A Goodwill Shopping Spree.

 Our local Goodwill store closed down two years ago. The next closest Goodwill store to us is about an hour away. Each month or so, hubby and I make a trek out to Goodwill to either drop off a donation or rummage through the shelves for a bargain. I'm into finding little trinkets from either Corelle (Corning) or Pyrex. As our economy falters more and more each day and as more and more people are finding out the wonders and benefits of Corning and Pyrex, it's getting harder and harder to find little trinkets. Corning and Pyrex are free of pollutants and carcinogens, as most of the new stuff today contain. That is why these collector items are becoming more and more valuable each and every day. It's becoming harder to find the bargains.

My recent trip to Goodwill didn't fail me however. I was able to find a new source of an up and coming vintage treasure: a Farberware stainless steel percolator. It has been reported that many of our new fangled coffee makers are almost 100% plastic. Having hot water pass over these plastic parts has revealed that our cups of coffee are now laden with micro plastics as well as carcinogens. Since I am a recent cancer survivor, I have been doing my utmost to get these vile appliances out of my kitchen and replaced with more acceptable and healthier units. Enter the stainless steel percolator. There's been a resurgence in acquiring these healthier coffee makers BUT you are going to pay a premium. I just bought an 8 cup Farberware percolator from Amazon for $65 (plus tax=$71). Click here to view and/or buy. Please note the pot is now currently discounted with $5 off, for only $60!!!! Yes, I contacted Amazon and they gave me a $5 gift card!! I love Amazon!! Click here if you want to join. I'll do a full post later on.

Can you imagine my surprise when I saw an authentic Farberware, 8 cup stainless steel percolator on the shelves of Goodwill for only $5.99???!!!! For just six bucks I bought an authentic Farberware coffee pot. Where will I put it, you ask? Don't I already have one in my kitchen, you might say? Yes, I do BUT I still have to restock our RV!!! So, I bought the used but in perfect condition, percolator at a fantastic bargain. I was going to buy another one anyway so I really and truly am saving money!! I gave it a really good cleaning (with a cotton swab!) ran a few washings of hot water and the unit is good to go!

Time to get the RV out of storage (in my side yard) spruce it up, replace anything plastic (as in dinnerware) with another Goodwill find ( a sort of incomplete but sufficient Corning dinnerware set for only twenty bucks!) and start booking camping reservations. So far, I've booked a week at the beach this spring (The Outer Banks, North Carolina, click here). Upstate New York (where I live) has several fine, almost-free, campsites within a short driving distance from our home. We also like to travel up to the Berkshire mountains in MA for a quiet campsite complete with fire ring. Happy trails!

The snow is melting and we're gearing up.

Two Goodwill finds to add to our RV necessities.

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An Unexpected Free Dinner Out

 My husband received a $100 gift card, at Christmas time, from one of our neighbors, to dine at one of the most expensive restaurants in our area. It would be an understatement if I said $100 would barely cover a dinner for two. At first we thought we would use it at Christmas time, or maybe to ring in The New Year. At $32 to $44 per entree it just didn't seem doable for us at the time. Then we thought maybe for Valentine's Day or perhaps for our anniversary but we never got around to it. Once you add in appetizers, possibly a dessert and most assuredly a cup of decaf coffee at the end of the meal, it just didn't make economic sense. The restaurant (Italian) does sell individual pizzas and hubs and I estimated that if ever there was a time when we were just too tired to cook, we could always send out for one of their extraordinary pizzas.

Then this notice, from this expensive restaurant,  popped up in my Facebook feed last week:

For only $29.95 per person, a three course dinner (that included unlimited garlic breadsticks, coffee, tea and soda) comprised of an appetizer, entree and dessert, was on offer at this restaurant for the remainder of our winter months from Monday to Thursday. Without hesitating, hubs and I booked a Thursday night reservation and ate ourselves into oblivion. I had the filet mignon. Hubby had the roasted chicken over risotto. We both had appetizers (me the Italian rice ball over a marinara sauce and hubs had a Caesar salad) as well as dessert! Hubs had the flourless chocolate cake and I had the cheesecake!! The food was so good, I didn't have time to take a photo of anything except the desserts!!

I am so glad we waited. Who knew? The entire meal, with tax came to $70.17 (I had to pay an extra $5 for the filet mignon) which the gift card covered nicely. Tip could not be added to gift cards, which we knew and expected. We left a $13 cash tip which equaled 18% of the total. The service was excellent. It was so nice getting dressed up and going out to somewhere of importance! We have $30 left on the gift card which will cover two pizzas!! 

I got these screen shots off the restaurant's website, starting off with the breadsticks and wine (we don't drink) I had what the gentleman had, arancini which is a rice ball stuffed with cheese and peas, for Course 1. I had the filet mignon over fettuccini for Course 2 but I had the cheesecake for dessert instead of the two mini cannolis for Course 3. A freshly brewed cup of decaf coffee and hubs and I had a delightful evening out. Can't wait to tell our neighbor, who gave us the gift card, about our great evening out!

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