Total Change found this year....$47.09
Just an average Gal, older mom, trying to live a simple life & what happens along the way.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Frugal Friday......the July 31st Edition
Total Change found this year....$47.09
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Drugstore Shopping This Past Week
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
The July Giveaway Winner!
I've never won before!
Staying home - happy to live in a state (CT) where we're taking things seriously. Also happy to have a beautiful backyard and pool.
We unfortunately stocked up on hand sanitizer that has since been recalled (Blumen) so had to buy a new kind (at Costco) that we don't love (but doesn't contain methanol!).
Congratulations Bobbie!
You have 48 hours from when this post goes live to contact me with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize. (My email addy is on the side bar under "About Me".)
If the Boring Blog Giveaway Box is not claimed within that time I'll choose another winner for July.
Thanks for everyone who entered and the entertainment your comments provide me too. ;-)
Come back next month and see what goodies ol' Sluggy has up her sleeve. 8-)))
Sluggy
Monday, July 27, 2020
This Week on the Dining Table
The "The Curse of the Gardening Gods!" Edition..........
Imagine my surprise when he comes in with what is pictured above, especially since I purposely did NOT plant any zucchini this year!!!
I think Anne in the Kitchen has sent me bad JuJu or found a Voodoo Queen in Alabama and had her put a curse on me! Or she snuck up to PA and put those vile green squash in my garden when I wasn't looking....either that or Anne has an amazng throwing arm. ;-)
Moving On....
This is what was planned.........
2. Monday--Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
5. Thursday--BBQ, Cole Slaw, maybe Beans or Pasta Salad
7. Saturday--Shrimp Scamp w/Linguine, Spinach Salad
2. Monday--Mongolian Beef Ramen w/Broccoli and Carrots
3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Squash Casserole
5. Thursday--Late Lunch/Early Dinner out(I had seafood cake sliders)
7. Saturday--Tempura Shrimp and Zucchini
I changed up the Beef and Broccoli meal planned as we had just had a rice meal 2 days before. I saw a Beef and Broccoli dish using Ramen noodles instead(you don't use those salt like flavor packets that come with them but make a from-scratch sauce instead. This is a nice change but similar flavor profile to Beef and Broccoli and will go into our meal possibilities file. The recipe can be found HERE.
* 3 packages of bacon
* 3 chicken breasts
* 3 packages of smoked pork(for bbq later)
* 2 packages of French fries
* a TV dinner
* 2 lbs. of shrimp
Nothing else from the freezer because I again bought meats that we used fresh plus garden veggies and fresh produce from the stores.
July spending comes in at $489.26. Not bad for a month considering the rising price of things and I did some stocking up in July too.
I prefer to keep groceries/HBA/paper goods at $400 per month but clearly we went over this month. Ex-College Boy is moving out this Friday *fingers crossed* so that should take my food spending down about $100 a month. Between what he eats here and all the bottled water I buy that he wastes(a bone of contention with me),cutting that much out of the monthly spending should be easy-peasy. With just the two of us here after Thursday night I need to focus on making less helpings per dinner. Hubs likes leftovers but I am still use to cooking for 4-5 people for meals.
This will be my August challenge--to cut down on how much I cook per meal.
Plus in August I plan to have Hubs and I eat down a lot of what's in the chest freezer so August's spending should be a LOT lower.
I still have a super low savings rate for July so I'm all good with the food spending
2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Green Beans
3. Tuesday--something Pasta for Hubs, Spinach Salad for me and him
5. Thursday--Taco or Taco Salad
7. Saturday--Caesar Salad w/Grilled Chicken or BLT sandwiches
* Shrimp Scampi
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli
* Chicken Tenders new
Friday, July 24, 2020
Frugal Friday......the July 24th Edition
* I went to Dollar General again last Saturday to use another $5 when you spend $20 weekend digital Q.......
Not pictured from that shop are a jug of Gain and a ice cream that cost me .01¢ after digital Q, 2 Febreeze air fresheners, 2 Herbal Essence shampoos and 2 Aussie shampoos.
