Tag dollar tree

A pre-road trip stop at The Dollar Tree

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

Today, Eva and I stopped at The Dollar Tree because I wanted to start stocking up on survival snacks for my Atlanta road trip.

I will have a small food budget, but I have several days driving to do and several nights in Atlanta to consider. I’m getting nervous because it looks like the hotel charges $35/night parking, $12 a day for internet, and has no free breakfast. I have to remind myself to breath and trust it will all work out.

But since Eva lost her job yesterday, it’s hard not to stress.

So I spent $16.25 at the Dollar Tree:

I bought two small cans of generic Spam and this small bag of coconut flour for the pantry.

Eva loves Spam, so I thought these cans would be useful for when she’s cooking for herself when I’m gone.

And the flour– I have trouble passing up good deals on specialty floor.

The Road Trip Snacks:

  • Four bags of snak club tajin gummies. Sweet and spicy to help keep me awake if I get tired driving.
  • Two bags of Harvest Snaps, the protein from the snap peas will help hold off hunger.
  • Two bags of peanut butter filled pretzels, same logic as the snap peas.
  • And the two boxes of fiber bars? That’s 6 little birthday cake bars that really do taste like dessert.

The most I ever spent at Dollar Tree

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I spent $88.30 at Dollar Tree today.

I ran through the store in about ten minutes and restocked my pantry and got some tide-us-over grocery items. I have never spent more than $35 in a Dollar Tree.

But here’s the deal– for some items, like snacks especially, I prefer having the smaller bags because then I can’t eat 800 calories in one sitting. And for other items, like condiments, it’s just the two of us and we don’t always agree so I don’t need a big bottle.

Shopping at Dollar Tree is low stress. I know the price and I weigh the size of the product with what I normally spend. For instance, I know I can probably get a larger loaf of cheap white bread for a similar price, but only my daughter eats the white bread so half of it will end up in the trash if I buy the “better value.”

I typically go to Dollar Tree when I have a tight budget for groceries. I had $120 in my grocery/discretionary money account and at least $60 cash, so I figured I’d let myself go wild.

Which I could not do in Wegmans.

I don’t eat much meat. I prefer to eat vegetarian, but my daughter could live on fruit and meat. I don’t like much fruit. Eva, the former The Teenager of this blog, works as an in-home pet caregiver, dog walker and animal trainer so she spends a lot of time away from home and on the go. I recently started the Omada program and am trying, once again, to shed oooooh 10 pounds as soon as freaking possible to 35 pounds longterm. These factors influence my choices.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Flights

When I got home, I planned to cook but Eva wanted to take the various ingredients from Dollar Tree and make “Peanut Butter Sandwich Flights” with apple crisps. She used her white bread, mine were on the cheap wheat.

We each had one half peanut butter and fluff, one half sandwich of peanut butter and hazelnut creme/cookie butter spread and one half peanut butter and honey.

A tasty evening meal on a hot summer day as she had been applying new contact paper on the kitchen counters.

Meats/Proteins

  • Hot smoked sausage
  • Basic Bologna (They had a thin sliced and this one might have been regular, but I swear it said basic.)
  • Chicken hot dogs
  • Tyson Honey Chicken Tenders ($5)
  • Small jar creamy peanut butter, ten ounces
  • small jar honey peanut butter, ten ounces
  • Special K Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar
  • (two cans) Planters Salt and Vinegar peanuts, six ounces
  • honey roasted peanuts, 7.5 ounces
  • three bags of nut blends (energy, protein and ‘yogurt’)
  • Skippy salted nut roll bar
  • refried beans, 20.5 ounces

Fruits and Veggies

  • Frozen California Blend
  • Frozen straight cut french fries
  • Frozen pepper/onion stir fry mix
  • Frozen mango, strawberry, blueberry mix ($3)
  • tropical trail mix (5 ounces)
  • freeze-dried fruit, three bags (two mixed fruit and one apple)
  • apple cinnamon crisps
  • lightly salted harvest snaps
  • snack boxes of raisins
  • two cans of Del Monte creamed corn, 14.75 ounces
  • two cans of Del Monte no salt added corn kernels, 15.25 ounces
  • can of petite diced tomatoes with green chiles, 14.5 ounces

Condiments/spreads

  • Marshmallow fluff
  • hazlenut/cookie butter spread
  • Miracle Whip, eight ounces
  • garlic aioli mayo, nine ounces
  • butter flavored cooking spray

