Auld Lang Syne 2020

I've got so much to wrap up here.....not gift wrap but balancing various books, still waiting on the mail(both gifts and medical account reimbursements to arrive, etc.)and stuff to catalog and put away(both gifts, decor and things I found on clearanc for Xmas and assorted Birthdays in 2021.  Then Hubs and I need to sit down and plan out our 2021 finances.  Oh, that's going to be exciting, right? lol

I did a little after Xmas shopping but didn't get to that until Sunday and Monday as we spent Saturday and a bit of Sunday in NJ at eldest son's apartment visiting, so lots was already gone at my local stores.  That's fine as I still have plenty gift wrap, tape, bows, boxes, etc.  I did score a few small gifties to put in my gift tub.  I had 2 Rubbermaid tubs filled with presents for Christmas/Birthdays but used all but 1/4 of what was in 1 of the tubs.  I probably found enough to fill that one tub back up but I'll have an empty tub left to get rid of or expand into depending.  Go me for getting rid of stuff!

My Doctor has me on a new Rx and I seem to be very lethargic which is one of the side effects.  Add to that that it's so cold here so I just have no motivation to do anything but the bare minimum that I have to do.  No blogging mojo either so I won't hit the AdSense minimum by tonight/the end of December 2020 to see a revenue check in January unless a bunch of y'all click on my ads or read and then reread this silly post about 40 times. ;-)

I'll do my regular Frugal Friday post tomorrow but beyond that, who knows when/what else.
I am just glad to see 2020 leave the premises as are most everyone else in the world.

Let's hope for a better world for all of us in 2021.  Please tell me it has to get better.  I need to hear that.

I'll leave you with the immortal words of Bobby Burns......

Wishing all my Blogger Friends Peace in 2021,

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

 

The "I Am Tired After the Last Three Days" Edition....

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were a blur for me.  Christmas eve was finishing up wrapping, cooking and delivering gifts to friends, taking pizzas to Rite-Aid for all the workers there.  Christmas day was more cooking and 6 here for the day and dinner and present mayhem(well maybe not "mayhem" lolz)then all the cleaning up and then packing, more cooking to take to m son's place and taking the dogs to the kennel for 2 days before leaving for NJ for an overnight visit(where I didn't have to cook finally! yay!!).

 We got home Sunday afternoon after a quick 24 hour trip to Eldest son's new apartment for our first visit there. After we drove home Sunday with a stop at OSJL, I hit Rite-Aid(for after Xmas clearance)and Weis for a Sunday paper and a few things/deals after we got home and then it was almost time to fall into bed.  I am still tired today and moving in slow motion but getting a few chores accomplished.  I refuse to get out of my PJs and leave the house and probably won't until Wednesday when I have an errand to run.  

As for de-Christmasing the house....that's going to be much, much later if I can help it. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Butternut Squash Ravioli

2. Monday--Meatloaf, Steamed Mixed Veggies

3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings or Chicken Pot Pie using leftover Roast Chicken

4. Wednesday--leftover Beef Stew
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-out

6. Friday--Baked Ham, Lasagna, Mac and Cheese, Salad, Carrots, Rolls, Stollen and Cookies

7. Saturday--Pierogies and ? at Son's apartment

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

1. Sunday--Butternut Squash Ravioli

2. Monday--Meatloaf, Steamed Mixed Veggies

3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings using leftover Roast Chicken

4. Wednesday--Beef Pie using Leftover Beef Stew
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-out

6. Friday--Baked Ham, Lasagna, Mac and Cheese, Caesar Salad, Carrots, Garlic Bread, Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake

7. Saturday--Garlic Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, Mac and Cheese(I brought the Mac)

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/planned overs, FFY, and 1 night of Take-Out.   

Basically everything planned happened and Sat. eldest's GF cooked for us.

As for Xmas day leftovers, not much as I made a point to send Ex-CB, his Roommate, the Brother in-law and Nephew home with lots of helpings of what was left.  We do still have too many peanut butter cookies here but Ex-CB will come on his day off this week and take those away to consume at his place(along with a few other things as well).