After assorted Qs and the $5 off $25 DGQ here is the cost breakdown--
Suave body wash .79¢
Suave shampoo $1.30 each(before $10 back on Checkout 51)
Febreeze $1.19 each
Gain detergent $1.54
Ice cream .01¢
HE shampoo .84¢ each
Aussie shampoo $1.58 each
Head and Shoulders small shampoo .34¢ each
BioFreeze pain patch -.25¢
Welch's fruit snacks -.11¢ each
Tum's roll .79¢
Greeting Cards .01¢ each
My total was $17.66 for after all the qs.
* I submitted the DG receipt for those 5 Suave shampoos and earned $10 on Checkout51 too.
* I found money!
Hubs and I were in Walmart this past Saturday.........
. As we walked out I found a penny and he also found a penny and gave it to me!
In CVS on Wednesday I found a penny as I walked in by the register counter and that was the ONLY good thing about Wednesday. lolz
Total Change found this week. .03¢
Total Change found this year....$46.93
* I received my last two $5 Walmart gift cards for doing the Listerine Deal at Rite-Aid a few weeks back.......
That makes $15 in free Walmart gift cards.
* While not necessarily frugal we bought a reclining love seat this past week.....
We visited enough furniture stores and made a decision. This one ticked all the boxes AND was less expensive(by $400)than the one we initially were going to go with and it has lumbar support and adjustment(important for us old geezers).
It also has a battery back-up in case of power outages so I won't get trapped in the chair. lol
I have to wait another month for it to be delivered and I can't wait!
* At Walmart last Saturday I picked up items to finish my $15 PandG rebate and work on another Ibotta bonus..........
The Olay body wash was $3.42 after Q and Ibotta, the specialty toothpaste was $2.42 each after Q and Ibotta and the Bic razor was -$1.08 after Q and Ibotta. 8-)
* On Tuesday eldest came with me to Schiff's restaurant supply to pick up a pork butt to smoke. It was $1.29 lb. which was the best price around. Got that smoked on Thursday and put into the crockpot overnight to finish off so we'll be having bbq this evening for dinner.
* We celebrated eldest's birthday earlier this week and I made the cake. I can't believe he's 29 years old now!
And I gave him this gag Xmas gift early so he can use it during the holidays.
A blazer and tie with skiing Santa hat wearing kitties. It's sooo ugly!
(And I got it for 75% off after last Xmas of course.)
PS-He got a nice gift too.
That's all for now. I am way behind since I haven't been online much with eldest son visiting and with my medical issues still. I finally got the doc to order me an Rx this morning for the UTI the lab work confirmed almost 2 days ago. ugh.
I'll feel like my old self soon now. yay!
How is everyone else's week going in the Frugal Department?
Let us here all about it!
Sluggy
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Had an Alexander Day!
My knee/leg is still not right and now I have a UTI to go with that ailment. As I recall(maybe not very correctly)I've had a total of ONE UTI over my last 61 years until now.
We believe it's due to a medication I am currently taking and I am not so patiently waiting for the labs to come back to confine so I can get the appropriate course of antibiotics.
I am also slated for a wide laser excision surgery on my boob the beginning of August due to my HS.
Yay me. HS surgeries are not ones where they sew you up afterwards otherwise the tracks/tunnels under your skin would just reform and you'd be back to square one PLUS have scar tissue in there making it a worse situation. No this wound on a very sensitive part of my anatomy will remain OPEN and will take 4-6 weeks to heal enough for me to feel human-like again and resume "normal" activity.
Yay me.
I see a lot of Netflix/Hulu/Amazon tv in my near future.
I got gyped at CVS yesterday(learned my lesson)and will again not be doing that drugstore again after I spent this last $10 ECBs I earned.
CVS obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about folks with a very popular Samsung Galaxy phone not being able to download/install their app any longer so they lost me again as a customer. I have called two departments of their corporation now and their basic response was "Oh well, too bad" so screw you!
Walmart also gyped me-first they had the wrong stickers on a vegetable(which the self-checkout told me to scan instead of looking up the veggie to input)so I got charged for organic grape tomatoes at DOUBLE the price of the red bell pepper I was trying to buy. Then they only had ONE employee manning that whole area so I had to wait a solid 15 minutes on my bad leg to get it corrected and after that, she didn't put the pepper back in the bag(which I didn't notice until I got home)so I paid for a pepper that I don't have. sigh
I won't even go into the rude customers not wearing masks and not maintaining social distance.
