Kroger Haul (Pet!)

01/09/2015


Let me preface by saying I like Kroger... this is not a sponsored blog post, although I wish it was cause cha-ching but no such luck getting Kroger to give me money, or free groceries! I'm just saying, I'd take either!

As you can see on my receipt I saved $19.22 by their calculations. The area I saved the most on in this trip was definitely pet supplies so I'll calculate my savings here:
Item                                      My Cost:                       Retail:
5 Dingo Mini Chk 7.5         $1.49                              $5.38
Dingo Ckn Strip                  $1.99                              $3.99
Nylabone M                        $1.50                              $4.99
Nylabone L                         $1.99                              $9.89
Canine Prime  Pork             $2.19                              $4.29

SAVINGS: $35.95

OTHER DEALS
I didn't JUST get pet things either! I got some fresh produce on sale (blueberries, cantelope, potatoes, apples). Some marked down rye bread (1.39), some clearance toll-house brownies (.49)... Marked down ELSA Christmas Paper (1.20/roll), and marked down Christmas Kisses (1.20 per bag)!

My only regret is I didn't consider the animal shelter when I stumbled across these good deals! I didn't think of them until I got home, so looks like my pups are sharing!

Dollar Tree Grocery Haul

01/09/2014


I don't just love to blog, I love to READ blogs (and books and watch vlogs). I found a bunch of people doing haul vlogs and blogs sharing how they are saving money! I have done a couple of these in the past but not for groceries.

I'm planning on taking the Snap Challenge in Febraury... I know, I know ya'll, I said that over a year ago! It is set for Febraury though and I would love other bloggers or vloggers to join me in the challenge! The rules are here and you will be featured in future post about the challenge results!

So I have seen SEVERAL .99 only grocery hauls! Here are my favorites this one from DollarTreeDiaries and this one! Unfortunately I don't have a .99 cents store near me, when I type it in on their website NO locations come up, not even a couple hours away, NOTHING!

I have seen a couple of people posting DollarTree Grocery Hauls that don't have the .99 cents only stores near them. They are NOT the same store, or even close!! If I had a .99 only store I would be doing 90% of my shopping there... anyway without further ado here is my DollarTree trip!

My "grocery haul" included:
Nature's Own Bread                  Retail: $3.49
Jennie O Turkey Franks           less by -.20                  Pretzels                                   Retail $2.99
2 Shredded cheeses                  Retail: $1.49-                                                                 $2.49/ea
Cheese                                      Retail: $2.49
Sargento String Chz                  ?
4 cans evaporated Milk            Retail: $1.69/ea
2 cans Clams                            Retails $2.99/ea
Chicken Broth                          Retails $2.99
Beef Broth                                Retails $2.99
Chex Mix                                 Retails $2.99
Honey Buns                             Retails $1.99
4 cans Oysters                          Retails $1.99/ea
Coffee Syrup                              ?
Sweet Peppers                            $1.49
Ice Cream Bars                         $2.99
Prezels (heat up)                        $2.99
Nacho Cheese                             same
Sausage                                       $2.49
Raman                                        same price
Mixed Veggies                          $1.49
Jr Dippers                                  $1.49
Tater Tots                                   ?

For ALL of this at the regular store I would expect to pay around $55, here I got it for $33! I spent $43 total because I also got a few other things.

Misc Purchases:
2 wall decals ( I'm IN LOVE with the owl decal so I have 3 now LOL, I also got one that says happiness is homemade)
A thing of small containers (for my homemade lipstick)
A Dr. Pepper
Vegetable seeds
2 things of toothpaste
A thing of wax strips ( I was curious and I'll let you know how it goes)


Overall I wouldn't make stopping at the Dollar Tree a regular thing. I saved money in some areas but I also think it is easy to spend EXTRA. Everything is ONLY $1, but $1 adds up! It is great for grabbing groceries for clam chowder though =)


So with DollarTree is NOT the .99 cents only store. Don't see these vlogs or blogs and get overly excited. You can't do your grocery shopping exclusively here or even the majority of it here and be healthy, and you won't be able to find the good brands unless they are in much smaller sizes!

