I'm not the kind of person that makes daily "to do" lists. Sometimes I try, but it never seems to stick.

A friend of mine has made a lifetime "to do" list. I'd like to do that, but I just haven't taken the time, yet. Maybe item #1 on my lifetime "to do" list should be: Make a lis of things to do before I expire.

Recently, I've read a couple lists on blogs I follow. Neither of them were "to do" lists. They each gave insight into the mind of the author. You should check them out here and here.

Do you make lists?

Labels: indiscriminate

I took another trip to CVS with a plan to take them.

Start:
$13 in ExtraCare Bucks
$25 Gift Card
$1 off Band-aids coupon
$1 off Colgate coupon
B1G1 Sobe coupon
$5 off $30 CVS coupon

Bought:
Revlon Nail Polish: $4.99 - $1.00 (Sale) = $3.99
Colgate Tooth Paste:$3.89 - $0.90 (Sale) - $1.00 (Coupon) = $1.99
Transformers Band-aids: $3.59 - $0.60 (Sale) - $1.00 (Coupon) = $1.99
SpongeBob Band-aids: $3.59 - $0.60 (Sale) = $2.99
Sobe LifeWater: $1.49 - $1.49 (B1G1 Sale) = FREE
Sobe LifeWater: $1.49 - $1.49 (B1G1 Coupon) = FREE
Speed Stick Pro Antiperspirant: $3.99
Speed Stick Pro Antiperspirant: $3.99
Neutrogena Sun Block: $9.49
Neutrogena Sun Block: $9.49

Total w/ tax before sales and coupons: $49.11

-$5 off $30 CVS coupon (received via e-mail)
-$13 CVS ECB (from a previous trip)
NOTE: Both of these coupons are applied before tax.

Total w/ tax after all sales and coupons: $21.50

I paid with my $25 CVS gift card.

But wait, here's the best part... I received $26.98 back in ExtraCare Bucks.

$3 ECB wyb Revlon Nail color at $3.99
$2 ECB wyb Colgate Total, 4 oz, at $2.99
2 x $2.00 ECB wyb Bandaid Bandages at $2.99
2 x $3.99 ECB wyb Speed Stick Pro Deodorant at $3.99
$10 ECB wyb (2) Neutrogena Suncare Products starting at $7.35

Here's my tally...
$38.00 GC+ECB - $13.00 ECB - $21.50 GC = $3.50 GC + $26.98 ECB = $30.48 GC+ECB

So, $49.11 worth of stuff for $7.52. That's about 85% off.

The bad thing is that is was supposed to be even better than that, but I had to buy larger and more expensive Neutrogena Sun Block than I had planed.

I got all of my info on how to save at CVS from SouthernSavers.com.

Labels: coupons, CVS, money

Last Sunday, I was out in the woods behind our house raking some leaves away from our fence and clearing out some vines. It turns out that mixed in with those vines was some poison oak/ivy/sumac.

Sunday night, we were out on the patio and I thought I was being attacked by mosquitoes. The truth, however, was that I was developing a rash in reaction to the oil of the poison whatever that I had come in contact with earlier in the day. By Monday afternoon, I had big blistered areas all over my left arm.

I did some research online and figured out that it was poison whatever. To my dismay, I found that there is nothing that you can do for it other than wait. You can treat the symptoms with lotions and anti-histamines, but there's not much you can do for the rash.

So, last week I wore long sleeves all week to keep my rash covered, for my sake and the sake of my co-workers. I was trying to avoid scratching it and also trying to avoid having to deal with the myth that poison whatever it contagious.

I found out that the rash is not contagious; not even the "ooze" that comes from the rash can spread it. The rash is an allergic reaction to oil put out by the plant. So, the only way to spread poison whatever is to spread the oil.

Today, is the first day that I have worn short sleeves that reveal my rash. The rash is healing, but there are still red areas all over my arm. I saw one of my co-workers in the hallway and he reacted as if my arm was bleeding profusely. He asked in a very concerned voice, "What happened to your arm?" My first instinct was to tell him I have leprosy, but I decided against it. I told him I had poison oak, or ivy, or something, and he reacted like he was going to catch it from me. I was sort of surprised that he didn't start scratching himself right then.

I have to say that I've always underestimated the power of poison ivy and its cousins. As a kid, I played in the woods all the time and never had to deal with it, that I remember, but I knew other kids that did. I've always thought, "It can't be that bad."

However, after last week, I have a new respect for the poisonous plants. Before getting some medication to help reduce the itching sensation, it was difficult to concentrate on anything other than NOT scratching my arm.

If I were a writer for the show 24, I would try to work it into the script where Jack dips someone in a vat of Urushiol oil to get information out of them about the location of the bomb.

Speaking of Jack and 24, the season finale is tonight.