Tag grocery outlet

All that and a 50-cent head of lettuce

Angel Ackerman 2 Comments

Today I had some adventures to attend to: I promised Nan I’d use my CVS coupon magic to buy her some Excedrin, I had lunch with some of my Stitch Fix colleagues planned (and it’s Southern Candy’s birthday tomorrow) and if I felt really flush with money and ambitious I wanted to stop at Grocery Outlet while I had my car.

CVS deals

CVS did not meet my usual expectations but I found a CVS Health Brand Migraine Relief, which is exactly the same thing as CVS Extra Strength Headache Relief. 200 pills for 16.99 and a use-by date of February 2026. I had a coupon for 40% off a full price item, another for $5 off a $30 purchase, $1 off CVS pain relief and $1 off two bottles of sparkling water.

And my favorite KIND breakfast bars were on sale for $5.99. I bought a pack of those, the waters, the pills, and a 30 pack variety pack of Starburst flavor mixes that retails for $5.79. That brought my total to about $32.

After coupons, it was less than $21.

Mission accomplished.

Friends and angels

Next, I headed to my lunch date where I had a lot of laughs, learned about rattlesnakes, and had a yummy dish of chocolate chip pancakes. And one friend gave us green beans from her garden.

Now earlier this week, a friend had shared some of his recent profits with me from a project I encouraged him to do. He did this with the express desire that I buy Eva some meat. I agreed, but did so with the stipulation that I added $10-$20 worth of meat to my next few shopping trips and not splurge on some fancy meats all at once.

I refuse to give up my frugality.

So I headed to Grocery Outlet to fulfill my promise and grab what odds and ends I could.

I managed to get 3 pounds of organic chicken breast, a pack of turkey bacon and a frozen bag of cheeseburger-seasoned meatballs for less than $15.

I spent more than I intended to. I had mentally prepared to spend $30, but due to the nature of some of the things we needed and the deals we found I allowed myself some splurges.

I ended up spending $63.85.

Meal planning

I hear a lot of people complaining about the price of food– and it sucks that food is expensive. But one of my tricks is to refuse to buy expensive things. Eva would have preferred “real” bacon, but the turkey bacon was $1.50 cheaper. I wanted ground beef, but the prices didn’t suit my budget so I skipped it in favor of packaged meatballs.

I bought a cute head of iceberg lettuce. All the iceberg lettuce was on sale for $1 a head. There was a smaller head starting to brown on the outside that was reduced to 50 cents. I peeled off the brown layers and about four or five leaves deep it was crispy and fine. Then I chopped it and I plan to make a salad tomorrow of iceberg lettuce, cucumber ranch dressing I have in the fridge, slices of turkey bacon and some of the local cheese. And if anyone has any garden fresh tomatoes I will add some diced tomato. Simple and delicious.

The leftover bacon can be used for sandwiches, eggs, or even a by itself snack as leftovers. So we’re looking at 2-3 meals for the two of us for $4 plus staples and ingredients already in the house.

What I bought at Grocery Outlet

(Most items on this list are around $2)

  • 12 Clif bars chocolate brownie flavor, for Eva, $6.99 (I was going to buy her the 15 count for $9.99 but she doesn’t like the one flavor. Then I did the math. In the 15 count pack each bar is $0.67 each. In the smaller box, each bar is $0.58 each.)
  • Generic tuna in water, small cans, 2, at $0.69 cents each. (I hate the thought of how finding out how sustainably or ethically these were caught)
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, $2.49
  • Glen Muir organic tomato sauce no salt added, probably 12ish ounce cans, 3 of them, $0.99 each
  • A box of instant mashed potatoes, $0.99 (an easy way to make a cheap meal more filling)
  • Small bags of pasta, each bag will be one meal for Eva and I, one bag mini-shells and one bag tiny elbows, $0.50 each
  • one bag Goldfish crackers, $1.49
  • 2 quarts of vanilla cinnamon chickpea milk, 10 grams of protein per serving, $0.99 per quart
  • A big old bottle of cheap laundry detergent, $6.99
  • one small head iceberg lettuce, $0.49
  • One pretty big bag frozen avocado chunks, $5.99
  • Cheeseburger-seasoned meatballs, $3.99
  • meatless chickn fries, $3.99
  • Cabot cottage cheese (I love this stuff so much), 2 containers, $2.49 each
  • a quart of half and half, $2.49
  • a half gallon of milk, $2.22
  • turkey bacon, $3.49
  • Tillamook unsalted butter, $3.27
  • 2 packs organic chicken breast, each almost 1.5 pounds, $3.11 & $3.13 after markdown.

