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Monday, January 28, 2013

January 2013 - end of month HauL...

Well...at least I think it is the last haul of the month.  I might have a chaser shopping spree  on the 31st to maximize some special deals but I may not - it just depends on how busy I get.  I tell you what...it is very energizing to save money.

One of my favorite things is randomly finding the "clearance basket" in the grocery store - it's the cart the manager throws in all the stuff they are taking out of inventory.  Yesterday, I found not only coupon books...

 ...but I also found a basket of KIWI products marked down to 50 cents as well as some lights and other assorted things.  Very handy to have shoe black and boot laces around and I can also use that waterproofing stuff on canvas for the patio chairs or to proof my own boots.  You certainly can't beat 50 cents right?




I love my nemesis.  She keeps me sharp and alert - I feel so competitive and alive!  I also love that I have a pair of coupon buddies and we trade coupons and deal tips on certain locations so we really are getting a ton of savings because we have a higher coverage area.  Mommy jeans beat me to all the Proctor and Gamble books on Friday - and I will be honest - I previewed the book the Tuesday prior and was not impressed by any of the coupon amounts.  Also, I had already had a good amount of deals from the December coupon book so it wasn't that crucial.  However - I noticed that even though all 3 of my nemesis (PL) get up early on Fridays they do NOT get up early on Sundays.  Too bad for them...coz on Saturday nights I can barely sleep coz I'm so excited to do my "run" on Sunday morning.  The day will come that me and my coupon ladies will harvest 300 books but it will have to be something of value and a lot of freebies to put that kind of efffort in!

I still cannot believe all I paid for 60 cans of progresso light was 30 cents.  Yup you heard me...a quarter and a nickel.  They had a deal this week of 10 for $10 on the "light" variety.  Yesterday afternoon I noticed 100 free papers thrown aside - and each of them had book2 of smart source that had a 25c off any 1 progresso light soup.  At my local Fry's/Kroger's all coupons are worth $1 - so they were FREE!


But of course I had to marry it with another deal:

Last Friday - I had bought Kisses for the shop - just this ONE Fry's had the kisses 10/$10 and I had $1 off 2 coupons which made them 50 cents.  I went back on Sunday after work and they were sold out - so I brought the tag to the service desk and she wrote me a raincheck.  This morning I went back and the price was up to $3.49 each.  I decided to go ahead and cash out that raincheck and use my 22 coupons.  So the kisses were again 50 cents per 12oz bag which makes it about 69.2 cents per pound. I know it may seem ridiculous to have 33lbs of chocolate.  It is NOT.  When you consider that a bag of chocolate morsels costs close to $4 and a lot of candy bars are now $1, having this much chocolate at your disposal is a blessing.  Even though they are individually wrapped - I am just going to put on some nitrile gloves - put on the netflix and just peel them out and put them in a mason jar to vac seal.  The cheaper cost means more labor - but if I'm just watching a movie and peeling chocolate it is not going to kill me!



 This was my first time getting a 100% savings receipt!  I even joked with the cashier, "I don't think I have 15 cents..." She started laughing! and told me for all the effort I put in she'd be glad to pay the 15 cents!

Haha - you gotta love happy people!
 
 
Yesterday was Mr. Man's birthday and we kept it really sedate.  He did not want to barbecue or have a dinner.  He just wanted a pasta dinner, wild greens salad, 3 cheese italian bread - and I made a 7up cake with cream cheese frosting!

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

She was SERIOUS about the cake










Until we started singin' happy birthday then everything was cool...coz even a 14 month old knows what that song means...I like how she sneaked a poke at the frosting when she thought no one was looking - HA!


I must admit all the stress is worth it once you see happy faces!









Here is the video from my end of month Haul!

 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

We Love Kielbasa!!! Especially at $4 for 3 ropes

I'm really starting to like ecoupons...i like them even more when they are dating my regular coupons!

I have almost all my cards lined up with the shop name, number and address.  I'm getting specific deals according to my purchases...I noticed it attached a deal to the Mozart Kugeln chocolates for only 1.50 at any store! WooHoo - I'm going on a mission to find them all over town - because they are regular 6 bucks. I'm so excited!

This haul was $20.12.
I used my instant rebates, catalinas, coupons and existing points deals.  I just love those glass bottles with silicone jacket and I'm so excited to finally have my own label maker.  It wasn't a great deal but it was a good deal.  I figured out the puffs ended up being 49 cents each plus I got points!



