I have to ask...

Has anyone had the experience of being misjudged or misunderstood, because people don't really know you or bother to get to know you? I've had that experience quite a few times in my life. More so since I've moved here. The truth is that nobody here knows me. No that it's everybody else's fault. As you all know, I'm a very private person. The rest. Well, they just never bothered to get to know me.

I've mentioned many times that I've been raised with strict British ways. What that means is that I've been raised with proper etiquette. Now, we have never ever used the E word in my family. It's a big no no. Anyone who's been raised this way will tell you that it's not something you talk about. Most people don't know that there's way more to etiquette than just using the proper utensils at the dinner table. It's basically a way of life. Not gonna lie. I am very very proper (my oldest closest BFF {who I've know most of my life}will confirm this. she gets quite a kick out of it 😂) I've had a few people think that I'm a snob over the years (of course they're people who didn't know me that well). Once they got to know me, they actually apologized for misjudging me because they come to find out that I'm just a fun, friendly, laid back kinda girl. 

I will admit though that I do hold the utensils in the wrong hands. I've always wanted to be left handed. I thought that it was one of the coolest things when I was a kid 😂 I even tried to write with my left hand, but my already ugly handwriting was even worse with my left hand 😂 We are taught to eat with the proper utensils from an early age. I was about 6 or 7 when my father finally caved (gave up on trying to teach me the correct way to eat 😂 I should mention that he had the patience of a saint) & let me eat like a left handed person - knife in left hand, fork in right hand. I at least eat the right way 😂 My mother would sometimes switch her utensils (cut the food with knife and fork, then put down knife and switch the fork to the other hand. I don't know why she did this sometimes, because she knew the proper way to eat) and I could see my father cringe inwardly. I cringe when people do that too. To me, it's just wrong. 

So my personality is that of very reserved & polite, yet friendly (to those who aren't close to me). I don't just let my hair down or share my personal life with anyone, until they get really close to me. I don't do this intentionally. It's just who I am. You will always see me doing the right thing too. I'm totally against stealing anyone's thunder - weddings, showers, presentations or any other special event or occasion. It's in very very poor taste to do that. It's that person(s)'s special day. You always have to dress & act accordingly. If I unintentionally do the wrong thing or misunderstood the assignment, I immediately correct it. It would bother me (drive me nuts) if I didn't.  In fact, I hate the spotlight. I'm really uncomfortable with attention. I've had it for most of my life and never cared for it. I'll just politely take whatever pat on the back/praise people want to give me and move on. I prefer to be behind the scenes. I'll push everyone else into the spotlight (whether I'm helping them or just encouraging or motivating them) and let them enjoy the praise. I've lived in a fish bowl for most of my life and didn't care for it. I'm not ungrateful for who I am/we are. I just don't like all the attention and I especially don't like all the judging. To this day, people still judge us and hold us to a higher standard. Never mind that they're doing far worse things than we are. 

I'm not gonna lie. There are many things that I'll frown upon, but you will never know about it. Why, because it's in poor taste to call anyone out too. There are many things about my mannerisms that I can't explain here. Just know that I'll always choose to do the right thing. I always put my best foot forward. People might not always understand it, but it's what I do.  My father would've been proud of me. I took all those lessons heart 😂

I have many close friends who still don't know all that much about me. No, I'm not secretive or hiding anything. There is a HUGE difference between being private & being secretive. Heck, my BF knows a lot more about me than they do. That says a helluva lot about what he means to me, because I don't share my personal life with just any old body. So when I'm closed off to others, it's nothing personal. It's just how I was raised. 

Now, the other thing is that most people jump to all kinds of wrong conclusions about me, because they never bothered to get to know me. I'm not gonna lie, it hurts when people do that (boy I'm being very vulnerable right now), because I never treat others that way. I always believe in getting to know people and not judging them for anything. I actually don't go around judging others. It's not my nature. I choose to believe the best in others. I will also not judge someone based on whatever bad things anyone told me about them. I don't play that game. I will get to know that person for myself. 

I really don't want to be too vulnerable here (I really don't like to show my weaknesses to others), but I wanted to ask. Has anybody had the experience of being misjudged by people who won't bother to get to know you. I can understand people judging others (not that I agree with it), because they don't know you. I just don't care much for those who misjudge you because they CHOOSE to not get to know you. 

