"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman

My son, Nick loves to read.  (He gets this from me! :-)  It's amazing to see him get so excited about a book and over the past couple of years, I read pretty much everything he reads.  That said, he has been bugging me to read his current favorite, "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman.  Curling up with a highly recommended book seemed the appropriate thing to do yesterday, since I was all grumpy and fat, and bloated.....
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It was an awesome book!  A very quick read, perfect for a sluggish afternoon!  Here is a review by the NY Times:


"What keeps Unwind moving are the creative and shocking details of Shusterman's kid-mining dystopia. First, there are the Orwellian linguistic tricks. People who have been unwound are not "dead"—they are "in a divided state." Then there are the rules and rituals. Before being unwound, Lev is honored with a lavish "tithing party," which bears a strong resemblance to a bar mitzvah. The most terrifying scene is devoted to the unwinding itself. The author's decision to describe the process is a questionable one—a book's great unknown can leave the strongest impression on a reader—but he executes as precisely as the surgeons who perform the unwinding. Ultimately, though, the power of the novel lies in what it doesn't do: come down explicitly on one side or the other."

INTRODUCTION TO COUPONING

You may want to get another email account and use it specifically for couponing. Your email box will be filled with newsletters, shopping updates etc.. Most email accts are free.

TIME SAVING HINT:

Use Google toolbar *AUTOFILL* button to create your form fill information (name, addy, phone #) and from now on all you have to do is click AutoFill in your menu bar and it will automatically fill in your information so you don't have to type it in each time you have a form to fill.

In the beginning, signing up is tedious, but once you've got the main stuff, it's pretty easy because it all comes to you. I designate time in the morning to cruise through my inbox and Sunday mornings to get my Q's matched up with the weekly sales ads.

I use envelopes for my shopping, each envelope dedicated to a particular store, to hold my savers card, shopping list and Q's. Envelopes labeled and filed in a recipie box, binder, folder, whatever works best for you to put all my "use later Q's"

Ways to get Q's

• Kroger,CVS, Kmart and Ingals all have frequent shopper discount cards. Get them and keep in your designated store envelopes.
• Sign up on your favorite manufacturers websites for emails, special savings.
• Don't forget to look by the sales fliers at the entrance of each store, for in-store coupon booklets (Publix, Rite aid, Walgreens), free mags (most of which have Q's)
• Sunday paper. I have a sub. to the Sunday paper only! PS: Publix runs a "mystery gift" Q for .01/with the purchase of $10.00 or more each Wed. It ONLY is available in the Wed. paper.  I have gotten everything from Ballpark Hot Dogs, 1lb of coffee, tortilla chips, bleach etc. Good deal!
• "Blinkie" machines or in aisles by product. Even if you aren't buying the product now, you might later during a sale.
• Always check each purchase (check your cupboards!) for a "peelie" (coupon peels off front of package) or a coupon inserted in product or inside box....before throwing away.
• Always check your receipts for "RR"s (registar rewards), or Q's
• Friends, Family
• Printable Computer Q's usually allow (if they don't it will say in the fine print of the Q) you to print TWO of each Q. Use your back arrow to reprint after you have printed once. If you have more than one computer in your house you can print two more Q's from each computer. They track the IP address of each computer so as to limit you to 2 printings each.
• Become "fans" on facebook with your favorite manufacturers to get Q's and special orders. Again, you may want to set up a facebook acct specifically for couponing. I just use facebook for keeping up with my son and couponing, so I only have one acct, but it fills up daily.