@DianeD add an envelope of onion soup mix and 6-8 oz of cherry cola or regular cola to the crockpot. That makes for a tasty roast.

Thanks for the input! Bless this was the first time I added potatoes but yes I've heard that about them and didn't think of that.

Costco trip today. Splurged on a boneless leg of lamb, 3 large choice quality ribeyes and a large corned beef for St. Patrick's Day. The 3 steaks came to $26 and we can share one per meal. The lamb will be many meals as will the corned beef. The lamb was $27.92 and the corned beef $19.72.

Was terribly disappointed that they were out of sour cream. That was the main reason I went.
Got 2 gallons of organic milk at $10.99
6 large avocados at 4.79
2 large loaves of Oatnut bread for 5.99
2lb monterey jack cheese at 4.89
2 packs of turkey lunchmeat at 8.39 for both
3 packs of ham lunchmeat at 9.99 for 3
4lbs of strawberries for 8.49
5 heads of romaine lettuce for 3.79
24 extra large eggs for 2.59
2 large bottles of cran-raspberry juice for 6.79
large container of campari vine ripe tomatoes for 5.49


also got 2 really nice tank tops for 24.99
6 pairs of socks at 12.99
12 gorgeous purple tulips for 8.99
All for just under $200.
Target:
5 lbs of pasta - $5.95
box of green tea with lemon - 2.19
pack of 8 St. Patricks Day cards - 4.99

Diane what do you season it with? I use a rub and garlic, or else the basics-salt,pepper, garlic, etc. Another I like to use is the salt free seasonings,like a mrs dash, only I buy the generic version. I also will vary the type of seasoning... sometimes italian, rosemary and oregano...and my favorite is dill weed.

Bless, like you, my vacations are at the store too! maybe someday we can take a real one!!! And I do share the sales info with friends who are on a tight budget....helps everyone all the way around!

BL, Based on my Costco list above, I'm curious to hear if your Costco prices are any lower out there.

BL, I probably used some pepper and a salt-free seasoning that is a little weak actually. We are almost out of the Mrs. Dash and he loves using it on the grill so I saved it for him to use, knowing he would add seasoning if he wanted anyway. I was just surprised I found it bland, as I normally don't season much. I do have an Italian seasonings blend he likes so much that I stocked up on them, and I am using the singles (parsley, oregano, etc) when I cook.

What is your generic Mrs. Dash? I haven't seen that yet and we really like the different blends.

BTW I used to buy a lemon-pepper blend. I had a generic from Ocean State and when I went to restock, it had a lot more stuff in it including salt, and felt much heavier than I remembered the last bottle being. Unfortunately I had already tossed that bottle. So while at the grocery store I looked at name brands, and same thing. I swear I had bought just a plain old lemon-pepper with nothing else in it. Am I crazy? I'll check the dollar store too.

Didn't feel much like cooking, last night, so, for dinner, I did convenience food! DD had bought a box of pasta/sauce mix; I prepared it and added a can of tuna and some frozen green peas to it. I packed the leftovers for her lunch, but when we got to campus, she realized that she had left her lunch bag at home! :p

Does this bundle sound like a good deal? (it does to me but I rarely buy bacon)

20lbs for $44.00
5lb avg country style pork ribs
5 lb avg 85% ground beef (i have been stuck buying 80% lately due to cost and even that is more than this)
5 lb avg drumsticks, not my favorite but i'll eat them
3 lb avg bacon
2 lb avg italian sausage

Averages out to $2.20/lb, from a local meat packing store.

Diane, it sounds like a good deal.

For me, these are the prices I'd expect to pay for the above items: pork ribs = $.99/lb (this week's sale price); 85% ground beef = $3.99/lb (80% is on sale for $2.79/lb. this week, and I'd prob. buy that, instead); drumsticks = $.99/lb; bacon = $3/lb; I don't generally buy Italian sausage, but I buy Polish sausages when they go on sale for $1.99/lb. At those prices, I'd spend:
5 lb pork ribs = $5
5 lb ground beef = $20
5 lb drumsticks = $5
3 lb bacon = $9
2 lb sausage = $4
Total = $43

So, very close to what they are charging ($44)

Kimberly, I don't buy a lot of things at Costco as I generally get much better deals from the local markets by watching prices, but from what I know, they don't seem outrageous. For instance, I just got eggs for 89 cents and avocados at 50 cents each, so for me local is better...where I am saving is on gas. Filled up the other day just before another price jump at $3.60/gal and now its at almost $4.

Diane, I agree with Bless that it seems like a decent deal if those are items you use.

I am planning for a weekend of teenagers, and since I had the surgery on my wrist, I am home til Monday....very hard to function with just one hand, at least I have the use of my right hand.

Gonna run a few errrands and get some basic supplies for when So's son and his friends are here.