In my experience, I've found that the BEST and/or nicest people (those who make the best friends and/or partners) are the ones who are misjudged or misunderstood. I wish that people would take time to get to know others, because they might just find them to be real gems.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. I need to catch some beauty sleep peeps 😴

Menu Plan Monday 10/23/23

Hi everyone

It's been one of those days. Anyone have days where you are really busy (a lot to do) or have to go out & everyone & their mother wants to talk to you? Today was one of those days. Then my new juicer arrived with the box completely covered in something sticky. It looks like someone else's package had leaked all over mine and I just hoped it didn't get into the box, because it arrived in the Manufacturer's box. Thankfully Ninja double boxes their items, so my juicer was unharmed inside another box. Phew!! So very thankful for my BF. He didn't just make my day. He made my whole year! 💞, so I decided to not let anything or anyone ruin my Cloud 9 high. What's on the menu this week?

Monday : Korean BBQ beef stir fry with brown rice

Tuesday : Baked BBQ chicken breasts, baked potatoes & veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Mexican - burritos, nachos or quesadillas with beans, pico, guac

Breakfasts : Banana oatmeal muffins, bagels, cereal, eggs, toast (wheat, raisin, chocolate brioche bread. we need to finish the raisin bread, so I'll make french toast with it), breakfast sausage.

Lunch : Leftovers or protein from freezer with salad

Dessert : Sticking to our no dessert for the week

There's always a large variety of fresh fruit, veggies & salad fixings available.

We're back in the zone with our muffins. I bought fresh baking powder and the muffins turned out great again. Thank goodness. I don't like my baked goods to flop. 

DS didn't want to go out yesterday again, so I took a nap. You know you're exhausted when your one hour nap turns into 3 hours. I went to bed at my usual time last night and feel so much better today. I needed that sleep, cause I woke up extra early all week long.

I forgot to add that I also earned $15 Swagbucks on my Kohls purchase, so that entire trip (incl my juicer), cost me $6.50!! Go me! 😂

I'll post drugstore deals tomorrow. There's not much happening this week, but a few items some of you might be interested in. 

Have a wonderful evening peeps!

This week's odds & ends

Hi everyone

Please excuse the spacing. I don't know why blogger spacing is so weird in the bottom half of this post. 

I can't believe it's weekend again. This week sure flew by!! 

Not much to report. I've done a bit of shopping, because rewards & Qs needed to be used. I also did more cooking. I made BBQ chicken breast & frikkadel for the freezer and some more applesauce. 

• Kohls sent me a 40% off Q last weekend (perfect timing), so I bought DS some new sweatpants, a Ninja juicer (I've wanted a new juicer for a long time and I love Ninja products), 13" Pyrex dish. Paid with those RA gcs and earned $30 KC. Well, the Pyrex dish was just dumped into the box with all the other items (excl juicer) - no bubble wrap or any other protection 🤦 Surprisingly, the dish arrived in perfect condition, but the lid was cracked/damaged on one end, so it won't seal. So I went online and they have Live Chat. Hooray! You are number 49 in line. A rep will be with you in about 20-30 minutes. Not Hooray! 😠 I don't have time to wait in line.  Then I forgot to contact them. So I need to try again. 
  
  I used the KC to purchase a bunch of clearance items (at extra 50% off) to resell. That should add another $90 to my pocket. So here's the breakdown.
  
  Paid $150 OOP for the gc (I only used $150 at Kohls)
  Earned - $30 BC at RA
  Earned - $4.50 CC (3% cash back)
  Earned $30 KC that I will turn into $90, so $90 earned
  Earned $5 monthly KC
  Total earned : $129.50
  
  Total cost for all my items after earnings = $21.50. Not a bad deal for a new Ninja juicer 😊
  
  
• Purchased a new top with my WHBM rewards. Total cost : $0.00
  
  I've just been adding new clothes to my storage containers as they arrive. About 80% of my clothes have been packed for months and I haven't worn anything new this year, except when I went to the fair. I decided to wear a brand new outfit from my hat right down to my shoes. 
  
  
• Pre-ordered a Christmas gift for DS and paid with a gc. I don't usually pre-order things, but I'm afraid this item might sell out since it's in demand. The pre-orders were already sold out at one retailer. 
  
  
• Redeemed a $20 Ibotta gc that I used at Sams. 
  
  
• Kroger finally had the Mission tortilla chips (my preferred brand) on sale. I've been waiting for this, because I'm out of chips. I did the following deal
  
  5 x chips $9.95
  1 Doz eggs 1.29
  Oscar Mayer smokies 3.29
  Less eggs mailer Q (0.50)
  Less OM mailer Q free  (3.29)
  Less KC (4.25) I forgot I had this on my account
  OOP $6.49

Target had $10/40 Beauty Q for Circle users. I really needed bar soap, but nobody seems to have had a good sale on it for weeks. So I decided to put a deal together that would give me the best bang for my buck (and wait for a better deal on the soap). Of course, I had to get Old Spice. The drugstores usually just stock one or 2 bottles and Target only had 5 on the shelf. So yeah, I'm stocking up whenever I see the Captain ones.