My sister in law is grabbing up my cosmetic coupons and sally hansen gel nail strip coupons and I'm glad because I rarely use that stuff unless I can get stuff for $1 or free to put in the "for trade" bins.  truth be told I'm only a strong user of lip gloss and eyeliner!

This haul was $40.94.  that is still a lot more than I'd like to pay but considering I got 6 ropes of kielbasa, 2 lbs of all beef dogs, 1lb of cheese plus string cheese, 5 chocolate creamers, 5 goldfish, 70 corn tortillas, 20 flour tortillas, 9 salsa, 2 bags of spinach and 2 bags of salad blends...it was not a bad haul.  The dogs and kielbasa alone are worth 45...so it is what it is!



The exciting thing about the kielbasa and ball park angus dogs is that I have a fixed price of $5 per bag until Feb 12,2013...but more exciting than that I have $1 off 1 pack coupons!  We love the kielbasa in lieu of hotdogs in our chili dogs and I use the beef dogs to make homemade corn dogs and drop them in the freezer.  I also started making our own french fries because there are too many additives in the frozen store brand ones.

Yesterday I found 90 coupon books.  I already gave away 50 books.  There was a baileys creamer coupon in there for $1 which makes my creamers only 40 cents.  So awesome!  I love their creme brulee flavor and the gold cheesecake flavor!  But the coupons are iffy at best...I will put it this way - I wasn't itching to get to the store with any of them...not like the coupons of last fall that had me running to the store hunting down deals.

There is also a deal in there for wolf chili which will hopefully take those to 25 cents a can.  If I'm able to get 40 cans for 25 cents a piece I will give a dozen to my mom and the rest to the womens shelter because I can my own chili.  Mr. Man would NEVER eat them from a tin can because I do his Mom's recipe and it's hard to eat tinned food.  Also he doesn't like being exposed to heavy metals or aluminum because it gives him migraines.

I think I finally figured out why one of my viewers was always asking me where I get my coupons...and I am just laughing because I would never give up my source.  I mean damn if you want the damn coupons just send me an SASE...you don't have to be deceptive to try and get my source so you can get a local friend of yours to snag my coupons.  HAHAHA --- I wasn't born yesterday and I definitely stay up all night.  So bring it if you want to...but you will fail.

Mr. Man was admiring my coupon binder and said,"you know now that you have that purple book of yours you entered 'hobby status' "  I was like,"EWWW this ain't no hobby"  He chuckled and said,"it's not a bad thing bebe"  I said "HOBBY...hobby is like all those chicks buying stuff at michaels who have no real artistic talent or taste but just get busy with their glue gun.  These coupons fortify our pantry! I started laughing and said there is a reason that the word 'crafty' almost sounds like the word 'CRAPPY' "  Now he always tell me when I throw it in the front seat of my car,"be careful out there with your book of gold"  HA!  He calls them "the real food stamps"  now THAT makes me laugh.  I tell you what --- when people see the coupon binder they are either impressed or mortified --- there is no middle.  I have seen people look at me with hatred for using coupons.  My friend John said it's their pathetic attempt at stealing my power but instead I end up robbing them of theirs.  It's not likely I will be phased by some dirty looks - I have Asian parents - I'm used to seething critical looks - HA!

On a more positive note:  Our little "play-niece" has been visiting more and more lately because she seems to love the park near our house and I always tell them stop by if you are around there's always a plate waiting for you!

She is always gravitating towards Mr. Man and they are always cracking each other up.  I'm so happy to see a happy, intelligent toddler.  She would not take a nap for her Mom but I was able to knock her out with 3 bars of ABC's sung to a different arrangement.  I think it's hilarious that the baby's father is jealous of Mr. Man.

I've been seeing a LOT of crazy kids at the grocery store.  I can't even imagine how BAD these kids would be at home if they are this bad at the store.  Incredible...I always tell the parents "you are a fantastic parent!"  I mean seriously my dog has more self control than a lot of these little beasts.

I've been seeing another weird little phenomenon.  The vacant eyed baby.  These are strange little babies that look KIND OF cute at first...and then you really look at them and they are hollow eyed little zombies.  You can see the lackluster spirit in them and it's FREAKY...WEIRD...almost kind of like seeing an abomination that doesn't make you vomit.  Yucky.  I told my friend I think some creatures are born without souls...even human ones. 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

I love instant Rebates! Bwa hahaha!

