Come On Down!

Pretend we’re playing The Price is Right. (Not even close to being one of my favourite game shows, but I have watched it.)

Look at this picture and, in your mind, try to guess how much I paid for these 23 items at Wally World yesterday. DON’T look ahead. I’ll give you thirty seconds. (Please note: There is no prize for this. All you can win is the satisfaction that you know your stuff.)

$99.21. That’s the answer. $99.21. SERIOUSLY? (Were you close?)

Let’s go through them product by product (STAY WITH ME—this could be fun):

Had to have milk, eggs, half and half, and turkey. Absolute necessities. Didn’t need the Cream of Wheat individual packets, but I’ve been going down Memory Lane recently, remembering how much I loved having this for breakfast, while growing up. We cooked it in a pot—took every bit of 25 minutes. The more lumps? The better. For me. Not my siblings. I often got to eat most of the pot by myself.  I wanted to try it. (BTW: Fixed a packet this morning. Wasn’t cRaZy about it. Think I’d really prefer to prepare it the old-fashioned way. Not sure what will happen to the other 7 packets now. Interested, TLC?)

I always have, in my purse and car, individual Wet Ones. To clean my hands, cellphone, steering wheel, etc. after shopping or touching things out there in the sCaRy World. Things that have been touched by possibly hundreds of hands. Things including, but not limited to, ATMs, doors, gas pumps. Things that could have cold, virus or other contagious germies on them. I’m slightly obsessed with attempting to keep my hands clean. TLC is, too, but she prefers the bottles of alcohol hand sanitizers. I’ve seen, on TV news’ reports, that her method is the best one. Mine is certainly better than nothing. Those little wipes are refreshing and they also get rid of stickiness (like after having a DQ Mini-Blizzard—oops—not recently, TLC). The reason I purchased three boxes yesterday (I usually pick up two every couple of months) was that TLC had requested I get her some of a particular scent—“citrus.” She alleges she can’t find that specific kind in her area. I’m suspicious of this. I think she just wanted free boxes.

Last week, after being a year overdue for my eye exam, I learned I have cataracts. Little bitty ones. But they’re there. I went into a semi-shocked state. Huh? My eye doctor I adore, Dr. Phil (no, not that Dr. Phil), said I shouldn’t have to worry about them for several years. I am young-ish to have them already beginning. I’m still disturbed about this. And there’s nothing I can really do except wait and watch. However, I also have macular degeneration in my family. He encouraged me to take Lutein to help prevent this heartbreaking condition. Hence the three bottles I bought. When I got home, I realized two things: (1) One bottle had less milligrams than the other two—I have no clue how this happened—clearly I wasn’t paying attention; and (2) Two of the bottles were $13.94 each! I spent $34.82 for a two and a half months' supply of these capsules. For me. If My Sweet Hubby (MSH) needs them, too, which he probably does, WOWZER. I’ll need to work at Wally World to pay for them. Or locate cheaper lutein. If you have help for this problem, please advise ASAP. Add lutien to the 500 vitamins and supplements I already take every day (J/K—it’s about 20) and I'll definitely need to find a part-time job or actually start eating right. This is getting expensive.

MSH and I both take fish oil capsules. Twice a day. I’m always buying a bottle of those every couple of months. He left a bottle of shaving cream on my vanity. My official notification he needed more, please. What I purchased will last approximately six months.

I’m currently in a Mascara CRISIS. Yes, I know I’ve recommended a couple of brands, in past posts, I alleged I liked. Apparently I don’t like them that much any more and am now searching for alternatives. If I don’t like one of these (the two together cost me $13.41), I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t think I want to try Latisse. And my 58-year-old hands are too shaky to apply false eyelashes. I’m also uninterested in (costly) eyelash extensions. So I’ll try to update you on these two options soon.

Turns out I did not need: the Jergens’ lotion (except the small one for my travel makeup bag) or the cotton swabs or q-tips. I forgot to remove these items from my list when I bought all three two weeks ago. Shocking that I would forget, right? Sheesh. Except for one of the mascaras and the Cream of Wheat, I was going to eventually need all of these things.

I went to a checkout for 20 Items Or Less. I don’t cheat on that. Ever. Okay, not very often. Or intentionally. I counted exactly 20 items, in my basket, as I stood in line. Confession: As I unloaded the cart, three items were hiding underneath bigger stuff. I felt HORRIBLE. I apologized to the clerk. Profusely. Who said: “Don’t worry. I just checked out a lady who had over 40.” WWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTT?????? Why would she be in that line? (No one was behind me. Therefore, I technically wasn’t inconveniencing anyone else at that moment. I get cranky when people cheat on this—especially when it affects me because I’m behind them in a long line.)

My experience yesterday caused this: ELC’s Examples of What’s Wrong With This World:

1. People who deliberately cheat in the 10 or 20 Items Or Less checkout lanes. Yes, including moi. (Truly, I don’t do that even once every two years. I end up feeling too guilty. Promise. Cross my heart.)
2. Those shoppers who leave their carts in the middle of the parking lot because it’s entirely too much trouble to walk them over to the Cart Return. I always return mine. Always. I have to make no caveats on this one. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen very healthy looking people leaving their carts in the parking spot next to them. I swear sometimes the Cart Return is three spots away. ? ? ?  I always wonder if these are also the people who will be mad when they can’t get into a spot because oodles of other peeps have done this. RETURN YOUR CARTS, Sillies. You and I both need the exercise. Be proud of the extra-effort you went to and JUST DO IT.

The point of this post? I don’t know. I’ve completely lost all organized thoughts.

Happy Camel Day, Dear Friends! (Except where it’s now already Thursday—but I don’t have a clue where that might be—sorry.)