A few things I've done the past few weeks

July was a crazy busy month, so I didn't have much time to shop or blog. Here's a few things that I did the last few weeks.

Redeemed $125 worth gift cards ($100 Kohls, $25 Target)

Used the Kohls gc that purchase a big ticket Christmas item and 2 long sleeve shirts for DS. My total came to over $100, but in true Kohls fashion, some of the items were cancelled. My new total came to $90.51, but I still received $20 Kohls cash. No problem. I used the Kohls cash to buy items to make money towards my $15K goal.

I swear I have the worst luck with online orders. Something always goes wrong. Oy vey. I ordered some sweaters (I didn't own any sweaters) for myself when Gap had 40% off + extra 10% off. So I used the balance of my GAP gcs and $5.14 on my CC. Well, one sweater that was shipped separately, never arrived. When I checked the tracking, I saw that only a shipping label was created. The item never left their warehouse. So they issued me a credit. $5.14 to my CC and a check for $2.28.

They said they couldn't issue a $2.28 gc, because the amount was under $5. So they spent money on paper, printer ink, envelope and a stamp, to send me a check for under $5. Yep, that makes perfect sense GAP...lol

I also splurged on a new dress at Marshalls. After attending numerous important meetings, I realised that I hardly had any dress clothes. Of the few items I have, most were outdated. So when I saw this dress at Marshalls, I fell in love. It cost me $39.99 + tax. Retail price is $89.

So for July, I spent less than $50 on clothes.

I also got DS a new game that he wanted at Target. I told him a few months ago that he could get the game when I have enough gcs to pay for it. So I paid a whopping $63.59 for a game. These video game manufacturers sure know how to rip us off.

I've also been stockpiling blueberries since they are on sale at Meijer $1.25/pint. I've been washing and freezing most, because I pay over $10 for a 4 or 6 lb frozen blueberry bag at Sams during winter. I can buy frozen blueberries at Dollar Tree, but the Meijer ones are locally grown and so delicious.

On Monday I decided to turn on the oven to bake (I rarely use the oven during summer). A friend gave me about a 30lb bag of fresh wheat from their fields. I mentioned that I wanted to try a whole wheat bread recipe, so when they harvested, she asked if I wanted some. I have some really generous friends.

So I baked these 2 loaves and it was so good. The recipe is from a grocery store in SA. I was trying to duplicate the whole wheat bread that they sell. I replaced one cup of flour with a cup of crushed wheat and it made a huge difference. The loaves were small though, so I'll make 6-8 loaves, next time I bake bread again. I will also add some honey and olive oil, so that it's not too dry.

Bread recipe

I also made a chicken pot pie for dinner, 2½ dozen carrot/pineapple muffins and 1 dozen blueberry muffins (with those fresh blueberries).

That's about it for me. I still need to crunch numbers, but I currently have a cold.