Frugal Friday......the June 30th Edition

Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are very few Frugal wins this past week and not everything here would be considered frugal but here goes......

*  Being on this restrictive short term eating plan meant we spent very little at the grocery store this past week.  The freezer is packed with food for Hubs to eat as long as he remembers to thaw something. lol

*  Got my bloodwork done.(See previous post)  Now to get approved to this special joint surgeon program through our insurance and have the appointment with my PCP in 11 days for the physical and to get med refills from this new dr.

*  We got a car port!  

Last Friday the guys who put it together arrived and they had it up lickety split!  It sort of matches the siding on the house.  

The funny thing when we went in to order it they had a whole collection of colors you could choose from, most of which were darker shades.  If I remember my basic science, dark color absorb heat and lighter colors reflect it.  Why in heavens name would you put up a dark shade colored car port if the point is to keep the sun off and the heat out of your car??  While it would be more aesthetically pleasing to have the side pieces match your siding on the house and make the top of the car part burgundy to match you fake window shutter details, it just kind of is counterproductive to it's purpose.  Now if we had a "real" garage instead of this "bubba" garage we could just keep the cars in there. ;-)

*  My  smoker finally arrived.  I had ordered it through Amazon on May 12th then  I found out they lost track of it back on May 15th and had no clue were it was, so I cancelled the sale and got my money back.

I found the same smoker(well they had redesigned it a bit so it was improved from the older version I left in PA)at Home Despot in stock and on sale so Hubs went to pick it up this past week.  Now I'm all set to do the smaller of the two slabs of beef brisket I cut into two pieces I bought awhile back for July 4th.  Yippee!  And my daughter found a sugar-free rub to use also.

*  On our trip to Walmart I found a box of Tetley decaffeinated tea bags on clearance for .85¢.  I also did lots of rebates and digital coupons this trip bringing my total OOP way down.  More on that on Monday during my Dining Table post.

*  I found money!  

One quarter on our only trip to Walmart this past week.

And notice it's a Louisiana state quarter with what looks like a whooping crane on it's back(which they have plenty of around here).  It should be a pelican as that's the State Bird but whatever.

Total Found in last Week.... .25¢
Total Found this Year.......$2.47

That's all for this past week.

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

Sluggy 

The Provocative Passions of Purple

 I had blood drawn for labs this past Monday.  I was all decked out in purple that day as is my want.  Purple dress, shoes, and handbag.  As the phlebotomist led me into the lab she commented that I looked like a queen as purple has always been the color associated with royalty.  She also said it was her favorite color and wished instead of the black scrubs she was required to wear, she could reveal her true identity as a queen by donning the royal color.

She drew the blood, removed the "thingy"(highly technical term ya know), put a gauze over where she had taken the blood and reached for the vivid blue stretchy tape to wrap around the crook of my left arm.  Then she stopped, tossed that length of blue tape into the trash can, opened a drawer saying, "Oh, that just won't do", reached in and removed a roll of purple bandaging tape to hold the gauze in place.  "You just NEED this color instead", she said and we both chuckled over this moment of bonding because of our shared love of purple!

And incidentally, being Louisiana(the home of the "Who Dat?" Nation and LSU)I should have known they would have that tape in this color. lol

Sluggy  the Purple Princess

The Secret Yahoo Life of Slugmama

 Much like that old movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", Slugmama had a secret life on Yahoo.

Photo I got by mistake of a Chinese New Year celebration from a complete stranger which was meant for someone else.

It started back in November of 2007.  I started getting weird emails from strangers--vu thuy, Arlene, Rowena Okumara and Melody.  Evidently some other person used the email handle slugmmama@yahoo,com.  My yahoo handle is slugmama@yahoo.com.  Her slugmmama had 1 extra "m' in her handle.  Can y'all see the different spelling??  Evidently Yahoo couldn't see it!

For some reason Yahoo kept sending me HER mail.  I contacted Yahoo numerous times over this issue, them sending her email responses to my account.
But the dimwits manning the Customer Service couldn't seem to SEE that slugmama is spelled differently from slugmmama!

So after getting no where with CS for a full month I just gave up and kept getting this other person's emails folks where replying to me and not her.

ARGH!!!

So I just stopped trying to get this straightened out and watched emails meant for slugmmama roll in....posts about the Chinese Zodiac for 2009, pics of someone's young child, a post entitled "Kung hee fat choy!" with a photo from a Chinese New Year party with a dragon(above), a dilemma about which dress to pick for her Wedding dress, an invitation to the Jessica's Traveling trunk show, a photo of Peach Pie that one of them had in Atlanta, etc.  So I just sat back and watched this parade go by.  

The last email I got was 1/1/2013 wishing "me" a Happy New Year.  I guess they actually got a competent employee on board who found the "problem" in their coding or whatever and I ceased to receive all these misdirected emails.

It was hilarious while it lasted.

Has Yahoo ever misdirected someone else's mail to your email address and then told you YOU were the insane one?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Weight Loss is Still the Focus" Edition.                                            

We went all the way to the Caribbean last December and this particular rum cake was being sold everywhere!  Who knew I would see it for sale at my local TJMaxx store here last month?   Not a fan so I didn't buy any. lol

I'm still making progress and the knee is holding up somewhat.  My doctor is on board with this way of eating to reach a short term goal so no unsolicited advice on this eating plan please.  While I appreciate the concerns I am fine.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--a Protein Shake. leftover Brussels Sprouts

2. Monday--yogurt, maybe another Protein shake

3. Tuesday--Chicken thigh

4  Wednesday--Probably half a bag of veggies

5. Thursday--Grilled Salmon

6.  Friday--Spinach Soufflé

7. Saturday--The other half of the bag of veggies

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

1. Sunday--a Protein Shake. leftover Brussels Sprouts

2. Monday--yogurt, another Protein shake

3. Tuesday--Chicken thigh, small helping of steamed Broccoli

4  Wednesday--a cup of yogurt, A Protein Shake

5. Thursday--1/2 of a Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Cranberries and Feta Cheese w/a Balsamic Reduction

6.  Friday--a cup of Yogurt, a Protein Shake

7. Saturday--The other half of the Spinach Salad

We went out for trivia on Thursday but I found something suitable to eat there(a salad that was enough for two meals so brought half of it home).

I guess you'd call this an extreme intermittent fasting deal with many supplements to keep all my innards working and healthy.  I consulted a new PCP and my food plan was given the green light.  

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  3 Chicken Thighs

*  a bag of broccoli

*  Beer Bratwursts(Hubs)

*  some honey battered Chicken(Hubs)

*  a bag of mixed veggies(Hubs and I shared)

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

*  3 bags of frozen veggies

Last week we spent $9.59 on grocery shopping.

 Total comes to $75.74 for June.

There are 4 shopping days in June.

I've earned $2.10 on Ibotta in June.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in June.

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

I've earned $0 on Shopmium in June.

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

I've earned 1,165 points from food shopping on Fetch in June.

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

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

That is $2.10 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $75.74 of grocery spending so in reality it's $73.64 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 39.69% and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 41.23% so far spent.

Leftovers going into this week...Some bratwurst(for Hubs).

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

1. Sunday--2 Chicken strips, leftovers mixed veggies

2. Monday--Spinach Soufflé

3. Tuesday--Yogurt, Protein Shake

4  Wednesday--2 Chicken Strips or some other Protein in the freezer

5. Thursday--half a bag of Green Beans

6.  Friday--Salmon, Yogurt

7. Saturday--other half of Green Beans

I also drink, water, iced tea(unsweetened), hot tea with lemon and honey and the odd zero sugar soda or Zero sugar Powerade/Gatorade and keep my stomach full and it also keeps me hydrated.   I mostly stick with the water or unsweet iced teas with lemon added.

This one mini-meal per day where I change between vegetable matter and a lean protein and a yogurt cup when these other meals won't suffice.  There also is a regime of supplements I am currently on, either to maintain my body's condition or were already taking them for various conditions.

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Got it all here.  Might need more protein shakes this week and some lemons. Hubs will either do his own thing or supplement other foods when I do the salmon.  Right now there is plenty in the freezer he can partake of but are off limits to me right now.  Or he may go buy more tv dinners as he doesn't like to cook. lol

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?  I confess that I don't need to buy anything right now nor have I had any desire to read the ads.

Sluggy  

A Feel Good Song for A Crappy Day

Feeling a bit low today with all the crap going on in the world, plus I fell trying to get up from the table as my cane was on the cable to the new(old)computer and the cane went sliding across the floor and I went BOOM! onto the floor.  Getting up isn't so easy when you have a bum knee but with some ingenuity we got me to my feet and no harm to my other knee. 8-)

I've been transferring files from my old(old)machine and found this song on there and so went looking on YouTube for it so I could post it here.

I have a big fan of Will.I.Am of The Black Eyed Peas fam since they came on the music scene.  This was written after Obama was elected but try to overlook the overtly political message and imagery(close your eyes if you don't want to see the political messaging).  I just think it's a wonderfully crafted song.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the June 23rd Edition

Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are very few Frugal wins this past week and not everything here would be considered frugal but here goes......

*  Being on this restrictive short term eating plan meant we spent very little at the grocery store this past week.  The freezer is packed with food for Hubs to eat as long as he remembers to thaw something. lol

*  The best highlight of the week was finding a competent new doctor attached to a major medical facility here, an LSU based hospital with lots of specialists. Yippee!

*  I also completed most of the paperwork to be accepted into this special program of top joint replacement surgeons sprinkled around the country.  I am waiting for 2 appointments here, one for a lab draw and physical and the other with a local orthopedist to send x-rays and sign off that I require this surgery.  By July 12th I'll have this all completed.

*  I found money!  

Hubs had to make an emergency trip to PA so the doggies and I stayed with my daughter and son in-law for 4 days last week.  After she took me to my new PCP appointment we made a stop at Walmart to pick up her meds.  I went along on one of those electric carts with her.  Besides purchasing 3 items I also found this penny and dime-the penny past the checkouts near customer service and the dime next to the door into the store while I waited for her to pick me up with her car.

Then on a horrible day with no electricity on Friday(heat index of 110F anyone?)I finaly said, "Oh hell, NO!" and Hubs drove me to a motel.  We stopped at a Pilot Travel Center with power, filled the car with gas and grabbed something to eat.  I went into the convenience store part to pick up some drinks and found this penny by one of the self-checkouts.

Total Found in last Week.... .12¢
Total Found this Year.......$2.22

That's all for this past week.

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

Sluggy 

The May To-Do List 2023

 I know it's the end of June but we've had 3 family issues to deal with since coming back from our cruise so this May To-Do List is a tad late.

Here's what was slated to get done and how we did(or didn't) 8-)

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always on time and last month many were paid well ahead as we were gone for the last third of the month.

*  Go to 1 DR. appointment  DONE  Had what turned out to be my last appointment with my NP at the disaster of a medical clinic as they canceled by text my June 9th appt and though they said they'd reschedule it within the next 48 hours I've heard nothing but crickets from them(and it's been 12 days).  I am now under the care of a competent facility.  One of the missteps we made when moving to this area was prioritizing proximity rather than stellar care.  I am now trying to play catch up with basic maintenance plus referrals to specialists and get things done before the end of 2023 when I lose private insurance.

*  Replace bathroom lights  DONE  Hubs took the master bathroom light down and discovered there was no box behind them where they attach to the wall.  Plus the part on the wall where the hole where the electrical wires come out was larger than the plate that covers it on the fixture  Ugh  This meant two of the lights we bought had to be returned to the store and we had to find two new light fixtures.  In the end it all worked out.

The original lighting fixture went into the guest bath.  You can see the nasty old yellow paint where the previous fixture covered the wall.  The room needs painting anyway.  The disconcerting thing was discovering that the fancy "gold" framed mirror was hanging in place by 1 nail, no screws or even a wall anchor and could have conked someone on the head at any moment.  Mirror is now installed properly but I still need to take some spray paint to the frame at some point and get rid of that "gold" color.

This is one of the two new matching lighting fixtures that the electrician(see last months bills)installed in the Master Bathroom.   It's so bright in there now you could perform surgery! lol  These mirrors weren't hanging by a single nail at least but you can see where the previous owner, another area "Bubba", had screwed through the frames to attached them to the sheetrock.  Doesn't everyone want metal screws showing in your mirror frames?? 8-P

*  Clean and Organize stuff in House  IN PROGRESS  With the amount of stuff that needed doing/organizing it's been slow going but I get something done every day at a pace I can without causing further injury to myself.

*  Buy Stuff for House  DONE  I can't even begin to list all the stuff we've had to purchase so far!  Hubs and I refer to this house as the "Project House" as so much needs fixing and/or replacing to get to a livable standard.

*  Finish moving tubs from Garage  DONE  All the tubs stored in the 
Bubba Garage" had to be moved indoors before the heat overtook down here.  I did find my serger peddle and my iron stand.  Bad news is the past machine, the food processor and all the pots and pans lids are still MIA and I fear they are gone forever.

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  Not much to do to knock this one off the list as I haven't printed a coupon in ages.  I just have the few inserts that come in the mail once a week and use digital coupons when able.

*  Edit More Photos  In PROGRESS  This is a never ending job.  Perhaps if I stopped taking photo I'd catch this one up? lol

*  Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Nope, not enough hours in the day right now, though I have edited some videos for some older trips.

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE  did a little work for others but the best thing was confirming some direct native American ancestors(of course on my maternal side).

*  Hang Ceiling Fans  FAIL  Well we bought a couple of ceiling fans.  But when we went to install/change out the one in what is my sewing room the box holding the fan and light was barely attached.  I could have been decapitated if we had NOT changed that fan out!  This required research and numerous trips to the hardware store and then we left town so it's still not finished.  Luckily?  that room gets great sun(won't be so great soon in this heat)and I can use it during daylight hours with the curtains open. 8-)

Sewing room with a hole and electrical wires where a ceiling fan and light should be.  Lovely

*  Organize Clothes IN PROGRESS  Packing obviously made more of a mess digging through clothing in the closet but some items got put away in their proper place

*  Pack for Trip  DONE obviously  Packed, drove, flew, sailed then did it all again in reverse order.  We didn't forget anything and we paired down what we took, keeping to one checked bag each plus a carryon which mostly carted back some presents and souvenirs(as is required on a vacation).

*  Cash a Savings Bond  DONE  We finally found a small local credit union that would do these kind of transactions.  Evidently folks around these parts don't believe in buying/holding US Savings Bonds as the manager was unfamiliar with the process of cashing them and had to consult a manual to get it done.  Then she told us in the 7 years working at that credit union this was the FIRST one she ever had to deal with.  WTF??

Some days down here it is truly like living on Mars. lol

Sluggy

Can't Anybody Read and Follow Instructions!?

 On my blog so as not to shut commenting down to readers without a Google Account I will post non-troll comments as long as you put your name or handle somewhere in your comment.  I keep getting comments from "UNKNOWN".  This is not considered putting your name or online alias on your comment. These comments will, going forward NOT be published.  I am just tired of some of these folks who can't follow a simple request.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

* Oh Goody!  You get two, count 'em two posts today!  Don't you feel special?? lol

The "Weight Loss is Still the Focus" Edition.                                            

I'm still making progress and the knee is holding up somewhat.  We are on a mission as the Blues Brother liked to say.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned the first week.......

1. Sunday--2 Chicken strips from Zaxby's

2. Monday--Some sort of Veggies TBD

3. Tuesday--a piece of salmon

4  Wednesday--Daughter's cooking(hopefully There's made a veggie dish)or more leftover Chicken Strips or yogurt or 

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--Probably half a bag of veggies

7. Saturday--The other half of the bag of veggie,

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

1. Sunday--2 Chicken strips from Zaxby's

2. Monday--Yogurt, leftover Veggies

3. Tuesday--Pulled Pork w/Mostly Vinegar Sauce

4  Wednesday--A Greek Salad, a yogurt cup

5. Thursday--an Asian Salmon dish with Quinoa

6.  Friday--an Arby's chicken sandwich, curly fries, unsweetened iced tea

7. Saturday--Nothing but Hydration

I guess you'd call this an extreme intermittent fasting deal with many supplements to keep all my innards working and healthy.  I consulted a new PCP last week(Yay!) and my food plan was given the green light.  

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  Salmon to take to Daughter's House

*  3 TV dinners(Hubs)

*  Burritos(Hubs)

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

*  Nothing

Last week we spent $20.82 on grocery shopping.  I bought a new Japanese bbq sauce and a pack of protein drinks, then Hubs picked up a case of bottled water as we are under a boil advisory.  Our utilities are a shit show right now as a tornado came through the area early Friday morning.  Don't want to get into that right now...another story for another day.

 Total comes to $66.15 for June.

There are 11 shopping days in June.

I've earned $2.10 on Ibotta in June.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in June.

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

I've earned $0 on Shopmium in June.

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

I've earned 390 points from food shopping on Fetch in June.

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

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

That is $2.10 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $66.15 of grocery spending so in reality it's $64.05 in food spending after the 5 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 39.58% and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 42.59% so far spent.

Leftovers going into this week...1/2 a can of chili.

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

1. Sunday--a Protein Shake. leftover Brussels Sprouts

2. Monday--yogurt, maybe another Protein shake

3. Tuesday--Chicken thigh

4  Wednesday--Probably half a bag of veggies

5. Thursday--Grilled Salmon

6.  Friday--Spinach Soufflé

7. Saturday--The other half of the bag of veggies

I also drink, water, iced tea(unsweetened), hot tea with lemon and honey and the odd zero sugar soda or Zero sugar Powerade/Gatorade and keep my stomach full and it also keeps me hydrated.   I mostly stick with the water or unsweet iced teas with lemon added.

This one mini-meal per day where I change between vegetable matter and a lean protein and a yogurt cup when these other meals won't suffice.  There also is a regime of supplements I am currently on, either to maintain my body's condition or were already taking them for various conditions.

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Got it all here.  Hubs will either do his own thing or supplement other foods when I do the chicken and salmon.  Right now there is plenty in the freezer he can partake of but are off limits to me right now.  He may go buy more tv dinners as he doesn't like to cook. lol

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?  I confess that I don't need to buy anything right now nor have I had any desire to read the ads.

Sluggy  

Frugal Friday...the June 16th Edition, a Bit Late

Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are very few Frugal wins this past week and not everything here would be considered frugal but here goes......

*  Hubs did some minimal grocery shopping this week for himself as I am on a minimal food plan to move these unbudgeable pounds off.  Usually a cruise sees me gain 10+ lbs. which I can take off within the first week back.  This time I only gained 7-8 lb. and there were gone again in 2 days time.  Now it's doubling down time and another 5 lbs. are in the rear view mirror in the last 3 days.  We aren't stopping until enough is off so I can be approved for knee replacement surgery.  Taking no prisoners time!

*  After being forced to stay onboard due to an unexpected last minute tender I made the most of it and did lots of activities plus since it was the warmest day of the cruise I took a dip in the pool........

 

Hubs had just returned from the Wales shore excursion and snapped this photo.  I looked at the drunk people next to the pool in the hot tub and called them a bunch of pussies for not even trying the pool.  I think the whole trip me and one other gentleman even went into the pool the whole cruise.

*  Having a wonderful Hubby who was able to climb to the top of Caernafon Castle and taking great photos for me, including this shot from the very top of one of the parapets.......

 

*  I won a large branded tote bag and a t-shirt on the cruise(plus 3 sets of those little hotel toiletry bottles from 3 hotel stays. 

*  My happy place(one of many)in Cobh(Cork)at the gift shop....

A few of these Guinness branded items *may* have made their way into my luggage home. ;-)

*  I found money!  

We only strolled through the casino one time and I found an abandoned machine with 6 cents of credit not cashed out so we cashed it out and took it to the casino desk and I "found" .06¢.

Total Found in last Week.... .06¢
Total Found this Year.......$2.10

That's all for this past week.

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

Sluggy   

This Move Was Destiny I Tell Ya!

 No matter what, I may belong where the Powers that Be dropped me.

When I was living in the remoteness of the Poconos in PA I'd spend a lot of my time in my beloved little white Chevette to get to any place to shop, go to the doctor, etc.  I had a tape deck in that car(my wedding present from the Hubs).  Driving through those forests along mostly deserted back roads I'd crank up tapes of Dwight Yoakam and Mary Chapin Carpenter, etc.....the big guns of country music in the mid 1980's. I even was going through a Zydeco phase then.

This was one of my favorites on my MCC tape.............listen to the lyrics and you'll see why I feel like I'm home(mostly)here.  If I can't afford to live in the Virginia of my childhood, this is pretty darn close to being in the parts of rural Virginia where we spent time with my mother's people. Except it's much hotter. 8-)

Income & Spending.....the May 2023 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 May report---

I had 2 goals for May....
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 May in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of May with?...$862.13

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in May---

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

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $915.39

Total "Income" for May....$7,520.79

Expenses in May---
* Irregular bills in May were $2,783.07

* Variable Expenses in April came to $3,875.59

* Health insurance premiums totaling $1,194.82*

Total Expenses....$6,658.66

$$7,520.79-$6,658.66=$862.13

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

Slush into May of $66,065.64 in that Fund, add the overage of $862.13 in May and we get $66,927.77 going into June's 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $862.13.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

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

* My Amazon c/c bill went down $441.13 in May.

*  Electric bill went down $45.27 last month.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill went down $2,677.74 in May.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Mastercard c/c was $441.13 higher than last month.

*  We had irregular bills due in May too--

  *   Paid for a whole year of auto insurance at $1,592.00

  *  BOA c/c trip charges of $372.00

  *  Paid an electrician $202.50

  *  Hub's American Airlines card $243.84

  *  I paid for much needed smaller clothing $372.73

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

FINAL THOUGHTS on May 2023---Not a bad month financially with only the electrical work coming out of left field.  Glad the car insurance is paid for the next 12 months but it took a bite out of the budget.  The clothing was a necessary expense so I didn't drop my drawers on the cruise ship. lolz

THOUGHTS going forward into June 2023--no extra income in June except a small stock dividend, just same old, same old.  Another small charge for clothing purchased but the big one for 2 hotel nights with secure parking in Dallas while we cruised and all the London charges like a little food ,trinkets, cab rides, attraction, and  theater tickets plus a few more charges in other ports and that's all on Hub's Visa c/c which he has yet to give me the total.  I think he is afraid of letting me have it. lol  

We also have a Lowe's bill for a ceiling fan purchase and other miscellaneous and some food charges during the first third of  May.I am not looking to have any money leftover from June's bills so will most probably end up in the red once June is all accounted for.

So how was your May financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in May?
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    

This Week on the Dinng Table

  The "Weight Loss is the Focus" Edition.                                            

This photo is for Kim.  In our time in Belfast(in Northern Ireland  but what I refer to as "Fake Ireland") the bus dropped us off by the town hall which had a full blown Spring market going on, on their grounds.  Besides the souvenir and hard goods vendors there was every type of tempting food.  Dinky Donuts was one of the temptations I had to dodge.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned the first week.......

...*Sunday to Saturday there was no plan. Duh.

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

1. Sunday--bowl of green beans(lightly sauce)

2. Monday--another bowl of green beans(lightly sauced). 

3. Tuesday--a small Caesar salad with Chicken and Feta

4.Wednesday--1 cup of yogurt

5. Thursday--half of a restaurant Walnut, Cranberry and Spinach Salad with a Balsamic vinagirete dressing on the side 

6.  Friday--3 Chicken fingers from Zaxby's

7. Saturday--the other half of that salad from Thursday

I guess you'd call this an extreme intermittent fasting deal with many supplements to keep all my innards working and healthy.  So I have been less than focused on Kitchen stuff.  Hubs has always taken care of his own breakfast needs,  I have been helping him at Lunch with ideas for meals he'd enjoy that are easy. I know one lunch he ate light, 2 lunches were canned chili with or without Burritos and he was sick and just had hot tea and Mucinex another 

For dinner, well 3 of the 4 TV dinner he bought are gone, he was still on the hot tea and Mucinex. then  the two meals out/take-out he had were different items than me.

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

*  4 TV Dinners

Last week we spent $54.33 on grocery shopping.  Hubs made a stop at Walmart and then on Thursday we went to arrange for a carport to be built and right by there was an Ollies*Good Stuff Cheap!)and I had a 15% off discount offer and it was expiring yesterday so we picked up a few foods items there-mostly sauces, spicesbut a few convenience type stuff for  Hubs while I continue this reduction journey.  Total to $54.33 for June .

There are 18 shopping days in June

I've earned $0 on Ibotta in June.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in June.

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

I've earned $0 on Shopmium in June.

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

I've earned 240 points from food shopping on Fetch in June.

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

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in June.Tuesday, a bigger Caesar salad and half od a Muffeletta sandwich on Thursday. a Zaxby's chicken sandwch with fries and a Coke and I didn't notice on Friday nor Saturday.

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

My savings percentage for the last week was 43.78% and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 43.78% so far spentl

Leftovers going into this week...chicken fingers

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

1. Sunday--2 Chicken strips from Zaxby's

2. Monday--Some sort of Veggies TBD

3. Tuesday--a piece of salmon

4  Wednesday--Daughter's cooking(hopefully There's made a veggie dish)or more leftover Chicken Strips or yogurt or 

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--Probably half a bag of veggies

7. Saturday--The other half of the bag of veggie,

I also drink, water, iced tea(unsweetened), hot tea with lemon and honey and the odd zero sugar soda or Zero sugar Powerade/Gatorade and keep my stomach full and it also keeps me hydrated. I  I mostly stick with the water or unsweet iced tas with lemom added.

This one minimeals per day where I change between vegetable matter and a lean protein and a yogurt cup when these other meals won't suffice.  There also is a regime of supplements I am currently on, either to maintain my body's condition or were already taking them for various conditions.

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Well Hubs beat it to the grocery store unbenownst to me on Monday(going rogue)and mostly purchased tv dinners and bags of frozen veg there because he is still eating 3 x a day.

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?  I confess that I don't need to buy anything right now nor have I had any desire to read the ads.

Sluggy  

Eat Your Heart Out Anne! hehehe

Since the touring company of "Six" won' t be coming to your area for another year, and I've rubbed it in your face that I saw it in the West End recently, 8-P, the least thing I could do is post this clip for you Anne, of the Opening Number from the Olivier Awards(England's version of the Tony Awards here)from 2019.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the June 9th Edition

 Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are very few Frugal wins this past week and not everything here wouldl be considered frugal but here goes......

*  Hubs did some minimal grocery shopping this week for himself as I am on a minimal food plan to move these unbudgeable pounds off.  Usually a cruise sees me gain 10+ lbs. which I can take off within the first week back.  This time I only gained 7-8 lb. and there were gone again in 2 days time.  Now it's doubling down time and another 5 lbs. are in the rear view mirror in the last 3 days.  We aren't stopping until enough is off so I can be approved for knee replacement surgery.  Taking no prisoners time!

*  After being forced to stay onboard due to an unexpected last minute tender I made the most of it and did lots of activities plus since it was the warmest day of the cruise I took a dip in the pool........

 

Hubs had just returned from the Wales shore excursion and snapped this photo.  I looked at the drunk people next to the pool in the hot tub and called them a bunch of pussies for not even trying the pool.  I think the whole trip me and one other gentleman even went into the pool the whole cruise.

*  Having a wonderful Hubby who was able to climb to the top of Caernafon Castle and taking great photos for me, including this shot from the very top of one of the parapets.......

 

*  I won a large branded tote bag and a t-shirt on the cruise(plus 3 sets of those little hotel toiletry bottles from 3 hotel stays. 

*  My happy place(one of many)in Cobh(cork)at the gift shop....

A few of these Guiness branded items *may* have made their way into my luggage home. ;-)

*  I found money!  

We only strolled through the casino one time and I fouund an abandoned machine with 6 cents of credit not cashed out so we cashed it out and took it to the casino desk and I "found" .06¢.

Total Found in last Week.... .06¢
Total Found this Year.......$2.10

That's all for this past week.

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

Sluggy