I also lost a pair of my glasses. I keep one pair on my desk downstairs and the other pair on my nightstand in the bedroom. Can only find one pair now. argh.
I was out of energy to cook dinner so it was Fend for Yourself night here last night and after I heated up my leftover Hot and Sour Soup from Sunday I dropped the whole thing as I tried to get into the recliner and it went all. over. the. den. floor. I could have just cried at that point.
Then I lost 2 hours of my life in that recliner watching a terrible Adam Sandler in a drama movie(apologies if you are AS fans)because my son wanted to see it. In hindsight, I should have just gone upstairs and read. ;-)
It was the perfect ending to a crappy day.
I know, first world problems, but it was truly a stinker of a day.
We all have 'em, right?
So tell me about your bad day and make me laugh or at least feel better before I have to go pee and scream again.
Sluggy
Monday, July 20, 2020
This Week on the Dining Table
I didn't buy any but packaging was clever and I had to take a photo. Each flavor has a stereotypical Jewish mother/grandmother on it with her saying something she'd say. From left to right she is saying, "Did you eat? Come have a Knosh." "A little spicy for me but my Jerry loves them.", "Eat something. You look skinny."
Of course you have to read those quotes in the appropriate Jewish mother accent in your head for them to be funny. lol
Moving On....
This is what was planned.........
2. Monday--Steak, Spinach Salad
3. Tuesday--Chicken Caesar Salad
5. Thursday--Pizza, Salad
7. Saturday--Shrimp Scamp w/Linguine or ? depending on if Eldest son is here by then
2. Monday--Steak, Corn, Broccoli
3. Tuesday--Grilled Chicken, Sweet Potato Wedges, Cauliflower
5. Thursday--Leftovers(we had lunch out-Salad and Burger)
7. Saturday--Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
3 of my planned meals didn't happen for various reasons.....I couldn't stand long enough to make the scampi or the chicken marsala and we still had chicken breast marinating so more grilled chicken and we got a rotisserie chicken on Friday at Weis(PMITA)Markets so that covered protein for the Fri. and Sat. meals.
* 1 box of Popsicles
* 2 London Broils
* 3 ropes of Kielbasa
* 1 pack of uncured Hot Dogs
* 1 bag of Cauliflower
* Leftover rotisserie Chicken
* 1 bag of Broccoli
July spending so far comes in at $288.08. Not bad for 11 days left in the month. ;-)
2. Monday--Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
5. Thursday--BBQ, Cole Slaw, maybe Beans or Pasta Salad
7. Saturday--Shrimp Scamp w/Linguine, Spinach Salad
Eldest son is here this week so if he wants something else the plan may change but at least I've got one in place. ;-)
* Shrimp Tempura
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli
* Chicken Tenders new
Saturday, July 18, 2020
The July Giveaway-For the Menfolk Mostly
Let's take a look at what is in the ol' box o' goodies..............
1 x Hello charcoal toothpaste
1 x Axe body wash
1 x Barlow's dry shampoo
1 x Right Guard spray antiperspirant
1 x 2 pack Lever soap
1 x Betadine spray
1 x Bic razors
1 x Stetson cologne
1 x Visine allergy eye drops
1 x Philips ear buds
1 x Tic Tac mints
1 x MandM candies-Hazelnut spread flavor
1 x Fabric Face Mask I'll sew for you too
Stuff to make you acceptable looking when you get to go out in public again, stuff to deal with seasonal allergy symptoms and "ouchies" plus chocolate that won't melt in your hands during the Summer!
Close up shots of these goodies..........
From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random.
* This Giveaway Box of goodies is open to all readers! BUT....this month anybody who enters who has not won a Giveaway yet, their enters will count twice. So all you non-winners yet, be sure and enter this month because you have the advantage here! 8-)
There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY(but non-winners entries count for 2)for this Giveaway as long as they mention they haven't won a giveaway yet. Come back every day and enter though!
In your entries I'd like to hear about your plans for July....Still staying home except for necessary travel? How are your stores stocked?......better, worse, the same? Any items you need that are still n short supply? Did you put a garden in this year and how is it doing?
Stuff like that.
