My Neighbor or Putting UP with the Joneses....

As I have mentioned before, the guy who lives across the street from us has owned a big ass 5th wheel RV for most of the 10 years we've lived here.
It's an eyesore!
Not that it's a broken down piece of junk or anything.....it's just that this huge  metal box sits parked in his not very long driveway....
All.
Year.
Long.
It takes up the whole driveway and they barely have room to squeeze their 2 suv/trucks into the driveway next to it.
To say it's visual clutter is an understatement......

And here is the improved view when it's not parked there.....

 

I should say it sits in their driveway except for the scant 2 weeks a year they take it out somewhere and stay in it....if they take it out for that long each year!  
 I know they never take it far away since often while they are 'gone' for the 2 weeks, the husband will appear at the house to get the mail or something.  I know he's not driving home from a far distance to do this and then drive right back to wherever the RV is parked.


 Even though we are on a hill, I feel like that big cluttering monstrosity blocks the sunlight and makes me feel claustrophobic when I sit out on my front porch since I can't see down the road beyond that behemoth.

It's like having someone's house sitting right on the edge of their property, since you can see no sunlight between the garage and the RV, and the RV ends maybe 2 feet from the side of the road at his mailbox.  Heck, when he puts his garbage out each week, it sits at the end of his driveway and the front end of the RV overhangs the bags of garbage.  God help the sanitation worker who forgets to duck when he/she goes to retrieve his trash......

So anyway, for 2 weeks out of the year, I am blesses with clear sight lines and not having to look out at the ugly ass huge hunk-o-metal of a vehicle.  Every year, my soul gets sad when they bring it home to sit for the other  50 weeks of the year.

Why don't they store it somewhere...you know, somewhere appropriate, with other overgrown toys of it's kind?  I bet it gets lonely and feels unloved most of the year and would be much happier playing with it's own kind.

If they can't afford to store it somewhere appropriate, they could at least park it in their backyard, which they never use anyway....or at least store it lengthwise on the other side of their house so it's not sticking out like the big ugly sore thumb it is in my visual life.

So I got excited this summer when the Behemoth RV disappeared and was gone for 4 WEEKS!
As week 3 and then week 4 passed a small glimmer of hope grew in my being.....a glimmer that maybe it was gone for good, or at least gone from the driveway where it sits for 351 days out of the year.

But, my hopes were crushed last month, when the old Behemoth was replaced with a brand spanking new 2011 RV model.
Just as big and ugly but shinier! and maybe a tad bigger since there seems to be less space/light between where the garage ends and this overpriced/underused piece of shit vehicle begins.

I looked up what this baby costs new.
Can you say in the neighborhood of $45,000?!?!
Hey, that's great if you can afford it.
And I am sure on the surface this guy CAN afford it, since he owns his own insurance agency.  I don't know if he still has a mortgage and if his 2 later model vehicles are paid for....but they don't seem to spend money on groceries or go out to eat much, since his wife NEVER leaves the house at all! and they only have 1 kid to pay for/raise.
So spending their money on a big ass toy is not my problem with them.

But it a problem for me to spend this kind of money on something that you park in your driveway and DON'T USE for 50 WEEKS A YEAR!
Maybe it's just "me" but.....it doesn't sound like a good use of your money, unless your last name is Gates, or Buffet or King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia or something.
Doing this is like buying a new BMW luxury car and only driving it 14 days out of the year.
Seriously......who does this?!?!
Who spends $45K on something so it can sit and rust year after year?

If you want to vacation in a luxury RV for only 2 weeks a year, why not RENT ONE!?
I am sure it would be scads cheaper than buying one and letting it rot in your driveway for years between your infrequent trips in it.
If he thinks he is 'impressing' anyone by having it parked in his driveway, he needs to think again.
All he is doing is pissing ME off!
And he shouldn't be pissing me off right now......I have colanders filled with ripe tomatoes and I know how to throw them..... ;-)

I'm off to go warm up my pitching arm.....

Sluggy

A Shopping Bender....Well For Me At Least

I went grocery/drug store shopping 4, count 'em 4 times yesterday!