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

*  2 panko pork tenderloin slices

*  1 SL Peppermint cheesecake

*  1 Cherry pie

*  2 lb. bag Brussels Sprouts

*  1 2-pack of Incogmeato burger patties

*  1 pack diced Chicken Breast

*  1 Whole fryer Chicken

*  2 lbs. Ground Beef

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

*  a bag of Dumplings

*  1 Smoke Ham but

*  1 lb. Ground Beef

*  1 lb. Ground Turkey

*  2 packs Butternut Squash Ravioli

*  1 Peppermint Cheesecake

*  1 box CA Medley Veggies

We spent a whopping $197.49 on food last week. Yikes! There were lots of good deals and having taken the huge ham out of the chest freezer I had room to pick up some "frozen assets" at a good price.

This bring our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods Grand Total to $474.43 for December.

Actually my OOP was $12.22 less than $197.49 last week.  On all 3 trips I made to Weis(PMITA)Markets I was overcharged on things(unattentive cashiers perhaps?)so I got that much refunded but they were giving out cash instead of credits back on cards(which I mostly use for food shopping)so instead of a lower total I got $12.22 for my refund/post coupon envelope. which get added back into the food budget so it's all good.

There are 3 shopping days left in December but I am done for the year!

I've earned $182.53 on Ibotta in December.

I've earned $00 on Checkout51 in December.

I've earned $10.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in December.

I've earned 8837 points from shopping on Fetch in December.(I have a few more receipts to scan still so this may be larger for the month.)

I've earned 11,628 point from food shopping on Shop Kick in December.

I've earned 1120 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in December.

My savings percentage for last week was 56.84%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for December and the monthly savings total for December comes in at 55.41%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....1 helping of chicken and dumplings, 1/3 pan of lasagna, 1 helping of Caesar salad, 3 slices of Garlic bread, a little bit of ham, 1/3 of the meatloaf and 1/3 of the pan of mac and cheese.

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

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Fried Chicken, leftover Mac and Cheese, Brussels Sprouts

3. Tuesday--leftovers

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

6.  Friday--?

7. Saturday--?

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing. I planned a little but Hubs is going to fix dinner most nights as we'll eat on the leftovers or simple things like sandwiches and he's frying some chicken(which he likes to do a couple times a year)as I picked up a whole fryer yesterday for $3.22.

I don't plan to go into a grocery store again until 2021. 8-)

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

Frugal Friday Again on Saturday....the December 26th Edition

 Even though it's the Day after Christmas let's do the Frugal Friday list!

*  I always give the Brother In-Law a box of food/HBA/toiletries(mostly from my stockpile)for Christmas.  Most years this involves having to wrap and decorate a large cardboard box so the presentation is nice.  I ran out of large wicker or other baskets to use for this purpose years ago and I refuse to buy one anymore.  Add in that my hands don't work some days(arthritic and all)well enough to wrap a cardboard box well enough for it to look nice. ;-)

I came up with the perfect solution this year.  My brother had gifted us an order of Omaha Steaks 2 years ago and I still had this heavy duty styrofoam cooler in the garage from when those arrived.
I put his Christmas goodies in that and put a ribbon/bow around it.  The ribbon was found in one of my Christmas tubs of miscellany.

I recycled the container and passed it off to someone else to deal with. lol

*  I submitted all my receipts from last week to various stores to Ibotta, ShopKick, Fetch and Kellog's to earn points/kicks/rewards/cash depending on what items I bought that qualified for something.

*  On December 19th when leaving Rite-Aid I saw something shiny in a snowbank in the parking lot opposite where I was parked in a vacant parking spot.  The snow removal company from our 12 incher storm did a shitty job of clearing the parking lot so they had to hire someone in a small Bobcat to reshovel the lot that morning.  I backed up my car to the parking spot where I saw the red and gold shiny thing and found this.......

2 small bags of Peppermint Bark chocolate still sealed.  Obviously these fell out of someone's bag somewhere in the parking lot snow after the storm and ended up heaped into this snowbank.  I took a photo of them and sent it to the Assistant Manager and told her where I found them in case someone came in or called the store looking for them so I could turn them in.  So far, no one has tried to claim them so I may have something yummy to have for New Year's Eve. 8-)

*  Hubs and I used our Ollie's coupon on Dec. 18th......

Ollie's typically holds a one night special sale on the Sunday before Christmas and you need this ticket to get into the store and get 25% off toys and Xmas stuff and 15% off everything else in the store.  But with COVID this year and not wanting that sort of crowd this event causes they made the coupon good for a whole week.  Friday was the next to last day to use it so we went out.  Didn't really pick up much(mostly I bought 3 books)as there wasn't much on the list of needs lately.  I did spend $8.95 after discount on foodstuffs but I haven't taken a photo of it and can't for the life of me remember what foods I bought.

