Every Rose Has its Thorn

I went to the grocery store the other day to snag some relatively inexpensive half gallons of milk. The limit of five has restocked my freezer. That and some fresh produce were my main goals but I couldn’t resist the plethora of flower bouquets marked down following St. Valentine’s Day.

My husband approved my purchase since my birthday was a few days earlier and I asked for nothing special...

They aren’t as fragrant as those I recall from the 1980’s. In addition, a lot of petals landed on the floor while the thorny, dry woody stems made trimming them a chore. While roses are much cheaper now, I’d be angry if my full price bouquet rotted in under a week.

Do you purchase cut flowers? If so, did you know that a slanted knife cut allows the stems better water absorption than a scissor's pinch?
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Bargain Buys, an Unexpected Neat Find, and the Golden Tooth

I popped into my local grocery chain store to pick up medications from the pharmacy and some food items. Upon entering, I discovered the unbelievable and repeating deal of buy one get two free (!) sleeves of soda. I gave up the stuff for the most part but the occasional can of ginger ale or Doctor Pepper are enjoyable.

Since my journey started at the pharmacy, however, I passed by the clearance shelves. And wow, did I score big. It’s a shame that many party planners passed up overpriced snack items. And I sometimes think many folks don’t realize these shelves exist along the back wall.

I do not care at all about American football
but this seasonal find is awesome.

My neatest find came about due to the fact I was trying to find a cheaper carton of eggs than what we usually purchase. These wheat free wraps are like pillow-soft flour tortillas. I ate two today, wrapping one around bacon and cheese and the other with cold fried chicken and lettuce.

I found these on sale, too;
otherwise, I may have to pass on them.

 

 

As for the golden tooth, it isn’t but should be. My husband’s twenty-one year old root canal failed and has an underlying infection. I figured he would just have it pulled at his advancing age. But I understand it’s about quality of life. Still, the cost of another root canal is around three thousand US dollars. And that’s after the other thousand dollar dental surgery he had on another tooth.

The front of this same grocer had shelves stocked with tasty pistachios at a way higher price...

To be petty and complain from within my happy household, I despair of ever traveling again. And I miss visiting North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a modest trip, really.

Do you make a point of checking clearance items, wherever you shop? And do you find yourself overlooking products new to you while shopping for staples?

Bargain Finds – Flowers and Fungi

I know not everyone enjoys the taste/texture of mushrooms. My husband and I adore all varieties. Shiitakes are a favorite for cooking but tend to be expensive.

Growing in My Yard; I Dare Not Taste It

To our joy, we found shiitakes sold for a reasonable price at the international Jungle Jim’s market in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Dried versions in a distant aisle were even less expensive by weight. However, we were happy with our fresh, more familiar find in the produce section.

While he ordered lunch at the indoor sandwich shop I went to wash my hands and found a ridiculous markdown on cut flowers. Originally priced at $7.99 (US), these bunches were being offered at 99 cents each. Petals fell off as I trimmed stems and put the flowers in a vase but they remain festive.

They had been painted, of course...

Do you think any average person nowadays could justify spending eight dollars for something so ephemeral? And are your local stores having huge sales on items they can’t sell otherwise?

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Seriously, this is a discount?

My husband and I so fortunate that retirement gives us plenty of time to shop for bargains. How working parents feed their families is both a mystery and growing concern. I doubt many folks have time to check the clearance shelves or even know their location tucked past aisles of freezers just across from the small hardware selection. When I looked up my jaw dropped. It’s no wonder bottles like this remain on the shelves.

For my unsophisticated palete, a brand priced just over one tenth of this tastes just fine.

Can you imagine what the original retail price must have been? Is there any special occasion for which you’d consider such an extravagant purchase?

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My Latest Shopping Spree (Not)

Today I went shopping for pine nuts to make a Spanish glazed cod recipe. My husband asked me to also pick up some Bugle corn snacks. For some reason, that brand is never easy to find. This store stashed Bugles on a high shelf near bagged popcorn instead of in the chip aisle.

Photo from Walgreens convenience store/pharmacy website...

And it was a struggle for my short self to reach one of the two remaining bags. But I managed, and jokingly told my man that I knew he would have tossed me to the curb if I’d given up. I don’t understand why this General Mills product is so difficult to find here in the United States and no longer sold in Canada (something I just learned).

The whopping two other items in my cart were an unexpected discovery, chocolate covered cherries at fifty percent off. My husband looked at a box before Christmas and decided they weren’t worth the cost. Other folks must have felt the same because there must have been hundreds of the milk chocolate variety available.

The cherry cola flavor caught my interest...

