Month of February , 2012

Happy March everyone.

I am looking forward to my next paycheck (coming very soon).  I've been poor for last 12 months.  But, I've been very busy lately.  I am hoping for a better paycheck.  My last paycheck didn't cover my rent. Yikes..

Because of my none-stop overtime, I am also very tired.

My only escape is listening to Christmas music every day at my desk.  It does help a lot.  I also turn on my Christmas lights and light Christmas candles.

March also means we have 5 months to go until we see Christmas at Costco.  Like it or not it's coming that soon..   about 25 more weeks.

I don't have time to go out shopping or write blog.  Also, I am still single.  It's pretty sad here, haha...

I want to do something fun when things slow down... but I don't know what to do.   I want to go somewhere far away.. maybe go to Costco in different state.  Yeah, that sounds fun... Costco in Arizona, Texas, Mississippi... oh man that will be fun.

Anyway, I need to go to sleep soon, so I can wake up at 4am.  I have a lot of work.

I will keep in touch.  Have fun.  Looking forward to Summer.  I can't wait to get back on my girl bicycle.

Wish me luck on my next paycheck and other stuff...

Talk to you later.  ZZzzz...

Some sick sale is about to happen next month.  I see good stuff.

Actually, things I would like to buy don't require coupons, they are instant savings items.  I'm going to stock up on good treats.  Oh! I can't wait.

• $2.50 - Jarlsberg Norwegian Swiss Cheese Wedge - Limit 2
• $3.00 - Kirkland Signature 31-40 Raw Tail-on Shrimp - Limit 5
• $3.50 - Oberto or Pacific Gold Beef Jerky - Limit 3
• $4.00 - Coenzyme Q10 100mg 150ct - No limit

http://adamcos.com/Costco/20120308.php (thanks to adamcos.com)

For the past few months I have been working toward changing my diet. This is mainly due to health reasons, i.e. acid reflux. And, when I got the flu in December a lot of things were making me sick and I could only eat bland foods. I had to stay away from fatty and sweet foods, especially meats. I love fruits but even the sweetness from a fruit could make me really sick. So, I started to eat more veggies and whole grains.

Eating more veggies and looking at meat as a treat is a whole new way of eating lifestyle for me. So, eating fresh stuffed graped leaves is not something I would've done 6 months ago let alone buying the frozen one. My family were surprised that I had bought it. And, I was a tad hesitant in eating it.

The stuffed grape leaves were nicely wrapped in about 3-inch lengths. It has rice, tomato, and other veggies. I must say that it's a tad oily and salty than I'd like. But, again... I've been eating a lot of bland foods. I have never eaten one of these but surprisingly, I must say that these were good and quite filling. My mom said it tasted too sour. And, yes, it's a tad acidic. I can eat about 2-3 of them for breakfast, although, some people may eat these for snacks or as an apperitiv beacause they are quite small. Given that it's sold at Costco, you can bet that there's about a couple of dozens in the package.

The packaged food inspired both of us to try making these fresh with similar ingredients. If you want to go healthy... these are pretty healthy in comparison to a lot of other foods out there. When you find it... do give them a try.

This morning my carpool partner and I had a discussion about Costco membership. She and I had been meaning to share our annual membership costs because as single people we love costco but don't get as much as benefits as a family size people. And, lately, I've been noticing that Costco's products are downgrading by a tad. In fact, I've found many great products outside of Costco at a fraction of the quantity at the same price or less. Ergo, I've been thinking about discontinuing my membership.

My friend on the other hand is married but childless and she primarily uses it to buy milk. She and her husband love milk and found that Costco's milk to be the cheapest. Otherwise, she shops at Sam's.

Nevertheless, we still love Costco and would love to continue to visit the stores even when we come out empty. 

The problem is that currently, Costco requires that the additional member is to reside in the same household and we just found that this requirement is a bit outdated. I feel the same about AAA membership but that's another matter.

Typically, in a household there's one main person that does all the shopping and rarely both partners go on separate occassions. yes, they may go together but not both partners to be doing the shopping for the family at different times.

We believe that Costco should consider being flexible and/or updating the requirement about the extra person in a membership as Sam's are with theirs. So far, my extra person has been my mom whom I haven't lived with in years but it makes perfect sense because she does all the shopping for the fam and I'm single.

From a friend of a friend who works at Costco - she explained that Costco makes the most of their money from membership than the profits of their products. Yes, that I understand. However, I'm sure that there are many people out there who would take advantage of that whether it's a parent/child relationship or sibling and sibling or boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. So, I see this as a win-win situation. Truthfully, if it wasn't because of my mom - I wouldn't consider renewing it. Although I enjoy my Costco trips, I just don't get as much benefits and it comes out more expensive overall.

For now my friend and I have to think of ways to finagle the system so we can share. It's a tad hard because she lives in a trailer park and doesn't have a permanent address. She also doesn't receive bills.

