I'm Not Supposed To Be Stockpiling!

I know I'm supposed to be living off of stockpile, but, I got 12 rolls of aluminum foil this week, all free. I also did a pretty impressive job of stockpiling Stouffer's mac/cheese which was .99 ea. at Walgreens this week. It also helped to eat up the overage on the foil.

I do not plan to buy anything else this month (2 days left; I can see that far ahead). My year to date totals are thusly:

Money Spent: $302.87
Rebates Recvd: $85.77
Net Amt. Spent: $217.10
Qs Redeemed: $629.68

The Qs represent 67.5% of all groceries brought into the house this year. I'm slightly over my projected monthly average of $100. I am $17.10 over through this much of the year. That's not hard to make up later.

You all know how hard it is to turn down something "free." At my local grocery, if you spend at least $35 each visit and have 7 of these purchases before Easter, you get a free ham. I've been using free Qs to get to the $35 threshhold a couple of times. Now that I've started with 2 ham points, I would feel like I'd wasted them if I didn't plunge in and do it 5 more times. I have enough free Qs to get another $35 purchase. From then on, I'm going to have to spend REAL MONEY! Of course, 2 bags of cat food and milk and bread will get me to $35 and I will have to do that soon.

Who went to IHOP on free pancake day? I admit I went. I was somewhat surprised to find that a cup of coffee is $1.89 plus tax. That's more than Starbucks! Free isn't always free, is it?

Update on my dad's condition; he is on painkillers and nothing else. He's considering chemo and/or radiation, but, hasn't made a decision yet. He can still drive and live fairly normally, although I suppose he isn't going to put tomatoes in the ground this year as he will be unable to take care of them. He will likely be gone before the first tomatoes are ripe enough to pick. I feel quite helpless right now. There is nothing I can do for him, other than bake a cake every now and then and just "be there." All these years he's been doing so much for me and now, when it is important, I can't return it.

I think he's in a bit of trouble now, though. I often cook for him and he always raves about the dishes I make even though I know that they are mediocre, at best. Now, I'm going to make all those things he's raved about in the past and he's going to have to eat them!