QFC Grocery Basket 8/1

I was checking out my "This Day in History" gadget today and noticed that the cute guy playing the drums, and you know how I like cute guys who play the drums, is having a birthday today.  You would have to be my age or older to know who this group is.  If you guessed Gary Lewis & the Playboys, you would be correct.  Their big song that I remember is "This diamond ring for sale" and I had no idea that they had an accordion player or that Gary is the son of Jerry Lewis.  Who knew??

Anyway, Miss CutiePie follows a blog that she has shared with me and I thought you might want to take a look.  The post I read had to do with taking care of your produce and it is a good one.  Who knew that bananas wouldn't ripen so fast if you took them apart??  Here is the link:

http://www.mythirtyspot.com/2011/09/how-to-store-fruits-and-vegetables-so.html

I took a fast trip up to the Post Office today because Tuesday is the day the grocery flyers come out.  I get really irritated when they don't put one in my box and I have to dig through the trash by the door.  The ad for QFC starting tomorrow is kind of a yawn but there are a few worth mentioning.  I still can't believe that they aren't having gobs of sales on produce.  If not summer, then when??

Blueberries - $4.99/2lb (Good deal, Lucille.  Freeze 'em for winter smoothies)
Northwest Peaches - $ .98/lb
Kiwi - $1/3
Zucchini or yellow squash - $1.29/lb
Olate Corn - $1/3 (3 day sale, F,S, Sun)
Chobani Yogurt - $1/ea 6 oz
Almond Breeze Milk - $2.99/64oz
Kroger Medium Cheddar - $4.99/2lb (3 day sale)
Ribeye Steak - $5.99/lb
Fresh Wild Sockeye - $9.99/lb
Betty Crocker Brownie Mix - $1/ea (Listen up, Dave)

Cruise Update:

It looks like Costco is the winner!!  We are going in September 2013 and it is going to cost us a grand total of $3333.00 for the two of us, including port fees, taxes and a complimentary credit ($285) to be used on board.  We will be sailing on Holland America with a balcony room up the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay.  I'm saving for a minimum of $2000 and I currently have $878.38 in my fund, so it might just be doable.

Reminder:

You have until midnight tonight to get your comment(s) in for the drawing of the $30 Macy's Gift Card.  Some of you have taken my advice by leaving numerous comments.  Good thinking.  I can't wait!!  Oh, since the guy from Seattle won't be here tomorrow, I'm taking the hat over to my neighbor, Tina, and she will draw the winning name.  She doesn't know this yet, so it will be a surprise.

Macy's Shopping Trip 7/28

On Saturday, we had to make an emergency trip down to Silverdale because the guy from Seattle was out of nicotine patches and Miss KnowItAll was out of Elizabeth Arden's Blue Grass perfume.  I've mentioned before that if you are trying to give up smoking the best deal on patches is the Target brand, but still it's going to set you back $60 a month.  If you smoke a pack and a half per day as the guy did, it would cost close to $360 per month!! so $60 seems like a screaming deal to me.  Quitting smoking is a hard gig, but getting off the patches doesn't look like a picnic, either.

As far as the Blue Grass is concerned, Elizabeth Arden hit the daily double today, so the only way to get a deal on your favorite department store perfume is the daily double.  The way I work this deal is stock up on my favorite, which is Estee Lauder Youth Dew, and get free shipping.  You can also work this deal through Macy's, Nordstrom, etc., any of the department stores when they hit the daily double on ebates.

Anyway, while I was picking up the Blue Grass at Macy's I thought I would wander over and see if the Ralph Lauren shorts had come down to a decent price.  You do remember that I didn't notice that I had pollen from the above pictured offender on my favorite pink shorts and washed and dried them without pretreating them, thus ruining them.  I wear shorts all summer and really like this brand but they go for $65!! a pair, so I wait.  Last time I checked, they were 20% off.  On Saturday, they were 50% off, so with my coupons, I ended up paying $22 each for two pair of Ralph Laurens, which seems to me to be a more sane price.

I took a few snaps of some of my favorite plants in my flower beds and I thought you would like to see them.  My flower beds are an ongoing work in progress and now that I'm retired, I have big ideas with a small budget.  The first picture is my hydrangea, which was given to me by my mom 15 years ago.  It was a particularly nice one, sometimes having different colored flowers, until some idiot decided to prune it when I was having problems with my health, so I didn't notice it.  I'm here to tell you that it has taken a long time to get it back from shock land.

