Category: Shopping

Posted on

Budgeting for the Holiday Feast

My favorite meal of the whole year is always the traditional Thanksgiving feast. I have always enjoyed a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, even the one year that I was so broke that I only had $20 in my budget to spend on the entire meal.

I remember going to the wholesale grocery that year and buying the cheapest possible brand of everything to be able to create a small but traditional Thanksgiving meal. I had to buy a frozen turkey loaf for $6, two white potatoes and one sweet potato, a box of stuffing and a can of generic green beans – I already had a can of mushroom soup at home in the almost empty pantry. I bought four apples and made a pie from scratch with flour and sugar and cinnamon already at home. It was a lot of work doing everything from scratch, but it tasted great and made me realize that I can create a great feast with just a little money.

This year I am spending $20 on just the turkey. It will be the biggest one they have in the store – I love turkey and there is not such thing as too much turkey in my house! The rest of the side dishes and fixings will be a combination of scratch and prepared, depending upon the brands and my taste preferences. And I think I will make an apple pie again – its not that hard to do and they always taste better than store bought pies.

Posted on

PeachSuite for Hotel Supplies

Having a close friend who owns a resort hotel, I have heard her often complain about not finding the supplies she needs, until she discovered PeachSuite Hotel Supply. She was thrilled at basically the “one stop shopping” online and the expert and helpful and sufficient way the company handle the costumers who are looking for their hotel needs.

Hotel Catering Supplies are a must, as the resort is on a Lake Front with a events like dinners in the banquet hall or even on the lawn when the weather is nice. It’s a great experience and my friend makes it as such, but she does need plenty of supplies and a reasonable price, since during the winter she often has to deal with business being slow. During the warm months, her place is packed and she wants the best so her customers come back. Buffet supplies are a must for her and it makes it so easy for folks to have a good time and also for her to mingle with the guests without the hassle of having the dinners served by employees.

Hotel Supplies are also a big thing to try and save money on, yet get a durable product that is good quality. Her resort is doing very well, and when she needs supplies now she knows where to get them!

 

 

Posted on

Fall is in the air

The leaves haven’t started to turn yet, but the smell of fall is indeed in the air. There is a crisp feeling outside that this season brings, and at night it’s been getting down right chilly. No frost yet, but it’s to come sooner than normal, I have a feeling.

Though I love colors of fall, I don’t like the fact that it means summer is over and that winter is just around the corner. It seems like we didn’t have much of a summer, despite of the drought.

We’ve been doing some home improvement around the house and outside in the yards. There were some walkways that needed tending to, as the stone was starting to get loose in places, so I hauled in some extra that I had saved, and made it fit where the loose ones were. I should say they aren’t really stone like most would think. These are actually flat rocks that the walkway is made of, and I’m glad I had the foresight to keep some back for just the purpose I needed them for.

All of the storm windows are now up and the glass windows are washed, the covered with padding and put away safely. Gutters will continue to be cleaned as the leaves come down and nearly all of my flower beds have been put to sleep for the winter. It sort of makes me sad, but it is what it is.

There of course is a lot more to do in order to make the house winterized and toasty for the winter, but I’m getting to it slowly but surely. Winter is not a good season for me, since I really hate snow and the cold, but if I have to live where we do indeed have lots and lots of snow and the temps get down below zero, I at least want a home that is warm and the next step is to start my winter survival shopping.

 

Posted on

Is it taste or just a coffee habit

My husband drinks coffee by the gallon. To me, this is caffeine to the extreme, and since all of a sudden it’s found he has high blood pressure, I decided to make some changes that I’ll admit, isn’t that honest, but I haven’t been asked about it, so I don’t need to volunteer the information just yet. Okay, pure and simple it’s not being totally honest because I care.

I bought an off brand that has only half the caffeine and put it in the canister his normal brand comes in, which was a blend loaded with extra caffeine. Mind you, this I figure is for his own good. At least in my way of thinking.

So far, so good. he’s not noticed and even said he had made an “exceptionally good pot of coffee” the morning after I did the switch. Next is the sugar intake. I’m sure I can find something as a look alike substitute. I’ve never seen or even heard of anyone who puts more sugar in a cup of coffee. It’s expensive and once again, worrisome to me. Of course if I’m asked, indeed I will tell him about the switch in the coffee. But if he likes it now and I’m saving a great deal of money, we’ll just keep it a secret for now.

 

Posted on

School day count down

Getting ready for my youngest son to go to school has been a bit bittersweet. He is my last child in school now and it seems like yesterday when all three of my kids were getting on the bus at the same time and going to school together.

We’ve brought most of his school clothes and supplies, which actually weren’t a whole lot because since he is in high school, he doesn’t want a whole bunch of new clothes. Why, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll be buying the kind of shirts he likes when I see them in passing or if I see them online.

