One More Day....

....Until December!
I see all of you out there, you KNOW who you are!, talking about having your Christmas buying all wrapped up or nearly wrapped up.
And it's not even freaking December yet!
Come on......

WTF?!?!lol

I can't compete with this so I won't try.
I have bought throughout the year in years past, but with teens and older who don't want 'stuff' anymore I just don't buy much anymore.

I do give gift cards or money, which I can do late in the game and it's so much less stressful.
I ordered some gift cards with our c/c points over the weekend.
Now I have to get something for Hubs and my family 'Secret Santa' person.  The immediate family draws names and we each give 1 nice present to our SS person.
And I'll wait until this weekend to start freaking out over getting this done and getting the house in shape to decorate a bit.

I did buy 1 item for the Nephew for Xmas that was discounted 40% so reasonably priced on Black Friday.  And that was it for BF, except for the Gift Cards(that aren't gifts)I got at Rite-Aid.

Since I was online working on listings all day on Cyber Monday I did a little window shopping though.
I also wrestled with myself most of the day over the Deal of the Day on Amazon......

A $499 600 Pro Series Kitchen-Aid Mixer.
After sale price, rebate AND additional discount if you opted out of the Free Year of some magazine, the price was $183 and change.
I debated over buying this all day....never did hit that order button though.
I'd love to have it but with the kids leaving home, I find I make less and less baked goods.  It would end up being a very pretty and expensive counter tchotchke I'd have to dust.


With reopening the eBay Store, I haven't had time for much else the last week except for throwing food on the table or clothes in the washer.lol

Here's something shipping out today......

3 3-pack gift sets of CARS cars.
I sold them for $69.99.
I paid $5 each on clearance at Target 3 years ago.
My "geiger counter hands" strike again!lol

On the other hand, my 2 local Tag Sale Doll/Toy buyers crapped out on me.  There will be no $153 for me and less crap here to unload.
I'll repost all the Tag Sale stuff tomorrow....Pay Day!lol

There is major consternation in the local online Help Site. I'll post separately about that brew ha-ha when I have more time.

After a week of 60 degrees the temp has dropped and I swear it looks like it's going to snow at any minute.
My poor confused plants.....lol

I got an invite yesterday to go to Scranton and protest Barry Obama.
He's in town politicking and yammering on about something or other.....and causing major clusterfuckness on the 2 Interstates around here.  Thanks so much Washington and don't wait dinner for anyone who has to commute around here today.
Screw your Presidential convoy!  Why don't YOU sit your ass in traffic like the 99% do.....

I decided to stay home and stay pepper spray-free.
Of course, I do have a nice camping tent and I could probably drum up some people and start our own local OWS group.
Maybe if it was still 62 degrees and I didn't have work to do...you know, to make some money so I can support myself and not have to rely on the Government for handouts.

I'm more concerned about this protest right now....

 Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan Week 4+/December Week 1

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Mixed Veg, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Tacos, Corn
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Leftovers
SATURDAY--Chinese Take-Out

 No Squash casserole night again, because though I actually got to the Product market last week I forgot the yellow squash.  I am claiming I was so overcome by the beauty of the Rutabagas....yah, that's my story. ;-)  Lots of leftovers.  We are almost at the end of Thanksgiving leftovers(except for the stuffing)and we still have taco beef.

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $56.02.  I had to use half of my ShurSave Reward money and I still spent $17.46 OOP.  I spent $13.02 at the Produce market(and I got some extra sweet potatoes for later). 2 trips for milk last week and I was at $249.47 for the month.

 

Then Daughter came home and decided she needed yogurt(which she didn't eat all of before she left to go back to school), and frozen pizzas(1 of which she didn't eat).  I asked her to pick me up a few more apples for a pie.....so she bought beautiful eating apples NOT on sale instead of  "I don't care what it looks like as long as it's cheap" apples to put in a pie.  5 apples that cost over $6...EEK!  We had some words about buying apples afterwards.....lol

So I will blame Daughter for tipping me over my $250 food budget for November.

My savings percentage was 50.03% last week, as the reg. retail was $112.10 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $269.54.  I have to food shop tomorrow as I have a $10 ShurSave markets reward left that expires on that day.  I will try to keep it as close to $10 as possible.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Leftovers(Pot Roast)
MONDAY--Taco Bell
TUESDAY--Leftovers(Turkey)
WEDNESDAY--Leftover Tacos or Taco Salad
THURSDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Salad
FRIDAY--Subway or Chinese Take-Out or Pizza
SATURDAY--Chicken Casserole(uses up leftover stuffing), Veggie TBD

Items needed for this menu.....nothing really, I have everything I need to make it all....except for the Subway and the Taco Bell of course.

I don't plan on any food shopping this week except to use that $10 in Rewards on Wednesday.  Basically this week's ads suck, as they always do the week after the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I'll be posting my Monthly Food Spending Post in the next day or two as time permits between dealing with Real Life and eBay stuff.

And of course my posting about food shopping this month isn't complete without a mention of.....

 

Sluggy

In The Weeds....

Literally and figuratively in the weeds here!

That's why I haven't posted lately.
#2 son home from school still....it's deer hunting season in PA so they had off on Monday and today is Parent/Teacher conferences.
But he's had pitt orchestra rehearsals and orthodontist appointment.
Plus I am dealing with Daughter's medical issues and medical insurance provider long distance from college which makes me want to spit nails!
And the phone rang 23 times yesterday.....have I mentioned how much I detest talking on the phone lately?
And the eBay screwball buyers have come out of the woodwork and I am behind on getting things listed because I have been packing and shipping like a wild woman and have no time left for listing.
I haven't even done a menu for this week...ack!
And I am so tired I actually drank a cup of coffee at the Orthodontist's office....it was free so what the hell, right?lol

And the weather.....can I just say that the weather is crazy lately?
It's 60 degrees outside...it was 62 yesterday.
This is northern PA.....this is late November....WTF?!?!
It should be 25 degrees and snowing.
It's like in 2007 when it was 70 degrees and we had a tornado on Dec. 1st.
Wacky weather.......

My shrubbery is so confused.
Here is what my forsythia bush is doing.....

It's BLOOMING!
Likewise my Magnolia tree and the massive Rhododendron bush have budded out because they think Spring is here!
Sigh........

If this keeps up we'll need to mow the lawn again this weekend......in December. lolol

I'll be back later after I get something accomplished.

Sluggy

In eBay Purgatory & My Paycheck to Paycheck Guilt

*  First let me say that I have sold/bought stuff on eBay off and on for more than 13 years now.
I am so OVER eBay already it's not funny.
I am so glad my eBaying days are coming to a close.

