I Suck At Staples

It must be a slow day when the highlight of the day is Staples. Sad but true. Too bad I suck at Staples.

For anyone curious, Staples has a coupon of $5 off a $25 purchase in-store. And for those who know me, they know that I can't pass up a good coupon like that. So off to Staples I went during my lunch break from work.

Needless to say, I scored a few items which would be free after rebates. Technically speaking, Staples would actually end up paying me to take the items after the rebates, which is always a plus.

My favorite sister-in-law (Janine) had asked if I kept track of how many things I got for free. The thought never occurred to me until then. So maybe this year I will keep a little tally to see how many things I can score for free.

I Suck At Staples

I suck at Staples. Truth be told, I might have a Staples addiction. Interestingly enough, I am finding the back to school sales very addictive. Unfortunately, I'm not going back to school. It would be nice to go back to school. Oh summer vacation, how I've missed you.

Anyway, I needed to get gas for the car today as my gauge was quickly approaching empty. Since Staples was located near where I get gas, I decided to stop on in. It just so happens that my company recently gave me a Staples customer appreciation coupon for no reason other than being an employee.

In addition to that coupon, I had a coupon on Zebra pens. Lo and behold, Zebra pens were on sale this week. Not only were they on sale, they were free after rebate. Anyway, when all is said and done, I will have received the following for free: the 7-pack of Zebra pens, 3 college ruled composition books, and a pack of 500 sheets of paper. Technically, Staples is paying me over a dollar to take the items. So I'm not complaining. Yay Staples!

I Suck At Moving

Saturday has been quite the busy day. I feel like I have been going non-stop since waking up this morning at a robust 7:30am. And sadly, I don't really have much to show for today.

In addition to being my friend's (Cass) birthday, Saturday kicked off the sales-inducing tactic by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known as tax-free weekend. In tax weekends past, Karen and I have gotten some of our big purchase items like our treadmill/parallel bar for my two year old daughter (Briana).

This year, we toyed with the idea of getting a new dining room display cabinet. Our current dining room cabinet is... well... too bulky. Not only is the current display cabinet bulky, it's not really "us". For being a free hand-me-down though, the current display cabinet has served us well.

Anyway, Karen and I had discussed getting a new dining room display cabinet that was more suited to our needs in the past. And with this weekend being a tax free weekend, we decided to explore that option further. Unfortunately, the thought of getting new furniture led to other things like a new placement of existing furniture, etc. So, most of my morning was spent moving existing furniture around and getting ready for a possibly new display cabinet.

I did, however, get to take a break in the form of helping my BFF (Kerry) move into her new house. Unfortunately, I suck at moving. I really did not accomplish much in terms of helping Kerry with her move. Most of that work had already been done by my friends (Marc, Kelley, Steve, and Samantha) by the time Karen and I arrived to help out.

And while I did help move what seemed like an endless number of dressers up her stairs, I am afraid I did slack off a little particularly when Kerry's numerous family members also arrived to help. Needless to say, Kerry is now a resident of the South Shore. It'll be interesting having Kerry down this way. She hasn't been on the South Shore since high school. So I'm looking forward to seeing her more.

Anyway, following the move, I attempted to be daring and bold by making a trip to IKEA in Stoughton. After all, there was a dining room display cabinet that looked intriguing at IKEA. Plus, it just so happens that Marc and Kelley (and my friends Garv and Leeann) have the same thing in their homes.

Might I add... IKEA is nuts. Traffic is crazy. Hordes of people dilly dally. It's awful. And naturally, annoying me further about the place is that my trip was all for naught. IKEA had the display cabinet in stock... or at least part of it. There are two boxes for the cabinet. Only one of them was in stock, which seems a little bizarre because I'm not sure who would purchase half a cabinet.

Regardless, it was a wasted trip. So to unwind, I turned to my latest addiction: Staples... the office superstore. Thanks to Staples, I was able to purchase a pack of Post-It notes, and two two-packs of BIC Velocity Retractable Gel Pens all for the low price of potentially free. The former item will be free after rebate. For the pens, I had a good ol' trusty coupon. Yay coupons! (Technically, when all is said and done, Staples is paying me to take those items so I'm not complaining.)

From there, things only got better as I went to Marc and Kelley's to watch the UFC pay per view for the night. In addition to myself, Kerry, Samantha, and Cass also were there. It was good to see Cass in person (so as to wish him happy birthday face to face). Sadly, I could not have done that with my friend (Andrea) who I did not get to see on her birthday. (By the way, happy belated birthday Andrea!)

Anyway, it was fun hanging out with everyone. As a sign that we're old, everyone there fell asleep during the pay-per-view at least once. Well... everyone except for myself and Samantha. And really, Samantha and Kerry left midway through the pay per view. So I was the only person to make it through the entire pay per view (probably because I'm used to being up late... like right now writing this post). But it's understandable. It was a long day for everyone. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time.

I Still Suck At Staples

I must have an addiction to Staples because I still suck at Staples.

