October Giveaway Winner Revealed!

  Here's what was up for grabs this month......

And the winner is..........

AmyOctober 30, 2020 at 3:31 PM

Glad you are feeling better.
I am going to my sister's to pass out candy. she lives in a small neighborhood and we have a 9 foot PVC pipe rigged up to pass out the candy. Drop in one side and it slides down into their bag/bucket. She usually gets about 25 kids in the 2 hours of trick or treat. I am taking cider and a few snacks. She also gets a little company.
Happy Halloween.

Congratulations Amy.!

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 October.

Thanks for everyone who entered and the entertainment your comments provide me too. ;-)

Come back next month and see what Sluggy has planned.  Two Giveaways perhaps?!?  8-)))

Sluggy

Frugal Friday 2 Weeks Worth.....the October 30th Edition

***Today is the last day to enter the current Giveaway so don't forget to enter if you've never won one of my giveaways before.
I only have THREE valid entries at this point, Michelle F., Mountain Girl and Debbie H.  The following entrants need to supply me with contact info(your email addy will suffice)--Joy in Marengo, tERRI, Susan R., Jessica.

Please email me your info if you are one of the four ladies above.***

 Since I didn't get around to getting a Frugal Friday post done last week this is a 2 week-er. ;-)

*  Long before my gall bladder exploded Hubs and I had planned a mini-vacation down to the shore in mid October.

We got this ad months ago to a hotel we like down in Ocean City offering 30% off their usually low Fall/Shoulder Season rates if you mentioned the ad and booked directly from the hotel.  Having gone nowhere since January Hubs wanted to get away.  We thought this was a good solution since we usually don't go anywhere except to the grocery store for food(as it's a kitchenette room set-up)or take-out meals.  We can go on the boardwalk and social distance or sit on the oceanfront balcony with little Covid risk.  So we went! And it was just what I needed during my healing process too....low stress and the ocean.

*  On the way down we stopped in Delaware at the big liquor store for alcohol for Hubs.  Between his drinks and what I picked up something at the request for a friend that we can't get in PA for a decent price we spent over $125.

This store were running a deal if you spent over $125 you got a free case of bottled water.  This was something we would have needed to pick up in OC anyway so why not take the unexpected freebie? lol

* As I mentioned we cooked most of our meals while in OC at the hotel room.  We spent about $29 on foodstuffs at the grocery store on this.

We "cooked" breakfast 2 mornings with mixed results.  The room's kitchenette didn't come with a baking sheet or any bakeware for that matter so the whack biscuits we picked up had to be cooked stovetop in a greased pot with a lid.  I left Hubs in charge of turning them over halfway through.  I could smell the biscuits burning from the balcony and he had no clue something was wrong standing over them at the stove! lol  Luckily we could "peel" the burnt layers off so breakfast was saved.

*  We did eat out 3 times on the trip:The first night's dinner(who knew Denny's made a good steak?!), then lunch on two different days.  Once at a diner and once at a seafood restaurant.

This was our seafood splurge and it cost $30+tax if you were wondering.

*  Trip activities outside of shopping were free driving around and down to Assateague to see the wild ponies.......

Posing with a big cock.......

Hubs went in the pool and the ocean.....

I had to stay out of the water due to surgical incisions but we walked the boardwalk some and I walked on the beach some.........

*  I did do a little Rite-Aid shopping down in OC.........

2 x Carefree $3.51 w/Wellness discount=$7.02

2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale=$7.00

SubTotal...14.02

I used 

1 x $3/2 Carefree Load2CardQ

1 x $3/2 Colgate Load2CardQ

2 x $3/1 In-Ad RA Q

Total Qs...$12.00

Total was $2.02+.42¢ sales tax so $2.44 paid with Bonus Cash.

I earned $4 on Ibotta($1 Carefree x 4-there were 2 identical offers for it)so converted some BC back to cash.

*  Since I've been home I've been resting mostly between trips to Weis, CVS, Ollies' and Rite-Aid and going to doctor appointments(regular ones and post-op ones).

Speaking of medical stuff due to the surgery we have maxed out what we have to pay out-of-pocket so no co-pays on anything from here on out until January.  I need to look around and see if I can do without another organ or two before the insurance deductible resets. ;-)

*  Speaking of Weis(PMITA)Markets they are truly a clusterf*ck.  They have been advertising that if you clip their $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush e-coupon on their Weis app that you can get a toothbrush for $1(buying their reg. $2.29 models which are on sale for $2).

