Go Feel Some Warm Fuzzies

Ok, I just had to share this after I saw it on my friend Alisa Rickett's Facebook page.

I dare you to go watch this clip and NOT smile!
If you're like me, you'll dissolve into a puddle of teary-eyed goo by the end.....

Sluggy

Why O Why O Why O.....

In a few weeks here,  the Hubs & I will be taking a short jaunt to Ohio.
Since we'll be dropping off #2 Son at camp on the western edge of PA, we'll take the opportunity to spend some time alone with each other out that way.  We figure we'll cross over into Ohio and see what there is to see and do there.
So if anyone knows of any thing to "see and/or do" while in eastern Ohio--meaning from Columbus and on over to the right of there in the state--please leave a comment with some suggestions.
And no, we don't do amusement parks and we aren't going up to Cleveland, but anything else we would love to hear some ideas!  ;-)

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan Week 4+/Week 1

I hope everyone had a reflective Holiday. Let's open today's Food post/Meal plan with this clip I "lifted" off someone else's blog......

***********************
And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Baked Tilapia, Stuffed Clams, Mixed Veggies
MONDAY--TV Dinners from the back of the freezer....uh, oh.....
TUESDAY--Sloppy Joes, Corn on Cob(or COC as it's known around here)
WEDNESDAY--London Broil and Pineapple on the grill
THURSDAY--Sausage or Chicken patty Sandwiches, Harvard Beets
FRIDAY--Chinese take-out
SATURDAY--Leftovers

We finally got those dreadful tv dinners outta here! Just 1 night of take-out. The weekly food spending was $129.85 this past week.
Again with the going over $100 in a week. ugh 4 times to the grocery stores this past week. I bought some London broils and chicken breast(BOGO deals)and then I spazed out and bought SIX BOXES of frozen fruit bars!lol It seemed like the most logically thing to do at the time and given the sale price and the heat the last few days, those suckers will be gone in no time.lol

Value of food bought was at $210.79 so my savings rate was 38.40% for the week. Total spending for the month to this point is $327.99. It's a good thing I 'upped' my food budget to $400 for May, huh?

************************
 In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with a little Sloppy Joe left, half of the London Broil I cooked last week. After Monday's cook-out I also have a large amount of baked beans and potato salad to use up this week.
The weather here is extremely hot for May, at least until Thursday so I'll be avoiding running the oven until then.

This week's menu.....
SUNDAY--Leftovers and/or Whoppers
MONDAY--Burgers/Dogs cookout, baked beans, potato salad
TUESDAY--Alfredo with veggies and steak slices, tossed salad
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers (crazy schedules night)
THURSDAY--Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, saute veggie mix
FRIDAY--Pizza
SATURDAY--BLTs or Cheese Steaks(diners choice)

This menu gives us 5 new meals and 2 nights of leftovers(or 1 night of leftovers and 1 night of fast food).
As for items I need to buy for this week......hot dog rolls, sauerkraut, meatballs, tomato, lettuce. We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fresh fruit.

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

The Perfect Day for P*rn

Just when you thought it was safe to lurk here again, the P*RN is back!
The DeCluttering Porn, that is. hehehehe

And here we go!

1 x GI Joe Classic Dwight Eisenhower
1 x Barbie Princess Bride
1 x Atlanta 1996 Olympic Porcelain Plate
1 x black men's jeans(used)
1 x women's wallet(used)
1 x sewing pattern-medieval wench(used)
1 x classic movie monsters pen set
1 x Cherished Teddy in box
1 x Lego set(used)
2 x flat king sized sheets

1 x Star Wars Throw Pillow(used)
5 x Men's T-Shirts(used)
This lot courtesy of #1 Son cleaning out the closet in his old room a couple of weeks ago.

 7 x Micro Machines Star Wars Playsets

1 x Metal Water bottle
1 x 1996 Rep. National Convention Pin Set
7 x Matchbox Miniature Comm. Trucks/Cars in boxes
2 x AirWick Fragrance Holders
1 x Gameboy Case(used)
6 x Disney Millenium Pins
2 x Matchbox cars(used)
1 x Key Holder/Lanyard(used)
1 x Silver Winne the Pooh Charm

Looks like a nice pile of stuff leaving here, huh?
Well, it would be, except that it's tiny compared to all the crap that Daughter brought back from college.
Remember this?....

Imagine that red cart filled TWICE full of crap.
And now imagine that HALF of what was hauled home actually made it into Daughter's room.
Yes, a full cart of that crap landed in my garage........

And it sure takes up more room that what I got rid of.
Ick.

I already feel another load of decluttering forming, at least in my brain.....

I just realized that this is my first bit of decluttering since February and Carla's Decluttering Challenge Month.
I've gone almost 3 MONTHS since I decluttered last!

So how about you?
Have you gotten your DeCluttering Porn on yet this year?
Now that the good weather is here, it's time to fling open those garage/basement/closet doors and wage the battle with your Clutter Demons again.
Who knows?  Maybe this year is the year you WIN that Battle!!

If you've got some spare time this long weekend, pick an area in your home to declutter.
Just give yourself 15 minutes and see what you can find that needs to leave your house.
What could you live without?
What is laying around that adds nothing to your life anymore?
What is no longer useful?
What is no longer adding joy or beauty to your life?

Go ahead and donate, recycle or throw it OUT!
Make it a blessing in someone else's life if it no longer is one in yours.

