Frugal Friday.....the November 22nd Edition

Here's some of the frugal things that happened here this past week............

*  I got the Friday Freebie at Weis last week.....

A pack of paper plates can always be used around here.

*  I paid our 6 mos. car insurance.  Instead of mailing it and using a stamp I just stopped at the agent's office.

I also picked up free calendars for 2020 while I was there.

*  I found money!

A dime near the Customer Service desk at Weis last Friday.

And then a penny under the stack of shopping baskets near the register at Rite-Aid when I went to return something.

Another penny on Monday at Rite-Aid sticking out from under a shelf.

On Tuesday I found this old penny in the newspaper box return chute outside of Bob Evans.

And a trip for an Rx refill netted me another .27¢ from various places on the floor there.
This week's Grand Total for Found Change was .40¢.

* Speaking of Tuesday Hubs and I took a drive to another town to check out their Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)store.  I still had a 15% anything in the store flyer to use too.
Here's the only food thing I bought.......

A box of English tea bags that were on clearance for 50% off so I spent $1.99 OOP on food there. ;-)
A bunch of books did also come home with me at Ollie's discount price PLUS 15% off that too.

*  I was a little low on gas last week so I took a partially used gift card for a gas station here and used it.  It had been sitting forgotten in my glove box for almost a year.
$5.55 of gas was almost 2 gallons and that much goes pretty far in my little Sonic.  ;-)

*  Hubs and I went to Bob Evans for lunch one day this week.  We used a coupon.  I didn't find any money there but I brought home these margarine spreads we didn't use........

*  I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets again this week and bought this.........

3 x Finish dishwashing tabs
2 x Lysol toilet cleaner double packs(1 pack didn't make it to the photo shoot)
1 x gallon of Milk(also missing from the photo)
2 x packs of breaded pork cutlets(had $2 off meat stickers on them so almost 50% off)
1 x massive Stouffer's lasagna(on sale $12.99 but I had a $12 off DigitalQ)
Total after sale prices and Qs used came to $16.76.

I used my last P&G prepaid $15 gift card..........

And then I paid $1.76 OOP for this lot of groceries.
I still have a $25 gift card for the local Shursave store, free or discounted Target gift cards and $80+ in free gift cards for OSJL, along with all that refund/post q/found change CASH to deploy next month.

* Speaking of groceries and Weis I also did another feedback survey this week and now have 622 points to spend even though I've only actually "spent" $179.24 at Weis this month.
400 of those points will get me a free turkey for the chest freezer and I can use another 100 pts. for a reduced price meat/vegan-meat options and the leftover 100 points will be used for discounted gas for the Sonic.
Working the system the best I can.  ;-)

*  I earned .30¢ on Ibotta this week. 
Go me. lolz
Some weeks are like that but it's still .30¢ more in my pocket for something I was going to buy anyway, right?

That's about it from here for the week.

Let us know what frugal wins happened in your world this past week!


Sluggy

Random Stuff That Makes You Go "Huh?"

Just some random stuff in Sluggy's World not worth a whole post but still a tidbit(or should that be a "Timbit"?)worth mentioning.
It's stuff that riles me up or catches my eye or gets my brain humming.
I cleaned off my desk(Don't faint now!?!)and cleaned out the photos in my camera/phone and unearthed some gems so let's get to it!

*  The number of solicitations in the mail is still going strong for folks who want to get their hands on "managing" our retirement monies.

This one which came in a couple of months ago was addressed to me personally(although Hubs' name only is on all the work accounts that were set up).  This clown must have bought a list with our personal bank account info on it.
I now refer to these unsolicited offers as "The Sharks"(or you could refer to them as Vultures)......there is blood(money)in the water and they are circling for the kill(take your money in fees).  Just keep saying, "They only want what is best for me......". *snort*

* Back in September my Daughter and her Finacé sent out wedding invitations.

The one for Ex-College Boy arrived on September 14th I believe so 2 days after being mailed.
Here is when they were mailed, including the invite for Hubs and I...........



So guess how long it took our invite from being mailed/postmarked to when it arrived from Louisiana?

2 WEEKS!!  We got our invitation in the mail just barely before September ended.
There is a reason I refer to that state as "Lousyana". lolz
The good times are always rolling there and it gets in the way of conducting business in a normal time frame for most of the rest of the country. *snort*
But "Drive-Thru Frozen Dauqiris"?  They are the best at that! lolz


*  When I was going to go on Humira for my HS the company has an "Ambassador"(a nurse who works for the company)come to your house to talk to you about the drugs and to instruct you on how to inject yourself.  Having had a DVT back in 2013 and being on Coumadin then I knew already how to inject a drug into myself.  I got semi monthly allergy shots as a child so I am not squeamish about needles, so I was an easy patient for my "Ambassador".
Part of the Humira program(besides the card that takes my co-pay from $50 to $5(yah!)they provide you with a sharps container to properly dispose of the needles too.

