Grocery Shopping Day

Oh, am I so mad.  I was hoping to just squeeze under $100 today at the grocery store, but couldn't do it.  My grocery bill was $105.69.  It was that darn turkey.  Yes, I bought our entire Thanksgiving dinner for 10 and our groceries for the week with that money.  I did purchase one impulse item.  Eggo's has a new kind of cinnamon toaster pastry that tasted delicious so I guiltily grabbed a box and a 55 cent coupon to go with it.  When it came time to check out, I forgot to use that coupon and the one for a dollar off my Folger's Decaf.  I didn't realize this until I got to the car and felt bad going back in to get my $1.55 back.  I guess I should've.  I will next time.  It definitely helps having a list of items to purchase.  Also, I feel ok about it because the last two shops have both been under $100 so there is room in my budget for spending an extra five bucks.

It was a hard grocery shopping day.  Shopping for items that I do not normally shop for made the grocery store visit twice as long as it normally is.  I kept going back and forth across the store to get new things.  Next time, I have to make my grocery list out by aisle.  That will make my life easier.  

I love going to our grocery store during lunch because they serve all sorts of samples.  The samples are really good!  Today I had beef meatloaf, pasta salad, crackers with salmon spread, corn stuffing with spiral ham, and scones for dessert.  I'm not even hungry right now.  That's one way to save money (by being a cheapskate!).  

Pork Chops: Tonight, I will be making pork chops for dinner.  This is my kid's favorite meal.  I use my grandma's old recipe.  Heat the pan.  Add the pork chops.  Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper.  Let cook on each side (time varies depending on thickness of the chop) until grease caramelizes.  It sounds a little gross but it's delicious.  

Mashed Potatoes: We are also having mashed potatoes.  I save time by microwaving the whole potato with the skin on.  For 8 servings, you need two large potatoes.  Scrub them.  Poke holes in them with a fork, and microwave one at a time on high for 7minutes.  Then check to see if they are done. Once they are done.  Put them in a bowl, add butter, milk, and salt to taste and mash away.