 

12 pk Bar soap $9.49 (sorry, I already opened and packed it away when I took pic)

2 x OS b/w 14.78

2 x OS deodorant 11.98

1 x 750 ct Qtips 5.39

Less 10/40 (10.00)

Tax 1.90

OOP $33.54 - Paid with a gc so $0 OOP

Earned $10 Ibotta ($5 b/w, $5 deodorant) and submitted to P&G for points

I wasn't in the mood for drugstore shopping this week. I think I'm burned out from drugstore shopping. First RA sent me a mailer that arrived on the day that the $10/40 Q they included, expired. Grrr. I don't know why the Qs arrived so late this month. Then I received an email with 10/40 Birthday Q, so I decided to complete 2 more BC Challenges. I needed to spend another $6 on Colgate, but RA also has a $10 BC WYS $50 this week. No need to not go big! None of the items were needed, but I might as well take the free stuff. 

4 x Colgate $15.96

6 x Scunci elastics 21.54

1 x Joint Flex 19.99

Less Colgate DQ (4.00)

Less 10/40 Q (10.00)

Tax 2.85

OOP $46.34 Paid with BC, so $0 OOP

Earned $36 BC ($10 WYS $50, $10 Joint Flex, $10 Scunci, $6 Colgate)

Earned $11 BCC ($5.10 Colgate, $5.30 Scunci). RA rounds it to the nearest $, so I'll earn $11

Total earned $47.00 So a teensie MM. I thought I had 2 Colgate DQs. I was seeing double, because their site seems to show you the same Qs over and over as you scroll, but there are no extra Qs. Oh well, it was still a MM deal. 

I just read that my local RA is closing (This is the one where the manager refused to scan my Q). I'm not surprised. It's across the street from a CVS that's in a strip with other busy stores. RA is always empty, whereas CVS gets lots of traffic, due to it's location. I feel bad for the employees though. I hope they get transferred to other locations. On another note. I need to keep checking this store for good store closing sales. 

Stopped at Aldi for mainly bread & bagels. I bought 3 packages of the harvest bagels, because I know this item is hit & miss (expires 11/28, but it won't last longer than 2 weeks with both DS & myself eating it). They only had 3 Harvest ones and tons of Cinnamon raisin, blueberry & pumpkin. The blueberry has a weird taste (fake) so I stay away from that. The pumpkin is underwhelming (I had it a year or 2 ago). I paid $4.29 for a pint of blueberries at Aldi (this is the lowest price. Meijer's price was much higher). I bought DS & myself a pint each. That's $8.58!!! Yikes. I miss those $1.50/$2 summer prices. Next year I'm stocking my freezer with all kinds of summer produce (blueberries, kiwi, peaches etc). I made burritos for dinner and just ordered fries (no other junk food for DS), so I was happy to add his chocolate brioche bread to my shopping trip. 

Between the 4 stores, I spent $41.28 OOP. 

I actually found a receipt in my Aldi cart (that someone left behind) and the total was $326.xx. I thought 'Who on earth spends that much at Aldi?' I don't even spend that much in one trip at Sams!! It's not like they bought a truckload of food. There was lots of produce and also paper products on the list. I'm not judging anyone's shopping. I just wanted to point out how crazy grocery prices have become. I buy my t/p at Sams, because the price & quality are great! I stick to the drugstores and Target for HBA and cleaning, but I use earned gcs for Target and rewards at the drugstores to keep my OOP low. Holy cow! I can understand why most people are struggling with grocery bills. The prices are ridiculously outrageous!!

That's all I can think of right now. I still need to redeem more clothing rewards before the end of the month. I don't even know what to 'buy'. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps! Stay safe & warm

CLEARANCE SALES ALERT & Menu Plan Monday!

PSA! PSA! PSAAAAAA!!!!!!

The following stores currently have great clearance sales. I always shop opposite seasons. I bought summer things for next year. Now is the best time to purchase summer stuff, because the discounts are deep - especially since people aren't buying much. I found items for $3! If you have kids, buy the next size or 2 up and save it for upcoming seasons. I've always shopped this way for DS and we've never had to do Back to school shopping. We just did BTS shopping from our spare closet. It saves lots of $$$.

MEIJER

Extra 90% off pink ticket clearance items. Not much available at my store, but check the shoes & accessories section. Selection varies by store. 

