Groceries For Le$$: The Deacon of Dimes vs. Legoland

Sure, as the “Deacon of Dimes”, I attempt to save money wherever possible and avoid unnecessarily overpaying for stuff.  However, when you have children, it’s not always possible.  So, like many families in San Diego, we went to Legoland.  If you haven’t been there , it’s $89.00 for an adult hopper day pass (not lifetime) that includes the aquarium they built near the entrance.  EIGHTY-NINE dollars!  Since I was getting away cheap with such a reasonable entrance fee (NOT!), I decided to spring for, I mean treat us to an order of Apple Fries that I’ve heard so much about over by the castle.  They were fine, but for five bucks, you’d think they’d be able to cut and fry a potato and not try to pawn off some faux healthy alternative.  Yeah, Legoland serves fruit.  So what if it has to be fried, sugared and dipped in whipped cream to get people to buy it?  Anyway, after a day at the park, we hit the aquarium.  I am telling you I have seen pet stores that have a better variety of sea life to view.  Granted, a pet shop generally doesn’t offer convex and concave viewing portals to peer through or 47 vantage points of the same tank! If you think I was bored, you should have seen the look on the shark’s face after seeing my ugly mug at every turn!

OK, maybe it’s sour grapes.  You see when I went on the “Beetle Bounce” ride with my wife and twin 7 year old sons, there was a problem.  The restraining bar slipped over us and the operator returned to his controls to begin the ride.  The ride is supposed to elevate you then drops you in a “kid-friendly” version of a bungee drop.  Any way he presses the button or lever or whatever he needs to do to initiate the mechanism and I hear the ride trying to go, but nothing is happening.  Finally, the kid who operates the ride leaves the control booth and comes over to me and whispers; “Sir? Do you think you could go on the very next ride?”  Which I understood as, “Dude, you are too fat for this ride”.  Fine, I broke the ride.  I didn’t go on the “very next ride” either.  I found the walk from the ride to the exit (all alone) or as I called it, “the walk of shame” was excitement enough.  Did you ever want to go back on a diet, but needed some sort of sign that the timing was right?  Maybe it’s time. At the very least, my proud kids will always have the memory of their daddy being so strong (at least that’s what I told them) he broke the “Beetle Bounce” at Legoland California!  I knew I’d find a way to get my $89.00 worth somehow.

On a “lighter” note, I hit Von’s twice this past week to try to buy the corn they had on sale for 5/$1.00 and they were out of stock both times!  Yes, I got rain checks, but I wanted my corn!  Finally, I decided to call before being denied yet again.  Not only was I told that it was in stock, but they told me they would put a dozen aside for me so that they would not sell out while I was en route.  Great customer service.  At the register, I was offered assistance to my car with my meager purchase.  Do I look to be in that poor health?  Apparently so.  The signs are mounting.  Maybe I should be working harder on tracking down cheap heads of lettuce, rather than ears of corn!

Enough about me, here we go with the best grocery buys for the week of August 2 – 10, 2011!

Congratulations to this weeks overall winner… RALPH’S!

Ralph’s

Iceberg Lettuce .99/each

Mini Carrots $1.00/lb

Red Seedless Grapes .88/lb

Dole or Fresh Selections Salad Blends Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Ralph’s Cottage Cheese 16oz. pkg. 2/$3.00

Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding $1.00 each

Doritos 11oz. $1.99 each

Buy a 30pack of Bud Light (cans) for $17.99 and get a case of Aquafina for a PENNY

24 Roses $9.99

Albertson’s

Ready Pac Salad Blends Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Doritos 11.5oz Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Buy 6 Mix and Match and Pay $1.88 each for the following:

Kelloggs Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops or Rice Krispies

Keebler Crackers or Cookies

Kelloggs Nutri Grain Bars

Stater Brothers

Seedless Watermelon (Lowest  Price of the Year) .19/lb

Jenny-O Ground Turkey Buy 1 Get 1 Free

Nabisco Chips Ahoy Cookies $2.49 each

Totino’s Party Pizza 1.00 each (must buy 5)

Buy 5 Mix and Match and Pay $1.88 each including:

Cheerios, Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Nut Chex cereals

Nature Valley or Fiber One Bars

Von’s

August 5-8 only…Spend $75 in one transaction and get $10 grocery coupon)

Green Seedless Grapes .88/lb

Skippy Peanut Butter 2/$4.00

Pork Shoulder Country Style Ribs $1.67/lb

Henry’s and Sprouts

The ads are so identical there aren’t even pretending to be two separate companies anymore…

Cherries $1.77/lb

Bartlett Pears 4/$1.00

Seedless Watermelon .25/lb

Eggplant .88/each

Peaches, Pluots or Plums .88/lb

Broccoli Crowns or Cauliflower .88/lb

Green, Red or Romaine Lettuce or Spinach .88/each

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