I had planned a day's outing to hit some sales on the other side of town.....well the next town over really, since my town is not even big enough to have a 'side'.lol
But I didn't get out of the house in time to do all those errands in one run and make dinner and take care of some other things here.
So I hit the nearest grocery store for the broccoli I needed for my pot pie for dinner and 2 bags of onions(on BOGO special so that's why I got 2)and to use some Qs to get #2 son some Kool-Aid packets and Dipping Honey Mustard for cheap.  All totaled I spent $7.64 there and saved $5.78.

While I was out I hit, what else?!?....Rite-Aid!
And did this damage.....

3 x HerbaShine Hair Coloring on sale $5.99=$17.97
1 x Listerine Zero on sale=$2.99
1 x Celestial Seasonings Tea on sale=$1.99
1 x Crest Toothpaste on sale=$2.99
SubTotal...$25.94

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$25 from HERE=$5.00
3 x $3/1 HerbaShine Hair Coloring IPQ HERE=$9.00
1 x $1/$10 any Hair Care Purchase Wellness Q(link sent to you from Rite-Aid if you are a wellness member)=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Listerine Zero ManuQ(last Sunday's inserts)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine AdPerks/VV IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Celestial Seasonings IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Toothpaste ManuQ(P&G insert)=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.00

$25.94-$20.00=$5.94
Used 2 x $2 +Ups=$1.94 OOP put on gift card
Well, that was what it was suppose to be!
I just discovered while reading the receipt that the Tea rang up $.92, not $1.99!  I went back later that evening and bought another flavor and that rang up the correct price.  I guess this flavor was being clearanced?....but there was no tag on the shelf.  It was the Chamomile flavor if you want to check your stores there for it.  So I was paid .08¢ after the coupon & received a $1+Up to bring it home. ;-)

So my new subtotal was $24.87....but with the tax on the hair coloring it was over $25 before coupons and tax were deducted so the $5 off $25 still worked.

$24.87-$20.00(coupons)=$4.87.
Deduct the $4 in +Ups=$.87 Out of pocket put on my ever present Rite-Aid gift card.
Value of Items purchased....$36.94
I received in +Up Rewards....$5(Garnier Buy $15), $2(Crest), $1(Listerine), $1(Celestial Seasonings)=$9.00

After getting the family squared away and fed I went back to Rite-Aid....

4 x Bounty Basic Towels on sale $.88=$3.52
1 x Listerine Zero on sale=$2.99
1 x Celestial Seasonings Tea on sale=$1.99
1 x Lamasil Spray-On on sale=$7.99
2 x Oreo Cookies on sale $3.00=$6.00
1 x Gallon of Milk=$3.25
SubTotal...$25.74

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$25 from HERE=$5.00
2 x $1/2 Bounty Towels ManuQ(P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine Zero IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine AdPerks/VV IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Celestial Seasonings IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Lamasil Spray-On IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x BOGO Oreo Cookies WYB Milk(from Facebook, not available now)=$3.00
1 x $.75/1 Oreo Cookies ManuQ(tearpad from Jan., no longer available)=$.75
1 x $1/2 Oreo Cookies AdPerks/VV IPQ HERE=$1.00
Coupon Total....$16.75

$25.74-$16.75=$8.99
Used +Ups...($5, $3)$8.00=$.99 OOP put on gift card
Value of Items purchased....$37.96
I received in +Up Rewards....$1(Nabisco), $1(Listerine), $1(Celestial Seasonings)=$3.00
And I qualified for $6.00 in SCRs(Lamasil)=$6.00

THESE TRIPS
Total Spent....$1.86 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$74.90
SCR qualified for...$6.00(Lamasil)=$6.00
+Up Rewards earned...$12.00
+Up Rewards spent...$12.00
These trips were a $6 moneymaker.

MONTHLY TOTALS-September Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......10
Total Spent....$18.87 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$374.44
SCR qualified for....$9 in cash and $10 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....a Glam Bag
+Up Rewards spent....$70.50
+Up Rewards earned....$99.50

Total 'Spent'...$17.01 on gift cards
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$3
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$10+Glam Bag
+Up Rewards left to spend=$29.00

And I closed out my shopping spree evening at Weis Markets....