*  There was a flurry of last minute shopping at Walmart/Weis/CVS/Rite-Aid and of all places Target too! to finish off the 3 level Ibotta rebate Bonuses.  More on that later.

*  I found money!

I found a penny at Ollie's last Friday.

I found 2 pennies at Rite-Aid last Friday as well.  They were found in different locations in the store so I took separate photos. lolz

I was back at Rite-Aid the next day and found .10¢ on the floor near the register.

On Monday Hubs and I went to Walmart and found another .11¢.  Both in the self-checkout area.

The next day I hit Weis for some last minute foodstuffs and found a penny.

Back to Rite-Aid on Wednesday and I found .11¢ more. This was the week of .11¢ no doubt! lol

And finally on Christmas Eve I found a penny at Weis(PMITA)Markets again under one of the self-checkout machines.

Total Found This Week..... .37¢
Total Found This Year So Far...$53.50

That's about all I can think of for the week ending on December 24th.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week leading up to Christmas?
Tell us all about it!

Sluggy

Merry Christmas!

I hope y'all have a Merry Christmas!

Here's a little holiday funny.........

Sluggy

Almost Christmas!

 Christmas decor sighting today.........

This is our front door.  The wreath lights up at night.

We put these doggy Holiday stickers on the storm door. 

Feliz Navi-Dog y'all! lol

Now back to make my last Christmas treat, Mexican Wedding Cookies.
More tomorrow.....

Sluggy

Shopping on Monday at CVS & Walmart

There was too much cloud cover last night to get a good look at the "star of Bethlehem" last night but here is a photo of our Christmas tree all lit up.......

Hubs and I went down the mountain to hit a few stores yesterday.

I had a couple of ECBs expiring(again!)before the end of the year which I don't want to worry about using so I did a shop at CVS..........

2 x Dove shampoo(lavender!)on sale=$7.00
2 x Tresemmé shampoo(not on sale)=$9.98
2 x Advil PM on sale=$21.98
4 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale=$15.96
SubTotal......$54.92

Coupons Used

1 x $3/2 Dove DigitalQ=$3.00
1 x $3/2 Tresemmé DigitalQ=$3.00
2 x $1/1 Advil IPQ=$2.00
1 x $6/4 Crest/Oral-B DigitalQ=$6.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush DigitalQ=$1.00
1 x $3/$12 Hair Care CRT=$3.00
1 x $2/$10 CVS Naproxen CRT=$2.00
1 x $3/$10 Oral Care CRT=$3.00
1 x $1/$6 Manual Toothbrush CRT=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$24.00

$54.92-$24=$30.92

I used $30 in ECBs so paid .92¢+.01¢ sales tax=.93¢ OOP

I earned back $12 in new ECBS($2 Dove, $5 Advil, $5 Oral-B).  I earned a $3 Beauty Buck as well because the shampoos put me over $30 spent for my next BBuck, giving me $23 left in ECBs expiring in January.
I also submitted to Ibotta and earned $4 for buying the Advil putting me closer to the Ibotta Bonus.

Then it was off to Walmart to finish an Ibotta Bonus and do some ShopKicks too........

1 x Kellogg's Jumbo Packs=$4.98
3 x Suave Sleek Shampoos/Conditioner=$5.94
1 x Suave Professional Conditioner=$2.98
1 x Nudges Dog treats=$4.98
1 x Poise pads=$4.84
1 x Propel packets=$1.98
1 x Afrin nasal spray=$4.98
1 x Maggi chicken bouillion=$1.38
2 x Hall's cough drops=$3.28
1 x Delsym cough syrup=$9.88
SubTotal......$45.22

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Kellogg's Snack Packs IPQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Poise ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Afrin ManQ=$2.00
1 x $1/50/2 Hall's ManuQ=$1.50
1 x $4/1 Delsym IPQ=$4.00
Coupon Total.......$11.50

$45.22-$11.50=$33.72+.95¢ sales tax=$34.67

I earned back $10.70 on Ibotta plus reached the $5 Ibotta Bonus.