Sluggy

Frugaled Out, The Weekend Plans & Songs for a Friday

Like I was just commenting to SonyaAnn over on her blog today, I think I've lost my Frugal Gene.
Ok, maybe just hidden it away somewhere.
I haven't hunted a deal in ages really.
As for hitting up lots of different grocery stores for deals?.....hasn't happened in months and months.
The deals just aren't good enough to get me to drive all over the place.  It just seems a big waste of my time and gas, what with the current prices of that! ugh

I stay in town except on rare occasion and buy at Weis PMITA Market or the ShurSave affiliate independent market.
And if I use a coupon it's a fluke.
And no Rite-Aid still.  The last trip to Rite-Aid was in MARCH.....almost 2 full months ago!
I know some of you are whoozy at that news and need to sit down.lol

But I still don't need any more toiletries.  We are still going strong on my big big stash of those.  So there is no point buying more, even if it's practically free, right? ;-)

I've got some +Ups sent from corporate(for ones that didn't print)I have to use by the end of June so I know I'll be heading back there next month.  But other than that, I'll be laying off of Rite-Aid until the Fall.

I've still got a huge Toiletries stockpile.
I've still got a huge toilet paper stockpile.
I've still got a huge laundry detergent stockpile.
I've still got a decent household cleaners(including hand washing dishes soap/dishwasher soap)stockpile.

As for the food stockpile it's getting leaner and meaner every day.
Lots of pasta, tomato products, peanut butter, spices, canned fruit, hot cocoa, coffee, oatmeal, canned soup, rice, ketchup, mustard, dry soup mix and olive oil.
Using up stuff I no longer stockpile like salad dressing, barbecue sauce, cold cereal, jelly, etc.
I'm going out in the garage this weekend and reorganizing it all.

You are all thinking I am crazy to want to spend a Holiday working in my garage, but since it's suppose to be in the mid to high 80's here, the garage will be the coolest place to be in my house! lol
Plus the kids won't want to be anywhere near the garage working so I'll have some peace and quiet too.
A win/win situation if ever there was one.

If Hubs gets the pool ready I'll probably spend some time in that too, pretending it's not too cold still to swim in it.
No other plans really.
Just sit around and relax, do a few things around the house and drink a few adult beverages this weekend.

I hope you do something you want this weekend too.
I'll leave you with this musical interlude.

Here's a band I used to like a lot in the past.  They started out in Ohio but early on in their musical development they spend a good deal of time in my old stomping grounds in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which includes the southside metro area of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Va. Beach and Newport News, Hampton, Yorktown and Williamsburg on the peninsula side.

The band is Blessid Union of Souls, or Blessid Union as they refer to themselves now.  They gained popularity in the 1990's and had a Top Whatever Hit you might recognize which is the 2nd clip below.

The first clip is my favorite song of theirs called "Oh Virginia".  It's a homage to their time there. 
If you google it you can find a music video they did for it but it's fairly lame.  I think their record label at that time put about $8.57 into the production budget for it. ;-)
So I am featuring a live rendition they performed at a gig in Tennessee instead.

There is a longish harmonica solo which isn't part of the song, but the guy is very good.  The mouth organ gives the tune a very 1990's flavor so much so that you expect Blues Traveler's John Popper to jump up from behind an amp.

The guitarist also does some crazy riffs and if I'm not mistaken I heard some Jimmy Page "Misty Mountain Hop" in there, which segued into the beginning of  the Kinks "You Really Got Me" intro.

Ok, so nobody knows WHAT I am talking about so I'll just shut up and bring on the tunes.
Crank it up, put your hands together and Enjoy!!!

And have a great weekend!

Oh Virginia


Hey Leonardo!

Sluggy

Oh Hell No!

Let me take off my mom cap for a moment.
You know....the cap that makes every mom(or dad)out there with kids the protector of your offspring no matter what.
When people do things to your kids that aren't nice.....like lie to them, cheat them, mistreat them in some way, this cap turns you into a defender of your kids.

Even when your kid might be the one who caused the issue or is at fault in some way, this "cap" makes you blind to your kids faults.
Yeah, I am talking about being objective when it comes to something involving your own kids.

So setting my "cap" aside let me tell you about last Saturday.
#2 Son did a Relay for Life event.
I don't know WHO organizes or runs this one, but it takes place on the high school football field, so the school district is involved in some mysterious way.
I also know they are involved because #2 Son was asked to participate....no, it was more like OBLIGATED to participate through the school's band program he is heavily involved in.
Yes, he was "forced" to go to this thing and given the honor of paying them $20 for the privilege.

Can you see that I am starting out as not much of a fan of this particular event?
Yes, I know they raise money for the cancer research, etc. so it's a good cause, but I digress.

So it's a 24 hour deal.
Held outside on the football field.

Saturday here was very warm.
More importantly it was a very sunny day with little cloud cover.

Now I know #2 Son should have had more sense at some point when he discovered that he was close to SUN POISONING to have immediately called us to come pick him up.
But no....he was having way too much fun with his band friends to notice that despite all the SPF60 he was slathering on that he was turning into a burn patient.

These were the back of his lower calves/ankles 3 DAYS after his exposure.
I won't show you his arms, necks or his blistering nose.

By the time he came home on Sunday, he had swelled up, was running a fever.  I slathered him in Aloe Gel, gave him some painkillers and sent him to bed.  He slept 15 hours straight.
I kept him home from school until he could stand to have clothing on the affected areas again. I was just waiting for someone at the school to call and insist he come in, so I could tell them fine, but he can only wear underwear at this point!

He is finally feeling better, though the puss filled blisters haven't hit yet and THAT will freak him out.

When he came in the door and I saw him on Sunday morning I kept calm and asked if he had been putting sunscreen on during the day.
He said he had but he is a teenage boy so I'm sure he wasn't diligent or regular with applying it.
I know my kid....

Then he said something that made my head explode......