Also, Meijer currently has a Spend $100 get $10 Cat deal. The good news is that Meijer always calculates the total BEFORE all other discounts. I bought DS some clearance shoes (paid $1.80 OOP per pair) and also did the Buy 5 get $5 off instantly deals and, to my surprise, a $10 CAT printed (I wasn't expecting it).  Whoo-hoo for free money! I spent a little over $60 OOP, but the register calculated the total based on the original shoes clearance prices and the grocery discount deals. 

Also, you can stock up on Kraft salad dressing. It's on sale for $1.99 (sigh, the old sale price was 99c) and there's an Ibotta rebate for 65c (amount might vary per user). Limit 5. A great stock up price. Check expiration dates. I always look for the later expiration dates. The ones I bought only expire April 2024.

JCP - ends 10/22

B1G1F pink sticker clearance. This is the store to hit, cause they have tons of clearance at very good prices. You can purchase an odd/uneven number of items. Everything rings up at 50%, so the discount will be applied to all items. Be sure to check all departments, as they seem to have great sales on just about everything. 

Kohls

Extra 50% off clearance items. My store didn't have much clearance the last time I was there, but I have KC to spend, so I'm going to double dip with the clearance items. Fingers crossed that they've added more clearance items.

I'm pooped. I was out half the day. I didn't even hit all the stores that I wanted to. I need another day or 2 of shopping as I need to squeeze in some drugstore deals too. Ugh, why do all stores have good sales at the same time? This always happens when I plan to stay home to get things done. 

I got home just before DS did. Threw all the breakfast sausage I bought into the pan (then froze), put garlic bread into the oven and put a salad together. This is why I cook on Sundays. I was very happy to not have to worry about dinner. Here's our meal plan for the week. 

Monday : Ravioli with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday : Spinach feta quiche, salad, veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Mexican - nachos or quesadillas with beans, pico, guac

Breakfasts : Cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast (wheat, raisin, chocolate brioche bread), breakfast sausage, breakfast burritos, bagels with cream cheese

Lunch : I'm eating all and any leftovers that's in the fridge to avoid waste

Dessert : Nada! 

There's always a large variety of fresh fruit, veggies, salad fixings & yogurt available. 

I'm giving myself a Big Fat F for failing the weight loss last week. Between the bread rolls (man, those rolls were good), cookies, apple pie & ice cream, I gained a pound 😭So no dessert & no muffins for this week. I bought both Cinnamon raisin & Harvest bagels at Aldi, so we can have that in place of muffins. I really like the Harvest bagels (seasonal). 

I really wanted that lasagna, but how do you make lasagna without lasagna sheets? 😂 Plan B. There was still ravioli in the freezer, so instead of buying lasagna sheets, I used the ravioli. Easy peasy. 

I'll respond to comments when I get a chance. I need an early night 💤

Bon Appetit 🥘& Happy shopping 🛒 Peeps!

This & That

Happy Friday everyone!

Not much happening at Casa Goose. Here's just a few things

• I redeemed Microsoft rewards for a $10 Target gc
  
  
• Checked all my printed Target gcs and saw that I have $60 in gcs. That, plus the leftover discounted ones I purchased last year plus my Circle earnings, total $163.20. Enough to purchase 2-3 gifts for DS. I'm a happy mama! I've set aside $300 of my Christmas fund for the rest of his gifts. It sounds like a lot, but BF will understand why I'm spending so much. I have something special in mind for DS.  That leaves me with $700+ for BF and whoever else I need to add to my list. I'm in good shape. Hoping I'll still have some change left over. 
  
  I actually need to go through my entire gc folder to see what I have. I have lots of little bits left over for some retailers and need to use those.
  
  
• DS ran out of mousse, so I pulled a new one from my stockpile. 
  
  
• I put new systems jackets together for DS (I just mixed and matched the old inners with the outer ones that still work) and he now has 3 complete jackets to use. That's besides the 2 new ones in the stockpile. I'm so thankful for that, because these jackets are really hard to find and if you do find it, the inner is now a puffer jacket instead of a warm insulated jacket like the old ones.

• Got this free off the shoulder linen top from Chicos with my $20 reward. 
  Retail price - $109.00 (I took pics to show you the crazy retail price)
  My price - FREE, Gratis, Verniet, $0000000 😂
  
  When I clicked on my account to copy the rewards code for checkout, I saw an extra $25 Birthday reward. So I now have another $30 to spend before the end of the month. Chicos actually called to remind me of the rewards. This has never happened before. Besides, they sent me email, snail mail & the rewards is in my account. Retailers are struggling, so take advantage of whatever free money they send you. They're hoping to lure consumers with rewards to get us to spend more. That trick doesn't work with me though. I like free too much 😂
  
  
• Received $10 Loft Birthday reward which I used immediately since they had free shipping. I ended up paying $4.16 OOP for a top, but that's okay. 
  