I've fallen in love with barberries.  You know, the parking strip plant.  There are so many varieties and I think that they are beautiful and add a lot of interest.  Here are a couple of mine:

This one is a lime green hardy fuchsia.  I had to replace it three times before it finally lived through a winter and took hold.  It is just starting to bloom:

And the last one is a sedum which is also starting to bloom.  We always think "Autumn Joy" when we hear sedum, but I found out that the sedum family is quite large.  This one is a mounding ground cover which is beginning to spread in its second year:

Notice the itty bitty Shasta Daisy in the background.  He's gonna take off and be just what I need to set off all the other beauties.  It never ends with the dividing and moving.


Errata:

The Costco coupons end on the 5th, not the 15th as MMP stated earlier.  Sorry.  I do try to be accurate.


Food Waste Update:

Is this disgusting or what??  I knew these were in there but I haven't been cooking soups and stews lately.  I was going to roast the carrots with potatoes from the garden on Saturday and this is what I found.  Gross!!  What a waste.  Those were expensive organic carrots.

Cha Ching:  $3.00


Reminder:

The drawing for the $30 Macy's Gift Card is midnight tomorrow (the 31st) so get those comments in.  I'm very excited and can't wait to see who wins.

QFC Shopping Trip 7/27

Miss MoneyPenny is thrilled!! to be writing to you today after going ass over teakettle at TJ MAXX yesterday, thoroughly embarrassing myself and scaring the bejesus out of Miss Maggie May.  I noticed that they had a display of office furniture and I spied a chair that I thought would work in my home office, so I sat in it.  Since it had rollers, it flew off of the display backwards with me landing on my back with my feet sticking straight up in the air, taking most of the display with me. 

MMM thought that somebody had dropped something and turned around just in time to see my feet sticking up.  We quickly got the display put back together after determining that I was only shook up, not actually hurt, but totally embarrassed.  When I woke up this morning I felt like I had been run over by a very big truck, who then put it in reverse and backed over me.

But I did run up to QFC and take advantage of a few deals, including a Shasta Daisy for $5.99, which is not the greatest of deals but I NEEDED it for my flowerbed.  This is the end of the month and I am still living on July money, so it is getting tight.  I spent $37.92 after sales and coupons, including the daisy, for a savings of 30%.

I bought the cherries, lettuce, and Tillamook Cheese that were on sale and noticed that they still have the blueberries for $4.99 for a two pound container, so I got that too.  It pays to take a quick look around because there are always things on sale that are not in the flyer or online.  I also picked up some Romas for $1.49 a pound.

You might be wondering why I bought lettuce when I've had it in my garden.  I ate it all and the new stuff is not ready yet, but the arugula is just about ready to pick.  I did take the two salsa peppers out of their fancy pots and put them in the garden because they were actually sitting in water.  They are going to have to make it or die, which is what usually happens.  The dying part, I mean.


Cruise Fund Update:


Old Balance = $872.24

                     +         .80 (Applebees senior discount)

                     +       5.34 (CD sold on Amazon)

New Balance = $878.38


Reminder:

The 31st is Tuesday and you have until midnight to leave your comment(s) for the $30 Macy's Gift Card drawing.  Thanks for the nice comments, you guys!!

QFC Grocery Basket 7/25

Miss MoneyPenny was thrilled to see that Social Security had made a deposit in my checking account, right on schedule, the 4th Wednesday of the month.  What is up with that date? but I'm not complaining.  This was the last piece in my retirement income to fall into place, so now I feel that I can breathe and relax.  To celebrate I called up the Hair School and got my toenails painted.  The students take longer than a salon but they are thorough and for half the price.  And the gossip is fabulous.

Okay, on to the QFC ad.  I was pleased to see that Tillamook cheese (house cheese) is on sale because I'm almost out, and cherries are $1.99.  Better get 'em before they are done.  Here is what I consider to be of interest:

Rosarita Refried Beans - $1/ea
QFC Butter - $2.50/lb
QFC Sour Cream - $1/16 oz
Tillamook Cheese - $5.99/2 lb
Colgate Toothpaste - $1/4.6 oz (coupon for $ .50 S/7/08 making it $ .50 each)
Draper Valley Whole Chicken - $ .89/lb
Northwest Cooked Shrimpmeat - $4.99/lb
Fresh Wild Sockeye - $9.99/lb
Fresh Rockfish - $5.99/lb
Angel Soft Bathroom Tissue - $1/ea
Leaf Lettuce - $1/ea
Mangoes or Hass Avocados - $ .99/ea
Northwest XL Cherries - $1.99/lb
Olathe Sweet Corn - $1/3
Walla Walla Sweet Onions - $1/lb

Reminder:

The days are ticking down to the 31st.  Get your name in the hat by leaving a comment(s).  The prize is a $30 Macy's gift card.

