This Week on the Dining Table

The "Cajun Bud Lights" Edition--

Played trivia at a pizza joint week before last and they served Hubs his nice craft beer in this questionable glass. lol

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Ribs, Collards, Tater Salad, Watermelon, Cornbread at Daughter's house

2. Monday--I'm not Eating

3. Tuesday--Tempura Zuke and Shrimp(maybe)

4. Wednesday--Trivia night at different place so no clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--Nobody Knows, Do One?

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Ribs, Collards, Tater Salad, Watermelon, Cornbread at Daughter's house

2. Monday--Didn't eat

3. Tuesday--Yogurt, Watermelon

4. Wednesday--Pizza, Strawberries

5. Thursday--Tempura Shrimp and Zuke

6.  Friday--All Sort of Leftovers, mostly Zuke and Sweet Potatoes

7. Saturday--Nobody Knows, Do One?

We are those strange folks that put anchovies on pizza.  We had an open tin of those so had to buy a frozen pizza this week to use them up on as they wouldn't keep that long open in the fridge.

Fresh strawberries where cheap this week, as was zuchinni and daughter gave me a container of watermelon to bring home on Sunday as her hubs doesn't like watermelon, !!!

Gastric issues have eased up so it's a go for eating again.

Anything that will go bad before we get home is going to Daughter's house.

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

*  1 clearance skirt steak(2 lbs.)

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

*  Pizza

*  a Bag of Shrimp

Last week we spent $84.38 on grocery shopping(mostly on supplements and OTC meds)

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $235.11 for May.  

There are Zero shopping days left in May(for us).

I've earned $82.77 on Ibotta in May.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in May.

I've earned $16.00 on Coupons dotcom in May.

I've earned $8.00 on Shopmium in May.

I've earned $0 on Kroger Cash Back in May.

I've earned 2,156 points from food shopping on Fetch in May.

I've earned 3,138 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in May.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in May.

That's $106.77 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $235.11 of grocery spending so in reality it's $128.34 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 52.93% and the monthly savings total for May comes in at 49.54% so far. 

Leftovers going into this week...nothing.

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

1. Sunday--No Clue

2. Monday--No Clue

3. Tuesday--No Clue

4. Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Not a damned thing again.  I'll be in vacation mode.  I'm posting this early before we leave the country.

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 deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Thought for the Day

Apropos for today.....

Sluggy 

This Week on the Dining Table

The "You Know You're in the South" Edition--

You know you are in a restaurant in the South when hot sauce and peppers in vinegar sauce are on your table when you sit down.  My daughter worked at a Cracker Barrel in PA for a bit and there, you had to ask for these items.  I have yet to go in a Cracker Barrel down here so I wonder if it's being up North or if it's just a CB policy.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash

2. Monday--Beef Pie

3. Tuesday--Riced Cauliflower, other Veggies and Beef Stir-fry

4. Wednesday--Trivia night at different place so no clue

5. Thursday--Applebee's Salad(late lunch)

6.  Friday--Tempura Shrimp and Zuke, Spinach Soufflé, maybe Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Chicken in Peanut Sauce, Noodles and Veggies

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash

2. Monday--Trivia, I had green beans and unsweet tea

3. Tuesday--Hubs made Beef Pie(I didn't eat)

4. Wednesday--Trivia night at different place

5. Thursday--Nothing for me

6.  Friday--Nothing for me but a yogurt in the a.m.

7. Saturday--a late Lunch at Applebee's(I had a salad)

Lots didn't happen as I've been having a gastrointestinal issue all week.  Hubs had to fend for himself.

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

*  Not a damned thing

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

*  1 lb. Ground Beef

*  1 container of Chicken Parm

Last week we spent $85.97 on grocery shopping

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $150.73 for May.  

There are 16 shopping days left in May.

I've earned $59.06 on Ibotta in May.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in May.

I've earned $13.50 on Coupons dotcom in May.

I've earned $2.00 on Shopmium in May.

I've earned $0 on Kroger Cash Back in May.

I've earned 1,205 points from food shopping on Fetch in May.

I've earned 925 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in May.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in May..

That's $74.56 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $150.73 of grocery spending so in reality it's $76.17 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 50.11% and the monthly savings total for May comes in at 47.41% so far. 

Leftovers going into this week...beef pie.

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

1. Sunday--Ribs, Collards, Tater Salad, Watermelon, Cornbread at Daughter's house

2. Monday--I'm not Eating

3. Tuesday--Tempura Zuke and Shrimp(maybe)

4. Wednesday--Trivia night at different place so no clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--Nobody Knows, Do One?

