The First Grader (The Movie)

My brother added this movie to our Netflix queue and I happened to find few moments of solitude yesterday to start watching it. Let me tell you, this movie will change your life (and I haven’t even finished watching yet!).

It is based on a true story of an 83 year old Kenyan man, who attends school with first graders to learn to read and write. He is called Maruge, fought against the British colonials to free Kenya and eventually ended up in a detention camp where he suffered inhumane (and I mean, shut-your-eyes-and-ears-and cringe worthy) treatment only to survive and become an even stronger, resilient and determined individual. 

In the beginning of the Movie, the Kenya gov’t announces free education for all Kenyans and parents flock to tattered schools, fighting with the gatekeepers to secure a spot for their child. Maruge comes back day after day, hoping to be given a chance to learn. Jane, the head teacher, likes his determination and takes a chance to help him. 

For those of us living in first world countries, it is easy to take education for granted. It’s hard for us to imagine a world without written words. Try to imagine a world where you can’t read. It’s hard to do. It is so ingrained in us and because we never had to struggle to go to school, it’s easy for us to take it for granted. 

As beaten up as our education system is, at least elementary education is considered a right rather than a privilege. And that, my friends, makes all the difference in the world. 

Couponing 101

My extra income was always something that allowed my family the safety of not worrying about tomorrow.  We had a nice little "rainy day fund" and my husband and I were both religious about making sure we didn't use that money for anything other than real emergencies. Now that we are down to one income, it's always tempting to continue to live our old lifestyle and just use that money with the good intention of "replacing it soon". Which to be honest, never happens because you keep digging yourself in deeper.

 

I've heard a lot about couponing and even knew a little bit about it but never had the time (or patience) to sit there clipping coupons and planning my shopping trips. When I needed to save a little extra money, I would opt for buying generics which are always cheaper than name brand items.
This past weekend, I decided to give couponing a shot. I had a long list of things I needed to buy at Target so I sat down on my computer and starting printing coupons. Besides the manufacture coupons that you can find in your Sunday paper and online, Target offers their own store coupons online which you can combine to get a nice little deal. 

I made a list of everything I needed and wrote down the coupon's value next to it so I would know exactly how much I will be paying for the item. Since I have a target red card and also had the extra 5% reward coupon, I would be getting an extra 10% off on my total bill.

So I headed to Target with my list, my coupons and a baby in tow. After all was said and done, I was able to save a whopping $33.69! Now it may not seem like a lot to some of you but think about this: I would have unnecessarily spent $33.69 had I not used coupons. We can just give $34 to Target or we can use it to go out for dinner one night at our favorite Indian Chinese Restaurant.

 

  

I have learned two valuable lessons from this experience. First being that coupons are our friend. Second that creating lists and sticking to them curbs impulse buying and saves both time and money. I am now a believer. Now that I realize the power of coupons, I will be using them more often and the money I save, I can put away for a rainy day (or maybe use it to buy myself nice things!).  

How do you save money and stay within your budget? 

Phishing Scam

The other day I received an email asking me to follow the provided link and verify my information so that my “Discover Bank” account is not unnecessarily restricted.

I’m already very good at spotting these phishing scams but this one just made me laugh because of its horrible grammar. I decided to have a little fun and proofread the email for them and offer the scammers some constructive criticism. If you’re planning on scamming someone at least put in a little effort to make it believable.