Sandra

I don't eat fast food foods very often. I often visited Mcd for their cone, coffee or sweet tea. At times my co-worker is kind enough to share me his fries from Del Tacos. They are our favorites and fries is my weak spot. And, about 2 weeks ago I ordered the chicken pita from Jack in the Box. But, other than these instances... I do not eat fast foods. I made a fool of myself a year ago when I drove a coworker to buy McDs because I had no idea what the order taker talked about when she asked me, "Is your order on the screen correct?" I asked 2 more times before I turned to my coworker who sat in the passenger seat to ask, "What screen?"'

No, I do not eat fast foods. I grew up on them, though. In HS my favorites were McD's fish o'fillet and strawberry shake. In college was Jack's fish and chips and jalapeno poppers. And, who can resist In-N-Out burger when you live across the street from it and their cooking makes my mouth water.

So, I've been craving In-N-Out burger for some time. The last time I ate their burger was 3 years ago. Before that... I don't know.  Finally, yesterday I went. I was surprised that the store is full as it was 15 years ago. And, now they've put the calories on the board. And, if my math is correct... one meal is the equivalent of calories for the whole day.

Of course, I ordered my usual #1 with double double and fries. It took them a long time to call my number and I felt like I was back in college in that crowded room. As soon as I got it I couldn't wait to take a bite of it and I'd be lying if I said they weren't good. They were good in a different way. Good... because whatever they put in it made me want to continue eating it. The other side of my brain is saying this stuff is not good. This stuff is nasty. Images of the pink slime came and went but I couldn't stop. It was addictive. After I finished with the burger I felt sick out of disgust and threw out the fries. Funny that after all that food I didn't feel full. I was no longer hungry but I was also not feeling full.

Now I understand Jamie Oliver's point of view and never would I have thought I became such a fast food snub. I don't know how I grew up on this stuff... and not became ill. In fact, I maintained my weight and quite healthy. I stopped eating fast food because of the calories not because I don't like them. But, I wouldn't have survived if I continue to eat this stuff. It's "stuff" because it's not real food. And, $6-$7 per order that it came out to was waaay too expensive. 

The other day there was a commentary on the radio who said that restaurants are in the business to get you to eat their food, like them and come back. There are stuff they put in that make you want more and for you to come back for more. Whatever they are (whether salt or fat or some chem thing) they've done the research and they know what they're doing. What he said made sense but I doubt it was a consipracy. But, while I was chomping on the burger I noticed the "addictive" stuff. I couldn't quite pin point it because it wasn't the "saltiness" but maybe the "fattiness." I just knew that if I had enough strong will I would've thrown out the burger as the rest of the fries. But, I just couldn't stop... all the while I didn't think the burger was tasty enough. 

So, at the end of the burger feast I head down to Sprouts and bought tons of veggies. I dont know if I was trying to compensate the guilt from the burger or I wanted to wash my mouth. I didn't eat for the rest of the day and today I am enjoying okra with corn and peppers while the eggplants are simmering in the oven. And, I'm feeling quite spoiled.:)

The next time I have a hankering for burger I will be making it from home. No more nasty stuff.

Wow... it must have been a month since I last visited Costco. I am waiting for my AMEX coupon to come in the mail before going on a shopping spree but I just couldn't wait that long.

So, this past Monday I bought quite a few notable things from Costco:

• Flaxplus cereal- with pumpkin seeds (coupon available)
• Berries: strawberries and blackberries
• Kirkland Laundry detergent (coupon available)
• Gift Wrapper

I am obsessed with cereal this past December and tried the Ancient Grains granola from Costco. I am satisfied with this product and would give it two thumbs up for several reasons: low sugar, high fiber, and very filling. They have 2 flavors: Pumpkin Seed and Almond. February coupon now has the Flaxplus Cereal with pumpkin seeds and though this has a little bit higher sugar content than the almond one, I am still happy with this purchase.

I also want to mention the berries. Specifically because I've been disappointed with Costco's fruits this past year. Last year their strawberries were scrumptious and later one during the off season... the strawberries were subpar. The store is selling 2 brands but my take is to buy the square vs. rectangular packaging. This is because I find the square ones looked more riped and therefore more tasty. Like John - I live single and I am a fan of freezing stuff so this is a good time to buy the tasty berries to freeze for future use. So, I did purchase the big package of blackberries along with this.

Kirkland Laundry Detergent - the last time I bought detergent was 2 years ago. Yes, TWO years ago! To date, this was the first time that I've seen a coupon for Kirkland detergent so it was hard to pass. I prefer the eco-friendly stuff and honestly, looking at the numbers - they are not much different than the Kirkland Ultra. I do notice that you have to use the pourer than the spout because it doesn't give enough because one day, to my horror... I found that my clothes didn't smell nice right after wash. I don't want to discuss which part of my body that stayed smelly in the clean clothes but let's just say that if you have stinky feet... your socks would still be stinky. So, do use the pourer vs. the spout pourer.

I also want to mention that Costco has awesome looking gift wrapping papers. They came out with reversible gift wrappers that comes in 4 pack at $10/each. They are super nice. Next to it they sold tons of colorful bows with a variety of designs and shapes. I didn't purchase the bows but I was tempted. Anyone else noticed that Costco has turned more crafty?

