Amazon Prime Deals for Staple Products

We had a Costco membership for the last year or two. But we found ourselves going there only a couple of times, and getting things we may not have needed. The quantities are huge for just two people, and the brands are limited. That’s one of the reasons we decided to go with Amazon Prime. A new Whole Foods store is opening soon just two blocks away, we love the videos, appreciate the short shipping time, took advantage of the cloud photo option, and frankly we use Amazon for a lot of other stuff. So after going grocery shopping these last couple of weekends, I’ve been keeping track of household things that we could order on Amazon. Aside from the bulk order of Charmin toilet paper at a significantly reduced cost, we ordered Brita water filters, dial body wash, Reynolds wrap, sensodyne toothpaste, Gillette razor blades, low dose and regular Bayer aspirin, fish oil capsules, secret deodorant, and calcium tablets using coupons on several things. So our strategy for future grocery shopping is to buy fruit and perishable items at Whole Foods after on our morning walk when the need arises; stock up on wine at the Total Wine store using the coupons they are always sending to us; and buy non perishable items and household staples through Amazon. We have never used the two hour delivery option for anything as we really don’t have a need for it, but it’s nice to know it’s available. It makes us wonder if we really need a car? That’s a whole other discussion. I just know we aren’t quite there - yet. 

An Old FSU Biology Lab Partner

It’s been almost 46 years since I took the first biology class required for a nursing, dental, or medicine major at Florida Stare University. With that class came a lab; with that lab came a lab partner; and the experiment had something to do with fiddler crabs, hormones, eyestalks, and circadian rhythms. It also required staying up all night to make hourly checks on the chromatophores of the crabs under a dissecting microscope. I remember it all because I still have the typed paper dated December 11, 1972 with the name of my lab partner. So I looked him up and found the good dentist in Florida. I sent him four pages of the paper and asked him if it looked familiar? From there we shared a very pleasant chat about life so many years after the fact. It feels like yesterday that I worked with the tow haired young man with the dark rimmed glasses - back in style these days. It’s so nice to learn most of the people I knew back then from high school or college seem adjusted and happy with things. In fact, I still have connections with the professor who taught that biology class. Both my lab partner and I agree Dr. Tschinkel was a wonderful instructor - although when we presented the results of our experiment I remember feeling quite overwhelmed with what seemed to be extraordinary questions! It’s for these reasons and memories that I love the internet. It was great chatting with you Paul! 

Anthony Trollope Doctor Thorn, Julian Fellowes, and Amazon Prime Video

We love Masterpiece Theatre. I’ve been watching it since there was a story about Henry VIII and his wives. We look forward to all the British programs and with Comcast, we DVR and put in to the queue any Masterpiece show. Since we got Apple TV, we also got a year subscription to Acorn TV. So we watch even more British programs. Now, since we decided Amazon Prime membership fit our lifestyle, we are also using it to find even more of our past favorites like “Pride and Prejudice,” but also are on the look out for any new shows. We loved a “Very British Scandal” with Hugh Grant. I came across a series entitled “Doctor Thorne” by Anthony Trollope. I knew it would be good not only because of the story, but also because Julian Fellowes wrote it for TV - and who didn’t love Downton Abbey? So we watched the four episodes over two nights. Julian Fellowes introduced the show and summarized the story line at the end of each episode. It was like watching Alistair Cooke and Russell Baker all over again. Of course, “Doctor Thorne” was not a disappointment. It’s going to be hard to move us off the couch with such great shows. We rarely watch any regular television programming any more. Why would you with all these wonderful alternatives? 

Happy Fourth!

Total Wine Coupons

We drink about a half glass of red wine every evening. When we go to a restaurant for dinner, my husband orders one glass of red wine and I order ginger ale. We split the drinks between the two of us. Lately we have been buying our new supply at the grocery store. There is always a promotion going on - typically buy six bottles of any variety and you get “x” per cent off. Before buying at the grocery store, we started going to the Total Wine store in McLean. It was okay, but I preferred getting everything at one time rather than having to stop at another place that looked to me like another grocery store - which isn’t a place I enjoy going to anyway! So now we receive coupons over email from Total Wine with deals going on all the time. My husband was interested in seeing how the stock changed and determine if there was a brand he would like to try, so we took a trip to Total Wine with two email coupons in hand. There are some restrictions, but we found what we needed. We hadn’t been there since before Christmas when we were looking for wine bottle Christmas decor for our friends. In the end we saved about $20 plus on twelve bottles of any Direct Wine only Malbec and Cabernet stock. Was it worth the trip? My husband thinks it’s a better deal because it’s just wine stock. I’m not so sure. To me, it all tastes the same. 

Rain Poncho

When I grew up in Florida I always had an umbrella handy - I really hate walking in the rain and hate even more getting myself and my feet wet. I have an umbrella for every sort of situation. A small pocket size black umbrella is always in my purse; a foldable green umbrella is always in the car; another small foldable red and black number with a handle are kept in the house for when we walk and rain is expected. Then there is one huge and an even huger umbrella to use in downpours. The other day it looked like rain, but the forecast said no. And since I wasn’t wearing a purse, we decided to take along our rain ponchos that we bought at the National Gallery of Art just in case. They are small enough to wear in your pocket and would suffice if need be. When we reached our destination during our morning walk it still wasn’t raining. However, it had obviously downpoured while we were inside. But because the rain had stopped we decided not to put on the ponchos, although it still looked threatening. So of course just a couple of blocks before we reached home it started to pour again. We weren’t lucky enough to reach the overpass to protect ourselves and ended up getting drenched - standing under a tree and feeling every drop. Yes, we had the ponchos but didn’t feel like opening them up just for two blocks. I’m not sure that was such a bright idea. All that goes to show is that even when you are most prepared it didn’t mean a hill of beans. Next time I will know better and I still have my unused poncho to prove it. 

Charmin Ultrasoft Cushiony Touch Family Mega Roll TP

We used to have a membership for Costco but let it expire because we usually don’t need bulk orders, and like more product selection. And we aren’t in to massive warehouse shopping. But since we started the free trial of Amazon Prime, things have changed. While in the grocery store we started checking price points for all kinds of things. It was clear that Prime had some real deals. That, along with a new Whole Foods store opening soon just two blocks away from us, sealed the membership. So last weekend I went through the “staple” items we use. One of the biggest bargains was Charmin ultra cushiony soft toilet paper. But rather than select “one” of the items, I inadvertently selected “two.” That meant we would be getting six packages with eight mega rolls in each - a whopping 48 rolls. I suppose I could have changed the order, but figured we would eventually use it all anyway. Luckily at checkout there is an option to select a plain Amazon box rather than a product label box. When that shipment arrived it was HUGE! So we unpacked it and luckily I found enough space for it all in our tiny condo - high on the shelves in our closet and on a rack behind my clothes. I guess next time I need to pay a little more attention to the amount I select. So we won’t be needing TP for quite some time. And that’s fine with my husband. He hates carrying that stuff around from the store to the car and from the the car to the house. I just did him a big favor.