The Chronic Consumer

I don’t have money to go to a spa all the time, but I try to go every 3-4 months or so for some basic treatments. For example, I get a full body massage to remove some of the tension and muscle pain that has built up from exercising or simply being hunched over my keyboard all day, and I also get a facial, at which point the employees invariably push me to buy acne scar cream. I have one very noticeable acne pit/scar high up on my cheek under my right eye, but I’ve learned to live with it. I also get a manicure, pedicure, and maybe get my hair cut and styled if I have the cash.

I last went to the spa on the Friday before Valentine’s Day because my husband gave me a gift card as my V-Day present. It was very relaxing and enjoyable… it’s just too bad I don’t have an extra $250 to spend every month!

I’m not a big cookie person, but I like to eat them once in a while. My favorites are Oreos, which I never seem to get sick of. I’ve been eating those things since I was a kid, and they’re still the first brand I reach for when I go to the store. I just limit myself to getting maybe one package a month, otherwise I’m I’d have to stock up on weight loss pills too!

Anyway, I finally got around to trying Oreo Cakesters the other day. Though these look like giant, overstuffed Oreos, they are billed as “soft snack cakes”, so they are not at all the same texture. They don’t even taste faintly like Oreos either, which is kind of what I was expecting. They reminded me of Ding Dongs more than anything else.

Still, they were quite good, and for less than $4 for six “twin-wrapped” packages, not too expensive. I’m sure I’ll be buying them again!

Have you seen the new Heinz ketchup packets yet? They’re now able to open in two different ways, depending on whether you want to squeeze the contents onto something or whether you want to dip stuff in it. Plus, each packet now holds about three times the volume of the old school packets.

I haven’t come across these yet, but all I can say is it’s about damn time!

(AP Photo/H.J. Heinz Co.)

I know I should stay away from the frozen dessert aisle when I go to the grocery store, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. I have a very serious addiction to Sara Lee Pecan Coffee Cake, and it is not doing my waistline any favors! This coffee cake is absolutely delectable! It doesn’t have that disgusting “freezer” taste at all, and is even fit to serve guests. The only problem is that it’s high in fat and calories, but I figure if I stock up on weight loss products at the same time that I buy the cake, I can cancel out at least some of the damage!

My last post about the popcorn popper reminded me of another recent purchase I made: Kernel Season’s Popcorn Seasoning. I grabbed a couple containers of this seasoning when I bought the machine and kernels, and though I didn’t get the popper working, I still was able to try out Kernel Season’s. The verdict? This stuff is awesome!

Kernel Season’s is a powder-like substance that comes in a variety of flavors like Ranch (which I bought), Parmesan & Garlic (also bought), Cheddar, White Cheddar, Nacho, Butter, Caramel, Cajun, and more. You just sprinkle it over popcorn to add some delicious extra flavoring. It really does do the trick, as my popcorn has never tasted better.

Kernel Season’s can also be used on soup, potatoes, salads, pasta, pizza, and whatever else you can think of. I love seasoning my fries with this stuff too.

It costs $3.99 for a 2.7oz shaker, which initially seems like a lot. But the product lasts a long time, even when used liberally.

I’m hooked and I can’t wait to try out all the other flavors just as soon as I can!

I don’t shop at Meijer all that often, mostly because Wal-Mart and Target are closer to my home and therefore more convenient for me. But after discovering Meijer’s line of “Fudge Treasures” cookies on my last visit there, I might be going a heck of a lot more often from now on!

Meijer has a few different varieties of Fudge Treasures. I chose the Caramel Coconut cookies, and absolutely loved them! The cookies look like the picture on the box at the top of this post, and they feature a regular cookie base covered with a layer of caramel and then covered by fudge with coconut slivers mixed in.

I love coconut, so I couldn’t get enough of these things! Unfortunately, they contain a lot of fat and calories — as you would expect. One serving size is two cookies, which will cost you 150 calories and 7g of fat. Not exactly a healthy snack here, but it does take care of my afternoon sweet tooth cravings very nicely.

Anyway, I’m surprised that a store brand cookie could be so good, but I love these Meijer Fudge Treasures. Can’t wait to buy more!

In the winter, I like to lounge around the house in a comfortable pair of windpants. My favorites have a nylon shell and cotton lining through the legs to make them warm and perfect for the cold weather. I used to have a very nice pair of Adidas windpants, but those finally gave out after about 7 years. I actually wanted to go back to Adidas this time around as well, but as soon as I saw the $50 price tag, I backed off.

After some browsing at my favorite online stores, I found a pair of Missouri Tigers nylon windpants on clearance for just $19.98. They looked and sounded perfect in the description: they’re black with a Tiger head logo and the word “Missouri” sewn on the right thigh near the pocket area. They have the cotton lining that I wanted, as well as quarter-zippers and elastic cuffs on the legs. Of course, since I was ordering online, the sizing would be a bit of a gamble. The store I ordered from only had size S left, so I took a chance.

Fortunately, that gamble paid off very well. The Adult Small fits me perfectly, and the pants are as warm and comfortable as I could have hoped! In addition to front pockets, there’s also a zippered back pocket, which wasn’t mentioned in the product description on the store’s website.

Anyway, I feel that I got a very good deal on these pants I think the regular price was $40 or something, which I probably wouldn’t have bothered with. but $19.98 seems fair considering the quality of the product, and now I get to show off my Mizzou colors. Win-win for me!

One of the most important things to do in the fight against acne is to exfoliate on a regular basis in order to help remove dead skin cells and bacteria and keep pores clear. I have been doing this, but I previously thought that the actual exfoliator I used wouldn’t make much difference. So I was using a gentle Aloe blend from the Body Shop, and liked it well enough. But it didn’t do anything for my acne.

So after a bit more research, I decided to try the St. Ives Apricot Scrub. There are a few different varieties of this scrub; I went with the Blemish and Blackhead Control version. To be honest, I’ve tried so many acne products that I wasn’t expecting this to work at all. Imagine my surprise, then, when it at least helped with my blackheads!

While I can’t say that using this scrub has resulted in fewer pimples, it makes a noticeable difference on my blackheads. Right after I use it, I can see that all blackheads are completely gone from my nose. I mean, it’s even more effective than Biore Pore Strips, which I love! Sure, the blackheads eventually come back, but I can’t really blame the scrub for that.

The only thing I don’t like about this St. Ives Apricot Scrub is that it’s pretty rough on my skin. Even when I massage it in gently, it still hurts a bit and isn’t very pleasant. So I can only use the scrub once a week at most, which might be having a negative impact on its effectiveness.

Overall, though, I have to say that I’m pleased with what the St. Ives Apricot Scrub — Blemish and Blackhead Control does for my blackheads. It’s a very noticeable difference, so I use the scrub a few hours before going out to an important event. Now, if I can only find something to work on my stubborn pimples…!