He said that he didn't have any place to get out of the sun and into the shade.

Each group who entered this thing got a tent(or tents).  Tent meaning one of those sun shade tents/awning things.
That's all great but you see, there was NOT enough room under the tents to get everyone out of the sun.
And certain people(adults)brought chairs and parked under the tents and took up all the space.
Meaning certain other people(kids)had no room to get under the tent and out of the sun.

Now isn't that just lovely!?!?
Thank you inconsiderate boobs!

And I want to know what NIMROD running this CrapFest had the bright idea to NOT provide enough shelter for EVERYONE there to get out of the sun?!?!

Is it not ironic that my kid spent a day raising money for BREAST CANCER and in the process also raised the likelihood that he'll wind up with SKIN CANCER!

Now isn't that just lovely?

And here is my message for this CrapFest's organizer......

Sluggy

The Week That Flew By/Dragged On

The one where I fill y'all in on what's been going on around Chez Sluggy lately.....

On the evening of May 10th, #1 Son and his Girlfriend arrived, after driving the full length +  of Pennsyltucky from college.  Finals were over and it was good to see them.
The next morning the 3 of us piled into my minivan to drive 200+ miles back across Pennsyltucky to retrieve my Daughter from her school.

I sat in the car while the 3 of them piled stuff into carts and bags and hauled it down to me so I could strategically pack the van.

Notice Daughter taking her sweet time sashaying back to the dorm to help below.....

And look who got the job of pushing the cart full of her crap up the hill(her brother) and who got the job of carrying 6 garbage bags at once like a pack mule(her brother's girlfriend), while Daughter just carried her guitar.

They informed me later that Daughter just stood around and "directed" up in the room while they bagged(she hadn't even prepared anything beforehand to move it!)and carted her belongings.  They ended up making 2 trips filling that cart!

It's a good thing they came because if she had pulled this on me alone, she'd still be sitting her ass in that dorm today!
And never did a "thank you" escape her lips.....

We wedged in all the crap because what we brought last Fall had fit in the same van with PLENTY of room to spare, had expanded and had had babies while in the dorm.  And she now possessed a "few" "vital" things she had bought while living at school....like dishware and silverware.....and a mattress pad.......and a blow up naked afro american girl doll(don't ask!)......just important stuff like that.
And then she had taken back to school in January when her father drove her back a floor lamp and 2 chairs.
And I was suppose to fit all that into my van along with 4 people?!?

So we get home Friday evening and yes, we made HER unpack it all!
And my house is once again bursting at the seams with her junk.....

And while this was all going on, Hubs was off in Washington DC having a grand old time at a work conference.  He's staying in a Hilton, eating hoity toity restaurant food and I'm refereeing the 3 kids + girlfriend, none of whom want to be here and dealing with the others.

Hubs gets back Saturday morning, sleep deprived so he sleeps through most of that day.

Sunday was Mother's Day.  I got some flowers....

 And among the cards I received was this one, from the Daughter.....

This is a FAMILY JOKE.
So now, I get one of this kind of card every year.....or a Giant Novelty Card.

Monday afternoon Daughter went out to find a job since she is going to live here next year while she
attends the community college.
She came home a couple hours later with a job in hand, landed at the first place she applied!
I find it interesting that my nephew(who graduates from high school next month)claims to have been applying for lots and lots of jobs over the past few months and has had no callbacks or offers.
Hmmmmm......

Wednesday evening of last week #2 Son had his French National Honor Society ceremony.  This is his second year making it.
You need 6 consecutive quarters with an A average in French to qualify, so you can't even be considered until your 2nd year taking high school level French.  This is his 3rd year in the subject though he is only a Sophomore.  There is an accelerated language program in this school district in which certain middle school students can take either math or language high school level courses 1 year early with permission.  (This can only be done because the middle school and high school are in the same building so there is no additional cost to transport them from one location to another for the classes.)

So #2 Son lit the candle and got his 2nd year pin while his siblings and the girlfriend were forced to watch.  Payback for all those times he was forced to watch them at ceremonies, in concerts or on teams.lol

#1 Son and the Girlfriend stayed until Thursday morning, May 17th.  Mostly #1 was dealing with appointments and getting business things done and seeing some friends and taking Girlfriend out, along with doing some clothes shopping.  He needed to be back on the other side of the state to start his summer job the following week(this week).
He is getting an apartment this coming school year so we talked about how much money he has left in his college fund, the apartment he wants to apply for, the lease(since we have to cosign it), etc.

#1 Son turns 21 in July.  He has already invited me to come over and stay at his apartment and come drinking with him anytime I feel like getting away from the dogs, his dad and his siblings.
I might just have to take him up on that...... ;-)

We also had some really nice weather last week!
The Rhododendron bloomed.....

Of course, that also meant all the weeds in my flower and garden beds and around the trees and next to the front porch were growing like.....well.....WEEDS!lol

And hardly anyone here, between back backs, other medical issues and allergies, was in any condition to tame the mess in the yard.  So it's coming up on Memorial Day Weekend, and my flower/garden beds are laying fallow, with no hope of things changing in sight.  So many yard projects to do and nobody to help.  I can't even get #2 Son interested in doing anything for money.  bleh.

I bought this recently on eBay.......

 I had hopes of watching it with my history major #1 Son last week.  But there are 2 things his girlfriend doesn't like evidently-politics and history documentaries-so this was a no go.
So I'll rewatch it in August when #1 comes home again without the girlfriend.

