I am beginning to think I can only find the cute, quirky, and funny stuff at Walmart around the Centralia, Illinois area. Of course, taken with my crappy cheap-charlie phone camera. I promise to get a better camera or phone, whichever comes first.

In the case of the Halloween costumes, I just thought how cute. And you might laugh, but at a side glance I said to my boyfriend, “Hey, baby costumes – how cute.”

Yeah, I got made fun of after that one.

This past weekend, my boyfriend took his son, my own son, and myself up to Springfield, Illinois. Along the way we ate breakfast at McDonalds on the road, and then later on we dined at a Chinese buffet. Until we were done and paid the bill, I realized something – McDonalds was becoming increasingly expensive to eat at, especially for families. (We went to the Chinese buffet, as my boyfriend knew they also had a sushi bar too.)

Our breakfast bill was under $23, while our buffet dinner including drinks was just under $28. We got more for our money at the buffet. It kind of got me thinking back to the days when I was growing up and my family just made sandwiches, put some food in a cooler, and overall, saved money. Though the Dollar Menu would have saved money, some McDonalds do not offer what other stores do. For example, some allow 2 hash browns for a $1 or even a Double Cheeseburger for $1, but other McDonalds locations do not.

I am certain this can be said about others, but this just happened to be a particular incident that came to me. I am beginning to feel like I should do what my family did when I was younger and just do picnics for dining on the road. It may be healthier too.

What do you usually do on car trips? Do you always eat out when on the road?

This is an altered reciped I use. No one seems to make it like I do, so I am sharing it.

Updated – December 9, 2008 (I will post a picture next time I get to make it)

Ingredients
1 pound Large grapes (regular or red – seedless)
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups granola
1 cup celery
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 – 12 ounce whipped topping

Mixing Instructions
1. Put grapes, celery, chopped walnuts, half of the brown sugar, 2 cups of granola, and cool whip in large bowl
2. Take cream cheese from wrapper and soften for 1 and a half to two minutes in microwave.
3. Add cream cheese to bowl and stir
4. Sprinkle last cup of granola and brown sugar on top of contents
5. Put in fridge to chill for 30 minutes
6. Take out and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Sound yummy?

It is a fairly common thing to see the following online: free Ipod, free laptop, free digital camera, free money. What person does not like something that is free?

The dictionary says that the word ‘free’ is the following:
a. Costing nothing; gratuitous
b. Publicly supported

Many of these ‘free’ items that are offered can be seen in emails, pop ups, or banner ads on a multitude of websites. Of course, the word ‘free’ has always been an infamous buzz word in advertisements for many years, perhaps many milennia as well. When a person is approached with a product under the pretense that it is free, naturally that person would be happy to accept the item. Many of the items offered for free online are for items that are expensive luxuries.

The disturbing part of this situation is that it is a gimic. Once the person is drawn into seeking out how to receive the free item, they are asked to choose a few programs, some costing money and requiring a subscription. However, the actual item that was free says that no purchase is required to obtain it. This is disturbing in a few ways. For one, if the offers are not completed, then the person who signed up will never receive the gift. This contradicts the whole concept of the word ‘free’. It is misleading.

› Continue reading…