So on a trip to Weis I looked and they had 3 models that this e-coupon "supposedly" work with.....

They had both the soft and medium version of the Oral-B Indicator toothbrush as well as the Deep Clean type on the row below showing that this coupon worked on these models.

So I pulled up the details of the e-coupon on my phone and guess which versions of Oral-B toothbrush this Q is NOT valid on?!

Yep, only these three models. lol  And no other models of Oral-B toothbrush are $2 there.

So we stopped at the CS desk and I tried to explain when we left that their signage is totally wrongand misleading and it needs to be changed(showing my photo and their coupon on the app on my phone).  And I got a deer in the headlights look back.  Figures, right?

*  I already talked about my CVS trip(not that anyone cares)....

.23¢ OOP and earned $18 in new ECBs. rah.

* I also did some Rite-Aid shopping this week.......

Though not tagged in my store the kid's Colgate items are on sale for $3.99.

I picked up 2 toothpaste plus 2 Rimmel items(a lip $2.95 and a brow $3.43 after 20% discount)and a Cover Girl eye shadow($3.99)on Wednesday.

Subtotal was $18.35.

I used 2 x $1/1 Rimmel ManuQs, 2 x .50¢ Colgate kids IPQs, a $3/1 CoverGirl eye IPQ and 2 x $2/1 Colgate item In-Ad RAQ(these stack with a manuQ)so $10 in coupons making my total $8.35+.35¢ sales tax(cosmetics)or $8.70 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned back $14 in new BC(2 x $1 Colgate weekly, $2 wyb2 kids Colgate monthly, $10 wyb3 select cosmetics).

I did the kids Colgate again the next day on another card(households are allowed 4 cards/accounts per Rite-Aid RULES so the troll who keeps commenting I am 'scamming' Rite-Aid can KISS MY FAT ASS!)......

Both were $3.99 and I used 2 x .50¢ Colgate IPQs, spent $2.98+.09¢ tax on the mouthwash=$3.07 in Bonus Cash.

I earned back $4($2 weekly, $2 monthly)on this purchase so another slight moneymaker.

I also did the Cosmetics deal again......

2 x Cover Girl concealers $5.99 w/Discount=$11.98

1 x Cover girl mascara w/Discount=$5.59

SubTotal....$17.57

Coupons used

2 x $3/1 Cover Girl face items IPQ=$6.00

1 x $3/1 Cover Girl eye L2CQ=$3.00

Coupon total of $9.00

$8.57+.52¢ tax on cosmetics gave me a total of $9.09 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned back $10 in new BC so another small moneymaker.

* Though I was skunked last week in the finding money department I found LOTS of change this week!!!

Before the dry streak I found a penny in the Ollie's down in Ocean City.

I found two pennies at Rite-Aid last Friday.

I found this dime at Rite-Aid on Saturday.

I found this dime at the Customer Service counter at the Weis in another town when I tried to get them to fix the coupon signage.

I found this penny and quarter at CVS this past Monday.  The penny was by the register counter and the quarter was by a refrigerated drink case.

I found this penny at Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!)Thursday in front of the register counter.

And I had a big score at Rite-Aid on Thursday......3 pennies by the chairs in the Pharmacy area and a quarter under the candy racks at the front register.  woot!

Found Money this past 2 weeks........ .89¢

Found Money for 2020 so far.......$50.14

*  I stopped at Applebee's yesterday while I was out and got me a salad and Hubs a burger using their Carside To-Go feature.  While the meal was not frugal I wasn't up to cooking and I used a coupon to get a free appetizer so a bit of a freebie.

That's about all I can remember for the last 2 weeks.

Tell us all about your frugal wins lately!

Sluggy

It's CVS Time Again....Still Hate It. LOL

 So I had $19 in ECBs expiring on Monday so we made a stop at CVS that day.  Here is what I got......