We are big history buffs and we enjoy a good political discussion in this family.  I hope the girlfriend knows what she is in for......lol

Last week I did something to my shoulder AGAIN to make the bursitis flare up.
Ugh.  So I started taking Percocet to ease the pain.  It helped the pain but it depressed my breathing so that I couldn't catch my breath if I walked around.  And I couldn't sleep at night because my breathing was so shallow it woke me up if I dozed off.
So it was be pain-free and sleep deprived and panicky or feeling the hurt but breathing and trying to sleep through the pain.
I chose to breathe......yah, I am crazy that way.....

To add to my joy the hot weather arrived like gangbusters!  And between all this other health stuff the humidity made my legs and my one foot start swelling.  It got so bad I thought my breathing and legs indicated I had thrown a blood clot into my lung.  Luckily it hadn't but that was one scary thought! 8-(

Between dinners out, lunch out with #1 Son and Girlfriend, making large and more expensive meals at home, taking #1 Son shopping for some apartment needs, and sending others to the grocery store when I couldn't, and paying for gas and meals for 2 trips across the state, it's been an expensive week+ around here.
 
So that dear readers is the short version of what I've been up to  and why I haven't been blogging much.

I can't believe that this coming weekend starts Memorial Day stuff and #2 Son finishes school 16 days from now and leaves for camp a week after that!

Maybe I'll just go hide under the bed covers for awhile....

Sluggy

How NOT To Keep a Husband Alive

Down through the ages, one thing seems to stay constant.....some folks just have no luck.  You are either born with good luck or you spend lots of money on lawyers.


And of course, I happened to tumble upon someone like that way up on my Family's Genealogical Food Chain recently.

I was going waaaaaaaaaaay back on one of the pasty white European branches of the family.
The ones that have been planted in American soil for quite a long spell.
I've been reaching back to see just when/who was the 1st immigrant on each of the many familial lines of my mother's ancestors.

And I found this poor soul.....

Her name was Mary Flood.
She was born in Surry County VA in 1635.
You see, she wasn't even the 1st immigrant of that line.
I can't rightly say who is the 1st one since there is some controversy over who exactly were her parents.
Seems the ones that have been claimed to be for eons are in doubt now so I won't go back further on that line to the British Isles just yet.

Anyway, poor Mary.
She's young and ripe for the picking.  She finds a husband and they are wed in either 1655 or early 1656.
The lucky guy is named Richard Blunt.
Well not so lucky because he drops dead shortly after they are married.

Not even married a year and she's a 21 year old widow.
Oh, and she was married long enough to get pregnant and have a son, Thomas.
So she's got to find a new meal ticket and fast!

Then she finds husband #2 and marries him on April 9th, 1657, 1 year after #1 dropped dead.
Let's call him Charles Ford......but do it quick because he drops dead that same year!

No additional babies but still-22 years old with a 2 year old baby and no man.
Then she snatches up husband #3, John Washington, and marries him November 15th, 1658.

Here's a Washington.....

 Not our Washington however.


This was John's first marriage.
He got an instant family and a wife who knew a few things...wink, wink.....

He lasted a little longer than the first two husbands did but in the end, my ancestor killed off a Washington.
Thankfully, it was a lower tier Washington and didn't affect the whole Revolutionary War and setting up the government thing and the really great Broadway musical we all got out of the deal.
But I digress.....

John may have been born a Washington but that didn't keep him from taking "the big sleep" in 1660.
That's the same year the couple's son, Richard Washington, was born too.

The popular theory is that John drowned at sea on one of his trips to Barbados on business.
Might have been a ship full of rum that time.  I'm not saying that old John was partying out with his bad self and some 1660 era Caribbean babes but this could have been the first case of Spring Break going terribly wrong....

I think that he never stood a chance once he said "I Do" to my Black Widow Ancestor......

Just think.....to be 25 years old, with a baby at the breast and a toddler at your knee and having already buried 3 husbands.
Talk about a bad reputation!
I bet no man would make eye contact with her at this point.

Another year or so went by before Mary could talk another man into taking the marriage step again.
But sometime in 1661, here comes Henry Briggs.
And he lasted all the way to 1686!

That's 25 years of wedded bliss and 3 more children along the way.
My ancestor was their son, Samuel Briggs.

So his mom was Mary Flood Blunt Ford Washington Briggs.
Try fitting all that into your driver's license application.....

Old Mary Ann Cotton had nothing on my ancestral Black Widow Mary Flood Bl.....oh, you know the rest.....

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

I had toyed with the idea of titling this post "This Week, It's All About the COC!"

I knew that title would get the attention of the more....uh ummm....bawdy and/or satirical regular readers.  But it would also get the attention of an unsavory element crawling the web for salacious items to fill their lascivious appetites.

And try saying THAT 10 times!

 

So I took the higher moral ground.....now STOP that laughing!!.....and didn't lead with my COC.

;-)

 

COC you see, stands for Corn On the Cob around here.

 Memorial Day kicks off the COC days.

 

Whether you like yours dark(roasted), dripping(with butter), 2 toned, super sweet or plain and hot,

Summer is all about the COC.

Who's day isn't just a little bit brighter with the addition of some Corn Porn.....

 

 

Now if this little snippet doesn't generate some comments, I don't know what will! 8-))

***********************

 And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

 
SUNDAY--Beef and/or Elk burgers and/or dogs, potato salad, baked beans, pumpkin pie

MONDAY--Leftover Stroganoff or something else they can scrounge

TUESDAY--Chicken Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY--Out to Eat

THURSDAY--Chicken Pot Pie which Daughter made
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Leftovers

 

3 nights of new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and take-out/eat-out for 2 nights.

