Day 3 Beach Cliff sardines

I used to live in a town called Bacliff (pronounced “bay cliff”) so it was not surprising these Beach Cliff brand sardines called out to me.

There actually isn't any such thing as a sardine fish, but rather “sardine” refers to a dozen or so different species in the herring family. 

The can advises that it “may contain crustaceans” which I found a bit surprising because crustaceans are pretty different from herring and it would be difficult to confuse the two. Maybe they run crustacean canning on the same production line or something?

At any rate my can was free of crustaceans and only contained delicious smoked sardines and soybean oil.

The can opens easily with the pull tab, and the smell is more smoky than fishy. I actually don't like fish much but this I don't mind. The taste is smoky and oily, the texture moist and flaky. The bones are included and you are supposed to eat them. You can just feel them as you chew the fish, lending a slightly crumbly crunchy sensation (and when I say crumbly I mean it's like the fish was filled with a strip of biscotti, texture-wise). It's not in any way unpleasant and it's also a good source of calcium. They're also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids which most of us don't get enough of in daily life. At only $1 a can there's no reason not to throw one of these into your lunch every now and again.

When I was younger, people used to use the phrase “like sardines” to refer to people being packed tightly into a space. For example: “the bus was so full we were packed in like sardines”. I also remember sardines being cheap but they seem to have gotten relatively expensive over the past twenty years..

Now, both the idiom and the canned fish are less common.

At $1 for a 3.75oz can, these sardines would be about $4 a pound, pricing them above chicken, pork, and beef which sounds bad until you realize that none of those provide omega-3 fatty acids. Nor are you likely to find free-range meat anywhere else for $4/lb, 

Day 2 Michelina's Pizza Rolls

Ain't no party like a pizza party cause a pizza party don't stop. Not until you've eaten all twenty 0.3 ounce rolls, at least.

Michelina's has managed to portabilize pizza, reducing the pizza experience to a series of tiny rolls. The sauce was tangy and zesty, the crust crispy and golden and it had a bit of a smoky flavor from the Canadian bacon. The meats (sausage, hamburger, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon) were each distinct and high quality. The cheese (actually a blend of cheese substitute and cheese) was a bit bland and I think it's the weakest link here.

The rolls are very handy, and can be eaten without utensils (you may want a napkin, though, as your fingertips can get greasy). They can even be microwaved in and eaten directly from the box, which can then be discarded leaving no mess at all.

The box weighs in at 460 calores (two 230 calorie “servings” though, in my opinion, the box is really too small to share) which is not bad for a quick lunch.   

Day 1 - Page after Page notebook

Everyone has ideas. Maybe you have a few big ideas. Or lots of small ideas. Or a medium amount of medium sized ideas. Either way, this handy notebook has you covered. With 96 sheets of generously-ruled creamy-smooth ivory-white sheets for a dollar you can't go wrong.

 The shrink wrap looks weird in pictures. I'm not sure if "page after page" is supposed to be the brand or just a description of the notebook.

This is actually the most interesting book you can buy because it's the one that you write. If you don't like the book you have only yourself to blame. 

You can tell it's not a Moleskine because it lacks the elastic band to keep it closed and the ribbon bookmark. You can also tell it's not a Moleskine because it costs only 1/10th as much. Which itself is a good idea!

My favorite part is the cover. A surprisingly thick and supple leatherette, this is clearly built to withstand the rigors of life in a pocket or purse .

The book emits a sweet and not unpleasant chemical smell which I've smelled before but I cannot place. Sort of like new car smell actually.

The pages are smooth and a creamy ivory color, just off-white with chocolate-brown wide rule lines. At a mere 3.5"x6.5" this is the perfect size for a pocket. 

Day 0

Welcome to Dollar Store Dreams. The goal of this blog is to review an item a day from a dollar store (e.g. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, etc). The criteria are: it must be from a dollar store, and the item must cost one dollar or less.