While visiting a friend's liquor store, I discovered Maryland Lottery's newest $1,000,000 prize scratch off game called Million Dollar Spectacular. I remembered reading one big winner's strategy where he'd play the new games as he felt there would be a greater chance to hit a big prize initially. It worked for him but, it didn't work for me. I ended up with 4 losers in a row before I hit back to back small winners.
The game is your standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. There are three $1,000,000 (see note) prizes (all still available at the time of this post), six $50,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), twenty-four $10,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), thirty-seven $5,000 prizes (35 remaining at the time of this post) and 733 $1,000 prizes (701 remaining at the time of this post) as well as various smaller prizes starting with $20. You match 1 or more of the 5 numbers at the top of the ticket and you win that prize. The game does have 1 difference from other big prize games in that there is a box at the upper left of the ticket. The box contains 6 prize amounts. If you match 3 of the prize amounts, you win that prize instantly. I liked this feature though I had crummy luck with it. The game started December 28, 2015 so, it hasn't been out that long. Like all new games, losing tickets are eligible for lottery reward points. Overall (meaning overall for the ENTIRE game) odds are 1 in 2.97 of winning. You can do better or you can do worse like I did initially.
Overall, I thought it was a nice game though not a great one. I plan to try it again some time and see if I can a bit better luck with it. To me, it's a pretty standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. If you like playing the newest game out in Maryland, you might want to give it a go. Good luck!
Note: the $1,000,000 is paid out over 20 years in an annuity. The winner has 60 days after turning in the winning ticket to inform Maryland Lottery if they want a cash option i.e. all the money immediately. If they choose that option, the payout will be LESS than $1,000,000. If they don't inform them in time, they will automatically receive the annuity (source: one of the game tickets I bought).
Lastly, my source for the odds in the game was one of the tickets I bought. My source for how many prizes remained at the time of this post was the Maryland Lottery webpage for this game. That web page can be found under the $1,000,000 prize scratch off games.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Sunday, January 03, 2016
Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Grahams Review
Last week, while trying to earn more Starbucks reward points so, I can keep my Gold status for another year (you have to earn 30 reward stars to do that), I saw some of their dark chocolate peppermint graham crackers on sale at one (there are 2 of them) of their Laurel, Maryland shops (store 7257 located at 929 Washington Boulevard). The grahams were 40% off and seemed a cheap way to earn another reward star. With the 40% off, it cost me $4.77 for 3 of the grahams (they come 3 in a pack).
The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!
Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!
The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!
Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!
Friday, January 01, 2016
Progresso Soup Review
I've been meaning to write this review for a while but, procrastination got the better of me. I did some research for it as you'll see.
I first bought some Progresso soup because, the base commissary I use had it on sale for either 79 cents a can or 89 cents a can. I'm don't remember which. I wasn't familiar with the soup but, I figured for that price, I could try it and see if I like it. I like soup though I don't have it often. I'm not a fan of Campbell's condensed soups and, that was the main kind of soup I usually have barring the rare bag of Lipton's Soup Secrets soups. The Progresso soup sat for at least 2 months before I got around to trying it. When I did, I was very impressed with it.
The soup comes fully prepared. You don't have to add anything to it. All you have to do is heat it up. You can heat it up in pot on a stove or in a microwavable bowl like I do in a microwave oven. If you microwave it, it takes a maximum of 4 minutes to heat up and, you must cover the bowl with some kind of covering.
Progresso soups come in a wide range of soups. I don't know the exact number but, I would guess based on what I saw at a Weis Supermarket that there are at least 30 different kinds of their soups. Some can be used those on Weight Watchers programs (I've had at least one of those). Price wise, it can vary depending on where you get them. I've seen as cheap as $1 a can and as much $2.19 a can at Weis though in their defense, Weis offers one of the best selection of the soups I've seen. The cheapest place I've seen barring the base commissary I use sometimes is Dollar Tree. They offer the soups for $1 of course. However, their selection is extremely limited. I've never seen them have more than 2 of them if they have them at all. Also, the selection they offer can change depending on what kind of deal they can offer on them at the time. I bought a good corn chowder soup from the Laurel, Maryland store one time and later, they weren't offering it anymore. In the middle of road price wise is WalMart which offers the soups for $1.50 a can and has a good selection though not as good as Weis. Sam's Club and BJ's offer the soups for around $1.30 a can but, their selection can be very limited too. I think BJ's only offered 4 different soups when I checked them out and 2 of them were closer to $1.50 a can because, they were fancier soups vice the cheaper New England clam chowder. For those who need to watch their sodium intake, Progresso offers low sodium versions of some of their soups.