If you are on my Giveaway emails list just leave a comment and your name to enter. If you aren't on the Giveaway emails list make sure you leave your email in your comment OR email me your email privately after you leave a comment(my email is in the side bar area under "About Me").
I'll leave this giveaway open until July 27th Monday at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time. On July 28th, Tuesday, I'll draw the winning entry and post who won.
*Please note these rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winner on this blog on and that person has 48 hours from the time stamp on that post to contact me privately via email(my email addy is listed on my "About Me" page, as well as on my side bar).
Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US only. As the cost of postage to foreign countries has gotten too high I am sorry to say I can no longer afford to mail boxes outside the US. These giveaways are not sponsored by any companies. I pay for it all(the cost of items given away and the postage to mail it all)out of my own pocket.
If you're not a registered Blogger User with YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION on your User page, please put your email addy in your comment or email me your email addy privately when you leave a comment so I can get a hold of you. If your Blogger associated user profile is a GOOGLE one make sure your email info is linked to your profile.
If I can't contact you then you can't win. I am still having to disqualify entries due to this issue and I sure don't like doing that. Thanks!
So let's get this Giveaway started. Good luck to everyone!!!
Friday, July 17, 2020
Frugal Friday.......the July 17th Edition
* We got Domino's this week.......
I used another of the scads of Domino's gift cards I have. 3 medium pies for under $20 makes for lots of leftovers for me and Hubs(not so much for Ex-CB lol).
* Remember that Listerine I got at R-A last week?
After $3 BC earned and 3 x $5 virtual prepaid debit cards they were better than free.
But how to spend a virtual prepaid card of only $5.
Here's how......
Go to Walmart.com and buy 3 x $5 Walmart gift cards. They ship for free and you can use those physical cards in the store.
The first of three $5 Walmart gift cards arrived this week.
* I bought 23 items with Ibotta rebates this week and besides the rebates I earned a $5 Bonus, a .50¢ July activation Bonus and a.50¢ Axe Bonus
* Here is what I bought at Walmart on Thursday to finish the 23 items..........
a bag of carrots, a lb. of Country Crock sticks, a tub of Almond butter Country Crock, 2 Oui yogurts, a bag of Kind nut clusters, 5 Budding lunch meat bags, a Bic Soleil razor, a package of Alka Seltzer gum/antacid and a bottle of Aleve.
All but the carrots and the Aleve counted toward the Ibotta rebates.
The total with tax came to $20.14 after my $10 in coupons.
But I just paid .14¢ OOP because I used a $20 free prepaid debit card(I think it was a R-A Allergy Rewards card).
And I earned $13.83 + the $5 Weekly Essentials Bonus so $18.83 in rebates for spending .14¢.
Nice.
* I found money!
Yeah.
A penny at Rite-Aid last Friday.
Two more pennies at Walmart last Saturday. One next to a car going into the store and another by a register coming out of the store.
A double score--a dime and a penny under the candy racks at Rite-Aid on Sunday and 2 more pennies under the magazine racks there at the register as well.
The second penny was in front of the Customer Service desk and the third one was in the middle of the lane cordoned off to direct you to a register so 3 pennies at that store came home with me.
This quarter was spotted on the way to the ladies' room at Red Robin.
And this penny was laying in the middle of the walkway on the way out of Red Robin.
Total Change found this week. .45¢
Total Change found this year....$46.90
* Besides picking up .03¢ at that other Weis(PMITA)Markets I also got $1.50 back in a refund when the Dole peaches cup in coconut water didn't ring up the 50% clearance price. This goes into my refunds/post coupons envie to put toward food expenses come the end of 2020.
* We got a few veggies out of the garden this week too.......
Two nice heads of broccoli......
That's about it for frugal-ness this week.......
What frugal stuff happened in your life this past week?
Sluggy
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
It's Thursday Already?
My prayers and hug go out to our Cheap Chick blogger in Canada. I hope they caught it early and her prognosis is good and she'll be with her hubs, her mom, her step kids, her Buddy and back to our blogging family for years to come.
Please keep her in your thoughts as I will!
Last Saturday we had lots of excitement in Sluggy's Teeny Tiny Town. First I went to Dollar General and bought this........