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Not a damned thing again.  I am in "use it up" in the fridge mode this coming week.

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 deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Rabbit Hole

 I've gone down a rabbit hole on Youtube.  This guy, guitaro5000, stands around NYC and invites people to sing while he plays guitar accompaniment. 

Here's one of my favorites........

Sluggy

I'll Be AFK For Awhile

I feel blogging is pointless at the moment so don't expect to come here and read any scintillating content, if anyone other than a very few still read this crap.

I will keep this blog open so certain people can get to other blogs through my blog roll(yes, I'm looking at you Sissie!).

Sluggy who doesn't think it will ever stop raining(I'd rather have snow)

This Week on the Dining Table

The "LOL "Edition--

 

I just thought this meme from FB was funny.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Catfish, Cole Slaw

2. Monday--Hubs Pizza in Freezer, Salad/Me Salad

3. Tuesday--Steak, Yellow Squash or ?

4. Wednesday--Beef Pie

5. Thursday--New Trivia spot night so not sure what we'll eat

6.  Friday--Zaxby Salad

7. Saturday--Kielbasi with Onions, Sautéed Cabbage

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Catfish, Cole Slaw

2. Monday--Hubs Pizza in Freezer, Salad/Me Salad

3. Tuesday--leftover Collards, 1 leftover piece of Pizza

4. Wednesday--Apple w/Peanut Butter

5. Thursday--1/4 of a Muffuletta Sandwich

6.  Friday--Rigatoni w/Meat Sauce, Salad

7. Saturday--Kielbasi with Onions, Sautéed Cabbage

The steak, yellow squash and beef pie didn't happen last week.  May or may not happen this week. ;-)

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

*  3 bags of frozen veggies

*  1 16 lb. beef brisket

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

*  1 bag of Catfish

*  1 frozen cheese Pizza

*  Ground Beef Pie

*  1 rope of Kielbasi

Last week we spent $64.76 on grocery shopping

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $64.76 for May.  About half of that spending was for a beef brisket that was a little more than half off the regular price.  The rest was some frozen veggies and fresh produce.

There are 23 shopping days left in May.

I've earned $0 on Ibotta in May.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in May.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in May.

I've earned $0 on Shopmium in May.

I've earned $0 on Kroger Cash Back in May.

I've earned 110 points from food shopping on Fetch in May.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in May.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in May..

That's $0 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $64.76 of grocery spending so in reality it's $64.76 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 43.34% and the monthly savings total for May comes in at 43.34% so far. 

Leftovers going into this week...rigatoni, meat sauce, cabbage, cole slaw, and kielbasi.

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

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash

2. Monday--Beef Pie

3. Tuesday--Riced Cauliflower, other Veggies and Beef Stir-fry

4. Wednesday--Trivia night at different place so no clue

5. Thursday--Applebee's Salad(late lunch)

6.  Friday--Tempura Shrimp and Zuke, Spinach Soufflé, maybe Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Chicken in Peanut Sauce, Noodles and Veggies

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Zuke, some veggies for the Chicken stir fry.  I am in "use it up" in the fridge mode this coming week.

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 deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Wash Tubs and Potato Holes-A Genealogy Story

Two of the more prolific(meaning producing many descendants)early settlers in the British Colony of Virginia was the married couple John Woodson and Sarah Winston Woodson.  

Sarah Winston was born in Devonshire, England circa 1590 and John Woodson was born circa 1586 also in Devonshire, England.  John matriculated from St. John's College of Oxford  in March of 1604 at the age of 18 and was set to practice medicine.  Now remember that the science of medicine is nothing like it is today.  The 4 Humors and blood letting was the height of medicinal learning at that time. 8-)

Sometime before 1619 John Woodson and Sarah Winston wed in England. 

John and Sarah then sailed to the Jamestowne Colony onboard the "George" along with Sir George Yeardley who was chosen to govern the colony after then Virginia Colony Governor Dale had returned to England in 1618. The "George" sail 29 January 1619 and arrived at Jamestowne in April of 1619.  John Woodson was asked to go to Jamestowne by the powers that be of the Virginia Company of London to doctor the soldiers and colonists.

So the Woodson couple was in Jamestowne or in one of the surrounding "Hundreds" during the 1622 Massacre but both survived that incident.

