Brain Dump....Random Things on My Mind

Ok, if MARK can do a Photo Dump on his blog, I am allowed to do a Brain Dump on my blog.
Yes, I said Brain Dump....deal with it!
You know....just putting all the random crap that bounces around in your head out on cyber-paper so you can stop thinking about it.

*I woke up this morning and my teeth all seem loose.  I don't know WHAT I was doing in my sleep(grinding, clenching?)but they seriously hurt!  I take pretty good care of my teeth and have regular check-ups.  Heck, last time the dentist couldn't find a speck of tartar on my chopper and I have no gum disease.  But today they hurt like a bitch and I am waiting for the Tooth Fairy to be making an appearance.

*You know what irritates me?.....Ok, that's a very long list....but something recently.
Mormon mommy bloggers.
Let me say first off, I have nothing against Mormons....unless they are on my front doorstep trying to give me literature.  (But then again, I don't want ANY devoteé on my front doorstep selling me religion.)
I believe everyone can/should believe what they want.  But please, keep it sacred and to yourself, much like your genitals.  Don't be whipping those or your religion out in public to beat anyone over the head with it to prove that yours is better than mine.  Ok, bad metaphor but you know what I mean.

Mormon mommy bloggers are fascinating.  So domestic and so uplifting and perky all the time most of the time on their blogs.  You can't tell me that even the most patient Mormon mommy blogger doesn't have moments when their brood drives them stark raving mad and they don't want to throttle their kids....C'mon!
And this NieNie person?  I want to know what her husband does for a living to afford all the money they seem to be dropping on airplane tickets, trips, stuff, etc.  And he must have one heck of a flexible schedule to be jetting off everywhere at a moment's notice.  And she needs to lay off the proselytizing and Mitt Romney links because she is driving folks away with that. My advice?....Stick to photos of your kids and telling your survivor story cuz those rock!

*And since we are on the subject of Mormons, it's but a short step to my next BD topic.....those Sister Wives folks on the TLC channel.
I confess, I have watched that show from the beginning.  I really like some of them though I do think that Cody guy is full of himself and tad bit narcissistic.
I woke up earlier this week as I was coming out of a vivid dream.  The dream was about the Sister Wives.  In the dream I was worrying about the IRS implications of the Sister Wives family.  I know.....I have too much time on my hands even when I am asleep.
But you have to admit, that come tax time, being part of a polygamist family has to be a nightmare!
Wife #1 is legally married by government standards and they have 1 kid & 2 incomes.  So they take a tax hit.
Wife #2 also works and has 6 kids.  Not legally married, does she file as Head of Household or Single?
And she makes out with 6 tax deductions.
Wife #3 is the problem for me.  She also has 6 kids but doesn't work so has no income to claim.  What must the IRS drone who gets her return think?  7 deductions and no visible means of support.....
Wife #4 has 3 kids from a previous marriage....who takes the deduction for the kids?  She must get some form of child support.

*I have had my eBay Store reopened for almost 2 weeks now and I am already having problems with stupid people. 
I had someone send me a Question to Seller asking the specific size of a miniature doll, as well as asking me to take the doll out of the sealed package and to email them more close-up pictures of the doll.  First off, if they had actually READ the listing it says that the doll is 1" tall.  There are 3 close-up pictures of the item where you can see that the said doll is visible.  And if I opened the sealed package it would no longer be New in Package as the listing states.  They also did NOT give me their email addy so I could email them the photos that they can already see in the listing.

I have had someone forget to pay me for 1 week though this was not a deadbeat but an eBay regular who just lost track of their dealings.  I quick nudge rectified the situation.

