Stop Pressing on My Nipple

Under any circumstance poking my nipple is going to cause pain.  So, during an extended mammogram today, I just had to ask for/demand relief. "Stop pressing on my nipple. You are hurting me."




second waiting room

After I sat in a small, nondescript waiting room, I was called back by a beeper. Then, I went into the spa area. This waiting room above is four times as large as the first waiting room. And, it is much better appointed, besides larger.

The changing room and my stuff--clothes and purse

I am standing with my back to the door, taking a picture in the mirror to get the full length of the room, about 12 feet long. Maybe you think this is small, but it is all mine, a place in which to change. The room is about again well-appointed. The trunk in the back of the room is their hamper where I threw my gown for the laundry.

 

Formerly, I changed in a closet-sized cubby.

 

The fun part is mostly over. Then, I went for the mammogram. The woman kept pulling on my breast and pushing a thumb or finger on my nipple. Finally, I told her to stop pressing on my nipple. She did, thankfully.

 

I have a mass in my left breast that is sort of on the part going under my arm, but not under my arm. So, she had to pull my breast and push me this way and that. To complicate things, I told her I could not stand that long. So, she got a chair that rolled. Poor lady. That made it hard on her. The woman was on her knees on the floor part of the time. I felt really bad about that.

 

Finally, she asked me if I were an xray tech. No, why do you ask? She said I seemed to know lots about the process and what to do. No, I was not telling her what to do. But, I knew when she was not getting the mass in the picture.

 

After all the pain and stress, she finally let me out of her own private torture chamber. Oh, there is only pain where the rounded but hard corner of the machine presses into my collar bone and ribs. I suppose the breast is squashed and maybe it is hurting, but the pain in my collarbone and ribs renders me incapable of feeling pain in my breast that is being squashed. Maybe that is good. Tomorrow, I will be bruised.

 

 

 

Above is my reward. I was shown into the small room to wait to see if the pictures came out okay. There were Cokes, an ice bucket, and a basket of snacks. Of course, there was coffee, cream, and sugar, but it was of no interest to me.

 

Formerly, no one fed me or comforted me. It is strange how hungry one gets when stressed and how food, any food, is comforting and relieves stress.

 

Two women in this room today reminisced with me about other establishments and the past at this one. The last time I went here, I got a long, white, terry, spa robe. Today, I got a short, cotton top. But, it was modest. Both of us had mammograms in places that were not so nice. We sat in our hospital gown, clutching them closed and people from all over the hospital passed us where we sat in the hall.

 

All of this was in a suite. No men were there. It was comforting, not utilitarian like former places.

 

only for the women and the last stop

 

 

During my first ever mammogram years ago, the left breast had 8 xrays. They called me back 8 times and frightened me 7 of those times. When I was sedated to take the star shaped mass out, I was roused and put in a wheelchair to have another four xrays of the same breast. It was not so evident, and remained. No surgery, but I slept 10 hours once I was driven home.

 

So far, it is "just and inflammation/mass in lymph node" that they are watching. "Watch and wait" does not suit me. 

 

Your turn

Have you had a mammogram to save your life? Are you aware that it is cheaper and less painful than breast cancer? Did you have a utilitarian room and experience? Or, was it a little more lush and comforting like my suite of rooms?

 

 

 



McMuffins' Banned Ingredients, Except in the US

Eating Egg McMuffins could cost you in more ways than one. They are costly but could cost your health and yet more money than the cost of the product. While I have never had an Egg McMuffin, I am sure I have ingested these dangerous ingredients. Read about the problems here.
 
I will not quit eating wheat. But, I have to figure out exactly which wheat to avoid.

Does this horrify you as much as it does me? Do you eat Egg McMuffins?

Back to Normal...Sort Of

I got two eggs from two hens today...sweet.

Between egg problems, vaccination problems, Blogger problems, and computer problems, I have just been muddling between one problem or another this last week. I know. These are first world problems. They are just irritants, even to me, not real problems. However, the irritants just drive me nuts some days. They cost me time, money, or personal pain.

I went about six weeks without an egg. Then, the girls laid five eggs in a little over a week, plus the egg without a shell. On Sunday, I think, they both laid an egg, both of which I ate immediately. Today, they each laid another egg apiece, and I had a camera on me.

 

Hopefully, this will continue since the days are getting longer.

Sunrise was 6:46 and Sunset will be 5:15. I read that hens need 14 hours of sunlight. Maybe not.

 

I had the vaccination exactly a week ago. Since then, I have had a red, raised spot 6 inches across with a hard knot in the middle, extreme itching, some pain. The pain, itching, redness, and raised area is gone. I can still see where the area was and there is a slight hard part, but the fever, itching, and extreme pain is all gone. I still think the vaccination will be worth the trouble. I am grateful I am able to live in a place and time that vaccines are possible.

 

Blogger will now allow me to post pictures. YAY! I don't have to go the html route and still only be allowed to post one picture.  The computer is still screwed up.

 

Maybe I will scramble two eggs for dinner.  

 

 

Your turn

 

Have little niggling things been bothering you lately?  Did anything resolve itself?



Substitutions and Flexibility--War Eagle not Roll Tide

"War Eagle" works better for me.
cuticle nippers to the rescue

For several years I have wanted a houndstooth scarf. After searching high and low and only finding scarves that had the huge, red Alabama "A" on them, I finally found the solution.

For most of you houndstooth is just a fashion accessory, a sartorial choice. Here in Alabama, houndstooth is a reminder of Bear Bryant's hat choice when he was the coach of the football team at the University of Alabama. Yes, he loved houndstooth hats so much that now houndstooth everything is available as football gear for The Crimson Tide fan.

Most Alabama (the team) emblems are heat sealed or embroidered. The picture shows a little tag sewn on the  scarf I purchased. I can remove that. I did.

As I sat in the Social Security Office, awaiting my turn, I had a brilliant idea. I used my cuticle nippers like a seam ripper.

Now, I have a houndstooth scarf, bought with money my daughter sent to me for Christmas. She did not send much, but I could afford the scarf with what I had left.

Yes, I had to buy college attire to get what I wanted. No, they cannot license houndstooth, thankfully. Then, I substituted my nippers for proper sewing equipment. The usually deadly boring wait at the Social Security Office was at least fruitful.

Sometimes, you have to be  flexible and patient to get what you want.

Now, I want a bright yellow cardigan to wear sometimes with the scarf. It looks great with the red coat I have, but lemon yellow is what I want now--yellow to go with the black and white. 

Your turn

Have you satisfied a longing, fully and completely, by making a simple substitution or adjustment?

 

The cuticle nippers have been used for cutting  fingernails, cutting the serpentine belt under the hood, and now for cutting thread. Do your cuticle nippers serve another function? Do you have another item that you find to be very flexible with uses beyond the original purpose?

 

Yes, I know you have stories!

 

Trash Picking and A Story

Ball jar, lid and ring

It is amazing what people will throw in the trash. Thankfully, there are people who think nothing of trash picking.

 

When exbf came this week, he was disgusted that someone threw away something. I was very anxious and came right to him when he said, "Look what someone threw away at work." My knees were weak before he pulled it out of the bag. One perfect Ball jar with a never-used lid/flat, and a ring.

 

Happy, yet skeptical, I mused aloud about what could have been in the jar. I am always afraid someone peed in things or that something noxious had been stored in what I am loving. He was quick to dismiss that notion.

 

The jar was full of trail mix with a ribbon and homemade card, he explained, saying it looked like a Christmas gift from a kindergartner. Sooo, a gift thrown away in the break room at work. He dumped all the trail mix under a tree for the birds and rinsed the jar. I was so proud of it that I took it and immediately set about washing it. I can always adopt more fruit jars.

 

One jar at a time. You now know the way to my heart--anything straight from the trash.

 

Fruit jar story

Several years ago, a bachelor friend was talking about decluttering after he moved from larger to smaller quarters. I mentioned that if he had any fruit jars to toss, I would gladly come and pick them up, explaining that I canned. He said he did have fruit jars that he could collect and give to me.

 

I picked them up and thanked him profusely as I puzzled over what he gave me. He gave me glass jars, alright. But, they had been bought with food in the jars. hmmmm.....

 

A few months later, he asked if I needed more jars for canning. Now, I was puzzled. Finally, I asked him if they were Ball or Kerr. He explained they were the same fruit jars, just like I said I used. Now, I was puzzled.  I explained that I wanted Ball and Kerr in order to can in them.

 

This flustered him, and he spitted and sputtered that he had bought them "DOLE" with fruit in them from the produce section of the store, and that was what I asked for--fruit jars. I tried to gently tell him--canners call these Ball jars "canning jars" or "fruit jars," no matter what we intend to put in them. He was amazed, asking why we call them "fruit jars" if we are going to can green beans.

 

"We just do."

 

Yes, I know the Dole jars have other uses. I just did not want more right then. Now, I would take cases of them!

 

Your turn

Does your husband or good friend or bf  proudly bring the trash to you?  Would he be embarrassed to take something from the trash? AND, do you refer to canning jars as "fruit jars" and "canning jars"?

 



Pay Now or Pay Later

When it comes to your health, there is no shortcut. Actually, deferring paying now might cost you more later. Last night, I was vaccinated against something I really have always feared:

Shingles

I knew that if a person had shingles as a child, she is in danger of developing shingles. One  person I know lost her sight when the shingles settled above her eyes and eventually into her eyes. Yesterday, my friend told me she is losing her hearing because shingles on the side of her neck went into her hair behind her ear. Everyone who has had Singles, claims it is extremely painful and involves pustules, oozing, redness, and scabs. Lovely.

I was vaccinated against shingles tonight at Rite Aid. The vaccine is between $190 and $220. My "insurance" covered the vaccine, so it cost me $3.50. Even at $200, it is a bargain considering the pain I have heard accompanies shingles. Plus, anyone with shingles must see a physician and fill prescriptions, neither of which is exactly cheap.

Anyone over 60 does not have to have a doctor's prescription. Just go to an immunizing pharmacy and present your insurance if you have insurance. I used Medicare. At first, the tech said my insurance would not cover it. The pharmacist showed her how to "get it to work."

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/shingles.html

http://www.cdc.gov/shingles/about/overview.html

So far: shingles vaccine, flu vaccine, pap smear
Next: mammogram, pneumonia vaccine

Update: Last night, the injection site felt like someone was pinching me. It throbbed a bit after that. Tonight, while I was driving, I made a scratching motion across the injection site, not realizing what I was doing. That HURT! I stopped by the pharmacy because I could not see it while out of the house. He said it was a red place about four inches across that is hot. I could feel it was hard about 1 inch across. One in three people has a reaction. Lucky me.

Your turn
Have you had shingles? Are you over 60? Have you had your shingles vaccine yet?

Is Lucy Laying?

egg with no shell

Or, maybe Thelma is stopping laying. Not only does the egg have no shell, it appears to have a tail. And, it is a tiny egg, the kind I might expect Lucy to lay. I did not give them shells last week.  Thelma is almost 4 years old, so her eggs might be getting smaller, but so far not this small. The last four she laid were smaller than her gigantic eggs.

I found another in the fall of 2010 that was this long strange shape, about 6 inches if stretched out..

Your turn
Do you ever get eggs without shells? Are they in this strange shape?















And, I Slept Outdoors!

It really does not help the utility bill to run a heater and the oven to stay warm. Plus, I was sleeping in the outdoors, getting no benefit from the heat I must now pay for.

Let me explain.

I was rather cold in the house on Friday night and even more so on Saturday night. The brisk, frigid breeze through my house perplexed me. I bundled up. Friday night I went to bed about 10:20, exhausted from the day. After ten minutes I decided that the cover I had was inadequate even though it had sufficed when the weather was colder, even during the snow. Getting up to get another blanket was torture. I awoke on Saturday morning with my head completely covered by three blankets.

Saturday night, I was freezing. I did not go to bed until 1:30 am. I was tired but not so exhausted. When I went into my bedroom, the curtain about one foot from my head as I would lie in bed was billowing out. No wonder I was freezing! Exbf had left the window open! It is a double sash window. The bottom window is 29" across and 32" high.

Exbf was here to help me on Friday. The weather was fairly mild and very sunny all day after rain and then snow for the last ten days. He had to open the window in my room to access something outdoors that I wanted inside. Opening the window and putting the item inside is infinitely easier than carrying it all the way up the stairs and through the house. So, he did this while I made dinner or whatever.

There is a breeze in the kitchen from two missing panes there, so the cross breeze from the bedroom window was affecting the whole house. Saturday morning, my ear was hurting. I spent all day in pain. It still hurts, but not as much.

Considering it was below freezing both nights, I might as well have been sleeping in the outdoors!

Your turn
The times we leave a window open during a rain and drench the house are memorable. But, have you ever had a window accidentally left open and had a breeze through the house during a freeze? Did you suffer from the cold like I did?

This Is Where We Want To Sleep!

"No, chickie mama, we are not cold."

I laugh at these hens! They really don't care how cold it is out, they like to sleep on top of their "house."

 

 

The boxes kept blowing off the table. I was never sure if they were in the boxes when they toppled. I do know they are terrified when I go out and find them blowing in the wind, running around, afraid of even me.

 

So, this time I had exbf just leave off the top box. It is on the ground for them to use in rainy weather if they want to hide.

 

When it was 9 F (-12C) two years ago, they slept on top of their boxes. Hens just don't mind the cold at all. They sit on their feet, so they won't freeze. The combs will freeze. Putting Vaseline on their combs will keep the combs from getting frostbitten. The very peaks of their combs were frostbitten two years ago, but the combs' edges did not fall off.  They do have about a foot of pine straw (raked up dry pine needles) that they can sit in.

 

 

The camera was just put up against the chain link to take this picture in their 10'x10'x6' raccoon-proof dog pen.

 

Your turn

Do your hens ever sleep anyplace except where they are supposed to sleep? Have they ever lost their combs to a freeze? .

It Really Snowed!

Today, Jan 17, 2013
about three inches
out the kitchen window



 

out the back door







 

 

This is why people strip the stores of edibles when the prediction does not include snow that sticks. See yesterday's post .

 

The hens' boxes they live in fell over. Poor things. I need to venture out and feed them again. They ate nothing yesterday. Well, they ate nothing I gave them. However, they spent a few hours outside the pen and gobbled lots of grass and other green stuff.

 

When I went out for the mail, I was covered in snow. As soon as I came in, it was water and my head was drenched. The snow melted faster than usual from my clothing. Since it is frigid in the house, I am freezing.

 

I experienced a new phenomenon--snow thunder or thunder snow. That shocked me for a second.

 

Not only did I have to walk through three or four inches of snow, the snow was sticking to the road surfaces. The prediction was nothing sticking to the warm pavement.

 

Now, I have to get something warm in me. Maybe I will make oats for me and the hens.

 

Your turn

Do you have snow this morning? How do your hens like snow?

 

Out the kitchen window--March 2010

The prediction is snow. Here in the South, just hearing the word strikes terror. People rush to the store and strip the shelves of all bread, milk, pop tarts, and bananas. Don't these people have any food in their homes?

 

One year, I really did need milk and bananas. I was not making a "stock up for a blizzard" trip. In a very large grocery store all registers were open and the lines were all the way down the grocery aisles to the meat department in the back of the store. Of course, I could not open my front door the next morning. My car was snowed in and the roads were impassable and closed for days. I fell down lots.

 

Around here, even a prediction of "snow flurries" drives people to strip the shelves in stores. Batteries are not to be found anywhere. All water bottles and jugs are just gone. Peanut butter, jelly, all bread in any form, meats of all sorts, juices, popcorn, pop tarts, you name it and it's gone.

 

So, I went out about 4 am this morning to get milk. I really am out of milk. I just did not want to be out in the press of people. I already had flashlight batteries. And bananas. And Cokes. I am set.

 

The hens are not going to like this.

 

The weather prediction has the "S" word in it. But, he says it will be flurries that will not stick, maybe 3 inches. And, it will be gone by tonight. The meteorologists work us up to a frenzy. It is not going to go down to freezing. The ground was warmed by 75 F weather this Sunday. We had about three hours of freezing weather since then.

 

Sigh....

 

Your turn

 

Got snow? Getting snow? Do you live in an area that panics when they hear the "S" word? Or, do you live in a land of snow?

Eating Pretty

Most of the time, nutrition does not have to be pretty. Tonight, since all this was expensive fruit, I thought I would take what I had prepared and make it pretty. Okay, I am bored. And, the center of the fruit plate needs more fruit.

None of this is local. But, I don't care. Neither is the chocolate I would have eaten.

Do you ever have a notion to make a pretty plate?

Weather and Blogger

Weather

The weather has been absolutely balmy, a cost-saving condition. Well, when I had to turn of the AC for three days, there went the electric bill....up.

On January 10, Thursday, the temperature was 65 F, 65 F at 2:30 am it was still 65 F and stayed within a degree of that through Friday and Friday night, the temperature rose to the mid 70s F on Saturday, dropped to about 65F last night and rose to 70s F again today. However, it all ends tonight when it drops all the way to 49F. All this is Fahrenheit but Celsius is impressive, too.

65 F = 13 C
75 F = 24 C

It might seem that this is a great turn of fortune for us in the South. It is, but it makes us in the South nervous and wary. I live in Dixie Alley, a more dangerous area than Tornado Alley. We have two tornado seasons. Warm, unseasonable weather in the winter means the great possibility of tornadoes.

The weatherman has not mentioned tornadoes, but we know there is always that possibility, the threat. I just heard that Kentucky had an F1 tornado. So, there.... I do stay close to weather forecasts, maps, and the news.

Before I started keeping track, the weather preceding this extremely warm weather barely called for a jacket and I had to throw off blankets at night. I am quite sure these four days of balmy weather and using the AC only on Saturday and today, Sunday, has saved a tiny bit on the electric bill. Any little bit helps. Right?

Blogger

I have not been able to post a picture since January 4, 2012. Even after I reported the problem, I have seen no improvement.  Plus, my followers (Fabulous Friends) and the followers of many Blogger blogs are missing. See the upper right of my blog for missing followers.

HELP!

Does anyone have an answer as to how to get through to Blogger?

Your turn
How has your weather been the last week? Are you in the South? How is your Blogger experience been for the last 9 days? Solutions?

Bacon

Okay, this could be about bacon ice cream, but it's not. It is about the price of bacon. As you may have noticed, the price of bacon is astronomical.

Bacon always came in one-pound packages. Remember? When prices rose, like many other items, the package size shrunk while the price remained the same.

So, in telling you this story I have to first convert the price from a 12-ounce package to a 16-oz package. It makes little difference, but I will tell it anyway.

The bacon I like and is local: Royal. It may only be in the Southeast at this time. Royal Bacon is now $4.99 for a package. The rub? A package only holds 12-ounces. That makes the mythical 16-ounce package $6.65/pound. That is outrageous.

For meat purchases, my favorite price is $1/lb. That price is almost impossible to find. Sometimes, I will go for $2, but rarely. Free is my favorite price. I often get free meat.

Now, for the price I paid for the bacon. There was a sale on this bacon. Then, there was a 25% off sale on all meat. THEN, I get 5% off on Wednesday because I am a senior citizen. I shopped on Wednesday.

Original price $4.99
sale price        $2.99
Minus 25%    -$0.75
New price       $2.24
minus 5%      -$0.11
Final price     -$2.13

Price per pound: $2.84 at new low final price.

So, $2.13 for my package of bacon!

$2.13  Did you hear that?

Now, don't feel sorry for me because I cannot and don't buy expensive meats. I really like chicken breasts. Thankfully, I don't crave expensive cuts of meat. Beef is not a priority in my life, although about once a year I crave a roast or ham. I rarely even purchase bacon because it is not really healthful eating. But, it is oh-so-good.

Since Thelma was on a laying binge this last week and I collected four eggs, I am going to have bacon and eggs right now, along with a tangerine, half dozen cherries, and a glass of milk. (I just had a roll, so I will skip bread.) I only bought six cherries because of the price....sigh. These are the last two eggs and she has laid no more.

Your turn
While I am cooking and eating, talk to me, if you will. Do you make it a priority to only buy meat on sale to get the best price? How much is the top quality bacon where you live? Or, maybe you raise and  kill your own meat.

It's Done: Hen Report

Louise was still ill this morning. She looked so small, all tucked in, head and tail, sitting in the box facing the back corner. She had not been out to eat or drink all day. That is not good. She is such a big girl when healthy.

I called my friend, Dickie, and asked him if he would kill a hen for me. He asked me why I did not just wring it's neck. I think he thought I wanted to eat it. I told him I was not sure if I could with back and shoulder problems, that it was sick and I thought he might shoot it. . "I'll be right over."

When I asked him how he was going to kill it, he said he didn't know if he had a knife sharp enough. No, he did not have a hatchet, just a machete. Withing 10 minutes he was here and in three minutes, Louise was dead. She did not make a noise when I picked her up to carry her out of the nest and only the tiniest sound as I walked to the spot for Dickie to work. She usually flaps about or struggles. I laid her on the ground and she just laid there, too sick to move about. Or, maybe she knew and was just resigned.

He asked me to put my foot on her so she would not move. I had to hold onto his back as he bent in order not to hurt her. My foot was barely on her, but I leaned heavily on him.

He hacked lots of times, maybe a dozen whacks with the machete to kill her because his machete was not very sharp. Louise barely made a whimper.

It's over.

When I went out this morning, there was Lucy, standing by the pen door. She survived. Usually, she runs away until I move from near the door. Remember, she did not grow up here. She is still wary of me.

Lucy and Thelma are not locked in the pen, so as I started out the door a few minutes ago, they were on the porch, waiting for me, making little noises. They run down the steps when I approach because they know I cannot get down the steps without coming near them or stepping on them. Besides, I have nudged their behinds enough that they know to move along.

When Dickie arrived, they were on the ground near the porch. "Which one?"

"Neither!" I am glad he did not whack one of them.

So, they ran ahead of us to the pen but ran around the pen when they saw Dickie was still coming.  They were not far away from the place where he killed her, but I don't think the releasing of her traumatized them like the raccoon killing did and the time that Pepper died dramatically with much noise and thrashing about INSIDE the pen with them.

Thelma and Lucy are eating creamed-style corn with corn meal mixed in to make it more stiff to peck and to give them more food. They will get the other half can and more cornmeal tomorrow.

I was raked over the coals by British readers who said I was cruel to not take Fancy to the doctor and spend almost $200 for her care. This one woman said we were cruel and unloving animal owners in America, that we should treat animals like children and get medical care. To be fair, some British people agreed with my not getting medical care for an ill hen if she had no chance and if I could not afford it.

Louise was hatched on March 29, 2009 and had a happy home here for almost four years.

NO anonymous comments will be published. AT ALL

I actually feel relieved and sort of happy now.

Your turn
They kill horses, don't they? The sick or disabled one, right? Did you ever have to put an animal out of misery? Is anyone having trouble posting pictures? Has everyone lost their blog roll and the little tag for people to join the blog like I have?

Louise is Dying: Devil Dog Returns Just a Bit of Hen Drama

Poor Louise. Her head is down and so is her tail. One wing just hangs. I won't describe her behind. It is gross. Her comb is not bright red or perky. I can tell she is dehydrated because of the limp condition.

I left for a bit this afternoon and left the pen open and hens out. Of course, Louise never got out of their nest today. After I put her on the ground, she did drink quite a bit of water, but refused to eat or even chase Lucy.

When I came home, Louise was still in the nest and Thelma was looking antsy, standing on the table in front of their Rubbermaid boxes. I could see Devil Dog on the outside of the pen. It was near dusk, so Thelma was either near the outside of the pen or, most likely, inside the pen already. Lucy was nowhere to be found. I looked for her before dark and after dark. I heard a raccoon a little while ago, so I fear that she will die in the morning.

If I set the clock at 6 am and get up AND go outside in the cold, maybe I can save Lucy.

Tomorrow, if Louise is still sick, I am going to have someone kill her for me. I don't care if anyone thinks it is cruel, it will happen. However, no one will be allowed to carry her off and do it. I want to make sure she is treated kindly until the last moment. At that last moment, I may turn away. Poor Louise.

I fixed the hen security last year. Now, the dog now scares them away so they get killed. I will have to fix the dog! I lost Fancy in a long illness and fight, and cannot stand that again. At this point, I feel Louise will be dead in the morning and probably Lucy if I cannot help her. Thelma would be alone. That thought is sad, too.

Thelma and Lucy were hanging out all the time and seemed to like each other well enough. At least Thelma would not peck her. It's weird, but Louise would not allow Thelma to peck.

Besides all the heartbreak, I cannot afford to buy more hens!

Another good day for coupons. On Saturday I took advantage of the doubling of $1 coupons. Coupled with a store special, I scored big.

Package of Energizer Max AA with 8 batteries were $9.99. The store special was 2 pack of batteries for price of 1 pack. That's 16 batteries for $9.99. I had a $2 coupon which was not doubled.

Energizer batteries 2 8-packs
Regular price $9.99x2=$19.98
store special 2 for price of 1
2 packages for $19.98
I used $2 coupon
$9.99-$2.00=$7.99

Savings--40%

Double Coupon Shopping

no pictures, thanks to Blogger

Double coupon shopping is not new around this town. However, doubling $1 coupons is unheard of according to all store rules. So, I was extra happy. I pictured a good day with cheaply bought  items.

I did forgo the coupons that were for $1 off  two $5.99 products, items/products that I do not use. Luckily, there were more than usual $1 coupons in the Sunday paper today. Every coupon I used, even the $0.75 ones were in today's paper, I think. I stuck mostly to things I already buy or were almost free.

Blogger has decided I don't get to post pictures tonight, so use your imagination.

Purchases:

Two Progresso French Onion Soup (18.5 oz cans)
It is regularly $2.29
Special this week was 2 for the price of 1.
Two cans=$2.28
used $1 coupon, doubled to $2 off
my cost for both cans $0.28


Two Ronco Spaghetti (7 oz each)
It is regularly $1 each
Special this week was $0.88 each.
Two packages=$1.76
Used $1 coupon, doubled to $2 off
$2.00-$1.76=+$0.24
I made +$0.24

Two packages Bic Pens
no store discount, regular price=$1x2=$2.00
Price for two packages=$2
used $0.50/2, doubled to $1
Paid $1 for two packages of pens...hmmm, seems somehow wrong.

Colgate Tooth Paste (6.4 oz)
Regular price $3.69
Store special was $1.84
used coupon for $0.75, doubled to $1.50
I paid $0.34 for toothpaste

Package of two Colgate toothbrushes
Regular price--$2.99
Store special was $1.49
used $0.75 coupon
paid $0 for 2 toothbrushes
I made $0.01

Johnson & Johnson cloth tape
regularly $2.95
used $1 coupon, doubled to $2
$2.95-$2.00=$0.95
paid $0.95 for cloth tape

Totals
Before savings $18.21
My savings $15.88
My cost  $2.33

$2.33
I saved 87%

Did you hear that?

And, I brought home 2 cans of soup, 4 red pens, 14 oz pasta, 2 toothbrushes, tube of toothpaste, and cloth tape. Oh me, oh my.

That may be a personal best. Maybe I should have left those four red pens. ???

Your turn
Do your stores offer double coupons on $1 coupons? None do around here. Do you take advantage of special coupon days, like today at our store?

Goals for 2013

I never make resolutions anymore, just list goals. In my mind this is somehow more conducive to success. Spending less is a goal. Find better bargains and deals will leave more money for me. Most of my goals are directly involved in less spending and having more of my money left at the end of the month.

This was my 2012 list:

My outstanding and singular goal this year is to lose weight, so I don't develop diabetes or other conditions, exacerbate injuries with weight, and generally look lots better in my skin and clothing. Yes, looks counts for me, but not as much as my health.

Generally, I do want to improve my status with:
weight loss/ health improvement
growing more food
getting rid of extraneous things in my house
reducing clutter (different than above goal)
dehydrating/canning more
improving my social life

Did I fail?

Weight loss--big fail. I gained weight.

Growing more food--accidentally, I grew potatoes

Getting rid of extraneous things in my house. Considering it was a whole year I had to do this, big fail with only a bit of progress.

Reducing clutter--one fat fail

dehydrating/canning more--I canned less, much less. I got a good start on dehydrating more and fizzled.

Improving my social life--Did not happen at all.

All of the above goals will be renewed. Losing weight is even more imperative since I am on a crash course with diabetes if I don't straighten up. Better nutritional choices involves staying away from fat. I believe cheese and whole milk are the main culprits here; more raw, green vegetables is my antidote and replacements.

Not being able to stand or lift has contributed to all my fails, I know. Getting the torn meniscus will be at the top of the list.

So, new list of goals, this time for 2013:

New goal
Have surgery for knee and back and shoulder, in that order. Okay, maybe not that order.

Old goals rolled over to 2013

So, I repeat:
My outstanding and singular goal this year is to lose weight, so I don't develop diabetes or other conditions, exacerbate injuries with weight, and generally look lots better in my skin and clothing. Yes, looks counts for me, but not as much as my health.

Generally, I do want to improve my status with:
weight loss/health improvement
growing more food
getting rid of extraneous things in my house
reducing clutter (different from above goal)
dehydrating/canning more
improving my social life

It would have been easy to just repost 2012 and change the year.

Your turn

What are your goals, plans, resolutions for 2013 ? Did you fail in 2012 to meet your aspirations? Let's hear it for success or failure.

A Feather in Her Hat, et al

all ready to celebrate NYE

More free food arrived, and in style this time. Thelma laid her -first-in-a-long-time egg on Friday, then another on Saturday, and finally a decorated one on Monday, New Year's Eve.

 

My internet comes and goes because of something in the wires on poles. It is making me nutso.

 

I have a project going on in the kitchen--completely clear the kitchen counters.

 

Plus, I am struggling to get the garbage to the road. Tomorrow is garbage day. Exbf came for months on Wednesday and did this for me. Now, suddenly he is off on Thursday....sigh.

 

It has been too rainy and now too cold to hang clothes on the line. 

New Year's Eve

muscadine wine

Muscadine wine in the picture is only the second bottle of wine I have ever bought. At the rate I drink wine, this will last me several years and all the wine occasions in those years. I had no intentions of buying wine until a store employee mentioned muscadine wine the store carried and how good it was.  I had 1/2 cup and knocked over and spilled some of that.

 



Just a few tidbits

Even though I am alone on holidays or festive occasions, there is always a bit of celebrating. I thawed sausage, used Bisquick, and cheddar cheese. All was on hand--Bisquick was on sale with a coupon and has been in the refrigerator for a year; cheese was on sale; sausage was free. Broccoli and tomatoes were here; Swedish wedding cookies where 1/3 the regular cost; pecans are still here from fall; Nestle's Crunch candy bell is leftover from 1/2 price Christmas candy.

blackeyed peas for luck

It was very quiet around here, very uneventful. It was the first time I bought wine or drank wine alone. Correction: second time I bought wine and first time I drank wine alone. I may become an old lush. I wonder how long a recorked bottle of wine lasts. Maybe I can cook with it to keep it from spoiling.

 

Your turn

Was your New Year's Eve as uneventful as mine? Did you have companionship? Food? Drink? Most importantly, did you have your blackeyed peas?