P.S.

If you are heading for retirement and trying to get your ducks in a row, I wanted to mention that I applied for Social Security in March and here it is July before it happened.  Just sayin'.

Crazy Ass Weather

Well stated by my neighbor, Tina, who is a lady who does not mince her words.  Today has turned out lovely, but I don't trust it.  The weather has been so crazy this summer that if I woke up tomorrow and there was a foot of snow on the ground, I would not be surprised.  I guess this is all due to a dying hurricane off of Baja going by the name of Fabio - oh, baby!! who thought he would come up here and die.  I hope he is good and dead and we can get on with our summer.

Where am I going with this?  I come from a family of loggers on one side and farmers on the other and I'm a gardener.  My sister and I talk about the weather like it is a real topic and it is because she is not only a gardener extraordinaire, but a backpacking fool!!  Surely we didn't come out of the same womb.  Anyway, in case I haven't mentioned it before, the Fabio information came from Cliff Mass's blog - you know the guy on the Friday morning show on NPR, and you can link to it here http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/.  If you are interested in the weather, this is your guy.  Trust me.

Product Comparison:

I mentioned a few months ago that I would get back to you with the verdict on the Costco dog food.  I believe it is a superior product because my dogs look and feel great.  Poppy's coat is so glossy that she looks like greased lightening.  No throwing up or gaining weight.   I've been buying the Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato grain-free 35 pound bag for $33.55.  This is what it looks like:

This is how the figures look:

15 pound bag of high end dog food bought locally - $29.99 (not grain-free) = $2 per pound

35 pound bag Costco Nature's Domain                       33.55                          = $ .96 per pound

The figures speak for themselves.  The only drawback is where to put 35 pounds of dog food.  I've got mine in the laundry sink.

Reminder:

You guys are doing a good job of leaving comments.  Keep doing it because you increase your odds of winning the $30 Macy's gift card by leaving lots of comments.  Deadline is July 31st.

Costco Shopping Trip 7/21

On Saturday, we headed out early for Silverdale.  Miss MoneyPenny has an arthritic neck so we were on the hunt for one of those fancy dancy neck pillows that one of her friends had told her about.  These babies are not cheap at $99, but would be so totally worth it if it helps.  I've only used it for two nights but I have hope because my neck feels so much better already.  I'll keep you posted in case you might be interested in a Tempur-Pedic neck pillow and have some money to burn.

You remember that I mentioned in an earlier post that my old Hoover from the 80's was having issues.  I had noticed when I was going through the Costco coupons that they had one for $15 off an Electrolux Ergorapido cordless 2-in-1 stick vacuum and I wanted to see what they cost.  Normally they are $80 at Costco, so with $15 off, it was $65, and it was purple!!  What can I say?  I'm a real sucker for purple.  I love this thing!!  I had no idea that vacuum technology had come so far.  This is what it looks like:



It sits on a charger just like my IPod, and that round thing in the middle is a removable hand vacuum.  All very cool.  This thing is light as a feather and has that roller ball technology that makes it easy to get in the nooks and crannies.  I will keep you posted on this one also.

We are coffee drinkers and even with the sales and coupons, the cost of coffee is going through the roof.  We decided to look while we are Costco to see what they had on offer.  We decided on the five pound bag of Pleasant Hill Farms and it looks like this:

I divided it up into freezer bags when I got home and promptly made a pot to see what we thought.  We decided that it was excellent "house" coffee just like Tillamook medium cheddar is excellent "house" cheese.  The guy from Seattle drinks his coffee black, so he is a better judge than me.  I use Coffee Mate in mine, so as long as it is strong, I'm thrilled.  Also, all five pounds are ground, unlike most of the coffee at Costco.  Oh yeah!! the price - $22.49.

On the way out, we grabbed a rotisserie chicken.  Costco has the biggest and best tasting birds for only $4.99.  There is so much that can be done with one of these chickens, and it is a budget stretcher, as it were.  Stretcher - get it?  Anyway, after having it for two dinners and a couple of sandwiches, I'm having a big salad tonight with chicken on top.  Then I will pick the rest of the meat off the bones and stick it in the freezer.  The carcass and the rest go in the Crock Pot for broth.  This has the sought after MoneyPenny seal of Approval.