  
• Ordered a lace top that was cancelled, so WHBM is refunding my reward. 
  
  Received a $50 WHBM semi-annual reward and bought this blazer. I've had my eye on it for a while, but didn't want to spend that much on a blazer. However, select sizes were selling out fast, so I decided to just go ahead and buy it. It's free money after all 😂 I used $50 + $5 rewards and paid $4.98 OOP. Pre-pandemic, I would've been able to purchase 4-5 items with that reward. 
  
  I already own a velvet blazer in this color. However, velvet can't be worn year round and doesn't always work as a casual item. Now BF & I can easily coordinate, because he wears the exact same color. He looks much better in green than I do. 

• I signed up for 2 more retailers that I learned offer birthday rewards. We'll see how that goes. I already earned $35 from one of those (they offer rewards for completing your info & text messages). I'm still experimenting with these sites and will post more info if it's worth it/works out. I have a total of $95 to spend on myself by the end of the month. Oh what fun 😂 I haven't even received half of my birthday rewards yet. To be quite honest, I'm sick of shopping. I don't need anything. 

I really hate to sound like a broken record, but I can't say this enough. Please sign up at retailers that offer rewards. You'll be surprised at how much free or near free stuff you can get. Americans don't realise how blessed they are to have all these perks. Take it from someone who lived in a country where zero coupons & rewards were available (Canadians will agree). You just had to rely on that once or twice a year sale from your favorite stores. I'm not trying to turn anyone into shopaholics. Why am I asking you to do this? It's because times are tough. We all know that there's not much we can do about the ever increasing grocery prices. So my advice is to save in any other area that you can, to help offset the high grocery prices. We all need clothes, shoes and HBA. I know that I can work the deals in these areas and I take full advantage of it. 

I'll be the first to admit that I have A LOT of clothes and shoes. BF is in for a shock surprise when he sees how much I have (he's stylish too, so I have no worries 😁). However, he will come to learn that I know exactly what I am doing. Just last week I read some comments on a deal seeking site and one commentor mentioned how clothing is just made of cheap polyester and other poor quality fabric, lately. I've been saying the same thing for a long time. I've actually experienced that poor quality recently. I pulled some hoodies (since the weather changed) that I purchased online for DS. When I picked up one of the hoodies, I immediately knew that it was junk. I could tell by the fabric texture. It's the really cheap stuff. We used to complain about all those 'Made in china' stuff, but the latest quality is even worse. Trust me, I know quality (I have very high standards).  I was not happy. Many retailers are now offering this junk (I know exactly why it's happening and might have mentioned it before - not sure). The UA pants that I bought on clearance for DS at Kohls, are all too short.😭 The pair I bought myself is so small, the waist looks like it will fit a child. I have a 27" waist and this is a men's size Small that I purchased for myself. I know that Men's size small is much bigger than a Women's small. So I've decided to get him new pants and wear the ones that are too short for him. I only wear sweats at home, so it's no biggie. 

I also saw that WHBM now offer recycled polyester items. If you shop this store, you'll know that they're not cheap. I saw this beautiful blazer and couldn't believe that they were charging $225 for recycled junk. Now, there are people who will pay the full retail prices (they offer sales from time to time, but that price keeps going back to the original), but not me. No sir! I have more than enough clothes that I bought at their $10-20 sales (way before the crapola hit the fan). In fact, I have a houndstooth blazer that I paid around $20 for and it's not recycled fabric. About 90% of my stuff were purchased pre-pandemic, so the quality is so much better. I'm just over here laughing all the way to the bank (or is it the closet? 😂), cause I don't have to spend any money on cheap junk. So do yourself a favor & grab whatever free stuff you can. 

2 Weeks ago, WHBM had a huge sale. They had over 2000 items on sale and most of it was old inventory. I know this, because I already own many of those items. However, the prices were 2-3 times as much as I paid for it before. The black suede pumps I bought at a deep discount last year, was full price - $150!! Bloody crazy! This is the new normal. Much, much higher prices on everything. It's not just grocery prices that have increased. 

About a year ago, I considered listing my North Face systems jacket (I only wear systems jackets in winter) & down jacket (I bought these at the outlet years ago), because I didn't wear it as much, cause neither are as warm as my regular systems jackets. I never got around to listing it though. I'm so glad I didn't sell it, because the zippers on the newer jackets keep breaking. So I've decided to save my jackets in case my new jackets' zippers break again. The old stuff still work great, even if they're not as warm. I can always wear layers. 