2 x U Kotx liners BOGO50%=$2.68
1 x Kleenex TP roll=$1.39
1 x Lucky Charms cereal on sale=$1.99
2 x Summer's Eve wipes BOGO50%=$5.68
2 x Luden's cough drops BOGO50%=$3.88
2 x Cover Girl eyebrow pencils=$12.98
1 x Oral-B Floss=$3.89
2 x Oral-B toothbrush twin packs=$10.38
SubTotal....$42.87

Coupons Used

1 x Free Kleenex mega roll tp Digital Q=$1.39
1 x $1/1 assorted GM cereal CRT=$1.00
1 x $1.50/2 Summer's Eve ManuQ=$1.50
1 x .75¢/2 Ludens ManuQ=.75¢
1 x $3/1 Cover Girl eye product Digital Q=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Cover Girl eye product IPQ=$3.00
1 x $2/$10 any Cosmetics CRT=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Oral-B Digital Q=$2.00
1 x $2/$6 Oral Car CRT=$2.00
1 x $2 Oral-B multipack CRT=$2.00
1 x $2 Oral-B multipack CRT=$2.00
1 x $1/$5 any Toothbrushes CRT=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Crest/Oral-B multi? CRT=$2.00

Coupon/CRTs Total....$23.64

$42.87-$23.64=$19.23

I used $19 in ECBs so paid .23¢ OOP.

The fact that I got so close to nothing OOP has nothing to do with any skill on my part! lol
Pure luck this time.....

I just hate this CRT system because you can't predict what/which ones will come off so it's a big unknown where you stand until the register is done. ugh.

I had a $3/2 Crest or Oral-B items Digital Q, a $1/1 Oral-B/Glide single pack Digital Q. a $2/$9 any Oral Care CRT, and a $2/$12 any Cosmetics CRT as well.  Any of these could have also come off too because of amounts/items I bought so why did the ones that came off, come off and why not any of these too or instead??  It just makes me crazy!

I had a bunch of Dove body wash and P and G shampoo Qs to pair with other CRTS but I left the P and G Qs at home and anyway, the last thing I "need" is more shampoo. ;-)

Everything but the roll of tp and the cereal(that's for Ex-CB)will either end up in a giveaway box or as a donation to the food bank.

Oh, I earned $18 in new ECBs($2 Kotex, $3 Luden's or Summer's Eve-they were the same Deal, $7 Cover Girl, $6 2 x Oral-B toothbrushes)and I got $2 back on Ibotta for the 2 toothbrush packs so I got back more than I spent in the end.

I suppose I'll be going back to spend that $18 before Nov. 25th.  
I.
Can't.
Wait.

Sluggy

It Finally Happened!

 Hubs claims I have been unraveling for years but as of Sunday, I have finally finished coming UNGLUED!

That would be surgical glue to be specific. lol
When they do surgery laparoscopically they super glue up the holes where they shove the rods into you.

The first glue came off down in OC Maryland when I woke up the Monday before last.

Glue #2 came off the night before we came home on Thursday.

And the last hunk came off Sunday at home.

Then I had my post-op check-up on Monday and everything is right as rain again, well minus my gall bladder that is.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

  The "Good Meal Last Week" Edition.....

I love me some seafood and while on our mini-trip last week we splurged on a lunch out at a pricey restaurant(not that EVERY restaurant where we went isn't pricey!).

I had this broiled seafood platter.  That big ball is a crab cake with no filler too.....so good!

Anybody want to hazard a guess on how much this dinner cost?

Not pictured is the tossed salad and hush puppies I also got(and yes I ate two hush puppies).

Now let's see all the food police out there comment on how bad my diet is(because obviously they know everything I put in my mouth).

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--?
2. Monday--?
3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?

6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--?

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--small Steak, Broccoli, Mashed Taters
2. Monday--Greek Salad
3. Tuesday--Veggie Lasagna

4. Wednesday--Seafood Platter, Salad
5. Thursday--Cheese and Crackers, Collards

6. Friday--Pork Tenderloin(Hubs had mac and cheese too), Grapes
7. Saturday--Pizza, Salad

Last week saw 1 nights of home cooked dinners,  2 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 4 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.  

Lots of eating out or a quick meal in the hotel room most of the week as we weren't home.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 3 pork tenderloins

* 15 boxes of frozen veggies

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

* Pork Tenderloin

We spent $90.84 last week(Weis(PMITA)Markets, Walmart, Bread Outlet and a small pick-up order at Target), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $248.55 for October so far.
There are 5 shopping days left in the month.  I'll probably hit Walmart again this week for all the freebies after rebates(most of those go to Ex-CB or the food bank)and might get that second $5 Bonus(the Farm one)on Ibotta and maybe some things at Aldi(Hummus, Celery, Mushrooms, etc.)and Weis for a few things(Almond Milk for hubs and coffee)but I don't plan on doing any other food shopping otherwise.

