Dollar Tree Dude Lit: Mail Call by R: Lee Ermey

We enjoy lots and lots of books from our local Dollar Tree stores.  My most recent addition is Mail Call by R. Lee Ermey.  It brings the attitude and energy of the popular Mail Call television series to the world of literature.  The famed former Marine Corps Drill Instructor answers questions about current and historical military equipment and weapons.  In a very readable format.  It's fun reading for dudes!

If you can't find it in Dollar Tree, you may be able to get it used off of Amazon for as little as 1 cent plus shipping.

Appetizers at Target

If you are looking for good appetizers to eat while watching football, check out the appetizers at Target.  They have an excellent selection of name brand and house brand appetizers.

We've tried name brand appetizers like P.F. Changs Mini Egg Rolls and Cream Cheese dumplings and Auntie Anne's Pretzel Nuggets.  They were all excellent.

We were also pleased with Archer Farms Chicken Poblano Firecrackers. 

However, we were disappointed by Market Pantry cheddar jalapeno poppers.  We thought they were a tad too bready and didn't bring enough heat.  Of course, we ate them.

When you realize how good these home heat and eat versions can be, you can save quite a bit by staying away from the sports bars.

Christmas Deals at Rite Aid

Merry Christmas!  If you are on a tight budget, don't despair!  Chances are you can still squeeze in a little Christmas cheer. This year Rite-Aid has been the low cost spot for Christmas decor.  They have had artificial Christmas trees for 50% off for most of the season.   We got this 4 1/2 foot artificial tree for about $12.

Rite Aid Christmas Tree and Nutcrackers

Many other seasonal decor items are also 50% off.  That's a great deal.  We bought the tree and ornaments for about $22.  The ornaments are plastic, but you really can't tell.  They look very, very, good.  Plus, they are far less fragile than traditional glass ornaments.  

On another Rite Aid run, we opted to add the large Nutcrackers for about $12.50 a piece.  For less than $50, we got a nice little setup going that really adds to our Christmas Spirit.

A Rite Aid Nutcracker

 When you add in discounts from the RiteAid rewards program, the savings really do add up.  If you want to improve your mood and add a little Christmas spirit to your home, just pop down to your local RiteAid and get some decorations!  You'll be glad that you did.

Our Other Rite Aid Nutcracker

Poor? It's Not Always You. You need to vote!

In America, we have a long tradition of blaming poor people for being poor.  Some of it is justified.  If you don't have a strong work ethic or you messed up in school, a lot of that is on you.  It's something that you can change and improve.

However, you didn't make the choice to outsource manufacturing, technical, and call center jobs to India.  You didn't make the choice to lower tariffs on imported goods and allow them to undercut American-made products.  You didn't make the choice for our nation to have insecure borders and allow hordes of desperately poor people from less developed countries to flood our labor markets.  You also didn't make the choice to allow companies to import massive numbers of H1B workers so that they could take good middle class jobs and do them for less in a manner that erodes the pillars of the American middle class.

But, you do have a choice to change all of that.  Both political parties have fueled the problem.  But, if you are flat broke now, you need to make sure you contact your political leaders and you need to make sure that you vote in every election!

Saving Money at McDonalds

Even though value menu items are creeping up in price, it is still very easy to save money at McDonalds.  It's not everyday fare for us.  However, on a recent stop at a McDonalds in the Atlanta suburbs, my wife and I bought -

2 McDoubles
2 Cheese Burgers
1 Hamburger
2 Large Iced Teas
1 Cup of Ice Water

Our entire total was just less than $9.  Our dog ate the meat from the hamburger.  That little meal held all of us pretty well for over 4 hours.  If you want to save money, don't mindlessly order a Big Mac combo.  Change it up some and explore the world of the Dollar Menu-aire!

A McDonald's Restaurant - by Bidgee (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

ELF Cosmetics at Target

This tip is for the ladies.  My wife is very excited about a new line of cosmetics.  E.L.F. stands for Eyes, Lips, Face.  As a brand it brings high quality make up brushes and cosmetics to women at affordable prices.

On a recent Target shopping trip, my wife was able to find very nice E.L.F. cosmetics brushes for only a dollar each.  Slightly better premium brushes may cost about $3 apiece.  Despite the low prices, the entire E.L.F. line is displayed in a very uplifting and upscale way.  The brand is a definite win or women of the struggling middle class.

ELF Cosmetics at Target

 

If you are on a tight budget, but want to look like a million bucks, you should definitely check them out.  To get more familiar with the line, Amazon also has a complete selection of e.l.f. cosmetics

Broke? Hungry? Try Aldi Grocery Stores

Whenever our budget gets tight, we find ourselves shopping at Aldi.  It's a remarkable international chain of small grocery stores.  They manage to beat almost every other grocery store and big box chain on food prices while offering some excellent selections.

Aldi Sign photo by Julian Budke [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)]

Radio consumer advisor, Clark Howard has noted the similarity between the business models of Trader Joes and Aldi on his radio show.  Both stores offer a wide variety of house brands and few, if any, well-known national brands.  However, I've observed that while Trader Joes tends to offer a perceived health-food oriented selection of groceries, Aldi concentrates on basic food that every hoisehold needs.

So far, Aldi has proven great for bacon, premium chocolate bars, frozen pizzas, and ice cream.  In other words, for the basic food groups.  I've found their produce to be just acceptable.  But, if you are looking for ripe avocados they are a better bet than conventional grocery stores.

Before you go remember to bring a quarter for a cart deposit and your own bags.  They are a no frills store.