No Sew Fleece Blanket.....Xmas Idea

 A few years ago I wanted to make Kim a fleece blanket as I found a fabric full of doughnuts(her favorite food group).  

But I already had Essential Tremor so bad I was unable to sew(though undiagnosed as of then).

So I found this lady who I am assuming had had a stroke and only had partial use of one arm/hand, with a tutorial of how to make a fleece blanket where you didn't have to tie knots(as not having the use of two hands, knots were not going to happen for her).

This has got to be the easiest no sew fleece throw pattern on earth if anyone gets a mind to make one as a Christmas gift.

I pulled up this tutorial again this week to make this Christmas gift for someone.....

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table.....Nov. 24th to Nov. 30th

 The "Have a Twinkie Christmas" Edition.........

I snapped a shot of this display in Walmart last week.  Ginormous boxes of Twinkies in Christmas themed boxes.  These have to be the largest boxes of Twinkies I've ever seen!

I don't think most people would be happy to open this as a present on 

Christmas morning.

Would you?

I wonder how many of these will be bought?

Personally, I didn't eat these as a kid(well, maybe a couple)but I was never a fan.  I preferred the little fruit pies Hostess made.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Beef Pie

2. Monday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup, Biscuits

3. Tuesday--something Leftover

4. Wednesday--something Leftover

5. Thursday--probably Ham in some iteration, Green Beans

6. Friday--Leftovers? with Roasted Broccoli

7. Saturday--more Leftovers

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Beef Pie

2. Monday--Didn't feel like cooking so we fended for ourselves(Hubs wanted Taco Bell for lunch so I didn't feel the need to eat much of anything after that)

3. Tuesday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup, Biscuits

4. Wednesday--Ham, Teriyaki Green Beans

5. Thursday--Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Broccoli w/Balsamic Vinegar

6. Friday--Leftovers(Pork Stir-Fry)

7. Saturday--Leftovers(Beef Pie)

Pretty much most of what was planned happened.  I made the Beef Pie(which provided leftovers)and the Soup, though the soup happened a day later due to a scrumptious(eye roll)Taco Bell lunch on Monday.

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

*  1 lb. Ground Beef

*  a bag of Broccoli(went into the soup)+ some fresh Broccoli

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

*  a Ham Bone

                   

Last week we spent $109.87 grocery shopping.

Total shopping comes to $357.69 for November.  There are 5 shopping days left in November.  We are taking our last donation for the year to the food bank today so other than some Brussel Sprouts and maybe some Sweet Potatoes I am done shopping for the month.

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $245.25 on Ibotta in November.

I've earned $30.91 on Checkout51 in November.

I've earned $84.13 on Aisle, etc. in November. 

I've earned $15.58 on TaDa in November.

I've earned 35,652 points on Fetch from food shopping in November.

I've earned 15,074 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in November.($60.29)

I've earned 20,290 points on My Points in November.(not sure what the conversion rate is here)

I've earned 1,259 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in November.($12.59)

That is $360.29 in rebates(not counting Shop Kick/Fetch/MyPoints/Swag Bucks/TaDa/The Insiders were I earn gift cards)on $357.69 of grocery spending so in reality it's negative $2.60 in food spending after the rebate apps I count. I now separate out the Food Bank donations and don't count those in the grocery spending(but I do count any rebates on those items) so it's a win/win--the food bank gets a large donation of goods and I get a lower grocery bill.

My savings percentage for the last week was 40.00% and the monthly savings total for November comes in at 42.15% spent.

Leftovers going into this week.....Beef Pie, Ham, a Piece of Pork Tenderloin, Ham, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Ham, Roasted Broccoli, Ham, Green Beans, Some Rotisserie Chicken, Ham.

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

1. Sunday--Leftovers(Ham and Green Beans)

2. Monday--Leftovers

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Turkey, Stuffing, Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Rolls, Rutabaga(if I can find one that is bigger than the size of a tennis ball), Pie

6. Friday--New Leftovers

7. Saturday--New Leftovers

Other than Thanksgiving, we are all about the leftovers this week.  I've got meatballs and sauce in the freezer if we get tired of same old, same old.

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? 

Sluggy

It's Just So Funny!

This commercial has been coming on the tv channels I've watched recently.  It just makes me chuckle to hear Christopher Walken's voice coming from a squirrel.   I keep waiting for him to say, "It needs more cowbell."  lolz

Have you ever seen this commercial?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the Nov. 22nd Edition

There are some Frugal wins over the past week.....

*  I had one dr. appointment with my Orthopedist.  Just a check in and I don't go back for 4 months. 8-)))

*  I did some more shopping for the food bank..........

