My Tuesday - gotta brag a little.

Today is my major shopping day. It just about kills me to pay full price for anything. So, when I find that there are staples on sale AND I can find coupons for them, then its stock up time! This week is tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Lysol, Listerine, and rice week. After my 6 trips through the checkout, due to limits, I'll have enough tomatoes and rice to last for the winter. Here is my receipt from this morning:

I bought 10 large cans of tomato sauce, 10 large cans of diced tomatoes, 5 boxes of popcorn, 5 boxes of toaster pastries, 2 cans of green beans and 4 candy bars. $23! With a large family, it pays to stock up. I plan meals around what is on sale and what I have on hand. Besides, in this political climate, it can't hurt to have some goods stashed away.

Speaking of what I have on hand - my husband brought me a deer neck last night! Sorry if you are not into eating animals! I think that deer are very beautiful - I don't know if I could shoot one. But, they also happen to be very tasty!

James and the boys cut up two deer last night and after many hours they were very tired and sore and didn't want to deal with the neck. I was hoping that it would make a good stew but I can't fit it in my stock pot! I'll have to let you know how this turns out because I've been simmering for 14 hours now and I still can't get the lid to fit!

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UPDATE 9:15 p.m

The stew is looking good and smelling yummy! I will let the meat cool in the broth before I pick through it for gristle and bones. Tomorrow I'll add the veggies and bake some bread and it will all be ready for an early dinner.

I didn't quite finish my shopping today. The stores ran out of tomato sauce before I could get back tonight. I ended the day nearly on target though :-) All together I spent $100.89. Only over my budget by $0.89! For this I got:

• 50 - 28 oz. cans of tomatoes - sauce, diced and crushed
• 22 rice mixes - jambalaya and such
• 10 boxes of popcorn
• 9 boxes of toaster strudel
• 5 cookie mixes
• 5 boxes of cereal
• 5 cans of Lysol
• 5 bottles of Listerine
• 4 boxes of fruit snacks
• a couple of other misc. items

I hope you don't mind me braggin' a little bit. I'm really glad that I got the Lysol today because Rose is not looking good. She has been whining for a few days and now it appears that she has pink eye! We'll be extra cautious from now on through cold and flu season to wash hands and spray doorknobs and telephones and other things that people like to touch. I can't imagine how pitiful Ralph would be if he contracted pink eye, too.