Reminder:

July 31st is just around the corner.  Get your name in the hat for a $30 Macy's Gift Card by leaving a comment(s) before the deadline of 12 midnight (not that Miss MoneyPenny will still be awake.)  We are celebrating Miss MoneyPenny's one year anniversary month in style, so get on the stick.



QFC Shopping Trip 7/19

Miss MoneyPenny is crazy about Perrier.  I know, I know, its just water with some bubbles, but you can't beat a big icy bottle on a hot day like today, for instance.  Since QFC had it on the Buy 10, Save $5 promotion and I had an ecoupon, I ended up with three bottles for $2.50.  I just finished the first one off and it really hit the spot.

Anyway, on to the shopping trip.  Between the sale, promotion and assorted coupons, I paid $37.02 for my weeks groceries for a savings of 46%.  Pretty sweet, if I don't say so myself, and I do.  I took advantage of the loss leaders and picked up the blueberries, cherries and zucchinis.  The cherries are almost over, so I got a nice sized bag of the little jewels.

As for my stock pile, I added two bottles of Pantene.  They were on the promo and I had a $3 coupon.  That brings my stock pile to five bottles which should last me at least six months.  I have long hair and wash my hair often, so I really go through it.

My weekly budget for groceries is $50 and that includes things other than food, so I try to really stretch it, as it were.  I noticed that last week, including my trip to Trader Joes, I only spent $26.57, which makes sense, as I had been spending just a hair over $50 for a few weeks.  I can't decide if this is because I'm home more and on top of things, or if it just summer and the produce is abundant.

I'm planning on cooking the salmon that is on sale this weekend, but I'm waiting to see if the guy from Seattle will spring for it.  I'll just wait him out.  He'll get hungry.

With the salmon, I'm going to dig some more potatoes and cut some chard.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Fresh, fresh, fresh!!

Darn!!  I was hoping that the stain that I got on my favorite pair of Ralph Lauren shorts would show up so that you could see what happens when you put on your gloves and go fight the blackberries and not change into gardening clothes.  But in my defense, I had the guy from Seattle at hand and I didn't want him to get away.  He's a city boy and thinks working outside pulling weeds is fun.  Go figure.

You are probably asking yourself what sane 63 year old woman would wear pink shorts.  Good question, but I really like them.

Reminder:

Time is ticking away for the drawing for the $30 Macy's gift card.  You have until the 31st to get your name in the hat, so let's have some comments.  You don't need to write a book report, just say "I want that card!" or "Hi."  Just give me a hint who you are if you go anonymous.

QFC Grocery Basket 7/18

QFC has a pretty decent ad this week and they are continuing the Buy 10, Save $5 promotion.  There are a few items that I use and have coupons for, including ecoupons, but I still will end up buying two packs of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish at $1 each to make that 10 item threshold.  Still worth it as I have some pretty good coupons.

Don't forget to go to QFC's site and load up your card with ecoupons and unless you have the memory of an 18 year old, print that list out.  I mention this from experience.

This is what I'm looking at this week:

Crystal Light - $2.49/ea (Buy 10, Save $5(promo), ecoupon for $ .75)
Perrier - $1.25/ea (promo, ecoupon for $1/3)
QFC Milk - $1/1/2 gal
Silk Pure Almond Milk - $2.49/ea (promo, printed coupon from Coupons.com $1.25/2)
Nancy's Organic Yogurt - $2.99/qt
Dove Soap or Body Wash - $5.99
Pantene Shampoo - $3.49/ea (promo, $3/2 coupon S/6/24)
Pork Shoulder Roast - $1.49/lb
Fresh Wild Sockeye - $9.99/lb
Apricots - $1.99/lb
Blueberries - $4.99
Green Beans - $ .99/lb
Hass Avocado - $ .99/ea
Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes - $6/2 10.5oz
Northwest Cherries - $2.99/lb
Zucchini or Yellow Squash - $ .99/lb
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish - $1/ea (promo)

Reminder:

Be sure and leave a comment(s) to be entered in the drawing for a $30 Macy's gift card.  Miss MoneyPenny is celebrating her one year anniversary and wants to thank you guys.  Deadline is midnight July 31st.

Home Maintenance in the Dog Days of Summer

Yesterday, when I was having lunch with my friend, The Bradster, it occurred to me that he might be more clueless about home maintenance than me, which is pretty hard to do.  He is a first time homeowner, so of course this is all new to him.  We were discussing our refrigerators which happen to be the same age (22) and what to do to keep them running.  The only thing I know to do is vacuum the coils every six months and dump out the ice maker.