There was a Quaker Products deal "Buy 2, Get 3 Free".  Last week I got Oatmeal packet boxes, this week I got 2 containers of oats and 3 boxes of pancake mix.

Then I got 2 shampoos, 1 Body Wash and 2 Deodorants.  I spent $7.97 out of pocket and then got $4 back from Swag Bucks for the deodorants and $2 in Points from Shop Kick for the same deodorants.

*  I hit my $5 Midweek Moneymaker Bonus which bulked up my rebating monies.  Last weekend's Bonus was only $1 so no, that didn't happen.

*  We also had no food waste last week.  We have lots of leftovers/planned overs so we'll be eating on this until next Thursday probably.

*  This week was time to get my Rock Star drinks.  Kroger had them for $2 so this was a $1 Moneymaker

*  We finally turned the heat on yesterday night.  Temps got into the 30'sF last night.

*  I found money!  

I found a dime in Walmart on the 18th, near the coin sorter machine.

I went back to Walmart the next day to check on an Rx and found 2 pennies, one at the pharmacy and one near the Customer Service area.

Outside I found a nickel in the parking lot.  Nickels are rare as hen's teeth to find in the wild in my experience.

I found these two pennies in Ollie's on Thursday.  One in the store and one in the parking lot.  Can you guess which was found where? ;-)

I found another penny at Wendy's on Thursday.

Total Found last week..... .15¢

Grand Total Found this Year.......$9.34 & 5.30 Euros

That's all I got.

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

Sluggy   

Something to Remember As We Head Into This Holiday Season

 I can't say it any clearer.....

Sluggy

Shop Kick Problem-Kroger is MIA in their app?

I was just wondering if anyone else is having this same issue with Shop Kick(if you use it).

I went to submit for an offer at Shop Kick which I bought at Kroger yesterday.  Only to find that Kroger is no longer listed in my Shop Kick app!  I hope it's just a glitch because it's one of the two main stores I shop at.  

I sent Shop Kick support an email asking what was up and they didn't even address my concern.  They neither denied or confirmed the status of Kroger as a participating store.

So disappointing.

* Must have been a glitch.  Kroger is back on Shop Kick now.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table....Nov. 18th to Nov. 25th

The "Meat & Three" Edition.........

I remember when we first moved down here we went to a "Meat & 3" restaurant.  We didn't have these type of establishments up North and I rarely went to one where I grew up in Virginia.

I have just "the 3" veggies and I didn't get the meat item.  That's my plate--some kind of greens, a sweet potato casserole and something else I don't recall now and the rest of a dinner roll.

I was not impressed by this lunch, especially the sweet potato casserole as it was sooo sweet!  Ya don't need to sugar up sweet potatoes! ;-)  The green were ok.

I wish other restaurants here did the "Meat & 3" but we just have this one local chain.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Leftover burgers, sweet potato fries.

2. Monday--Dinner somewhere on the road

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Spinach Souffle

4. Wednesday--Chicken Parm, Salad

5. Thursday--Liver, Taters, Beets

6. Friday--Sautèd Scallops, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Spiral cut Ham, Veggies TBD

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Leftover burgers, Sweet Potato fries

2. Monday--Dinner somewhere on the road(Arby's Brisket Sandwich)

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Grilled Asparagus

4. Wednesday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Broccoli

5. Thursday--Ham, Green Beans, Pineapple

6. Friday--Pork Teriyaki Stir-Fry Veggies

7. Saturday--Fajitas

The liver finally happened (Look away Anne!) We didn't have any mashed potatoes with the liver(as is tradition)and we didn't miss it.  The souffle, chicken parm and the scallops didn't happen but we have ham for days now!

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

*  Salmon

*  Liver

*  Ham

*  Pork Tenderloin

*  Stir-Fry Veggies

*  Chicken

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

*  3 containers of ice cream(there was a pie and ice cream deal)

*  2 lbs. meatballs

                    

Last week we spent $112.28 grocery shopping.

Total shopping comes to $247.82 for November.  There are 12 shopping days left in November.

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $188.69 on Ibotta in November.

I've earned $25.66 on Checkout51 in November.

I've earned $57.16 on Aisle, etc. in November. 

I've earned $15.57 on TaDa in November.

I've earned 27,312 points on Fetch from food shopping in November.

