"Try before you buy"?

Okay. I'll admit it. I'm a freebie and a coffee addict. As I've said in earlier blogs, I can't start my morning without a steaming cup of coffee. I've tried to quit before, but without that much needed boost of caffine, I'm not a pleasant person to be around.

Maybe I'm over-exagerating on the freebie part though. It's been several months since I've been able to search for great deals on the internet. I'm not really looking for "something-for-nothing," I'm just a very cautious consumer. Years ago, when I was newly married, I made the mistake of buying a product without sampling it. I was sold on the flashy packaging and the ads I had seen for it on the television and magazines.

Without batting an eye, I paid the expensive price for the product, and went home with my new prize. I prepared it according to the package directions, and waited with bated breath until it was through cooking. I closed my eyes blissfully and waited for the flavors to dance in my mouth, or so the ads said it would. It never happened; to be quite honest, the product tasted like crap. Disgusted, I put the product where it belonged, in the trash. I had spent over four dollars for that item; it was money that I really couldn't spare at the time.

That's why I support the "try-before-you-buy" theory. I look for samples either at places like Costco, or online; I don't want to waste my money again. A great place to find freebies is Mary's Freebies.

After all, "a penny saved is a penny earned."

ON A TOTALLY DIFFENT SUBJECT:

The other night my mother, sons, and I were sitting in the living room watching television. The hour was getting late, and everyone's eyelids were starting to droop. At one point, my mother looked toward the clock and asked, " . . .is it sin yet?"

What she had meant to ask was ". . .is it ten yet?" Always the one to have something smart to say, I smirked and said, "I don't know, but if we keep talking, it will turn into sin!" We all laughed until we were crying. With all the stress that we've been under, we truly needed that laugh.