I'm Back In "Normal" Mode Now

The frog just won't turn into a prince, so, I am home and on my own again. It's a relief, really. I'm an old maid, I'm pretty stuck in my ways, and I'm probably a whole lot better off being at home by myself. Let's just say it was a wild Six Flags ride. It's fun while you're riding, but, when you get off, you are dizzy and sick.

I did some pretty serious coupon shopping today, but, the cat food brought my % way down. All the typical Memorial Day items were on a great sale at my store, add to that double coupons, and wham! I'm back in the game again.

I don't know what to do about the layout on this site. It seems to be permanently broken. That being said, here are my year-to-date totals.

Spent: $311.43
Cpns, etc.: $644.86
% Saved: 67%

The boyfriend turned out to be a no-go, but, I learned a few cooking tips from him. He takes a box of Suddenly Salad, adds some olive oil, mayo, and Caeser salad dressing, throw in some crab meat, and you've got a great dish.

I think I mentioned this already, but, he used 2 envies of the fake crab meat, added Italian bread crumbs and an egg, and made the most incredible crab cakes. Oh, yum!

He could probably make a gourmet meal out of Spam and crackers! I know I told you about the shrimp, mussels, penne pasta, and broccoli. Everything came right out of the freezer and was the easiest thing to make. He is a master at using the correct seasonings and spices to a dish. I guess the thing I'm going to miss most about the relationship is the great meals he made for me.

I wonder, could you do the same thing with an envie of tuna using an egg and bread crumbs, and still have something delicious? I don't think I have any Italian bread crumbs in the pantry, but, I process stale bread and keep it in the freezer for bread crumbs. What would you add to it to make it "Italian" bread crumbs? I'm thinking some oregano, but, I don't know what else to add. Parsley? Anybody got any ideas on how to turn my homemade bread crumbs into something spectacular?

The "empty egg cartons for eggs" deal is working out well. If you live near a flea market, especially something "out in the country", you might just be able to find a chicken farmer to trade with. So, you find someone with laying hens and you offer to trade. What's the worst thing that could happen? He/she might say no. You haven't lost a thing by asking. I guess you could find the same thing at a farmer's market, too. I really like bartering. You just have to think outside the box to be able to trade what you have, or what you can do, for something of value from another. In the current economy, I would think that there is a lot more bartering going on.

I have to brag a bit. I went to CVS Pharmacy today with $4 in ECB and a coupon for Old Spice body wash B1G1F. I got back $8 in ECB. Not bad! I've pretty much quit shopping at Walgreens. After they ended their rebate program, I just couldn't find enough things I needed or wanted to earn Register Rewards.

Well, I'm slipping way below what I wanted in % saved. I was really trying to stay at about 70-72% in savings, but, have dropped to 67% now. I know, I know, that is still pretty good, but, I think I can do better. I don't figure in the value of my free eggs. Maybe I could do that. Well, it doesn't matter. I know what I'm saving and that's the main thing.

Homework for all my readers. I need some summertime recipes for tuna. I'm awash in it and need to pump up my protein intake as well. When I'm not getting enough protein, my hair falls out. True. My nutritionist told me.

No Activity At The Grocery

Well, I decided I'd stick with the frog for a while. I stay at his house most of the time and he can really, really cook. He claims to have attended a culinary institute for two years and I tend to believe him. The night I got home from Hawaii, he prepared a dish of mussels, shrimp, penne pasta, and broccoli in a rich red wine sauce. I was bowled over! One night this week, he prepared butterflied chicken breasts stuffed with wild rice. Our first date was a picnic and he did all the food preparation. What he did with a simple box of Suddenly Salad should get him an award of some kind. He did wonders with a couple of envies of the fake crab meat a few nights ago. Added an egg for binder and some Italian bread crumbs and made crab cakes. I confess I went back for seconds. So, as you can see, there has been no reason for me to darken the door of a grocery store except for cat food. Of course, this has just killed my "3-a-day" rule.

The Layout On This Site Is Completely Broken

There is no way for me to update my numbers in the right column. It's been broken for over a month, maybe two, and I don't see it getting repaired. Every time I try to update my figures, it crashes my system. That said, here's my newest totals:

Spent $239.29
Coupons, etc. 573.52
Savings 71%

Sorry I've Been AWOL

Sad story. I met a man, thought he was a prince, turned out to be a frog. I wasted 3 weeks finding that out.

