My Kroger Collection

My Kroger has some pretty good sales this week!  Of course, they're not as great as the Mega-Deal Sales that occur every once in a while; however, I was able to score some great prices on things I use consistently.  I paid $33.30 for the items below - a 52.7% savings!  The 6 lbs of meat and 4 loaves of bread would have cost that much alone without The Grocery Game!  Thanks, Grocery Game!

Pampers vs. Huggies

Which do you like best?  For me, it's about whatever is on special for the week!  Since I subscribe to The Grocery Game principles, I use store sales coupled with manufacturers' coupons to stockpile diapers and wipes at rock bottom prices.  I haven't paid full price for diapers in almost a year!

Regardless, why not reap some benefits from all those Pampers and Huggies products that you buy? 

Pampers' rewards program is called Gifts To Grow.  Inside each Pampers product is a reward code that can be entered to your online account to be redeemed for gifts and prizes.

Huggies' rewards program is called Enjoy the Ride.  You can earn points from purchasing products (just like Pampers), answering online polls, watching online videos and more. 

Tomato Time

There's something about this time of year that makes my green thumb itch.  Maybe it was growing up near a grandmother that had an entire acre of backyard devoted to corn, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, radishes, carrots, strawberries, grapes and bell peppers.  I remember spending quiet summer afternoons at her house shucking corn, canning tomatoes and snapping green beans.  It's really too bad that so many of my generation have gotten away from the quiet, down home lifestyle of growing our own groceries.  I know that for me it's quite difficult to contemplate the task of keeping plants alive and thriving while also trying to raise two little boys, keep the laundry piles down, put meals on the table and oversee a small business.  Kiser has also taken an interest in flowers this spring.  So in an attempt to scratch my green thumb itch and let Kiser have a go at helping me keep it alive, we decided to try one patio tomato plant this season.  I got it planted and positioned on my back patio today.  We'll see how it goes!

GG Shopper!

For my weekly groceries and household excursion, I visited Kroger and Walgreens armed with my The Grocery Game list and principles.

At Walgreens, the following items would have cost me $115.36, but I only paid $58.98.  Doing the math, this is a savings of 48.8%!

3 Reynolds aluminum foil boxes
4 3-packs of Scotch Brite heavy duty sponges
2 Bic Hybrid Advanced Razor Systems
1 family pack of Huggiess wipes
4 Huggies diapers (jumbo packs)
4 Bayer Heart Healthy Asprin 100 count boxes

At Kroger, the following items would have cost me $50.98, but I actually paid $20.34.  Another great savings of 60.1%!

2 gallons 2% milk
2 Bic razors packages
2 Hillshire Farms smoked sausages
1 Hillshire Farms kielbasa
1 Hillshire Farms cheddar wurst
4 Lawry taco seasoning mixes
2 Lawry Gourmet Marinades
2 Maruchan Yakisoba noodles
2 zucchinis
1 yellow squash
4 Minneola oranges
3 Braeburn apples

Bluebonnet Bedlam

I keep hearing about and seeing all the gorgeous bluebonnet pictures this spring.  I decided to try to capture my two boys amidst the Texas state flowers too.  The three of us headed over to JC Penney headquarters where there are quite a few fields of flowers. 

Lesson #1:  Don't attempt outdoor photographs of your own children by yourself!  After getting the older one sat down, I had to chase down the younger one.  By the time the younger one was nearby, the older one was off picking stuff - his nose, his shoes, the flowers, rocks, you name it. 

Lesson #2:  Don't attempt pictures around a meal time.  Yes, it was around 5:00pm.  Yes, the boys were hungry.  Yes, I came armed with snacks.  Yes, said snacks got dropped into the flowers....repeatedly.

Lesson #3:  Don't let them see you sweat.  The longer I tried to get a good shot, the more frustrated I became.  Those boys were on that frustration like white on rice.  One took off towards the car (and the traffic) while the other took off further down the bluebonnet field.  Of course I had to save the young one hurtling toward oncoming cars and certain death.  By then, the older one was done and declared a mutiny on the whole project.

Ah well, the following pictures were the best that I could get!  Kudos to all you professional photographers -- you're magical!