I Love Lists...

The title says it all...I LOVE lists. Any kind of list. I may even have a slight obsession with them. Here is a list of reasons why I think I love lists so much:)

1. They help me organize my thoughts
2. Keep me from forgetting things
3. Everything is organized
4. Putting a checkmark by a completed task makes me feel AMAZING
5. It's fun to look back at them to see what I have accomplished and what I still have left to do

I think that many people make "to do" lists and I also make these but I make many more lists...in fact...I write lists of future lists I want to make. Here are some samples of lists I make...

1. To do Lists
2. Bucket Lists
3. Lists with bills
4. Grocery Lists
5. Errands to run
6. Gift lists
7. Lists of recipes I want to make
8. Housecleaning lists
9. Lists of topics that I want to learn about/write about

I would definitely say that I'm an "idea" person. So, with all of those ideas there is also a lot of chaos. Writing a list helps me to organize the chaos so I can see everything clearly and I can always add to it if I think of something else. I used to have trouble falling asleep at night because of so many thoughts swirling around in my head so I started my lovely list writing habit. I noticed that putting down all of my thoughts on paper helps my mind to relax because I know everything I'm thinking at that particular moment will still be there in the morning...hand written in one of my lovely list notebooks.  That's write I have notebooks dedicated solely to lists. There is nothing better than a brand new notebook or notepad just waiting to get written on.

I know this post is probably more than a little random but I'm pretty sure my list making habit will come up in the future so I thought a little background might be nice. It's off to bed for me with another fun day of office work ahead of me...If you're bored feel free to count how many times I said "list" in this post:) Nighty-night!

Oh you know, just my Christmas Card List:)

The Next Extreme Couponer? Nah, I'd rather eat popcorn

So, I must admit, I'm ADDICTED to the show "Extreme Couponers". To be perfectly honest though I have watched my mom use coupons for years and probably save thousands of dollars during that time. She gets it. She watches the ads and buys what's on sale and then puts it in the pantry until she needs it. If she doesn't need it she will put it in the food pantry basket at church.

Anyways, I have been couponing for a little while now. I started back before I got married because it drives me crazy to pay full price for things and I figured it was a good way to save money for the wedding. I like to think I'm getting better at it:)

My sales receipt and the goods I got for steals!!

Today I had 65% savings on my total bill. While not as extreme as the shoppers on the tv show, I was very excited about my deals! I bought 8 total items and only spent $13.84 while I saved $22.03!! The items are things that we will definitely use and aren't always easy to get huge sales on. I used a combination of store sales, e-coupons,  manufacturers coupons, and my store card to save.

As you can see...I bought zero food today. Luckily for me I also use coupons on food so my cabinets are full. I guess it's kind of ironic that my cabinets are full of food and I eat popcorn for dinner:) I'm also addicted to popcorn but that's a post for another day!

A New Year, A New Adventure

Well, I decided to start a blog. Why, you might ask?

• I love blogs. 
• I waste insane amounts of time on other people's blogs. 
• I think it's fascinating to get a glimpse into other people's lives. 
• I consider blogs to be the "modern day" version of a  diary or journal. 
• Basically, I want to have some type of record of my life.

Hopefully that last bullet point doesn't sound snobish... I don't know that my life has been, or ever will be, an exciting piece of history that someone might appreciate someday. However, I do know that my mom has always been Amazing at keeping a journal of her vacations, her children's lives (including me!), and other events that have happened, which I absolutely LOVE! It's so fun to look back through those journals and read about all the little details that you would have otherwise forgotten. Many of the details are just that, small details that may not seem to matter but somehow they do...to me I guess it is all about the history and the little things that have shaped you into who you are today. 

Which leads me into my next point...Who am I? 

My name is Julie. I'm 25 and live in a small town in Kansas. I married my best friend and high school sweetheart, Seth, 3 months ago and I couldn't be happier. Plenty more to come about Seth in future posts:) I'm insanely indecisive and on occasions have to have everything be perfect...one of the reason's it took me so long to start a blog was because I couldn't decide on a perfect name or what my first blog post should be. Lame, I know. I absolutely love anything creative and am sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of ideas swirling around in my brain. Traveling and eating are two of my favorite things and I like to think I do both well:) My cooking can sometimes be a little sketchy, but now that I'm married I'm trying to expand my arsenal of edible dishes...spaghetti and hamburger helper can get a little old after 3 nights in a row. I'm a night owl by nature which is not amazing when you have a typical 8-5 job. I believe in God but am enjoying my time on Earth for now. In the future, Seth and I hope to have children and until then we are enjoying married life as we know it. 

I guess I will end my first blog post here and try to fall asleep before my alarm decides it wants to be thrown across the room. 

Photo of me and the hubs on the best day ever! (aka: wedding day)