I submitted the receipt to ShopKick and got 4,150 receipt Kicks for buying the Suave, Afrin, Delsym, Nudge dog treats and Kellogg's Snax box plus a Suave hair bundle bonus plus an additional 75 Kicks for scanning various items and for just walking in the store so 4,225 Kicks total which is equal to $16.90.

$15.70+$16.90=$32.60 back in rebates makes this trip an OOP of  $2.07.

.93¢ CVS + $2.07 Walmart=$3.00 OOP but deduct the $4 Ibotta rebate on the Advil at CVS and now both transactions combined are a $1 moneymaker.

Sweet!

I need 9 more rebates on Ibotta to hit the $3 Sled Bonus so I am off to Weis(PMITA)Markets shortly. ;-)  I'll probably not make it to the last Xmas Bonus there but that's ok.
Then it's time to wrap more gifts and make fudge for gifts for neighbors and my Rite-Aid friends.

What's on your agenda today?

Sluggy

This Week on The Dining Table

The "I'd Hate to Meet the Dog That Could Eat That!" Edition.....

Hubs posed with this Holiday Dog Rawhide Treat.  Look at the size of that thing!!  Unfortunately I don't have a Mastiff, Great Dane, or "Insert other massive dog here" to gift it to.  Or should that be fortunately? lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Salmon, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Pizza, Salad

4. Wednesday--Meatloaf, Veggies TBD, maybe Noodles for Hubs
5. Thursday--Butternut Ravioli w/White Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

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

1. Sunday--Salmon, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself

4. Wednesday--Domino's pizza, Salad

5. Thursday-Beef Stew, leftover Whack Biscuits

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Roast Chicken, leftover Sweet Potato Fries, Sugar Snap Peas

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

The Butternut Ravioli didn't happen again, so it moves to this week.

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

*  2 cans of OJ concentrate

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

*  3 Hamburger patties

*  1/2 a small Salmon side

*  2 Petite Grilling Steaks(for the Stew)

*  Sugar Snap Peas

We spent $75.46 last week($57.12 at Weis and 3 other small shops at DG/CVS/Ollie's).  That brings our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods Grand Total to $276.94 for December so far.

There are 10 shopping days left in December.  

I've earned $96.19 on Ibotta in December. 

I've earned $00 on Checkout51 in December.

I've earned $10.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in December.

I've earned 8428 points from shopping on Fetch in December.

I've earned 3165 points from food shopping on ShopKick in December.

I've earned 600 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in December.

My savings percentage for last week was 61.50%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for December and the monthly savings total for December comes in at 54.33%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....1/2 a carton of Chicken Stock(which I'll use in either Chicken and Dumplings or Pot Pie).

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

1. Sunday--Butternut Squash Ravioli

2. Monday--Meatloaf, Steamed Mixed Veggies

3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings or Chicken Pot Pie using leftover Roast Chicken

4. Wednesday--leftover Beef Stew
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-out

6. Friday--Baked Ham, Lasagna, Mac and Cheese, Salad, Carrots, Rolls, Stollen and Cookies

7. Saturday--Pierogies and ? at Son's apartment

What needs buying for this menu?  Salad fixings and carrots.  Not much but I'll make a run to Weis/Walmart this week(gotta work on those Ibotta Bonuses), hopefully sooner rather than later. ;-)

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

December Giveaway Winner!

                    What was up for grabs this month.

There were 34 valid Giveaway comments so I put that number into Random Generator and that picked the winner.........

DEBBIE H.

Debbie HDecember 15, 2020 at 6:13 PM

Hi! We are celebrating Christmas, just differently. This year, we're making due with a slower, less busy season. I've baked a little, we've watched a couple of holiday movie favorites, planned out our online holiday visits with family...

Congratulations Debbie H!

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 December.

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

Come back next year(please can 2020 be over now?!?!)and see what Sluggy has planned. 8-)))

Sluggy

Another Frugal Friday on Saturday, December 19th Edition

 **Today is the last day to enter the December Giveaway.  Use the Link in the side bar.
Also "Lisa" and "Alison" who left comments this past week need to contact me for their comments to be approved.  I have 4 Lisas in my Giveaway database and your name links to an empty Google/Blogger account so I don't know which Lisa this is.  As for Alison I have NO contact info for an Alison. **

Let's see the few Frugal Wins that went on this past week here at Chez Sluggy....

