Saturday, April 3, 2010

Field Trip: Making Good Choices

Yesterday, my day off, afforded me a field trip to the 99¢ store!
 I consider my trek to the 99¢ store a field trip since I live about 25 minutes away. I love the $ Store and the 99¢ Only Store, but buyer BEWARE...CHECK the EXPIRATION DATES!! Several months ago I popped into this same 99¢ Only and I spied some Sugar Free Jello singles sitting on the shelf. I thought to myself, jello singles would make for a quick and easy dessert. Well I picked up a box and happened  to look at the date...EXPIRED! O well. No Jello for me :-(

Anyway, when I shop at these type of bargain stores I remind myself  to not go overboard by throwing crap (crap=junk food) into the basket. I usually set a limit of $20 bucks. Last night, I found myself losing my mind while walking down aisle #1...the condiment aisle. This particular 99¢ sells lots of Asian and Hispanic condiments. On a previous trip I purchased this White Soy Sauce...I have yet try it. 
Last night I found theses bad boys, which expire at the end of April, so I will be a salad eating fool!
I tried the Hearty Italian flavor today with my grilled chicken wrap. Umm...YUM!
Grilled Chicken Wrap
1 La Banderita tortilla
3 oz grilled chicken
14 oz mozzarella cheese
5 large olives
1 TBSP Hearty Italian Boutiful
1 roma tomato

First, I layered all of the ingredients into this huge 1pt wrap I found at Wal-Mart.  The package read soft taco, but the tortilla was big enough to be used as a wrap.

Initially, I rolled the bulging wrap and shoved it into my Redi Set Go. When I opened my Redi Set Go, the wrap lay there opened swirling in juices, probably from the dressing. so, I decided to scrape the contents from the soggy wrap into another tortilla...pictured below


Next I rolled the wrap...
And then I devoured it...
Back to my shopping excursion...with the good comes the bad. Although I discovered some new healthy food finds, so many unhealthy food choices fill the aisles. And of course I wanted to eat everything I saw. Truth be told, I am guilty of a big no-no. I showed up at the store a little hungry...a big no-no. When you arrive at any place of business hungry, the food starts talking to you.  But last night, I talked back and said, "NO!" Instead of buying this...
I got that (pictured below)...Japanese rice crackers. These crackers taste great on salads, but I like to eat them by themselves too. They satisfy that crunch satisfaction I get from eating chips.
As I wrapped up my trip and paid for my purchases, something caught my eye...

Yes, a 99¢ pregnancy test...lol. Looking at that test made me wonder about the reliability of the results. But trust ME...I DO NOT, I repeat, I DO NOT want to find out...lol.

I mainly visit my local bargain stores to find recipe ingredients at discounted prices. Some recipes I find call for items not used in everyday meals.  For example, I planned to make a dish with rice wine vinegar, but as a single parent spending $3 & $4 bucks on a bottle of vinegar used for one recipe seems like an extravagance. Some of the local $ Stores carry rice wine vinegar as well as other recipe ingredients. 

Well folks...that concludes my field trip post. I would love to take a weekly field trip and post, but every time I write about a new weekly posting idea, the idea usually falls by the wayside...lol. Oh by the way, today's weigh in revealed a loss of 1.2 lbs.

What treasure(s) have you discovered at your local discount store?

12 comments:

  1. When I had my own class I would get holiday pencils, erasers and classroom decorations at the $ store.

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  2. I like to get "prizes" for the kids are birthday party stuff.

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  3. I hate me some discount stores. I admire you so much. My motto for right now in my life is this: If they don't have it at wal-mart (or whatever superstore I land in) we don't need it. I'm just too swamped.

    I'm jealous of your steals though...

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  4. Good job on the loss! :)

    We love going to the dollar store! I get tooth paste there. They have brand name stuff!! Why pay $3 at Target if its a buck there! :) So my problem is that I tend to go crazy adn get 5 or 6 and stockpile. Yes, I have some HOARDING tendencies when it comes to sales and bargains! lol Oh well....could be worse! lol

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  5. I love the 99 cent store! I don't know if I would trust that pregnancy test though! ;-) I love bargain shopping...99 cent store and Big Lots are two of my favorites.

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  6. 99 c pregnancy test! LOL!

    Congrats on the 1.2 lb weight loss!
    I cant wait for the post on bunny challenge!

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  7. You did good for shopping hungry. I hate when I do that. It's such a hazard!

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  8. I love the .99 store. I'm like you, I stock up on all my condiments, can foods, and drinks from there but I watch the dates. Look like you had a successful shopping trip!

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  9. Haha! Dollar stores are always fun. The one in my neighborhood raised the prices from .99 to $1.29. They think they're slick.

    And about the pregnancy test: I've never had to use one but one things shouldn't be bought generic!

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  10. ha ha ha @ the 99cent pregnancy test!

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  11. Great work on the loss. I get alot of kitchen stuff at the dollar store.

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  12. I am so happy I stumbled accross your blog today! I love the $.99 store I shop there all the time. Congrats to loosing the weight! I can't wait until I am down 50 pounds. I have 20 more pounds to go. I have been using the body magic product and watching my calorie intake.

    At www.3minuteslimdown.com, they offer a reshaping product that reduces your size up to 3 sizes in just minutes. The garments also reshapes your body. With a solid diet plan, you would reach your goals in no time!

    Good luck in your weight loss adventure!

    www.3minuteslimdown.com

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First off all, THANKS for stopping by and for those of you following...THANKS for following AND indulging my MADNESS. Please feel free to holla back or provide your 2¢. I WILL TRY to respond to ALL comments via email. AGAIN THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT!

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