I've earned $117.12 on Ibotta in October. 

I've earned $5.00 on SavingStar in October.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in October.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 816 points from food shopping on Fetch in October.(It's a bit more as I am behind on submitting some R-A receipts.)

I've earned 10 points from food shopping on ShopKick in October.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in October.

My savings percentage for last week was 50.05%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for October and the monthly savings total for October comes in at 47.68% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....what is left of the pan of mac and cheese(after Hubs ate some on Friday and Ex-College Boy came and took 3/4 of the pan home with him along with the 2 leftover pork tenderloins). lol

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

1. Sunday--Broiled Salmon, Veggie Medley(Hubs also had mac and cheese)
2. Monday--Homemade Soup
3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala, Veg. TBD, Mashed Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Liver and Onions, leftover Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts
5. Thursday--Subway Sandwiches

6. Friday--Roasted Chicken w/Veggies
7. Saturday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

What needs buying for this menu? Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes or Butternut Squash.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Salmon

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

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

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

October Giveaway-A Trick or Treat?

And with that it's time for the Eleventh Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway for 2020!                                

I'm a bit late getting this up for the month due to unforeseen circumstances. ;-)  But we persevere....

Let's take a look at what is in the ol' box o' goodies up for grabs this month.........

1 x Wild Organics Breakfast Blend Ground Coffee

1 x Brut men's Deodorant

1 x Suave 2 in 1 Shampoo

1 X Love Beauty Planet Hair Styling Spray

1 x Revlon Foundation make-up

1 x Freeman facial mask

1 x Coconut bath fizzies

1 x Schick men's disposable razors

1 x Crest Sensitive Gum Toothpaste

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Conair ColorVibe hair brush

1 x Cover Girl eye palette

1 x AZO bladder sample

1 x Max Freeze topical pain relief sampe

10 x Lindt's truffles(assorted flavors)

A real hodge-podge of goodies-everything from stuff to wake you up in the morning(coffee), to stuff to ease your aches and pains(Max Freeze), to stuff to make you clean(shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrush and deodorant)and pretty(cosmetics), to stuff to give your mouth some fun(chocolate)

Close up shots of these goodies..........

Depending on where you shop, the winnings have a reg. retail value of approximately $50-$60.

From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random.

* This Giveaway Box of goodies is open to ONLY READERS WHO HAVE NEVER WON ONE OF MY GIVEAWAYS!

There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY.

Come back every day and enter though!

In your entries I'd like to hear about your plans for Halloween.  Are you decorating?  Do you hand out candy to Trick or Treaters and will you this year?  Does your town allowing it this year?  What is your favorite Halloween candy?  Do you bake treats for Halloween and if so, what?
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 October 30th, Friday at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time. On October 31st, Saturday, 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.

***PLEASE NOTE***

Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you in your comment.

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!!!

Sluggy

Tusday's Photo

 So....

How do you like my big cock?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

 The "This Made Me Sad" Edition.....

Took this photo yesterday of a penny bucket.  And no Kim, I did not reach in an empty it. lol

Makes me sad because I've been on a dry streak finding change since surgery. 8-(

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--
2. Monday--
3. Tuesday--

4. Wednesday--
5. Thursday--

6. Friday--
7. Saturday--

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Jello, Green Beans
2. Monday--Jello, Toast, Banana
3. Tuesday--Egg Drop Soup

4. Wednesday--Asian Salad w/Chicken
5. Thursday--Collards

6. Friday--Chinese take-out
7. Saturday--leftover Chinese

Last week saw 1 nights of home cooked dinners, 1 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 2 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.  

This menu is just pieced together stuff of what I had. Hubs cooked once and I ate the green beans.  He ate different from me as I was on soft foods/liquids for awhile and then on a BRAT diet.

It was a strange week of food here.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 tv dinners

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

No clue other than chicken breast and green beans.

We spent $98.79 the last two weeks(mostly Weis(PMITA)Markets, plus a trip to Walmart and ShurSave each), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $157.71 for October so far.
There are 12 shopping days left in the month.  

I've earned $56.82 on Ibotta in October. 

I've earned $2 on SavingStar in October.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in October.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 816 points from food shopping on Fetch in October.

