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My 1964 Second Grade Annual Review

March 1, 2011 by frankiecatpdx

I ran across my report cards from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades recently.  The same week I spotted my 2nd Grade teacher’s obituary in the newspaper.  ”Mrs. R”  died last month, at the age of 99.  So I figure the statute of limitations has run out on the comments she made about me on June 12, 1964.

It starts out well:

“Debbie is a leader and has many friends in the class.  She has made very good progress in all Second Grade work.”

Then we see a shift:

“At this time, I feel that success is too important to Debbie.  She becomes too upset if she feels she makes a mistake and also finds it very hard to accept any criticism.  She is such a fine girl – I hope she will soon learn to handle this problem in a way that will help her to profit from her mistakes.”

Below this bitter and example-free comment, I see my mother’s delicate signature, which always included her first name, my father’s middle initial (an “E” with extra curlicues) and her married name.

It is too late for rebuttal, and 2nd Grade memories are too fuzzy for me to recall the details yielding such vitriolic and damaging comments.  What failure of best practices by elementary teachers in the prior months of 2nd Grade allowed me, a fairly compliant and well-behaved 2nd Grader, to fall so deeply into disfavor with Mrs. R?  In the fall of 1963 I am described as “a good school citizen.” By April of 1964 the only comment on my report card is “Good work.”

If I was not meeting plan by April of 1964, you would think some intervention and coaching might have saved me from these wild, undocumented allegations that would surface in June.  I do not recall either of my parents pulling me aside to discuss “the situation” on my report card.  I sailed smoothly into 3rd Grade with no issues after a summer of swim lessons and Barbie doll play.

Childhood experts say we’re pretty much who we’re going to be when we’re 5 years old. When I see Mrs. R’s comments I can smile, and accept a possible ring of truth inside my “Pupil Progress Report.”  This might represent a facet of me that is holding me back from “profiting from my mistakes.”  I did not realize this was an option.  Hmmmm.

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We have those same geese here

April 14, 2013 by frankiecatpdx

Flying and honking in their wavy greater-than sign
gronking about how this city is noisier and more frightening, more dangerous
yet much greater than your quiet town
way down valley.

Those geese returning next spring with
their mates for life,
toggle the message north
honking your country roads and short coffee lines,
congenial bowling alleys and unfettered 4-lane passage ways
between big box stores and lube shops,
much greater than my gravel strewn siren alleys
and Rembrandts and complex cocktails made in
minimalist bars, full of racket and good cheer, loneliness
and triumph over loneliness.

June 2007

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My Portlandia Moment – First in a Series

March 19, 2013 by frankiecatpdx

Living as I do in Portland, Oregon I occasionally find myself in Portlandia. 

This happens often enough to document, so I am beginning with a moment from August, 2012.

The sun had long dropped behind the West Hills as I drove toward the Burnside Bridge.  The iconic “Portland sign” was glowing in the distance.  As I waited for a traffic light to change, a young woman passed in front of me on a bicycle.  She was a beautiful young lady, wearing a white cotton skirt and  some kind of tight fitting white bodice.  She wore mid-calf lace-up leather boots. She pedaled helmet free, her long brunette curls flowing softly behind her.  In the fading light she was barely visible, and her bicycle had no lights or reflectors.  And it was a tall bike.  A very tall bike. ImageAh, Portlandia.

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The Reluctant Couponer Buys a New Car

February 22, 2012 by frankiecatpdx

My Barcelona Red 2008 Toyota Rav4 V6 was 100% reliable and blessed with a capacious cargo load area.  It had ten cup holders and a secret compartment in the back for all my secret stuff.

But it wasn’t very smart.  It couldn’t make a hands free phone call.  It didn’t have Microsoft Sync, and it was more car than I really needed for city driving and occasional road trips around Oregon and Washington.  The gas mileage was not ideal – I was filling up once a week for about $45.

What to do? Could I leverage the equity I had in my used Rav4 to hold my payments to $269 a month and purchase a new car?  What would a single woman’s successful car buying experience look like?