The worst has to be the people who don't know how to negotiate.  On occasion I put the "Make Me An Offer" feature on listings.  If you are unfamiliar with that, it allows potential Buyers to offer you less than what you have listed the item for.  You can then accept, decline or counteroffer them.  I believe they have 3 bids or chances to make an offer on any item before the system automatically rejects their dealings with the Seller.   When you make an offer to a Seller it is a good thing not to piss them off by offering them some outlandishly low sum.  And if you are in a counteroffering/bidding situation with a Seller, you need to man up and meet them halfway...or at least that is my take on things.  I had someone this week offer me $15 on an item I listed for $30.  While not outlandishly low, it was pretty insulting.  And seeing as I had just listing the item 1 day before, I was not about to sell it for that little.
So I made them a counteroffer by knocking $5 off the item, making it $25.
And guess what price they came back with?   $15.50.
I come down $5 and they come up .50¢.
As Suze Orman would say.....Denied!
So I send back a new counteroffer......$30. LOLOL

*And now I know I will piss off many of you with this one......
What is this fascination with the Pioneer Woman?
I just don't get it.
Ok, she cooks.  She takes photos of cattle and cowboys' rear ends.  She's written a book.
Can somebody please explain to me why I should care?lol  I've seen her recipes.  Not impressed.
And no, this does not come from some kind of jealousy or blog envy.   What she has works for her but it's not what I want.
I just don't get whatever it is everyone else sees.  If you put shots like the one above on her blog I might be easier to convince that I need to read her. ;-)

I see it as something similar to all this Oprah worship women do.  We get fixated on people and then can't get enough of them.  I think I am missing some female gene thing.

Whatever......
Ok, I guess my brain is empty enough now for some new thoughts.

So tell us.....What is on your mind?

Sluggy

Gravy....It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Back to Weis for some necessities......oh yeah, and more gravy.....

2 x Texas Toast Croutons on sale $1.25(since I need something to go with my blue cheese dressing=$2.50
4 x Breakstone Sour Cream on sale $1.50=$6.00
2 x OS Cranberry glop on sale $1.25=$2.50
1 x Yeast on sale=$1.50
2 x Sargento Cheese on sale $2.00=$4.00
2 x Swanson Broth on sale $2.00=$4.00
8 x Campbell's Gravy on sale .50¢=$4.00
SubTotal.....$24.50 ($41.59  reg. retail)

Coupons Used
2 x .50¢/1 Texas Toast Croutons IPQ(doubled)HERE=$2.00
2 x $1/2 Breakstone Sour Cream IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 OS Cranberry item IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x .40¢/1 Fleischmann's Yeast IPQ HERE(doubled)=$.80
2 x .55¢/1 Sargento Cheese IPQ(doubled to $1)HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Swanson Broth IPQ HERE=$1.00
Instant Discount on the Swanson/Campbell's items=$5.00
Coupon/Savings Total=$13.80

$24.50-$13.80=$10.70 OOP
That's a 74% savings rate over retail.
Oh, and I received a .50¢ Catalina Q for buying the Yeast.  I would have bought more but that was the last strip in the store.  (I'll get .40¢ back from Saving Star on this purchase too.)

The gravy and broth cost me $2.00 OOP.  Buying that broth upped my gravy cost to .20¢ per can in that order, so $1.60 OOP on just the gravy.  Broth is expensive bought in a container.  I'll stick to boiling my meat bones and skin and making my own to stick into the freezer for later.

We are up to 48 cans for the food bank.  If I take that .50¢ Catalina Q I can get 11 more cans of gravy for ZERO OOP tomorrow morning before heading over to the food bank to drop all this off.
59 cans does sound much nicer than 48 cans, dontcha think?lol

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops..... ;-)

Sluggy

And Then She Went Back to the Store......

Well I didn't get nearly enough done yesterday as I had planned....especially the number of eBay listings.
But I did make it back to the stores for food shopping.

First it was to the restaurant supply store....afterwards to be referred to as RSS.  Since I had to be over at the Orthodontic office to get #2 son's new retainer(grrrr), I went looking for the other location of my RSS.  Yes, I was pleased to see that there is a second location on the opposite end of town from the one that was flooded out in September. 8-)
So we found the store and I picked up "My Precious....My Precious".....cue Gollum music......

