Could it be a Kroger CC? I know all I get is money off the bill and gas points, which are helpful.

Planning a dinner for approx. 25 guests, next week Sat. (not tomorrow), to celebrate DD's 19th b'day.

Tentative menu so far:

Snacks (spicy garbanzo beans, chips & dip maybe, savory pastries maybe)

Rice sticks (noodles) with vegetables (baby corn, snow peas, carrots, spring onions, celery, asparagus, etc.)
Rice (at DD's request, since she doesn't like rice sticks)
Salad with cucumber, tomato, red onions, hard boiled eggs
Roast chicken & Beef curry
OR roast beef & chicken curry
Spicy sauted Shrimp
Polish sausage

Dessert: DD wants to make her strawberry trifle; I'll have a fresh fruits platter and, of course, a b'day cake. Not sure yet, what the cake will be. Well, chocolate, of course, but don't know how I will shape & decorate it. Last b'day, it was a cat from a favorite Japanese anime series; in previous years, I've done a stack of gifts, a basket of roses, a grand piano, various Sesame Street/Disney/cartoon/anime characters, etc.

Assorted drinks.

I will augment the March grocery budget with $$ from the "parties/entertainment" fund.

All: It is a Kroger credit card - but I absolutely pay it off each month - no debt.

When we have a big purchase I love getting some of that back.
I get a bigger amount of the gas also. The checks are to shop at Krogers - just like cash, works for me. Free Food Always Taste Better!

Well, I am here to admit that, I went to the Asian grocery store, yesterday, and I spent just over half a regular month's grocery budget in 1 hr. without any qualms!

I needed to buy certain items for the upcoming dinner party (rice sticks, beef, snow peas, etc.) and I needed to restock certain sauces that I had run out of (teriyaki, hoisin, sweet & sour) or was low on (soy). I might have stuck to my list and maybe have bought one or two treats for DD, if I had gone alone. But DD went to the store with me and, as part of her b'day treat, I said she could get quite a few treats.

We came out of the store with such delicacies as green onion cookies, cans of tamarind juice, Japanese soft drinks, frozen dim sum, coconut gel in lychee juice, green tea candy, lychee mochi (rice cakes), and canned congee (a type of porridge) with lotus seeds, etc.! One blissfully happy daughter! Not only did she bring in nearly all the bags from the car, she even put everything away AND tidied up the family room, without being prompted to!

For dinner, last night, we had an Asian buffet! I steamed some of the frozen dim sum ($4.89 for 20 pieces), DD also had a can of congee ($1@) which she likes more than I do; we shared a can of tamarind juice ($2.50/6 cans), and a bottle of Japanese soda ($1@). For dessert, we had samples of the various cookies we bought!

Here's what I spent on the regular groceries/party food items:

Beef, top round, $3.99/lb = $21.47
3 pkts. rice sticks (noodles), $1.29@/buy 2 get 1 free = $2.58
soy sauce = $1.99
Sweet & sour dipping sauce = $2.69
Hoisin sauce = $2.49
Teriyaki sauce = $4.29
Snow peas, $1.29/lb = $1.47
Dim sum = $4.89
Total = $41.87

Since my total bill at the store came to $76.58, that means, I spent $34.71 on the various treats!

sounds like it was a fun shopping trip....and the added bonus of extra cleanup at home for you....yeah!!!

With working opposite shifts, SO is falling back into his eating out pattern. i have been cooking things and leaving them to eat when he gets in, but he is still going out....at least it has mainly been to Subway($5 for any sub this month), so cost is down. I have also made sure that there is plenty of milk in the house as when he doesn't want to cook he will have cereal.....I think that is a guy fall back meal.

I have hit my favorite chinese restaurant for their hot and sour soup, buynig a quart then getting the buffet to go. Spent a total of $6.79 for everything, cut up the food and mixed with the soup, and had 3 lunches, a snack and a breakfast out of it so for me, that is about as cheap as I can eat!

Found out a local store is having the NYloin on sale again this weekend, and though I already have mine portioned and frozen from the last sale, I shared the info with several friends so they can take advantage of it as well.

BL: Other people go on vacations; I go to the Asian grocery stores! That is very kind of you to tell your friends about the meat sales.

I did yet more grocery shopping yesterday. Some of what I bought, like bread & milk, are for us for the week. But the majority of what I bought is for the upcoming party. I haven't added up everything, yet, though, but I spent approx. $46 ($18 something at one store and $27 something at the other store). I still need to make one more shopping trip - probably to Costco - either tonight, after work, or tomorrow.

I made the beef curry, last night, and froze it until needed. That's all I can prepare ahead of time. I'll bake the cake on Friday night, after we come home from work (DD is scheduled to work until 7:30 p.m.) and frost it Sat. a.m. before I take DD to her gymnastics class at 9:15 a.m.

Fried rice for dinner, tonight. Put pork chops to thaw for tomorrow's dinner.

I got a small pork roast yesterday and put it in the bean pot (slow cooker) along with carrots, celery and potatoes.

I'm finding that what I cook in there tends to be pretty bland. I rarely season my meats so it's not like I need it (though my bf does season them a lot).

Is this common with crock pots? I seasoned the pork before putting it in but maybe I have to "over" season it?

Diane, I don't do a lot of crock pot cooking and someone else might be better qualified to answer your question. However, I think it might be due to the potatoes being cooked along with the meat. Potatoes tend to absorb salt, etc. So, you might have to re-season the meat after it has finished cooking.