In the past, I would dabble in eBay enough to get fed up with dealing with the stuff that happens there(sort of like Vegas but without the booze)and then I'd quit. 

But I wouldn't get fed up enough not to go back....either that or my memory is now so bad that I'd forget the stress and aggravation and just mosey on back during the HIGH SELLING DAYS at the Holidays....sort of like swearing off having another baby but after a few years the memory of those horrible labor pains dissipate and you find yourself back in the delivery room with your legs up in the air and your HooHa smiling out at the room.

In the last week I got 27 new listings up.
I wanted to have 70 new listings up in that time frame, or 10 per day.
Didn't quite happen, did it?lol

This was crunch time for listings since CyberMonday is tomorrow.
You are well aware that Online retailers get slammed tomorrow with orders but eBay also gets slammed on CyberMonday and I sure hope I am one of the lucky Slammees! 8-)

I did sell 5 items so far this weekend so I've got lots of packing/shipping to do today.
Then it's back to trying to get more listings up.

Later this week, I start discounting prices a bit since everyone loves a sale!lol 

I didn't get any atrocious buyers this week.  I did get a MAKE AN OFFER on something but it was a reasonable price so I took it.  And I have 1 potential Deadbeat right now.....and still lots of French folks wanting shipping quotes.....and I fielded a quote question from a new place-someone in Mauritius.  I bet you have no clue where that is either and you have to go mapquest it like I did. ;-)

*  I also relisted all my local Tag Sale site items again on Saturday, hoping some folks would look there for Holiday gifts when they weren't out cruising the mall.
And I have $138 in promised sales and I might have another $15 in possible sales for my efforts.  8-)

I did finally figure out that I need to run the Tag Sale items on either payday or the day before payday.
It appears everyone who uses that board to buy stuff lives paycheck to paycheck.
When I run the ad on weeks/days that aren't pay days I get people wanting to buy stuff but they want to wait to pay me on the 1st of the month or on fridays or whenever they get paid.

It shouldn't surprise me really and you would think I would have figured this out long before now.lol

It sort of makes me feel bad selling stuff to people who are living this way with their money.  I feel guilty that they are spending money they really can't afford on this crap and then when their car breaks or some emergency happens, they won't have the funds to take care of it, because they spent it on toys and dolls and stuff!
I am enabling and not helping them and I feel like a bad fiscal neighbor leading them astray.

But then again, if they weren't spending the money on my crap, they'd buy crap from somebody else, right?lol

So what are you up to today?

 Sluggy

Rite-Aid Deal for Anyone Who Spends $ at Home Improvement Stores...Hurry!

I forgot to mention this Deal earlier....duh!
If you are a home owner you probably end up spending money on your property at those big Home Improvement stores....you KNOW the ones I mean!lol

If you have spare cash to tie up until your next trip to Lowe's and/or Home Depot, head over to Rite-Aid TODAY.

One of their Black Friday Weekend Deals is this.....
Buy a $50 "Do It Yourself Home Improvement" Gift Card.
It looks like this....

Don't buy the identical one that you can put a range of cash into, buy the $50 one.  You pay no fees and it looks like it's a prepaid Discover card thing.  But you don't have to have a Discover card account to use this....sort of like prepaid American Express cards you can get but don't have to have an AmEx card to spend them.

Anyway, buy this card and you'll get $10 in +Up Rewards "money" for each one you buy.  There is a limit of 2 per Wellness card.

This is a great deal if you can afford to "tie up" your home repair/improvement funds in a gift card until you need to spend them at the store.
Or if you like someone you give gifts to at the Holidays $50 worth and they want this kind of thing, buy it for a gift and keep the $10 in "free" Rite-Aid script.

I went out on Black Friday(the ONLY shopping I did!)to Rite-aid and bought 2.
I'll be borrowing the BIL's card to get 2 more since he won't/doesn't need to get any of these.

This Deal ends tonight so get to Rite-Aid today.

Now I want to hear all about all you folks who rode the Crazy Train and hit the stores on Thursday and/or Friday.....insanely early wee hours of the morning or not and whether you get a buzz hitting the stores with your friends, if you go Holiday shopping on those days, you ARE riding the Crazy Train!lol

Me?  I went to Rite-Aid, grabbed my gift cards and was out of the store in 3 minutes.  No crowds, no lines, no sleep deprivation and no fist fights with coked up "people of walmart" types. 
Yes, I am boring but hey!....you knew that already. ;-)

Sluggy

The Darkest Day of the Year is Here!

*It's 3 am and I am headed to bed after staying up too too late to pack up things that sold on eBay and need to ship out today.  Don't make too much noise and wake me as y'all head out the door to shop, if you are so inclined.
Here's a repeat of my teeny rant last year on Black Friday.
The clip at the end is funny yet too close to the truth sometimes to be hilarious.
Enjoy!

Sluggyzzzzzzzz
***************************

Will you be out with the Shopping Fanatics on Friday morning?
Or will you be snug in your bed or headed to work at that early hour?
Me?....I don't 'do' Black Friday.

Besides the fact that I don't have many people to buy "stuff" for during the Holidays, it's rare that I want/need something so badly at an insanely low price that I'd brave the traffic headaches, go out into the Chaos of Crowds and stand in lines a mile long to pay in order to save money on an electronic/appliance/toy/article of clothing/etc.
But that's just me I suppose....
Hey, I am all over a great deal but even I have my limits.

If you do have the "Shopping Monkey on your back" and you'll be hitting as many stores as time will allow in a Shopping Bachanalia, remember that all that "stuff" you buy needs to fit into your already crowded with "stuff" home and once you are done with the new "stuff", it will most likely end up clogging up a landfill somewhere....and we are fast running out of places to dispose of all our unwanted "stuff" on this planet.  Consider these points and buy judiciously if you have to purchase "stuff".

The teens mostly want cash or gift cards and Hubs and I don't need more "stuff". I'm going to try to find ways to support local businesses this year when I do buy.
I'll try to find gift cards/certificates to buy off of local small merchants(for consumables or experiences mostly)and try to stay out of the big box stores.

Speaking of big box stores and Black Friday, have a lookie at this SNL skit and tell me that this isn't where we are headed.....



Since I sold a few things on eBay on Thanksgiving(bless all those cyber shoppers with nothing to do but watch football on Thursday!lol) I'll be packing and shipping when I'm not strolling down the aisles at Rite-Aid on Friday seeing what food/HBA items I can bring home for free(or close to it).

Whatever you are doing on Black Friday, stay safe, stay sane and stay warm!

Sluggy

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been up since 5am.
Seriously, who in their right mind gets up that early if they don't have to?!?!lol

Judy may have the Battle of the Thanksgiving Salt & Pepper Shakers but I've got Kermit Pilgrim.....

