Not Too Late to Pick Up a Few Clearance Bargains on Pantry Goods

The more perishable holiday foods were marked down to clear in the first week of January. Foods like eggnog and refrigerated holiday cookie dough were deeply discounted by the 5th of January in my stores. Those items are obviously holiday foods and not as interesting to many consumers once the holiday season is over.

However, there's another group of "holiday" foods that are very useful year round. These foods could be used at any time of the year. They're non-perishable and, in most cases, don't look so holiday-ish. Most of these items do not have images of snowmen, Christmas trees, or Santa on the package label. It's their use on holiday menus that associates them with the entire holiday season. 

By the middle to the third week of January, I find these food items on deep discount in my stores. As non-perishables, they often have expiration dates over a year away. And they're all foods that I could use in my menus almost all weeks of the year.

So, this is what I found last weekend at Walmart:

• jarred turkey gravy for 50 cents -- great not only on turkey but also for chicken or to have over mashed potatoes or rice. Exp. date: March 2021
• Libby's canned pumpkin for 75 cents -- pumpkin bread, muffins, soup -- YES!! Exp. date: Sept 2021
• Great Value turkey stuffing mix for 30 cents -- can be used as a quick side with many dishes, not just turkey. Exp. date: May 2021

It's amazing how far into the future some of the expiration dates are on these items, yet stores don't want to keep them on their shelves any longer. This just means more great deals for me and my grocery budget.

When I was running errands on Saturday, I also stopped by an import store that carries a food line. In their holiday section I found the above holiday-themed pasta shapes for 74 cents, or 67 cents/lb. The expiration date on this package is in 2022. While the price per pound is a good price for pasta for everyday meals, I think I'll hang onto this package for next Christmas, either for my small family or as part of an Italian gift basket to my son and DIL.

The deals are still out there!

Even a Novice Can Learn a New Plumbing Trick

My daughter had a rather unfortunate accident with one of the upstairs bathroom sinks. She uses this bathroom for cleaning up her paintbrushes and making an occasional pot of tea for herself to sip while painting. Two weeks ago, she was using the electric tea kettle in the bathroom. Once she poured the boiling water into the tea cup, she poured the rest of the super-heated water into the sink. The porcelain of the sink was likely very cold. When the boiling water met the cold porcelain, my daughter heard a loud pop and then noticed a long cracked where she had poured. Not a good moment.

the old sink after she removed it from the cabinetry

Needless to say, she was devastated that this happened and wanted to do what she could to right the situation. This daughter is not shy in the least when it comes to trying something new. She asked if she could try taking out the old sink and replace it with a new one. I knew she'd be careful, so I thought I should let her see what she could do.

she used the turkey roaster to catch water as she unhooked the trap

Believe it or not, this young lady (with zero plumbing skills but very good youtube skills) not only took the old sink out, but with the help of her sister, she replaced it with a new one from Home Depot.

the opening in the counter after the old sink was taken out -- she "caught" the sink in a pile of quilts

My kids inspire me constantly. They tackle jobs from which I shy away. They teach themselves new skills routinely. Perhaps my husband and I did something right when raising them. Or perhaps we just got kids who are not afraid to try.

the brand new sink installed, including plumbing

I have no idea how much we saved on hiring a plumber. When my daughter asked to do this, my initial thought was that she might feel empowered by learning another skill. My second thought, now that she has done this with an under mount sink, is to have her work with me this summer to replace 2 over mount sinks in another bathroom that are in bad repair. Maybe this old dog can learn a new trick with the help of one of her pups.


You know, youtube is a great resource for all kinds of DIY. Someone out there has done just the thing I'm trying to learn and recorded just how to do the job. It may take a few different videos for me to hit upon the very one that is well-presented. But when I do, it's like having that know-it-all neighbor giving me the how-to's over the fence in my backyard. My kids have grown up with youtube and tend to rely on it even more than I do. I'm trying to move with the times.