3 x Krunchers Chips on sale $2.00=$6.00
3 x Grande Tortilla Chips on sale $2.00=$6.00
2 x French's Dipping Honey Mustard $2.29=$4.58
2 x Weis Block Cheese on sale BOGO=$2.50
1 x Roasting Chicken=$5.55
SubTotal....$24.63

Coupons Used
3 x $1/1 Krunchers ManuQ=$3.00
3 x $1/1 Grande ManuQ=$3.00
2 x $1/1 French's Dipping ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Instant Meat Dept. Q=$2.00
Coupon Total....$10.00

I also used one of my $3.00 OYNO of Beef or Chicken Cats and a $10 OYN Cat for an additional $13 off=$23.00 in coupons.
$24.63-$23.00=$1.63 OOP for everything!

Analysis....
At $1 a bag after coupons, the crunchy snack food was a great deal and we were fresh out of salty junk for the Hubs and #2 son.  The son likes this dipping mustard stuff and my coupons are expiring soon so I picked up a couple of bottles....better to buy it for a buck cheaper now than a buck more next month, right?   Do I really have to explain inexpensive BOGO cheese?lol
And I couldn't turn down the chicken...it was $3.55 after the instant discount and with the chicken Cat my cost was $.55.  I'll be substituting it for something else in this week's meal plan menu.  It's great to have a meal plan to save you dollars but you need to be flexible enough that when a great deal happens you can roll with it and change up your menu ;-)

So what great deals have you found so far this week?  Let us know by leaving a comment!

Sluggy

Apples for Days Redux

Since it is once again APPLE SEASON, I thought I'd repost my crockpot applesauce recipe from last October 28th.
I'll be hitting the farm stand in the next couple of weeks to pick up a load of apples for preserving.
Sluggy


So what do you do when you go to the farmstand and there's a half bushel of homely apples priced at only $5.00 calling your name?




You buy them!
And that is just what I did.
I brought home a huge sack of Ugly Apples last week.
These are the less than perfect looking apples that nobody wants in their Peck or half Peck Bag of apples.  You know....scarred skins, not quite the perfect color, not quite the perfect shape &/or bruised.  The kid working at the stand said that after you picked over them and got rid of the bad ones,  at least they would be good for one pot of applesauce.
Ha!....little did he know!!

So I set to peeling and coring these babies to make some applesauce.  Making homemade applesauce it so easy too!
First thing is to select your apples and wash them thoroughly. I chose enough apples to fill my crockpot...about 17 apples.

Next you peel(if you want to peel them)and core them.

Since my ugly apples might have been riddled with bad spots, bruises, I chose to peel them first.
After about half I realized that my ugly babies did NOT have any bad spots.  They were just "skin challenged" with ugly scarred peels.  So I didn't peel the last part of the batch.  It's better if you leave the skins on, as most of the vitamins and "stuff that is good for you" is just under the peel.  Your applesauce will pack a bigger nutritional punch this way.

Then came the coring...

I LOVE my little apple corer.  It cost me $1.00 at the discount outlet.  It makes this job go so quickly too!

After coring/peeling, put your apple slices in a bowl in which you've put some water and lemon juice(you can used bottle juice, it doesn't have to be fresh squeezed).  The lemon water helps them not to brown while waiting to go into the crockpot.  Actually, since it really doesn't matter if the slices brown, you don't have to put lemon on them.  It's just a force of habit for me to lemon the apples. lol

Spray your crockpot with a spray oil to make cleaning easier.  This is optional however.

Then drain the lemon water off and put your apples in the crockpot, put on the lid and turn it on.
Don't add water!
That's it.....just walk away!

Now you can cook them down on LOW or HIGH.  Low will take about 5 hours, while High will cook them into sauce in about 2-3 hours.

You'll know when they are done when the house smells heavenly and they look like this....

(The large pieces in the photo are peel, not apple.)

When your apples are finished cooking, turn off the crockpot, stir it up and taste for sweetness.  If it's a bit tart for your taste, you can add some sugar or other sweetener at this point.  Also add cinnamon now if you want some in your batch.

If you didn't peel your apples and don't want the peels in the finished product, just fish them out after your applesauce cools.  Your applesauce at this point will be a bit chunky.
If you want it fine and smooth, get out a food mill.

Pour the sauce in and start milling into a bowl or pan.  If you are going to mill, don't bother fishing out your peels beforehand.  The mill will keep your peels from winding up in your finished product.
And speaking of finished product, here it is....

Ready for eating!
If you make a lot you can water bath can applesauce or put into freezer-safe containers and freeze any excess for later.
It will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.

My 17 medium-sized apples made a 6 Cup container(48 oz.)of applesauce.