I've earned 10 points from food shopping on ShopKick in October.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in October.

My savings percentage for the last two weeks was 43.81%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for October and the monthly savings total for October comes in at 46.21% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....nothing but 1 helping of collards.

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

1. Sunday--?
2. Monday--?
3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?

6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--?

What needs buying for this menu? No clue.  We're winging it.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Salmon

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

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

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

Two Frugal Fridays-Oct. 9th & Oct. 16th....the October 17th Edition

 So emergency surgery has come and gone but in it's wake my blogging has taken a back seat.  Here are two weeks worth of Frugal Friday posts, not that there is a lot to report in on. ;-)

* First off, I forgot this the week before......

Freebie samples of toothpaste and mouthwash from my dental cleaning. yay.

* I found money!

Saturday October 3rd I found this dime at Rite-Aid.

The next day I went to get an Rx at Rite-Aid and found this penny in the pharmacy area.

The AS time(after surgery time)week, I got skunked and found no money from the 4th until now. 8-(  

Of course I didn't leave the house for most of that time either.

Found change this post..... .11¢
Found change this year so far...$49.25

*  I also found this in the parking lot at Weis(PMITA)Markets on the 2nd.  It was there when I went inside and I told myself if nobody takes it or runs it over by the time I go back to my car, I'm picking it up(using a wipe of course).

It's a very nice quality ballpoint retractable pen with he Subaru logo on it.  It looked brand new.

* Not much grocery shopping my first week home.  Hubs ran out to Weis for instant mashed potatoes and bananas and got this at the register.....

$2 off your next shopping order from Nature Valley.  Umm, I haven't bought anything Nature Valley at Weis in months if not a year but ok! lolz

It has since been used on more bananas. ;-)

* I brought home some deals from Rite-Aid.....

The Nivea stuff was 2 sales cycles ago that I hadn't gotten around to mentioning.  Got $4 BC wyspent $15 plus I used ManuQs and got $4 back on Ibotta for the shave gels.

I got the free Crest/Oral-B stuff(chose a toothbrush and dental floss)using Qs and getting BC back on Sunday Oct. 4th.  I only did it on one card because Hello! Hospital so I didn't go back to R-A that week to max the deal out.

On Thursday I drove myself to Rite-Aid(first trip since surgery)and did the GenTeal drops on son's card(used $3.24 on a gift card and rolled all his Bonus Cash)and got $18 back in new BC.

On my card I did the Carefree Deal, spent $4.34 in BC after 20% Wellness Discount and $3/2 ManuQ and got $4 in Ibotta rebates.

On daughter's card I got the 2 x tampons, paid $4.58 in BC after 20% Wellness Discount and $5.00 in Qs($3/1 L2CQ, $2/1 ManuQ)and earned $8 in Ibotta rebates.

I also earned a $1 Ibotta Bonus called "Edgewell" because both the Playtex and the Carefree qualified for that.

So I rolled and convert BC.

I also got this at Weis(PMITA)Markets while I was out that day.......

Weis currently has a "spend $15/Get $5 off instantly" on some Dove items.

These cost $7.69 each so $15.38, I got $5 off so $10.38.  I used 2 x $2/1 Dove men's body wash IPQs so I paid $6.38 OOP.  Then I got $4 back on Ibotta(2 x $2 Dove men's body wash)so these ended up costing me $1.19 each.  Not bad.

* I missed out on a $10 and a $5 Ibotta Bonus while I was incapacitated so when another $5 Weekend Warrior Bonus popped up on Thursday I had Hubs take me to Walmart on Friday......

The Oikos drink and the Core bar were free after rebates.

The Schar cookies were a .36¢ moneymaker.

The Danimals probiotic drinks would have been free had I activated the SavingStar rebate before it disappeared(boo)but I need them and they were only .88¢ after Q and Ibotta.

I had a $4/1 Bella dog food Q so after that and $1.50 rebate that was only .245¢ for each container.

Renuzits were $1.91 total, the Keebler crackers were $1.18, the Ultra Powerade was .70¢ and the 2 reg. Powerades were .52¢ each.

I happened to see those seasonal Starbucks coffee bags(Pecan and Maple flavor)on a clearance shelf for $3.15.  I found an Ibotta rebate for $1.25 a bag on my app so at $1.90 per bag they were coming home with me! (They will probably find their way into Xmas stockings.)

