My trip to town

[Fla Gal]

I hadn't planned on going to town. I had no reason to go to town. I didn't want to go to town but I read Gayle's recipe for Salmon Bisque and I just had to try it. I was going to make it Friday evening only to discover I didn't have any diced tomatoes. So... Saturday afternoon I went to town. I'm very glad I did.

At the Family Dollar I bought the nine cans of diced tomatoes that were on the shelf and grabbed four cans of green beans.

At that store diced tomatoes, green beans, whole kernel corn and peas are only .50 cents a can. I also checked out their tiny garden section and found some garden seeds that cost $1 for five packets. I did real good in that store.

I walked over to the grocery store and picked up two jars of Polaner All Fruit and a loaf of wheat bread. I got in the truck and was ready to head for home when I spied trees at another variety store in the strip mall. I couldn't resist going over there because they had a tree last year that I wanted really bad but couldn't afford.

I drove over there and pulled up in front of the trees for a quick look and saw they had the same variety again this year. Early Elberta peach trees! Oh boy... I looked through the trees and found two that I wanted, went in and paid then loaded up the trees and headed home. The good part is the trees were only $15 each, just over seven feet tall and are of fruit bearing age. I should have at least a few peaches this summer!

Have any of you had a nice unexpected shopping trip like this? What did you find that you'd been wanting and waiting for?

[BigM]

Wow! Good for you!! I've always said that I didn't want fruit trees because we can not eat the fruit fast enough. Now, however, I realize that I could can the extra and save us some $$. I want a fruit tree!!!



Me

[Fla Gal]

Bigm, I thought about getting only one tree and decided to go with two. I can't eat the fruit fast enough either but you're right, the rest can be canned, or even frozen.

I work at a chicken farm and because of bio security I can't have chickens. I was thinking along the lines of having enough peaches to barter for some good home grown eggs. Also, it's nice to have something on hand to give to people that do you favors.

You should definitely get a fruit tree or two. You won't regret it.

[shelby]

When I don't have a reason to go to town, but do, that is when I find the best deals, Whoda thunk?

Being in PA, we can't do alot of fruit trees, We do have some apple trees, but they haven't been pruned in about 3 years now and although we do get some good fruit off of them, most of it goes to the cows.

[Granny Smith]

When our fruit trees were producing (two years ago- a late snow got them last year) I was dehydrating fruit as fast as I could. The dehydrator was never empty for weeks on end. Since we got no fruit last year, I'm glad I put up all that fruit. We've been eating it this whole winter and I still have plenty left. I'm hoping we don't get another late snow, though. I don't think I have enough for another whole year.

I tend to find good deals when I stop someplace on a whim. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped at a church store. I had been looking for clothes for dd (I threw all hers away because they were not in good condition) I hadn't been having much luck finding anything. Well, that store had tons of clothes in her size, so I bought 2 big trashbags full. We also found a math book that we've been needing. The total cost was only $10!

Another time, I stopped at another secondhand store (I was next door, but the owner stepped outside and invited me in) She had a real full-length fur coat (not sure what kind of fur it is) for $15 and it fit dd! It was in great condition, too. This was probably a $700 or $800 coat.

Another time, same store, I found the exact fabric I'd been looking for, but couldn't find. It was only $1 a yard, too.

I stopped at Goodwill to look for clothes (seems I do a lot of that) and they had some silver and mother of pearl serving pieces for about 1/20 of their value. I bought them all (3 big pieces and one little one)

[Fla Gal]

Shelby, have you thought about bartering with someone to prune the trees for you? The wood in exchange for the pruning? Apple wood smells so good when it's burning in a wood stove. If you wouldn't have to worry about liability, or someone hacking the trees, this could be a viable solution to having even more apples to feed the cows or to barter with.

It's such a pleasure when the unexpected trips turn into some really great finds.

Gayle, It's too bad about your fruit trees. It's so sad a late snow got them. I hope it doesn't happen to you again this year. It's good that you were able to get so much fruit put up.

You got some really great deals. Wow! But... you saying you threw "all" your daughter's clothes away makes me wonder if she was runnin' 'round nekkid until you ran across these great finds.

[shelby]

We tried to barter for someone to prune them and they never showed.

My Uncle will do the smaller ones, but he has his own gardening and pruning to do, so if he gets to ours, he does them, if he doesn't I don't conplain.
he's retired and getting up in years and I don't want him climbing a ladder or something to get to the bigger one.

[Granny Smith]

Flagal, I left her one skirt and one pair of pants, 3 shirts, and not much more. She had to do laundry everyday, until we went shopping. It was only 3 days, though. We hit every secondhand and dollar store in 2 towns and bought her a whole new wardrobe in one day. Then I came home and washed it all, so she had everything clean by that night. She could probably use a couple more shirts (she didn't like the ones I picked out), but otherwise, she's set, at least until summer. Then we get to do it again. yippee.