We’ve gotten a lot of new readers this summer, whether it’s on Facebook, Threads, or our daily email.  Thank you so much for spreading the word about Wisconsin Consumer!  Because of all these new readers who have not been with me from the beginning, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about who I am and why I am here.

• I was born and raised in Green Bay, the youngest of seven kids. Money was always tight when I was growing up. A big back yard garden and foraging for wild fruit was definitely a big part of growing up.
• My dad was a teacher, then principal, and when the Department of Education was created in 1980, he became the Supervisor of the Federal Programs of the Green Bay Public Schools, overseeing programs like Head Start. Mom was a Stay-at-Home-Mom who eventually went back to work when I was about eight; she worked at Dolly Madison Bakery Thrift Store for the next 30 years.
• I’ve been married for 28 years and have four kids ages 16 – 23. My husband was raised on a dairy farm; one of his FIVE sisters is also a farmer who has diversified to raising beef cattle and converted their parents’ barn into Hidden Treasures Barn | Event Venue | Waupaca County Wisconsin
• When naming my kids, I did my best not to “Jennifer” them yet not get too weird. 
• At one point in my life, I went through a spendthrift phase. Luckily it did not last.
• Some of my role models growing up: Nancy Drew, Laura Holt, Jennifer Hart, Nellie Bly, Cokie Roberts, and Erin Davisson. Detectives and Journalists. Inspiration for the name The Bargain Sleuth and inspiration for what I do here. Sleuthing to find the best deals and writing about them.
• Places I’ve worked: Bay Park Square Cinema (when it was in the mall), Green Bay Press Gazette, WQLH (Star 98), WMGV-Oshkosh (now WVBO), The Attic Books and Coffee, Brown County Library, Festival Foods, WFRV-TV. I most recently spent 6 1/2 years at the Green Bay Packers working at the Hall of Fame and then in their Ecommerce department.
• Favorite TV shows: The West Wing, Stargate SG-1, Firefly, Farscape, The Monkees, Remington Steele, Castle, Hart to Hart, Smallville, The Newsroom, Charmed, Gilmore Girls, and Little House on the Prairie.
• I am a voracious reader. Check out my other website, Bargain Sleuth Reviews. Whether it’s Cozy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Celebrity Memoir, books on American History, or highlighting Wisconsin Authors, I have a broad range of reading. I’ll be sharing the many ways I get free books/ebooks sometime in the future.
• I’m an ornament collector. I do recycle themes and ornaments and have whittled down my themes to the bare minimum. If you’d like to see some of my past trees, check this out: Merry Christmas from The Bargain Sleuth! And if you have a business that you’d like gussied-up with seasonal trees, I highly recommend Carmy Christmas. You can see her work at Vintage Rose Bakery in De Pere among other places.
• I never met a pizza I didn’t like. Some of my favorites are Riverside Pizza, Glass Nickel, and Sammy’s Pizza.
• I have one leg that is a full two inches shorter than the other?!
• I’ve failed at things. But I’ve succeeded at many, too. I finished my dual major college degrees when I was 35 and after several attempts.  It’s never too late to go back to school (yet so much easier to do when you don’t have young kids –trust me on this one!)

Here are some things specifically about Wisconsin Consumer (and sister site, Bargain Sleuth Reviews):

• Starting in 2009 I ran my original Bargain Sleuth blog, Green Bay Consumer, a now-defunct website much like this, and for a time, both GBC and Madison Consumer.
• Wisconsin Consumer is done in my spare time, after my 40-hour work week, meaning some weeks I may not get to all features like my favorite Deals of the Week at local grocery stores. If this side gig made much money, I’d probably do it fulltime. I do have ads on the site, but any monies raised help pay for web hosting.
• I always say you either have to laugh or cry, and I almost always choose laughter.
• I’m not just a consumer advocate.
  • I am a fierce supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community.
  • I do my part to try to erase the stigma of Mental Health Issues.
  • I also try to educate people on Disability Issues, whether they are visible or not.
  • I am a big proponent of Public Libraries, Public Education, Public Art, Public TV, Public Healthcare, Public Parks, and more.
  • I do many things that qualify as homesteading, but I’m definitely not a Trad Wife.
  • I try to promote donating to pantries when you discover a good deal
• I know Wisconsin is the drunkest state in the country and many joke about it, but not me. You will rarely find me promoting events where alcohol is the theme. Hops on the Hill, Boozy Bookfair, Board and Brew, etc. As I could see from the responses I got from posting Appleton and Green Bay’s Cafe Crawls earlier this year, it appears a lot of people are looking for alcohol-free events, or events where the main activity isn’t drinking alcohol.
• I love lifting up local businesses in my actions and in my words. But heaven help me, if a local business is using that AI slop to make a poster, I simply won’t promote. I know that smaller businesses don’t have graphic designers on hand, but I would rather see something like below before I promote AI.
• I am planning some giveaways in September and December. If you know of a Wisconsin business that would be interested in participating, please feel free to reach out. It’s a great way to celebrate all the great local and state-wide businesses.

Thanks so much for becoming a reader of Wisconsin Consumer and continuing to tell others about this resource for people in Wisconsin. It is truly appreciated and does not go unnoticed.

Have a tip, idea, or something you want me to investigate? Let me know!