Where has the time flown? I am leaving Toronto Airport on Wednesday for Vancouver. There is just so much I have to do and it has just sort of dawned on me this morning. I have to colour my hair, pick up prescriptions and maybe start packing a suitcase. Because I will be away most of July I will need to refer to my going away checklist for closing up the house. I ran out of eggs this morning so I decided to drive into Kingston to the No Frills store and only pick up what I can eat here, what I can take with me for the trip, and what can remain in the freezer for when I get back. This time, I remembered to pack my $25 gift card that I received back in the mail a while back as the result of a class action suit. Here is what I bought.
Produce fresh and frozen cost me $20.17. ($11 for mixed berries, $2 each for Oriental mix and 2 winter vegetables, $1.90 for the head of cabbage, and $1.27 for an English cucumber....missing from the photo because it fell out in the car) I still have a sweet potato, rutabaga, and two sweet peppers left in my crisper, so I will need to cook them up or chop them up and freeze them. I will also shred and cook up the cabbage to eat now or freeze for later. The 8 zucchini I bought last week are almost all gone. I have saved some to fry up with my omelets for the next three days. Last night I made myself a large plate of zoodles with garlic alongside some chicken to eat for dinner. Friday night I prepared a large casserole of veggies and sausage topped with grated cheese that I ate for dinner and had leftovers for lunch yesterday. I cooked that in the electric roaster under the verandah. Mmmm yummy.
Dairy cost $17.98 Yoghurt was $1.97 each and the cottage cheese was $3.77 each. Coming back home, I stopped at Shoppers in Amerstview and paid $6.60 for the eggs and Gouda cheese block. Tuesday night I will shred any cheese not used up and put in the freezer.
Meat cost $6.94
My total at No Frills came to $38.70. I used my free gc, so paid only $13.70 out of pocket. At Shoppers, I was given a coupon to get another 10,000 points IF I spend $40 this week. That translates into $10 worth of free stuff, so tomorrow or Tuesday I will have to go back in to spend money to make money. Shouldn't be a problem to spend $40. I already have over $178 dollars worth on my card for free groceries, so I think I should probably use them up, or part of them anyways to stock up when I get back at the end of July.
I already have "Thinking of You" cards made up and ready to put in the mail tomorrow morning. On Friday, I mailed out 2 birthday cards and a package to my youngest grandson with 15 cards and 15 stamped envelopes to support his habit. Ha. I have 2 birthday cards that I will take with me on my trip and my address book so I can send postcards while traveling. I will have a bite of lunch right now and then get busy with my travel preparations. My son and I will leave Vancouver on the 16th and arrive in Sebastopol in California on the 19th. The wedding is on the 20th and then we leave on the 21st to drive back to BC. I will be staying a few days in Vancouver again and flying back on the 26th.
Remember this Spring when I mentioned that my hydrangea had leafed out already and so it was too late to prune it back? This is the result of not having pruned it back. It is lovely, but really, really BIG. Some of the clematis is lost in the bush.
Oh, I can't get over your hydrangea bush! It is so wonderful! I tried growing hydrangea in my garden without any luck! There's a house, several blocks away, with a big hydrangea bush, like yours, and I always covet it when I drive by! :D
ReplyDeleteYou got some good prices on your groceries.
I hope you are able to get your packing done and have a safe trip.
I really, really need to cut back some of my plants and transplant a few throughout the yard and give some away. This hydrangea bush gets sunlight most of the day, but it is well shaded in the afternoon, specially when temperatures are at their peak. I don't know if that bit of info will help you in deciding a new spot to try growing it again. It needs a fair bit of space to grow as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, morning sun and afternoon shade - I planted them in the back yard, where they get morning sun and afternoon shade. I guess they also need more water than I generally provide for my plants and, slightly lower temperatures than our summer highs! Maybe when I am retired, I'll have more time to tend to the garden. :)
DeleteOoh, good thinking to get frozen foods for your grocery shopping this week! And look at you using your gift cards to reduce your OOP spending! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe hydrangeas are gorgeous! Do they stay white for you?
I hope you have a fabulous trip, Susan! Congratulations to the lovebirds!