John Woodson prospered in his occupation trying to keep the colonists and soldiers alive.  They were to have two sons, John Woodson, Jr. in 1632 and Robert Woodson in 1634.  Both children were born at Flowerdew Hundred(a Hundred is a designation like a Shire(back in England)or a County which it was said came from the time of the Normans in England to denote an administrative district in which 100 soldiers could be commanded from hence the need arise.  Later these large acreages were called Plantations.  

Gov. George Yeardley named this Hundred after his wife's wealthy father, Anthony Flowerdew of Norfolk, England.(George also named another Hundred after his wife's mother, Martha, who's maiden name was Stanley, thus Stanley Hundred.) 

 The 1622 Massacre saw only 6 people killed in Flowerdew Hundred.  Other Hundreds were not so lucky, Henricus, Martin and Smith Hundred saw few colonists survive or all killed and were abandoned.  All told the surprise attack of 1622 saw about 400 colonists killed(a third of the English population in Virginia at that time)and 20 women were kidnapped, who then lived and worked for the Natives until which time as they either died or were ransomed.

Going back in time a bit to explain what was going on by 1622........

The Native American Chief who became known as Powhatan died in 1618.  Powhatan was not his name.  It was Wahunsoacock or some variation of that spelling(actually native peoples had many different names but that's a story for another time).  He was supreme chief(also called a Weroance-an Algonquin word for leader)of about 30 different indigenous tribes in that area of Virginia by the time the English landed in 1607.  The English not understanding Indigenous Indian society called Wahunsoacock "Powhatan".  The Colonists and the Algonquin Indian Confederation under Powhatan lived fairly peacefully together(often called the "Peace of Pocahontas" time)and at times the colonists assaulted various Indian tribes in the Confederation to which there were repercussions.

There were 3 Anglo-Powhatan Wars-the first lasted from 1609 to 1614.  By 1618 Powhatan was dead and his younger brother, Opechancanough(Algonquin for "He Who's Soul is White")became paramount chief.  This chief was known as a fierce warrior and was opposed to the English being in the area.

I guess he saw what lay ahead if the colony prospered and started expanding.  This European concept of "owning" land was a foreign idea to the Indigenous peoples of the New World making Opechancanough no friend of the white man .  He was in charge and instigated the Massacre of 1622.  The white man called him "Chief Eagle Plume".

Between the events of 1622 and 1644 the colonists had built better fortifications around Jamestowne so invading the town and the peninsula it was on was difficult but all the Hundreds were vulnerable to the Native Indians as the colonists spread out from Jamestowne proper.

Here's a YouTube video to explain all this more....

In 1644 John and Sarah Woodson, along with their two sons, were living in Flowerdew Hundred when Opechancanough orchestrated his last major effort to eject the English colonists from the continent with the Third Anglo-Powhatan War.  This was a surprise attack on the settlements on April, 18, 1644.  On that fateful day, John then 10 years and Robert then 8 years would have been out in the fields tending to the tobacco crop except that a neighbor and shoemaker, Thomas Ligon, was there to measure to make footwear for the family(or so the oral tradition within the family goes).  Suddenly as Dr. John Woodson approached home after a house call to see to a sick patient, Natives set upon him and killed him as he rode on his horse toward home.  Sarah saw what was happening outside and bolted the door, grabbing a wash tub and covering John with it and shoving Robert into a rudimentary root cellar under the floor, telling them to remain silent.  Thomas Ligon grabbed the family musket over the mantle and took aim at the attackers, picking some off as Sarah dumped a pot of scalding water on others, built a smoky fire to keep anyone from coming down the chimney too.  When the natives retreated 7 were left dead near the home as well as Sarah's husband, John Woodson.

The Woodson musket is in the hands of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, Virginia.  It was an English Long Fowler"-meant for bird hunting or small game.  It's the top firearm in the photo above.

That's one version of the story.  In other's Thomas was a neighbor and heard the commotion nearby and rushed to help Sarah and her boys.  We just know that from then on the Woodsons and the Ligons had a familial connection.

And the two Woodson boys John and Robert, were known as "Tub" or "Washtub" and "Potato Hole" from then on.  

Sarah Winston and Dr. John Woodson are my 10 x Great Grandparents an the younger son, Robert "Potato Hole" is my 9th GGrandfather.