First I went to the Portland Auto Show in January of 2012, so I could sit in a number of vehicles and compare notes.  Here are the questions important to me when I buy a car:

  1. Can I see who’s behind me on the road? (Mirrors, window configurations, etc.)
  2. How many cup holders are in the vehicle, and can I get to them without breaking my clavicle? This is all about coffee.
  3. What are the electronics on the car? I want hands-free phone dialing (voice command), directions, traffic, syncing with my Android and iPhone address books, etc.  Oh and satellite radio, – yes please.
  4. Is there a comfortable arm rest on both sides of the driver’s seat?
  5. Is there a sunroof? And, for any guys reading this, what about torque?  I don’t know what that is!  I just threw it in for you guys! I don’t really care about it, or the engine size.  I will later – when I buy my BMW.
  6. Does the car look sporty and well designed?
  7. Is there good lumbar support for my picky back? Do I “fit” in the car? – Can I get in and out in a bulky winter coat and not feel like a D Battery in a badly engineered flashlight?
  8. Can I “rack it up” for bikes and additional cargo space? I still want to go on road trips!
  9. Can it be financed for the same amount of money or less than I was paying on the Rav4?

10. Can I survive the new car dealership experience with my dignity and integrity intact?

11.   May I please get 40 MPG Highway?

12.  Do I feel valued and rewarded as a competent woman purchasing a vehicle all by     myself – at the dealership?

The Portland Auto Show was great.  I looked at lots of cars.  I fell out of love with the Fiat 500 – too small for me – I was a D Battery in it and couldn’t warm up to the spare interior and alarmingly awkward cup holders.

The Toyotas were all good but I wanted to experience a brand that was new to me.

One of the cars on my list was the highly acclaimed, award-winning 2012 Ford Fiesta.  Once I saw it, sat in it and checked out my wish list I was IN. Plus, I was sort of buying American.  Right?  It used to be important. I think it still is.  We didn’t have to bail Ford out, right?  Ford seems like a “smarter” manufacturer to me.  The Escape and the Focus lines are doing very well.

Because the Portland Auto Show is a “non-selling” show, it is the ideal environment to approach factory reps and local dealers to get great information on the cars without the worries of the hard sell.  I met a fantastic representative from a local Ford dealership and then I was on my way.

Within a week I had driven the 2012 Ford Fiesta Hatchback SE and created my “wish list” of features.  I really wanted a sunroof and heated seats – luxuries I had in My Great but Troublesome Volvos. I got that, and then some.

Now I have my silver Ford Fiesta Hatchback, and it is the perfect car for me right in this moment.   This car has been a hit in Europe for a while, and it gets incredible gas mileage – up to 40 MPG Highway – without the Hybrid Hype.  What’s not to like about that?

Plus, it’s really, really smart.  I did not know there was a Canadian “NPR.”  Of course there is.

Driving the Ford Fiesta is kind of like driving a very large laptop with an unconventional keyboard, and I adore it.  So, to re-cap:

If you want a new car, save time and learn lots at your annual local Auto Show.  Be patient and unhurried, make a list of what you want, match it up with what you can afford, sit in the cars, find a dealership you like, test drive, make another list based on what you now know, and let the dealer find the perfect car with the features you want.  My car came right off the dock! The dealers are so happy to do this for you.  Don’t be afraid if you are a woman on your own.  Spend a few minutes online investigating your trade value, get real about that, sharpen your pencil and go after your car.

Walk if they won’t work with you.

Get the perfect car for you and go on a road trip!

My next blog post:  The Reluctant Couponer Goes to Denver!

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The Reluctant Couponer Puts up or Shuts Up

January 31, 2012 by frankiecatpdx

So here it is – the end of my first month of reluctant couponing.  Why reluctant?  I don’t have time for it.  Why coupons anyway?  Well, because we miss great savings if we ignore them.  Coupons and “deals” are the  vice grip on our bottom lines.  So we just need to deal with it, and not be wimps.

To review, and in case you are new to my blog (infrequent, prone to typos, mostly rants)….  I write like I talk.  And I talk like I think, and there it is. And I think consumers are getting ripped off, and I don’t want to join that club.

I thrive on fighting corporate greed on the personal front by taking advantage of corporate weak spots.  These include surplus inventory, exploratory offers, timed deals, management shake-ups – whatever ‘ya got.  Sounds like a full time job, huh. It’s easier to profit from than you think if we work it.

Our challenge is to buy nothing that is not marked down, or the “best price around” as in local gasoline.

I forbid myself spontaneous purchases that are not killer deals.  Why bother?  Just go next door if you don’t get a killer deal, Or, wait.  Waiting is always an option.

How did I do in my first month of resolute resistance to purchasing “in the now?” Pretty well. 

I said “NO” to myself frequently at the grocery store.  If my favorite brand, or favorite food, or something I really wanted –  was not marked down – no sale. I did without. What I missed most: Feta cheese.  What is the problem with getting a deal on Feta cheese? I send this out to the universe.