I've earned 13,720 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in November.($54.88)

I've earned 20,120 points on My Points in November.(not sure what the conversion rate is here)

I've earned 103 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in November.($1.03)

That is $271.51 in rebates(not counting Shop Kick/Fetch/MyPoints/Swag Bucks/TaDa/The Insiders were I earn gift cards)on $247.82 of grocery spending so in reality it's negative $23.69 in food spending after the rebate apps I count. I now separate out the Food Bank donations and don't count those in the grocery spending(but I do count any rebates on those items) so it's a win/win--the food bank gets a large donation of goods and I get a lower grocery bill.

My savings percentage for the last week was 50.29% and the monthly savings total for November comes in at 45.05% spent.

Leftovers going into this week.....Ham, Pork Stir-Fry, Ham, Pineapple, Ham, Fajita filling and did I mention Ham? ;-)  That's what happens when you defrost and cook a spiral ham and there are only 2 people to eat it and I wasn't about to cook ham for Thanksgiving.

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

1. Sunday--Beef Pie

2. Monday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup, Biscuits

3. Tuesday--something Leftover

4. Wednesday--something Leftover

5. Thursday--probably Ham in some iteration, Green Beans

6. Friday--Leftovers? with Roasted Broccoli

7. Saturday--more Leftovers

With all that ham and other foods leftover I don't plan on cooking for most of this week(other than some veggies).  It's not even "soup weather" here(is it ever soup weather here??) but I am craving Cheddar Broccoli soup so I'll sweat and eat it.  If  I can find rye bread we'll have Rueben sandwiches(sort of, I have Pastrami not Corned Beef)one night but otherwise it's ham.(And I don't even like ham and I can't remember what possessed me to buy one...oh yeah, it was on clearance.) lololz

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? 

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the Nov. 15th Edition

There are some Frugal wins over the past week.....

*  I had 2 PT sessions this week and I am done with PT now.  These sessions were free to me.

*  We sat down and worked out what Part D Medicare plan to choose.  Since Part D rules changed for 2025 I had many more plans to chose from that covered my one  expensive medicine, meaning I don't have to pay as much for my meds.

*  I picked up these new plant based Reese's cup bags.

They were in the clearance bin at Kroger(I guess they weren't very popular)marked down to $1.37 and I had $1.75 rebates for them so I made money on these, $1.14 to be exact.

*  I picked up this stuff at Walmart early in the week....

I am keeping the toilet bowl cleaner, the Glade air spray, the bag of cornbread mix and the cough drops.  The Truvia brown sugar is for my sister in-law and the rest is for the food bank.

*  I did some more shopping for the food bank..........

We are just keeping the little 3 pack of dog food in this lot.

I hit my big $30 Bonus and my $5 Midweek Moneymaker Bonus with this shopping trip which bulked up my rebating monies.

*  We did no eating out last week.

*  We also had no food waste last week.

*  The a/c and heat were not used most days again this week and our electric bill is liking this weather. 8-)))

*  Made what seems to be my last trip to the Dermatologist in MS.  I am stable on my meds so she has approval to do Telehealth appointments with me. rah

I will miss the little bag of freebies she gives me.  I think she feels sorry that I have to drive 7+ hours roundtrip for an appointment.

*  I found money!  

I found a dime inside the Walmart and a penny outside there in the parking lot.

I found a penny in the parking lot of the truck stop near the dog park on Monday.

Total Found last week..... .12¢

Grand Total Found this Year.......$9.19 & 5.30 Euros

That's all I got.

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

Sluggy   

Income & Spending....the October Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals, personal savings 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 lto tuck aside.

We went into retirement in June of 2017 with no debt, no mortgage nor a car payment.

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 October report--

I have 2 goals for October.....

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 fund may be applied 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 2024.

*  I do not include/report on our retirement accounts here, just the non-retirement ones.

I'm happy to report that we finished up October in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of October with?....$11,826.72

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in October---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,446.90

*  Quarterly 401K Withdrawal of $6,215.06

*  Refund from Insurance of $2,900(I'll count what the cruise company refunded when it arrives)

Total "Income" for October....$16,983.25

Expenses in October---

*  Irregular bills in October were $1,957.87

*  Variable expenses in October came to $2,491.23

*  Medical Premiums in October were $707.43

Total Expenses....$5,156.53

$16,983.25-$5,156.53=$11,826.72.

Slush Fund coming into October of $71,441.92 and the addition of $11,826.72 in October, our end of October 2024 Slush Fund comes to $83,268.64.

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $11,826.72

Outgo

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

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill is the same as the previous month.
*  The WAM was the same as in September.
*  The electric bill was $61.52 lower than the previous month
*  The Joint Mastercard was $64.24 less than in September.
*  Hubs Aviator card was $780.06 less than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The cellphone bill was .04¢ higher than in September.
*  The My Amazon card was $19.04 higher than last month.
*  Hubs Amazon card was $120.08 higher than in September.
*  My Aviator card was $4.99 higher than last month.
*  We had House Insurance due to the tune of $1,260.23.
*  We had a Vet Bill due in the amount of $355.00.
*  We paid a Doctor copay out of the regular account for $20.00.