If you wish to make Apple Butter at this point, just put your sauce back into the crockpot, add spices according to any good Apple Butter recipe you have/find and continue to cook it down until you have the consistency and the brown color of apple butter.  You can also water bath can your Apple Butter to store it longer.

I'll get out both Crockpots & do another 2 batches tomorrow of Chunky Applesauce.  That should keep us in applesauce for a couple of months.
The rest of the apples will be made into Apple Pie Filling later this week.

Sluggy

Harvesting Again and Weekly Meal Plan

Just a quick update on the garden.....
Hubs picked tomatoes again on Saturday.

That's another 11 lb. 7.8 oz. worth.
And I found these 2 peppers on Sunday.....

These babies are a combined weight of 4.4 oz.

Does any one have any good recipes for using Italian Roasting Peppers, beyond telling me to "roast" them?lol

This Harvest--
TOTAL....11lb. 12.2oz.
Garden Harvest Weight Total to date....53lb. 8.02 oz.

I can't believe we've harvested over 53 POUNDS of food so far from our tiny garden!
Wow.....

And from the sublime into the mundane.....lol.....

Here is my Meal Plan for this week.
Sunday--Italian Sausage Sandwiches on Onion Rolls, Corn *Done
Monday--Meatloaf, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Baby Veggie Medley *Done
Tuesday--Chicken Broccoli Carrot Pot Pie
Wednesday--Baked Catfish w/Lemon Pepper, Rice & Pepper Saute, Collard Greens
Thursday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tossed Salad
Friday--Clam Chowder, Rolls
Saturday--Leftover Feast

The Mashed Potatoes, Pot Pie and Rolls w/the Chowder are to use some of those 24 Pillsbury/Betty Crocker items I got last week....of course!  Next week we'll work on the Old El Paso.lol

I got a big pile of Ground Beef last weekend and made 3 batches of meatballs up for the freezer and the Meatloaf that was served on Monday.  1 of the batches of meatballs will be used on Thursday, leaving me 2 batches for later.  The sausage, chicken, fish, clams, rice, corn, pasta sauce and pasta are all things in the freezer or stockpile.  The peppers(for the saute)and the collards are from the garden.  So the only items I need to buy this week is lettuce for the salad and broccoli for the pot pie.  I will also pick up a couple of heads of cabbage this week as it's on sale and I'll incorporate it three times into next week's menu.  I also need onions. These veggies should run me at the most $8.
I'll also be picking up more fruit(pears and peaches on sale), milk and some other deals(using coupons), plus be using the Shursave grocery's Cats before they expire this week.  I stocked up at the bread store last week so we are set for bread products for the next 2 weeks or so.
My grocery spending for this month is at $203.44 now, so I have $46.56 left until the 1st of Oct. 

Off to the store now and then to start the pot pie...

Sluggy

Calling all You NorthEast/Central PA Bloggers.....Yes, I Mean YOU!

I went on an online hunt last week.
A hunt to find other Blogs written by folks who live in my neck of the woods.
My neck if the woods meaning northeastern or central Pennsylvania.
But I guess I am not very good at being Troy Dunn......ok so that was a pretty obscure reference to the star of that WE TV show THE LOCATOR...but still....

My search came up empty except for a couple of political ranting blogs around here that aren't updated more than once or twice a year.   I suppose I need to make more of an effort.

I just would like to link up with other bloggers of all kinds in this region.  Maybe exchange links or put up a page to promote all our blogs out there in the WorldWideW.  I'm not looking to become your BFF(but if that happens, whattheheck!) or to stalk you(Please!!... I have enough drama already in my life without that!).  I just want to connect with fellow Pennsylvania bloggers in our region.

Heck, if there is interest enough we might even end up holding a conference or some other kind of gathering!

Not quite this over-the-top....

Not quite this bizarre and wrong on so many levels.......

Not quite this strange.....

Not quite this lame......

But more like this....

.....Without the hats and corset of course....unless you really want to wear one.

Anyway, if you have a blog and you would like to connect with other bloggers in the northeastern and central PA regions(meaning anywhere from State College east to Stroudsburg and from Allentown north to the PA/NY line or Susquehanna County to any place within this framework)please email me at the address on my contact page.  Please include the URL or a link to your blog homepage too....if you are reading this I can assume you already know where my blog is located. ;-)

Let's hear from all you PA bloggers!

Sluggy