He did pick out some really well made and nice looking shoes online at his favorite shoe place, at a reasonable price. They should last him awhile if he doesn’t do his favorite past times, like skate boarding and BMX bike riding in them. I’ve never seen such sports that tear shoes apart like that does.

Posted on

New lawn furniture

By putting off buying lawn furniture until now, I’ve been looking at all the styles and sets on sale and there are some awesome buys and deals out there to be had now that summer is nearly over. There are two sets I’ve sort of got my heart set on, but haven’t decided which I’m going to buy yet.

I would like to get a set that will go up on the deck around the pool, since the furniture I have now, doesn’t seem like it’s going to last through another summer. It’s starting to look worn out, because it’s been bleached by the sun and the fact that the chemicals in the pool are on it from everyone sitting on the furniture while they are wet. One will have that and I’m glad the seat coverings aren’t made from fabric.

There is a set that I particularly like, with a table and an umbrella, that would be perfect for this deck also. The seats are made out of a sort of woven non fabric material that I think would last longer than the tufted and stuffed cloth type material that I have. Decisions, decisions…

 

Posted on

Shopping for porch furniture

Yesterday when I went to the stores for some things I needed, on a whim I went into the garden section to look at furniture for my porch. Everything is on sale! From chairs to the glider seats that I love so much. Even the porch swings are on sale, which I really love.

If I check on finances, and all is semi okay on that count, I’d love to have at least a couple new chairs and the porch swing. The kind of porch I have would be perfect for the swing.

Growing up, we always had a front porch swing and as I’m writing this little add to my blog, I’m even more convinced that I want the swing more than I do even the new chairs. Hopefully there is still one at the store I went to left tomorrow when I go into town again. On the flip side…I just may go get it later on today! I think the family would like it as much as I would.

Posted on

Touch of elegance for the bath

Since my bathroom is nearly complete and I must admit is also starting to look very elegant, I would like to get bath accessories that will elude elegance  also. This room is my personal bathroom and I want it to stay nice. Also I’d like for it to be finished as a reflection upon my taste, which is sometimes a bit eclectic, but also more expensive than I would put in my spare baths or in my kid’s bathrooms, for instance.

In my opinion, my bathroom is a haven. A place for me to relax and pamper myself. I love and want all of my accessories to match and make the room to feel comfortable, and classy also. I went with more expensive tile, sinks, mirrors and flooring, so I’m not going to scrimp on the final touches and decor, that make it all come together.

Looking for just the right candles, soap and toothbrush holder, sponges and towels has been a joy to shop for. For once, everything is going to match and yet can also be mixed with various other colors so I can change these, depending the moods I have. Even my face cloths will have my initials on them. I thank my husband since this room is my first big anniversary gift from him. I must admit, he didn’t make me go easy financially on what I wanted to make my bathroom start to come together just exactly the way I would like it!

 

Posted on

Great garage sale finds

Because of this season, I love all of the yard sales, garage sales and the barn sales. Oh heck, I love all the roadside sales we veer right into while taking road cruises.

Today, since most garage sales start on Thursdays, I didn’t think I would find much, but one’s man junk is another man’s treasure. I’ve been wanting to find my daughter a ceder chest to uses as a “hope chest” since she will soon be leaving home and moving out of state. To be honest, this is sort of tearing me apart, but I did find a Lane cedar chest that she can be proud to have. I got the man down by bartering, from 100.00 to 45.00.

This chest does have some dings and a bit of scratches in it, but it is old. I’m pretty certain it is an antique, but will have to check with a friend who deals with these kind of things. I’m sure it isn’t worth more than what I paid for it, but I’m happy with it, and know my daughter will be, after I clean it up some and use some natural scratch cover on it. Now I can start stocking it!! 🙂

 

Posted on

The gift of a spice rack

My oldest daughter called me and asked what kind of spice rack she would need for her kitchen. I sat on the other end of the phone in puzzlement. My  kids have asked me a lot of various questions in their lifetime, some of which were quite strange questions, but never about a thing like this. I think maybe she was hinting that she would like to have one.

Spice racks to me are personal. I don’t really like to cook, but cook I do, and I’m good at it. One can be good at something and still not like to do it. When it comes to my spices, I’m very picky. The order they are in, and the type of spice group they are in is important to me. That is where good spice racks come in. They are awesome for organization of spices and also save space.

I think, judging how my daughter’s kitchen is set up, that she should look into a wall spice rack. She is learning now how to use various spices, and this way they would be right within her reach, organized, and would be a nice decor touch for her kitchen. I’ll be buying my daughter’s her first spice rack. I’ve seen some nice ones that she will be sure to like.