I had to go spend some instant rebates at walgreens today!  I figured out you can't use them on liquor so I may as well use them now!  The purchase on the right ended up being 35.39 but...I got a 10500 pt credit on my account which is like $10 off your next purchase.
This purchase on the left ended up costing me $20.12 after using some rebates plus coupons plus catalinas!  I'm really excited about the glass water bottle and the label maker!

Tomorrow I will be gathering more coupon books as well as getting some crazy salsa and kielbasa deals!  It's great to have a stocked pantry!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Brillo & Pasta & Sponges oh My!!!

Man oh Man...Mommy Jeans (my coupon nemesis)  got me today --- she hit the main location which has anywhere from 30-50 free papers there.  But you know what...that's ok, because I found 3 additional locations --- how cool is that.  So the day will come that I will be walking away with 100 free papers.  The funny thing is...she always gets the jump on me when the coupons are CRAPPY.  There is really only 1 good coupon in there this week.  However, I also have a second nemesis---the brunette in the gold Prius!!!



I had to go into the shop today because there were 3 last minute cake orders and the case was only half full.  After work I did my shopping and then went home.  You know it does take a specific amount of effort to do this kind of shopping --- but I plan my shopping with a "route"  So that everything is en route to the house plus I can avoid traffic and not waste gas...

First Stop...Walgreens
Cottonelle: $4
Cottonelle Wipes: 29 cents
Pampers: $3
Crest: profit - .03 cents ea

The only reason I didn't buy more Crest is because they were completely sold out!

Second Stop:  Target
Pasta: 9 cents ea
Bakers White Choco: 1.17 ea
Sharpies: 52 cents a pkg

Target was a bit tedious and the pickings were slim on their deals.  I do like that their store was crowded because that gives me a sense of urgency.

Third Stop:  Fry's Foods aka Kroger's
Pringles: 99 cents ea
Tortillas: 1.69
Organic Spring mix: 1.37
Organic Romaine: 1.49
Good N Natural Bar: profit 69 cents
Star Olive Oil: 5.49
Angel Soft TP: 27 cents
Brillo box: 2 for 49 cents

I'm happy they had a lot..what a relief


Last Stop:  Wally World
Estracell Brillo Pads: .43 cents ea
Heinz tomato paste:  50 cents
Kraft parmesan: 3.50
Nivea (double pack): 1.04 ea
Pasta : 43 cents ea


I'm glad I had somewhere to go..coz if I have my earbuds in...I could just troll the clearance for hours at Wally World.  I must admit the Wally World in my previous neighborhood had a LOT of clearance stuff...that was prepper friendly.  I also like to look at all the weird stuff, like this:



Our friends Mom and Baby were back from Texas and I invited them over so the baby could get her little gift that we got her (Dakin Teddy Bear)...and I made homemade burgers and pizza...


I was like OH NU UH what did you do to my baby's hair?  The Granny laughed and said OH I knew that was coming!  Her grandmother is constantly telling me to stop spoiling the kid...but she is so good, and she's bright and alert!  She is also epicurious and likes all new foods!

When she hangs out with us I often do her hair like THIS:



She is exceptionally well behaved and always understands when it's time to do hair and condition hair...Brooky is only 13 months old and she sits more patiently than some adults!


She is a joy to have around!







She absolutely loves our dog and follows her everywhere and hugs her.  The poor dog always looks at us like "HELP ME..." and we just laugh and laugh.

It's funny she used to act real nervous around the dog...but after spending the weekend with us (Mommy went to Vegas) she understood that the dog is not harmful...plus I think because her Mom was not around she didn't pick up on any adults being scared of the animal...I'm glad she learned to be friends with our Dog!

Brooky's grandmother asked me about my couponing.  They arrived shortly after I got home with my haul.  She said she really needs to start again!  Then she asked me something I'd never been asked.  She asked,"So when do you stop buying a certain thing?"  I laughed and said well you know that TP won't expire.  The canned stuff is over 2 years out.  I just rotate it all into stuff we use...it is just preventing useless trips to the store!  She nodded and admitted she couldn't wait to start again!  Yay!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Caramel Chocolate Cookies with Pecans

Here is the video...


Here is the recipe


Preheat Oven to 375F degrees

Ingredients

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking SODA
pinch of salt

"topping"
1 cup chopped pecans
handful of granulated sugar

filling
36 "rolo" or old fashioned caramels
36 pecans or almonds

Bake for 9-10 minutes, rest 1 minute and cool on cookie racks.
Please be careful not to overbake them as they are a dark cookie and it is hard to tell when they are overcooked.