I'm writing from 35,000 feet. I'm on my way to Hawaii today. I won't be posting for the next week as I will be eating out every meal. I've never flown first class before today and I've got to tell you, it's sweet! It's going to be especially important from LA to Honolulu as that is the longest leg of the flight. Coach seats are getting smaller and smaller, I swear! Up front, the flight attendants fawn all over you. If they only knew that I'm flying on an award ticket, not "real" money.

I'm sorry I don't have my totals with me right now. I think I'm around $200 for the year in spending. I'm at about 72% coupon use.

My dad is failing. He's on a new chemo treatment and it is causing him a lot of trouble and pain. All it is is injecting poison to fight the other poison. Neither one ever wins. I will say, though, that he is fighting the good fight and is pushing himself beyond all you could imagine. He's got 72 tomato plants in the ground right now. I guess he expects to live long enough to harvest the crop.

As I said, I've been in this failed relationship for 3 weeks and haven't been on the internet to find any good freebies or deals for you. I promise to do better.

Some Good News For My For My Dad

It seems that he has a tumor in his ribs, but, the doctor thinks he can radiate that thing out of existance in 10 days. There's still the tumors in his liver, but, we are daling with that as well. As I told you, my dad put out 72 tomato plants last week. He will definitely have to live long enough to harvest the crop and sell them at the flea market!

I haven't come up with any incredible recipes lately. I'm surviving on what is at hand. I'm thinking of using Rick's recipe for the Suddenly Salad. I have packs of crab meat and I'm sure I have paprika on the shelf. It was fantastic and I hope I can reproduce it in my kitchen.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers and thoghts for my dad. He has lived over a year since he was supposed to die from this ailment. He doesn't show signs of slowing down anytime soon. After all, he has a tomato crop to harvest.

I Learned Of Some New Ways To Prepare Common Foods

I was invited on a picnic last Sunday. The gentleman did all the cooking. All I had to do was eat! Anyway, he made a great dish out of a box of Suddenly Salad by adding a bit of mayo, some Caesar dressing, crab meat, and paprika. It was fantastic! He also made a marinate for sliced avacados.

My problem with cooking? I have no chemistry background. Cooking is chemistry. This goes with that and that goes with the other thing. I guess I just don't have much imagination in the kitchen. I'm trying to learn new things to be able to use more of my stockpile.

We saw the doctor on Monday. Dad's cancer has now spread to his lung and the liver lesions are growing. The doctor is trying to come up with a different chemo med that might extend his life a bit longer. He says it's worth trying because Dad is "high functioning." I mean, the life is draining out of the man and what did he do last week? He put out 72 tomato plants, mowed the yard and seeded the lawn. It takes him a long time to get it done. He says that he makes one pass across the yard, has to sit and rest, then makes another pass, sits to rest and get his breath back, on and on.

I don't know why this blog layout won't work anymore, so, I'll keep giving my totals in the body of the posts until I can figure out something else.

$142.68 Spent
$413.44 Coupons, etc.
74% Saved

Finally! Spring Is Here!

I spent a couple of hours today just lounging in my hammock chair outside. It's hard for me to just set my brain on "idle," but, I was able to do it for a while and I feel so refreshed.

There is something wrong with this blogspot. I cannot update my totals in the right column. I crash the system every time I try it. That said, here's where I am for the first 3 months of this year:

$134.05 Spent
$408.93 Coupons, etc.
75% Savings

I am averaging $45 per month. If I can keep that up, I'm going to make my goal with plenty of room to spare.

Someone on freecycle.com gave me 3 boxes of Gevalia coffee today. That's about $25-$30 worth of premium coffee. I was awfully appreciative to get it. In return, I gave someone else some bricks today. I'm not all that active on freecycle, but, I've given away quite a bit of stuff that way. I think today is the first time I've actually received anything through that site.

You ought to see my dad's tomatoes! They're about two or three feet high. He started the seeds in January in the basement under the grow lights. We'll have tomatoes by the first of June, I think. As sick as he is, I half expected that he would forego tomatoes this year, but, I guess he's just too stubborn to stop doing things. We see the doctor on Monday to see where the cancer is or isn't. I fear the worst.