If it's the Beaches

Catching up on Game of Thrones

So much stuff happens in each episode that I find myself thinking, “Shit just got real” about ten times and each them it’s even realer than the time before. Like. I can’t. I can’t even.

I just need to write some thoughts out. Deal with it.

1. Got my hours for my new job next week. I’m actually only scheduled at the desk at my current job on Friday and Sunday (not tomorrow but next Sunday - the weeks for pay periods run Monday through Sunday here), so I had a lot of flexibility. And since I’m only coming in for training, and it seems like I’m basically going to be re-shelving books always forever, they were also really flexible. So I’m coming in for my new job from 2pm to 6pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then I’m going to come into my current job from 8am to 12pm on the same days.

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My favorite part of Mark watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer

is when he gets to my favorite episodes like “Surprise”/”Innocence” and he just is not prepared. But who would be? WHO WOULD BE PREPARED FOR THAT CRAZYNESS?! But for someone who has watched those episodes ten times, it’s very amusing to read what a first time viewer things.

I’m sorry I keep blogging about a blogger, but I am obsessed. It is so funny, and makes me think all these things. DEAL WITH IT.

“This is some straight Highlander bullshit.”

Straight from the mouth of Mark when it is revealed to him that there could possibly be two Slayers.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.

(Still reading Mark Watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer- just finished this review.)

This is the most effort I have ever put into grocery shopping ever

and (1) I know I have not even begun to put in the kind of effort that extreme couponers put in and (2) I’m not even sure if I’m really going to save any money.

Most of the coupons were not for things I regularly buy in one of three ways - either they were for a different brand than I usually buy, they were for a slightly different but very similar product or they were for something I want to try, so if the price is good and the coupon makes enough of a difference, I may buy those things.

I am somewhat flexible on brands, I swear. For dog treats, for example, I try to buy things I know that Oliver has liked in the past, but if they are crazy expensive or if something else is crazy inexpensive then I’ll buy something different. If he doesn’t like the different treat, I’ll go back to the old ones. But so far I haven’t bought a treat he didn’t like, so this is one of those cases where a dog treat is a dog treat is a dog treat.

But, I mean, I’m buying the cereal I like. I saw so many coupons for cereal, and I love a wide variety of cereal. But I am in love with Honey Bunches of Oats with Cinnamon bunches, both in taste and in nutrition facts. Some other cereals have better or similar stats but don’t taste as good and some other cereals taste just as good or better but have worse stats. I’m sure I could have printed out some cereal coupons and then made them work at the store by checking out the nutrition facts on the cereals that the coupons do cover, but I don’t want to switch cereals, no matter how much money it saves me (probably not much).

So these coupons are sort of a trial run. Like I printed out a coupon to save 50 cents on any one Pure Via at any size and a coupon $1 off a Splenda sugar blend item. I was on Truvia for a long time and now I’ve been on Stevia in the Raw. I use two packets in my coffee in the morning and two in my tea at night. And even if the loose stuff is cheaper, I need to buy the packets to regulate my intake. All sugar replacements are expensive. So even though neither coupon is for a brand that I am used to (and one is presumably for a cancerous brand), I printed them out to see if they will make a big enough difference at the store for me to switch brands. If taking 50 cents off a Pure Via item only makes it the same price as the same size Stevia in the Raw item then I’m going with what I know.

Other brand replacement coupons I printed:

• $1 off of three Market Pantry dry pastas (normally Mueller)
• $1 off with purchases of two dog treat items: Milo’s Kitchen, Pupperoni, Milk Bone - Oliver will not eat Milk Bones, but he likes Pupperoni. I normally buy Carry Outs and Marrow Bones
• $1 off of two Market Pantry lunch meats (normally Hillshire Farms)
• $1 off Market Pantry frozen seafood item (normally Gorton’s)
• $1 off of four frozen vegetable items from Archer Farms or Market Pantry - I normally buy various Green Giant and Bird’s Eye products, and I am really picky about my vegetables, so unless the savings are worth it, I will probably not use this coupon since I would have to try four new items, essentially
• $1 off of two 5 oz or larger Market Pantry cheese items - I printed this coupon because I’m making mac and cheese on Sunday. I’m normally a Kraft girl but with shredded cheese, I don’t feel it matters very much at all.
• $2 off Purina One Beyond dry dog food (normally Iams ProActive Health, which is also normally on sale at Target)
• $1 off 2 Giant Roll or larger pack of Brawny paper towels (normally Viva, but I’m too picky about paper towels)
• $2 off Neutrogena cosmetic item - I need foundation, and I buy Covergirl everything, but makeup is expensive, and my face has been breaking out a lot lately, so I thought I would try a Neutrogena foundation since there is a coupon

Coupons I printed for things I haven’t tried but would like to:

• $1.10 on any six Dreyer’s snack size cups; I’ve never heard of these before, but I assume they are similar to the Ben & Jerry’s ones. If so, I won’t be purchasing because that’s only enough ice cream to make me want more, but we’ll see.
• $1.50 on any two Kashi steam meals; I’ve never tried a Kashi steam meal, but I need some frozen dinner now and then. However, Kashi stuff is generally expensive, so may not purchase.
• $1 on any Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick. Okay, pancakes and sausage together in syrup is one of my favorite things. On a stick? Even better.
• $1 with purchase of two Skinny Cow Slimited Edition ice cream treats - I had the mocha truffle bar at the beach, so I already know I like one of them. But I seem to recall this stuff being expensive too, so $1 may not make difference.
• $1 on any one Jimmy Dean Delights item - I’ve seen the commercials for these supposedly healthy and tasty breakfast sandwiches. We’ll see.

Actually useful coupons because they apply to things I buy anyway

• $1 off with purchase of two Scrubbing Bubbles cleaning items
• $1 on two Healthy Choice complete meals or modern classics - I’m not sure if I like the modern classics, but I like some of the complete meals.
• $1 on any one Jimmy Dean fully cooked links or patties - I buy the turkey sausage links.
• $3 off 6-pack of Brita water pitcher replacement filters - my filter needs to be replaced, but I know that the replacements are expensive and come in smaller packages, so the $3 would have to make the 6 pack close to or the same price as a smaller pack for me to use this coupon

And, of course, this doesn’t include the ones I have saved in my wallet. Full report tomorrow evening!