We had leftover elk burgers/dogs from the cook-out on Sunday and leftover Stroganoff from last Saturday.  We went out to eat on Wed. partly to celebrate #2 Son's French Honor Society ceremony that evening AND to celebrate #1 Son's birthday since he'll be away working at summer camp when his birthday rolls around.  Then I hurt my shoulder(AGAIN!), so Daughter made dinner on Thursday(had to buy pie crust), we had take-out on Friday because I still couldn't cook and plenty of leftovers still so Saturday's meals were just reheating stuff already here.

The weekly food spending was $50.49 this past week. I went to the Bread Outlet and then I had Daughter do the Catalina Deals at Weis Markets for me(the Kimberly-Clark $7 OYNO WYB $21, the $3 Instant Discount WYB 4 Nestle items, the $5 Instant Discount WYB $15 Unilever).  We paid $37.96 w/the Instant Disc. on the "deal" items(reg. price of $58.49),  plus we got a $7 Catalina to use next trip.

Value of food bought was at $103.16 so my savings rate was 51.06% for the week.   Total spending for the month to this point is $198.14.  With $201.86 left, it's not very likely I'll go over budget for food this month, huh?lol

************************

In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with half a Chicken Pot Pie and a couple of Elk Burgers, which were NOT a big hit here.  There might be 1 helping of Stroganoff left but it might have turned the corner by now. 

The Sloppy Joes never made it to the table last week, so it's back again.

 

Half the craziness is gone now but the hot weather is here so I'm trying NOT to run the oven.  That leaves too few meals that the whole family will eat....unless of course, we want to have tacos every. single. night.

bleh....

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Baked Tilapia, Stuffed Clams, Mixed Veggies

MONDAY--TV Dinners from the back of the freezer....uh, oh.....

TUESDAY--Sloppy Joes, Corn on Cob(or COC as it's known around here)

WEDNESDAY--London Broil and Pineapple on the grill

THURSDAY--Sausage or Chicken patty Sandwiches, Harvard Beets
FRIDAY--Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Sugar Snap Peas
SATURDAY--Leftovers

 

This menu gives us 5 new meals and 1 night of leftovers and 1 night of tv dinners.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week......ground beef, pineapple, COC, London broil and maybe Chicken if Daughter used what was left in the freezer.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fresh fruit and Daughter wants some Morning Star fake meat Burgers.

No Deals I can see so far I need to do....maybe some more frozen fruit bars.

So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

Boring Blog Box Giveaway WINNER!

We had 55 valid entries over the 4+ weeks to the current Giveaway.
After getting writer's cramp from copying all those names onto little slips of paper and then folding each one up, I threw all 55 slips into my collection container.....

And then I had #2 Son draw the winner.

So congratulations to......

SHEILA over at CLIPPING TO SAVE

Which just goes to prove that sometimes persistence pays off.  ;-)

Please email me your name and mailing information Sheila so I can get this little box of miscellaneous joy on it's way to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered.
Another Giveaway on Deck Soon???
Could be........
Stick around and find out!

Sluggy

Sunday Song & Last Chance To Win!

First off, today is your last chance to enter my Boring Blog Box Giveaway!  Entry closes tonight at 11:59pm, so get those last minute entries in quickly.  The link is on the top right hand side of the blog.-->

More later on this past week. 
It's been a doozy if I do say so myself!
When I wasn't dealing with kids I was dealing with feeling poorly.

I caught part of a film again on tv yesterday that intrigues me called "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
I love these period films.  Most anything evoking back to the 1920's-1940's.  If it takes place in the South even better!

Anyway, they used some great classic folk/spiritual/bluegrass/country tunes from the era.  Here's one of my favorites someone put on YouTube using a vignette of clips from the movie.

Enjoy!

Sluggy

We Got The Funk!

Sorry I haven't been around online much lately.
I've been busy with the kids and life and stuff around the house.

Here's a favorite tune from my youth.  Back when it became cool to be ethnic, when Black was beautiful baby, and even this pasty white girl wore a 'fro and owned a pick.
Pop tunes come and go but the Funk?.....Funk is classic and Goes on Forever!

This should help you get over your Hump Day blahs.....turn your speakers up and enjoy!

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 2, Meal Plan Week 3

 Yes, the above picture is me in regards to my meal plan for the week.

All the kids are now home, plus #1 son's girlfriend.

I have no idea how or what to plan since they all seem to be moving in different directions at all times of the day and night.  I never know who will be here for which meal and I sure don't want to way over buy/make for meals and have tons of leftovers in the fridge when 2 of them leave later this week, leaving me only 1 person who actually likes leftovers still home.   sigh

 

 

And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

 

SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Roasted Corn

MONDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Asparagus

TUESDAY--Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY--Not sure, scrounge what is here Night?

THURSDAY--Chinese take-out
FRIDAY--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes
SATURDAY--Beef Stroganoff, Corn on the Cob

 

 5 nights of new meals and 1 nights of leftovers and take-out for 1 night.

The weekly food spending was $53.86 this past week.  #2 Son requested a meal that required me to purchase meat and sour cream at full price.  I also bought potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, lettuce, corn on the cob, 6 cartons of orange juice, strawberries, eggs, ice cream and milk and all but the milk and ice cream were on sale.

I never did get to the restaurant supply store for the chicken breast deal or the 5lb. block of cheese this past week.

Value of food bought was at $90.22 so my savings rate was 40.30% for the week.   Total spending for the month to this point is $147.65.  Plenty of cash left in the budget for the rest of May.

************************

In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with a big pile of Beef Stroganoff and 2 ears of corn.  We also have some leftover meats from Sunday's cook-out.

