Running, Running

 In my newish effort to "keep it real" on the blog here, I thought I would chat about running errands. Yes, us women (especially Moms) seem to have a never ending list of errands to run no matter how organized we try to be! A few weeks ago, it seemed nothing was going right in this area of my life so I thought I would share some stories so we can all laugh together. To preface all of this, I tend to run a lot of errands on my lunch hour, as it is a bit easier without kids. But then when things don't go as timely as I planned, I am stressing about getting back to work and when (and what) I am going to shove into my mouth for lunch.

 If you've followed me for a bit you know that to keep my closet in a constant rotation, I sell my clothes at consignment shops. That was one such appointment I had, during much lunch hour, that fateful week. The morning of that appointment, my husband decided to work from home which meant I would be dropping the boys off at daycare on my way to work. This normally is not a problem, but at the time we were trying to eradicate a gopher family from our backyard. Jon would have trapped one daily (sometimes more) and "relocate" it in the field behind the boys school. As I was getting ready, he announced he'd be loading a gopher into the back of my car to drop off - the transport method a smelly tote that was wet from sitting outside. I explained that I would have to come back home then because I could not load these clothes I wanted to sell with the tote. (Clothes have to be on hangers nicely, not thrown into a bag). Thankfully, we don't live far from the school so that is what I did but I was still annoyed. Why did this effing gopher suddenly become my problem when I already had so much on my plate? Fast forward to lunch and as I drove to Chelsea the beautiful sunny sky parted ways to start raining as I had to haul my clothes into the shop. Thankfully, the shop accepted all the items I had so I didn't have to haul anything back out! Most of my items have already sold so I'll be getting a nice check this week - go Mama!

 The next errand that went wrong was a trip to our vet to pickup these specialty chews we'd been giving the dogs since we paid a hefty sum to have their teeth cleaned earlier this year. As I pulled up, I saw a sign on the door: "Closed from 12 to 2 for Staff Training". Of course, the day I picked to go there, that has to happen so I had to go back another day.

 Lastly, I received an offer in the mail from a bank to get $250 for opening a new checking account. I usually don't look twice at these things because there is always a catch, but after reading the fine print the requirements were pretty simple - you had to make $250 worth of debit card purchases within 60 days of opening the account! I am always looking for ways to save money, make money... I mean, who doesn't? I saw they had a branch in Chelsea and an ATM in Jackson. I went to the branch to open the account, and since I wasn't going to change up my direct deposit I figured I could just make deposits at the ATM. When I went to the ATM, which is 22 miles in the opposite direction of the branch but closer to my work, I found out that ATM does not accept deposits of any kind. I couldn't make it all the way to the branch during lunch so I went after work knowing they'd already be closed. Guess what? Their ATM doesn't accept cash deposits which is what I had. So I had to go back the next day when they were open. I did tie in a load of donations to drop off at the Goodwill right there when I went back, so that helped make it feel a better use of my time. Guess that money isn't so free anymore with all the work I've had to do! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. I ask myself this all the time. Nothing I ever try to do is simple.

In an effort to make life easier, I was ecstatic to see the new grocery delivery service at Meijer: Shipt. Unfortunately, they don't delivery as far as my house yet, but not to be deterred, they do deliver to my work. We would just need to plan better, knowing it would only be a M-F service with my work schedule. I had already heard from several friends who had tried it how much they loved it. I usually spend 2-3 hours on the weekend for a big grocery trip, and then a few lunchtime or after work runs during the week for things we forget or run out of quicker. I got an offer to get the yearly membership, normally $99, for $50. That's just over $4 a month for this service! So worth it! Think about your gas and your time - I can be doing something much more enjoyable on the weekends. And at lunch, I can actually, oh I don't know, eat lunch? Read a book? Take a walk? Run home and get some other task off my list? You get sale prices, just like in the store, and it records your MPerks. If you order over $35, delivery is free. I am not sure what the fee would be if you are under since I don't plan to be under. You can create a list right on the app, save favorites, etc.... My "shopper" texted me with questions (like if they were out of something and what to substitute) and then let me know when she was on her way. She met me at 5:00 as I was leaving so I got my groceries and home I went! You can tip your "shopper" which would be the only other cost for those who are wondering - you can do it right on the app, even days later, after you ensure all of your items are okay. I am loving it so far!

 

Anyway, this outfit I featured here is a great "running around" outfit. It is exactly the same as I wore in this post, I just swapped the white shirt for a pink one! For quick reference, the jean jacket is from TJ Maxx, pink shirt from Anthropologie, pants from Target, sandals from Payless.