October Deals & Steals

Happy Halloween! Tonight we are giving out candy to the trick-or-treaters but otherwise, we don't have anything special planned. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the "deals & steals" I got this month. I must be one of those people that get a high off saving money. I'd say that's probably a good trait as long as I can keep it to things we need. Joe humors this part of my personality and I love him for that. I think I might have even rubbed off a little on him.

1. Yankee Candle BOGO. As I mentioned in a previous post, I stocked up on my fall favorites but at half the cost. I got 2 large jar candles (Pumpkin Spice and Autumn Wreath) for $25. This would have normally cost me $50, had they not been on sale. Sure, you can get no name candles for cheaper than $25 but we all know Yankee has some of the best. Autumn Wreath smells so good!
2. Boot frenzy. I have been feeling the boot trend this season but had been waiting for the right price. So far, I've added 2 pairs to my collection. First, a shorter black slouchy boot from shoebuy.com. They were listed for $36.99 but I got them for $26.63 plus free shipping. There was a one day promotion on the website plus I registered for the first time (well, the first time under this particular email address, haha) scoring an extra 10% off. I have since found the same brand on target.com for $29.99 but you have to spend $50 to get free shipping (they aren't in stores). So, overall I think I did very good!
I also got a taller pair of gray suede boots from oldnavy.com during a 30% off promo. They were originally $34.50 but I got them for $24.15 +tax with free shipping. In the same purchase I also picked up a sweater, scarf, and dress. All four items came out to a total of $68 - not too shabby! Sure, Old Navy is by no means high end but the beauty is, most of you never notice I'm wearing a $25 boot. The jokes on you. And why not when things go in and out of style so fast?
3. I got a pair of skinny crop jeans (perfect for tucking into boots) at the Gap for $5. Yup, $5. I have a Banana Republic credit card and I get rewards for the money I spend. So, I happened to have a $20 off reward with me and found the jeans on the sale rack for $25. They look very similar to the picture below, although these aren't the exact pair. Who can pull off that length? Yuck. I bought them for boots.

4. Restaurant.com is my new best friend. On 9/9/2009 restaurant.com had a 90% off sale. I purchased two $25 gift certificates to two different restaurants for $1 each (it would typically cost $10 each). Last night we used one for the first time and it worked like a charm. We ate dinner at the Chesapeake Grille and Deli (I love me some non-chain food) for $20 + $1 for the gift certificate. Joe got a ribeye steak and I got a crabcake platter. Our bill would have been $45. The beauty of this place is that you don't have to tip because you order when you come in and they only bring you your food. You refill your drinks yourself.
5. Diet Pepsi. The Guidos do not buy soda unless it's on sale. We know a good soda deal when we see one and we will go without before buying it at full price. So, needless to say, when I spotted 12 packs for $2 at Walmart this month, I was in soda buying heaven. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's about as good as it gets. Walmart typically sells them for $4.98 each. We usually buy them when the grocery stores offer 4 for $10 deals but most of the time you must buy all 4 to get the $2.50 price. What a steal!

Yeah, so I might be a little nerdy but I just can't help myself. Finding the best price takes some time and patience but it is worth it in the end. Have you gotten any good deals lately?

Elon Homecoming 2009

As many of you know, this past weekend Joe and I attended Elon's homecoming. Knowing that we didn't have much planned for October, we had scheduled the trip months in advance to motivate us for the drive. Of course, it is always great to be back at our beloved alma mater.


We caught up with some friends, did some exploring, and attended the rainy football game. Although the weather didn't want to cooperate with us, we were determined to enjoy ourselves anyway. I'm very excited at how good Elon is at football this year! The surrounding town and campus have changed so much since 4 years ago. Some parts of Burlington, in particular, are almost unrecognizable. But, the overall charm still remains and we find it hard to leave every time. Will somebody please open a Steak n Shake in Maryland? I will drive many miles to eat there!

Oh, and let's not forget that Elon president Leo Lambert was spotted at the bar. He is so super and looking very fit and trim lately I must say.

But, you can't have a current Leo picture without remembering the good ol' days at his house for Christmas. I had to include this for your viewing pleasure:

Christmas at the Lambert's, 2001.

