Coupon country 15 years ago - still coupon country

Think about carry this one with you to the grocery store every time you shop! Picture borrowed from addictedtosaving.com... where you can learn more about how you organize yourself and your coupons...

In my collage years you are on a tight budget and getting things for a less price would be a better deal. So while at collage, I got the Sunday paper out to see if there were anything at a discount price or a coupon for it. The Sunday paper was heavy and twice the size of our Swedish daily Sunday paper DN. And cutting out the coupons took its time. But a poor student would do anything to save some dollars.

This was 15 years ago, and the Sunday paper is still filled with ads and coupon "deals"... In Sweden I haven´t seen a coupon in ages. I believe it moved on to other ways of market their products than via cut out coupons.

Every time I go to the store, I see the ladies walk with the shopping cart and a huge book with coupons sorted both left and right.

I can to some extend understand the savings you can do, and if a family/person is on a tight budget, but the time it takes to put all this together must be worth some money too?! I spend about an hour in a grocery store when I do my weekly shopping - way to much time I think. I cannot imagine how much time it would take if I had to walk up and down every aisle to find all the coupon deals in my coupon binder too. And how much does that time cost me? And I am also wondering how much saving you actually do? If you really need the product and it has a coupon well then it might be a saving. But sometimes I feel that having all these coupons tells you to look for a good deals for something you really don´t need at that particular time... But it has a coupon - its less expensive - why not!!?? hmmm?

Insanity work out from home??

From the beginning of this trip I promised myself to get in shape. Work out and make sure my health got a high priority. I did however have a slow start and got sick and before I started to get into the routine of it half of the time here in the States had passed. But a couple of month ago I stared to get into a good routine. Now am working out 5 times a day about 1-2 hours each time. It is hard work and sometimes I wish I would see the result much faster. I guess, I just have to blame my diet. I do believe I can eat anything since I work hard every day at the gym. But as my PT said to me it is 80 percent what you eat and 20 percent physical work. So I guess, I just have 20 percent figured out *smiling*.

I have however, progressed good and the pair of jeans I bought a year ago I can pull off myself buttoned. I know I have lost at least one clothing size and a little bit more. So am even more exited about this progress, but the most exited about this is that I have really starting to enjoy cardio work outs - scary!

The problem I am facing in the near future is the return to Sweden and a normal life with full time work and children at school, their activities are awaiting me and maintaining 5 day work out might be hard to maintain. I think my body will require it since I feel already now the need of a cardio work out. One thing for sure, I cannot go back to the old life of - I just have worked too hard to get to this point.

Anyway, the other night I was watching some television and one channel showed some infomercials - they are quite funny to watch and cheesy. But one, the INSANITY work out, got my attention and I am now thinking of testing this since it got so many good reviews. I am just hoping am able to pull it off from home, how cheesy it now sounds, but that is my only options being by myself without any husband during the week days so I can get that daily cardio work out.

It seam to be a killer work out and if I were to give myself a challenge it might as well be a physical one from home. What do you think? Watch the link above and see beyond the result bla bla bla talk and focus on the actual work out... However, the greatest would be to find such a class at the gym.. that would be FUN!!!

January just an in-between period...

Christmas is over and January has hit us, the weather is colder and at several times we have even had colder weather then back home in Stockholm. I guess January is one of those months that is not good anywhere you are (Australia might be the exception). I think the worst part is that I feel so unprepared for this cold weather we got. Back home I know it would come, but in Alabama, where the summer so hot and the fall so much summer for me, and the fact that were are on the same latitude as northern Africa, I am not on equal terms it can be cold here. Part of this denial takes is tolls on my feet, I am still walking around barefoot in my summer loafers.

The cold weather really started when we headed back from Florida Keys (which was lovely and I will blog about later) between Christmas and New Years. When we arrived at our in-between stop in Orlando we all were only wearing sweaters and we had no jackets with us. It was nearly 32 degrees (0C). In an eight hour drive the temp dropped almost 20 degrees. The weather reports were warning for icy roads and ice storms. I have now started to adjust to the weather and actually got myself a pair of warmer shoes.

Hopefully the spring and summer weather is not far away. I just want to have as much sun and warm weather as possible before we head home, since nice weather in Sweden is not a guarantee. Alabama people tells me it will warm up in March/April, but that is an Alabama person who is used to having it HOT and that is equal to normal and they would not get into the pool before the outdoor temperature hits 30C (85F). So I am therefor hopeful it will be warm weather already in March.

This in between period I am really focusing on my fitness. I work out 5 times per week between 1-2 hours per day. I have a personal trainer once a week and she is really good. I kind of feel I need a goal since I am not working and using much of my brain capacity I have put the focus on my fitness and health and that is quite fun and I enjoy it very much. I just worry when I return home to work and our daily life how much exercise I will be able to fit into a full time working schedule? Hopefully the need of exercise is so high that I will prioritize it. I feel however, it is more difficult to get fit here than back home, but the life is also different in Sweden compared to in Alabama. Our daily life in Sweden contains so much more walking and less driving. We move around without a car from point A to B. Whereas here, we park as close to the entrance as possible and we make sure we get help in loading the car with whatever we have purchased and when we return back home we drive the car into the garage which is two steps way from the door to the house. We take the car to the park, and we take the car to the gym even if it is within walking distance. But because of the lack of sidewalks it makes it hazardous to walk and cross busy two line streets with no pedestrian street crossing.