Feats of Daring Do, and Also Shopping

So what's the policy on tree-climbing? Perfectly fine, or dangerous and forbidden? Does the answer depend on how high up the tree the kid can climb? Because Laura has only now gotten to the age and strength where she can get way up a tree. This, today, is the tree that was pictured in this post last week.


That's Pretty Neighbor's daughter up there. I am not used to looking out my sunroom window (our sunroom is high off the ground) and seeing a child level with the window. So first I took their picture, then I yelled, "Get down! If you fall and break your neck, your mom will kill me!" Only it sounded so, so genteel the way I yelled it, and not at all like shrill, crazy backyard mom-screaming.

Then Hank and I went on our appointed rounds to CVS and Publix. Now, Cassie over at Envirosavings had outlined an ambitious three-transaction plan, and I was going to try to emulate her. But my lame CVS didn't have the L'Oreal Pro-Calcium whatchamathing (the second store I've checked), so I just did the part of the plan I really wanted anyway: the battery deal. The store had some Crest Pro-Health toothpaste back in, and I remembered that the secret limit was 4, so I got:

• two Crests, $3.49 each
• 4 packs of Duracells at $5.29 each
• a pack of barrettes clearanced to $.99
• two big double boxes of Airborne that were 90% off, making them $1.30 apiece (AND, AND I had been saving and nurturing an Airborne coupon for $2 off, so that was some really, really cheap Airborne. Even if it doesn't work as advertised, there are still some vitamins in there.

And I paid with:

• 3 coupons for $.75/off Duracell
• 2 coupons for $1/off Crest
• 1 coupon for $2/off Airborne
• $11.99 in ecb's (from the Revitalift last week)
• $14.87 out of pocket

Got back $21.98 in ecb's, 15 for the batteries and $6.98 for the Crest. Good times!

My Publix run was modest: highlights were more of the bogo Ritz crackers, even though I'd already used the coupons I had. I can't quit you, Ritz. Also, there is a little "Holiday Planning" booklet on the Ritz display at my store. In the back are two coupons: one is $3 off wyb three boxes of Nabisco crackers and three 2-liter Coke products. With the Ritz being bogo, that's a pretty good deal if you drink Coke.

Fresh Express salad is bogo, AND in the Advantage Buy flyer, there's a coup for $2 off produce wyb two Fresh Express salads. Sweet! And the penny item was Publix cheese singles. I loaded up on more of the fifty cent mac and cheeses, but the rest of my stuff wasn't that couponable--a whole Greenwise chicken for $1.99 a pound, eggs, pears and bananas, more cheese, tortillas, milk, etc. When it was all said and done, I spent $32.61 and saved $27.88, which I think is 46%, but I'm not such a whiz with the maths. And Hank got to ride in car buggies at both places, and the Publix man at the bakery gave him a cookie.

The smarties at Fiddledeedee's Supersavers have racked up some impressive savings too, so check into it.