Why dump out the ice maker, you ask?  I got this idea from a co-worker who is a very good housekeeper.  I think she does it because she wants everything to be clean.  I do it because I've gone through three!! ice makers in this fridge and I think it might have something to do with the ice getting jammed up in the bottom of the ice bin, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, all you do is pull out the ice bin and dump it in the yard for the dogs to play with, or dump it in your cooler and go camping, which I will do when I head up for the annual Sol Duc trip.  Easy peasy.

The Bradster and I were also discussing the Home Maintenance Fund which Miss MoneyPenny seriously believes in.  Getting your septic pumped and replacing sky lights are not emergencies, or at least I hope not.  These are just the fun little things that go with home ownership, along with replacing your deck or vacuum cleaner, so you'd better be prepared.  Plan for the worst and hope for the best and get your HMF up and running because you are gonna need it.  It never ends with the home, just so you know.

Speaking of vacuum cleaners, I was sucking the dust bunnies out of the heating vents today and smelled burning rubber.  I quickly unplugged the vacuum and turned it over and discovered a head of hair wrapped around the brushes.  After I cut it all off, the vacuum ran so much better but I still smelled a faint rubber smell, so it is sitting quietly, hopefully cooling off and recovering.  It is over 20 years old, after all.

As I was cleaning house today, it occurred to me that my house would stay a lot cleaner if it weren't for this:

 Or these guys:

Or three dogs and a cat:

But that fern is over 30!! years old, the birdies are so cheerful, and what would life be without dogs, I ask you?

Reminder:

Don't forget the $30 Macy's gift card.  All you gotta do is leave a comment (just say "hi" and let me know who you are, if you are shy) on any of my posts and you will be entered into the drawing.  Deadline is July 31st.  You can leave as many comments as you like to increase the odds.  Each comment will have its own piece of paper for the drawing and the guy from Seattle is going to draw it out of the hat.

Garden Update:

We needed just a few potatoes for dinner and decided to dig around under the plants.  Guess what?  There are GOBS of them!!  They were fabulous tasting.  Not like anything from the store.  Here is what we picked:

Costco Coupons 7/12 - 8/15

Now you know how Miss MoneyPenny whines and complains about not getting the Costco coupons in the mail and how she has to go begging for them, so I guess it paid off.  One morning I found the latest coupon book taped to my front door, courtesy of Miss MaggieMay.  The next afternoon I found another batch under the mat on my front porch.  I figured out that they had been dropped off by Miss KnowItAll because there was also a couple of interesting clipped articles that she thought I should read included with them.

So I best get with it and let you know about the latest Costco coupons.  The way I use their coupons is thus: I do a stockup on items that I use (not 48 cans of V-8) figuring that I won't have to buy again for the minimum of three months to a year, as in 16 bars of Dove Soap.  I also look for coupons for things that I have on my wish list, such as the Rubbermaid Food Storage Kit.  And I would be an idiot not to take advantage of their smartphone deals or the $70 off a set of tires when the need for those comes up.  You can't beat their Verizon booth, unless of course, you want to waste your Saturday at the Verizon store.

So here are the coupons that I think are the most interesting this month:

Smartphones - $300 - $60
Cal Innovations Expandable Lunch Kit - $3 (limit 10, how many kids do you have, anyway?)
Rubbermaid Premier Food Storage Kit - $6
Kirkland CoQ10 - $5 (limit 5, best around IMHO)
Kleenex - $3.75 (limit 2)
Tide - $2.50 (limit 1)
Cheerios - $4 off 2 boxes (limit 2 offers, does that mean 4 boxes?)
Dove Bar Soap - $3.50 (limit 2 - 16/bars)
Pantene Shampoo - $2 (limit 2 - 40oz)
Crest Pro-health - $4 (limit 2 - 4/tubes)

For those who don't know, these coupons are for money off the price of the item, but I know you already know that.  Just making sure that you don't get all excited thinking you are getting a gigantic box of Tide for $2.50.  That would be a real disappointment at the checkout stand.

Reminder:

You have until the 31st to leave a comment, or as many as you want, to be entered into the drawing for the $30 Macy's Gift Card.  So far, I have three comments, including a guy named Jeff.