• Col. Robert "Potato Hole" WOODSON 1634-1707
  9th great-grandfather
• Benjamin Lewis WOODSON 1666-1723
  Son of Col. Robert "Potato Hole" WOODSON
• George WOODSON 1713-1790
  Son of Benjamin Lewis WOODSON
• Mary Burks WOODSON 1750-1819
  Daughter of George WOODSON
• Henrietta SMITH 1782-1850
  Daughter of Mary Burks WOODSON
• Catherine Permelia HOLT 1810-1865
  Daughter of Henrietta SMITH
• James Henry Tucker 1828-1900
  Son of Catherine Permelia HOLT
• James Wirt "Dick" Tucker 1861-1923
  Son of James Henry Tucker
• Jennie Vie Tucker 1884-1948
  Daughter of James Wirt "Dick" Tucker
• Wirt Ross HARPER 1909-1968
  Son of Jennie Vie Tucker
• Carole Frances HARPER 1934-2000
  Daughter of Wirt Ross HARPER
• Me

Interestingly enough I am also a descendant of Opechancanough.  He is my 11th Great Grandfather if this research is accurate.

• Opechan Stream aka Opechancanough Powhatan 1556-1644
  11th great-grandfather
• Opechan, Nicketti  Mangopeesomon Powhatan 1625-1720
  Daughter of Opechan Stream aka Opechanancanough Powhatan
• Mary Elizabeth HUGHES 1654-1740
  Daughter of Opechan, Nicketti
• Mary DAVIS 1685-1756
  Daughter of Mary Elizabeth HUGHES
• Mary BURKS 1710-1777
  Daughter of Mary DAVIS
• Mary Burks WOODSON 1750-1819
  Daughter of Mary BURKS
• Henrietta SMITH 1782-1850
  Daughter of Mary Burks WOODSON
• Catherine Permelia HOLT 1810-1865
  Daughter of Henrietta SMITH
• James Henry Tucker 1828-1900
  Son of Catherine Permelia HOLT
• James Wirt "Dick" Tucker 1861-1923
  Son of James Henry Tucker
• Jennie Vie Tucker 1884-1948
  Daughter of James Wirt "Dick" Tucker
• Wirt Ross HARPER 1909-1968
  Son of Jennie Vie Tucker
• Carole Frances HARPER 1934-2000
  Daughter of Wirt Ross HARPER
• Me
• 
  

These two lines converge at ancestor Mary Burks Woodson.  Opechan Nicketti Mangopeesomon, so far as my research goes at the moment is my 10 x GGmother.  She had children with an Anglo trader named John Rice(or Rees spelling)Hughes.  Some link her to a Dodson man but the records in Charles County list John Hughes and among their children a Mary Elizabeth Hughes. I am at most 1/1000% native American.(1/1034 to be exact from this one pair of 11th GGrands(Nicketti Powhatan's parents)but there may be other bits too so I am going with 1/1000th% for now).  Through Openchancanough I have a teensy bit of Youghtanund and Pamunkey tribe in me even if it's not enough to show up in a DNA test. ;-)

If your family lines go far enough back in colonial Virginia you are almost guaranteed to have an ancestral connection(either direct, cousinry or through marriage)to a native American.

Sluggy

April To-Do List Outcome

 Let's see what got done and what didn't in April at Chez Sluggy........

APRIL 

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Everything was paid on time or early.

*  Go to 1 Dr. Appointment  DONE  Well "WE" were there but the doctor was not due to catching Covid. lol

*  Do and File Taxes x 1  DONE  Hubs did them and we sent them off with what we owed the state of Louisiana.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House  PASS  This is still a work in progress.  We still have tubs in the garage to move and sort through.  I have given up hope of ever seeing my kitchen cookware lids, my pasta roller, my food processor, the cord and pedal to my serger and the base to my iron again. sigh.  I have almost got my sewing room and supplies finished being set up(aside from the serger and iron stuff that's MIA).  The wall of closets in the master bath is done.

Basically this is our linen closet.

The top shelf/doors are for miscellaneous items like Bi-Pap supplies, heating pad, etc.

There is no place in the guest bath for towels. washcloths, etc. except under the vanity/sink so it's all got to go in here unless we have company and need something else in that bathroom that needs using.  Man, do I miss my huge upstairs hallway linen closet in PA!

We do have these 6 shelves surrounding the ginormous bathtub.  So far I've but hair products and body wash on these(and my stock of Q-Tips on one of what are empty in these photos after I took these pictures).

I've got a basket of dental stuff in the photo above which won't fit on one of those shelves so I need to find a home for that too.