Now if I can just keep him out of my homemade Salted Caramel and Apple Pie, we'll be good to go.

And for Practical Parsimony who asked me what in the world is Bell's Seasoning, this is it....

It's just a pre-blended mix of herbs for stuffing....you know, sage, rosemary, thyme, that sort of thing.  It's a tradition for us.
Not frugal at $3 an ounce, but a tradition.

The pies were done yesterday, as was the stuffing.
I've got the roll dough rising, the rutabaga in the crockpot, the dip made and the turkey just went in the oven.
I've got time for a 2 hour nap now before I have to start drinking. ;-)

Hope your Thanksgiving is safe, comfortable(put on those fat pants today!), and surrounded by those you love(if not in body, in spirit).
Thanks for being my readers and my friends. 8-)

Sluggy

Turkey Day Prep is in Full Swing!

The photo above is for SonyaAnn.  It may not be a naked Santa but it's pretty racy, funny and a tad bit irreverent just like you.lol

Daughter is home and we are in full swing with the Thanksgiving meal prep.
*Turkey marinating...check.
*Cranberry glop in the fridge to chill...check.
*Pie filling made.....check.

Now I'm off to deal with the pie crusts.
Also on deck is toasting bread, chopping aromatics and sautéing them for stuffing, making a salted caramel apple pie(nomnomnom) and cubing the rutabaga for the crockpot.

I'm just hoping I can get all this done without having to run to the grocery store again. ugh

Here's hoping your meal prep is going well!

Sluggy

Tuesday Chit-Chat & Randomness

Hubs and I have solved the IRS/Brown Family dilemma.....
Kody and wife #1 file as married with 7 dependents(their kid and his and wife #3's 6 kids).
Wife #2 files as Head of Household(as she has a job)with 6 dependents(her and Kody's kids)
Wife #3 does not file a federal return(don't know if she has to file a state return or not in her state)...she has no income, child support or alimony so Kody take the kid deductions
Wife #4 doesn't file either as she has no job/income...unless she gets alimony and/or child support.  If her ex-husband pays child support, he takes the deductions on their 3 kids probably.  If she gets the deductions and receives alimony and/or child support then she does file as Head of Household.

Now next year(meaning for 2011 returns), Wife #4 with have a new kid with Kody, so he gets another dependent deduction. 
But since the moved to Vegas none of them have jobs....well except for the money TLC is paying them to be on the show, their tax stuff all changes for 2011.
 
Which brought up another point in Hub's mind. 
How is TLC paying them?  Since only 1 Sister Wife is legally married, they can't just pay Kody or Kody and wife.  They would have to pay each of the adults separately, which means they ALL have income now, even the SAHM ones.  So all but the 1st wife files as Head of Household now?
Ack....I need a Tylenol.....

At the suggestion of Sharon I have moved the Follower Button/Feature to the top of the blog.  She said it might encourage more people who drop by here to actually follow.  I feel like Sheldon a bit when I look at the blog because something just seems 'off' to me with it there.  No matter what I say to the contrary, I guess I don't adjust to change well.......

I do believe that half of France is shopping for the Holidays on eBay this year.  I am getting multiple inquiries each day about the shipping costs of this or that to France.  I've sold a thing here and there in the past to someone in France, but nothing like lately!  I thought France was in an economic crisis?  Seems the folks there with money still didn't get the memo.

And another observation about eBay......I get questions about shipping outside of the US frequently because I am one of the few US sellers who welcomes international customers.   I have learned over the years a few things.  One thing I'm going to say is going to sound sort of bad.  I'd call it a stereotype except that sometimes those have a basis in fact when you get down to it's core.  Here is my Un PC observation from many years on eBay--If you get a question about shipping to Netherlands, you might as well just ignore that person.
Why?
Because if they live in Netherlands they won't pay whatever the shipping cost is.
Why won't they pay it?
Because it will always be too expensive to them.
Yes, people from Netherlands are tightwads frugal shoppers.  I got it into my head that these people were cheap back in the 1980's.  My mother-in-law(one of the most frugal people I have known)had a book of money saving ideas.  One of those ideas was to cook beans under your mattress.....well, heat them up, then turn off the stove and put the covered pot under your mattress....the residual heat plus the insulation from the mattress would 'cook' your beans without using any additional energy.  I thought that tip was unique and strangely bizarre as a 20-something.  And that tip came from someone from, you guessed it.....Netherlands!  In face quite a few frugal tips were from persons from Netherlands.

Not too long after reading that book, a college friend went to visit someone who lived in the Netherlands.  What fun and exciting activity did her friend entertain her with?  They went walking.....walking for miles out into the sea in the muck left behind when the tide rolls out.  It's even got a name-Wadlopen or Mud Walking.
Wow!.....now that's living large.

I guess in my next life I might want to find myself located in the Netherlands.  My frugal butt would be much smaller and I would fit right in with that culture.
Except that mud walking thing.  I'd confine my exercise to biking or walking around town.

Here's something that I don't get.  Well I DO get it, but why anyone does it is a mystery to me.
I have a moderate feature on comments here on the blog.  Yes, I am a control freak that way.
The only thing that will get your comment banned is grossly inappropriate comments(slander, vulgar cursing, etc.)and spam.
I am constantly getting comments to moderate that are spam.  People who leave comments that are SORT OF innocuous and SORT OF say something on topic but have either 1-hyperlinked words in the text of the comment to sales sites or 2-the person's User Name, if clicked on, takes you to a sales site rather than their Blogger ID page.  Now you KNOW they are just trying to get either page views on their sites or trying to get people to buy stuff.  I don't appreciate being used nor does my teensy tiny blog.
If you are out there, doing this and reading now, KNOCK IT OFF!
Everyone else keep calm and carry on.....

I am off for some last minute Turkey Day food shopping.  Then to start digging out the dining room, baking pies and brining the bird.

Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
MONDAY--Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs
TUESDAY--Teriyaki Salmon w/ Veggie Fried Rice
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Kielbasa, Potato Salad, Cabbage
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Take-Out Pizza *at behest of Hubs and #2 son

No Breakfast for Dinner night, Chinese take-out instead.  No Squash casserole night because I never got to the Product market last week for said squash, so we had leftovers instead. And I was out voted on Saturday and a pizza was ordered(using a gift card).

Last week was all about many little food shopping trips revolving around....say it with me!....GRAVY!

8 transactions at Weis Markets(aka Evil Empire)and 1 trip to the RSS(aka Restaurant Supply Store)for blue cheese dressing(aka PRECIOUS).

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $91.07.

 

That sure sounds like A LOT of $$ to me, but look at what I got for that amount.....

93 cans of gravy

21 cans of soup

1 bag stuffing

4 bags of croutons

6 bags of frozen potato/onion rings

2 bags of salad

2 cans of pineapple

4 bags of cheese

8 containers of sour cream

2 cans of cranberry sauce

5 3-packs of yeast

11 single packs of yeast

2 boxes of broth

1 applesauce cups

2 boxes of pie crust

2 bags of green beans

1 gallon of dressing

1 14-cut cheesecake

1 turkey

The only thing missing is a Partridge in a Pear Tree.....

If I saw it all sitting out together I'd think I did good.  I need my visuals people!lol

My savings percentage was 72.40% last week, as the reg. retail was $329.84 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $213.52, which leaves me $36.48 to stay within my $250 monthly food budget.  Ok, I "really" have $39.48 since I have $3 in rebates this month to throw into the food kitty....which is how I handle rebate $. 8-)

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Tacos, Veg.
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Chili or Leftovers
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Yellow Squash, Bell Seasoning, Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Celery and Milk.  I have $20 in store Rewards I have to spend by Saturday or lose them, so I'll get as much of this as I can at the ShurSave store.  

This is the last food shopping Week in the month.  Between the free $20 rewards and the $39 I have left, I think I'll be able to stay under budget for November...yay!

 

Unless of course, I start jonesing for some more Gravy! lol

So have you run out of food budget yet this month?

Or do you have lots of cash left?

Sluggy

Gravy Impossible or The Final Chapter of The Great Gravy Caper

Well, I still needed 13 cans of gravy for the FB as we headed into Saturday.
So Hubs took me up to the Evil Empire(aka Weis Markets)after he went to the Bank.
We sneaked up on the PF/Campbell's/Swanson Display and as I reached for the first of 22 cans I planned on getting(have to buy in lots of 11 to get the $5 discount), I saw a NEW little sign hanging on the shelf that said, "LIMIT 8 CANS".
I channeled my dear dead pet chihuahua, Mango, and muttered, "Crap!".
The cashiers probably wouldn't enforce this limit if I had Hubs do 11 cans and I did 11 cans PLUS we were buying other stuff so the gravy wouldn't be obvious.

And frrankly, when I want to, I can charm the pants off the Pope(not that I'd want to do that, have you seen His Holiness?lol)so limit of 8 didn't put me off of gravy procurement at all!
But as Hubs was in attendance(and he likes to play things safe and boring), I decided not to push the limit.

I handed Hubs 7 cans of gravy & 5 cans of soup(to get the $5 discount), 4 strips of yeast, a handful of coupons and told him to go get 2 sour creams and a bag of shredded cheese and checkout.

I turned and grabbed 8 cans of gravy(this last 15 would give me the 13 I needed to fulfill the FB request + 2 extra)& 5 cans of soup(to get the $5 discount).  Then I picked up other goodies to the tune of $17.21 OOP after sales/Qs.

Hubs order came to $7.30 OOP


All totaled, 83 cans of gravy bought at reg. retail would have been $115.37.  Even on big discount sale at .50¢ a can, it would have cost upwards of $41.50. 
I was able to get it all for around $5 OOP.

All these last 35 lovely cans are headed to the Methodist Church tomorrow morning.

And about the photo above?
Yes, it is true!.....you can bathe in gravy!!
Check it out HERE.

Sluggy

What If?.....

What if Jim Morrison had been hired to replace LaVar Burton on PBS?
It might have gone something like this.....



Sluggy

2 Things......More Gravy Talk and PW Fallout

I trotted over to the local Food Bank this morning as planned.
Of course, when I get there, there is a hearse pulled up to the back door where I needed to go. Did I ever mention that the FB here is located inside the local Methodist Church? lol

So I peek in the door to see if the FB is even open today, given that there is a funeral service going on inside. Not 10 feet away in the vestibule, the pastor was doing something with the casket before wheeling the departed one into the chapel.
I have great timing, don't I?

There was a new to me FB lady who came out and got the 4 bags. I told her it was 48 cans of gravy(no, I didn't make another gravy run that morning before I headed up).
She said, "Great! We won't put this away. We'll leave it out and we can put a can in each Thanksgiving Box!" I expressed pleasure to see that they hadn't made up/given out the Holiday food boxes yet, as I had hoped to get the gravy to them in time to be used for Turkey Day.
The FB lady went on to say that they have 83 boxes to pack.
Wow! Last time I was at the FB they were running about 50 clients a month. 83 families in my teeny tiny town is massive!

I told her that I only had 48 cans but if she'd like me to get 83 cans I would. She said that would be great if we had 1 can for each box.
So after I left, guess where I went??lol
I got 22 more cans and Saturday Hubs will assist me in getting the last 13 cans so I can drop them off on Monday, in time to pack into the boxes going out on Tuesday.

And as for my previous post of today......
The fallout from my ranting was felt immediately! Not 10 minutes after revealing I just don't get this whole Pioneer Woman fascination, I lost a Follower....ACK!!!
Thank you Follower, whoever you are were....you have wounded me deeply.....or maybe not.....

Sluggy

Brain Dump....Random Things on My Mind

Ok, if MARK can do a Photo Dump on his blog, I am allowed to do a Brain Dump on my blog.
Yes, I said Brain Dump....deal with it!
You know....just putting all the random crap that bounces around in your head out on cyber-paper so you can stop thinking about it.

*I woke up this morning and my teeth all seem loose.  I don't know WHAT I was doing in my sleep(grinding, clenching?)but they seriously hurt!  I take pretty good care of my teeth and have regular check-ups.  Heck, last time the dentist couldn't find a speck of tartar on my chopper and I have no gum disease.  But today they hurt like a bitch and I am waiting for the Tooth Fairy to be making an appearance.

*You know what irritates me?.....Ok, that's a very long list....but something recently.
Mormon mommy bloggers.
Let me say first off, I have nothing against Mormons....unless they are on my front doorstep trying to give me literature.  (But then again, I don't want ANY devoteé on my front doorstep selling me religion.)
I believe everyone can/should believe what they want.  But please, keep it sacred and to yourself, much like your genitals.  Don't be whipping those or your religion out in public to beat anyone over the head with it to prove that yours is better than mine.  Ok, bad metaphor but you know what I mean.

Mormon mommy bloggers are fascinating.  So domestic and so uplifting and perky all the time most of the time on their blogs.  You can't tell me that even the most patient Mormon mommy blogger doesn't have moments when their brood drives them stark raving mad and they don't want to throttle their kids....C'mon!
And this NieNie person?  I want to know what her husband does for a living to afford all the money they seem to be dropping on airplane tickets, trips, stuff, etc.  And he must have one heck of a flexible schedule to be jetting off everywhere at a moment's notice.  And she needs to lay off the proselytizing and Mitt Romney links because she is driving folks away with that. My advice?....Stick to photos of your kids and telling your survivor story cuz those rock!

*And since we are on the subject of Mormons, it's but a short step to my next BD topic.....those Sister Wives folks on the TLC channel.
I confess, I have watched that show from the beginning.  I really like some of them though I do think that Cody guy is full of himself and tad bit narcissistic.
I woke up earlier this week as I was coming out of a vivid dream.  The dream was about the Sister Wives.  In the dream I was worrying about the IRS implications of the Sister Wives family.  I know.....I have too much time on my hands even when I am asleep.
But you have to admit, that come tax time, being part of a polygamist family has to be a nightmare!
Wife #1 is legally married by government standards and they have 1 kid & 2 incomes.  So they take a tax hit.
Wife #2 also works and has 6 kids.  Not legally married, does she file as Head of Household or Single?
And she makes out with 6 tax deductions.
Wife #3 is the problem for me.  She also has 6 kids but doesn't work so has no income to claim.  What must the IRS drone who gets her return think?  7 deductions and no visible means of support.....
Wife #4 has 3 kids from a previous marriage....who takes the deduction for the kids?  She must get some form of child support.

*I have had my eBay Store reopened for almost 2 weeks now and I am already having problems with stupid people. 
I had someone send me a Question to Seller asking the specific size of a miniature doll, as well as asking me to take the doll out of the sealed package and to email them more close-up pictures of the doll.  First off, if they had actually READ the listing it says that the doll is 1" tall.  There are 3 close-up pictures of the item where you can see that the said doll is visible.  And if I opened the sealed package it would no longer be New in Package as the listing states.  They also did NOT give me their email addy so I could email them the photos that they can already see in the listing.

I have had someone forget to pay me for 1 week though this was not a deadbeat but an eBay regular who just lost track of their dealings.  I quick nudge rectified the situation.

The worst has to be the people who don't know how to negotiate.  On occasion I put the "Make Me An Offer" feature on listings.  If you are unfamiliar with that, it allows potential Buyers to offer you less than what you have listed the item for.  You can then accept, decline or counteroffer them.  I believe they have 3 bids or chances to make an offer on any item before the system automatically rejects their dealings with the Seller.   When you make an offer to a Seller it is a good thing not to piss them off by offering them some outlandishly low sum.  And if you are in a counteroffering/bidding situation with a Seller, you need to man up and meet them halfway...or at least that is my take on things.  I had someone this week offer me $15 on an item I listed for $30.  While not outlandishly low, it was pretty insulting.  And seeing as I had just listing the item 1 day before, I was not about to sell it for that little.
So I made them a counteroffer by knocking $5 off the item, making it $25.
And guess what price they came back with?   $15.50.
I come down $5 and they come up .50¢.
As Suze Orman would say.....Denied!
So I send back a new counteroffer......$30. LOLOL

*And now I know I will piss off many of you with this one......
What is this fascination with the Pioneer Woman?
I just don't get it.
Ok, she cooks.  She takes photos of cattle and cowboys' rear ends.  She's written a book.
Can somebody please explain to me why I should care?lol  I've seen her recipes.  Not impressed.
And no, this does not come from some kind of jealousy or blog envy.   What she has works for her but it's not what I want.
I just don't get whatever it is everyone else sees.  If you put shots like the one above on her blog I might be easier to convince that I need to read her. ;-)

I see it as something similar to all this Oprah worship women do.  We get fixated on people and then can't get enough of them.  I think I am missing some female gene thing.

Whatever......
Ok, I guess my brain is empty enough now for some new thoughts.

So tell us.....What is on your mind?

Sluggy

Gravy....It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Back to Weis for some necessities......oh yeah, and more gravy.....

2 x Texas Toast Croutons on sale $1.25(since I need something to go with my blue cheese dressing=$2.50
4 x Breakstone Sour Cream on sale $1.50=$6.00
2 x OS Cranberry glop on sale $1.25=$2.50
1 x Yeast on sale=$1.50
2 x Sargento Cheese on sale $2.00=$4.00
2 x Swanson Broth on sale $2.00=$4.00
8 x Campbell's Gravy on sale .50¢=$4.00
SubTotal.....$24.50 ($41.59  reg. retail)

Coupons Used
2 x .50¢/1 Texas Toast Croutons IPQ(doubled)HERE=$2.00
2 x $1/2 Breakstone Sour Cream IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 OS Cranberry item IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x .40¢/1 Fleischmann's Yeast IPQ HERE(doubled)=$.80
2 x .55¢/1 Sargento Cheese IPQ(doubled to $1)HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Swanson Broth IPQ HERE=$1.00
Instant Discount on the Swanson/Campbell's items=$5.00
Coupon/Savings Total=$13.80

$24.50-$13.80=$10.70 OOP
That's a 74% savings rate over retail.
Oh, and I received a .50¢ Catalina Q for buying the Yeast.  I would have bought more but that was the last strip in the store.  (I'll get .40¢ back from Saving Star on this purchase too.)

The gravy and broth cost me $2.00 OOP.  Buying that broth upped my gravy cost to .20¢ per can in that order, so $1.60 OOP on just the gravy.  Broth is expensive bought in a container.  I'll stick to boiling my meat bones and skin and making my own to stick into the freezer for later.

We are up to 48 cans for the food bank.  If I take that .50¢ Catalina Q I can get 11 more cans of gravy for ZERO OOP tomorrow morning before heading over to the food bank to drop all this off.
59 cans does sound much nicer than 48 cans, dontcha think?lol

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops..... ;-)

Sluggy

And Then She Went Back to the Store......

Well I didn't get nearly enough done yesterday as I had planned....especially the number of eBay listings.
But I did make it back to the stores for food shopping.

First it was to the restaurant supply store....afterwards to be referred to as RSS.  Since I had to be over at the Orthodontic office to get #2 son's new retainer(grrrr), I went looking for the other location of my RSS.  Yes, I was pleased to see that there is a second location on the opposite end of town from the one that was flooded out in September. 8-)
So we found the store and I picked up "My Precious....My Precious".....cue Gollum music......

I know the fat & the chemically things in it will probably kill me but this brand is the BEST BLUE CHUCKINGFEESE DRESSING that I have ever eaten!
If I wasn't such a tightwad, I'd buy enough gallons of this to fill my bathtub and I'd roll around nekkid in it.
Seriously.
That.
Good.

I would steal pennies out of small children's piggy banks for the money to buy this dressing.
I would divorce my man if he made me choose between him and My Precious......
If I ever end up on Death Row, THIS will be part of my Last Meal before hitting the big Electric Chair, and I hope they wet the sponge that goes on my head under the headgear with this instead of water.

Luckily, all I had to do was fork over $18.55 to get some this time. ;-)

I just wish they sold it in something a bit smaller than industrial sized drum!  A gallon of Dressing lasts a very long time and takes up serious real estate in the fridge.  It is a bargain with the Devil I am glad to make.

On the other hand, large sized containers DO save you serious money in the long run.

Speaking of which, it's Fall so I had to pick up this as well.......

It's a jar of Pumpkin Pie Spice and yes, it was $4.99.  The local store buys and prepares their own huge containers of spices at a discounted price.
Why mess around with having to buy ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove when I can just buy them already mixed together for dumping into pies?

$4.99 seem high to you?
Well when you show this jar next to the jars you usually buy/see in the spice aisle at your local food mart, you see why I will spend $4.99 on this.....

Yes, that 1 ounce sized jar costs around $3.  I spent $2 more but I got 6 times the amount!
So which would you choose.....1 jar for $4.99 or 6 jars for $18?

And yes, it will ALL get used before it gets old.  Not only will I become a squash piemaking factory between now and New Year's but this blend is good in many other things like savory squash sides, in chili(believe it our not!), in tea, coffee, hot cocoa, oatmeal and more.

And I was able to drag myself out after dinner last night to Weis "let's turn your upside down and steal the change that comes pouring out of your pockets" Markets.  I spent my $5 Catalina Q on a 14.25lb. turkey.  At .58¢ a lb. and after my $5 Cat, this bird cost me $3.26.
Then it was off to the gravy display........

I lugged home 18 more gravy cans.
Between these and the 5 cans of soup not pictured, I spent $1.50 OOP.  I am keeping the soup. 
The gravy only transaction was .50¢ OOP.
The gravy/soup transaction was $1.00 OOP, so those 12 cans came to .08¢ a piece, making the gravy part of it .58¢ OOP.

I am keeping the 8 cans I bought last Friday and on Monday, so I have 40 cans so far to donate, at a total cost to me of $2.08.

I'll be trotting back to Weis later today for more, well.....you know....lol

Sluggy

Wednesday Chit-Chat

Well I've showered, done a load of laundry, poured my morning iced tea(don't judge me!), printed a fistful of Qs off, cooked and had my steel cut oats, taken dinner out to thaw(salmon), read my bloggy friends musings, lined up 9 eBay listings to write and mailed a package(well it's on the porch and the mail lady is coming to ME!lol).
And it's only 10 am.
Usually I am just rolling out of bed at this hour......sometimes later. ;-)

We are on Thanksgiving Countdown here!
T-Minus 8 days and counting.
Actually, I need to get the house in order by Sunday, as one of the BILs will be arriving from SC on that day.  He is not staying through to Thanksgiving but still, the house needs to be presentable even if the kitchen will be a disaster since I'll be scrubbing out the fridge and cleaning/organizing/going through the pantry foodstuffs.  He'll sit in Hubs recliner all day anyway except when he's getting himself more coffee or trying to get me to fix him food/wait on him......good luck with that last thing!lolol

And did I mention Hubs took off all of next week from work?  At least he can keep his brother amused and stay the hell outta my way unless I need something broken mangled fixed moved around the house.

Then Daughter arrives home on Tuesday and I am sure her Beau will be arriving shortly afterwards. He may be staying here since he still doesn't have a place to live due to the flooding in September of his mom's house.  I think he is still staying with his Grandmother off and on.  Daughter is suppose to assist with the Turkey Day meal but otherwise I don't think I'll be seeing much of her....unless she needs money, then I'll be seeing her out stretched hand.....

I also have to empty the dining room so we all have a place to eat together next Thursday.
This is where I'll need assistance since the dining room is eBay Central.  I store the crap I am selling in tubs in the living room but I photograph and pack everything in the dining room.  Meaning that room is full of bubblewrap rolls, newspapers and shipping boxes.  That has to all go into the garage until next Friday.

Speaking of eBay......
I've sold 14 items in the last 10 days.  I'm not upset about the slow start since my worry/concern until Black Friday is to get my Store loaded with items.  I am striving for 10 listings a day but I've only done 8 per day the last couple of days, so I'm falling behind my goal.  I've got 65 live listings at the moment and I hope to have 75 more done by next Friday for a total of 140(unless I sell some things between now and then).  140 would be a fine goal and make me smile! 8-))

I'll be heading to Weis Markets aka The Evil Empire in a bit for......wait for it.......more gravy!!lol
I've also got a $5 Cat Q to spend and a few other good deals to pick up.

I hate having to go out after school hours, as I find my energy ebbing around the 3pm hour, but today it can't be avoided.  #2 son threw away his brand new retainer.  We've been trying to track it down(he threw it away at someone else's house)for the last week or so and were crossing our fingers it would turn up but no such luck.  Now we have to go replace it.  We had to replace Daughter's when she sat on it(lol)so we are giving #2 son a FREEBIE this time and he won't have to pay for it.  I am not happy but if it happens again, HIS WALLET WON'T BE HAPPY!lol  Having to go to the other side of Wilkes-Barre to the Orthdontist's nice, fancy, new office to have the retainer fitted after 3pm is NOT making me happy either.  Rainy weather, pre-rush hour traffic and having to race home to feed ravenous canines and to slave over a hot stove for dinner. 
I'll be using up my Cranky Cards later today.....

I have posted a Vital & Timely Poll that needs your attention, up on the top of the right sidebar.
Please exercise your inalienable right as a Citizen of Bloggyland and vote!

Sluggy

Some Frugal Weekend Fun with Hubs.....

And no, it is NOT that kind of fun!
SonyaAnn, Mark.....get your minds out of the gutter you two!lol

As we drive around doing our shopping errands Hubs and I notice stuff on the back of the cars.  We often watch for funny bumper stickers on cars as we tool around town.  It is our frugal fun thing to do and something to do while sitting in the car.  Other than the money for gas(which we'd have to spend anyway), it's cheap entertainment.

I sure wish I had had my camera with me to snap some photos on Saturday because we found 2 real gems!

We love to find cars with things on them that kind of don't go together.....non sequiturs......contrary ideas or concepts.   Kind of like that WIFE SWAP TV Show that would pair up two families with widely contrasting personalities and then switch moms and watch all hell break loose for our viewing pleasure.  So it's kind of like Wife Swap for cars.   Follow me here.....

The first car had 2 bumper stickers.  The 1st one on the back door of the SUV read....
"Remember to Keep Christ in Christmas".....A nice very religious sentiment, right?

The other sticker, located on the bumper read....
"If I wanted to listen to an asshole, I'd fart"......not such a loving neighborly thought, is it?



Then we got a special twofer day!  As we were pulling out of the parking lot at Weis Markets and we saw another set of non sequiturs on a car.

This car had one of those metal "Fish" symbols that denote the person is a Christian or a Catholic.
Across from the fishy was a bumper sticker that read....
"Badass Ta-Tas"

Yep, a pious soul with a smokin' bode!!

No folks, I can not make this stuff up!

Sluggy

Just for Judy......Can You Spell Gravy?

So after dropping 3 packages at the PO that have to go overseas(eBay sale...yay!), I trotted over to Weis to hunt down the moving Gravy Display.
Found it!.....the Evil Managers at Weis may be good, but I am BETTER!
Muuuwaaaaaah!

1 x PF Cornbread Stuffing on sale=$2.50
4 x Campbells Gravy on sale=$2.00
6 x Campbells cooking Soups on sale=$4.80
SubTotal....$9.30

Coupons Used
1 x $1/5 Campbells Soup IPQ=$1.00
Instant Discount WYB $15 of PF/C/S Deal=$5.00
Coupon Total...$6.00

OOP....$3.30

They tried to pull a fast one on me too!
I forgot that the reg. retail shelf tag on this soup was $1.25.
There was no shelf tag on the endcap where they moved/hid the Display and the Display sign said the reg. retail on the soup was $1.49.....which meant I only needed 5 soups to get to the $15.
Well the little sonofabitchcans rang up $1.25-.45¢=.80¢, not $1.49-.69¢=.80¢.
So I was one can short of getting my $5 off the order.

I made one of the cashier/front end gals, who was bored to tears just standing around because nobody was in the store but me, go get me another can of soup because I was sure as heck not walking the length of that store one. more. time. for. one. can.

26 cans and counting.   lol

I've got until Friday morning when I head over to the food bank to run this Deal some more.
Maybe I'll go against my good sense and sneak into Weis on Tuesday and run the old people gauntlet on Senior Day for more gravy.
I wonder if Judy would let me borrow her mom too?lol

Or maybe not since it will take me hours to park, do the shop and get out of the parking lot.
That still leaves Wednesday and Thursday.
What do y'all think? ;-)

 Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 2, Meal Plan Week 3

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Pork Chops, Cabbage, Sweet Potato Fries
MONDAY--Cheeseburgers, Green Beans
TUESDAY--Chicken Quesadillas, Corn
WEDNESDAY--Chinese Take-Out

THURSDAY--Lasagna, Salad *Lasagna is in the freezer leftover from previous meal
FRIDAY--Leftovers(I finished up my Crab Soup, Hubs had his Chinese.)
SATURDAY--Light Lunch out w/Hubs(salad) and Scrounging for Dinner(I had a can of Beefaroni)


Basically the meal plan was adhered to except for the Salmon, which was moved to this week's menu.

I come into this week with leftover grilled chicken from Tuesday's dinner.  I used it in this Sunday's dinner.

See my previous posts with my food shopping for last week.  Besides what I posted about I also hit another ShurSave store(one that takes IPQs)and finished off the spending needed to get my gift certificate reward.  I bought pie crusts, cranberry sauce(used IPQs), 7-Up, chips, baking cups, cookies(used ManuQ) and 2 big bags of dog chow(used IPQs)and spent $36.01.  6 of these items also counted toward the store making a $5 donation to the Wounded Warriors Project in my name.  That's a win/win as far as I'm concerned. 8-)
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $65.66.

My savings percentage was 75.10% last week, as the reg. retail was $263.69 on the groceries I brought home.  That $42 on the gift card went a long way toward lowering my OOP for the week.

My running total spent for the month is now at $122.45, which puts me right on target to stay within my $250 monthly food budget. 

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
MONDAY--Spaghetti & Meatballs
TUESDAY--Teriyaki Salmon w/ Veggie Fried Rice
WEDNESDAY--Kielbasa, Potato Salad, Cabbage
THURSDAY--Squash Casserole & Leftovers
FRIDAY--Breakfast for Dinner
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Cabbage, Squash, Eggs and the weekly ubiquitous milk purchase. 

If I find anything to stock up on for cheap this week I have about $60 to play with this week plus $25 in free money from a Catalina Q and 2 Store Rewards.

How about you? 
Do you have your Turkey Day menu set yet?

I am having trouble finalizing mine.  I am having 7 over for the meal but Daughter's BF is a picky eater I am told, #2 son is sort of picky, the Nephew is very picky and Daughter is probably on a diet after eating at the college dining hall for the last 2+ months.  She tells me they put laxatives in all the food because there is no fiber or vegetable matter and it's all highly processed junk so they have to, to keep everyone from being constipated and wreaking havoc on the schools plumbing.
Okay......lol

I have a turkey and I'll do stuffing.  I might fore go mashed potatoes and do baked sweet potatoes instead.  Rutabagas are a definite seasonal thing I fix at the Holidays and I'll make corn for the picky BF(because it's the only veg he'll eat).  I'll probably make a green veggie too, cranberry sauce, rolls and pie.  I will just do a crudité plate(raw veggies and dip)beforehand.

So what's on your menu for next Thursday?


Sluggy

Grocery Store Games.......Who's Got the Card? & Gravy Hide & Seek

Well my nefarious shopping plan was foiled yesterday.
This Sharsave grocer where I got the .49¢ lb. turkey with a $35 purchase last week?
It was a limit of 1 per loyalty card.
Now, for some reason I can't recall, Hubs has a separate loyalty card from mine....different numbers on the cards so I was forever yelling at him during previous years "points toward a gift certificate" deals because he'd use HIS card and not mine, so our points got split up between the two cards and I couldn't get to the amount of spending needed to get the free certificate.

So since I got to my point total for the cert. on MY card this year(plus got a $10 Baking reward to spend), I was going to use his card on Saturday(while the Baking reward deal was still going on)to get another Turkey for .49¢ lb. by spending $30 on qualifying baking items & $5 more on other sale deals.
So with the turkey being about $6-$7 after the discount, I'd spend $41-$42 and get a turkey, $35 of other items AND another $10 Baking reward to spend next week.

Ya still following this crazy train of a thought process?
I even had a list of everything I was going to buy and had it all figured out.
So Hubs pulls into the parking lot at the grocery store and I ask him for his card.....that's when the plan shit the bed.
Hubs had sometime in the last year THROWN AWAY His Card!
Not just put it away in his sock drawer or something, but thrown it in the trash.
Ugh.

"Curses, foiled again!", as Snidely Whiplash would say.

So I put my butt back in the car and tried not to grumble and we headed over to Weis "let's remodel the store during a Recession and jack up all the prices to pay for it even more than the economy is forcing us to" Markets.
At least I still had the PF/Campbell's/Swanson Deal to do.  I talked about it HERE if you need to get up to speed on this deal.

So I grab a cart and hobble over to the big ass PF/C/S display......
at least where it WAS the day before.
And they have taken it down or hidden it somewhere else in the store but I don't have the energy or the desire to go hunting for it, those blasted charlatans......grrrr....
So I go over to the gravy aisle.....after looking for where they have moved the gravy to......and of course it is NO WHERE NEAR the broth/stock/soups but near the ketchup and one aisle over from baby stuff?....if you were wondering.

Now I KNOW they have at least 20 pallets of this gravy.
I saw it late on Friday night over in the big ass PF/C/S display.
But they have not restocked the gravy on the shelves.  There are about 50 cans and of course it's on the TOP SHELF and just trying to use a ladle, for sale in a package, hanging on the front of the shelf, to try to get enough cans because they are ALL against the back of the shelf and have to be coaxed forward to reach!

So Hubs who is NOT much taller than myself proves to be deft with that ladle and we got 22 cans.

Since I don't have any Qs, I head to the self-checkout and start scanning gravy cans.  After 11 cans, I get over the $15 reg. retail and the $5 instant discount comes off....rah!

So I make the strategic error of going for 1 transaction with all 22 cans, hoping I can do the $5 off again in a single transaction.
Bad move.....no $5 discount for the 2nd set of cans.

So I put the HELP LIGHT OF SHAME on and call for a Front End employee to remove 11 cans of gravy from my order.  And to make it even worse, the FE guy had to remove each. single. can. one. at. a. time.
Frankly I could care less about doing this, "making a scene", but Hubs, who doesn't want to be part of my shenanigans, gave me the stink eye when he had to unbag and rebag those 11 cans.

So I did the 22 cans of gravy in 2 transactions.

Each transaction cost me a whole .50¢ after discount.
I spent $1.00 OOP on all this gravy.

I sure wished I could have gotten more to take to the local food bank this coming Friday but Hubs was in NO MOOD after this.

So I pick up the Weis ad this morning for this coming week and what do I see??
Yep, the PF/C/S Instant Discount Deal is still on!
Now I HAVE TO go back and find where they have moved that display to!

Hubs believes they have cameras in the parking lot and when my car pulls in, some early warning system goes off inside the store and they hide whatever it is that's a great deal that week just to piss me off.
I tend to believe he is correct some days.....

Sluggy

Got My Stuffing!....More Boring Food Shopping

I hit Weis for the Pepperridge Farm/Campbell's/Swanson Deal on Friday....

2 x PF Cornbread Stuffing on sale=$5.00
4 x Campbell's Soup on sale .80¢=$3.20
4 x Campbell's Gravy on sale .50¢=$2.00
1 x Dr Pepper Ten on sale=$1.67
Subtotal....$11.87

Coupons Used
1 x .25/4 Campbell's Gravy ManuQ(doubled)=$.50
1 x .30/4 Campbell's Cooking Soups ManuQ(doubled)=$.60
1 x FREE ITEM Dr. Pepper ManuQ=$1.89 *
1 x Instant $5.00 off Discount WYB $15 of deal items=$5.00
Discounts Total.....$7.99

$11.87-$7.99=$3.88+.10¢tax(on soda)=$3.98 OP
Regular retail would have been $18.43 on all this stuff, for a savings of 78%.
EGADS! 
$18.43 for this little pittance?  It's a wonder how people who don't shop the sales, loss leaders and/or use coupons or deals can afford to feed themselves anymore!

*The cashier took off the regular price of the Dr. Pepper instead of the sale price, so I got an extra .22¢ discount.   Kind of makes up for having to pay tax on that soda, huh?  ;-)

I was all set to hand over my $5 Catalina Q to roll it after I gave her my coupons but then I realized that the PF/Campbell's/Swanson Deal was an INSTANT DISCOUNT, NOT a Catalina Deal.

No harm, no foul....I just have to hope for a Cat Deal next week to roll it or I'll have to spend the $5 Cat.

So I realized while laying in bed last night that you could do that PF/C/S Deal and get 12 cans of Gravy for $1.00  12 cans is over $15 reg. retail.  It comes to $6.00 on sale this week and after the instant $5 discount, Voila!....$1 OP without any Qs.

Maybe I need to drop by Weis today again and get a load of gravy for the Food Bank?  Since not everyone makes it from scratch, it could be a worthwhile donation.

If you just want the Soup it will run you $4.60 for 12 cans w/out Qs and after the instant discount.

Other than Weis and the local Shursave grocer, I am off to do some shopping today with Hubs.  Heading to KMart, Fashion Bug(to use a gift card I've had since last Xmas!lol) and who knows where else at this point.lol

Sluggy

Got Decluttering P*rn?.......Some People Need a CLUE!

Another Load for Salvation Army already, leaving today or tomorrow, depending on if Hubs feels like dropping it off today or not.

I'm turning into a crazy purging woman I tell ya!  Ok....so you knew the crazy part already.....

2 more Yoda Star Wars Complete Galaxy Figure Set
1 Darth Vader Star Wars Complete Galaxy Figure Set
1 more Star Wars 12" Action Figure
1 Power Rangers Falcon Summoner toy

3 Star Trek 12" Action Figures

1 Set of plastic shelving

1 Book
2 plastic plates
1 plastic popcorn bucket
a ceramic commemorative miniature plate(try saying that fast 10 times!lol)
3 sets of notecards/stationery
1 set of vintage diaper pins
1 power rangers music tape

1set of Pokemon curtains
1 Star Wars top sheet
1 Power Rangers sleeping bag

4 Star Trek Miniature Playsets
2 Sheets of Cat in the Hat Window Clings

2 Silver plated Serving Dishes *I forgot to take a photo before I bubble wrapped these suckers so I borrowed this photo off of someone's eBay listing ;-)  So just imagine 2 of these things here.
 
I have to tell y'all a FUNNY thing that happened.
A few months back, I tried to link one of my Decluttering posts to a Blog That I Care NOT to Name Here, who's focus is on Cleaning and Making Your Home Happy and Functional.  She has a link up thing every once and awhile.
Even though she is not one of those militant Christian Mommy Blogs(you KNOW the ones...), I mistakenly believed she had a sense of humor!  And that she would totally "GET" my tongue in cheek Decluttering post titles where I refer to the crap you declutter as P*rn.  It's not like I actually typed out P-O-R-N, right?

Evidently she was born without lower frontal lobes in her brain that control our sense of funny.

Because a few hours after linking to her Linky Thing, she removed me!
Just like that!.....no email to me asking me what WAS I thinking or letting me know why she pulled my bloggy plug. 


Ok Miss Thing Who has decidedly NO sense of humor or fun.
I can now say I have seen it all!
I've met someone with a smaller sense of humor than Sheldon.


Sluggy