Today I picked up a couple Blu-rays for $4.99 based on the work of John Steinbeck:

The Grapes Of Wrath
Viva Zapata!

List of some other $4.99 Blu-rays at Best Buy:
The Big Country
The Big Trail
A Bridge Too Far
Broken Arrow
The Comancheros
Force 10 from Navarone
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Escape
Hang 'Em High
The Horse Soldiers
Platoon
The Magnificent Seven
Rescue Dawn
Tigerland
Viva Zapata!
Von Ryan's Express
Windtalkers

Your mileage may vary at your local store.

My puppy dog woke me at 6 this morning even though I wanted to sleep in some. After a couple cups of coffee I decided to get started, and fire up the grill. In addition to the usual smoked sausages, hotdogs, and hamburgers the following veggies were also tossed on the grill:

Corn on the Cob in the Husk
Zucchini
Sliced Pineapple
Vidalia Onion
Sweet Mini Peppers

The peppers and onion were then chopped up with some Monterrey Jack mixed in. It's then zapped in the microwave just a minute to melt the cheese. It makes a great topping on the burgers or as a side dish.


I now have enough leftovers to make lunches all week.

I made a trip to Kroger late last night and bought just under $30 for under $17. The receipt says I saved 65%. Using some good Q's, I picked up some cheap Simply Lemonade($1.25), Breyer Ice Cream(1.50), Wishbone Dressing(1.29), Gwaltney Hot Dogs(.70) for the weekend Grilling Session.

Their produce department was really lacking in substance, like it usually does on late Friday nights, so I did another trip this AM. The saving percentage was not as good @ 48%, because I did not have many produce Q's. A couple eQ's scored some free mini carrots and $2 off $10 in the produce dept. I also got three free Snickers Bites with $1.00/1 Q's. The Jello will be reimbursed through SavingStar. The cost of the second trip was just under $20.00.

As long as I don't have to go back Sunday to get more stuff, my weekly spending total will be about $36, which will be well under budget for a change. This is the area of my budget that I really need to reduce and start using more crap in the ole stockpile.

Back on Xmas Day of 2013 I stepped on the ole antique bathroom scale, and was astonished at the amount of weight I have gained in the last couple of years. Of course the ever tightening of my belt was giving me plenty of hints. I weighed in at 220 lbs, and I decided it was time for action. My goal was to lose a safe rate of 1.5 lbs per week or 6 lbs per month, for a 3 month period. Then I would stop and reassess the results, then either proceed with the plan or stop(I decided to continue). Now, because I have never been good at New Years resolutions I certainly did not want to call it that. I decided that the new year just happened to coincide with my weight loss plan.

When I stepped on the bathroom scale today I weighed in at 175 lbs, meaning a 45 lbs weight loss so far. So how did I do it, everyone asks? Perseverance is usually the first word I say. But there is more to it than that, of course.

Over the past couple of years I had been slowly decreasing the amount of red meat in my diet, and was increasing the poultry and pork and processed meats like smoked sausages. I also had been increasing dishes containing those meats along with lots of pastas and rice. This meant lots of Italian and Cajun dishes like Chicken Alfredo, Spaghetti, and Jambalaya's and Gumbos. Because of the high carbohydrate content I decided to change my diet altogether.

I went to a higher protein, lower fat, and lower carbohydrate diet. This meant I had to cut out the rice and pasta, and increase the non-processed meats, and I added more fish like tuna and salmon. I also incorporated some stir-fry type of dishes of meat and veggies, but without the rice and tropical oils. After the first 3 month period was over, I decided to start adding back into the diet some pasta, rice, and potatoes, but on a limited basis. This also means Portion Control on everything. And, this meant No Super-Sizing, and no more seconds and thirds.

I decided that some exercise was needed. I did not want to join a gym again, and I did not want to do any high impact stuff like aerobics, so I decided to just do some old fashioned walking to increase my metabolism. I try to walk at least an hour a day. I also try to emphasize doing some of that walking after meals.

So in conclusion, it has been a plan of incorporating Moderate Exercise, along with Reasonable Portions, and of course Perseverance.

I finally got around to creating the new pages. With all the rain today I wasn't able to get any yard work done. So, I also worked on the Investment Plan page today. It's still a Work In Progress though. In fact all three of them will need more tweaking.

My local Post Office is having their annual Letter Carrier "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive Saturday, 5/10, for the food banks and pantries. Supposedly all donations stay in the local communities. I managed to put together a grocery bag of canned goods from the ole stock pile. Because of a good chance of rain I won't be including any packaged goods, just canned goods.

My internet went down early Saturday afternoon and just got back up this Monday morning. My withdrawals are now subsiding. Talk about an Addiction!

However, I did manage to stay busy doing lots of yard work(the Joys of Home Ownership). I got sick of dealing with my very old Craftsman weedeater and decided to pick up another one that does a better job of edging the driveway. After stops at a few of the usual stores, I found a reasonable electric Black and Decker model at Lowes.

I did the second $6.44 Hamburger Mail In Rebate at Wally World, so the meat will eventually be rebated.

Kroger's second week of the recent Mega Event Sale is ending in my area tomorrow, so I did manage to pick up a few more cheapies this past weekend. Crest toothpaste was also on sale for 10 for $10. I had a couple Q's for $.75 off 1. I was also able to combine a couple Kroger sales with SavingStar promotions which made Kraft Mac & Cheese free, and a cheap Liberte yogurt. I also got a bunch of Avocados with an additional 20 percent off. These will go well with the home made burritos in commemoration of Cinco de Mayo.