I know the fat & the chemically things in it will probably kill me but this brand is the BEST BLUE CHUCKINGFEESE DRESSING that I have ever eaten!
If I wasn't such a tightwad, I'd buy enough gallons of this to fill my bathtub and I'd roll around nekkid in it.
Seriously.
That.
Good.

I would steal pennies out of small children's piggy banks for the money to buy this dressing.
I would divorce my man if he made me choose between him and My Precious......
If I ever end up on Death Row, THIS will be part of my Last Meal before hitting the big Electric Chair, and I hope they wet the sponge that goes on my head under the headgear with this instead of water.

Luckily, all I had to do was fork over $18.55 to get some this time. ;-)

I just wish they sold it in something a bit smaller than industrial sized drum!  A gallon of Dressing lasts a very long time and takes up serious real estate in the fridge.  It is a bargain with the Devil I am glad to make.

On the other hand, large sized containers DO save you serious money in the long run.

Speaking of which, it's Fall so I had to pick up this as well.......

It's a jar of Pumpkin Pie Spice and yes, it was $4.99.  The local store buys and prepares their own huge containers of spices at a discounted price.
Why mess around with having to buy ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove when I can just buy them already mixed together for dumping into pies?

$4.99 seem high to you?
Well when you show this jar next to the jars you usually buy/see in the spice aisle at your local food mart, you see why I will spend $4.99 on this.....

Yes, that 1 ounce sized jar costs around $3.  I spent $2 more but I got 6 times the amount!
So which would you choose.....1 jar for $4.99 or 6 jars for $18?

And yes, it will ALL get used before it gets old.  Not only will I become a squash piemaking factory between now and New Year's but this blend is good in many other things like savory squash sides, in chili(believe it our not!), in tea, coffee, hot cocoa, oatmeal and more.

And I was able to drag myself out after dinner last night to Weis "let's turn your upside down and steal the change that comes pouring out of your pockets" Markets.  I spent my $5 Catalina Q on a 14.25lb. turkey.  At .58¢ a lb. and after my $5 Cat, this bird cost me $3.26.
Then it was off to the gravy display........

I lugged home 18 more gravy cans.
Between these and the 5 cans of soup not pictured, I spent $1.50 OOP.  I am keeping the soup. 
The gravy only transaction was .50¢ OOP.
The gravy/soup transaction was $1.00 OOP, so those 12 cans came to .08¢ a piece, making the gravy part of it .58¢ OOP.

I am keeping the 8 cans I bought last Friday and on Monday, so I have 40 cans so far to donate, at a total cost to me of $2.08.

I'll be trotting back to Weis later today for more, well.....you know....lol

Sluggy

Wednesday Chit-Chat

Well I've showered, done a load of laundry, poured my morning iced tea(don't judge me!), printed a fistful of Qs off, cooked and had my steel cut oats, taken dinner out to thaw(salmon), read my bloggy friends musings, lined up 9 eBay listings to write and mailed a package(well it's on the porch and the mail lady is coming to ME!lol).
And it's only 10 am.
Usually I am just rolling out of bed at this hour......sometimes later. ;-)

We are on Thanksgiving Countdown here!
T-Minus 8 days and counting.
Actually, I need to get the house in order by Sunday, as one of the BILs will be arriving from SC on that day.  He is not staying through to Thanksgiving but still, the house needs to be presentable even if the kitchen will be a disaster since I'll be scrubbing out the fridge and cleaning/organizing/going through the pantry foodstuffs.  He'll sit in Hubs recliner all day anyway except when he's getting himself more coffee or trying to get me to fix him food/wait on him......good luck with that last thing!lolol

And did I mention Hubs took off all of next week from work?  At least he can keep his brother amused and stay the hell outta my way unless I need something broken mangled fixed moved around the house.