*  I finally got my "pay" for working the election polls on November 3rd....

Because of COVID it was a little more than usual which I won't turn down.

There was also a nice form letter with the check from our County Manager thanking us for setting up to work during this trying time.  I think I appreciated his recognition more than the money.  8-)

*  We got a ton of snow Wednesday/Thursday morning!

Spent most of Wednesday and all of Thursday not going anywhere....not even Rite-Aid.  And I resisted the urge to do any online shopping while stuck at home.

*  My car was due for an oil change/tire rotation/inspection so we took it up on Tuesday to the local auto service place.  We only had to pay for the inspection as I had a gift certificate for the other services that I won at last year's Church auction but still hadn't use.

*  I've been good about sending almost all of the deluge of emails from companies wanting me to spend my money at their establishments tempting me with fabulous(ok, mostly not so  fabulous)offers/sales in my inbox.  I haven't even set foot in most stores, especially Kohl's which is a big thing for me.  Kohl's invariably gets a lot of my Christmas spending dollars each year but not so this year.

I love me some Holiday candles!  I bought about 10 of these large jarred candles last January or February at Kohl's when the holiday items were 80% off.  $10 candles for $1.99?  Yes, please!

I like Bath and Body Works 3 wick candles but I won't spend the crazy amount they want for them regular price nor will I put up with the madness of Candle Day in the store(I tried online buying last year but BBW doesn't know how to pack shipping boxes very well and almost everything arrived broken.  By the time they reshipped what wasn't out of stock it was too late to use them for Christmas, plus one of them was a gift so the person got that after Christmas. sigh)  These Kohl's candles smell about the same as BBW ones and I am happy not have braved the crowds on Candle Day nor given BBW stupid amounts of my money for a candle. ;-)

*  I found money!

2 pennies last Sunday last at Rite-Aid.

I found this penny outside the liquor store on Tuesday(as I was leaving after buying a Christmas present).  Who says drinking isn't profitable? lol

This quarter was found on Wednesday at Rite-Aid under the candy rack by the register.

Total Found This Week.... .28¢
Total Found This Year So Far...$53.13

*  I hit CVS to roll some ECBs on Wednesday spending $2.30 OOP...

And the Rite-Aid haul the same day spending ZERO OOP......

(2 frozen pizzas and 2 Powerades not pictured.)

I also finished off a $10 Ibotta Bonus at Weis(PMITA)Markets buying these 3 boxes of cereal Sunday I already blogged about....

.82¢ OOP for all 3 boxes after sale/coupons/rebates.  One box is for Hubs, one box is for EX-College Boy and the last box is going to the Food Bank. 8-)

That's about all for this past week.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Tell us all about it and have a good weekend!

I'll be posting the Giveaway Winner on Sunday. 8-)))

Sluggy

Wednesday Doings

Since the big storm was slated to commence Wednesday afternoon and I had CVS ECBs expiring that day(figures, right?)Hubs and I headed out to run a couple errands before the snow flew.

First it was CVS........

I wanted to get some useful things(not just oral care items and shampoo which are the only CRTs I ever get)so I picked up TP, Kleenex and a Bday card.   The Maybelline baby lips were free after Instant Q at the redbox and the $5 ECB buying 2 gave back.  The small Wet n' Wild gift sets cost .97¢ for all 3.  $4.99 each and gave back $4 in ECB plus I had a $2/$12 cosmetics CRT that came off so .97¢ + sales tax spent down on my ECBs I paid with.

I think I got the wrong Kleenex that were suppose to be 2 for $3 as they rang up reg. $2.09 each price instead of $3 for 2 and the cashier pushed the $1/2 redbox Q through.

Should have been subtotal of $39.52-$11 in Qs/CRT=$28.52 and 27.48 paid in ECBs=$1.04 + sales tax OOP.

Ended with the wrong price chaarged on the Kleenex as $40.70-$11 in Qs/CRT=$29.70 and $27.48 paid in ECBs=$2.22+.08¢ sales tax so $2.30 OOP.

Whatever.  I was in no frame of mind to fight over the $1.18 I was overcharged.
I earned back $20 in new ECBs($12 gift sets, $3 TP, $5 Maybelline).  I used the expiring ECBs and rolled other forward so mission accomplished.