In fact these proved a better deal than expected, the regular price being almost $4 (USD) while I paid under $1 (!) for each box of ten candies. I suppose the extraordinary excess inventory explains this. Maybe, if he likes these as much as his preferred dark chocolate cordials I should buy more. Why they were not advertised as such is another mystery.

Did you know Bugles were introduced in 1966 alongside two counterparts called Whistles and Daisy*s? Wouldn’t the flower shaped ones be fun, and even better than cones for dipping?

I found this on a fun website...

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Holiday Cheer – & – Fun Experiments with Food

A block away from my usual turn toward the main road I kept noticing an adorable holiday display and finally drove past for a photo. The tiny gingerbread house (far left) in particular caught my attention.

As usual, my image does not do this justice...

Meanwhile, we continue shopping bargains and a huge bag of potatoes inspired me to try cooking potato pancakes. Well, it didn’t work as planned yesterday; the patties wouldn’t retain their shape despite my best efforts and strict adherence to ingredients/directions. That’s okay. The tasty potato shreds fried with mushrooms and scrambled eggs won’t go to waste.

Today’s test came from my husband discovering store bought apple pie on sale. I’d rather bake something myself. We already had canned fried apples bought on sale many months ago and newer frozen pastry sheets. A quick search fitted the two perfectly. You can find the easy recipe here including an amusing story.

To my surprise, mine turned out as pretty...

Do you enjoy fruity confections? Are you familiar with turbinado sugar and its difference from other varieties?

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Fruits and Nuts

Yesterday I popped into my local grocer for a few items. Since fruit is such a big part of my breakfast these days I always look for sales, and seedless green grapes were quite the bargain. The pistachio sale was not worthwhile but by the end you will understand my reference to nuts.

Some of these grape sizes rival mandarin oranges!

Since I was right there the day after Halloween I had to swing by the seasonal section. Without a price marked, this wreath was expected to be beyond my budget. To my delight it was over half off (!) after I scanned my loyalty card.

It looks prettier than my image shows...

After showing my husband the wreath I laid it down on a sofa arm. And of course Terra, my nutty cat, found it immediately.

Aren’t housecats the silliest creatures? Have you seen how often the big (wild) cats act much the same?

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Better Late than Never

After Christmas I discovered a deal on the Chewy pet product website. It’s still hard to believe I paid twenty-five dollars for all of it. This super soft and cushioned blanket alone is worth that price.

Can you guess whose toes those are?
Hint: they include Pollywogs

And the squeezable treats have been a huge hit, a bit here and there ensuring clean plates. Food waste always frustrates me.

Sad to say, I couldn’t get any takers on the Feast of Fishies. They smell of molasses, weirdly, and ingredients include honey as well as cream cheese, which may nor may not be a plus.

Sorry about the focus;
we have more toys(!)

Have you ever tasted pet food? Or would you? (I have and do, here and there; it seems fair to our beloved critters – don’t judge – lol)

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An Honest Response & Humorous Retort

Regarding the recent weather, dearest Strayer asked how we keep our pipes from freezing and are able to start our car in extreme cold. As to the former, we replaced our vastly undersized heat pump after several miserable winter seasons; I don’t know how our pipes didn’t burst and recall that 1990’s era kerosene space heater let off an unforgettable stink. :P

Fast forward and we didn’t know for sure our diesel sedan would start for his 12/27 dental appointment despite us having an attached garage. However, we comfortably hunkered in ‘til then and our hybrid electric car started just fine last Tuesday morning.

On a foodie note, I lovingly blame Pam for making me crave party snacks. We already had tasty vegetables and dipping sauces. Then I found the following marked down item just this morning.

I do not want to admit how many nuts
& sweets comprised my so-called
dinner this evening...

Can you believe the store priced that party tray at $14.95 (US)? Did I not score big paying less than $5.00 for over a pound of treats?

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One Great Find & Two Replies

Your replies are both correct, Liz A. and Andrew. Terra was high on catnip and there are a plethora of pet food related puzzles. I bought one years ago, in fact, hoping to slow down our dear departed kitty Tilly.

The Stimulo Feeder

My husband won’t use it. He fears the narrow food cups will cause whisker fatigue even though they’re supposed to dig food out with their paws. We also had a ball that dispensed treats when rolled. One half disappeared years ago. Current choices available are rather overwhelming. Terra and I both enjoy afternoon treat time. I’ll have to show video of her running.

Meanwhile, I went looking for garden center clearance items and scored a few perennials for 50% off (!) and a white mum for a mere five dollars (US). I added the bat and dried stems.

Sorry about my shadow...

Have you ever heard of whisker fatigue? Do you think garden centers no longer label mums as perennial but rather annual plants to sell more each autumn? Or am I just too cynical?

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