hello, my bloggy friends. I have a HelloFresh complaint and believe they are pulling a scam. Yours truly came *this close* to falling for it. Maybe scam is too harsh of a word. Sneaky? You can decide for yourself. The fact that there are so many Hello Fresh complaints online does seem suspicious. My main complaint about Hello Fresh has to do with their promotional rate, which seems like it is set up to be intentionally misleading (more on this below). Despite so many people complaining about being charged more than they thought they'd agreed to, Hello Fresh maintains this as part of their business model and continues to mislead. So it's intentional, right? I do not recommend Hello Fresh. For starters, the service is just ingredients-by-mail with recipes, not meals. You can buy your own ingredients for much less, especially now that most grocery stores conveniently offer pickup and delivery. Excellent recipes are easy to find. Click here for a list of top-rated, reader-favori...

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Dental Memes

As the manager of two successful dental offices, my favorite memes are ones I can share with my dentistry dream team. Happy Team = Living the Dream! You don't have to work in dentistry to enjoy these. After all, everyone is a dental patient. You have visited the dentist within at least the year...right? (No guilt if you haven't! I've scheduled patients who haven't seen a dentist since the 1970s. Dentists, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental administrators have seen it all. We love this field because we love helping our patients. It's never too late to get back on track!) Funny Memes for Dentists Reminder: National Dentist's Appreciation Day is March 6th! Funny Memes for Dental Hygienists Reminder: National Dental Hygienist Appreciation Week is always the 2nd week of April! Funny Memes for Dental Assistants Reminder: National Dental Assistant Appreciation Week is always the 2nd week of March! Funny Memes for Dental Office Administrators Reminder: Ad...

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3 Minute Toaster/Convection Oven Smores

These are perfect when you're craving a quick, sugary treat. They work equally well in a toaster oven and a convection oven. Best of all, compared to eating an entire bag of Oreos (something I have never done), they're quite healthy. What's that, you say? You already know how to make s'mores in the toaster oven? Well then, sit back and enjoy the ooey-gooey marshmallowy photos. (And if you're someone who works with me, please keep the "I've seen her polish off an entire bag of Oreo cookies" nonsense to yourself.) Step 1: Put desired amount of graham crackers on a toaster oven/convection oven-safe pan. Looks like it's time to clean this pan, Sexy Nerd Optional 1st step, which is Sexy Nerd's favorite: Spread peanut butter on each graham cracker (I'm not much of a peanut butter fan - WHAT?!? - so I skip this step.) Cover with yummy marshmallows. Top with chocolate chips. Place in the toaster o...

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Kitty Deschanel

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