Then it was on to Rite-Aid to pick up an Rx and I used/rolled some Bonus Cash with this transaction....

I had a $2/1 Tresemmé Load2CardQ and that conditioner was 50% on clearance for $2.99 making that .99¢ after Q.
I got 2 x Poise liners on sale for $4.99 each and used 2 x $2/1 Poise Qs(1 L2CQ, 1 IPQ)and they gave $5 in BC when you bought 2 so they "cost" .98¢ total + .06¢ sales tax.
I also did a food deal which isn't pictured--2 DiGiorno pizzas and 2 SF Powerads for $12 which earned me $3 in BC.  The pizzas also earned me $1.50 in Ibotta rebates.

Altogether this all was $24.97-$6 in Qs so $18.97+.06¢ sales tax=$19.03 paid for with BC and I earned back $8 in BC and $1.50 in cash rebates. $19.03-$9.50 rebates/BC means I spent down the BC by $9.53.

We got home around noon and the snow had begun to lightly fall.  

Before I went to bed I took this photo of the back deck.......

You go out and shovel and within the hour your path was covered up again. After I came upstairs it began to sleet too which was going to make shoveling out extra fun! hahaha

 Ex-College Boy had a rough time getting home from work.  Even though corporate closed his store early at 6:30 his route home is partly via interstate and a semi-almost ran him off the road.  He did get home safely but it took an hour(double his commute time).  I-80 about an hour West of here in central PA had a massive vehicle pile-up and shutdown all lanes Westbound for quite some time due to the 60 vehicle crash where 2 people died.  So sad right before Christmas....

This morning it's sunny but still in the 20's.  Here's a shot from the front porch before Hubs attempted to dig out the cars in the driveaway.........

The trusty yardstick says we got a literal 12 inches.  The local weatherman reported that parts NorthWest of here got as much as 30 inches.  Yikes!  It was a doozy of a storm here.

How about where you are.  How much snow did y'all get?

Sluggy

Stuff Lately

 * Our credit card information was stolen last week.  Someone(not us)spent our c/c online at a company called Course Hero.  Though I am all for bettering yourself with online courses/classes, I draw the line at using someone else's money to pay for it without asking said person.

So now we wait on new cards which is worrisome given it's a bit before Christmas and all the mailing services are bogged down so these cards may arrive sometime in February at this point.  Luckily we each have an alternate c/c.

* We got this unsolicited pamphlet in the mail recently.....

After 2020 and the Dumpster Fire it turned out to be, maybe I should read this? lol

*  I saw these packages of gummi bears at Sharp Shopper last week.......

5 lb. bags of gummies!  Oh, they were cheap alright but that's enough gummi candies to rot all your teeth! lol

*  Also while in Hershey last Thursday we had lunch at Bob's.  We no longer have a Bob's here since ours shut down in Jan.

This was 2 days before the Governor shut down all indoor dining again in PA.

Speaking of Commie Tommy, here is a meme my son's roommate sent me that made me LOL........that's our governor's head...

*  Speaking of politics and politicians, we received this in the mail on Monday, December 14th...

Well actually Ex-College Boy got this postcard from the Democrats reminding him to vote on Nov. 3rd. lolz  They sent it to his college address(where he hasn't lived for almost 3  YEARS now)and it got forwarded here where he also no longer lives.  I guess the Democrat funded action organizations target college students as they tend to be liberal minded, even if the said student isn't a registered Democrat.

*  Speaking of mail, all my packages in route are being delayed.  Daughter didn't get hers in time for her birthday which was Sunday though it was mailed early last week.  It will be a miracle if anything else shows up on time besides for Christmas.

*  I finished off the "Rein in the Cash" Ibotta Bonus at Weis buying this on Sunday........

3 boxes of Kellogg's cereals on special for $2.49 each when you buy 3.  I had 3 x .70¢/1 IPQs which doubled to $1.40 off each so paid $3.27 for all OOP.

Then I submitted to Ibotta and got $2.45 in rebates for all 3,making them .82¢ for all 3 boxes and also got the $10 Rein Bonus.

*  We received our first Xmas card of the season last week from a dear friend.........

The entire back flap of the envelope was missing!  I had to ask the sender I hope she hadn't enclosed $100 bills as someone had sliced open the envie and taken them. ;-)  Luckily she reassured me no $$ was missing.