Some of you might think I'm excessive, but there's always method to my madness. Remember how people mocked Noah for building an Ark when there wasn't a rain cloud in sight? I'm thinking I should do a Clothes Shopping Challenge next year, where I give myself $50-100 for the year (I could easily have done it for $10-20 a few short years ago, but times have changed - a lot!) to see how much I can purchase by just using all kinds of rewards and free gcs. I'm adding a $ amount, cause I have to pay tax and at least 1c over the Q value at select retailers. I know that I can do it! 😊 It should be interesting. 

Save your $$$ wherever you can peeps! There are possible food shortages in the forecast too. I'll have to work on a post about shortages. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps!

This week's Wags tripping

Hi everyone

I had no plans to go to Wags this week, because we don't need anything. I realised that the Old Spice b/w (our favorite 😍) was too good a deal to pass up, so here's what I did.

Trans 1

2 x OS b/w $14.00

2 x Colgate t/p 9.00

2 x Pringles BOGOF 3.49

Skintimate razors 6.99

Less OS DQ (3.00)

Less Colgate DQ (4.00)

Less Skintimate DQ (4.00)

Less WC (20.00)

Tax 1.80

OOP $4.28

Earned $7 RR ($3 OS, $4 Colgate) + $6 Ibotta ($5 OS, $1 Pringles)

Total earned $13

Trans 2

2 x OS b/w $14.00

2 x Colgate t/p 9.00

2 x Pringles BOGOF 3.49

Skintimate razors 6.99

Less Colgate DQ (4.00)

Less Skintimate DQ (4.00)

Less WC (20.00)

Tax 1.80

OOP $7.28

Earned $7 RR ($3 OS, $4 Colgate) + $3 WC (OS DQ that didn't deduct) + $6 Ibotta ($5 OS, $1 Pringles)

Total earned - $16

BREAKDOWN

Total items purchased : 14

Total Qs used : $19.00

Total rewards used : $20.00

Total rewards earned (RRs, WC, Ibotta) : $26.00

Total OOP $11.53

Retail value : $88.06

I had boosters to turn these deals into a MM, but I didn't want to spend $50+ OOP just to earn a few extra $$. I've decided to spend down my points instead (I have oodles). I'm adding to the stockpile (even though we don't need anything), because the prices of everything keep skyrocketing (saving where I can). If we don't use some things, I will just sell it to recoup my $$.

I added the Pringles & Skintimate as fillers so I could redeem $20 WC. You can only redeem the following amounts (I know. This is stupid Wags rules 🙄)

$1

$2

$3 

$4

$5

$10

$20

$50

My OS DQ didn't deduct on my 2nd transaction, so CS added points to my account. I might go back to get more OS (since the Q is still available), because it cost $1 each after rewards. Here's my plan

2 x OS b/w $14.00

Less DQ (3.00)

Less WC (10.00)

OOP $1.00 

Earn $4 RR + $5 Ibotta

If you don't have WC just do the following:

2 x OS b/w $14.00

Less DQ (3.00)

OOP $11.00  + tax

Earn $4 RR + $5 Ibotta

Don't forget to submit your receipts to Fetch & P&G too.

I don't see anything good at Wags next week, but that might change. There is a good diaper deal at RA next week, if anyone needs any.

RA 

Spend $50 get $10 BC

Spend $25 select items (including Huggies) earn $10 BC (limit 2)

2 x Huggies box diapers @ 24.99 = $49.98

1 x Huggies wipes 3.89

OOP $53.87

Earn $30 BC ($10 WYS $50, $10 WYS $25 x 2) + $5 Ibotta (select diaper box - limit 1)

Total earned : $35 

There are printable Qs available on coupons.com

Also check your RA account for DQs (may vary by account)

Also check Fetch as they usually have diaper rewards

You can also join Huggies rewards to earn points for your purchases. 

Happy shopping peeps!

Menu Plan Monday 10/09/23

Brrr, it sure got cold fast. The wind we had this weekend made it so much worse. I LOVE Fall, but not so much when it's so windy. Cold weather means cooking & baking, so here's what's on the menu this week.

Monday : Pesto chicken casserole, mashed potatoes, veggies

Tuesday : Meatloaf, mashed potato, veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Mexican - nachos or quesadillas with beans, pico, guac

Breakfasts : Carrot pineapple muffins, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast (wheat, raisin, chocolate brioche bread), breakfast sausage, breakfast burritos.

Lunch : Leftovers or protein from freezer with salad

Dessert : Glazed apple cookies

There's always a large variety of fresh fruit, veggies & salad fixings available.

