New week of sales and use of a pineapple

Today is Wednesday! Don't forget that Harris Teeter, Lowe's Foods, and Food Lion all start new sale circulars today. You can check out the online matchups here:

MoolaSavingMom - Harris Teeter     Lowe's Foods     Food Lion
SouthernSavers -  Harris Teeter     Lowe's Foods     Food Lion

Remember that SouthernSavers tends to list matchups for the Atlanta Region, and that MoolaSavingMom posts matchups specific to the Triad of NC, which is closest to our promotions here in the Triangle.

If you're just starting out and are working only with printable coupons, it looks like you can get a good deal on coffee creamer, GM cereals, and store-brand bacon at Lowe's this week. I'll be heading to Harris Teeter later to pick up the offers on tuna, Old Orchard juice, Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, and Buitoni pasta.

Now... on to today's post.

One of my best friends brought her daughter over in December to help bake cookies. Halfway through her visit, she looked over in the corner and complimented me on our houseplant. I was confused, and then burst out in laughter. I'll bring you full circle by the end of the post.

Remember those pineapples I got at Aldi a few days ago?

I sliced one up and stuck it in the fridge for snacking today... but I didn't go hacking it apart all willy-nilly. First, you have to gently twist the bundle of leaves from the body of the fruit:

Next, you want to start peeling those small leaves from the bottom:

Soon, you'll see little buds. Those are roots!

All you have to do is pop it in a mound of dirt, give it light, warmth, and water:

Let's get back to the pineapple. Stand it up and slice it in half vertically, then those halves in half again so you have four long quarters. Use a fillet knife to remove the core from each piece. Then, you're going to make four cuts: one on each end, and then the two longer cuts to create almost a 'V' shape to remove the skin:

Then, you can slice that into bite-sized pieces:

I did this for a get-together at school once, and just put cocktail picks in each wedge. The pineapple was the first thing to disappear from the table.

Instead of using one of those one-size-fits-all specialty corers, this method allows you to very narrowly remove only the parts that are inedible. The outside acts as a little boat, which is handy for serving. The only other part that gets tossed is the core:

If you are very kind to your potted pineapple frond, this is what it will look like in about a year:

...and your friends will come over to bake cookies and compliment you on your lovely houseplant.

Next up: Evaluating the combination of cost, price, and value

Follow @RocksTheCoupons