The Fanny Pack...written by Larry Doran

Two lovely ladies, both younger than me,
Were just sitting there, chatting , on my local TV.
NTV’s “Good Life”, their fun morning show,
Had only been on a few minutes or so.

It was all very cordial and ‘til one of them said,
Something astounding, that created such dread,
It immediately generated such shock and awe,
That it made Leslie Means drop her pretty young jaw!

Was it a vicious, diabolical attack?
Why, no, it was just a simple statement of fact.
While attending such outings as the local state fair,
Peggy Malzacher commented on what she might wear.

A simple device to protect things she took,
Like her cell phone, her car keys, or maybe a book.
But no matter how useful was that accessory,
It got no respect from the dark-haired Leslie.

She gasped and sputtered, alas and alack,
She could not believe Peggy’d wear a fanny-pack!
But Peggy insisted again and again,
That the fanny-pack was now back in style once again!

Leslie wouldn’t wear one, even under her coat!
And she asked all her viewers, against it to vote!
Zach Richie joined in saying he’d vote a’gin it,
And I became anxious to see who would win it.

Peggy said it was worn by the big star, Rihanna,
Leslie said “I don’t care, I sure ain’t gonna!”
Now I'm not too sure how this will all end,
But I’m glad Peggy and Leslie and Zach are good friends!

A fanny-pack may not adorn this old bod,
I don't really hate 'em, even though they look odd.
But I’ll tell you this much, no matter how much they nag,
You’ll never see this old boy with a “Man-Bag!”

Larry
Larry & Karen Doran
"The Mellow D's"
(402) 724-2474
larry@themellowds.com
www.themellowds.com
www.soundclick.com/themellowds
www.iacmusic.com/themellowds

Thanks Larry!!! :)

Coupon Sites

I have had several requests to post my favorite coupon sites! So - here they are. My top two are the ones I go to the most. Good Deals is from a Kearney mom - who searches through ads for the best deals in our area! The second is a national blog - but, I also frequent this one often. Let me know if you've found any other great sites!! I love saving money!! :) Leslie.

.http://gooddealsandmore.blogspot.com/

http://myfrugaladventures.com/

http://babygoodbuys.com/
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/
http://moneysavingmom.com/wp-content/w3tc/pgcache/moneysavingmom.com/

The Fanny Pack Is Coming Back

This is proof positive that the FANNY PACK is coming back! Leslie and I (Peggy) have had an on-going conversation about the Fanny Pack. Although the poll taken on our Good Life web-site says that 76% of you disagree, you might want to reconsider?

Baby Names

Ok! This Thursday - Kyle and I find out the sex of our baby! We have a couple boy names picked out...(one we are pretty certain about) - but ZERO girl names! When we found out we were having a girl the first time, we immediately knew her name was Ella. We started calling her by name - etc, and it honestly made me feel closer to her before she was even here. I would like to do the same thing for baby number two.

So, with that being said - I need your help! Do you guys know of any good girl names? Let me know what you think! Thanks!

Budget is going well!

OK! It's week 3 of our new budget, and it's not going so badly. We are doing OK with our grocery cash - (I'm trying to find as many good deals/coupons as I can to stretch our dollar..) - but we have ran out of "going out to eat" money. Oh well - it's better for us to eat at home anyway.

I have surprised myself with how much work I was able to get done this week! Since we no longer have cable - I've kept busy doing housework, which made "cleaning day Saturday" a breeze! Kyle and I have watched our favorite shows via the internet - and even watched a free movie from hulu.com. So far...so good.

So, do you guys have any other money saving tips for us? I would love to hear your thoughts. Big thanks to http://www.gooddealsandmore.blogspot.com/ - for all your great tips and deals. Laura - we'll have to have you back on the show. Perhaps we will follow you to the grocery store to see you in action! :)

The cable is now shut off..

It's day two with no cable in the Kyle, Leslie, Ella and baby number two household. I'm not going to lie - yesterday was an adjustment. Let me start by saying - I know this sounds somewhat pathetic. No one really NEEDS TV - (which is something I shouldn't promote considering I am the co-host of a morning talk show) but, it's true. As a kid - I never had cable television. When I watched TV as a young girl - it was always on channel 29 watching either Sesame Street or Reading Rainbow. As a pre-teen/teen it was Full House, The Cosby Show - and yes, news. Other than the occasional Murder She Wrote or Days of our Lives (yes, I watched these with my mom) the television set wasn't on. I grew up as a very happy, active child with plenty of things to do besides watch TV. But then...I went to college - and everything changed. I was hooked to MTV, the Food Network all the great movies etc. Cable, I thought, was awesome!! And...the rest is history.

Last night was a big change for me. I got home in the afternoon, and didn't even know how to turn the television on! This is REALLY pathetic considering I work in TV - and told people for months how the digital conversion boxes work. So..I couldn't watch anything until my husband got home from work - just in time to watch The Bachelor. Kyle had a game last night, which meant it was just me, Ella and our 7 channels. One of which, was on one of my favorite shows - The Bachelor. Without DVR - I was almost at a loss for words! Every time Ella needed something - I had to miss my show! (and...she needed things A LOT!) I could no longer pause the TV - tend to her needs, and then get back to watching TV. It seemed I couldn't get enough done during commercial breaks! How did I function before this magnificent invention?

Then it hit me. I really don't need TV - I was being a bit pathetic. I had to keep saying in my head the quote out of Dave Ramsey's Book: The Total Money Makeover. "Live like no one else now, so that you can live like no one else later."

It's tough - but it's true. I don't need cable, I don't need DVR. I am saving money - so in the long run I can live like no one else. I'll leave you with another quote I found from a new blog I stumbled upon today called, http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/

“The amount of money you have has nothing to do with what you earn. People earning a million dollars a year can have no money and people earning $35,000 a year can be quite well off. It’s not what you earn, it’s what you spend.” -Paul Clitheroe

Until next time... Leslie :)

Counting Calories?

Leslie and I (Peggy) are always looking at how many calories we take in. We do this because we have so many great cooks and chefs making wonderful recipes that we just 'have to' try. We found a wonderful web-site that breaks things down and gives you a good count for your daily intake of food; http://www.calorieking.com/ ! If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight or simply eat better, you need to check out this web-site. Happy eating!

Starting a new budget!

Kyle and I are starting a new budget - so we can pay off school loans! We are trying to cut our spending in half - (yes, this includes getting rid of cable - they are pulling the plug on that today!! Yikes!!))

Anyway, if you guys have any tips for us, that would be awesome. We're trying the "envelope" system - using only a certain amount of cash each month for variable spending. Ex, groceries, entertainment - etc. So far so good...but, it is only the 8th of the month! Good thing February is a short month!! I've been searching for websites with great deals/coupons etc. Of course I'm a fan of http://www.gooddealsandmore.blogspot.com/ - but do you guys know of any more?

I'll keep you updated on our progress! :) Leslie...