Book Shelf 7/15

My plans for today were to lug my big pink tub around the flowerbeds and give them their weekly working over but it has been raining since the middle of the night, and it is just plain crappy outside.  Miss MoneyPenny is a fair weather gardener so I've been curled up with a good book that I just finished and I'm just positive that you want to hear about this author.

If you've been following along you know that reading historical novels is a new thing for me.  I started out with Doc by Mary Doria Russell and haven't looked back.  The genre of historical fiction is wide, starting with bodice rippers who use the backdrop of history for sexual romps, not that I have a problem with that, mind you, but I'm looking for strong characters (that I like) who go about an interesting plot during a real historical time.

What you end up doing, if it is a well written novel, is heading for maps and history books, and the Internet (and the guy from Seattle, who knows everything) for more information about that time in history.  Then the next thing that you know, you are reading other books set in the same time, and after that, you are reading other books written by one of these authors.  It's endless!!

The author who I want to tell you about is British and has written many books, several of which I have read and enjoyed.  His name is William Boyd and he writes wonderful, literary type fiction.  His latest, Waiting for Sunrise is set during the time of WWI in Great Britain and Vienna.  The main character is Lysander Rief, a young actor from the upper classes.  He gets into a kerfuffle in Vienna and is rescued by a couple of guys from The Home Office, if you know what I mean.  Lysander goes back to his privileged life in London like nothing happened.  Then WWI breaks out and the spooks return, reminding him of his debt and it goes from there. 

Even though I was really interested in how Lysander was going to handle paying off his debt, the descriptions of the war and how it was waged, and the way the upper classes lived during that time was fascinating.  Give it a go, you'll be hooked.

The other books by William Boyd that I have read include Restless, Ordinary Thunderstorms and Any Human Heart, but there are several others that I plan to read, such as A Good Man in Africa and Brazzaville Beach for starters.

Here is a link to his website http://www.williamboyd.co.uk/biography for more information.  When I looked at his picture, I thought he was an old guy.  I'm four years older!!  When did that happen?

Reminder:

Leave a comment on any of my posts to be entered into the drawing for the $30 Macy's gift card.  Deadline is July 31st.

Upstairs Bowling

Miss MoneyPenny is cranky today for a couple of reasons.  The first being that God has been making a lot of racket upstairs with his bowling game and every time he bowls a strike, a big bolt of lightning lights up the place and then the high-fives after.  A girl couldn't get any sleep when three dogs clamored on top of her and shook violently every time a big boom went off.  This behavior coming from dogs that could care less about fireworks, and I live in a neighborhood where the locals routinely fire off their guns when they run out of fireworks during the 4th and New Years, or whenever they feel like it.  Go figure.

The other reason for my snarly mood is that I can't get the IRS 941 form for quarterly reports to load.  I see the report behind the nasty little message but can't get to it.  First the IRS quits sending out paper forms to remind me that it is time to file.  Now they won't even let me do it online.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the bowling upstairs which seems to be winding down, with just a few rumbles off in the distance.  I'll give it a try later when I'm in a better mood - after my nap.

Anyway, on Wednesday, Miss MaggieMay and I were in Macy's because MM needed her blusher, which, of course, they have discontinued, and I happened over to the discount rack.  You never know what you might find there and I've found some goodies.  This time I scooped up a pair of cotton sateen pajama bottoms in black, with pink cabbage roses!! 

They were marked down from $21.98 to $7.69.  I laid my 20% coupon down and ended up paying $6.68, including tax.  Not bad at all, and they washed up beautifully.  My son told me that my DD-in-law walks into the house and immediately puts on her jammie bottoms.  What's wrong with that?  We need to be comfy after enduring tight waistbands and bras all day.  You men try it and see how you like it, tough guys.  Add a pair of pantyhose and you'll be begging for mercy.

Reminder:

You ladies better start leaving comments or that guy, Jeff, is going to win the $30 Macy's gift card.  The deadline is July 31st.  Just sayin'.

QFC Grocery Basket 7/11

Now you know that Miss MoneyPenny doesn't believe everything on the news, but this time I'm pretty sure that they are correct.  It seems that they are telling us that the price of food is going to go up due to the strange weather that has been happening every place but here (God's country.)  No matter what happens, including the Queen's birthday, the price of food goes up but never comes down, so it is mandatory that we try to be the best super shoppers possible to stretch our food dollars.  I'm here to help.