Ex-College Boy came over for dinner last night so 3 of the drinks and the packs of cookies are gone already.

I used my last $5 Walmart gift card on this so it came to $22.38 OOP and I earned $23.92 on Ibotta between the regular rebates, $5 WW Bonus and a .50¢ Powerade Bonus.

I wanted to get the free Star Wars cereal and the free Fake Beef patties but my store had neither.  Even so I did ok.

Keep on Keepin' on being Frugal my Friends.

Tell us about your wins lately.

Sluggy

One Week Post Op

 Still feeling crappy and not into blogging again yet.

I will say Warren Zevon was "The Man".  He told it like it was.......

Sluggy

Move Over Rasputin, I'm Still Here

 

Much like my good buddy Rasputin, doctors can't seem to knock me off(or for that matter knock me OUT!). 

It took cyanide laced cakes and 3 glasses of Madeira wine, 3 gun shots(1 at point blank range to his forehead), hyperthermia from laying  in a snowbank and dumping him in the Malaya Nevka River in late December near St. Petersburg, Russia to off Rasputin.

Despite their efforts, doctors can only seem to relieve me of one body part at a time and I'm still here(more or less of me)!

Last week was truly Craptastic(being capped off with emergency surgery)and this week is starting out as another crap filled(literally)stretch of days.
I vacillate between laughing and crying over my woes.

Not up to blogging right now.
This song says it best about where I am right now......

And I am finding comfort in this tune.....

Stay well and take care of yourselves until I can be back and recount my saga.

Sluggy

Great Road Trip of 2017....Part Four

Part One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE.
Part Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE.
Part Three of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE.

So after a hotel breakfast(not bad)we headed back out onto the highway out of Columbia, Missouri into I-70 West.

Not a lot to see along this stretch of highway except billboards and greenery.  

Lots of Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion signs, large American flags and signs for competing custom footwear dealers(Kleinschmidt's and Boot Barn). 

 Each store sign claimed to have an every increasing inventory of boots at fantastically lower and lower prices but we didn't feel the need to stop and see.

                                       

Other than this exit sign for a place called "Knob Noster", I did see a sign on I-70 that peaked my interest-a sign for a surplus grocery dealer near Odessa MO.

I think the sign at the exit was handmade and we turned off onto highway "M" and evidentially we shot past it and made a 10 mile detour.  The pole building that housed the outlet was right off this exit but was hidden from view by a lush jungle of trees and vines(it was July after all)but the building was visible coming from North on "M" back to the interstate exit.

Found it!  

We had been on the road for an hour already and it was sunny and already almost 100F degrees outside at 10 ish in the morning.  So we took a break and walked around inside the Surplus Grocery Warehouse.

This bag of Lucky Charms marshmallows came home with us(I knew Ex-College Boy would love them!).

Rite-Aid returns.....anybody need an enema? lolz

I had no clue what this was(and if we hadn't been so far from home I might have bought a can to see).

It's native to West Africa, quite popular in Jamaican cooking and is a fruit related to the Lychee fyi....

Where else could you find a menorah....

sitting right next to a Catholic Saints candle with Spanish writing on it?

Hmmm, I wonder if they would have let you redeem those Rite-Aid instant coupons on that mac and cheese?? ;-)

I wonder how stale these fortune cookies were?  I don't know, but the "fresh" ones I get for free when I order Chinese take-out are pretty stale already.

This place was massively large.  It was also very dark inside(which was a plus given the outside temperature that day).  This is the best shot I got to show you how big this warehouse was. This was one aisle out of 7.  And they had a second "room" as well as a refrigerated 18-wheeler car connected to the buildings(which you could see part of in the outside shot I took). 

I didn't buy much(the bag of marshmallows, 2 small tins of mints and a couple of big jars of candy sprinkles to give to Kim for all her baking needs are all I recall).  It was an interesting stop but we had to get back onto the road.

Back on the interstate we kept seeing signs like this.............wtf?!?

So after driving a bit more and a stop to gas and pee we were hitting the Kansas City metro area.  One of our "Things to Do" on this trip was to hit a barbecue joint in KC.

And man, did we have a LOT to pick from!  You can't spit in KC without hitting a BBQ place. lolz
Wanting to avoid downtown we settled on a place that was in North KC near the airport.

                       

So we had an early lunch at Hawg Jaw BBQ.

On the other side of the building was a brewery called "Big Rip" but it wasn't open until later.

Their website is HERE if you are ever in the area and get a hankering for good 'cue.

My plate-2 meats, cheesy corn and smoked mac and cheese with an unsweet tea.

Hubs' plate-2 meats, chili and cheesy corn with a local beer.

The ordering window

The menu

The early lunch crowd in the dining area.....

And me outside posing under the sign with my leftovers.

Back on the road again heading north on I-29 toward Nebraska.  But first we had to find our way out of this industrial area of KC.  We traveled through some sketchy areas before we got outta Dodge.  This shot was past the worst of the urban blight.

And soon it was back to fields and farms along the highway......

Two hours outside of KC we needed to stop for gas again....

I got out of the car and walked around to stretch my legs while Hubs filled the car's tank.  The gas station was up on a "hill"(or what passes for a hill in this part of the Midwest)and you could see the other businesses off that exit below.

.And there was a dinosaur statue on the grounds of the gas station.  This was a Sinclair station.

DINO the Apatosaurus(formerly a Brontosaurus), the Sinclair Co. mascot and me in a selfie....

The last time I saw a DINO or a Sinclair station was in 1998 when I went to a Beanie Convention in Minnesota.  We saw it driving back to Illinois from Minnesota.  It was somewhere in Eastern MN or in WI.

The Sinclair company celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2016.  I guess DINO got a makeover then so he was still lookin' good in 2017 when we happened upon him.

There was a convenience store attached.  I liked their sign/slogan...lol

Back on the road and our constant roadside companion views of fields of corn....

A granary with silos in the distance.....

The first sighting of a windmill from the interstate.......

The ride North on I-29 took us along the Missouri River on the Iowa side.

An abandoned Sapp Bros. sign in Iowa........

You could see Bluffs along the river here off in the distance........

Another big flag.....

Part of an art installation called "Paley's Odyssey" on the 24th St. bridge as you enter Council Bluffs from the East.  More info HERE.

As we got near the casino in Council Bluffs....

Free drinks were tempting but we were on a tight schedule. lolz

Yet another big ass flag.

And just like that we were in.......

And if you would have blinked you would have missed the "Welcome to Omaha/Kenefick Park" sign and trains.......

And then we were fighting rush hour traffic on Rte. 275 heading Northwest of Omaha and back to our view of fields of corn....

A rare billboard on this leg of the road.  Too bad we weren't going to be in town the end of July for that Scotty McCreery concert during the Washington County Fair.........*sad face*

About 45 minutes drive from Omaha we got to the hotel for the evening in Fremont NE.

A nice little place right off the interstate in small town Nebraska.

Our room was pretty nice too.

After unloading our luggage we needed to find a place to eat dinner.

This place was right in front of the hotel.....

We would have been smarter to have eaten at this Mel's Diner......

The diner proved that all that glitters is not gold.

The place was packed and the only reason I can think of why is because it's the only restaurant in town. lolz

Seriously, the prices were high.  We each got a salad and a sandwich.

Here is hubs trying to finish his meal and not laugh while I rolled my eyes and tried to chock down mine.

The "salad" was a plate of shredded iceberg lettuce like you'd put on a sub sandwich.....that's it!  Oh and salad dressing.  I didn't even try to eat my "salad".

I didn't want anything heavy so I ordered a tuna sandwich..........

Here is what was left after I ate half of my sandwich.  Honestly, there was MORE shredded lettuce on the sandwich than tuna(along with an anemic slice of tomato). The pile of lettuce on the plate was what I took out of the sandwich half I ate.  It was nearly impossible to remove the lettuce because they had mixed the lettuce in with the tuna and mayo before putting a glop of it on the bread!!  It was a lettuce sandwich with a little bit of tuna fish.  

And just what I wanted after being served a big plate of shredded lettuce"salad". 

It was just ridiculous for what we paid for this meal!

I wanted to tell then to "Kiss My F&*%^ Grits!" after being robbed for that dinner.

On the short walk back to the hotel I noticed this near where we parked our rental car.......

A nice decorative fir tree with it's top half missing.  ;-)

I guess some local yahoo sawed it off to use for their Christmas tree the previous December.

Petty theft at it's finest.....but not as fine as the theft going on in Mel's Diner next door. 8-)

Thus ends Part Four/Day Three of our Western Adventure.

Sluggy