Janae Says...

I've realized recently that I love to save money... Perhaps to a ridiculous extreme. I'm addicted to saving money and getting free stuff. This addiction isn't like, "Oh, I love to get free samples at Costco and in the mail." This addiction is real. Let me tell you how bad it is: Since I was 12 or so, I have taken online surveys for Harris Poll Interactive. I get point for taking surveys, and these points rack up and can be redeemed for loads of good stuff--ranging from books to DVDs to magazine subscriptions to kitchen supplies to iPod covers. My first prize was an Ever After VHS tape. That should tell you how long I have been doing this. I've also gotten and a sleek touch-sensitive alarm clock radio. I think I've gotten one more thing, too. I enjoy taking surveys, so I figured I might as well get rewarded for them, right? Anyway, I love looking through all of the "Folios" with prizes that I can get and saving up for good ones. Fortunately, my m...

Mornings are darker now even though it gets darker earlier. I'd think it'd get lighter earlier at night, but I guess I just don't understand our solar system. I wake up initially really anxious that it's still dark outside. I don't want to go to school. I want to keep sleeping. When I walk outside I'm reminded of how much I like cold, dark mornings. I remember being maybe ten years old. My daddy would come in on Saturday morning at 4 AM when it was dark and cold outside, to wake me up to go fishing. I'd get dressed in my ugliest clothes--for fishing was not a "cute" or "clean" activity. I'd jump in my dad's white F-150, and we'd head to AM/PM at the Chevron gas station. If my brother was with us, we'd all go in and get hot chocolate and pick something out for breakfast. I always liked going with my daddy because he would spoil us. We could get whatever we wanted, and he always seemed happy to get us everything we chose. We...

The consumer in me is excited about my most recent trip to the mall, where I used a coupon I got in the mail for a free pair of panties from Victoria's Secret. I'm sure you all want to know what kind I got. But I'll never tell. After having searched the mall for shoes several times in the past two months, I decided to try Payless this time. Journeys failed me, Zumiez failed me, Vans failed me. It just wasn't happening. But Payless to the rescue! They were on sale for $14.99 but it was buy one, get one half off. So they were $7.50. And dang cute. So I also got these: Just kidding guys. Those are probably the second ugliest shoes next the ones I saw this girl in my American Lit class wearing in Fall 2006: They were light blue suede Converse heel boots. Is that descriptive enough? I'm pretty sure I can't do their ugliness any justice. I actually got these for the gym and for work, because my gym/work shoes are killing me. They're over two years old now. They...