Oops I did it again...hahaha.

I grabbed our mail on the way to work!  I checked out the ads and noticed that Kroger had a deal on Pasta!!!  10 for $10...well it just so happened I had $1 off 2 coupons!


I also checked if they had more flavors of the Good N Natural organic bars coz everyone else just had 1 flavor (cranberry almond)...they did - so I used the last of my 18 coupons for FREE!  Then I cruised the clearance and found a bottle of doggy vitamins for $1.49...because even our dog takes her vitamins! Haha!  People always say,"you know most people get enough nutrition from the food they eat."  I always laugh and say,"is it more nutritious after the irradiation so the produce is pretty or after the food processing that usually includes ammonia?"

So I was checking out the cashiers to see who looked either smart or efficient.  The friendliest cashier is not always the best cashier because often times an overly friendly cashier is prone to mistakes!  I saw a lady with flat twists and it reminded me of when Mr. Man had long hair and I said I will check out with her.  Turns out she is SUPER AWESOME.  She is so fast and is fastidious to get every single coupon entered.  THEN...she asked me how much are the bars because she had to write a price.  I said well they are on sale for .89 cents...she said well what is the regular price?  I said 1.29 - and she said then that is the price we will enter!  So the Good N Natural bars actually made me $7.20 profit!


Final total was $15.82 including Tax!!!

81% savings!!! That's my second best!

This is so horrendously awesome I can barely stand it - I previewed the red plum coupons coming out this weekend and I noticed a brillo coupon in there --- and our local store is having buy one get one - so they will end up being FREE!!!


Right as I had just set up the table Mr. Man rolled up and said how much was that $25?  I said NOPE  $15+ ! He smiled and said,"You really are getting BETTER at this..."

Why, thank you very much!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

We never get tired of veggies...

So on my way out to buy supplies and produce I asked Mr. Man would you like super nachos or monster taco salad...he said the SALAD!!!

We always feel better after eating 4-6 portions of fresh vegetables per day for about a week.  When we get busy and stop eating that many I notice we get sluggish and grumpy.  We are carnivores tho' we sure love our meat.  So i also added sliced steak and the taco ground beef that I always keep stocked --- then I fryed up some chopped flour tortillas for the topping because we both love crunchy stuff...


He had his with a Mexican beer and I had mine with a pineapple tangerine smoothy (thanks sibs for our new ninja blender!)...I really have to get all my couponing crap off the kitchen table so we can eat there...but it's not like anyone here complains.

My favorite thing is people with beautiful table settings and crappy food.  I'd rather eat great food with a crappy setting. HAHA


I can't believe it's almost 11pm already.  The days are going by so fast.


I just wanted to look at the salads again..Hahaha.

I noticed something funny at the grocery store today...the boneless skinless chicken breast was 2.67 a lb...the bone IN with skin breasts were 87 cents a lb.  I watched a lady literally look at them both for quite awhile and then angrily she took the boneless skinless.  I could tell she did not want to be handling any chicken in some butcher capacity.  It's just funny that she was willing to pay 3x the price.

I'm starting to think Dumb is the new Normal!

Sometimes I just get lucky!

I had to go pick up some milk and various chocolate for decorations for the cakes!  And i got super lucky and found some of my favourite things...


 I found some sparkling soda - the swedish kind - pomegranate apple.  I figure when I do want a soda it's either this stuff or the jones soda.  I rarely want soda but sometimes it will hit me...and then i found:

Mozart Kugeln!  I guess you could say they are like German Toffifay candies.  Some of them have pistachio and marzipan filling and the other has caramel PLUS truffle in a chocolate.  These are super good.  I got these the first time I went to Munich and my Aunts and Cousins always bring them for me if they find them or if they pop into Germany!  Lucky Me -- the boxed ones were only $2...and the kugeln twists are $1.50...  All I have to say is that the receipt said i saved 48 bucks. Haha.  I paid 15 bucks.  pretty good!

