All I need is a cash register and a fresh fruit section.

Since we have had quite an increase in our monthly budget line for gas, we have decided that it would be wise to try to "cut back" on going out for dinner. This has been a bit of a sacrifice for us because we love to eat and we especially love to eat when it involves good food and no dishes!

In January, I started using a frozen food home delivery service called "Schwan's". It is a bit expensive but Stu and I both figure that we are paying for the convenience of having things delivered to our home on a biweekly basis. All in all, you can pretty much count on the fact that things will taste good and quality of product will be excellent so it is worth the extra money to us.

If you know me at all, you would think that I have a sickness called "pantry hoarding". I like to have in my basement a miniature grocery store that is fully stocked- Just "in case" I need a random jar of black olives or a spare can of jalapenos. Because really, it seems to be quite logical to have 8 jars of ketchup, 9 boxes of cereal, and 7 cans of baked beans sitting in the wings for that special "cooking" project. I can only imagine what made me stock up on 8 jars or ketchup... And tonight I realized that I have kicked it up a notch without even knowing it....I am now not only a "pantry hoarder" but I seem to be a "freezer hoarder" as well.

You see, in March I convinced my husband that we needed another chest freezer (to store the Schwan's stuff) and after about a month of begging, Stu decided that I could go get a SMALL one. So now, we have not one but two small chest freezers side by side in the basement grocery store. And guess what? They are both full to the brim with frozen peaches (from last summer) and Schwan's food items.

I have come to another sad realization... I am starting to really miss going out to eat. So to fill that void, I am admitting to the blogging universe that I am buying from the Schwan's man because he brings us "out to eat" food. And last week, I realized that if I ordered online, I can save 5% on my bill until August 31st! So now my "out to eat" food is on SALE! And how many restaurants ever run a sale on their menus anymore? And from the looks of my stock piles in the basement, I love a SALE! Guess what again? The ICE CREAM was on a 2 for $8 sale so I got some for a great price PLUS an additional 5% came off of my bill! Isn't this sounding fabulous? Sort of like Kohl's and their "Bonus" coupons!

Last night our Schwan's man came back to my door with my order and I promptly paid him and he pulled away in his big yellow truck. It was then that I realized my little mistake. You see, if he doesn't have something from the visit before, he just puts it into his magic handheld computer and makes sure to "save" the item for the next visit. On the last visit, I tried to order 3 different ice cream flavors and he had none of them. (We are his last stop of the night.) He put them ALL into his computer to save them for me for this week and then I ordered online for this week as well. So dear friends, I now have SIX half gallons of delicious ice cream.

And Stu's comment was absolutely priceless. "Wow Heidi, we are going to have to really eat a lot of that stuff so that we can buy more when Mr. Schwan comes back! (he paused as if to realize how gluttonous that statement just sounded.) I mean we wouldn't want the man to think that we don't like him next time and not buy anything from him." Good cover, honey!

So, there you have it...please feel free to stop by and eat loads of ice cream- Raspberry Rumble, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Snickers, or Cookies N Cream. Yum. Schwan's definitely works for me this week!