Where did I really score?  At Nordstrom Rack.  I needed a new basic wardrobe for work, and after 4 years of scrimping and making do – I allocated $1500 to update my closet.  I was able to find $2000 of beautiful designer clothes for $850.  My patience and allowance of ample time to shop was the secret.  Don’t expect any help at The Rack.  It’s not set up that way.  It’s guerilla shopping – work it, get into it, be ruthless with your considered choices. You’ll be well rewarded.

Total savings, including coupon dining and shopping, over $1500 in January.  This is more than my monthly mortgage payment.  So that’s a big win in my book.  Onward to February.  On deck:  I buy a car!

 

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The Reluctant Couponer Saves $6.47

January 8, 2012 by frankiecatpdx

Oh Safeway.  70 cents a can for Friskies?

The Reluctant Couponer did something we avoid:  shopped at a DIFFERENT store to get a better price.  So instead of $21.00 for a month’s supply of Friskies canned cat food, we went to Fred Meyer and did the deal for $14.53, which was the “Every Day Low Price” of 54 cents a can.  We took our own bag to pack it out and saved a nickle, plus we unearthed an ancient gift card and saved $1.62.  That’s how we saved $6.47.

Total savings this month:  over $45.  Wow!

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Into the Coupon Abyss….

January 5, 2012 by frankiecatpdx

The coupon world is quite the conundrum.  I want to save, but I really don’t have time to track all the deals.

So I thrive on the proximity aspect.  Don’t make me navigate a difficult left-hand turn against traffic to score a little bitty discount 10 miles out of my way at a store I rarely visit – it’s just not happening.

I valiantly tried to sign up for *!Deals!* for coupons online and was dutifully punished by an onslaught of credit score junk and dubious coupon site spams.  No good deed goes unpunished. Dislike.  Now I need to change the email address I’ve had for 10+ years. Noted!  Grrrrr. Onward.

I like the grocery store four blocks from my home.  I know the staff. So maybe I need to pay more attention to their loyalty programs.  I have the additional mandate I’ve set for myself in January… Nothing can be purchased that is not marked down in some way.  Boo hoo.

So tonight… no crumbled feta cheese, no pitted Kalamata olives.

Here’s the good part.  I went shopping!  With my “$10 off $75 purchased”  coupon I bought six months of paper products, 3 months of my favorite coffee, and fresh produce to last a week. With two coupons and a doubler…I earned a 32% savings off my total receipt – I paid $80.98 for $119.54 of groceries.   Savings: $38.56.  I am so blessed to be able to plan this way – I understand many households can’t purchase in advance like this.

Bottom line: Just 5 days into January, by paying attention and admitting my weaknesses and unwillingness to beat myself up because I would not drive out of my way to shop, I saved over $40. Click Like. That’s $40 I can pass along to someone who needs it more than me.

*

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Let the couponing begin….

January 2, 2012 by frankiecatpdx

It’s so easy to stick to your goals on a day off from work.  You can stop in the middle of the aisle at the grocery store and stare at items, in a trance-like state.  Usually I envy people who have time for this.  

I didn’t need much this morning – Unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Milk and a few fresh veggies.  Safeway always has something marked down in produce, so I got carrots and cukes (Cukes were 2 for $1.00 – quite the savings as they are normally .89 each.  The carrots didn’t seem to show up on my receipt as a “deal” – so maybe I bungled that.  Bought two for .57 total.

The Blue Diamond Almond Milk was marked down from $2.69 to $2.29 – a Safeway mark down. I should have bought a couple because it’s shelf stable.  I did not have a Blue Diamond coupon though, so when I returned home I started looking for coupons online for my favorite low sugar coffee creamer.  I got in to an endless spiral of coupon sites, all of which wanted to know my birthday.  Coupons are promised though – we’ll see.  The first site I sold my soul to is called “Coupon Sponge,” AKA http://couponsponge.com.  

Coupon Sponge seemed promising for an Almond Milk Coupon, but when I signed in I got this message:  ”Sorry, no coupons could be found for Blue Diamond Almond Milk.”  They did have coupons for Airwick and Apple Jacks though – see, that’s my gripe about coupons.  They are often for things I don’t ever buy.

I know a lot of “master couponers” are using digital coupons and mobile coupons.  I plan to learn how to play this game.  So, total savings year-to-date: $1.18.  Let the games begin.

 

I

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