I really wanted the bread rolls. There's nothing like eating homemade bread or rolls fresh from the oven. Mmm, the taste of freshly melted butter on it....pure bliss!! It was so good that I ate 2.

I decided on guilt free dessert - sugar free apple cookies. I always tweak recipes to suit our taste. I replace the sugar with crushed raisins (just add raisins to blender to crush. This way the sweetness spreads evenly throughout the batter). I also don't add glaze. We don't each much sugar and we don't even miss it. You won't even notice that it's sugar free, cause the raisins more than make up for it. These cookies are not supposed to be pretty. You just drop the batter onto a cookie sheet. No cookie cutters involved. They are so yummy and they're good for you (fibre - not a typo. I have a British vocabulary, so spell everything the English way). 

A tip - I don't bake everything with butter. I used ICBINB for many things, except cookies (cookies absolutely have to be made with butter) and it all turns out great. I also replaced the shortening with ICBINB. I stopped buying shortening when I stopped making my own pie crust. It's easier and cheaper for me to buy my crusts at Aldi. Just unroll & bake. Easy peasy!

Another tip : Belinda mentioned eating up the bagged salad before it goes bad. I buy the big spring mix and spinach containers at Sams every week. We love salad, but I also using it on sandwiches instead of lettuce. Lettuce doesn't have as much nutritional value anyway. I also like to add it to our smoothies. You don't even taste it in the smoothie. It might change the smoothie color, but you won't even know it's there. So there's 2 easy ways to use up your bagged salad. 

Meijer has apples on sale this week, so I bought some more and made more applesauce. It's an easy snack and something DS enjoys. 

I wanted to make spinach & feta quiche, but will add it to next week's menu instead. You'll notice that our dinner menu has little carbs this week. I'm aiming for 5 lbs weight loss this week, so I need to kick things into high gear. Portion control has worked well for me. I've never been a big eater. When I was busy at work, I'd skip lunch and just eat a snack in the afternoon. In 2 decades here, I've never finished a dinner out. I always ate half the meal and brought the rest home. It's just too much food for me. I remember when my parents were visiting us here. At dinner one night, my mom told me that I was overfeeding DS. I didn't understand what she was getting at, because he got his regular food portion. It was only when I visited SA the last time that it clicked. I stayed at my brother's house and made coffee for myself one morning. I remember getting the mug and teaspoon out and told my nephew that the mug & teaspoon look really small 😂 (he's visited us before, so he knew what I meant). It was then that I realised that everything is smaller in SA, so the portions are naturally smaller too. So I'm back to eating that way again & it's working. Trust me, I'm not depriving myself. This girl likes to eat. 

Buuuuuttttt, then Meijer sucked me in again. They sent me a Q for 50% off my total Breyer purchase. Do they know how good that darn Banana Split ice cream is? 😂 Guess who had milkshakes for dessert 😂 I added some frozen fruit to help with the guilt. I paid the price on the scale today. That's cause I had a big milkshake, then had the leftover milkshake (couldn't waste 😂 and it's not the kind of thing you can just refrigerate - ice cream). Then I had to have a few bites of the ice cream too, cause it's so good! Back to reality & better eating for me. 

I had planned on taking DS out for dinner once done with cooking, but he didn't want to go out. So after all the cooking was done, I took a nap. This waking up at the butt crack of dawn on weekends, is for the birds. 

Bon Appetit Peeps! Have a wonderful week!

Easy Wags deal

 

Hi everyone

The day started off great. I got on the scale this morning & saw that I lost 1.6 lbs since yesterday!! I was shocked, because I even had a small piece of apple pie yesterday and I eat carbs too (the day before was only 0.6 lbs). I'm a small woman, so this is huge for me. I even weighed myself again 2 hours later to make sure that I wasn't seeing things 😂 Nope, the number is right.  I haven't seen that number in years, so I'm on a high today 😁

I had 2 RRs expiring, so headed to Wags for a quick deal

2 x Old Spice deodorant $13.00

2 x Kit Kat 2.58

Less OS DQ (3.00)

Less RRs (11.00)

Tax 0.78

OOP $2.36

Earned $4 RR (OS) + $5 Ibotta

Total earned $9

The plan was to buy OS & Loreal cleanser, but there were no Loreal products on the shelf. I asked the cashier & she told me that they're getting new inventory. Thank goodness, because it's my preferred brand. I've been using it for over 2 decades. I'm going to be checking the sizes, because items keep shrinking every time manufacturers revamp their packaging. 