Another plus about the Progresso soups is they take part in the Box Tops for Education program. Every can you buy has a coupon attached worth 10 cents for your school if it participates in the program. The program helps schools get needed school supplies. One down side to these coupons is they must be turned before their expiration date. Cases of the soups come with a 9th coupon (I believe i.e. I'm not 100% certain on this).
Overall, I've been really pleased with Progresso soups. Their hearty soups and can form part of a nutritious meal. If you like a little zing in your soup, some of them have it. I tried their Southwest black bean and vegetable soup and, it had some zing though not overly so. They're easy to prepare and have good shelf life (close to a year I think though do check the best by date on the bottom of the can). I would definitely recommend them. Bon appetit all!
Update May 18, 2016: For some unknown to me reason, the price on Progresso soups has really jumped. What I used to be able to buy for a $1 at the commissary I shop at, now costs $2. There has been a big price jump at Walmart too. Oh and forget about buying their soups anymore at Dollar Tree. I had a fluke find at one of their stores and was so delighted, I bought every can they had. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find at any Dollar Tree store in at least a couple months. I still really like these soups but, I don't like the higher prices. :-(
I first bought some Progresso soup because, the base commissary I use had it on sale for either 79 cents a can or 89 cents a can. I'm don't remember which. I wasn't familiar with the soup but, I figured for that price, I could try it and see if I like it. I like soup though I don't have it often. I'm not a fan of Campbell's condensed soups and, that was the main kind of soup I usually have barring the rare bag of Lipton's Soup Secrets soups. The Progresso soup sat for at least 2 months before I got around to trying it. When I did, I was very impressed with it.
The soup comes fully prepared. You don't have to add anything to it. All you have to do is heat it up. You can heat it up in pot on a stove or in a microwavable bowl like I do in a microwave oven. If you microwave it, it takes a maximum of 4 minutes to heat up and, you must cover the bowl with some kind of covering.
Progresso soups come in a wide range of soups. I don't know the exact number but, I would guess based on what I saw at a Weis Supermarket that there are at least 30 different kinds of their soups. Some can be used those on Weight Watchers programs (I've had at least one of those). Price wise, it can vary depending on where you get them. I've seen as cheap as $1 a can and as much $2.19 a can at Weis though in their defense, Weis offers one of the best selection of the soups I've seen. The cheapest place I've seen barring the base commissary I use sometimes is Dollar Tree. They offer the soups for $1 of course. However, their selection is extremely limited. I've never seen them have more than 2 of them if they have them at all. Also, the selection they offer can change depending on what kind of deal they can offer on them at the time. I bought a good corn chowder soup from the Laurel, Maryland store one time and later, they weren't offering it anymore. In the middle of road price wise is WalMart which offers the soups for $1.50 a can and has a good selection though not as good as Weis. Sam's Club and BJ's offer the soups for around $1.30 a can but, their selection can be very limited too. I think BJ's only offered 4 different soups when I checked them out and 2 of them were closer to $1.50 a can because, they were fancier soups vice the cheaper New England clam chowder. For those who need to watch their sodium intake, Progresso offers low sodium versions of some of their soups.
Another plus about the Progresso soups is they take part in the Box Tops for Education program. Every can you buy has a coupon attached worth 10 cents for your school if it participates in the program. The program helps schools get needed school supplies. One down side to these coupons is they must be turned before their expiration date. Cases of the soups come with a 9th coupon (I believe i.e. I'm not 100% certain on this).
Overall, I've been really pleased with Progresso soups. Their hearty soups and can form part of a nutritious meal. If you like a little zing in your soup, some of them have it. I tried their Southwest black bean and vegetable soup and, it had some zing though not overly so. They're easy to prepare and have good shelf life (close to a year I think though do check the best by date on the bottom of the can). I would definitely recommend them. Bon appetit all!
Update May 18, 2016: For some unknown to me reason, the price on Progresso soups has really jumped. What I used to be able to buy for a $1 at the commissary I shop at, now costs $2. There has been a big price jump at Walmart too. Oh and forget about buying their soups anymore at Dollar Tree. I had a fluke find at one of their stores and was so delighted, I bought every can they had. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find at any Dollar Tree store in at least a couple months. I still really like these soups but, I don't like the higher prices. :-(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)