Grocery Trip 10/28 ... 74% Savings!!

I really couldn't believe it when this was all said and done. I knew I was potentially going to spend "a lot", but that I would also save "a lot." I just hadn't realize how much the "save a lot" part was going to be!!! Kroger has a 10-item Mega Event Sale going on this week where for every 10 participating items you buy (you can mix and match) you get $5 off your total (or $.50 off each of the 10 items). When combined with their double coupon policy (up to $.50 in my region), some pretty amazing things can happen! I don't think I could have come away with this much stuff for so little if it wasn't for two things: My mother-in-law getting coupon inserts from her friends and neighbors for me, and The Grocery Game. I tell you, if you haven't checked out TGG yet, you really should. I've yet to come across any blog that covers the sales in as much detail as TGG. I know there are other free services that are similar to TGG, but I don't care for them as well. The best thing about TGG is that what used to be the $1 four week trial is now FREE!! If you've been couponing, have a good stash of coupons on hand, and a Kroger nearby enough that it's worth it, you should really check it out this week! My favorite thing about TGG is that they list UN-advertised sales - the ones you don't see in the sale paper and wouldn't know about unless you walked up and down every aisle looking at the shelf tags. To me it is all worth the $1.25/week (after the trial period it's $10 for 8 weeks) to know this "inside information" without spending hours of my time trying to do the same thing. Anyway, enough rambling... (but if you do sign up for The Grocery Game, please let me know either in a comment or via the "Contact Me" button so I can give you my email address and get the referral, because referrals = free weeks for me :P )

Here's the loot:(7) Yukon Gold Instant Potatoes - $.37 ea. (these are for New Year's Day)
(9) 32oz. Gatorade - $.49 ea.
(2) 64oz. Welch's 100% Juice - $1.49 ea.
(1) Cornstarch - $.79
12 double rolls Quilted Northern TP - $4.49
(2) Cat Treats - FREE
(12) Carnation Evaporate Milk - FREE (I can use this in cooking or baking or whatever)
(20) Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes - $.29 ea.
(12) Campbell's Cream Soup (Chic. & Mushroom) - $.68 ea.
(1) Reynold's Parchment Paper - $1.74
(4) 32 load Snuggle Liquid Fabric Softener - FREE
(2) 18 ct. Eggs - $1.49 ea.
(4) BirdsEye Steamfresh Corn - $.49 ea.
(1) Pillsbury Simply Cookie Dough - $.74
(1) Lettuce - $1.45
(1) 5lb. Bread Flour - $2.49
(4) Chex Mix Special Dark - FREE (gave one to my MIL)
(4) Pepperidge Farms Garlic Bread - $.69 ea.
(3) 8oz. Land'O'Lakes Spreadable Butter - $.19 ea.
(5) Hall's Cough Drops - FREE
(2) 8oz. Cheese - $1.50 ea.
Sirloin Tip Roast - $4.31 ($2.49/lb)
1.45 lb. Ground Beef - $3.56
(3) Dental Floss - FREE
(1) Nestle's Mini's - $.99

Shelf Price - $223.33
OOP - $58.62
Saved - $164.71 or 74%!!!!!!!!

And here's my receipt to prove it :D This is the longest receipt I've gotten YET, and the biggest "real food" savings I've EVER had! Ok, with the exception of the TP, cough drops, cat treats and parchment paper... but STILL!
Both Daniel and I were both pretty excited about all of this! He was wonderful and helped me put everything away. My cupboard that was crammed full of summer sale things like BBQ Sauce, Salad Dressings and Condiments is now crammed full of winter sale things like canned stuff :) There's still plenty of condiments and salad dressings to last a while yet, but we've put a decent hurting on it since summer!

22 Weeks

Today I am 22 weeks! Wow, it's hard to imagine!

Here I am Sunday night at 21 weeks and 4 days. And here is Baby as he or she appeared on Monday. Finally a head shot :) 2 Friday's ago (roughly 1 1/2 weeks ago) Baby George measured to weigh 11 ounces. BabyCenter says that at 22 weeks the baby is about 11 inches from head to toe, and weighs almost a pound. His lips, eyelids and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and tooth buds are developing underneath the gums :) The eyes are formed, but the irises (the colored part) still lack pigment. His skin is very wrinkly and the pancreas is steadily developing.

I'm feeling overall very well, I think. I've been sleeping pretty well the past several nights, and my hips haven't been bothering me as much as they did a couple weeks ago. I've also upped my chiropractor visits to once a week. My hips still get out of whack some and that really helps them feel better and be back where they are supposed to be.