We also have a long vanity cabinet with 6 drawers and open areas on each end of it.  Hubs and I each have personal stuff in the open area under our respective sinks and we have divvied up the drawers with stuff in use as well as medicines(allergy, cold, etc.)  The bottom drawer is still kind of empty so again, organizing all this is a work in progress.

*  Buy Stuff for House  PASS This item will remain on my list for some time to come as we need to replace so much to make this place livable to our specifications.  Moving is hard and expensive as I've said so many times before.

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  As I have printed so few coupons out this job has become pretty much a non-job. lol

*  Edit More Photos  PASS  It seems I am always editing photos. lol  As the trip is coming up I also need to finish taking old photos off my phone and upload them to my computer that no longer need to be there(I'm looking at you Dec. Cruise and Xmas!).

*  Post about Old Trips  PASS  I worked on a trip post but didn't get it to the point of publishing. sigh

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE  One of my favorite hobbies so I work on this whenever I get the time to.

*  Prioritize Repairs/Improvements  PASS  We've got a list together but as other things pop-up items are getting either bumped up or down(or added)to the list.

*  Organize Clothes  PASS  Still a Work In Progress.  We have gone from "Winter" to "Spring" here.  My Winter clothing never got taken out of the packing cubes where I keep out of season clothing because it's not PA(snow and temps of Zero F anymore).  I need to keep the Winter clothing though for traveling to other climes but unless we are going somewhere cold they will stay in the cube.(Same with coats-they stay in the back of the closet.)  As I lose more weight I am having to shed some too big clothing and did order some smaller size items.  I  still have some shelves I need to organize still in the closet.

*  Find a New Bank  DONE  We set up an account at a credit union and once the transfer of funds into it have cleared we'll cash/deposit that Savings Bond.

*  Cash Savings Bond  FAIL  See above.  But we are making progress on this one. 8-)

Of course this isn't a complete list as the normal "day to day" stuff  isn't on here.  
These are just the projects and setting up housekeeping here things. 
As for outside, I am not ready to do a garden as the yard is a mess and needs so much to get it to the point of having/making a gardening space.  By the time we get back from the trip it will officially be "Hell's Front Porch" weather and I've got surgery to get so the garden is a non-issue this year.

Things are slowly getting to where they need to be but I am impatient.  

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the May 5th Edition

 Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are very few Frugal wins this past week......

*  Only minimal grocery shopping this week so a frugal win.

*  We had to return 2 of the 3 bathroom vanity lights we had bought(long story)and I purchased 2 other lights at Home Despot.  I bought them online and went through Ibotta and once approved I'll get a whole .60¢ in rebate monies. ;-)

*  Went back to our new credit union to finally deposit that Savings Bond and get our debit cards(their machine that makes them wasn't working when we went in to set up the account before).

Besides the debit card I walked out with this free pen.  woohoo! hahaha

*  We went to a new trivia night at an Italian place.  We didn't win a prize but I brought this home..........

New plastic drinkware that my unsweet iced tea was served in. lol

*  I found money!  

Found a penny in the parking lot next to the car when I went to have labs done at the doctor.

I cleaned out my car on Wednesday and found this.  Ok, so it was probably mine to begin with but I'm counting it!lol

And found another penny next to the car in the parking lot of Home Despot on Thursday....

Total Found in last Week.... .37¢
Total Found this Year.......$2.04

That's all for this past week.

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

Sluggy   

Income & Spending.....The April Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals and social security payments, I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.

I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the April report---

I had 2 goals for April.....
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2023.

This month I also had a goal to survive the move and have a little fun.  So far, so good.;-)

I can report that we finished up April in the black.

The amount we ended the month of April with?...$3,276.04

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $377.41

*  Quarterly 401K withdrawal of $5,200.13(after tax withholding)

*  Venmo payment for a rebate deal $3.88

Total "Income" for April....$12,696.23

Expenses in April---
* Irregular bills in April were $2424.64

* Variable Expenses in April came to $5,800.73

* Health insurance premiums totaling $1,194.82*

Total Expenses....$9,420.19

$12,696.23-$9,420.19=$3,276.04

* Now that Hubs is on Medicare I include his supplement payment in variable/regular monthly expenses instead of the Health insurance premium.

Slush into April of $62,789.60 in that Fund, add the overage of $3,276.04 in April and we get $66,065.64 into May's 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $3,276.04.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this April here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone, WAM, the water bill and internet were the same as last month.