Sometimes a random photo can make you smile

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

Today was emotionally exhausting.

It’s been an emotionally hard week– in the anxiety-inducing way. Not in a bog panic attack way, but in the quiet worry eating you up inside way.

Tomorrow is Friday and out of my five goals I set for this week: I achieved one, ignored one, did the bare minimum on another, devoted 90% of my attention to the one and the final… Somehow, I forgot and thought I would do it tomorrow all at the same time.

So, I think tomorrow morning I’ll head over to Panera, have a good cup of coffee and force myself to do an hour of work on the project that I’ve been procrastinating and two hours-ish on the one I could have done more on.

I went grocery shopping yesterday. It’s probably not what everyday people consider grocery shopping but I went to Grocery Outlet and used their $5 off a $25 order coupon on $50 worth of groceries, half of which were for the Teenager who now has an ear infection after attending her first college fraternity party Friday night.

I snapped this photo while I was there because Stitch Fix always had these cookies in the breakroom and I got my trainer Andrew kind of hooked on them.

It felt good to at least get a few things into the house.

When I arrived home, I got the auto insurance bill last night and was shocked to learn my premium had gone up another 400– so that now for The Teenager and I it would cost $3785 for six months of car insurance.

This morning I had to call my former insurance carrier and see if they could beat the rate from my current one and they dropped it to less than half of what it was, though I took an increase in homeowners to do it but I now have better coverage. But that was a relief.

I also got a letter last night from OVR– the state Office of Vocational Services– confirming that I did indeed qualify for services and that I was classified as “most significantly disabled.” That’s merely a classification among the disabled people applying for service, which are also people looking for help with finding a job, receiving training or acquiring assistive technology. So, it’s a category within another specific category in a way.

But there’s a certain dehumanizing that happens with paperwork and services– and it doesn’t matter whether you are applying for a job, for disability-related services or care, or for food stamps. Just like in grant-writing, people and programs and outcomes are reduced to statistics and outcomes. Things that are measurable. Not the personalities or the feel-goodedness.

But then I look back to that photo of the cookies in Grocery Outlet and I can’t help but smile, because these are the moments of life that seem magical.

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.

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

Rain, again? Personal update

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I’ve been spending quite a bit of my free time working on a freelance project for a savvy dentist who writes business books in his free time. While he’s a dentist, his books combine his profession and his work in emotional intelligence and leadership with his business acumen. It’s fairly fascinating.

My life right now is not nearly as fascinating. But it is interesting to me, and it’s been good and perhaps even healing for my soul.

I mentioned a few days ago that I had hoped to develop a regular posting schedule for both my personal and business blogs and to expand my Substack newsletter. And I realized that today is Thursday, and while my particular Thursday (how dare it be so rainy and cold again today? We had such a warm and lovely yesterday) might be dull to the average person… it’s been a good day.

Yesterday I took my friend’s sister to the doctor. She’s nervous to return to her normal bus usage because of some recent knee issues. I had a nice time, and it was nice to get out of the house and drive around on a sunny warm day.

Sundried tomato spinach artichoke pasta

In the evening, I made an amazing sun-dried tomato, spinach-artichoke pasta with a few ingredients from Grocery Outlet and some leftover fresh spinach that had finally started to wither. (To read more about that grocery trip, click here.)

The artichokes, sundried tomatoes and carrots I used in the sauce (and except for the artichokes I didn’t use all) cost me $4.50. The shredded cheese I used as a topper was $1.99. And the spinach I was nursing for the last week had cost $3, but I have already gotten my money out of it. I had the noodles in the cupboard, but I suppose if you included the pasta, the whole meal might have cost $12 to serve 4, with leftovers of most of the ingredients for other meals. (And I had a can of whole black olives in the cupboard I had picked up at the Dollar Tree.

My trick for that delicious sauce was to take several of the artichokes, a clove or so of garlic, and one of the sun dried tomatoes (hand torn) into a skillet with some of the oil from the artichoke jar. I left that simmer on low while I tossed the rest of the jar of artichokes, some carrots, all the remaining spinach, and about half the jar of sundried tomatoes (and as much oil as I could spare from that jar without leaving the tomatoes exposed) into my Ninja food processor. I added a couple olives, then chopped some other olives and added them to the skillet.

Mixed the whole mess up with the pasta, added cheese to taste and delivered to the table.

As I put the leftovers away and cleaned the kitchen, I noticed the fridge was crusty so I wiped up some of those shelves (and then I went as far as to organize items so The Teenager might find them– hummus by carrots, yogurt with milk and pudding for easy snacking, cheese, beverages, bread).

Lending a hand

Yesterday, as I left my friend’s sister’s house, I literally drove my Southern Candy’s house. So I stopped and gave her a hug before heading home to the work I had from the dentist. Today, I visited another Stitch Fix colleague who had some trouble with her unemployment paperwork. She felt terrible to bothering me– but I told her– “I’m glad you felt comfortable calling, because I hope that means we all really will stay in touch. Too many lay offs mean the end of relationships.”

Believe it or not, we laughed a lot while she fought with the government web sites. She even gave me a small Wawa gift card to thank me. She said she figured I wouldn’t take gas money. I laughed and said, “These days, with us all unemployed, I’m not so sure.”

But it is nice to be reminded that we can all work together, and sometimes it’s nice to have people who you can ask for help.

When I got home, I had received a Fix. Now, I figured I would keep nothing from it because of my situation, but my StylePass is active so it costs me nothing to order and return it.

Here’s a video of the unboxing:

$7 Wheel of Brie

Angel Ackerman 1 Comment

The Teenager and I headed to Grocery Outlet today– primarily because some of the deals looked so good but also because one of my authors gave me some cash today for some books he ordered. I spent too much but it’s hard to feel guilty when you are strategically buying food. Not just buying– strategically buying.

I spent almost $60 and $10 of it the Teenager intended to buy for herself– like the 10 (yes 10) monster slim jims. Is that the best nutritional choice? No, but at four for 97 cents, can I blame her? No. Because on most college days she doesn’t have time to eat lunch.

I got a decent amount of groceries, including the most expensive food item I think I have ever purchased at Grocery Outlet, a $7 wheel of brie. Yes, a whole wheel. I had picked up a 7-ounce wedge of brie, thinking that was a splurge, but then I saw the $2.49 wedge of the same size. I looked at the wedge… and I saw the $6.99 wheel. I looked at the Teenager. She looked at me.

She said she could eat it all tonight. I encouraged her not to do that.

We bought it.

And I’m munching on it and the sriracha almond thins I bought last week and sipping white wine that was left here by a friend in July. Life feels just about right.

So what did I get at Grocery Outlet for my $58.93?

  • Artichokes, $1.99
  • Caramel Chocolate Thins, $2.99 (Teenager)
  • Jenny Craig Cranberry Lemon Biscotti, two at 2/$1.00
  • Larger can of cream-style corn, $1.19
  • Baby corn in a can, two cans, $1.29 each
  • Strawberry Frosted Flakes, $1.49
  • Nature Valley Crunchy Granola bars, $1.99
  • Frosted Confetti Cupcake Pop Tarts, $1.49
  • Dairy Free Salmon Chowder, $1.99 (we had this for dinner last night, it wasn’t bad at all)
  • Monster Slim Jims, Sonic Chili Cheese Dog flavor, 8 at 4/$0.97
  • Sundried tomatoes, $2.49
  • Magic Spoon Protein Bars, two boxes at $1.99 each (cookies and cream/peanut butter cocoa flavors)
  • Broccoli slaw, $2.99
  • Baby carrots, $0.99
  • Light Life Teriyaki Tempeh cubes, $1.99 (I really enjoyed these over the weekend and I still have a box but they are cheap and delicious so I want more)
  • Belmont wheel of Brie, $6.99
  • Spreadable Havarti cheese, $2.49
  • Cinnamon Toast Crunch toppers yogurt, $0.80
  • Cabot Cottage Cheese, $2.49
  • Chobani Sugar Free Strawberry Yogurt, $1.00
  • Half & Half, quart, $2.79
  • Italian Shredded Cheese, 2 8-ounces packages, $1.99 each
  • Kozy Shack, Tapioca Pudding, 4-packs, $0.99
  • Pumpkin Pie Milk, individual servings, 2 bottles, $1.17 each
  • frozen vegan pork barbecue, $1.99
  • strawberry drinkable yogurts, two at $0.99 each

The end of the first week without a full-time job (and some grocery shopping)

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

When I started this week, I whipped out a variety of paper planners: my monthly Silk & Sonder and my daily planner I received through the Amazon Vine program (their product reviewing service). My Silk & Sonder contains my appointments and my weekly plans, whereas I fill out the daily planner to give myself realistic expectations of what a person can achieve in a day.

I had hoped– in addition to the job hunt, freelance projects, getting caught up on phone calls (schedule the furnace maintenance, research cheaper car insurance) and cleaning my house– to embark on a strict schedule of blog posting: Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the business (Parisian Phoenix Publishing) and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday for my personal blog. Then on Sunday, I would send out my Substack.

I went to a variety of job interviews, made $165 in freelance work, and even had a professional forgive my outstanding bill in exchange for a couple hours of my time giving editorial and marketing feedback. Today I received my last paycheck and I hope I have planned everything as well as I can for upcoming lean times.

But this morning, I had the opportunity to visit with middle grade author Jess Rinker at the ever-so-lovely Plants and Coffee Easton where we talked about our experiences in the publishing industry and she revealed some of her future plans.

And I treated myself to The Popper, a jalapeno popper themed bagel with chive cream cheese, cheddar, jalapenos and potato chips.

When The Teenager got home from her college classes and work, we visited Joe Swarctz, the creative mind and illustrator behind Echo City Capers. He will be appearing on Channel 69 WFMZ Morning News Weekend Edition tomorrow and he and partner Ralph Greco Jr. will be participating in The End: A Bookstore‘s local author night in the evening. I had to deliver the copies of the Christmas book that had arrived at my house for the event.

Then, the Teenager and I headed to Grocery Outlet where we each had a $5 off a $25 purchase coupon only good for this weekend. I told her– the trick is to spend NO MORE than $26 so that the coupon works, and you only spend about $20. She was up to about $35 in minutes and even with me taking some of “her” groceries I only had $15. So I took some of hers and bought some crab cakes. In the end, she spent $23.58 and saved $24.50 and I spent $26.43 and saved $40.02.

What did we buy?

The Teenager:

  • Dental Cat Treats, $6.99
  • Dental Dog Treats, $12.99
  • A Caramel Apple, $1.99
  • Pepperoni, $2.49
  • Antiperspirant, $2.99

Me:

  • Gourmet French Caramel Chocolate Cookies, picked by The Teen, $0.97
  • Four pineapple muffins, picked by The Teen, $3.50 (she insisted they were $3)
  • A slim jim with cheese stick, picked by The Teen, $0.99
  • Snickers popcorn, $1.50
  • Rueditas Chili Lime Pretzels, $0.97
  • Waffle Crisp Cereal, picked by The Teen, $1.99
  • Ground Turkey, $2.99
  • Spicy Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets, $1.99
  • 4 Frozen Crab Cakes, $4.99
  • Minute Maid Watermelon Cooler, $1.49
  • Half Gallon of 2% Milk, $2.08
  • Teriyaki Tempeh, 2 containers, 2 servings each, $1.99 each
  • Old Bay Sausage, $3.99

After that, we went to The Dollar Tree. The Teenager spent about $15. She needed batteries and wanted to buy someone stickers.

The Teenager did not get a receipt, so based on what I saw in the kitchen and these photos:

  • Batteries
  • Stickers
  • Chef Boyardee Ravioli
  • Canned spaghetti
  • Dog food
  • 2 varieties of Asian Instant Noodles (which will go great with peas and the teriyaki tempeh!)
  • white bread
  • Jalapeno rice
  • jalapeno corn muffins
  • honey corn muffins

The Teenager did not have lunch and Little Dog’s Mom always loves her Diet Cokes from McDonald’s so I opened my app. I used $5 from my Apple Cash to get three large soft drinks and a free six piece Chicken McNuggets, and Little Dog’s Mom paid me back when I delivered her soda.

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.