I don't know if any of you noticed...but I've been sticking to dark chocolates or european chocolates.  I noticed that a lot of domestic chocolates have cottonseed oil, high fructose, and/or TBHQ or BHT as a preservative.  I also won't buy it if it says VANILLIN...coz that's vanilla flavoring that may come from beaver anal glands.  LOL.  They say it's from a petroleum product but um...the petroleum products are used to get the extract out of the beavers anal glands. haha.  It doesn't bother me if anyone else eats it...just that while i have a choice right now --- I choose to put away good stuff.  I was really shocked to notice that Ghirardelli has cottonseed and TBHQ in a lot of their stuff now - I only found 5 varieties that didn't have it.  That's a shame because it's one of our domestic chocolates.


And still it continues...the valentines designs.  I'm trying to do stuff that's not so corny.  I just wanted to keep a few as backup so there is always at least one heart style cake in the case so people keep us in mind...I should be doing some glazed ones tomorrow as well as a snoopy cake (for my banker..) with a dog house!

Good Times!

Time to get ready for valentines

I know it seems early but when u are in the business of making cakes you have to start now.  I actually started seeing valentines decir and candy in stores a WEEK ago!!!
Sheeeesh!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I asked my husband...

Sometimes after I come home from doing some couponing or deal hunting I ask Mr. Man, "Do you think I go a bit overboard sometimes???"  He laughs and always says, "NO!  Keep it up --- we are getting so far ahead!"  In the 2 years we've been prepping I cannot remember ONE time he told me to slow down, or questioned the budget or questioned a purchase.  I am one of the most luckiest women I know in that respect.  He has always trusted my judgement when it comes to purchasing because he knows I'm not going to blow it on some flamboyant, useless or decorative thing.

Actually when we first met he gave me a little test.  He says he was not intentionally testing me --- I said yes you were testing me...testing how I would use your money even though I always have my own money.  He gave me like $120 and asked me if I would mind buying him a few things since it was my day off.  He needed a belt, a shirt and a tie...and if there was extra could I find him some nice cotton dress socks.  Well...I hit the outlet mall and I was able to buy him 5 shirts, 2 ties, 2 belts, a pack of socks and a pair of leather kenneth cole shoes...I was also able to buy myself a coffee as well as a little shirt.  When he got home I had it all laid out on the bed and he said, "Oh...what do I owe you?"  I laughed and told him there was even enough extra for me to have a shirt and a coffee!

He says when I enter a store I get a game face and I know how to scan a store and head directly to a deal.  I never thought I did that until I remembered that my Mom taught all of us to grocery shop since the livelihood of her cooking depended on it.  I am so happy she taught me to do this...I'm so happy she also taught me to haggle in unusual places.  I wish Mothers still did this...taught their children USEFUL things and things that will help them move forward in their life with a bit of ease.  My math teacher saw me clipping coupons once in class and asked me why I did that when I obviously had money.  I laughed and said every couple months I give food to the shelter and mail school supplies and clothes to an orphanage overseas.  She said, "Oh you are so thoughtful...what made you start doing that?"  I laughed and told her,"It's not the childrens fault that their parents are MORONS."  She must have laughed 10 minutes and so did the rest of the class.


That said...here is today's deals...


Fry's/Krogers:
This was a $13 purchase.
15 toilet paper 4ct pack 
8 Dawn - 19 fluid oz - hand renewal
2 conditioners - herbal essence
Walgreens:
This was a $60 out of pocket purchase
but...I got $15 back plus $6 instant rebate. So in reality it is a $39 purchase!

The storage containers were a bit more than I wanted to pay ($2.25) but I seem to be needing a lot more storage around here.  The good news is I have $50 store credit on my shopping card.  So I intend to use that on the nitrile and latex gloves that will probably go on sale this week and I also want a new label maker.  I'm just trying to get one that has reasonable tape price.

My cashiers are so nice.  I even gave 2 of them gift cards for dessert!  I genuinely hope they come see me at my work so I can be nice to them!

Here is a video with one of my storage solutions using the $1 chip container from last week as well as some other tips for fortifying some areas of your preps:




Here is the most random find of the week!


 I found these at the 99 cent only store.  Dang I love that store.  Lately it has been really really picked over.  Not like when I first started going there 5 years ago...and I had my pick of the store, but those days are long gone...lots of people go there now!

It still cracks me up when people try to act all snobby or embarrassed in there.  That's something I noticed --- that people seem embarrassed to save money!  Crazy!!!
Anyways...I checked online and the price seemed to vary from $4 to $7 a piece so I did not feel bad...I mentioned in my video that I got a dozen...then I counted this photo and my OCD self actually got 15. 

HAHA...C'est La Vie...