Drinks

  • Dr. Pepper
  • Diet Strawberry Watermelon Juice (two quarts-ish)
  • Mango-flavored coconut water (one quart)
  • Strawberry banana nectar (one quart)

Crackers/snacks

  • Chicken-flavored crackers
  • Vegetable-flavored wheat thin crackers
  • lemon creme sandwich cookies
  • mini nutter butter cookies
  • peanut butter breakfast biscuits
  • birthday cake fiber cookies
  • spicy ranch pretzel crisps
  • Veggie crisps chips
  • Lance cream cheese and chive sandwich crackers
  • tortilla chips, six ounces
  • chili lime gummy bears

Pantry items

  • 20-ounce box of rotini
  • Gluten-free spaghetti
  • box of baking soda, Arm & Hammer
  • salmon-flavored lickables for the cats (we’re teaching them to use a cat wheel)
  • potato gnocchi
  • two ultra thin pizza crusts (which I could make cheaper and better but these are for a quick easy throw together meal)
  • 100% whole wheat bread, sixteen ounces
  • white bread, sixteen ounces
  • everything bagels (4)
  • cinnamon raisin bagels (4)
  • corn tortillas
  • imitation bacon bits
  • spaghettios with meatballs
  • diced olives
  • kosher dill pickles

Two weeks later… April reflections

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

It’s no secret that time mutates according to your age and stage of life, or maybe as we get older our mental sharpness as it relates to time fades.

I normally try to share the adventures, the decisions, and the flavors of life with a bent toward advocacy and speaking up not only for oneself but also for creatures unable to do so.

The weather is experiencing schizophrenia as I recover from several weeks of conferences, class appearances and meetings. Friday night we had a freeze warning and today it’s 86 degrees.

I haven’t been keeping up with my workouts, at first due to a sternum injury that just healed this week, and now I’m afraid I won’t have the finances to go back. I also haven’t kept up with my medical team– mostly out of fear of medical bills and knowing that I have an MRI scheduled for my brain aneurysm next week. I will have to pay for that out of pocket, but I’m hoping that will cover my deductible.

Nobody wants to hear about those struggles. We all have struggles like that but I will tell you one thing: the less financial security I have in terms of a standard 9 to 5 job, the simpler my needs become. And so far, as New Age laws and the Bible all say, the universe always provides enough. Or maybe we learn to be content with less. Or our priorities shift. It’s been seven-and-a-half months since I lost my full-time job, and in some ways, not doing physical labor every day has made my life better.

But in other ways, it certainly makes the unknown in my life that much scarier.

I don’t know what has given me the guts to forge this path of pursuing my own business (Parisian Phoenix Publishing) but I do know that now, when I feel stress, I also have the power to do something about it. When life at my non-profit jobs or my warehouse job got stressful, what control did I have?

Now, I at least have that freedom to change direction as I see fit.

I am the boss in charge of using and selling my skills and talents.

Hopefully the world sees that.

And I have the opportunity to work in spaces like Panera Bread, my sunporch and at my desk with my jelly fish lamp.

And if you’ve seen my jelly fish lamp, then you know, it’s pretty cool.

Occasionally times might be lean, and we might get creative and inventive with food. Such as last night’s casserole? mexi-corn dish? I called it a concoction.

Angel’s Mexi-Corn Concoction

I’m not positive but I think one could locate all of these ingredients at the dollar store. My local dollar store is The Dollar Tree.

In one pan, start one cup rice. When I added the rice, I also added a sprinkle of chili powder and parsley. I use real rice so I covered that and reduced to a simmer.

In a small skillet, I combined:

  • One can, about 6 ounces, of white meat chicken
  • One can creamed corn
  • probably two ounces mild cheese*
  • black pepper
  • smoked paprika (if you are doing the dollar store you might only find regular paprika)
  • a touch of the chili powder

*cheese might be the one ingredient not available at the dollar store. I added it to thicken the corn and make it creamier versus juicy if that makes sense

I stirred that and made it into a sauce.

Then, I opened a can of refried beans.

I layered the dish so that the beans were on the bottom, the rice in the middle and the corn sauce on top, but it turned out surprisingly satisfying and so I mixed it into a big, old mess.