*  As for our decorating, here is the pitiful display of Christmas cards we've gotten as of Tuesday........

5 cards.  One card is from Hubs' ex-coworker, 2 are from Anne's card exchange, one is from a grateful Giveaway winner(thanks Suzanne!)and one is from the online clothing store I have spent $$ at so it really doesn't count. lolz

*  And this is a reminder for KIM that the Corgi Iditarod is coming soon...

You'd better start training Roscoe! lolz

*  They are predicting we will get walloped with this NorEaster storm to the depth of 18+ inches.  We are dead center in it's current trajectory.  Oh Goody!  It's already snowing lightly here and it's suppose to go until Thursday afternoon.  Hubs and I went out this morning and did what we needed to do already so we are good.
If you have to go out in this stay safe!!!

What's going on in your world lately?

Sluggy

  

A Little Giveaway for the Christmas Season....Come Enter! & Genealogy Too

And with that it's time for the Fifteenth Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaways for 2020!     
Here's a short little Giveaway to end this Dumpster Fire of a year.   You only have a few days to enter this one so don't delay!   

This is one of my many favorite Christmas tunes.  Though not a traditional carol written for the season, it comes from a 1944 film, "Meet Me in St. Louis", about a year in the life of the Smith Family of St. Louis Missouri in 1903.  Any nostalgic subject matter was popular here in the USA during World War II and this film starring Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Marjorie Main among others was a smash hit back then.     

This song was written for the film by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.  In this clip, Esther(Garland)is trying to comfort little sister Tootie(O'Brien)who is upset about a possible move by the family from St. Louis to New York.(Spoiler Alert-the Smiths don't end up moving and all attend the St. Louis Fair of 1904.)

*Incidentally, the film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and this is when he met Judy Garland and fell in love with her.  The couple was married in 1945.  

On a Genealogical note if  you are into that sort of thing--When Judy was 18 she had a brief affair with one of my cousins, Songwriter Johnny Mercer(8th cousin 2 x removed on my maternal grandfather's line)while she was waiting for fiancé Songwriter/Musician David Rose to get a divorce from Comedienne/Actress Martha Raye.       

Let's take a look at what is in the Giveaway Box this month.........

2 x Kokie nail polish(bright blue, lavender)

1 x BenGay topical pain reliever

1 x Wild Harvest bag of Breakfast Blend coffee

1 x Pantene shampoo

1 x Schick women's reusable razor

1 x Lady Speed Stick deodorant

1 x Colgate Total SF toothpaste

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Aveeno small tube of lotion

1x 12 pack of ink pens

1 x Freeman face mask

1 x Conair hair brush

*I also put in some Dove chocolates after I took these photos.*

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

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

*Please note-the bag of coffee has a Best by date of December 18 on it.  It's still good but you'd want to use it right away.

Here's how this is going to work........

* The giveaway is open to ALL readers.

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

* Only VALID entries will be posted.  A Valid entry is a limit of one per day and I MUST HAVE VALID CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOU(either you are on the Giveaway Contact List which I maintain, your comment is connected to a Google/Blogger profile which links to your email address or you email me directly(my email is in the side bar on the Blog)your email address.

IF YOU ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AND DON'T SEE YOUR COMMENT AFTER A DAY OR SO(Give me time to post the entries each day)THAT MEANS YOUR ENTRY ISN'T VALID DUE TO ONE OF THE ABOVE REASONS AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX YOUR ENTRY!

I will no longer spend time hunting down folks.  If you want to win, read ALL the rules and do the work.

From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random and the winner has 48 hours from when the post goes live to contact me with their full mailing address.

In your entries I'd like to hear about your plans for Christmas if you have any.  Real vs. Fake tree?  Do you bake for the Holidays and what...pies, cakes, cookies or ?  What's your favorite treat to eat at Christmas?  Any family traditions you like?  Any family traditions you'd rather not? lol  Just leave a comment about anything Holiday related really.

If you are on my Giveaway emails list just leave a comment and your name(with last name initial please)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 December 19th Saturday at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. On December 20th, Sunday, I'll draw the winning entry and post the Winner.  If you are the Winner please let me know if you'd rather me mail it ASAP or wait until after Christmas to mail to give the shipping employees a little break. ;-)

*Please note these rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winners on this blog on  and those persons have 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.

So let's get this Giveaway started. Good luck to everyone!!!

Sluggy