I am finding a nice rhythm and by the time spring and summer comes I will be ready for some real hustle and bustle prepping@

Do you ever feel like 24 hours goes by too fast???

I am playing tug of war with my 3 door display case.  As soon as I fill the thing it goes half empty or completely empty.  Don't get me wrong I'm really thankful for that, but I really want a break.  My bestie came for a 4 day weekend to visit and that was really fun --- so us 3 chefgirls went and grabbed a bite to eat and do some shopping and catching up.  It's funny though - they already know that we can stay out all day and get lunch - but we will always come back to my house for dinner!

Mr. Man wants to go out to New Mexico to check it out I think it's a good idea.  We are also going to try and slip in a trip to New Orleans to have a little cafe du monde and a visit to willie mae's scotch house!  Also, this would give me a chance to meet Mr. Man's creole side of the family.  That's his Daddy's side of the family.  I love the stories that Pops and City Momma tell of when they were first married and used to go out there to visit the family.

Here is my second haul of the year.


I dunno why I thought it was first haul of the year.  Now that I am doing purchases for the shop and purchases for the house everything just kind of blurrs together.  I am so happy to be busy.  It's a bit of extra pressure to get the house in order and get the guest room set up so city Momma will be comfortable during her visit.  I guess we will be visiting the Uncles (his uncles and mine) in San Diego on Mommas arrival.

I remember at my old job someone asked me,"Doesn't it drive you crazy to always have someone visiting --- because both of your family's are so big?"  I said,"No, not really...I'm used to it --- besides they only visit you because they love you, it's not like they would visit you if they HATED you"  Hahahaha.  It's funny though we are always saying - my cousin/sister/aunt/uncle/great aunt/momma in law/sister in law are in town...I guess other people don't have this concern.  Poor them.

This is one of the benefits of having both your Mom and Dad and their parents around.  You are part of a unit --- not part of a section. 

I am excited that one of my cousines is moving here to AZ from HI.  I know what you are all saying...but OHHHH it's so beautiful there.  Everyone gets bored and needs a change --- and everyone especially needs a change from that cost of living.

I can't believe it's after midnight and I have 5 sections of coupons to organize, a load of laundry going, some meat tenderizing for tomorrow and i'm writing a blog. This is a good and hectic life!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2013...and we're at it again!!!

New Years Eve was cool...
New Years Day/Anniversary BBQ was cool.

Man...I cannot believe that we have been together 6 years now.  It's crazy how fast time flies.  It has been a very awesome ride.  We are very fortunate that we still see each other as we did when we first met --- however when I look at the picture of the first time we met (my girlfriend happened to snap a pic of it)...when I look at that photo - I never would have thought we would be prepping together.  I tell you this --- I feel very lucky that we are on the same page in terms of a lot of things:  morality, ethics, politics, religion, child rearing and expectations as elevated people, and now the prepping also.  I would be really frustrated if I was in this alone (but that wouldn't stop me)...but it makes it easier to share the load.

So...here is my first haul of the year:

 2 gallons Pomace Olive Oil (acceptable for deep frying), 3 chip and dip containers, cookie cutters, 2 basters, 2 little packs Guylian seashell chocolate...

Total...$21.63.

Yup you heard me.  I used an instant $10 rebate.  I'm so excited about saving money right at the start of the year!
I'm going to use these chip and dip trays to store my tattler lids and my other canning lid jars and rings.  They were a great deal at $1 a piece.  I would have taken 10 if they had them but they only had 3 left.  I'm glad for the 3 I got and also this is a made in USA product...the only other plastic stuff I really like is made in Canada!




So...that's the start.  The profits are up at work.  The kids are relatively okay...none of them are TOO out of hand - but I am calling a meeting this weekend.  My assistant told me she wants to come back but just the front end...no problem I like her I will take her back.  I got a bonus this week - haha.  The other business should start picking up soon.  The house is in order and my bestie is visiting with her husband from New Mexico.

The cake case is near empty so I'm working to fill it.  It's very satisfying when your cakes sell out...the "fancy" cake store next door was telling me the other day about how they have to "throw out" so many cakes and I'm lucky because a lot of my cakes are "frozen"  I laughed and told her if my cakes looked or tasted like shit whether they were frozen or not I wouldn't be selling this many.  I love it when people try to make THEMSELVES feel better by making up and excuse FOR you - hahaha!  Sorry Lady I'm not buying it!

Happy New Year Everyone!