What I really wanted was extra creamy mac and cheese, but I thought that would use up all the cheese and milk in my house and so I pulled out random ingredients and tried to replicate the savory, creamy textures but with more nutritional value than just cheese and pasta. I have been eating some sort of pasta or cheese dish for lunch for weeks now.

Yes, you might look at this and think it “weird” but I enjoy a culinary challenge of using up what you’ve got before going out and buying more. And I’m tired and just don’t feel like going to the store.

Welcome February or “Wow, it’s been a month!”

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I didn’t realize– or perhaps deep down inside I did– that I did not write in this blog at all in the month of January. I have written in the Parisian Phoenix blog, on my Substack, for the Lehigh Valley Armchair Substack, for Kiss and Tell magazine, for press releases and social media…

But not here.

I have spent much time applying for jobs, going on job interviews, and following up with second interviews, and working with my authors at our small publishing company, attending networking events, meeting with other writers and professionals, and grocery shopping at discount retailers like Grocery Outlet and the Dollar Tree.

(Grocery budget has been $25/week, but this week I splurged and bought a baker’s dozen bagels for $9.50 at Panera because they have a sale on Tuesday, and I used my CVS coupons and their sales to buy 2 boxes of KIND breakfast bars, a box of Grape Nuts and a box of Cocoa Krispies for $13.)

My personal favorite cheap meal this month has been these gnocchi from the Dollar Tree, served with a cream sauce I made with butter, lemon, and some artichoke hearts (using the oil they were marinated in). The artichoke hearts and the Barber Foods Chicken Stuffed with Broccoli and Cheese came from Grocery Outlet. The whole meal cost me about $3 per serving. And I used up some half and half that was on its last leg.

If it weren’t for car insurance for the teen and heat (I’ve been keeping the house at a balmy 60 degrees since I had to pay for $600 in furnace repairs in December), I have enough clients to keep me afloat indefinitely even after unemployment runs out in about six weeks. But the uncertainty of it all is hard. My biggest faux pas since my lay off was dropping the oil cap into the engine compartment of my car while topping off my fluids before a winter storm.

Luckily, good old Southern Candy and her son came to my aid and he fished it out for me– took him 45 minutes and the promise of the $50 cash I had in my wallet. I could hear my Dad laughing the entire time. I swear he’s been playing practical jokes on me from the afterlife with all of these little mechanical problems.

Like he’s checking to make sure I can take care of myself.

Sometimes, Daddy, I don’t know.

We had two snowstorms in January. During one of which, the first actually, one of the Teenager’s college friends spent the night. (Photo: Here they are at about 10 p.m. having a snowball fight with one of our neighbors, a high school friend of the Teen.) The College Friend hails from Los Angeles, so this was her first snow. And we bundled her up in home-knit hats and gloves and sent her out to shovel and play in my snow boots. Because Lord knows I am not going out in that if I don’t have to.

I drove over to the Bizzy Hizzy, the now nearly empty Stitch Fix warehouse, to show my daughter the old Freestyle and Pick carts that had been set out for the trash. The carts are laminated, corrugated cardboard so I imagined they deflated pretty badly in all the rain. I explained to her how we used to pick, and showed her the pencil cans we used to hold our water bottles and the heavy-duty page protectors that held the pack slips after installation of the Big Ass Fans blew them out of the carts. Three years, evaporated and erased.

I’m still working out with Andrew at Apex Training and meeting my strength goals even if I am failing at my weight goals. The Teen says I need to be more body-positive, but I know I am regularly showing more than 500 garbage calories into my body for the emotional sensation of it. And I also know that as someone with heart and mobility issues, being overweight is not helping.

In good news though, because I share so much about my journal both as someone with cerebral palsy and someone who finds strength training cool and empowering, several other members of my gym are now setting strength goals and strength training into their routines.

While visiting Nan the other day I got to meet a really cute dog. She’s a French sheep dog. Nan and her owner both told me her breed and now I don’t remember. I asked Siri and she suggested a Wheaten Terrier or a Goldendoodle and both of those are wrong. So, I googled French sheep dog breeds and it suggested a few and I immediately recognized the word “Briard.” And it is indeed a dog that would get stuck in briars.

And last week, the Echo City guys and I went out to Pints & Pies for burgers for the guys and pizza for me. It was a very tasty pizza. I have been dreaming of it and the cold Yuengling draft I had ever since.

It’s budget grocery shopping day!

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I’ll be posting videos about my shopping if that is more your jam (food pun intended) so once I get this typed, I’ll start working on editing that footage.