 

This week, it's crazy around here.  4 16-21 year old persons with 4 different schedules.  Then there is Hubs and I.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Beef and/or Elk burgers and/or dogs, potato salad, baked beans, pumpkin pie

MONDAY--Leftover Stroganoff or something else they can scrounge

TUESDAY--Chicken Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY--Out to Eat

THURSDAY--Sloppy Joes, Brussel Sprouts
FRIDAY--Freezer Surprise *I clean out the back of the freezer and cook something.lol
SATURDAY--Leftovers

This menu gives us 4 new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and 1 night Eating Out.

This week we have a varied number of diners depending on the night.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week......ground beef, rolls.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fruit bars and ice cream.

Weis has some Instant and regular type Catalina deals this week(Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark).  I may or may not do them.  I am just feeling blah lately in regard to grocery shopping and deals.

Ok, I'm feeling blah about everything lately.  I just don't want to do anything....


So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway Week #4......Last WEEK, Enter NOW!

Time for another......

Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

Here's how it works.....

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

Here is what went into the Box today.....

1.  a roll of Marcal Toilet Paper
2.  a stick of Sure Deodorant
3.  2 bars of Olay Soap
4.  a tube of AquaFresh Toothpaste
5.  a Reach Toothbrush

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.

Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.
**The Box is now Full so this is the last week to enter!**

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email addy and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about gardening.....if you plan on having a garden this year and what you plan on growing.  And even if you want to have a garden but can't, what you would grow in yours if you could.
What are your favorite vegetables to eat?  Do you have a favorite recipe using vegetables as the "star of the dish"?  Or any other thing you want to talk about having to do with gardening, veggies and/or cooking.

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get EXTRA entries....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

This is the LAST POST for this GIVEAWAY so get your entries in this week!  Entries will be accepted until Sunday night, May 20th, 2012 at 11:59pm.
That's just over a week to get in on this nice box of assorted toiletries and other stuff!!


Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

A Trip to The Apple Store

Well I woke up at 1 am last night(this morning?) and couldn't get back to sleep so I worked on some genealogy until 7 am until I got tired again.
I headed back to bed for a short nap, as I had a doctor's appointment at 10:30 this morning.
I got sleepy around 10 am but I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and went to the doctor's.

And when I got there, the door was locked and nobody was there.
CRAP!
They pull this on me sometimes and it pisses the hell out of me!....especially when I could have stayed in bed and slept if they had called and said they had to reschedule it.
Double CRAP CRAP!!

So went next door to the grocery store and picked up some produce and came home.

I am calling today a loss and I'm heading to bed now for a nap.  Hopefully I'll be able to fall back asleep.

In lieu of a post(since what I've written so far can't possibly be called one), here is something to brighten your day.

The young people.......they have this thing they do, where they go to the Apple Store and film themselves dancing and post it on You Tube.
Myself?  I've never even been IN an Apple Store.

I find it great fun to watch though and wish this could be something I could have done when I was young.
Yes, I would have totally done this back in my day!lol

Go check them out sometime.
Trevor is a favorite around here.
This video was pretty good too....

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 1, Meal Plan Week 2

 

 

Onward to the meal plans!

And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Stuffed Shells

MONDAY--Chicken Fajitas

TUESDAY--Leftover Eggplant/Fajitas

WEDNESDAY--Pizza
THURSDAY--Taco Bell, Salad
FRIDAY--Fish, Rice, Veg.(Son can have leftover Shells)
SATURDAY--Leftovers or Burritos

 

3 nights of new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and take-out for #2 Son the nights Hubs was out of town.

I'm happy we stuck with the plan.

The weekly food spending was $93.79 this past week.  A bit high than what I like to be at but there was a good deal of stocking up on things.

Value of food bought was at $168.25 so my savings rate was 44.26% for the week.

************************

In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with no leftovers.

This week, it gets crazy around here as the kids return home from school.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Roasted Corn

MONDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Asparagus

TUESDAY--Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY--Not sure, scrounge what is here Night

THURSDAY--Chinese take-out
FRIDAY--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce
SATURDAY--Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

This menu gives us 5 new meals and 1 night of leftovers and 1 night of Take-Out.

This week we have a varied number of diners depending on the night.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week.....lettuce, carrots, potatoes, onions.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fruit and ice cream.
The restaurant supply store has some deals I want to get this week, like 40lb. of chicken breast for $1.45 lb($58 total) and 5lb. of cheese for $7.99.   If I can get my freezer straightened out before the week is over, I'll get the chicken.  My freezer is pretty empty(after I get that whole chicken out of there on Wed.)but it needs tidying up before I put that much chicken back in there!lol  I might attempt a defrosting this week.

If I get the chicken I'll spend upwards of $100 this week, if not, then $40.

So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

$70.59 Later.....

I just went hog wild at Weis Markets on Saturday!
They were celebrating their 150th year in business and had some deals I wanted to pick up.
I also wanted to stock up on a few things that were on sale this past week.
In addition, I got talked into buying junk food that was part of the Pepsico Spend $25, Get $5 OYNO Catalina.

Things that were part of the One Day Anniversary Sale.....
Meat Hot Dogs--$1  I bought 3 packs.
Asparagus--$1 lb.  I bought 1.03 lbs.
Tomatoes on the Vine--$1 lb.  I bought 1.02 lbs.
Potato Chips--$1  I bought 2 bags.
Cold Cereal--$1  I bought 2 boxes.
Pork Ribs--$1 lb.  I bought 7.26 lbs.

I bought up to the limit on all but the hot dogs.
This portion came to $16.31.

The Pepsico stuff I bought....
2 20-packs of soda @ $6 each
2 bags of Sun Chips @ $3 each
2 bags of Tostitos Chips @ $3.50 each

$25, used $4 in ManuQs, paid $21 for this portion and got a $5 OYNO CatQ.