 I did buy some other stuff but this is all the writing I have time for.

Until next time!

Sandra

(Late entry, to be refiled)

I went to Costco on February 3, 2012. 

Kirkland Signature Black T-Shirts - (4 pack) $15.99
Kirkland Signature's black t-shirts are back.  I bought these T-Shirts on my Costco shopping July 24, 2010.  They were $12.99 for 4 pack back then.  Now they are $15.99.  I've been wearing these T-Shirts every day at work for last year and half.  I wanted to buy some more before, but they were just not available  I was happy to finally see those black t-shirts.

Butter
I should have bought the butter at a supermarket.  That's a lot of butter.  They will last 2-3 years.

Lobster Tail (mistake)
The last lobster tail I bought was about 1/2 pound ($10.79).  I wanted to treat myself with another $10 lobster tail.  But, when the guy handed me the bag with a sticker, I was shocked to find out that the tail was almost one whole pound ($18.19).  I wanted to take it back, but I was a little embarrassed.  Lobster was amazing, I had a really good dinner.   But, it was super expensive, yikes...

I bought a pack of computer papers, Doritos, Coffee, soaps, eggs...

It was a good shopping experience.  Good time.

* I wrote this so non-sports watchers will enjoy the story (hopefully).

People talk about Jeremy Lin all over the world.  This is a feel good story.

Jeremy Lin is a natural born American with Asian parents. He played basketball at Harvard without scholarship.  Then he joined NBA for a few years basically as a bench player.   On a normal game, you would not see him playing at all.  Over the years, number of NBA teams traded him because they didn't need him.  He ended up in New York Knicks, still totally unknown.

As of this very moment.  He doesn't own a house.  He sleeps in his brother's couch.

A few weeks ago New York Knicks was talking about getting rid of him.   Then The Knicks' super star player got injured.  And their secondary player had a death in his family.  Knicks, out of desperation, called on Jeremy Lin to start the game.

FYI: Knicks is a struggling team.  They lose more than they win.

Back to game: Jeremy Lin played a good game and Knicks won the game.  Knicks fans were like "Wow, who is that guy?".  Then he won the next game, and the next game.  All this happened in a few days.  By this time Jeremy Lin couldn't walk down the street because of the fans.

Some people said this was just a fluke that he needed to be tested more.

Then he played against LA Lakers, man to man with Kobe Bryant.  There, Jeremy Lin played the best game by any Knicks player of this season (38 points).  He played better than Kobe and Knicks beat LA.

I am a fan.

Below is last night's game's highlight against LA Lakers.  Remember, he was totally unknown just a week prior to this game.   By this time, he played 3 games.

Before this game Kobe said, "I know nothing about him."  Now he knows.

Update: After this game, The Knicks flew to Minnesota for another game in 24 hours.  And they won 5th straight game (all 5 games without 2 top players, all under Jeremy Lin's leadership) This is an incredible story.

Another update: Knicks won again (6th straight game).  Jeremy Lin made a game winning shot at the last seconds.  It was an away game at Toronto.  When Jeremy Lin made the game winning shot, the whole place erupted.  Toronto fans were cheering for The Knicks.  Check out below video.  This is like a movie. 

Final update: New York Knicks' winning streak came to an end after winning 7 straight games.  Jeremy Lin legend still lives on, however.  Currently, Jeremy Lin is the top selling jersey in NBA.  There are number of endorsement deals going on with Jeremy Lin.  And Nike is coming up with Jeremy Lin shoes.

Costco brought back Tyson's Wings of Fire.

On my December 23, 2009 Costco shopping, I bought a bag of Foster Farms' Hot'n Spicy Wings.  They didn't have Tyson's Wings of Fire.  From that time, for 2 years, there was no Wings of Fire.  We had Hot'n Spicy Wings.  But, I like Wings of Fire better.  As Dos Equis man woud say.  "I don't always eat hot wings, but when I do, I prefer Wings of Fire."

I was disappointed that Costco took away Wings of Fire.  Then around December 2011, I saw Wings of Fire back at Costco.  As of February 2012, Costco is still promoting Wings of Fire by sampling them.  People stop by to eat those wings.   As much as I love Wings of Fire, I wouldn't eat there standing up with my hands.  It's not my style.  But, I tell ya, I wanted to talk to people who just ate those wings up close, so I can smell their greasy upper lips.

Costco replaced Wings of Fire with Hot'n Spicy Wings for exactly 2 years.  There has to be some kind of inside story (2 years contract, etc...).  Anyway, this is a pleasant news to me.

* Yes, I took a picture of an empty bag of Wings of Fire 2 years ago.  I know it's crazy.  But, you should know me by now.

Pictures

Below: Older Package of Tyson's Wings of Fire - Sold by Costco
Photographed December 2009
Costco stopped selling Wings of Fire from this point

Below: Foster Farms' Hot'n Spicy Wings - Sold by Costco
Photographed December 2009
Costco carried Hot'n Spicy Wings for 2 years, until December 2011

Below: Tyson's Wings of Fire - Sold by Costco
Photographed January 2012
Package now have new design