For those of you who don’t normally read these posts or are new here: I’m a former journalist and the founder of Parisian Phoenix Publishing. I lost my full-time job in September, when Stitch Fix closed their Bethlehem (Pa.) warehouse. I’m hoping this might give me the chance to transition into at least part-time focus on my publishing company and its editorial services.

If you ever wanted to work with me, now is the time to pitch your project ideas. I’ve gone on a lot of interviews, and I high percentage of those led to second interviews. But none have led to a job. And I’m wondering if maybe it’s because I’m not looking for jobs in the word-related fields. I’ve been on social media marketing job interviews and business-related job interviews but none that speak directly to my deepest talents.

So, the publishing company is keeping me afloat– because unemployment compensation payments literally pay for the mortgage and the car insurance for the teen and I. My thermostat is set on 60. And we’re delaying a lot of things. But thanks to places like the Grocery Outlet and Dollar Tree we still have access to food.

I write these posts in part because I used to have a food blog where I chronicled cooking and shopping on a budget. (angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com) But I have had people tell me that I need to share some of these “tricks” because not everyone knows how to grocery shop on a budget. My daughter literally hands me her debit card and a list.

But if I had to tell you my #1 trick for saving money on food and household goods, it would be to know what you pay for things. It sounds lame, but the reality is if you don’t pay attention to what things “normally” cost you, you won’t know if something is a good deal. #2 would be to know the sale cycles. Target, CVS, and the major grocery stores all have sale cycles. Don’t feel pressured to buy something now because it’s “on sale.” That sale will be back, sometimes in as little as a month. Retailers want you to see the sale price and have an impulsive reaction to buy that product because it’s “such a good deal.” But the deal will return, just be patient and keep your eyes open.

#3. This is the one I used today. I set my expectations and my budget before I set foot in the store. I counted my money. I decided I had $20 for each store. In Grocery Outlet, I only considered items around $2.50 (or less). I really wanted the $8 gigantic bag of shredded cheese that would last a month, but that’s almost 1/3 of my budget. So I got the $2 8-ounce bag of shredded cheddar instead. The Teenager wanted chicken, but that also would have been about $8 and more chicken than I really need to survive. And right now we’re in survival mode.

Now, onto the purchases:

First, Grocery Outlet. I checked the app for any coupons. None available. I read the daily email sent out from them every day, because I’m a junkie. We’re going to build our meals based on what I find, and fill out gaps from products at the Dollar Tree in the same plaza.

  • Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, big can. So big I may have to open it, use it, and freeze what’s left. Two cans at 2/$1.00.
  • Polar canned crab meat. It was between this and a jar of asparagus. I have some egg roll wrappers in the freezer. OR I have rice noodles in the pantry. $2.99.
  • Kale, fresh, big bag, organic. $1.99
  • Veggieful plant-based frozen pepperoni pizza pockets, two servings, $1.49
  • Green Giant frozen sweet peas in light butter sauce. I suspect I may use this as a sauce for a pasta or rice dish. $0.99
  • Half & half, quart, $2.49
  • 2% milk, half gallon, $2.12
  • 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar, $1.99
  • 2 packs of 93% lean grass-fed, organic ground beef, $2.99 each

Now, over to the Dollar Tree:

  • 2.75 liters of generic diet cola (which even though this soda is on the shelf and not cold it rang up as taxable vs. non-taxable. In Pennsylvania, food is technically NOT taxable unless it is considered take-out, so cold, cooler beverages are usually taxed.)
  • 4 pack of cans of generic cotton candy soda for the teen (again, rang up as taxable, sigh). I wanted to get sparkling water but I can’t buy all the beverages for only me.
  • Almost 15 ounce can of Del Monte creamed corn. Every time we want to make corn bake, we never have creamed corn so I try to keep it in the pantry. It’s also a great way to thicken or even extend soups.
  • About 4 ounces canned chicken
  • About 5 ounces canned chicken and gravy
  • Tuna in water
  • English muffins
  • 10 flour tortillas
  • Olive oil and oregano crackers
  • 5 ounces of guacamole flavored tortilla chips
  • 12 ounces dry lentils
  • 5 ounces sunflower kernels
  • almost 3 ounces wasabi peas
  • 3 ounces Sunmaid raisins
  • 12 ounces frozen stir fry vegetables (peppers, snow peas and broccoli)
  • hot dogs

I forgot my darn gnocchi from Dollar Tree. Those are so good.