Unfortunately, I can't go without mentioning the biggest disappointment of our trip, aside from the rain. We decided to try out a Bed and Breakfast that was recommended on Elon's website. I wasn't familiar with it but since the rates were equivalent to the surrounding hotels I thought hey, why not? Needless to say, next time we are sticking with the hotels. You expect a certain amount of noise in a 100 year old house with neighboring guest rooms. Well, lucky for us, a whole group of 40-50 (year old) somethings had rented out all the rooms in the house except for the one we were staying in. Their lack of maturity kept us awake into the wee hours of the morning as they ran up and down the stairs, talked in their outside voices, drank, hoot n hollered, you name it. At 1:00 a.m. the women decided to throw a PAJAMA PARTY! and announce it in the loudest way possible. Well, we complained and ended up checking out a day early because I was not going to stand that for another night. I was very bummed! Not the kind of atmosphere you expect when you go to a B&B. What is the moral of this story? Ask the B&B if there is a group staying with you? I'm just not sure.

Anyway, all I can say is.....

LONG LIVE ELON!

Weekend Update, Columbus Style

On Friday, we headed up to Glen Burnie to celebrate Liz's (my sister-n-law/Joe's sister) 22nd birthday. Her boyfriend Matt had arranged a surprise party bus outing with friends masked by a handful of us pretending to be there for a family dinner. Long story short, we had dinner at P.F. Changs (this was a first for Joe & I) and were entertained in the party bus the rest of the night.


Saturday I went shopping for house things while Joe attended an Oktoberfest with a bunch of guys from work in Alexandria. I found a mirror to replace the builder grade one in our half bath and we have since put that up - a cheap, easy, upgrade! Joe enjoyed some German brat and pumpkin beer and was quite content not shopping. It was a lovely Saturday.


Sunday was a typical Sunday full of errands and housework (Redskins for Joe) but, since it was a long weekend we were able to fit in an evening outing with the Grundys. We went to Annapolis for some California Pizza Kitchen and to see the movie Couples Retreat. It was quite enjoyable!

And lucky for us, we are off today for Columbus Day. This was quite an eventful weekend for us so I'm in the process of catching up on the laundry and mentally preparing for another "week" at work. I wish the weekends would last forever!

PS - This week Joe's flag football team is in the playoffs and he is pumped.

Dinner at our House - Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets

This past week we tried a new dinner. It was an easy way to spice up plain pork chops while still keeping it healthy.

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless pork loin chops (6 to 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss panko with oil. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, one at a time, place chops between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small heavy pan, pound to make 1/4-inch-thick cutlets.

3. Dividing evenly, coat pork with mustard; season with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip cutlets into panko, pressing firmly to adhere.

4. Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet; place pork on rack, and bake, without turning, until opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.


Yum yum!

And speaking of all things pumpkin....

Did you know you can make a yummy fall treat with just a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree? Well, it's true! I used a box of yellow cake mix, pumpkin, and a couple eggs and viola - deliciousness. Apparently, you can forgo the eggs/oil/etc. to make it healthier but I was a little skeptical and added the eggs for good measure.

We've been eating them as muffins - no frosting needed. Next time, I want to try using spice cake mix instead of yellow. I bet a little cool whip on top would also be good. So, if you're in the mood for a simple little fall treat, you can make these little babies in no time.

Top 5s for Fall

In light of it being the second day of October, we wanted to share our most anticipated fall favorites with you . And well, Joe and I don't really agree on why fall is awesome.

Laura's Top 5 Fall Favorites

1. Pumpkin candles. I can't get enough of those spicy fall smells. And thanks to a nice little sale going on at Yankee Candle right now, I will have a few burning in my house ASAP.

2. Cool temps. Who doesn't love saving on the electric bill and keeping the windows open? Bye bye sweaty summer.


3. New clothes. I'm on mission stock up on cool weather must haves: cardigans (check), plaid (check), boots (still looking), cute under cardi tops (check), purple tights (no, I'm not nuts), skinny jeans (one day I'll find a pair I like), etc. etc.

Old Navy, Gap

4. Pumpkin bread, spice cake, pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, etc. If you are sadly still in the dark and haven't heard, Paula Deen's pumpkin bars are out of this world yummy. There is no denying that the funny looking orange pumpkin is oh so delicious in so many baked goods. But, *gasp* I've heard there's a shortage of canned pumpkin this year and I'm not very happy about it.


5. TV is back. The Biggest Loser, Project Runway, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Tyra, Oprah. Amen.

Joe's Top 5 Fall Favorites

1. Football.

2. Flag-football.

3. Basketball.
4. Halloween candy.

5. Cheaper golf.


Did you expect any different?