Today, I went to Staples... again. It was the third time in seven days. I guess I just can't resist the alluring temptation of coupons. It just so happens that this week, there is a coupon for Zebra writing instruments. And coincidentally, Zebra pens are on sale at Staples this week.

With coupon in hand, I got the following items today: two 5 packs of Zebra ballpoint pens, a 5 pack of Bic Matic Grip mechanical pencils, two Staples writing pads, and two packs of Avery insertable dividers. After rebates and coupons, the amount should come to pocket change, which in this case is about 29 cents.

That's not bad. If everything goes according to plan with the rebates, then essentially all three trips that I made to Staples will be entirely free as the overage from the first trip would cover the two subsequent trips. Yay!

I Still Suck At Staples

Friday the 13th may superstitiously bring bad luck to some people. For me, the day apparently seems to bring out my desire for shopping.

During my lunch break yet again, I went to Staples in Weymouth. Now, I still suck at Staples. It was, however, my second trip to the store in four days. And like last time, I was armed with a coupon in hand and was ready to score some deals.

And similarly to last time, I ended up purchasing two packs of HP Everyday photo paper, two RoseArt crayons, two Staples school glue, and two BIC Round Stic ballpoint pens. But unlike last time, I also added a pack of Staples super glue, a pack of Staples glue sticks, a pack of Quartet dry erase markers, and a Staples 2013 desktop calendar.

For anyone curious, the calendar is a lot larger than I expected. And the funny thing is, as large as the calendar was, I actually almost forgot to take the calendar. The cashier practically chased after me to deliver the calendar to me.

It was a nice haul from Staples. And if my genetic math skills are correct, the entire purchase would be less than a dollar after coupons and rebates. Although if you combine the two Staples purchases for the week, the overage from the first purchase would have covered the cost of Friday's purchase. So in essence, both purchases are free. Sweet!

I Suck At Staples

This past Tuesday was a Staples Tuesday. Unfortunately I suck at Staples.

On a whim, I decided to go to Staples during my lunch break at work. Sure, it was an odd whim, but I received an email from Staples containing a coupon for $5 off of a $30 purchase.

Ever the sucker for a coupon, I decided to pay the local Staples a visit to see if I could make good use of the coupon. Lo and behold, there were plenty of items that caught my eye.

It really did not take me long to accumulate enough items to break the $30 mark. Those items included two packs of HP Everyday photo paper, two packs of Staples multipurpose paper, two RoseArt crayons, two Staples school glue, and two BIC Round Stic ballpoint pens. I guess I was like the Noah of Staples... collecting two of each item.

Anyway, the best part of deal is that the entire purchase is potentially free. In fact, if everything works out, Staples will have paid me to take those items off of their hands. There were easy rebates on certain items. Those rebates, combined with the $5 coupon would lead to a money maker. Sweet! Free is always good.

I Suck At Fantasy Football

Yesterday was the big draft for the fantasy football league that I am in. Too bad I suck at fantasy football. I am not sure how many years this league has been around, but this is the third year that I have participated.

The fantasy football league was started quite a long time ago by some friends from high school. I originally was to be part of the founding group. Unfortunately, before the league even started I had withdrew from the league. My reason for backing out at the time was because there was a lack of compromise between members during the initial start up. Although I knew getting a group of people to agree on one thing is generally difficult, I did not anticipate that there would be that much discord between a group of friends. So rather than partake in the league, I opted out.

The league has since become more agreeable probably because we have all matured in some ways. Sure, there are still some hot topics of debate. All in all, it has been a pretty enjoyable experience since I started participating.

I am still debating on whether or not I will continue to use the team name I selected. (Currently, I decided to go with Team Edward for lack of a better team name. I suppose I could go with Team Jacob as well.) Either way, I'm not sold on the name (in part because I dislike the Twilight books so much). I'm still trying to find a name that will work for me. In previous years, I used a team name after one of my friends (Anna), and a team name after the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (the Rock). So this year, I'm still looking for some inspiration.

Anyway, I had the unfortunate predicament of drafting next to last in this year's draft. I am not a big fan of drafting near the bottom, preferring instead to be somewhere in the middle. In a 12 team league, by the time it reaches the eleventh spot in the round to draft, all of the top tier players are gone.

So rather than draft like I normally would, I figured I would try to shake things up. I figured I would try to make a run at the quarterback and tight end positions. In fact, I think my first four picks were for those positions. My line of thinking happened to be that the quarterback position in this league accounts for much of the scoring. So by taking two quality quarterbacks, that would leave less chances for the other teams to potentially outscore me. We'll see how that draft plan pans out during the football season.

Needless to say, my team does not look so good on paper... outside of the quarterback and tight end positions. Since I had no opportunity at a premium running back anyway due to the draft order, I figured it was okay. So we'll see.

Anyway, that was probably the highlight of my day. The rest of the day involved going to Staples to pick up a dry erase board while my in-laws watched our baby daughter (Briana). My in-laws have started visiting once a week in an attempt to try to break Briana from her separation anxiety. In other words, they have been trying to get her used to hanging out with people other than her parents. So far, I'm not sure it's working.

