Cheaper Than K-Mart!

It may not be my favorite time of year here in Arizona as far as the weather goes, but there's one big advantage to suffering through this hellacious summer heat! The sales down here in the oven are unbelievable! You know how they say Cheaper than K-Mart in Mexico -- well down here I think summer clothes really are cheaper than K-Mart this time of year. I'm not a shopping kind of gal, but every August/September I seize the opportunity to replenish the summer wardrobe (which we wear about 9 months of the year)!

A few weeks ago before the cough interrupted, I had a couple of good coupons from Kohl's that were too hard to resist. I knew it was time to strike while the blue light was blinking, so I headed out shopping. When I got there, most of their summer clothes were already marked down 55 to 80%!

In about fifteen minutes, I scored all of the above, three summer tops, a lightweight jacket (great on Isla!), and a pair of black crop pants, for -- ta daaaaaa -- $23.97! Can't beat that with a stick! Cheaper than K-Mart! To top it off, I went back today to look at the leftovers and scored two more summer tops for $4 apiece. Another Blue Light Special!

I think I'm starting to channel my Grandpa Bowman! He could pinch a penny tighter than anyone I've ever known. When he went to the grocery store, he carried one of those little clickers. He'd total each item as he threw it in the basket, and he always searched the dented can markdown area. If the total at the checkout didn't match exactly with the number on his clicker, every item had to be rechecked to find the mistake. He was an accountant by trade, so he came by it naturally. The local supermarket clerks hated to see him coming! That was back in the days of cheap gas, so he would drive the 20 miles to Parsons, Kansas once a week to save money on groceries. And he bought the day old bread at the bakery. I'm sure struggling through the Depression left a lasting impression on him, but it must have also been one of those genetic traits that skips a generation. : ) Here's a photo of my grandparents with all the grandchildren in the early 1960's. (I'm the girl.)

I don't know if you'll pick up on the resemblance, but I'm a dead ringer for my grandmother. It's kind of freaky looking at myself with white hair! The birthday cake is for my cousin Jon and I. Jon was born on my 4th birthday. In that photo, he's 4 and I'm 8. There's one fact I can tell you about that photo -- Grandpa Bowman sure didn't buy that bakery birthday cake!