The Old Spice is 50c each after Qs and rewards, so I'll go buy another 2 on my other account. If you have points, you can use $10 in points to pay

2 x OS deodorant $13.00

Less DQ (3.00)

Less WC (points) (10.00)

OOP Tax only

Earn $4 RR + $5 Ibotta

I bought the candy as fillers, so my DQ would deduct and to get my total over the RR amount (otherwise I could only use one of the 2 RRs that were expiring). I gave one candy bar to the cashier. DS can eat the other one tonight, cause it's bothering me. I'm not gonna be weak 😂

Well the Wags Days is a huge let down this time. Not much good to buy. The only good day is Saturday, but there's not many good deals. So here's the best ones I could find.

UPDATE - DO NOT use Points/Wags cash to pay for below deals. You won't earn the $20 reward if you pay with points. You CAN pay with RRs though. 

Scenario 1

Spend $45 get $20 WC (points added to your account)

4 x Huggies diapers $42.00

2 x OS deodorant 13.00

Less Huggies DQ (1.00)

Less OS DQ (3.00)

OOP $51

Earn $20 WC + $10 RR WYS $35 Huggies + $4 RR OS + $5 OS Ibotta 

Total earned $39

That's like getting all your items for $12 + tax. 

Be sure to scan your receipts to Fetch & Ibotta. Ibotta has rebates for Huggies pull ups & wipes only (not regular diapers). You can mix & match the diapers with 3 diapers + wipes + old spice to lower your OOP. 

Scenario 2

3 x Huggies diapers $31.50

1 x Huggies wipes 3.99

2 x OS deodorant 13.00

Less Huggies DQ (1.00)

Less Huggies wipes DQ (1.00)

Less OS DQ (3.00)

OOP $43.49

Earn $20 WC + $10 RR WYS $35 Huggies + $1 Huggies wipes Ibotta + $4 RR OS + $5 OS Ibotta 

Total earned $40

Scenario 3

4 x Gain/Bounty/Charmin @ $5.49 = $21.96 (mix & match)

2 x OS deodorant 13.00

2 x Dove b/w 14.00

Less Gain DQ (1.00)

Less OS deodorant DQ (3.00)

Less Dove DQ (2.00)

OOP $42.96

Earn $20 WC + $4 RR OS + $5 RR Bounty/Gain + $5 OS Ibotta

Total earned $34

There's a few different Gain Qs (liquid/pods/softener). You can mix & match these items to lower your OOP. 

There's also a BOGOF Dove paper Q that will lower your OOP even more ($7) if you have Sunday's Q insert. 

Remember, this deal is valid SATURDAY ONLY. The $20 WYS $45 is one time use - unless you have more than one account (you can do it once per account). 

Happy shopping peeps!

Menu Plan Monday 10/02/23

Monday again! It's as if the rest of the week passes in a blur. On Saturday night there was a skunk fart outside that sent my allergies into overdrive. Yesterday, DS woke up with a runny nose & me with puffy eyes & a scratchy throat. By mid afternoon my voice was gone and my whole body ached. I know it's allergies, cause colds & flu never affect my eyes. I went to bed at 9 and woke up at 3am, so I'm dragging today. My voice is still hoarse, but I feel a lot better. I did manage to get a lot done yesterday (especially the cooking), so here's what we're eating this week

Monday : Beef pot pie, veggies, salad

Tuesday : Chicken a la king with yellow rice and veggie sides

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Sam's pizza from the freezer & salad

Dessert : Apple pie

Lunch : BBQ chicken breasts from the freezer & salad

Breakfasts : Lemon blueberry muffins, eggs/omelets, cereal, toast, french toast (wheat bread, raisin bread, chocolate brioche), breakfast sausage with onions & peppers. 

There's always a large variety of fresh fruit, veggies & salad fixings available. We also eat yogurt daily. 

Hooray! DS is back to baking, so the muffins turned out well. They're  a little overbaked. I actually prefer baked treats that way. The burnt flavor tastes much better to me 😂 I like potato chips the same way too. I know it's weird, but I love it!

I really wanted to make lasagna, but chose beef pie instead. That way I could make the individual pies (pictured) for DS for lunch. 

I bought a 10 lb bag of apples at the produce market and made applesauce and apple pie. I usually bake the pie in a 13" pan, but I didn't want that much sweets. I normally double the recipe for the large pie, but didn't do so this time and ended up with too little dough for the topping. I don't do sugar crumble toppings. It's way too much sugar for us. I prefer square or rectangular pies, because I can easily slice into squares and freeze. I did that with half the pie so I'm not tempted to overeat and mess up my weight loss. I'm really tempted to go take a nap, but I'll probably just hit the hay early again tonight. 

Bon Appetit! Have a wonderful week peeps!