Then Daughter arrives home on Tuesday and I am sure her Beau will be arriving shortly afterwards. He may be staying here since he still doesn't have a place to live due to the flooding in September of his mom's house.  I think he is still staying with his Grandmother off and on.  Daughter is suppose to assist with the Turkey Day meal but otherwise I don't think I'll be seeing much of her....unless she needs money, then I'll be seeing her out stretched hand.....

I also have to empty the dining room so we all have a place to eat together next Thursday.
This is where I'll need assistance since the dining room is eBay Central.  I store the crap I am selling in tubs in the living room but I photograph and pack everything in the dining room.  Meaning that room is full of bubblewrap rolls, newspapers and shipping boxes.  That has to all go into the garage until next Friday.

Speaking of eBay......
I've sold 14 items in the last 10 days.  I'm not upset about the slow start since my worry/concern until Black Friday is to get my Store loaded with items.  I am striving for 10 listings a day but I've only done 8 per day the last couple of days, so I'm falling behind my goal.  I've got 65 live listings at the moment and I hope to have 75 more done by next Friday for a total of 140(unless I sell some things between now and then).  140 would be a fine goal and make me smile! 8-))

I'll be heading to Weis Markets aka The Evil Empire in a bit for......wait for it.......more gravy!!lol
I've also got a $5 Cat Q to spend and a few other good deals to pick up.

I hate having to go out after school hours, as I find my energy ebbing around the 3pm hour, but today it can't be avoided.  #2 son threw away his brand new retainer.  We've been trying to track it down(he threw it away at someone else's house)for the last week or so and were crossing our fingers it would turn up but no such luck.  Now we have to go replace it.  We had to replace Daughter's when she sat on it(lol)so we are giving #2 son a FREEBIE this time and he won't have to pay for it.  I am not happy but if it happens again, HIS WALLET WON'T BE HAPPY!lol  Having to go to the other side of Wilkes-Barre to the Orthdontist's nice, fancy, new office to have the retainer fitted after 3pm is NOT making me happy either.  Rainy weather, pre-rush hour traffic and having to race home to feed ravenous canines and to slave over a hot stove for dinner. 
I'll be using up my Cranky Cards later today.....

I have posted a Vital & Timely Poll that needs your attention, up on the top of the right sidebar.
Please exercise your inalienable right as a Citizen of Bloggyland and vote!

Sluggy

Some Frugal Weekend Fun with Hubs.....

And no, it is NOT that kind of fun!
SonyaAnn, Mark.....get your minds out of the gutter you two!lol

As we drive around doing our shopping errands Hubs and I notice stuff on the back of the cars.  We often watch for funny bumper stickers on cars as we tool around town.  It is our frugal fun thing to do and something to do while sitting in the car.  Other than the money for gas(which we'd have to spend anyway), it's cheap entertainment.

I sure wish I had had my camera with me to snap some photos on Saturday because we found 2 real gems!

We love to find cars with things on them that kind of don't go together.....non sequiturs......contrary ideas or concepts.   Kind of like that WIFE SWAP TV Show that would pair up two families with widely contrasting personalities and then switch moms and watch all hell break loose for our viewing pleasure.  So it's kind of like Wife Swap for cars.   Follow me here.....

The first car had 2 bumper stickers.  The 1st one on the back door of the SUV read....
"Remember to Keep Christ in Christmas".....A nice very religious sentiment, right?

The other sticker, located on the bumper read....
"If I wanted to listen to an asshole, I'd fart"......not such a loving neighborly thought, is it?



Then we got a special twofer day!  As we were pulling out of the parking lot at Weis Markets and we saw another set of non sequiturs on a car.

This car had one of those metal "Fish" symbols that denote the person is a Christian or a Catholic.
Across from the fishy was a bumper sticker that read....
"Badass Ta-Tas"

Yep, a pious soul with a smokin' bode!!

No folks, I can not make this stuff up!

Sluggy