The Monday errands on a budget

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

So, The Teenager’s (now College Student’s) car won’t start and today I needed my car for a 10 a.m. chiropractor appointment. I’ve noticed over the last couple days some of my random hip/leg issues have stopped causing discomfort so that is awesome. The chiropractor is less than a block from The Teenager’s college campus, so I headed out a little early and did the last touches on this week’s Parisian Phoenix Substack newsletter. Are you interested in my little publishing company’s newsletter? If so, click here. Today I talked a bit about technology and privacy.

The Teenager’s first class was at nine, and my appointment was at ten, so that left me the dilemma of how to organize my day into pieces that fit our combined schedule. I completed the computer work I wanted to finish before 9:30 and I even got to watch the street sweeper comb the neighborhood. I read some of Stephanie Parents gothic D/s (of the impact play, not the sexual kind) mystery in the reception area. I found my favorite passage of the book so far:

“The trouble with this sort of exorcism was that when it ended, when Jack stopped spanking her, nothing had changed. She hadn’t split open, and nothing had spilled out from inside of her…”

The Briars, Chapter Nine (Claire)

I left the chiropractor at about 10:15 a.m., and I needed to use the restroom. I also thought I could swing out to the Forks Township Dollar Tree because I need some items, and I’m trying to stock my kitchen on an extreme budget. I have $74 left in my wallet in cash, and anything in my checkbook is for the bills these days.

It’s free coffee with any purchase Monday at Dunkin, but I wasn’t in the mood for iced coffee and that particular Dunkin requires a key for the bathroom. I usually get three munchkins for $1.29 and feed them to the dog. But today, I opted for a Diet Coke from McDonalds. I could just go in the backdoor and use the restroom and leave, but I try not to be that person.

I opened my app and ordered a large Diet Coke for $1.49 plus tax and redeemed some of my reward points from those previous Diet Cokes for a hashbrown. Then I used my “Apple Cash” to pay the $1.58. I didn’t realize that I’ve never stepped inside that McDonald’s– it’s all reclaimed wood with a stone look and oversized cushioned stools at the table.

I headed over to the next plaza to visit The Dollar Tree and discovered they don’t have refrigerated cases. Perhaps because it’s so close to a Giant Food Store and/or because it’s a more upscale neighborhood. I spent $13.08 from my cash and got some staples, some candy and the cornerstone of one meal.

  • Guacamole Flavored Tortilla Chips
  • Potato Gnocchi
  • Hunts Garlic and Herb Sauce
  • 10 flour tortilla
  • Sandwich slice pickles
  • Self rising white corn meal blend on clearance for 50 cents
  • Yoohoo for The Teenager to surprise her
  • Canned Peas
  • Canned Diced Potatoes
  • Black Licorice
  • Wallably Hot Cinnamon Licorice

(Which reminds me that I made the turkey hot dogs I bought at Dollar Tree last week. Eight hot dogs for $1.25. I fried them in the skillet until they were crisp and seasoned them with garlic pepper, crushed red pepper and smoked paprika. Even the Teenager had to say, “How did you manage to make these taste so good?”)

From there, back to campus to retrieve the Teen. We also stopped at CVS for our medicine ($1). The Teenager made wanting eyes at the Jelly Belly Candy Canes that I thought were $3.99. I picked them up because I had a $3 off coupon I knew would expire before we set foot in CVS again. It turned out they were $5.19! For candy canes! But after my coupons, they were $1.96.

Then we came home and I opened the package from Amazon, of my own books from my own publishing house because Amazon has them on sale so cheap right now I can get them cheaper from there versus shipped from the distributor.

I cleaned up the kitchen, tried to declutter, and then ate the rest of the hot dogs for lunch. After some correspondence with friends, I came out to the sunporch to finish my Diet Coke and let the dog enjoy the porchy porch.

A Sunday morning run to Grocery Outlet

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

This morning started out a little off, when I woke from some very odd dreams at 7:20 a.m. That is the latest I’ve slept since losing my job at the Stitch Fix Bizzy Hizzy September 15. For the last year-plus I’ve been setting my alarm for 4 a.m. so I have time to write before the day job. What made me sleep so late? I don’t know. I didn’t even do anything out of the ordinary yesterday. How do I know? I wrote about it here.

