Monday, Monday

If you’re feeling a little down in the dumps today, you’re not alone. Researchers in England have declared today Blue Monday: the unhappiest day of the year.

Dr Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the formula that shows today is the most depressing.

His equation takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.

Taken together they pinpoint today as ‘Blue Monday’.

I’m not sure I believe that there can be a single day of the year that is more prone to cause depression than any other, but if you’re feeling a little down in the dumps take steps to make yourself feel better. Make a list of things you are thankful for. Make a “Ta-Da!” list of things you’ve accomplished instead of a to-do list.

And, if you’re feeling a little blue about the resolutions you may or may not be keeping, why not try the 31 things in 31 days plan to accomplish a few little things instead of one big one; pick and choose from among their many good ideas. I especially like the idea of making a list of 10 or 15 “fun” resolutions that are easy to keep. It’s never too late!

The Coupon Game

I’ve never been terribly good at being frugal, but certain aspects of it have always appealed to me. Like coupons. I love me some coupons. Speaks to my OCD, I think.

In any case, some time ago, I discovered the Coupon Mom website. Obviously, people who aren’t moms can also use and benefit from it, because what it does is compare the weekly circulars from your local grocery stores with the coupons that have come out in the Sunday paper and then combines them for you so you can get the best deals. It’s really kind of awesome. The idea is, if you buy things only when they are on sale and stock up, you will never have to pay full price for an item, which sounds good to me!

Today, we went and did some major shopping in preparation for yet another impending snow storm this weekend.

I spent $65.30 at Walgreens, but I saved $49.63 with a combination of sales and coupons. That means I got almost $115 worth of groceries (at full price) for $63.

Not too shabby.

For instance? I bought five boxes of cereal. Cereal normally costs about $4 a box. I paid $0.50 each for the five boxes. And now? I won’t have to buy cereal for MONTHS. Cereal doesn’t go bad, and we have room to store it. Where’s the bad?

Not everyone likes clipping coupons. I happen to enjoy it. But the best part about the Coupon Mom system is that you don’t clip the coupons! You save the entire circular, and then, when something goes on sale, you go back and clip out just the coupon you need. The online list tells you which circular it’s in (by date and brand) and even reminds you when certain coupons are about to expire. It even tells you the percentage you’re saving on any given deal, so you can decide for yourself if it’s worth buying those five boxes of cereal.

Also? The web site is free, unlike some other grocery game websites. And we love free, precious. Yes we do.

Drugstore Doubles

[via not martha]

Look like a million without shelling out the Benjamins. Paula Begoun of Paula’s Choice dishes the dirt on drugstore doubles: products that give you the same bang as their pricey counterparts for a lot less buck.

I’m not much of a diva when it comes to cosmetics; there are so many choices out there, I’m frequently overwhelmed. But one thing I do know: I never want to pay more than I have to for quality products. This seems like a great guide to getting the good quality for less.

Becoming Beautiful

If you could live your best life every day, what would it look like?

Would you enjoy every moment, find time to meditate, eat more vegetables?  Would your laundry be done, the checkbook balanced?  Would  you spend more time with friends and family, or would you find more time for yourself?

How do you reach your full potential, and would you recognize it when you got there?

How do we stop listening to all the negative voices from inside and from out and learn to love the person we are, the body we were given, and the soul that transcends both? How do we learn to live in this modern world, make use of all the gifts technology provides, and still do the best we can to ensure our planet’s future?

How do we answer these questions?  I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

Stay tuned.