One thing I've noticed that is a bit "strange" to me is that sometimes my belly feels tight, or I feel like if I could "just unbutton my pants" I'd feel better... but of course that's not an option, or the reason behind the discomfort, since I have on stretchy-waisted clothes! I guess it's just a combination of the baby and my uterus growing in a way that is completely new to my skin and body.

So far I haven't had any heart-burn or reflux! Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself, haha. I know people who were experiencing it already at this point, and other people who never had any trouble the whole pregnancy. I'm hoping for the latter, of course :)

I think the water-induced throwing up may be behind me. I haven't had any issues for several weeks. Of course I'm also being careful to not just chug down a glass of water if I haven't eaten anything, too. I'm a bit anxious about the next appointment when they'll do the sugar test and I'll have to drink "the stuff." Dr. D did tell me (and I haven't mentioned the water thing to her) that I could eat something like an egg for breakfast, but to not have bready or sugary things before I go in. I plan to at least eat an egg, so hopefully that will calm down the stomach acid enough to not react to liquid.

I'm really happy with my Dr. She has great bed-side manners, is willing to explain things or answer any questions, but she also doesn't lolly-gag around and gets straight to the point. I think my favorite "Dr" moment so far was the first time we listened to the baby's heartbeat. The look on her face and expression in her voice was amazement and awe - which really meant a lot to me coming from someone who delivers babies every day!

Tomorrow

I've made great headway in the kitchen since this morning, but I'm not finished yet. This afternoon I went to the Dr. for another ultrasound. I got in there, hopped up on the table, got the goop squirted all over me, and Baby was still staring hard at my back. The tech. told me to go walk around for 10 minutes and come back. I went outside and called Daniel, telling him that we have a stubborn child on our hands :)

When she was done with her other patient, we tried again. He had rolled over! It was a quick ultrasound, not too much "looking for pleasure", so I wasn't able to watch our baby a whole lot, but what I did see looked mighty cute :) He/She still wasn't in a good position for the tech to see all 4 chambers of the heart, no matter how hard she tried, so they are going to call me tomorrow with an appointment for the ultrasound machine "upstairs" (wherever that is in the building - upstairs somewhere, I guess!) that has better powers. She (Diane the Tech) said she's not concerned, but it is a view they need to get before the baby gets much older because the older they get the harder it is to see. So, I'll be going back again for more!

I know I promised pictures, but my batteries died while I was taking pictures of the ultrasound pictures, so I can't upload them until the batteries recharge. Maybe in the morning.

High Gear

Since I'm all about "keepin' it real" on here, I'll just go ahead and say it.

My name is Miriam and... I have a very.messy.kitchen.

There are my Sunday shoes... on the counter. Because they were in my full hands when I walked in the door yesterday afternoon and that's where it was easy to put them down. They are on a stack of coupon inserts. And a gallon of flax seed that one of Daniel's customers gave him because they weren't using it. What am I going to do with it?? And the empty Dr. Pepper can that fell off the counter and onto the floor when I was putting piling something else up there last night.Oh my. This section is a nightmare. You can't see it, but the sinks are full. (The dishwasher is clean!) My blender is still sitting there in all it's glory from when I made rice milk Thursday night. I have things piled on top of my canisters. Like a box of plastic wrap that belongs in the drawer over on the left side of the room. And there's flour underneath everything from when I made 7 pies Thursday evening. The box on the floor is clothes and baby stuff that I need to look through and put where it belongs.More flour. More stuff. Not a square inch to be found, unless I shove and scoot things out of the way - which is what I did this morning when I made Daniel's breakfast and lunch. The bar stool is great for holding even more stuff. Y'know, like the big, dirty bowls that won't fit on the counters because they are full. Just stack 'em on the stool is what I say! And this mountain of STUFF. There are bags of maternity clothes that someone gave me. Groceries from last Wednesday that I haven't had time to put away yet. (CLEAN!) Pans and what-not from Friday when I fed 40 people. Hard to tell what all I'll find in there when I get it cleaned up.

This morning I've had my "Breakfast of Champions." An egg, a piece of toast and a glass of Orange Juice to wash down my prenatal vitamin. Now I am ready to FACE THE DAY!

Later this afternoon I have another ultrasound to hopefully get a good look at Baby George's head/face. Last Friday (2 Friday's ago, really) when we had the main one, he (she?) wasn't cooperating too well, had her nose buried in my back and was being camera shy. So all the pictures we brought home are of the spine and hands and feet. Cute as they are, we still need to see your face, Baby! (And the ultrasound tech needs to look at some of Baby's "inside" things - like the top of the spine, etc. that she couldn't see last time.) Last night I finally got another "baby bump" picture taken, so I will post it this evening when I will hopefully have a good picture of Baby George :)