QFC is running their Buy 10, Save $5 promotion this week but I could care less because I'm not seeing any "real" food in this deal.  There may be more items at the store but I'm gonna pass this one up.  There are some deals this week and this is what I'm looking at:

Kroger Greek Yogurt - 5/$4/6oz
QFC Butter - $2/lb (stock up price, freezes well)
QFC Cottage Cheese - $2/ 24oz
Nature Made Vitamins - BOGO
Fresh Alaska Sockeye Fillets - $9.99/lb
Draper Valley Whole Chickens - $ .99/lb
Fresh Northwest Cooked Shrimp - $4.99/lb
Cantaloupe $2.50/ea
Colored Bell Peppers - $1/ea
Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes - $3/10.5oz
Organic Blueberries - $3/pint
Rainier Cherries - $2.98/lb (season won't last too much longer)
Walla Walla Sweet Onions - $1/lb

$30 Macy's Gift Card Reminder:

You guys need to leave comments so you can be in the drawing for the $30 Macy's gift card to celebrate the one year anniversary of Miss MoneyPenny.  I know that you are there because 43 of you had looked at my blog by 9 AM this morning, so get with it.  Otherwise, some guy named Jeff will end up with it.  If you don't want your name out there, comment as "anonymous" and give me a hint who you are, such as:  "my mom used to work with you" or "I'm your therapist and Miss MoneyPenny, you need one" or your initials, etc.  You have until July 31st.  Good luck.

Macy's Gift Card

Okay, kids, here it is!!  Miss MoneyPenny has been ranting and raving for a year now and you guys have been kind enough to tune in, so, I'm gonna have a drawing for a $30 Macy's gift card to thank you.  All you have to do is leave a comment or comments until the 31st of July and you will be entered into the drawing. 

I've been told by a couple of people that it is hard to comment so I took a look at my setup and it SAYS that the "comment button" is on.  The guy from Seattle and my sister, SmartyPants, comment often, so I think that Blogger is looking for a gmail address.  Gets me.  Anyway, good luck and I hope you win.

I never thought that when I started Miss MoneyPenny that I would still be doing it a year later.  It is just so much fun!! and it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars.  I've always been a big reader of frugal type blogs and noticed that nobody covered the QFC ad, so I asked why not.  The best answer that I got was "too damned expensive" but QFC is what we have here and Chimacum Corner for local organic produce and meats.  I haunt both of them.

Anyway, so I cover the QFC ad with an eye out for people who are looking for "real" type foods.  I'm a retiree so I'm not looking to score diapers, but if you have a young family to take care of, check out Heather over at queenbeecoupons.com.  She is doing a great job and has also started covering the QFC ad in Olympia, plus everything else, including Target and Safeway, just to name a couple.

You may have noticed that Miss MoneyPenny likes to play in the dirt.  I love, love my flowerbeds but the veggie garden is becoming a passionate affair.  I have 55 square feet, an old wheel barrow, and an old big beat up pot in veggies this year.  I almost forgot - two tomatoes in the flowerbed and two salsa peppers on the deck.  So far I've been eating lots of lettuce, but come August, things are gonna change when everything else starts coming on.  It was a long cold wet spring but once summer hit, the veggies have been making time.

I took some new pictures because I got the new raised bed planted in basil, arugula and two more tomatoes.

Cruise Fund Update:

Old Balance = $871.24

                      +      1.00 (senior movie ticket)

New Balance = $872.24

Big Night at Chimacum Corners

The guy from Seattle said that he wanted an all expenses paid night out at Chimacum Corners for his birthday and that is what we did last night.  The store was having a celebration which included dinner, music (The Crow Quill Night Owls, pictured above) and free ice cream!!  How could you pass that up?  There was even a watermelon seed spitting contest.

The food was fabulous and the music was amazing.  I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people show up for a down home kind of party.  I'm guessing maybe 500, or more.  I didn't know that that many people lived here.  It was great to see all the young families and know that they care about where their food comes from.

Now, the music.  The guy from Seattle has known the main guy (Kit is his name) for several years, so he was hot to see them.  They played what I call a jug band type of music.  Notice the lady with her foot on the wash tub.  That is an instrument that sounds a lot like a bass and it is called a gut-bucket.  I was thrilled with it!!  All it is is a wash tub with a hole for the mop handle and some kind of string that you play like a bass.  Very cool, indeed.

Both of us live on fixed incomes, so we aren't rolling in the dough.  Three places in the community that are important to us need help - the library for a remodel, The Rose Theater needed a digital system, and Chimacum Corners is expanding.  We decided that we would give $200 to our causes and this is how we did it. 