On the lid of that container was this according of paper...........

You gotta love them for trying!lolz
Wouldn't feeling better physically be enough of a reward for giving yourself a shot of their drug?
No, you can only feel good about using this medication if you go spend money on yourself?
I just don't get it......


* And here's another fine tchotchke from the fine folks at the Bradford Exchange........

I don't care what you think of this POTUS and FLOTUS do you really need to shell out $129.99 + shipping and sales tax to have this 11 inch figurine sitting on a shelf gathering dust?
But it's a limited edition of 4 bazillion!!  Get one before they run out! 8-P
That $129.99 + shipping and sales tax IMHO could be better spent on so many other things............


* When Hubs and I went to the movies last, I found this on the changing table in my bathroom stall when I had to go potty myself(if potty works for the dogs as a term, it works for me)...........

Was this planted there just for me by some heavenly force?

Inside was a checklist of 17 items which could be the best basis for reaching Heaven.
Four I don't do now, but most I did as a child(and no longer do out of a religious obligation...some I do because I want to be a good, moral person).

I suppose the jury is still out on whether I'll go to Heaven(if there is a heaven.....there I go, questioning authority again!)

*  I was browsing around Kohl's last month trying to figure out how to spend that $5 in free money there and took a couple of pictures of useless crap...........

Doesn't everyone need a desk sign like this?
Usually folks who have one it means yes, it IS your problem, right? lolz

And they had this ginormous stuffed Sloth sitting in a ginormous gift box thing.  This was the best shot I could get taking a selfie with it.
I guess 2018 was the Year of the Llama but 2019 is the Year of the Sloth?
I wonder what unfashionable animal will be the Sales Mascot for 2020.........

*  And while cleaning out closets when we changed out/redid rooms this past Summer I found these........

The copy of the hospital charges when I had my Eldest son in 1991.
He cost $814.95.

My charges were $2,125.05.
This isn't what we paid, just the charges before insurance kicked in.

By comparison, 5 years later, my last child(Ex-CB)cost over $1,200 and my hospital charges for his birth were in excess of $8,400!
But then again, I had a C-section with him and we both had a 5 night vacation(hahaha)at the hospital too.

I guess that's all I have to say for now.
I probably won't post on Thursday as we have to go to Hershey(the town and Medical Center, not the amusement park)tomorrow for my HS clinic appointment.  Fun, fun.
So I'll be back on Friday.

Have a good Thursday......save some money, do something frugal and have some fun!



Sluggy

Rite-Aid--Working on the Beauty Gift Card Reward Deal

I went to Rite-Aid on Monday and used two of those Tresemme Catalinas I had leftover from all that Tresemme I bought the week before last.............

The first transaction was the two mascaras on the top of the photo.
Cover Girl mascara on sale BOGO50%=$9.73
I used.......
1 x $2.50 CatalinaQ=$2.50
2 x $1/1 CG Mascara IPQs=$2.00
$9.73-$4.50=$5.23+.32¢ tax=$5.55 paid with BC(no BOGO50% since I only bought one)=$5.99
I used.......
1 x $1.50 CatalinaQ=$1.50
1 x $1/1 CG face product IPQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 any CG item R-A snail mailedQ=$2.00
$5.99-$4.50=$1.49+.09¢ tax=$1.58 paid with BC

 $7.13 paid in BC, $7 in new BC earned back and this card has $21.15 in purchases toward the $10 Beauty Reward GC so only $28.85 left to get it to $50 spent.

I still have a $1.50 Catalina to use before Saturday but not sure what to use it on yet.

I also bought a few gift cards that give back BC this week to get my BC amounts up a bit before the Black Friday sales.  They were GCs I was going to buy eventually anyway so why not reap the benefit of getting some BC?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "WTF?!?" Edition................

This is a shot from the frozen foods section at my Weis(PMITA)Markets.
I really want to meet the marketing genius who decided to call Chicken Feet, Chicken "PAWS".
Bears have paws, cats have paws, rabbits have paws.
Chickens do not.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Fend For Yourself
2. Monday--BBQ on rolls, Cole Slaw

3. Tuesday--Beef Pie

4. Wednesday--Salmon, Asparagus, Rice

5. Thursday--Teriyaki Beef Stir-Fry

6. Friday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Fend For Yourself
2. Monday--BBQ on rolls, Cole Slaw

3. Tuesday--Beef Pie

4. Wednesday--Salmon, Asparagus, Mushroom Risotto

5. Thursday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Salad

6. Friday--Teriyaki Beef Stir-Fry, Rice
7. Saturday--Chicken Parm, Salad(I had leftover Sauteed Cabbage and Chicken)

Last week saw 6 nights of home cooked dinners, 1  nights of leftovers/ffy, and 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.

What got put into the freezer last week.....

*  2 meals worth of Salmon
*  2 bags of Ground Beef(1 lb. each)
*  4 bags of Barbecue Pork
*  2 bags of Butternut Squash Ravioli

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
*  2 bags of Barbecue Pork
* 1 London Broil
* 2 packages of Breaded Chicken

A trip to the Bread Outlet, Malacari's produce market, Aldi's and Price Chopper brought the current weekly spending to $110.09 and my November spending on food to $302.06 for this month.

My savings percentage last week was 49.44%(without Rite-Aid trips)and November's monthly savings total comes in at 43.26%(w/out R-A).

A bit of food waste this week--the last tomato from the garden.  It got buried on the kitchen island counter and went bad before I found it this weekend. 8-(

I have 12 more food shopping/spending days in November.

Leftovers going into this week......Fried Chicken, Beef Pie, BBQ, Beef Stroganoff, Beef stir-fry, Rice, Chicken Parm, Asparagus, Mushroom Risotto.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Leftover Beef Pie
2. Monday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

3. Tuesday--Hot Dog on Roll w/Chili, Beans, Squash and Onions

4. Wednesday--Something Chicken, Veggie TBD

5. Thursday--Assorted Leftovers

6. Friday--Beef Stew
7. Saturday--Chinese Take-Out

As always this menu is subject to change or rearranging depending on what leftovers get eaten or not and what I am feeling like cooking(or not). lolz

What needs buying for this menu? Nothing that I can think of.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Using My Assets on Grocery Shopping & Thanksgiving Shopping

As I have said before I have various gift cards to deploy from now until the end of 2019 to get my grocery spending lower.

$12 HeartGuard prepaid card
$15 P&G prepaid Visa
$15 in free Target gift cards
$261.23 in reduced price Target gift cards
$25 Shursave gift card
$89.69 in Ocean State Job Lot free gift cards
That's $159.69 in free and $261.23 in discount chits.

So on Friday I went to Weis to do a few deals and pick up Turkey day essentials.
Here is what I bought..............

2 x Pepperidge Farm stuffing
4 x Swanson broth/stock
4 x Campbell's soup
5 x Weis canned veggies
2 x Hanover Charro Beans
1 x Weis pie crusts
2 x Domino golden sugar bags
1 x Weis paper plates
8.5 lbs. sweet potatoes

Total before sales/coupons/instant savings........$51.65
Total after sales/couopon/instant savings..........$19.03
I deployed THE $12 Heart Guard prepaid card so my OOP was only $7.03

Nice. 8-)))

The PF/Swanson/Campbell's(2 of the soups only)was "Spend $15/Get $5 Off" Deal so $7 after sales/Qs/Instant Sav.  The other 2 soups were .60¢ can after sale/Q.
The Weis veggies were .47¢ per can if you bought 5.  The Hanover beans were on clearance for .75¢ each.  The sugar was .49¢ per bag after sale/Qs.  The paper plates were the freebie item and the sweet taters were finally down to .49¢ per lb. so I stocked up on those.

I see that Target is going to have their "Spend $50 on Food/Beverage, Get a $10 Gift Card" Deal on Nov. 23 and 24th(Sat. and Sun. of next week)only.  There is also a $5 gift card when you buy $20 Frito-Lay/Pepsi products deal that you can stack with the $50/$10 Deal(if you use that sort of thing)to make your Target chits go a little further.

I peered down into the black hole of the chest freezer last weekend and found that I have 2 hotel turkey breasts in it's depths.  So those will be served for Turkey Day along with the usual sides instead of a whole turkey.  I also have a whole eye of round in the freezer so the meat for Xmas dinner is accounted for and I don't need to buy a fancy cut of beef or a ham for that meal.

I will be getting a free turkey(which will take up the space of those 2 turkey breasts)at Weis as I have over 400 points now.  I haven't bought $400 worth of stuff during the time frame that counts but I have done a feedback survey once a week which gives me 100 points each time so 3 surveys and the limited Wes shopping got me to the freebie. ;-)

The sweet potatoes, some stock, some soup, stuffing and pie crusts from this shopping trip were for Thanksgiving(ok, not ALL those sweet potatoes lol)so the only "needs" on the Turkey day list now are celery and rutabagas.  I'll pick those up closer to Turkey Day.

How's your Turkey Day shopping going?

Sluggy