I then tried to do some state taxes I’m behind on filing because I’ve been locked out of my business account. One of my job interviews led to a ‘no’ Friday — and it was one I had gotten the best vibes from so I was very disappointed. As I filed for unemployment this morning and continued my job search that hung over me like a sad little cloud. I don’t want to call it a black cloud. It’s not that big of a deal. My phone didn’t charge last night and I was overall grumpy.

And then I noticed the payment to American Express I had planned as soon as I got the bill last month got hung up at my bank yesterday and even though I clearly had it scheduled, AmEx seems to think it was late and wants to charge me $29. I’m sure that will get sorted out tomorrow. I usually plan my electronic payments early, but I scheduled this one on the due date not sure when unemployment or severance would hit.

I thought about the meal plan for this week and realized I could think of nothing off the top of my head– never a good sign. Oh and the tracking information for my fix came from Stitch Fix. It shipped Friday, and I had requested it arrive Monday, and the tracking suggests it will arrive Thursday. That’s a little fucking late Stitch Fix. I have job interviews that require clothes!

So, I decided to go to Grocery Outlet to use my $5 off a $25 purchase coupon. I’ll tell you right now the unhappy ending. I forget to use my coupon. We still have today and tomorrow to use it, so I may make another purchase. I may not. $5 is not the end of the world these days. I called Nan, as I had ordered a vacuum for her, and thought she might like to go to Grocery Outlet. Of course she did, and she also loved the vacuum I picked for her.

I came home and not only put the groceries away but also tried to organize the fridge, freezer and cupboards. I had intended to make a baked brie with jalapeno cream cheese bagel for breakfast, but as I often do I ate instead “the things that had to get gone.” In this case, the last chunk of the fruit walnut bread my mother-in-law made and some flat generic diet cola.

I spent $50.14 at Grocery Outlet, and it could have been $45 but I forgot my coupon. Then we went to the Dollar Tree where I bought two packs of bagels (one plain and one everything) and a container of “limited edition birthday cake flavored milk” adding another $3.75 to the total. This will last me at least two weeks. (Also Nan gave me a pack of high fiber granola bars because she has more than she can eat.) Oh, and Joan gave us a green cabbage and some garlic from a local farm. I made the purple cabbage she gave us last week into sweet and sassy Asian slaw.

The purchases from Grocery Outlet:

  • Six inch whole wheat tortillas from Ortega, $0.99
  • Chef Boyardee, Spaghetti and Meatballs, $0.99
  • Snyders of Hanover Cheddar Sourdough Hard Pretzel pieces, $1.47
  • Rice noodles, (plain, pre-cooked, think like rice in the 90-second microwave bag), $1.49
  • Slim Jims, the super long ones, The Teenager sometimes eats these for lunch. Does it make my innards cringe? Yes, but sometimes I’m just relieved she’s eating something with protein even if it is a nasty, salty meat stick. Two at 2 for $1.00
  • KIND oat and honey with coconut snack bars, $2.77
  • Coconut Rice from Thai Kitchen, three 90-second microwave bags, 3 at $0.99 each
  • Elbow noodles, the tiny two serving packs, two at 2 for $1.00
  • i’m not sure I see the small bag of tiny vermicelli on the receipt, they were a similar price
  • Peanut Butter M&Ms, these were Nan’s, $0.97
  • Medium Egg Noodles, to go with the cabbage, $0.99
  • Snack pack of Oreos, also Nan’s, $0.79
  • Pacific Foods organic butternut squash soup, $1.97
  • Fancy French organic dijon mustard, $1.27
  • Pasta USA Macaroni and Cheese mix, 2 at $0.59 each
  • Almond Thins, Pecan variety, (we still have half that $7 wheel of Brie left), $0.99
  • Pretzel buns for sausages, 4 buns, $3
  • Laffy Taffy Tropical, two at 2 for $0.97
  • Organic Sliced Black Olives, 2 at $0.99 each
  • Stove Top Turkey Stuffing, twin pack, $1.99
  • Ocean Spray Diet Blackberry Cranberry Juice, full-sized jar, $0.77
  • Southwest Salad kit, $2.99
  • Broccoli crowns, 1 lb, $1.95
  • Organic raspberries, 2 pints at $0.99 each
  • Green pepper, $1.49/lb, $0.67
  • Small bag of radishes, $0.99
  • Boca chikn patty original, $1.99
  • Gardein stuffed turkey, $3.99 (my splurge)
  • Beyond Meat sweet Italian sausage, $4.49 (I thought these were cheaper but too late now)
  • Cinnamon Toast Crunch break-and-bake sugar cookies, $0.99