* The Health Insurance Premium went down by $1,076.17 from March,

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  My Amazon c/c was $401.95 higher than last month

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $2,703.81 higher than in March.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $350.41 higher than last month.

*  We had irregular bills due in April too--

  *   LA 2022 state taxes paid $784.00

  *  BOA c/c trip charges of $814.60

  *  My car had two faulty tire sensors replaced for $162.14

  *  We had plumbing work done at a cost of $663.90 ouch

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on April 2023---Regular and Irregular bills with both higher than in March.  The one bright spot was our health insurance premium was cut in half since Hubs is on Medicare now.  The plumber was costly but a necessary expense. We knew going into April the last of the cruise costs were due and the LA state taxes as well.  The car problem was an unforeseen expense.  The higher Mastercard bill was mostly a new toilet(see plumber hiring above).  I put those discounted gift cards bought before Easter on my Amazon c/c accounting for some of that increase in spending.  But the Mama Jama expense was on Hubs Amazon c/c-buying a riding lawn mower!

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2023--We've got car insurance(we'll pay it annually going forward)which is our only irregular bill for May.  We'll have more cruise/London expenses, and Hubs will most likely want to take more WAM in May for the trip so we can get British pounds and Euros for the places where we'll need them.  In addition since Hubs is now on Medicare our monthly Annuity payment will be reduced going forward.  This was a "front loaded" annuity-more of a payment until you hit Medicare/65 and then just over $500 less per month after then.  Even with that while I am still on private insurance we are still better off financially with those changes.

So how was your April financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!

Sluggy    

What's on the Dining Table

The "What In The Pan Fried Hell?" Edition.....

We were in a random Walmart and I saw these Mr. Beast Chocolate bars.  Mr. Beast, for those of you living under a rock, is a multimillionaire YouTuber.  He had a Willy Wonka type Golden Ticket game when he first came out with these candy bars through his company Feastables.  You had the chance to win prizes if you found a sticker with a code on the backside of your bars' wrapper.

Before you get excited, the game is over.  Has anyone actually tried his chocolate? LMK what you think of it.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Spinach soufflé

2. Monday--Burger at Trivia

3. Tuesday--Chicken Teriyaki w/Veggies Stir-fry

4. Wednesday--Leftover Meatloaf, Veggie TBD

5. Thursday--Leftovers or FFY

6.  Friday--Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, a Green Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--No Clue yet

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Spinach soufflé

2. Monday--Burger at Trivia

3. Tuesday--Chicken Teriyaki w/Veggies Stir-fry, Rice

4. Wednesday--Leftover Meatloaf, Broccoli

5. Thursday--got a Tuna Sub/ate half for lunch/half for dinner

6.  Friday--Broiled Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Collard Greens

7. Saturday--FFY(I had a bowl of Cheerios to use up milk before it went bad)

The leftovers were thin on the ground here so Subway to the rescue on Thursday. lol

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

* Nothing

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

*  Spinach Soufflé

*  Mozzarella Cheese

*  Chicken

*  2 bags of Stir-Fry Veggies

*  1 bag of Broccoli

*  2 pieces of Salmon(1 wild Sock-eye)

*  2 bags of Collards

Last week we spent $0 on grocery shopping

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $552.53 for April.  For us this is high but we cherry picked some deals, had to restock some staples and we bought some meat we weren't expecting to because it was a really good price and as soon as we procure a grill we'll be glad we spent on those items.  I am ok with it as I can put all my rebates I earned toward my grocery spending.

There are 0 shopping days left in April.

I've earned $135.56 on Ibotta in April.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in April.

I've earned $26.50 on Coupons dotcom in April.

I've earned $13.00 on Shopmium in April.

I've earned $17.50 on Kroger Cash Back in April.

I've earned 9,263 points from food shopping on Fetch.

I've earned 11,465 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in April.

I've earned 341 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in March.

That's $192.56 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $557.94 of grocery spending so in reality it's $365.38 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 0% and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 47.12% so far. 

Leftovers going into this week...nothing.  

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

1. Sunday--Catfish, Cole Slaw

2. Monday--Hubs Pizza in Freezer, Salad/Me Salad

3. Tuesday--Steak, Yellow Squash or ?

4. Wednesday--Beef Pie

5. Thursday--New Trivia spot night so not sure what we'll eat

6.  Friday--Zaxby Salad

7. Saturday--Kielbasi with Onions, Sautéed Cabbage

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Nothing.  

There will be some grocery shopping I guarantee that. ;-)

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 deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy