Why all this information on our shopping habits? Well…I’ve been trying to keep track of all the boxes and bags of stuff we’ve consumed in the last 21 days. Seems sort of silly but it astounds me how much our family can choke down!

Oh and as a side note-
My Dad told me to use what he had in the pantry and freezer. One problem with that. He cooks for 1 maybe 2 people regularly and so trying to plan meals for 6 people, means having to add to what he already has. It is actually easier to buy what I need and not add to what he already has. Having said that, we still require a lot of stuff to feed our family. I’m sure we could get by with less. Maybe that’s the secret to smaller butts? Oh wait. Jon and I have big butts, but the kids don’t and they are the one who eat most of the food!!!!

Anyway…

Here is a list of stuff that I can remember buying (I may have left some things out because well, I’m starting to get old and my memory isn’t as sharp as it once was)

• 6 gallons of milk
• 5 loaves of bread
• 6 dozen eggs
• 16 hamburger buns
• 16 hot dog buns
• 14 boxes of cereal
• 3 lbs. of assorted lunch meats
• 3 lbs. of assorted sliced cheeses
• 4 bags of peanut M & M’s
• 2 boxes of banana bread mix
• 8 cups of rice
• 10 lbs of sugar
• 10 lbs. of chicken (chicken tenders, chicken breasts)
• 8 lbs. hamburger ( 16 1/4 lb. hamburger patties, 4 one lb. pkgs hamburger)
• 2 lbs. thin spaghetti
• 16 pieces Texas Toast
• 1 huge watermelon
• countless lbs. of fresh vegetables used in various dishes
• 10 pkgs. Mix-aid (Aldi’s brand of Kool-aid)
• 6 cases of water (24 in each case)
• 48 cans of various carbonated beverages (generic Aldi brand)
• 3 lbs. pepper bacon
• 2 boxes of Whale cheddar crackers
• 1 case of Maruchan Top Ramen
• 12 rolls of toilet paper ( we didn’t eat them, but it was only appropriate to add them to the list! LOL )
• 300 napkins (out of a 500 count package of napkins- no I didn’t count, but estimated based on how many are left)
• 12 mini concretes from Fritz’s Frozen Custard
• 22 – 32 oz. frozen slushie drinks from Quick Trip
• 12 twix ice cream bars
• 6 klondike ice cream bars
• 1 pkg. fudge brownies
• 1 pkg. peanut butter cookie dough
• 1 long summer sausage
• 2 nights of Chinese Take out, 2 night of Mexican sit down
• 1 dinner at a buffet
• 5 tanks of gas (can’t eat that, but we bought it!)
• 5 pairs of new shoes/flip flops
• summer clothes for the girls
• 10 homemade lunches for Jon while he was working upstairs

That’s all I can think of for now. It amazes me how much food and “stuff” we needed while we are here. If I sat down and counted all the food we buy at home, the list would be much longer! Now I know why my wallet cries every time drive past Wal-mart!

This is just a small glimpse into our fridge and pantry. What does yours look like??

I was running around the internet this morning when I happened upon a Goodwill party over at Thrifty Decor Chick. I have never done a carnival before, so I am not sure I am doing this right, but I’ll give it the ‘ol college try!

Those of you who know me well, know I love to shop. I am an equal opportunity shopper. I love big box store, little shops, flea markets, second hand shops, and antique stores! Today I want to share with you what I think is the best bargain I have ever found at a second hand store and the story behind it.

I was feeling inspired by all the dollar store decor ideas I was reading on the web. Sometimes when you get inspired, you just have to get up and go do something about it that very minute. Such was the case about a month ago when after reading about Dollar Store birds, I made a “wish” list of things I wanted to find either at the Dollar Store or thrift stores and headed out in search of cheap treasure! I didn’t have any luck at our local Dollar Tree where I like to do a “little” shopping here and there ( you know I am totally lying right?) so I headed over to a local Thrift Shop that happened to be the very same place I found two crystal lamps for $2.48 each that have graced my nightstands for about 7 years.

While I was walking around looking for any kind of single bird to spray paint and add to my home decor, I spied a lovely blue wing back chair. I walked back and forth trying to get a good look at it. My only obstacle was not the price or condition, but a woman sitting in it talking on her cell phone! I didn’t want to be rude and ask her to “move it lady, I want to look at that chair!”, so I tried to act casual. You know, glancing back and forth, lingering around it to get a feel for the best time to approach said bargain. Instead I probably looked like I was stalking her. Creepy image I know.

During one pass by, I noticed the price tag on the chair. It said, “1818″.  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but after using logic and questioning one of the workers there, she confirmed my suspicion that indeed the chair was $18.18!  I felt a flood of adrenalin.  I’m sure I’m not the only shopper who gets that heart thumping feeling when she comes upon a truly awesome deal? I got brave and asked the lady if she was buying the chair. She said she wasn’t and got up so I could look at it. I didn’t need to pour over it to know that it was in excellent condition with no stains or rips. It was a solid chair with no issues. So what did I do?

I bought it of course!! I immediately said, “I’LL TAKE IT”  and started pushing it down the aisle toward the register. I knew it was time to high tail it out of there before someone figures out what a find I had!

I paid for it and carried it out to the parking lot. I opened the car door and wham! I couldn’t get it in my car. I suspected I might have a teensy problem with getting it to fit. I was determined though to shove that sucker in there if it was the last thing I did!

No success except for a little bead of sweat on my brow.

A mini-van pulled up behind my car. A lady rolled her window down and offered to help me. She offered to take my chair home for me! A stranger. Someone who I had never seen before in my life. An angel!  I was taken aback.  I didn’t know what to think. She explained that she was on her way home and saw me struggling to get the chair in my car. She said, “I just wanted to do something nice for you and I hope someday when I am trying to shove a chair in my car, a stranger will offer to help me out too!”
She  hoped I would accept her offer. I hesitated at first and offered to call my husband with our mini-van to come and rescue me. She promised she wasn’t a weirdo who steals chairs from women in thrift store parking lots and gave me her name and cell phone number. I kind of had no choice but to call Jon and wait for him after he picked the boys up from school, so I accepted her help.  I did tell her that if she tried to make off with my chair, she wouldn’t get very far with it because I have the cushion. Teehee.

She made it to my house minutes after I did and carried to to the curb for me. I was super appreciative for the kindness of strangers and their willingness to enable my thifting habit. It was a great shopping day! Yay for the kindness of strangers!

So…after all that, do you still want to see the chair??!! If I were you, I would be thinking by this point in the long winded story, it should be gold encrusted and studded with jewels. Nope, just a blue 18 dollar wing back.

But it’s mine!

And that’s my Goodwill Party contribution! I have more…you know I do! But I will have to take pictures. Until then, Happy “Goodwill” hunting! *snort*

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