The $50 grocery challenge (and the first round of ‘separation’ from the Bizzy Hizzy)

Angel Ackerman 2 Comments

So, once again, I find myself uncertain of what nicknames I have given my friends at the Stitch Fix Bizzy Hizzy. My neighbor took off today, and Southern Candy (today was her last day) went to breakfast with her department when they released us at 9:30 a.m. Yes, we worked three hours today. I brought my friend, we’ll call her Gong-Obsessed, home and headed to Grocery Outlet and The Dollar Tree to buy what Groceries I could with the $55 cash I had in my wallet.

The men’s QC department is moving to our end of the warehouse on Monday and they are taking line 1, so I will be leaving my table. I’ve been at this table, 18, for about nine months now.

Farewell, 18.

After babbling about book production to Gong-Obsessed, I headed to Grocery Outlet where I spent too much of my budget on the Teenager. I am such a mom. She has an ear infection and drippy sinuses so I bought some things to make her life more pleasant.

I totally forgot to look for my Cabot cottage cheese– which was the whole reason I went to Grocery Outlet. Cottage cheese provides a low calorie, high protein, sodium rich food which is convenient for me.

One of my strategies for economic hard times is to use cash only for grocery shopping. Pay your bills and whatever is left (after gas) is for groceries. Since I got paid today, and only have one more pay check and no future full-time work lined up, I limited myself to my cash in my wallet because whatever is in the bank is now for bills and bills only.

Once I get to the store, I buy what’s cheap and versatile. I don’t necessarily meal plan as much as organize themes. Rice can be a base carb for just about anything. That same rice with a pile of beans and a small can of chili can now stretch to feed a family. English muffins can be the base for a sandwich, or a breakfast food, or with some creativity a hamburger bun or a pizza crust. Cheese can be a quick source of protein and calcium, and while peas usually aren’t anyone’s favorite veggie, they also add a touch of protein to meals, and can be tossed into rice dishes, casseroles, cheesy or alfredo pasta, or hot/cold salads.

What I did get at Grocery Outlet:

  • Honey Flavored Navy Beans, 0.99
  • Kosher Dill Pickle Spears, 1.49
  • Six Whole-Wheat English Muffins, 1.99
  • Almond Thins Sriracha Crackers, 0.99
  • Ortega Mojo Chile Lime Sauce, 1.49 (when you’re low on food, a cheap bottle of sauce can elevate a ‘struggle meal’ into something pleasurable. I’m getting ready for lean times here.)
  • Turkey Chili, two cans, 0.47 each
  • Zesta Saltines, 0.77 (can make soup more filling, serve as breadcrumbs if need be, and it’s been ages since I had butter-on-a-saltine as a snack, and with a sick kid at home, something is just soothing about saltines.)
  • Cabot Bac’n and Cheese Dog Biscuits, 2.50 (the dog couldn’t even focus on her sit-stay when I opened these.)
  • Cocoa Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, 1.99 (The teenager loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Pebbles– I had to see if this would be ‘the best of both worlds.’)
  • Bananas, five, .52/lb, .94
  • Fresh blackberries (pint), 1.99
  • ‘Nano’ Cucumbers (quart), .99
  • frozen avocado chunks, 5.99 (This was the most expensive item I bought, but it’s less expensive and less waste than buying fresh avocados. I put some in a bowl, maybe 3/4 to 1 cup, thaw them in the fridge and stir them into a paste for dip, for toast, or to flavor dishes. It disappears usually within 48 hours and a bag of frozen avocado has 3-4 batches in it.)
  • Boca Chicken Patty, 1.99 (Even if you’re not a vegetarian or even if you prefer not to use processed food, fifty cents a serving and it’s a protein you can toss in the freezer and add to just about any meal in a minute.)
  • Jimmy Dean Spinach Frittata Plant-Based Egg Sandwiches, 2.99. (I originally bought these for The Teenager, because she’s going through some medication AND routine changes AND financial changes so eating has been a struggle. For 75 cents a serving, she has an easy breakfast. But now that I see they are plant-based, I might take some to work for break next week.)
  • frozen peas, 1.19
  • Birds Eye ranch-flavored cauliflower, .99 (nutritionally not the strongest choice, but add some rice and some white beans and that ranch flavor could sass up a meal)
  • Hall’s cherry flavored cough drops, .50 AND
  • Nasal decongestant spray, 1.49 (both to help get the Teenager over the hump of her ear infection and sinus congestion)
  • Goya Dulce de Leche rice pudding, four servings, 0.99 (because the Teenager doesn’t feel well and she loves rice pudding)
  • Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in a can, two cans, .50 each (like the English muffins these can go with any meal at any time of day and be reshaped into other dough if one finds themself in a pinch)
  • Sabra classic hummus, family size, .97
  • two percent milk, half gallon, 2.08
  • shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 8 ounces, 1.99
  • Taco Bell branded “fire” shredded cheese, 7 ounces, 1.99
  • Minute Maid Watermelon beverage, half gallon, 1.49

Total at Grocery Outlet: $42.68

Technically, this gave me $12 for the Dollar Tree. Now, with all that food, why did I have to go to the Dollar Tree? Because my comfort food, especially when I am sick, is Spaghettios, and apparently I have passed that along to my daughter, because she requested Spaghettios.

Since the Dollar Tree now costs $1.25 per item and sometimes their groceries ring up as taxable, and I don’t feel like arguing with cashiers today, I capped myself at 8 items. I had enough for nine, but wanted to be safe.

I purchased:

  • Spaghettios, two cans, one with Franks Red Hot for me and one with Chicken Meatballs for the Teenager
  • A pretty nice sized bag of white long grain rice
  • A can of black olives, whole
  • Schweppes ginger ale, 1 liter, because I have a child with a sore throat at home and she ripped it out of my hands as soon as she saw it.
  • Generic diet soda, 3 liters
  • Sonic freeze pops, again, for the sick child
  • Gnocchi, because the gnocchi from the dollar store is filling and has a decent amount of protein

Total: $10.15

I still have $2 in my wallet.

Mission accomplished.

Health update Thursday?

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

This post may not be the most exciting as I sit here stinky after a small home workout— smelling the petroleum heavy heat of asphalt. But it is a hopeful post. My roses sit heavy with blooms, and the first flowers have opened behind the bush.

Such a metaphor for life. The whole “bloom where you are planted” concept.

I have been working hard— like I want to stop, I want to vomit, my muscles burn. Andrew at Apex Training has been amazing, helping me stretch and challenge spastic muscles in my lower body.

I have had two days now with no hip or back pain, and I can drop into bed and lie anyway I want.

My weight has been up and down thank to Taco Bell and Mothers’ Day cake and ice cream and generic Takis.

But I went for my check-up bloodwork yesterday, and the phlebotomist told me my insurance doesn’t cover vitamin D unless my doctor codes it a deficiency. We skipped that, but my ferritin has risen from 28, just barely in the normal range, to 36. Still far from the middle of normal but rising.

That might be my theme for right now— rising.

And my bad cholesterol, which should be under 100, has fallen from 109 to 107. Again, not a huge leap, but progress. Progress made during a difficult, difficult time of my life.

My pill dispenser has made it easier to take all my vitamins and allergy meds. And I started the process of putting myself back on a low dose of Lexapro,

Maybe it will help.

My personal cat, Fog, decided to love me today. And I wrote a poem about buying my new socks from the Dollar Tree.

The teenager has been nursing an ear infection all week so between that and the roses bloominfection, spring has really sprung.

She returned to school today.

Today I made a leftover sandwich— some old smoked Turkey, slightly wilted lettuce and my coleslaw mix stirred into chipotle mayonnaise.

I spent the morning with my blind friend, Nan, and took her for her bloodwork.

Came home and the dog came out just in time to see that the paving crew had Taco Bell for lunch.

My trainer asked to reschedule my session today, so I told him I would do something at home.

This was my half-assed work out. My trainer asked me to select exercises and do them with intent, and instead I fought with the dog, picked some exercises I thought would move the important parts and retain the ground I made versus improve. Here is a video.

I also received a payment from my short-term disability insurance through work, and I’m grateful as this is giving me time to strengthen myself and recovery from my mallet finger. Hopefully, this will prevent further “domino effect” on my health. I see the neuro-physiatrist at the end of the month.

I’m curious what she will have to say, and I’m thinking this may be the end of my quest for answers about my cerebral palsy.