I've been paying property taxes for 28 and counting years, including a business property, not to mention the 28 years of life blood that I gave to the library, so we decided that was the contribution.  We gave $100 to each The Rose and Chimacum Corners and feel that this is money well spent and are happy that they met their modest goals.

Last night was a clear case of Chimacum Corners giving back to their supporters and we had a great time.  Is this a great place to live or what?

The Annual MoneyPenny 4th of July Party

The weather god was shining on me for the party.  After just horrible weather for the week preceding, we were blessed with perfect weather - not too hot - just right for croquet.  The only problem with the game was my back yard, which is quite lumpy.  You could break your ankle if you are not careful, but it is mainly for the dogs.  Speaking of dogs, I had no idea that they left so many lawn dumplings.  I went out there and pooper scoopered them and I think I might be feeding them too much.

Croquet is so much fun!!  I want to play more of it, but not with a certain person who said he was going to kick my #$% and preceded to do it.  There he stands looking like some Amish guy with that hat.

We also had the bleachers for cheering the game on.  It was actually more like jeering.

Below is the salad table after a herd of locusts had been at it:

We also had the deserts but they were on my washer and dryer so I didn't snap a picture of my Tide and bleach.  There was also a Lemon Drop table which I wish I would have snapped, but visualize the BBQ table with a plaid tablecloth, a crystal pitcher of Lemon Drops, and a dozen dainty little martini glasses (thank you Grandma KnowItAll.)

Here is a picture of Miss MoneyPenny enjoying the rest of the Lemon Drops that evening with Miss KnowItAll, who stayed over night.  We watched a Bruce Willis movie (Surrogates) and called the kitty who had escaped and didn't come home until 3:00. 

I'm the oldest person in a neighborhood of young people, a lot of them being young men (four across the street) and they are serious about their explosions.  Having almost finished off the Lemon Drops, I could care less about the cat and the bombs, so I slept like the proverbial log, but not poor KnowItAll who had to be a work at 9:00 the next morning.

As I look at this picture, I notice that my figure is starting to look like my grandmas when I sit down.  When did this happen, anyway?  As my wise friend Miss Jeannie says, you can't win with gravity.

How They Do It in France

Is this a cool front yard or what??  The guy from Seattle thinks that we should do this with my front yard.  The only problem is that mine would not be so beautiful.  These people KNOW what they are doing here.

The picture below is what it looked like in the beginning.  Not bad by my standards.



Then they did this.  

This is some serious planning and workmanship.  A thing of beauty!!  They get the MoneyPenny Seal of Approval.  What?  You don't think I have readers in France?

QFC Grocery Basket 7/3 & The Full Buck Moon

Tonight is the Full Buck Moon, which seems odd to me.  I would think October makes more sense than July, considering that Miss MoneyPenny comes from a hunting and fishing type family - everyone except Miss MoneyPenny, that is.  Maybe it means something other than deer hunting season.  Who thinks this stuff up, anyway?  I'm just reporting it.

July 3rd is also, according to my same source, the beginning of the Dog Days of Summer.  Who knew?  The Famous MoneyPenny Annual 4th of July Picnic is happening tomorrow and I would be thrilled to pieces if some of that summer would happen.  I've got both crock pots cooking up the pulled pork for the main dish, grass cut short for the croquet tournament, house cleaned, and everybody checked and double-checked regarding what they are bringing, fireworks ordered, and what do I get for weather?  Everything!! but nice, warm and sunny.  The weather lady is calling for cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon tomorrow.  I hope she is right, but the party will go on, regardless.

QFC is still having their Buy 10 Items, Save $3 now, Save $2 later promotion, so a lot of the things mentioned last week still apply, but there are some other items of interest:

USDA Choice T-Bone steaks - $6.99/lb
Tillamook Yogurt - .59/6oz
Local Lettuces - .99/ea
Local Zucchini or Yellow Squash - $1.29/lb
Northwest Red Cherries - $2.99/lb
Nature Made Vitamins - BOGO (coupon S/6/3 for $1off, can use 2 coupons, 1 for each)

QFC is now offering Pet Meds!! like Costco, so toughen up and ask your vet for the scripts rather than pay their astronomical prices.  Do you hear me, Miss MoneyPenny?  You big chicken.

Retirement Update:

Right as rain, the state deposited my pension check and the Retiree Health Plan took their cut.  The figures that I had been planning on were to the penny which made me very happy, considering the little misunderstanding in June.  Here's hoping that Social Security will work out, too.  Then I will take a big deep breath and salute myself with a glass of Crystal Light for a planning job well done.