Dear Future Jake,
Is your wife still a couponer? Let me remind you of the funny story that started all this. You'll enjoy it—it's about dad.
A couple of months ago this new show started airing on TV called Extreme Couponing. This show documents people around the country who spend hours and hours collecting coupons and analyzing prices at different grocery stores. It's ridiculous. I watched a woman today who rang up almost $2,000 in groceries, and then handed over her coupons. She paid $44. Pretty cool, right? Well, the downside to these "extremists" is that to be that kind of couponer, you have to stock up on food. BIGtime. They all have guest bedrooms and garages overflowing with 75 bottles of ketchup and 150 years' worth of deodorant. It's quite silly, really.
Well, after seeing this show, dad kicked it into gear. As you well know, he's always been a "coupon-clipper,"* but after seeing this show, he got much more serious about it. According to mom and Jaron, he went online and signed up for numerous offers to receive coupons by e-mail (poor mom—she has to wade through all the spam now). He also called up every store within a 30-mile radius to find out if they double their coupons. Fortunately, after his knee-jerk reaction, mom got him hooked up with a couple valuable websites about couponing and saving for normal people.
Dad's response to the Extreme Coupining show had a kind of trickle-down effect. Your lovely wife thought it would be fun to buy a Sunday paper and see what this was all about. You both discovered that there really is a lot of money to be saved with a little bit of work and a paper full of coupons. So a week ago, you subscribed to the Sunday paper. Now, skype calls with mom and dad regularly include a few minutes of coupon-collecting conversation with dad. It's really pretty funny.
So, I was just wondering if you two have continued to "coupon" over the years, and if it's still saving you money. We're pretty early in the process right now, and I'm curious as to whether this'll last. I just hope you haven't turned into someone who might be on that TV show. They're a little bit cuckoo.
Jake (2011 version)
*Here's a story that illustrates dad's life-long couponing habits. You remember, don't you? Once when dad was at the store he went to buy a food item for which he had a coupon. When he found the item, he discovered that it was on sale for the amount of the coupon, and it said, "No Coupon Needed." Dad wouldn't buy the item because, in his own words, "I didn't feel like I was getting a deal." Goof ball.
Showing posts with label future me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label future me. Show all posts
May 30, 2011
May 16, 2011
Future Me: About school work
Dear Future Jake,
I pray that you're not still doing school work. If you are, it must mean you decided to pursue a Ph. D. (or another master's, or another bachelor's?) over my strong objections. C'mon, man. I begged you. Seriously, take a moment to punch yourself in the face (just once, please—and not too hard). You're supposed to be done with that stuff by now. You promised.
In any case, if you still regularly have homework and deadlines, take this advice: Plead with Elizabeth to help you set up a schedule for when you will work on your projects. Be specific and STICK TO YOUR SCHEDULE. Believe me, I know how wonderful you are at procrastinating (perhaps that's what you're getting your Ph. D. in?), but it is not worth the nightmare you will experience in the days leading up to your deadline. If you make a schedule and stick to it, you'll roll your eyes a few times when you're forced to do homework weeks before it's due, but when you complete your final draft a week ahead of time, you will realize that your work is better, and your heart is healthier because you are not completely stressing yourself out. Celebrating a job well done before the job needs to be done is one of those truly liberating feelings, and it's great.
Now, make sure you thank your wife. You know that even with a non-procrastinating schedule, you never would have stuck to it if she hadn't made you. She's the reason you've finished all your homework with days (weeks?) to spare. Take her out to dinner and buy her something nice (or try to convince her to conveniently forget about her milk allergy for an evening and indulge in carry-out pizza and boxed macaroni... okay okay, that's more for you than for her. Sorry).
Jake (2011 version)
I pray that you're not still doing school work. If you are, it must mean you decided to pursue a Ph. D. (or another master's, or another bachelor's?) over my strong objections. C'mon, man. I begged you. Seriously, take a moment to punch yourself in the face (just once, please—and not too hard). You're supposed to be done with that stuff by now. You promised.
In any case, if you still regularly have homework and deadlines, take this advice: Plead with Elizabeth to help you set up a schedule for when you will work on your projects. Be specific and STICK TO YOUR SCHEDULE. Believe me, I know how wonderful you are at procrastinating (perhaps that's what you're getting your Ph. D. in?), but it is not worth the nightmare you will experience in the days leading up to your deadline. If you make a schedule and stick to it, you'll roll your eyes a few times when you're forced to do homework weeks before it's due, but when you complete your final draft a week ahead of time, you will realize that your work is better, and your heart is healthier because you are not completely stressing yourself out. Celebrating a job well done before the job needs to be done is one of those truly liberating feelings, and it's great.
Now, make sure you thank your wife. You know that even with a non-procrastinating schedule, you never would have stuck to it if she hadn't made you. She's the reason you've finished all your homework with days (weeks?) to spare. Take her out to dinner and buy her something nice (or try to convince her to conveniently forget about her milk allergy for an evening and indulge in carry-out pizza and boxed macaroni... okay okay, that's more for you than for her. Sorry).
Jake (2011 version)
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