Most Read Blog Posts of All Time & My Favorites!

01/07/2015

My goal for January is to post at least 31 new blog entries... or a post a day. I don't expect to post everyday, I just have to post more than one post to make up for days that I DON'T post. Since I have taken a long hiatus I have plenty of material to write about.

I was just going over old posts and looking at views. I was surprised by how many views some of my posts received and dismayed that some of my favorite entries (or at least topics) didn't receive more. So here goes




TOP VIEWED ENTRIES                                                                                                         VIEWS
1. DIY QUAIL CAGE UNDER $35                                                                                           765
2. DIY DUCK COOP UNDER $20                                                                                            383
3. OLOGY TOILET PAPER REVIEW                                                                                      279
4. CHEMERICAL DOCUMENTARY REVIEW                                                                      243
5. DIY COUNTERTOPS UNDER $500                                                                                    232
6. TILED SHOWER FLOOR VS PREFAB SHOWER PAN                                                    230
7.  DIY DUCK COOP EXPANSION (Duck Coop Under $55)                                                 197
8.  GARAGE SALE FINDS II                                                                                                    183
9.  YES TO CUCUMBERS SOOTHING FACE MASK REVIEW                                           127
10. DOLLAR STORE STEALS                                                                                                  102

I love blogging and I'm glad to see that people are reading what I'm writing. I'm trying to expand my audience to reach more people so if you like any of my entries than please consider subscribing or sharing!

I also wanted to share with you all MY favorite posts (or subjects since I haven't read these since I wrote them).

1971 Cost of Living, are we worse off now
Green Roofs
Food Inc. a review of a must see documentary
Tiny House Movement
Yard Sale Finds
Yard Sale Finds II
Natural Cheap Dog Chew
Does being eco friendly mean spending more
100 Mile Diet Book Review
Fresh Documentary Review
Top 10 dangerous chemicals in personal care products
Bag It Documentary Overview
Chemerical Documentary Review
No Impact Man Documentary Review
What you didn't know: Recycling Plastics
DIY COUNTERTOPS UNDER $500


I also love my DIY house remodel blog entries (I'm behind on posting some of those, and my projects LOL).

If you notice a trend you will see that my favorites have MANY documentaries in them. I loved all of these documentaries and learned so much from them... I also found them all on Netflix and they are all about green living. I would highly recommend them but I know not everyone likes documentaries which is why I posted reviews that are kind of like summaries of them. I learned SO much from them and they encourage me to change for the better.

I noticed that just because they are my favorites don't mean they got the most views, and some barely got any views... kind of disappointing since these are mostly to do with green living, which helps all of us (do you want smog in your city? Chemicals in your water supply?).

If you read any please don't be afraid to tell me what you think. If your a blogger I would love to know if you have the same thing going on (where your favorites aren't necessarily the ones other people choose to read).

Tiny House Stolen

01/07/2015

I have blogged on the subject of Tiny Houses before. I love many things about the movement from the cost, the fact many people DIY these homes, how many people reuse materials to make the homes, the organizational aspect of the homes to make them work, the saving of resources (less energy, water, etc).

Tiny houses just seem eco friendly and allowing for simple living. You wouldn't have to work forever to pay this house off, you could build it yourself saving you more money, you can't spend as much because you can't accumulate as much, easier cleaning, possible to move.. there are just SO many benefits.

This movement has been gaining popularity and if you can't tell, I'm a fan.

I just read a story of a man and woman who shared my love of the small house movement... they loved it so much they decided to go for it. The man, Casey Friday, wrote a blog about building his tiny house... and it was STOLEN. I never considered it when reading about tiny houses but since many are built on trailers I imagine it would be quiet easy to hitch one to a truck and take off. 

If your interested in building or buying a tiny home than follow Casey's advice and get "protection" for your home. With this kind of home you need more than just a house lock or an alarm, you need a hitch lock and wheel lock!

Can you believe coming home and your house being gone? Seems like a bad dream, especially when you have put so much time and money into it, and unlike a conventional home you can't make an insurance claim because someone stole your home.