Once You Pop . . .

The way the economy is now makes it more and more painful to go to the grocery store. I swear, I bought a package of baked Doritos last week for $2.50. I paid $3.28 for them last night. Everything has gone up. I used to could buy a 4-lb bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $6. Now it's a 3-lb bag and the price has gone up to $8. Bend over!

My family is not rich by any means or stretch of the imagination, but my hubs does make decent money between his civilian job and his military duties. But with gas prices and the cost of food going up, up, up . . . we're feeling the cruch massively. I can just imagine what it is like for families who were already struggling before this economy decided to take a nose dive.

I've been trying to be more concious about the foods I buy and the money I spend on them. I buy fewer pre-packaged snack foods (like 100-calorie packs) and instead buy the stuff so that I can make my own at home. I've almost completely quit buying microwavable meals because, really, why spend $2.50 on a Healthy Choice french bread pizza when that same amount of money can go into the ingredients to make my own pizza . . . and those ingredients can be used in numerous recipes and I can get at least four or five meals out of them.

I'd been dying to try the new Pringles Stix (FYI: Pringles are one of those things that just, in my humblest of opinions, makes life better. I went through about a can a day while I was pregnant!) but, for some reason, had it in my head there were only six packages in a box. That combined with the price (over $3 -- too much to spend on a snack food that's not icecream according to Brandi's Rules of Grocery Shopping) meant they were a nuh-uh.

Last night, however, my hubby actually picked up a box and threw them in the cart. I was surprised because, well, he seems to have a sixth sense about anything that's two weight watchers points or less and avoids whatever it is like the plague. But. He bought these.

And - SCORE! - there were not six packages in the box. There were ten!

Annnnd - SCORE! - they were absolutely delish.

We bought the pizza flavor and nun-nun-nun-nun-nun I'm lovin' it!

It's amazing the things in life that will make me happy . . .

Daily Menu for Friday:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal (I'm in such a rut when it comes to breakfast. I don't really care for oatmeal, but since absolutely nothing sounds good to me at all then meh, who cares)
Total Points: 2

Lunch:
Boca Burger w/ Bacon and Swiss (Christ on a cracker! My mom discovered these burgers and I had one at her place over the weekend. They're only . . .wait for it . . . 70 calories! Hell yeah! Add a bun, a slice of turkey bacon, and half a wedge of Laughing Cow and you have a nummy nummy burger for just 4 WW points. Life is good).
Macaroni and Cheese (just a teeny, tiny 1 WW point bit)
Baked Beans
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Rice Cake
Pudding
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
Homemade Pizza
Total Points: 10

Snack:
2 Mini Haystacks
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21