This Week on the Dining Table

"A Gentleman Caller".........

As Amanda Wingfield in the play, "The Glass Menagerie", called a potential beau for her daughter, a "Gentleman Caller", we had a Gentleman Caller of sorts here, again.

Yes, it was another Opossum wanting to sleep under our house.  I doubt it was the same one as before.  Hubs said this one had an attitude when he got trapped.

Hubs hauled his bony butt off to where we let them loose...a nature preserve far from our development.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Catfish, Teriyaki Green Beans

2. Monday---Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Leftover Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala, Mashed Potatoes(optional), Leftover Broccoli

4. Wednesday--Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

5. Thursday--Pot Pies(Chicken or Turkey)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers(if no leftovers, we'll think up something else)

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Catfish, Teriyaki Green Beans

2. Monday---Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Leftover Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--TV dinner Teriyaki Chicken

4. Wednesday--Crab Cakes, Shrimp, Leftover Broccoli

5. Thursday--Chicken Marsala, Brussels Sprouts

6. Friday--Leftover Pork Tenderloin, Salad(Had that at Lunch)

7. Saturday--Leftover Chicken Marsala, Brussels Sprouts

Most everything happened but not necessarily when planned.  When didn't take out something to thaw on Wednesday and didn't feel like pot pies on another night plus we were out of Marsala wine so that meal had to wait until we picked some up.

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

*  Catfish

*  Pork Tenderloin

*  TV Dinner

*  Crab Cakes

*  Shrimp

*  Chicken

Last week we spent $68.53 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 45.28%. Spending for the month is $136.52 and the savings rate is 51.16% for March before rebate monies are added in.

Rebates earned in March-

$46.78 on Ibotta

$14.75 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$61.53 Total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $74.99

2,185 Pts. on Fetch

2,133  Pts. on SwagBucks

0 Pts. on My Points

403 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a low spend month for groceries at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...2 Fried Pork Tenderloins, Roasted Broccoli.

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

1. Sunday--Pork Stir-Fry w/Veggies

2. Monday--Salmon, Asparagus

3. Tuesday--Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Poultry Pot Pies, Salad

5. Thursday--Beef Pie(I'll post the recipe soon)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers(if no leftovers, we'll think up something else)

Just trying to eat down what is here when I'm not getting great deals.  I chose my meals by cherry picking the deals and building meals around those items, combined with what is in my freezer.

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   

Erin Go Braugh

This is a traditional on the blog for St. Patrick's Day............

My meal plan Monday will follow shortly.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......The March 14th Edition

Here are our frugal wins for this past week....

*  I love finding marked down foods at Kroger(this really doesn't happen at Walmart).  I found some lo-cal Swoon drinks, some Perfect bars on sale that also had Ibotta rebates, some marked down salads and Brussels Sprouts.

*  We used up some pantry items as well.  Had to buy Marsala wine for a dish I made but that will be used up before we leave here.

*  We also had food waste last week.   I went against my instincts and bought a large sweet potato at a store I don't trust to have the freshest produce.  Well I went to pick that tater up last week to peel it and my hand nearly went right through it, it was so rotten.  Lesson learned.

*  There was no eating out this past week.

*  While grocery shopping I picked up some items for the food bank we donate to.  It wasn't much cash out of hand but helps folks struggling here out and makes us feel good.

Spending money on groceries not for us isn't frugal but it certainly is frugal for others.  Especially if it's toiletries or paper goods which they can't use EBT/Snap benefits on.

* It's been warm here so the heat has been off during the day.  We even had the a/c on one day it was so warm.

*  Entertainment last week was free tv, YouTube watching, doing genealogy or reading.

*  I found money! 

I found a penny in my pants pocket.

While at Walmart on Wednesday I  kept finding change in the store.  A penny here, a dime there, 2 pennies at a self-checkout nobody was using, another penny at yet another checkout and then 2 more pennies in the vestibule when I was leaving.

                

Then a quarter at Aldi's under where the carts are parked outside.

          

Found Money This Week.....42¢

Grand Total Found this Year.......$1.11

That's all I got.

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

Sluggy   

And the Winner Is....

And the Random Generator picked this comment--

AnonymousMarch 10, 2025 at 1:42 PM

Took my dad out to eat at a great Chinese take out place over the weekend. Needed to get him out of the house. He’s been recovering after a heart cath procedure that went sideways. Ended up in ICU a few days.-Tammy

Congratulations Tammy!!

Please email me at slugmama@yahoo.com with your full name and address so I can get this box out to you.

And as an aside, Wendy G I have great respect for you!

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table.....March 9 to 15th

"Do Not Eat This"

Saw this container of broken glass pieces for sale, on clearance, at Walmart awhile back.  I guess you are suppose to use this with a gas fireplace set up but it reminded me of an old SNL skit where Dan 

Akroyd was a lethal toy manufacturer(The Mainway Toy Co.)and guest star Candice Bergen was an investigative reporter interviewing him.  One of his products was "Bag O Glass".  IYKYK. lolz

And really?  $10 for clear glass shards?  I've got a Bridge in Brooklyn to sell the person who buys that!

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Asparagus

2. Monday---Leftover Meatloaf, Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--Shrimp, Broccoli

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushroom Sauce, Green Beans

5. Thursday--Pot Pies(Chicken or Turkey)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers 

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Asparagus

2. Monday---Leftover Meatloaf, Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--Shrimp, Roasted Broccoli

4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself(I had a Salad)

5. Thursday--Cheeseburgers(bun optional), Leftover Green Beans

6. Friday--Rigatoni with Mushroom Sauce and Meatballs, Caesar Salad

7. Saturday--Leftovers (Beef & Broccoli + Green Beans

Sunday to Wednesday basically happened but not necessarily on the day it was planned.

Leftover hamburgers got cheesed, leftovers got eaten and Wednesday was a Fend for Yourself night.

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

*  Chicken Parm

*  Shrimp

*  Meatballs

Last week we spent $67.99 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 55.94%. Spending for the month is $67.99 and the savings rate is 55.94% for March before rebate monies are added in.

Rebates earned in February-

$25.38 on Ibotta

$10.00 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$35.38 Total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $57.99

2,100 Pts. on Fetch

1,909 Pts. on SwagBucks

0 Pts. on My Points

361 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a low spend month for groceries at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...1 slice of meatloaf, roasted broccoli, yellow squash and tons of rigatoni and meatballs.

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

1. Sunday--Catfish, Teriyaki Green Beans

2. Monday---Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Leftover Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala, Mashed Potatoes(optional), Leftover Broccoli

4. Wednesday--Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

5. Thursday--Pot Pies(Chicken or Turkey)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers(if no leftovers, we'll think up something else)

Just trying to eat down what is here when I'm not getting great deals.  I chose my meals by cherry picking the deals and building meals around those items, combined with what is in my freezer.

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? 

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway.  Go HERE.  8-)

Sluggy   

Don't Forget to Enter the Giveaway!

The Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway is still running.

Monday is the last day to enter it HERE and this the last reminder about it.

No jumping through hoops, just let me know in your entry what you have done for someone else lately.  It can be something big or small, just something you've done to help someone, make them smile or made their day better.

That's all.

The winner will be picked Tuesday evening.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the March 7th Edition

Here are our frugal wins for this past week....

*  I love finding marked down foods at Kroger(this really doesn't happen at Walmart).  Got some Burger meat on clearance, some veggies on sale, bagged salad on clearance, more strawberries for $1.88 lb., Greek yogurt on sale, and got 4lb. of Catfish fillets for $9.95 at a different store.

*  We used up some pantry items as well.

*  We also had no food waste last week.   We cooked at home and then ate some leftovers this past week. There was no eating out.

*  While grocery shopping I picked up some items for the food bank we donate to.  It wasn't much cash out of hand but helps folks struggling here out and makes us feel good.

Spending money on groceries not for us isn't frugal but it certainly is frugal for others.  Especially if it's toiletries or paper goods which they can't use EBT/Snap benefits on.

* It's been warm here so the heat has been off during the day.  Not "hang your laundry out to dry warm" but warm enough not to need the furnace days.

*  Entertainment last week was free tv, YouTube watching, doing genealogy or reading.

*  I found money! 

                    

              

Between Walmart and Kroger I found .12¢ total-a dime and 2 pennies last week.

Found Money This Week.... .12¢

Grand Total Found this Year....... .69¢

That's all I got.

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

Sluggy   

Democrat Leaders Displaying Disgusting Behavior

I know I'm going to get hate for this but it has to be said.............I don't care what side you are on the fact the Democrats didn't stand up for that 13 year old boy with brain cancer when he was introduced last night is disgusting!

And those little signs they were holding, one political commentator said it remembered her of when Democrats in the 1800's held paddles up to bid in a slave auction.  Because if you are not aware of history, the Republican party freed the slaves and the majority of Southern slave holders were Democrats.

Is there any stunt these people won't pull?  Attacking the people who are finding the graft and waste instead of applauding the finds that will save our country's treasury??  Just how unbalanced are these Democrat leaders?

Sluggy

Income & Spending.....the February Report

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 to 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 February report--

I have 2 goals for February....

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 2025.

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

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

The amount extra we ended the month of February with?....$2,723.72

Income or FundFebrs We Can Access

The "income" in February---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,906.60

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1356.03

*  Rebating Cash-out  $389.82

*  USPS Refund  $8.40

Total "Income" for February....$8,190.96

Expenses in February---

*  Irregular bills in February were $595.58

*  Variable expenses in February came to $4,237.25

*  Medical Premiums in February were $634.41

Total Expenses....$5,467.24

$8,190.96-$5,467.24=$2,723.72

Slush Fund coming into February of $83,904.58 and the addition of $2,723.72 in February, our end of February 2025 Slush Fund comes to $86,628.30. 

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $2,723.72.

Outgo

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

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill and the WAM were the same as last month.

*  The Mastercard bill went down $37.77 in February.

*  Hubs Amazon card was $444.33 less than the previous month.

*  The Cellphone bill went down by $86.33 in February.  We changed carriers.

*  My Aviator c/c was $732.96 less than in January.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill went up by $79.14 in February.

*  My Amazon c/c was $46.14 higher than last month.

*  Hubs Aviator c/c was $1,960.16 more in February due mostly to the deposit we had to pay to the moving company.

And we had some "one off" bills in February--

*  Doc Co-Pay of $20.00
*  Vet Bill of $116.19
*  Hubs paid off his cellphone because we changed carriers so that was $459.39

The Food Budget costs for February are in another post HERE. Food costs are included in my credit card payments(mainly because I buy the food but sometimes these costs come out of our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for February 2025---

GOING FORWARD INTO March 2025--The cruise payment is due in March. ouch  We'll probably be in the negative in March because of that but we have the cash to pay it so no worries there.  Other than that the rest of the bills should be about the same, except the heat may be off more days than on because March is deep Spring here in the deep South so the electric bill should be less. 8-)

Here's hoping 2025 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your February financially?

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

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 

Gutfeld Show

 

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table....March 2 to March 8 2025

The "Crazy Bird" Edition........

I hope you can make out the bit of red in the middle of the tree trunk in the photo.  That's the crazy cardinal we've had hanging around the house since we got back from our Christmas trip at the end of December.  He keeps dive bombing the window of Hubs study every day.  We think he sees his reflection and assumes it's another cardinal in "his territory " so is attacking it.  We have put a black garbage bag over the window, tried decals and also tried hanging my large windchimes in the tree to scare him off.  The only thing that works is the windchime, but only when the wind is blowing enough to make them chime.

I guess we are going to have to live with this until we leave.

Here's a short video where I finally caught the bird in action banging his beak into the window.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries

2. Monday---Chicken w/Stir-Fry Veggies

3. Tuesday--Meatloaf, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers 

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries

2. Monday---Chicken w/Stir-Fry Veggies

3. Tuesday--Meatloaf, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

5. Thursday--Salmon, Brussels Sprouts

6. Friday--Strawberries & Greek Yogurt

7. Saturday--Leftover Chicken Veggie Stir-Fry

Sunday to Wednesday basically happened as planned.  Then we had some 

brussels sprouts we paired with 

salmon on Thursday so it worked with that night.  Then Friday to Saturday it was Fend for Yourself which was a-ok in my book.

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

*  Chicken

*  Beef, thin sliced

*  Salmon

*  4 Hamburgers that had been bought and stuck in the freeze and had to be used or frozen.

Last week we spent $71.45 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 46.26%. Spending for the month is $363.62 and the savings rate is 43.417% for February before rebate monies are added in.

Rebates earned in February-

$108.14 on Ibotta

$9.50 on Checkout51

$20.73 on Aisle and Misc.

$138.37 Total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $225.2

9,998 Pts. on Fetch

674 Pts. on SwagBucks

783 Pts. on My Points

81 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a low spend month for groceries at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...4 slices of meatloaf, green beans, sweet potato fries, pizza, a Portabello Mushroom Parm, 2 Hamburger patties, Beef and Broccoli.  Most of this will be lunches for someone(probably Hubs as I have  chicken salad and bags of salad to eat.

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

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Asparagus

2. Monday---Leftover Meatloaf, Yellow Squash

3. Tuesday--Shrimp, Broccoli

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushroom Sauce, Green Beans

5. Thursday--Pot Pies(Chicken or Turkey)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers 

Just trying to eat down what is here when I'm not getting great deals.  I chose my meals by cherry picking the deals and building meals around those items, combined with what is in my freezer.

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