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

FINAL THOUGHTS for October 2024---Financially it was an exceptionally good month.  The 401K quarterly withdrawal and getting most of our money back that we paid on that cruise we couldn't take(I'll count the last bit when it hits the bank account.).  We did take a $22K+ hit with having to buy a car but we knew that inevitable as Hubs car was on it's last legs and that gets accounted for in November.

GOING FORWARD INTO November 2024--Bills will be coming in for the car and some c/c bills and we won't have a 401K withdrawal to balance that out.  Hopefully we'll receive the rest of the cruise  refund this month. We will mostly likely run a deficit in November but that's ok.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your October financially?

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

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 down/off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or retirement account?

Or did you blow all your excess monies after bills were paid on a "want"?

If you post 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 Dining Table....Nov. 10th to Nov. 17th

*Sorry this post is a day late but Monday was our semi-annual "medical safari" to Mississippi(which involved a 7+ hour car ride).  That's where the closest to us Dermatologist who actually practices Medical Dermatology is located.  But unless I go out of remission with my HS, it will be the last as they now have approval to do telehealth appointments. Yay!!!

The "This Is Weird" Edition.........

Remember when I posted a photo from my local Walmart of an employee's photo saying that they "back a product"(it was corn dogs I think).
Well I found another sign.  Evidently Nick backs these little plastic bowls(for sauce or dipping I think).
My guess is they hang one of these signs on products that are not moving(selling).  If you associate something with a person it sells better?  I don't know but I have never seen this sort of marketing strategy before at Walmart.  Now I can hunt for these photos when I go there.  Just another way to keep grocery shopping exciting. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Tuna Subs

2. Monday--Chicken Strips, Squash and Onions

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Sweet Potato Fries

4. Wednesday--(Look Away Anne!)Liver and Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Beets

5. Thursday--Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries

6. Friday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

7. Saturday--Beef w/Stir-fry Veggies

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Tuna Subs(homemade)

2. Monday--Chicken Strips, Squash and Onions

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Sweet Potato Fries

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

5. Thursday--Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries

6. Friday--Take-Out Pizza (I was not up for cooking), Leftover Squash

7. Saturday--Leftover Pizza, Salad

The liver didn't happen. (Keep breathing Anne.)  Maybe this week.

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

*  Chicken Strips

*  Salmon

*  Ground Beef

*  Meatballs

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

* 2 lbs. of Meatballs

*  1 lb. of Beer Brats

* 4 Chicken Biscuits

                    

Last week we spent $135.54 grocery shopping.  $66.26 of that was actually October 31st sending that got left off of last month's tally.  So it ends up in this current month.

Total shopping comes to $135.54 for November.  There are 19 shopping days left in November(counting from yesterday, when this should have posted).

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $98.14 on Ibotta in November.

I've earned $15.57 on TaDa in November.

I've earned $22.84 on Checkout51 in November.

I've earned $50.88 on Aisle, etc. in November. (Haven't gotten my Nature Valley rebate yet from June.  At this point I am giving up on this one.  That product went to the food bank long ago.)

I've earned 1,487 points on Fetch from food shopping in November.

I've earned 11,654 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in November.($46.61)

I've earned 19,349.07 points on My Points in November.(not sure what the conversion rate it here)

I've earned 1 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in November.($)

That is $171.86 in rebates(not counting Shop Kick/Fetch/MyPoints/Swag Bucks/TaDa/The Insiders were I earn gift cards)on $135.54 of grocery spending so in reality it's negative $36.32 in food spending after the rebate apps I count. I now separate out the Food Bank donations and don't count those in the grocery spending(but I do count any rebates on those items) so it's a win/win--the food bank gets a large donation of goods and I get a lower grocery bill.

My savings percentage for the last week was 35.24% and the monthly savings total for November comes in at 35.24% spent.

Leftovers going into this week.....au gratin taters, catfish, 2 hamburgers and sweet potato fries.

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

1. Sunday--Leftover burgers, sweet potato fries.

2. Monday--Dinner somewhere on the road

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Spinach Souffle

4. Wednesday--Chicken Parm, Salad

5. Thursday--Liver, Taters, Beets

6. Friday--Sautèd Scallops, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Spiral cut Ham, Veggies TBD

Liver moves to this week(sorry Anne)and I am using that damned ham in the freezer this 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? 

Sluggy