Tag grocery shopping

How this nerd had the most spectacular birthday

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

My 49th birthday was Monday, May 20, 2024.

And my illustrator Joseph Swarctz of the Echo City Capers series drew me this “sexy Angel” for the conference coming in the fall. I think she’s fantastic. He asked me, over lattes at Panera because we were being fancy at our business meeting because it was my birthday, if I felt any different.

I had mentioned that as I get older, I suddenly realized how old everything else around me has gotten. Like the used car I bought in 2019, it’s almost ten years old now. And don’t even get me started on The Teenager– she’s going to not be a teenager anymore next month.

The mood (and the drama?)

I expected my birthday to be a catch-up-on-work day. I had hoped my birthday would be such. And I hoped that would distract me from the fact that since my father passed away, my family no longer talks to me. My mother sent me a passive-aggressive birthday card last week and my stepmother, who shares my birthday, made it clear that she does not want me in her life, first by ghosting me for more than a year and then by calling me up in February and listing everything I’ve done that she disapproved of during our 30-year-relationship.

Both my mother and my stepmother have experienced a lot of loss in the last few years, so I’m going to remember that. This isn’t the place to talk about family history, trauma, and the list of all the terrible things that can or did happen to people. We all live, we all love the best we can, and we all make mistakes. I think that’s part of why my dad meant so much to me– he understood that.

My dad

My dad was an extremely imperfect person, and now that I reflect upon it, he would make the most amazing fiction character. He was only five-feet tall and wore black motorcycle boots, jeans and Harley-Davidson t-shirts. He had tattoos, some of which honored the important people in his life. He was an alcoholic, and when I was a kid, he drank a lot. And sometimes that led to violence between him and my mother. Violence that I witnessed.

He also could fix anything. He had this sharp, strategic mind that could solve puzzles. He liked the Pittsburgh Steelers and would play Uno with me as he laid on the couch and watched Sunday night football. Which, as a parent now, I see is the easiest way possible to spend time with a child and still do what you want to do. For a while, I even collected football cards to share something, other than Uno, with my dad.

My dad would always have friends around with motorcycles or cars that needed fixing. They would arrange trades or bring gifts, which might have been because he wouldn’t take money.

I could tell stories forever about my dad, but the point is, that it always seemed like he gave people the benefit of the doubt, even when it was clear they were a mess, and I think that’s because he understood that we all have imperfections and some of his, he couldn’t fix. He could changed his behavior in a lot of ways, but sometimes those imperfections still hold us back.

So, it’s my birthday. And the only relatives who contact me do so on Facebook– and I have one cousin who posts this fabulous picture of us kids by my grandmother’s pool. I am between my cousins in the middle of the back row.

But for someone who did not expect or intend much birthday celebrating, it was a chaotic one and I have a feeling it might all extend into next week.

The PreGame

On Saturday, I presented a workshop to the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. So, some of last week I “lost” in preparation for this event, which went fabulously, though I spoke too fast and squeezed what should have been two presentations into one. I thought I could use Sunday to recoup some lost client time.

How wrong I was.

I started with a Substack newsletter for Parisian Phoenix Publishing. You can read that here. I caught up on some email and watched a replay of a webinar I missed when I went up to the Times-News on Thursday. Then, it was time to go to Barnes & Noble in the Southmont Shopping Center where Joe was selling a LOT of books. It was one of our best days there ever for Echo City Capers.

And when I got home, I thought, now I can focus on some ghostwriting for my mafia novel client.

And then the Teenager approached. “Hey, Mom. I’m going down to groom [my friend and fellow author Tiffani Burnett-Velez’s] dog. You’re coming, right?”

Well, five-plus hours later I came home with a full belly and a copy of Tiff’s first novel because we traded– her first, for my fourth. And a cookie.

The family even sacrificed a cherry pie they had purchased for themselves to celebrate my birthday. And Tiff and I talked about neurologists longer than we probably should have. Because mine is the best one ever.

And during the drive home, the Teenager mentions that she has time on my actual birthday if I want to have a little adventure in the afternoon. So, I send her a list of ideas.

My birthday

The Teenager was definitely confused and perhaps disappointed by my final choice of Palmerton, Pa., for our outing. But I have a strange soft spot in my heart for that town and after my trip to Lehighton earlier in the week it felt like an easy choice.

Our first stop was the Country Harvest grocery store because according to Google maps they had doughnuts and a coffee bar inside. And unexpectedly, or perhaps very expectedly, The Teenager and I found lots of fun items in there. Including the iced teas we both had in school, and varieties of cat food that The Teenager’s finicky cat might eat. And for some reason The Teenager wanted puffed rice, and we picked desserts from the cooler and I bought a copy of the Times-News.

Then we walked down the main drag to go have a quick slice of pizza. Imagine our surprise when we discovered an amazing taco pizza, which we chased with a walk past the park and a visit to the public library so I could use the bathroom and enjoy the beautiful architecture.

The Teenager mentioned that she recognized the town and she felt like it was a place she had visited with my father on the motorcycle. That made sense, I told her, because my dad loved to take the motorcycle along the Lehigh River and through the picturesque hills and valleys of the region. So to celebrate him, we spent some time with the crane machine, another of my dad’s favorite activities.

I think what made the day special was that all we did was walk, talk and enjoy the scenery. Toss in some desserts and a good slice of pizza and what more could I ask… well, and it turns out we also had the presence of my dad.

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.

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

$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.