My stock-ups were....
8 cans of green chiles at $1.25 each
4 boxes of taco shells at $1.25 each
2 cans of organic tomato paste .39¢ each after $1/2 StoreQ from Weis Healthy Bites magazine
1 bottle Weis Olive Oil for $2.99 after sale and $1 StoreQ from Weis Healthy Bites magazine
This portion came to $18.77.

Other things I bought that were on sale and I had Qs for....
2 DiGiorno Pizzas on sale $4.99(Must buy 2), used $1.50/2 IPQ making them $4.24 each.
2 2-ltr Polar Seltzer on sale .99¢, used $1/2 WinetagQ making them .49¢ each.
4 1-ltr Polar Mixers on sale .80¢, used $1/4 WinetagQ making them .55¢ each.
This portion came to $12.21.

Things I needed that were on sale.....
1 12-pack hot dog rolls for $1.50.

Add in .80¢ for tax and I'm OOP $70.59.
I got a $5 Catalina Q and I also got a $2.50 WYSpend $40 CatQ.  Both expire on 19 May.  I'll try to use them both if I can come up with a planned $40 order.

Here's why I bought what I bought.....
*  #1 son requested I make some barbecued meats when he comes home soon so the ribs are destined for dinner in the next 2 weeks.
*  The tomatoes are for a quick easy dinner of BLTs sometime this coming week. I've got the bacon and bread, just need some lettuce.
*  The frozen pizzas are for a quick easy dinner(just add salad)when all the kids are home in the next 2 weeks.
*  The asparagus are part of dinner for Monday.
*  I'll be needing the soda mixers when I start drinking again while the kids are home.lol
*  The hog dog rolls are needed for Sunday's dinner.
*  The hot dogs are for when #2 Son's friends descend and swarm in the kitchen this summer looking for food.(long range planning)
*  The cold cereal and all the junk food/soda are for the kids who are all coming home.(anticipating kitchen raiding at night)  This should last as long as they all will be home....crossing fingers since 1 of the bags of chips has already been hit hard. lol
*  All the stock-up items are things I stockpile.....tomato paste, olive oil, taco shells, green chiles.(long range planning) #2 Son, if he had HIS WAY, would eat tacos 3 x a week for dinner.  I can never have enough taco shells.lol

Even adding in my trip to the independent market earlier in the week, I spent only $93.79 for the week for food.  And that included quite a bit of stocking up so I'm happy with it.
I don't know.....psychologically if I can keep my food spending for our family size under $100 in any given week,  I feel like we are doing well to keep costs down.

How about you?....Is there an amount you like to stay under for food expenses per week, even if you know you have more than that to spend?

Sluggy

Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway Box Week #3......Enter Now!

Time for another......

Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

Here's how it works.....

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

Here is what went into the Box today.....

1.  an Airwick Plug-In Unit
2.  an Airwick Refill (Cinnamon Apple)
3.  a Revlon Nail Clipper
4.  a Revlon Emery Boards
5. a Rimmel Mascara (black)
6. a Nivea Lip Gloss (pink)

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.

Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.  Then I will put up another post to comment on until the box is full.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email address and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about your thoughts on the current American High School Prom scene.  Do you know the history behind the prom?  Do you think how they are done now is "over the top" or not?  If you sent a kid to prom recently, how much did you spend?  Did you go to your prom and how different was it from what a prom is nowadays? 

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get EXTRA entries....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.


Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

My Boring Food Shopping Trip & Other Snoozing Things

4 bottles of apple juice
4 boxes of taco shells
5 boxes of mac and cheese
3 bags of salad *not pictured*
1 bunch of celery *not pictured*
2 containers of mushrooms  *not pictured*

The apple juice, taco shells and mac & cheese were at their lowest price book price(.99¢, $1.25, .60¢ respectively) and were stock-ups.
The salad was at the lowest price of $1.99, the celery at low of $1.29 and the mushrooms at low of $1.99.
Mushrooms were necessary for a meal this week.
$23.20 spent.
$41.31 regular retail cost.

Weis has some Catalina deals this week but I seriously doubt I'll take part in those.  One is for junk food, the other is for pet food.  We just opened our last 2 large bags of dog food into the can which means our stockpile of that is gone.  I am risking having to buy the next batch for reg. retail by not stocking up.  Yes, this is how I live dangerously.....by NOT buying dog kibble.lol

I'll be getting more juice, more taco shells, more salad and some canned green chilies this week instead.

And I won't be going to Rite-Aid again this week.  I haven't been to Rite-Aid or any drugstore for that matter since mid March!   I don't have +Ups expiring and there is nothing I need, so why buy more toiletries?
I have put myself on a ban from buying the usual toiletries until what I have is gone.  Ok, so it's more a ban so the KIDS use up what we have.  If I go buy....or more accurately "get" more since I don't pay money for it....if I go get more the kids will use the new stuff instead of using the old stuff.
They just don't get this whole "rotate the stock" deal.  So we are on Toiletries Lockdown teens.....deal with it!

I don't need to shop, even much grocery shopping.
So I don't.
And I grocery shop close by in town.  No trips down the mountain to Wegman's or Price Chopper or CVS or Target or Walmart.  Just Weis or the independent market in my town.
I hardly ever leave town.
Heck I hardly ever leave my house lately!

It keeps me from spending money unnecessarily....which is a good thing.
And I save gas.  I bought gas almost 4 weeks ago and still have a full tank.  I think I've put 20 miles on the car in the last 3 weeks.

But it gives me nothing to write about.

I could show you a list of what food I bought in April......
or I could show you the bag of weeds I pulled up trying to clean the front flower bed.

Nevermind.
Sometimes being frugal and living simpler isn't exciting or interesting.

I apologize for being THIS boring! 8-(

So can you top me in the boring department?


Sluggy

Music for a Thursday

Ok, so the title is lame.
I got nothing worth saying today.
So here's an awesome song from an awesome singer.
From back when singers used their instrument instead of electronics and other crap to make them sound better than they are.


And here's another excellent version.  I am torn by which version I like best.  What do you think?



Sluggy

$20K Savings Challenge Report for April

Ok, here is my April Savings Challenge Update post for 2012.
This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against "unconscious" spending.

Just to update, My Savings Goal for the Year in 2012 is $20,000.  It's well below what I've saved in previous years I know.  But we also have a goal of paying for 4 home improvement projects at Chez Sluggy this year.  We plan on cash-flowing these projects with the additional money we save.

On to the April report.....

I have posted my APRIL End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up April in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of April with?.......$2,574.21!

Income
We had $2565.90 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $6.00 in Rebates applied against the food expenses & $2.31 in interest and  you get a total of $2574.21.

Outgo
Traditionally April has been a fairly normal month as far as spending goes.  No big tax bills or lump payments. 

As for the expenses this April......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The mild winter temps continued, which decreased our heating/electric bill by about $80.  I like that...

*   Hubs decreased his WAM withdrawals this month.
*  No car maintenance/repairs bills this month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

* Credit card bill was fairly high at $1400+.  A large part of that was the Summer Camp bill for #2 Son.  The good news is this is the LAST CAMP BILL WE WILL EVER PAY!  #2 Son is in Counselor Training this year so next year he starts working at camp. Yay!!!!

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post, which is located HERE. My stocking-up and overspending in March did help me stay under $230 in food spending for April.

YEAR-TO-DATE GRAND TOTAL.....
With 4 month behind us, our Savings Grand Total for 2012 is $6,590.80.

We hit our monthly goal in April and then some, so now we are only a little behind where we should be for the year at this point, because of our bad March total.

With 4 months done, we should be at $6,666.67 saved for the year.  Only $75.87 to be caught up!

So how much did YOU save in April?  Did you spend all your income or did you put something aside?

Do you have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses?
Do you have debt?

Start living below your means NOW and put some money away for emergencies and/or start paying down your debt.
And once you get debt-free, continue to throw that debt repayment money into savings.  You won't believe how fast you can accumulate wealth once you have no debt!

It is NEVER too early or too late to SAVE SOMETHING.
And the amount you save is NEVER too small!
Anything you can spare will go a long way to make you more financially secure in this crazy unstable world we live in.

So come along and Challenge Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal or Debt Goal!

Not everyone can shoot for $20K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  Put it into paying down your debt, put it into savings, invest it or put it toward the principle in your home mortgage....just get busy and do this!

It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Put it out there online and let us all stalk your money too. ;-)

So how was your April financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?

Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!

Sluggy

April 2012 Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2012.

I have posted April's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2012 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in April.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(3 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 16.
******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP   $9.89

Value   $38.41

Savings  74.25%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $78.54

Qs/Ads  $47.11

Value  $125.65

Savings  37.50%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $142.60

Qs/Ads  $144.47

Value  $287.07

Savings  50.33%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN APRIL

Rite-Aid SCR....$6.00
Subtotal........$6.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Nothing

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$6.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES
Nothing

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Bakery Outlet at 74.25%, Weis at 50.33% and Shursave Grocer at 37.50%.  Ok, so I only shopped at THREE STORES all MONTH!lol

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$231.03

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$220.10

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$451.13

TOTAL Savings of...................................48.80%


TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$6.00
TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$225.03
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$226.10
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$451.13
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................50.12%

This closes out the April spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into April with $300 budgeted for food/toiletries for the month.  I was able to stay well below my budgeted amount, even with hosting an Easter dinner for what turned into a Feast for 7 at the last minute.
I used very few coupons in April, though I did buy many meat items.   Using those store clearance meat dept. coupons assisted my budget there.  I didn't shop at any drug stores this month, especially Rite-Aid where I have or have close to 100% savings rate.  That is why my overall savings percentage is only 48.80% in April instead of 60-80%.  But even though the rate is much lower this month, I'll gladly take it.  Besides the paper products I bought this month, I bought no other HBA or non-food items.  An almost 50% savings rate on just food items is wonderful!  Especially when I only used 3 ManuCoupons, 2 PeelieCoupons and 2 CatalinaCoupons.

As for the discounts I used in April....
*3 ManuQs
*2 Catalina WYB Qs
*2 PeelieQs
*12 Meat discount Qs
*16 Store Qs(4 of which were Free item Qs)

Besides the few coupons I used, utilizing UTOF meats, in season produce, buying at lowest sale price in the cycle in the stores and finding alternate sources for groceries(outlets), helped me spend less of my cash in the grocery store than my neighbor on identical items this month.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY.....My Daughter will be coming home to stay in another week.  My oldest Son will be coming home for 10 days or so with his girlfriend in tow next week.  So we will be a family of 6 for 1/3rd of the month and then a family of 4 for the remainder of the May.  More people means more food spending.  My oldest has already asked me to make him some favorite foods while he is home and of course they are not cheap foods.  Most of them involve smoked meats so I'll be firing up the smoker soon. ;-)

I will be increasing my food budget to $400 for May.  As for the meats I'll need for the smoker, I'll be going to the restaurant supply store this month for the best deals locally.  I'll continue to seek out in-season produce, store loss leaders/lowest priced in the store cycle goods and keep my eyes peeled while in the store for instant discount Deals.

How did you do in April with your Food Budget? 

Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy