Debunking the Mystery Shopper Myth

For more than 15 million unemployed Americans, times have been tough and money has been tight.  And for the past 6 months, I have been busy in addition to my full time position, working in a new industry as a professional mystery shopper.  Hubby X and I have been working on shops and projects together working for a number of mystery shopping companies along the way.

The extra money has been a welcome addition to our very strapped income.  On average, our family has made between $15-25 per shop in addition to eating for free or taking home the grocery store products we were asked to purchase.  I will admit that our family was very skeptical about mystery shopping.  I’ve watch the 20/20 and 60 minute specials and read about mystery shopping scams in the news so before I applied to a mystery shopper company I did my research and visited forums and mystery shopper communities, and even read books written by professional mystery shoppers.

While researching prospective mystery shopping companies and learning more about the industry, I came upon some great online resources.  Some of my favorites are the Mystery Shopper Forum and Volition.  While the layout of these websites leaves much to be desired, they have a very informative forum and resource section in addition to job postings information.  Cathy Stucker’s Mystery Shopping Manual is another great resource that provides an extensive list of legitimate mystery shopper companies.

As a mystery shopper you are an independent contractor and not an employee of the mystery shopping company.  This means that you are responsible for paying your own taxes as a self-employed individual acting as a consultant on the mystery shopping company’s behalf.  This also means that you are free to work for as many mystery shopping companies as you wish which is exactly what I do and have done.  A legitimate mystery shopping company will never ask you to pay any money or cash up front.  The fact is there are legitimate mystery shopping companies out there that are willing to pay you top dollar to visit companies like grocery stores, banks, convenience stores, and even doctor’s offices.

Photo Credit The Field Force.

My Glass is Half Full

Given Hubby X and I’s current situation as a single income family, you’d think we’d be down in the dumps.  Oddly enough, no.  Baby X has brought so much joy into our lives.  It is unbelievable.  My view on life in general and what I can accomplish as a regular normal human being has changed dramatically.  I am fearless in business and am taking calculated risks which is more than most people can say these days.  Most companies and businesses prefer to take no risk at all.

I’ve come to learn one thing:  thirteen hours of natural child labor changes a person.  Labor pains ebbed and flowed like a tide.  With the help of Hubby X and my doula, we were able to weather the storm and welcome a new beautiful miracle into the world.  Using my breath and relaxation techniques I was able to control my pain level and manage my contractions.  Sure, it wasn’t easy but most things aren’t in this world, but we were rewarded in a big way and it has forever changed our lives.

Since the birth of Baby X, my outlook on life has drastically changed.  I’m more confident and self-assured then I ever have been.  Ihave been able to overcome fears and do things like speak in front of a crowd of 300, start my own company, and even dream bigger than I have ever imagined.  Yes, childbirth has changed me.  Sure, I’m older and more mature than most but what’s more important is having a positive support system that can cheer you on.  And I can’t wait to see what the next six months has in store for me and my family. . .

Frugal Living

Hubby X is going on over 9 months since he was laid off.  He works in a specialty field that is really suffering during these tough economic times.  We have had a small savings nest egg and we have stretched every last cent.

Here’s how we are doing it:

• Needs vs. Wants. We had a lot of these.  I want a latte.  We don’t need someone to mow our grass.  We shut off our extra cable box, negotiated our home phone, and limited eating out.  By limiting my Starbucks spending alone, we reduced our monthly spend by over $100.  All told we cut over $800 a month by doing these things.   Hubby X made almost twice as much as my income.  Our house payment is more than 50% of my monthly salary.
• Using Coupons. We have worked on using coupons, buying in bulk, and keeping our eyes out for sales and off-brand items.  I absolutely loathe Wal-Mart, and we have always shopped at Target.  Online Target has great coupons that you can print off on your home computer and use in the store.  I couple weeks ago, they had a $1 off on strawberries.  Baby X loves these and we used two coupons while the strawberries were on sale getting almost 2 for the price of 1. www.couponqueen.com is another great resource.  Melissa has good information and tips on couponing as a way of life.  Target will allow you to be receive the sale price on an item if it goes on sale within 14 days of purchase.  Make sure to keep your receipt.  I save $10 on baby formula this way since I normally buy in bulk not to mention the formula coupon I used.
• Limiting our Social Life. I’m a very social person.  I love attending events, meeting friends for drinks, and going to sporting events.  Hubby X and I have given up our season football tickets and don’t attend events that have a cover charge.  In fact, we haven’t been to a movie in almost a year.  We frequent the library and check out DVD’s, CD’s, and books to save on cash.  No vacation for us either this year.  We spent the week at home and did things like visit the park, go swimming at a friends, or visiting public gardens.
• Energy Efficiency. We regularly replace filters and also changed out most of our light bulbs for the florescent kind.  We purchased the bulbs in bulk at Sams, 4 for $11.50.  These will pay for themselves in just 3 months.  We also make a conscious effort to unplug vampire electronics to save on electricity costs and also varied our water schedule to every other day.  We have not noticed any difference in our lawn being any less green.  In fact, we have less burn spots in our lawn since we quit using the lawn service.  Typically, Hubby X mows every week and a half or so.
• Yard Sale. Instead of purchasing new items for Baby X like books, toys, and clothes we have frequented children’s second hand shops and spent several Saturday mornings yard saling.  I bought more than 15 hard back books for Baby X for less than $12.  Store priced would be almost $100.  I also got a great steal on towels and washclothes at $0.10 a piece.  They were practically new.
• Canceling Non-essentials. We canceled non-essential things like Netflix, tanning memberships, gym memberships, online subscriptions, and magazine subscriptions.  This is the first time in 15 years I have not been a subscriber to Country Living. (*sign*)  The tanning membership alone for the two of us was almost $100 a month.  Total magazine subscriptions was roughly $100 for the year.

HCG Recipes & More

Dinner for Hubby X has proven to be somewhat challenging for us while I’m on the HCG diet.  Dr. Simeon’s original HCG diet food menu is very limited.  To give you an idea, it is recommended that I eat only the following items for each meal:

• Breakfast. Tea or coffee without creamer and stevia or splenda is allowed to add to your drink.

• Lunch/Dinner. 4 oz. of veal, beef, chicken breast, white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp.  There must be no fat and all meat much be boiled or grilled without adding additional fat.  Veggies allowed are spinach, chard, chicory, beat-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage.  One breadstick is also allowed along with one fruit that includes apple, orange, strawberries, or a half of a grapefruit.

• Other. I am able to drink limited amounts of diet soda because it is made with splenda, but I recommend not going overboard.  Diet coke seems to satisfy my sweet tooth when needed.

In doing an extensive google search to look for recommended recipes, choices were very limited and unfortunately there is no one website that I have found that gives me all the information I need.  Here are some recipes that Hubby X and I have used with success so far.  Most of these are ones we have modified for ourselves.  I call Hubby X my little Bobby Flay.  He is an excellent cook and always willing to think out of the box.

The diet on the surface seems a little boring.  You are extremely limited.  We have found variety in using spices, vinegar, smoke sauce, and even sugar free ketchup to our dishes.  However, I have made the choice to go ahead and combine multiple veggies and fruit together in the form of a salad or when cooking a dish.  The key is also portion control.  So far I have not been overly hungry and will only eat 5 asparagus or half of an apple along with my protein.

Chicken & Salsa

4 oz. chicken breast grilled or cooked with a tsp. of olive oil in pan with light pepper and salt

To make your salsa mix together the following in a separate bowl:

3 sm. tomatoes diced

1/4 c. white onions chopped

a handful of fresh cilantro chopped

3 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar

tsp. lemon juice

light salt and pepper for taste

Mix these together and serve with chicken either on side or on top

HCG Chili

Brown a pound of hamburger and drain excess fat.  The leaner the meat the better.

Add hamburger to a sauce pan and combine with the following:

8 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbl. of vinegar

add light salt and pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic, and red pepper for spice

**Makes for 4 servings.

Spicy Apple Shrimp

Marinate 9 sm. shrimp with the following:

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. smoke sauce

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic

light salt and pepper for taste

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. red pepper

Add shrimp along with marinade to saute pan with 1 apple sliced thin

Cook on medium heat until shrimp turns pink and enjoy

Baked Apple Crisp

One apple sliced thin and added to small microwavable dish

Top with light cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and a 1/2 tsp. of vanilla

Sprinkle 1-2 packets of single serving splenda on top

For the crisp, add less than a half packet of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal

Cook in microwave for 1 1/2 min. Makes one serving.

Week 1 HCG Diet Update

So week 1 of the HCG diet has flown by.  I’m proud to report that I have lost 8 pounds going from 229 to 221.  Overall, I wasn’t extremely hungry.  I did cheat one day by eating 9 chips with salsa and also while attending a fundraising gala, but I have worked very hard to stay within the 500 calorie restriction.

A couple thoughts:

• Smells have been a constant challenge with me.  My office is near the cafeteria area and without thinking I almost walked into the office to get myself a bag of popcorn.
• Hubby X and I have worked very hard to understand my diet restrictions and how we can cook creative and tasty dishes.  Tonight he made me chili.  The internet has been a great resource for recipes and an online support network.
• How I miss my Carmel Mochiattos from Starbucks!  The HCG diet restricts you to coffee, tea, or water which I am more than happy to drink.  I am also allowed some diet soda as well.  I am not much of a soda drinker so this is also very limiting.
• Hubby X agrees that I have not been overly grouchy or cranky during my first week.  I did, however have a severe headache that went away after I did several yoga poses.

Overall my first week has been very promising.  I’m looking forward to trying on some smaller clothes in the next several weeks.  I also start twice weekly VIP treatments this next week.  These 1 hour treatments using a machine are done at the spa and are the equivalent to working out for 3 hours.  Beauty queens live and die by these.  I’m hopeful that they will speed my weight loss and begin to tone my body.

InTEXTication

Do you remember that guy from Saturday Night Live that put “tion” at the end of every word?  That’s what I thought when I first heard the word, InTEXTication.

“Situation, Innovation, Technolization, Intextication.  Texting while making copies.  Sting-a-ring-ding-ding.”

Apparently, InTEXTication is a word according to a quick Google internet search and is listed in the online urban dictionary.  It is also known as DWT or Driving While Intexticated.  Who comes up with this stuff?  Man, I need a new job,and no, my daughter is not getting a cell phone until she is at least 12.  She’s almost a year now so I’m sure there will be some sort of new technology that I’ll be battling in the next few years.

The second thought that comes to mind with inTEXTication is the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, “Californication”.  How about Intextification set to the song instead?

And Everything

While eating lunch with an old friend who also works in the Human Resource industry, I was reminded of one of the most interesting interview experiences I have ever had.  The man’s name was Buddy.  I lived in the South at the time working for a large to medium sized retail chain.  I was interviewing for our busy season where we typically hire temporary workers.  Buddy was one of the 20+ interviews I did that day, but almost 10 years later, he is one of the most memorable characters I have ever encountered.

Buddy walked into my office dressed in steel toe boots with a mullettesquse hairstyle that was full of loose, dark curls.  He was in his late 20′s or early 30′s and had an approachable feeling about him.  I motioned Buddy to sit down and I joined him.  I remember having a good feeling especially since he certainly was qualified for the position.

The room was tense as it normally is during the interview.  Buddy was extremely nervous and fidgeted in his chair.  I began providing him with some basic guidelines and expectations of what to expect over the next 30 minutes and ask Buddy if he had any questions.   Buddy responded with the single word, “Nope.”  I began with my first question, “Tell me about a time you had to prioritize your tasks where you put customer service first. “

Buddy’s responses were right on the mark.  However, I was extremely distracted.  After every four word phrase out of his mouth, he ended the phrase or thought with, “And everything.”

I am a believer that every person has a signature phrase or twitch that becomes apparent when faced with either one of two situations–either autopilot conversations or interactions that make the person uncomfortable or nervous.  Buddy’s signature phrase, “And everything” didn’t just occur during either of these situations, it was part of his every day life.

And Buddy’s response to my first interview questions was something like this with a southern country twang, “While I was helping a customer and everything, another employee and everything would ask me to help them and everything unload some new merchandise and everything.  I would tell the employee and everything that I would help them in a few minutes and everything and get back to helping my customer and everything.”

I was floored, taken back, and extremely distracted.  As the interview progressed, I found myself listening less and less to Buddy’s responses and spending time counting the number of “And everything’s” he had throughout the interview.  In just 25 minutes, Buddy had more than 75 “And everything’s.”

No, I’m not kidding.

The interview finished and later that week, I extended Buddy a job offer.  We hired Buddy for a temporary stocking position which was not the initial customer service position he applied for.  I just couldn’t imagine him engaging my customers and providing them great service that didn’t prove to be extremely distracting and confusing to the customer.  And over the next several months and even today, I can still hear myself in my mind finishing sentences during presentations and other interactions with Buddy’s signature phrase, “And everything.”

Buddy worked for us for the busy season and was brought on as a regular full-time employee and eventually was promoted to a customer service position.  We learned to enjoy Buddy and his uniqueness.   He was a great salesperson who we could rely on and worked for us for more than 1 1/2 years.

And while Buddy’s story brought laughter to many I have shared I learned a lot from him both personally and professional.  He is the reason I joined Toast Masters and learned that being able to communicate effectively in the professional world is extremely important.  He also taught me why it’s important not to always be so quick to judge others and everything.

My HCG Diet Journey

Beginning next week I will start a new and hopefully life changing adventure.  I will be starting the HCG diet.  The diet which last six weeks has two components, the HCG injections and the low calorie diet.

HCG stands for the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone which has been used to facilitate rapid loss of weight.  HCG is actually a hormone produced in pregnancy which functions by inducing a structure in the ovary of pregnant women to produce progesterone, which maintains the thickness of the uterus during the course of the pregnancy.

The HCG injections are given to the patient either by themselves or by a doctor 4 times a week.  HCG is believed to work by endowing the individual the ability to tolerate a sharp decrease in calories during a very low calorie diet without feeling the usual hunger pants and related anxiety.  It is also believed to selectively remove fat from specific areas of the body like the abdomen, butt, and thighs.

The second part of the diet is a reduced calorie intake of just 500 calories per day.  I will be limited to drinking tea, coffee, and water.  No more creamer or sweetened tea for me.  I’ll also be eating just two meals a day with a limited amount of meat that must be boiled or grilled without additional fat as well as fruit and limited veggies.

The amount of weight loss one has on this diet varies from 20-40+ lbs. depending on a variety of factors.  My goal is to lose 2-3 dress sizes not so much focusing on pounds but my overall body change.

Being a new mother within the last year along with other stress , I have not lost the baby weight like I thought I would.  There are not enough hours in the day to fit in hours of exercise that I need to lose the pounds and inches.  And while I have tried to eat healthy and exercise, there hasn’t been any real results which I’m sure can be attributed to my hectic and somewhat stressful lifestyle that I now have coupled with the less than sound sleep I sometimes get these days.

Is the diet controversial?  Yes, it is, but I’ve done my research, consulted a doctor, and have made the decision to make a drastic change that will positively change my life forever.  And since my blog is anonymous as Mommy X, I have made the decision to blog honestly and openly about my journey over the next six weeks and beyond.

I will be posting several times a week over the next six weeks with real thoughts and feelings about my dieting experience.  I will weigh in weekly and am considering posting photos of my body as it changes from the neck down of course.  I hope to educate and inspire other mother, women, and dieters throughout my journey.

Boogers and Baseball

A few weeks ago I traveled and attended a major league baseball game with some friends of mine and their family along with my husband and baby.  We grabbed some grub and made our way to the nose bleed section where we began enjoying the game.  Baby X enjoyed watching the people come and go as well as the cool breeze on her face.  Hubby X, myself, baby, and friends were having a good time.

My friend’s children, 7 and 10 began to get restless into the beginning of the third inning.  Shirts were tugged and conversations were interrupted.  My friend’s oldest Sarah pestered Friend X for a kleenex to which my friend casually told her to use one of the napkins we had from our hotdogs and popcorn.  My friend and I continued on our conversation.

Less than 15 minutes later, Sarah slid over to us again and whispered something in my friend’s ear.  My friend glanced over to the woman who sat directly in front of Sarah.  And there it was–a booger.

Not just any booger but a the biggest booger I have ever seen in my life and squarely placed in the hair of the woman in front of us.  “Oh my gosh,” I said.

“Sarah, how did that happen?” my friend asked.

Sarah says mortified, “It slipped out of my nose while I was breathing.  Mommy, please don’t tell anyone.”

All three of us sat entranced staring at the giant booger while we weighed our options.  I’ve never seen anything quite so big and from a 10 year old no less.  I quietly played out the different scenarios in my head.  How does one tell a complete stranger that a giant booger is in her hair?

By this time, the boys–my husband, my friend’s husband, and their son, Joshua got wind that something was up.

“Way, cool,” Joshua said.

While Sarah squirmed my friend’s husband quickly took a picture with his cell phone.  “Evidence,” he said.  “No one will believe us.”

After careful contemplation we did what most any person would do in a difficult situation such as this, we chose to avoid the confrontation all together and abruptly leave the stadium and head back to the hotel.

“Hopefully, she’ll take a shower before she goes to bed,” my friend says.

Feeling extremely guilty and disgusted I said, “So do I.”

Signing with Baby

Baby X is now almost 8 months, and Hubby X and I are working hard with her each and every day teaching her how to use baby sign language.  Last week after Hubby X returned from a short trip, Baby X signed “Daddy” for the first time. Hubby and I were speechless! Me being the very emotional type, I cried.

Hubby and I have been working with Baby X for 3 months. She has two different videos we alternate with her that she watches 3-4 times a week. The first is “Baby Signs” by Baby Hands and the second is “Baby Einstein First Signs” We picked up both at our local Babies R Us. Hubby and I also sign as often as we can when talking to X. I want her to be comfortable using verbal language and signing at the same time.

We have caught Baby X signing three separate distinct signs which is very uncommon. Most babies don’t begin signing until 1 year. X has signed daddy, eat, and milk. By having Baby X sign, we hope to stimulate her language development and lessen her frustration when she is trying to communicate.

I’ve also recently learned that Gymboree offers a parent and baby signing class . Additionally, they have some great singing books as well that are affordable. Mine should be arriving early next week.