July Food Shopping....9 Days Down **Amended**

I was finally able to go to Ollie's again since the June Food Stamp Challenge is over.  Remember, Ollie's doesn't accept EBT so that is why I hadn't gone in June.
They still had some of the Olive Oil I wanted to get......so I got some!lol

3 x EVOO from California $1.99=$5.97
2 x Enchilada Sauce $.79=$1.58
1 x Juicy Juice (cherry)=$1.69
1 x Act II Popcorn=$2.29
SubTotal.....$11.53

Everything in the store was on sale the week of July 4th for 15% off so I got a $1.73 discount off the already discounted prices! 8-))
$11.53-$1.73=$9.80 OOP
Reg.Retail Value....$21.33

I also went to Price Chopper(NE) last week.  I had 9 doubler coupons from the Sunday paper(you could only use 3 per trip).
I had a very hard time finding stuff I wanted that was cheapish that would be free or cheap after coupons were doubled.  You could only use sunday insert or magazine/etc. coupons with the doublers not Internet printed coupons so that cut down even more on what I had to pick from to buy.
The 3 things I planned on buying with the doublers were either out of stock or they didn't carry to begin with....crap!
So I ended up with....
1 bag of Herr's chips...used a $1/1 Q+a doubler=$1.49
2 containers of BestLife Butter Spread(for daughter)...used 2 $1/1 Qs+2 doublers=$.29 ea.=$.58
1 can of Chef Michael Dog Food...used free item Q=$.00
2 tubs of Grands(on sale $1.91)....used 2 $1/1 instant dairy store Q=$.91 ea.=$1.82
2 packs of AlFresco Chicken Sausage(on sale $3.50)...used 2 $2/1 Qs=$1.50 ea.=$3.00
SubTotal...$6.89+$.06 tax=$6.95 OOP
Reg. Retail Value...$23.88

I hit the Bakery Outlet as well...
Total....$10.00 OOP
Reg. Retail Value...$39.70 + a free loaf of bread for spending $10=$42.69


This week I picked up a few things Tuesday when I took the nephew up to the grocery store....
6 x jars of organic applesauce on sale $1 ea.=$6.00
1 x Cantaloupe on sale=$1.98
1 x Iceberg Lettuce on sale=$.98
1/2 lb. of Turkey Pastrami on sale=$1.90
1 Gallon of Milk=$3.32
3 Cream Cheese on sale $.99=$2.97
2 x TV Dinners(for #2 son)on sale $1.25=$2.50
Total....$19.65 OOP
No coupons used.
Reg. Retail Value....$28.25


On Wednesday I hit up Weis checking for clearance meats....

14lbs. chicken breast=$33.31
4.96lb. steak/stew beef=$28.90
1.58lb. pork chops=$6.30
1lb. ham slices=$1.98 marked down already
SubTotal....$70.49
DISCOUNTS
BOGO on the chicken -$16.52 & Instant Meat Dept. Discounts  -$18.75=$35.27
$70.49-$35.27=$35.22 for 21.54lbs. of meat

I also bought a 2lb. bag of Shrimp on sale for $13.98($6.99lb.)
I also used a Free DiGiorno Pizza($3.00) and a Free McCormick Spice Sensations Q($1.99).
#2 son needed a pack of tiny spiral notepads for Band Camp...$.99

Total....$50.19 + $.06 tax=$50.25 OOP
Reg. Retail Value...$88.70


Then I hit Family Dollar for junk food/drinks for #2 son.  We had gotten a flyer in the mail with coupons and a $5 off a $25 order coupon too.

4 x 12pk. soda  w/Q $2.50ea.=$10.00
3 x Koolaid Mix w/sugar w/Q $2ea.=$6.00
1 x Lipton Tea Bags $2.00--there was a $.50/1 ManuQ tearpad next to the bags but the cashier somehow rang it up twice so they ended up=$1.00 instead of $1.50
2 x Cornbread Mix $.45=$.90
1 x Gravy Train Dog Food=$5.25  went looking for the larger bags on sale for $8...
1 x Ramen Noodles=$1.00 the kid lives on these in the summer...I need to buy stock in the company!
1 x Small Spiral Notepads (3 pack)=$1.15
After discounts and coupons total came to....$21.10 w/tax
Reg. Retail Value....$31.80


July Food Spending to Date....$117.75

Sluggy

Rite-Aid this Week......