And in case anyone is curious, the dry erase board was for me to make a list of chores or whatnot to accomplish during any given day. I was thinking that it would give me a sense of accomplishment to be able to cross off or erase things from the list. We'll see how that goes too.

I Suck At Going Out

This past Thursday marked a major milestone for Karen and I. Sadly, that milestone was going out. Too bad I suck at going out.

Ever since our daughter (Briana) was born prematurely on St. Patty's Day, Karen and I have done nothing but shuttle ourselves to and from our house to the hospital for Briana's feeding. In between visits to the hospital, we have done nothing but eat (for Karen it's been more like eat, sleep, pump... and not necessarily in that order). And by the time we are done with our tasks at home, it's time to go back to the hospital and repeat the cycle.
Yes, it's a vicious cycle.

On Thursday, however, we decided to spice things up a little and go out in between Briana's feeding period. Granted, our going out consisted of a trip to Staples, Babies 'R Us, and dinner Not Your Average Joe's. It does seem like a lot was accomplished in such a short time frame. Luckily, two of the stores were right next to each other.

Always one for recycling, Karen and I stopped off at Staples to recycle our old Panasonic phone and a laser computer mouse. Staples took it with no problems. I love Staples for that. I wish more companies would recycle old electronic waste. In addition to the phone and mouse, Karen and I also recycled our old computer printer which Karen had gotten a long time ago while she was in college. The printer had been sitting in Briana's/my BFF's (Kerry) room for years. With the birth of Briana, we had decided that it was time to clean out the room.

And of course, with the recycling of the old printer, Karen and I decided to actually get a new printer that prints, scans, and copies. Sadly, the new printer does not fax, but since we hardly fax anything... we thought it would be okay.

As for Babies 'R Us, we stopped in to update our baby registry. The doctors and nurses at the hospital suggested that we get a car seat that can handle babies from 4 pounds (and not the standard 5 pounds) and up because Briana is... well... simply tiny. Thus, they thought that a car seat that could handle 4 pounds would be a better fit for Briana. As we had originally registered for a car seat (and stroller) that was for a 5 pound baby, we decided to pop in the store, look at the other options around, and update the registry.

And to top off the whole going out excursion, Karen and I then grabbed a bite to eat at Not Your Average Joe's located in Norwell. Having to trek back and forth to the hospital can sometimes make preparing meals difficult. So it was a nice break to actually not have to worry about making dinner and all of that for a while.

All in all, it was a good night out.

I Suck At Staples

last night, i went looking for an anniversary present. after all, this sunday is karen and my wedding anniversary. even though it was six years ago, it seems like yesterday that i duped karen into marrying me.

with the exception of last year, karen and i generally exchange gifts based on the traditional theme for the given anniversary year. for example, the traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper. consequently, i got her a gift certificate to a salon, etc.

anyway, the traditional gift for the sixth anniversary is candy/iron. now, as much as i enjoy ferrous ions (iron), i opted for the candy option. after all, karen loves candy. heck, who doesn't love candy and all its sugary goodness?

needless to say, i rather enjoyed finding a present for karen this year. so last night, i went shopping for candy! yum! with the help of my friend (andrea), i was able to buy candy in bulk last night. andrea has a bj's card. previously, i had inquired if andrea would be using her card this week at bj's. as she wasn't, i asked if i could borrow her card with the intention of buying candy... lots and lots of candy. luckily for me, andrea wasn't going to use her card this week at bj's.

i ended up getting karen some of her favorites: a 1.5 lb container of sunkist fruit gems (naturally flavored soft fruit candy) and a box of 72 foil wrapped junior mints (deluxe dark chocolate). oh yes, her tummy will be full of candy come sunday. i'm pretty excited. come to think about it, i probably should have gotten some candy for our little vacation to the cape in july too. oh well, i'll worry about that later on.

anyway, following bj's, i made a little pit stop to staples. for anyone curious, the two stores are pretty close to one another in weymouth. now i suck at staples. (i had originally thought about titling this post "i suck at bj's"... but that just sounded all nasty and wrong.) nevertheless, i don't shop at staples that often. i generally go there to buy blank cds or whatnot.

some time ago on one of my random visits, i joined the staples reward club. for the longest time, i had no idea what the reward club offered. then one day, i inquired about the reward club and was told that one of the rewards involved getting a credit for old ink/toner cartridges.

naturally, i thought that was a great idea because i am a big proponent of recycling things... such as old ink/toner cartridges. the problem: i currently don't have a printer so there is no need for me to recycle old ink/toner cartridges.

luckily, karen told me about how her company lately has had problems recycling their old ink/toner cartridges because they were not receiving the proper materials to ship the old cartridges back to their vendors for recycling. so, karen asked if i would be interested in recycling the cartridges at staples seeing as how i had the reward club card. (for anyone curious, i would be more than happy to help anyone recycle their old ink/toner cartridges.)

thus, last night i brought three ink/toner cartridges from karen's work to staples for recycling after the excursion to bj's. for someone like me who occasionally goes to staples, it made the visit last night worthwhile. as lame as this sounds, i actually felt happy that i was a staples reward club member.