4 x Pantene Rose Water Shampoo and Conditioners @ $3 ea.=$12.00
4 x BioFreeze patches $1.75 ea.=$7.00
1 x Oral-B Toothbrush $2.00=$2.00
5 x Gatorade $1.00 ea.=$5.00(not pictured)
6 x Bella wet dog food trays=$2.50(not pictured)
Subtotal=$28.50
Coupons used
1 x $5 wyspend $25 DG DQ=$5.00
2 x $5/2 Pantene Rose Water line P&GQs=$10.00
2 x $2/1 Biofreeze IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1.50/1 Biofreeze DG DQ=$1.50
1 x $2/1 Oral-B Toothbrush DG DQ=$2.00
1 x $1 wybuy 5 Gatorade DG DQ=$1.00
1 x $1.50/6 Bella wet dog food trays DG DQ=$1.50
Coupon Total........$25.00
$28.50-$25.00=$3.50 + sales tax
I had another $2/1 Biofreeze IPQ but forgot to use it so I could have gone down to $1.50+tax. duh
Then later that day we had a black bear traipse through our back yard. Our neighbor, "Mr. Tree Hater" who cut every tree down on his property also keeps his garbage cans outside next to his house so Mr. Bear had a nice early dinner buffet out of his cans then wandering over to see what he could find for his dessert in our yard. Hubs and I were upstairs screaming at him out of both bathroom windows to "git!" while Chester set off his alarm/barking system downstairs. Eventually Mr. Bear wandered off back into the woods behind the houses on the main road into our development and darned if I didn't get a photo of him between all the shooing him off.
Then I saw a small rabbit on the front lawn enjoying all the clover that's shot up there and couldn't get a good photo of him due to the window screen.
See? Even if I remember my camera I am thwarted at every turn. lol
On Sunday I bought the items above after discovering that the small Total SF advanced whitening tubes that the $5/3 Colgate toothpaste L2CQ applies to this on sale $2.99 tube which you can also use the $1/1 R-A in-ad Q on.
3 x Colgate toothpaste on sale $2.99=$8.97
2 x Venus single smooth sensitive Razor on sale $7.99=$15.98
SubTotal....$24.95
Coupons Used
1 x $5/3 Colgate select toothpastes L2CQ=$5.00
3 x $1/1 Colgate select toothpastes R-A in-adQ=$3.00
1 x $4/1 Venus razor L2CQ=$4.00
1 x $4/1 Venus razor Insert Q=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$16.00
$24.95-$16.00=$8.95+.48¢ sales tax=$9.43 paid with Bonus Cash and $8 in new BC was earned on the 2 razors.
I did this same deal again but the next time one of my razors also had a $1 Peelie Q on it and the cashier manually pushed that additional $1 off through so my total was $7.95+.42¢ tax so $8.37 paid for with BC and earned another $8 in new BC.
I went to Weis this week and Walmart too. Whoopee Do!
The garden is growing well now.
My spinach barrel needs clipping and using as it's starting to bolt.
I'll replant in the early Fall more greens.
The collard plant in the kennel garden is taking off whereas the plants next to the deck are fighting for space with the morning glory vines.
We've now got baby yellow squash too
We've also got baby tomatoes now(see one in bottom right of this photo).
We need to replace our recliners in the den and ventured into a furniture store here to have a look.
I liked the smaller profile of this one and the color(grey). The controls are electronic and located around that cup holder on the left(there is even a blue light you can activate in the cup holder?)
The color on is one was acceptable though not my favorite and it has a wider profile. It has a hand held electric control device and even better-it has a lumbar support button so is even more comfy that the other chair.
But this bad boy stole my heart. It's a love seat w/two recliners. The color is more to my liking than the other two, each seat has a cup holder, there is a phone dock and usb in the center. The arm opens and the electronic control device stores in each arm. In the middle is another lid that opens to a storage area and the back middle between the seats also opens upward to reveal 2 led lights(and a switch to dim those). Need I mention this love seat also has a lumbar support function too?
Sigh.
But the cost is this is $400 more than buying two of the more expensive chairs above.
So decisions, decisions.
Other than that I've been laying in bed with my leg on the heating pad or parked in the recliner.
The meal plan this week has gone to shit.
And frankly I don't care. ;-)
So what's life like in your neck of the woods?
Sluggy