Here's my haul from Rite-Aid this week....













What do you mean you don't see anything???
Could it be?
You don't mean that........Sluggy hasn't GONE TO RITE-AID THIS WEEK?!?!?!

Contrary to what you may think, the Earth has NOT spun off it's axis!

I still have tons of gift cards and an allergy gift certificate that expires on the 15th so I WILL have to go to Rite-Aid before then to use it.

But I still have those 7 boxes of leftovers from the flea market in May.
And just doing some moderate Rite-Aid shopping here and there since then here is what I've accumulated in the last 2 months......

Except for the dark milk crate under the front Rite-Aid bag(that's my glade oil refills/candle stash), I've got 6 more boxes & 2 bags full.  And this is all HBA, not counting the food I bought there in the last 2 months.

So no Rite-Aid for me this week....

Sluggy

It's "Time" To Win Stuff!

Have you got a minute to spare?
How about a minute....to win something??

My blogging buddy, ANNIE JONES is having a Giveaway for a $60 CSN Stores Gift Certificate.
Go check out the details HERE.

Then check out all the neat stuff over on CSN STORES.  
Did you see something you would like?

But time waits for no man(or woman!) so you'd better hurry on over HERE because the 'sun sets' on this Giveaway on July 13th.

I'm sorry this post is so lame......it's about as creative as I am capable of today....lol

Sluggy

Trying to Get Back into a Groove

I've been all out of whack lately.

Besides the July 4th holiday weekend, it's also the 1st anniversary of my oldest brother's death.  Last 4th of July was spent driving a 1000 mile triangular route in the span of 3 days from NE PA to VA to NW PA back to NE PA and included a funeral and picking up #2 son up from summer camp.  It was like a high speed rollercoaster ride through an emotional amusement park those 3 days.
Long story short, my brother had been in a vegetative state since Jan. '08 after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.
His body gave out last June 29th, 18 months after the stroke, without him ever regaining consciousness.
Needless to say, we didn't feel much like partying this year either and I've felt a tad not myself.

This 4th of July weekend involved trips across the state to pick up a kid from summer camp and trips to the ER at 3am.  BIL's foot will be fine btw.....  Now we are into the July pre-Band Camp rehearsal season. 

Between feeling out of sorts and this unseasonably hot weather I am finding it difficult to get anything accomplished.  I start plenty of stuff but I just don't have any 'umph' to follow through to the end lately.
Plus I've been cranky and irritable.....not that DH or the teens will say they can NOTICE a difference there. ;-)

I just don't feel like doing anything.
And everything & everyone annoys me.
About the only thing I can concentrate on is whining to you all.....aren't you lucky??lol

I'm trying to find my groove again.  Maybe tomorrow will be better...

Sluggy

The 1st Harvest.....Ahead of Schedule

Well I ventured into the outdoor oven yesterday(aka the backyard) and harvested our 1st veggies from the garden.

I had brought the nephew over to swim so he helped me cut the stalks I couldn't reach....

A pile of Collards!
Pretty meager for our 1st harvest but it's a start.....
I've never picked anything this early in the growing season but the extra warm weather all of June has hurried things along in the garden this year.  This is my first year growing Collards.
The smallest of the leaves was well over 18 inches long.

I had bought a bag of Collards to augment this batch since I knew I wouldn't have enough to cook a whole pot this time.  They were mighty good and if the bugs don't eat too much before I need to pick them again, I'll have another large pot worth to cook.

My mom loved her some collards.  My father hated the smell so she was forced to wait until he went out of town on business overnight to cook them.  She cooked them old school with fatback, potatoes and cornmeal dumplings, like her mother had fixed them.  I never developed a taste for cornmeal dumplings so I cook them with bacon inside of fatback and leave out the potatoes too.

I saw Paula Deen make fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and collards a couple of weeks ago.  Now the frying part makes me drool but collards and cream cheese?!?!
Doesn't quite sound right to me.....lol

So what has your garden produced this week?


Sluggy