Friday, January 31, 2025

Frugal Friday...........Jan. 31 to Feb. 6th

 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 salads this past week as well as fresh green beans.  I did a little Ibotta shopping for the food bank too at Kroger. 8-)

*  We also had no food waste last week.   We cooked at home and then ate lots of leftovers this past week.

*  I found a small gift for my great nephew(my sister in-law's grandson's son who is turning 1)at Kroger last Friday.  It was marked down 50% off.

*  I did get a take out pizza the day the Pain Clinic doc shot me up with a nerve block as I wasn't up to cooking.  I went on the pizza website and unlocked a $5 discount so that's something. ;-)

*  We turn down the thermostat 2 degrees as night.  Being under blankets we don't need it as warm when we are in bed. ;-)  Now it's going up to 70F soon so there will be no heat on for a few days.   Bonus!

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

*  I found money! 

Nope.  No found money this week as the only place I went was the Pain Clinic and Kroger and both were a bust.

Found Money This Week.... .0¢
Grand Total Found this Year....... .22¢

That's all I got.


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

Sluggy   

Thursday, January 30, 2025

HHS Director & FBI Director Hearings

Senator Rand Paul, who is incidentally a medical doctor, testifying at the RFK Jr. Hearing.........

And my favorite Louisiana Senator testifying at the FBI Director hearing........ 



Sluggy

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Making Progress

I thought I'd blog about what I've gotten done so far this week.  It might not seem like a lot but when you are struggling with depression, even the smallest of tasks seems like moving a boulder.

I went through a big tub of paperwork on Sunday and part of Monday.  Lot of old letters and things I've hung onto, some of them for 40+ years.  Most of it went into the trash.

We have lived for 2+ years with a piece of fabric draped over a curtain rod on the glass in the front door.  I have tried off and on to find a curtain that fit this glass.  It's frosted glass but has a clear glass design too so that's why I like to have a curtain over it, because at night you can see right into the living room.


With a move on the horizon I finally broke down and sewed a curtain that fit the door/glass.
It didn't take too long but I did have a lot of trouble threading the needle on the sewing machine because of the Essential Tremor in my left hand.  I got it done though.  Baby Steps.

We made a decision on a mover on Tuesday and put a deposit down.  We are going back to PA.  Not sure what town exactly as we have to wait until we are closer to the move date to rent a place.
We are going to rent a small house near where our son and his fiance lives.  We are flexible where we land as long as we are within driving distance.  Because we have pets that will cut down on possible rentals.  After we leave, this house will go on the market and we have a realtor picked out.  We thought about moving near my brother and his wife but there were three deterrents-the doctor who treats HS there left for greener pastures, we can't afford that area and there is a family situation involving my sister in-law's grandkid we don't want to get wrapped up in and if we move there, it will be difficult to avoid being dragged into it.  More updates to come.

I am now in collecting newspaper and boxes to use in packing.

I need to systematically go through each room and see what I can ditch before this move.  We downsized before we came here but there is more we can unload.  I know there are clothes I can donate as they are too big for me now.  And I need to get to reading my books because unless it holds sentimental value, after it's read, out it goes.

I've had a nerve block done on my right hip today so I'll be taking it easy.  
Speaking of medical stuff, I have begun to contact my PA doctors, specifically my HS doctor to get back on her schedule, or her associate's schedule.  It will be nice to only drive less than 2 hours to her instead of 3+ hours to the HS Dr. in MS.  Or maybe she can do Telemedicine now.  That would be great as long as I'm still in remission and she doesn't need to see me in person.

That's about it for this week's update.

Sluggy

Monday, January 27, 2025

This Week on the Dining Table......Jan. 26th to Feb. 1st

* Still taking names/emails of people who want continued access to the blog after I take it private.  If you left me a comment with your email or emailed me I have you, don't worry. 8-)

The "I'm Confused" Edition........



I was in Walmart last week and saw this sign.  The Rollback price is higher than the regular price?  The other side of the bin also had the same configuration--$1.08 lb. reg. price and the Rollback price being $1.48 lb.  WTF???
I mentioned this discrepancy to a produce employee, who brought it to the attention of his manager and the manager removed the $1.08 lb. sign right in front of me.  Walmart-what a bunch of crooks!  I would have been so mad if I was a low-income shopper who thought she was getting that squash for $1.08 lb. because of that sign only to be tricked into paying $1.48 lb. at the register.

Onward to the meal planning!
Here is what was planned for the last week.....
1. Sunday--Chicken and Dumplings
2. Monday--Beef Pie
3. Tuesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke
4. Wednesday--Soup and Cornbread
5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Salmon, Sweet Potato Fries

And here's what actually happened....
1. Sunday--Chicken and Dumplings
2. Monday--Eat Out Lunch
3. Tuesday--Eat Out Lunch
4. Wednesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke
5. Thursday--Beef Pie
6. Friday--Caesar Salad, Pizza
7. Saturday--Salmon, Leftover Green Beans,
Corn on the Cob

Got a day old Rotisserie Chicken to use in Chicken and Dumplings.  Got some marked down Chicken Thighs to make the Lemon Pepper Chicken. some marked down Ground Beef-some to make Hamburgers, some for Beef Pie and some for the Freezer for later.  We ate out for my Birthday 2 lunches, used a gift certificate for one of those meals.

What got taken out of the freezer.......
* Ground Beef
* Chicken Thighs
* Salmon
* Pizza

Last week we spent $76.27 on groceries(proving that eating healthier is more expensive)and the savings rate came in at 50.71%. Spending for the month is $367.64 and the savings rate so far is 38.57%.
There are 5 days left in the month.  I may actually come in under $400 this month for food shopping.  That's just so unheard of!

Leftovers going into next week...1 slice Meatloaf, 2 Hamburgers, 2 helpings Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke, Beef Pie, lots of Chicken and Dumplings.

Here is what was planned for this week.....
1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken and Dumplings
2. Monday--Chicken, Green Beans
3. Tuesday--Leftovers(probably the Hamburgers and a Veg)
4. Wednesday--Shrimp, Baked Sweet Potato Fries
5. Thursday--Pasta in Mushroom Sauce with Meatballs, Salad
6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Salmon or Chicken Burgers, Leftover Green Beans

I really like the Kroger shrimp and it was on special this week so we picked some more up.  I also bought 4 lbs. of strawberries as they were $2.99 per and I'll be eating those with yogurt for breakfast or for a snack at night this week.  Got a bag of 2 lbs. of green beans and 4 corn on the cob so those are on this week's menu(well the corn got eaten Sat. evening).

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 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  

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Two Big Announcements


First off, I am going to revamp my Blog Roll.  I have lots of closed and/or haven't published in years Blogs over on there from years ago and I need to thin those old links out.  I also have links there to blogs I no longer read so I would like to hear from y'all which blog links to keep and/or which blogs you read, both ones I have on the Blog Roll and ones I don't have.

Secondly I am taking my Blog private.  I will give folks ample time to get invites to the blog before it goes private.  This is the only way going forward I can keep bad actors from invading our community and causing undo strife and causing mental health issues(for me).
So if you want an invite to the Blog just either leave me a comment(which will NOT be published)with your email address/name or send an email with that same information to my email(over on the right side under "About Me").

The time has come to piss or get off the pot as the expression goes.

To those who have been reading and no longer wish to continue I wish you well.

To those who have come here just to stir up shite, farewell and good riddance.  Nobody needs the hate you have been peddling.


Sluggy

Friday, January 24, 2025

Frugal Friday....the Jan. 24th Edition

If you don't like my blog and what I write about then don't come here, leaving your nastiness in my comments which no longer will be published.  I speak truths that some people don't want to hear or can't accept so don't come here spewing your hate and telling me that my children are correct to stab me in the back and keep my granddaughter from me because of my political views and/or because I am a bad person.  My bad mood isn't due to medications but due to awful adult children who have stolen from me. I am tired of you haters so just go away and torture someone else.

S.


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 salads this past week and a tub of tuna salad. I did a little Ibotta shopping for the food bank too. 8-)
I find it inconvenient that you have to submit your whole receipt from Kroger to Ibotta and not just the barcode like you can at Walmart.  I spent way too much of my time this week trying to get my receipt corrected from Kroger.  Turns out Ibotta rejected my 1/17/25 receipt 3 TIMES before correcting their error and shorted me on numerous rebates plus the Weekend $5 Bonus. Argh.
I'm rethinking just doing Ibotta at Walmart and not doing Ibotta deals at Kroger.  Nobody needs this sort of stress.

*  We also had no food waste last week.   We ate lots of leftovers this past week.

*  I cashed out a total of $83.70 from Ibotta.

*  We turn down the thermostat 2 degrees as night.  Being under blankets we don't need it as warm when we are in bed. ;-)

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

*  I found money! 

I thought I was going to get skunked this week but I found a penny on my birthday in Walmart.

Found Money This Week.... .01¢
Grand Total Found this Year....... .22¢

That's all I got.


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

Sluggy   

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Blood on Your Hands

Face the facts folks.....Joe Biden was a third rate Senator from Delaware who spent decades lying and plagiarizing other politicians work.  He would have disappeared long ago but for Obama having plucked him out of obscurity to make him the first D.E.I. hire(if a white man can be classified as a D.E.I.)as his VP.  He showed his true colors by going back on his word by preemptively pardoning the entire Biden Crime Syndicate along with that criminal Anthony Faucci, Liz Cheney and Mark Milley among others.  It's been said if you accept a preemptive pardon you are accepting guilt as well so if they don't think they did anything wrong, don't take the pardon.

Just another stain on one of the worst, if not THE worst POTUS in American's history.  There will be a special place in hell for this man.

I am also mad as hell at every legacy media person, bureaucrat or elected official that saw Biden's non compos mentis state and never said anything or moved to invoke the 25th Amendment during his 4 year Reign of Terror and have him removed from office.  You are all complicit in the cover up and I hope you can live with yourselves and answer for your actions(or inactions)when you meet your maker.


Sluggy

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

 


Well I made it another revolution around the sun.  And I have now outlived both my oldest brother and my mother(she died 4 days before her 66th birthday)so unless a bus mows me down today I'll be around for awhile longer to annoy idiots and morons. ;-)

That's all I have to say.

Go forth and party!

Sluggy

Monday, January 20, 2025

This Week on the Dining Table Jan. 20th to 26th

The "Soup Smelling Candles?" Edition........

I saw these candles advertised the end of 2024.
Campbells Soup smells of Side Season?
I don't know if this is a gag or real but who wants a Cream of Mushroom or Cheddar Cheese Soup scented candle??
No thanks.

Onward to the meal planning!
Here is what was planned for the last week.....
1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers(bun optional), sautè yellow Squash
2. Monday--Stir-Fry Veggies w/Pork, Rice(optional)
3. Tuesday--Leftover Ravioli, Salad
4. Wednesday--TV dinners
5. Thursday--Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries
6. Friday--Pasta w/Meatballs, Salad
7. Saturday--Chicken & Dumplings(if I can find a marked down rotisserie chicken at Walmart)

And here's what actually happened....
1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers(bun optional), sautè yellow Squash
2. Monday--Stir-Fry Veggies w/Pork
3. Tuesday--Leftover Ravioli, Salad
4. Wednesday--Leftover Meatloaf & Green Beans
5. Thursday--Leftover Pork Loin, Spinach Soufflè
6. Friday--Salad, Pizza
7. Saturday--Leftover Pork Stir-Fry
We had so many leftovers that half the meals didn't get made last week.
Got a bogo deal on pizza at Kroger on Friday so that got added to the meal plan too.

What got taken out of the freezer.......
* Ground Beef
* Pork Loin
* Spinach Soufflè
* Pizza

Last week we spent $132.37 on groceries(proving that eating healthier is more expensive)and the savings rate came in at 37.43%. Spending for the month is $291.37 and the savings rate so far is 34.31%.

Leftovers going into next week...1 slice of Meatloaf and 2 helpings of Green Beans.

Here is what was planned for this week.....
1. Sunday--Chicken and Dumplings
2. Monday--Beef Pie
3. Tuesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke
4. Wednesday--Soup and Cornbread
5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Salmon, Sweet Potato Fries

Just trying to eat down what is here when I'm not getting great deals.  Got some reduced chicken thighs(hard to find them with skin on here but my recipe above requires that)as well as a marked down 3 lbs. of Ground Beef.  I made 3 hamburger patties and browned the rest.  Ate one pattie for lunch and the other two will become lunch this coming week for Hubs, while the browned beef will go into the Beef Pie and the other half will go into the freezer for a later meal.
I found a marked down Rotisserie Chicken on Friday and that became Sunday's Chicken and Dumplings.

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 

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Stuff Going On in LIfe Lately

 We have a well loved Christmas cactus that dances and sings, "Feliz Navidad".  Well it use to dance.  I pulled it out this season and it's got a hitch in it's giddy-up.  Meaning it no longer dances, it just twitches slightly.  So bizarre but then again, everything around here is bizarre.



While we were away we had the PO hold our mail.  That worked fine until it didn't.

We came home to see a very soggy box sitting on our front steps. ???  The carrier couldn't be bothered to come 2 more steps up and put this package on the covered porch?  Or better yet, leave the box under our very ample car port where they ALWAYS leave boxes??  So 2 of the 3 items got ruined as this box, from our guestimate, sat out in the elements from Dec. 23rd until Dec. 30th and got heavily rained on for at least two of those days.  So now we are fighting with the USPS to reimburse us for this loss, especially since supposedly we had a HOLD on our MAIL during this time!  We were informed at the main branch that two different carriers handle the route we are on and there is no telling which one it will be.  I guess one of them didn't get the HOLD MAIL MEMO?  The Cajun Pony Express strikes again!

We went to World Market to check out their Christmas clearance.  I splurged on this tiny wool flamingo wrapped in Christmas lights with a gold star on it's head.  It was 75% off.

It's kind of homely but I like it.  We have taken down all the Christmas decorations so this is a fun thing to have on my desk seeing as my birthday is Tuesday.

I received a birthday card this past week from cousin Sonya.  It will probably be the only card I get besides from Hubby.  Thank you for being my friend. 8-)

 My son is obsessed with sloths.  I found this calendar in World Market too but he already has a sloth calendar for 2025 so left it behind.

Anybody here old enough to remember who Larry Flint was?  They still have a Larry Flint Hustler Club downtown here. Well at least they still have a prominent sign for it still up.

I have two different credit cards hacked in December.  The only common denominator is I had one attached to an auction site I used and after that one got hacked and I got send a new card, I attached the other c/c to my account there and the same think happened. ugh.  One card had two online charges I didn't make but the other card was to a physical/brick and mortar business in Owings Mills MD(some place I have never been)and evidently I bought 3 sessions of puppy socialization classes and paid for a cat cafe experience there!  Um, NO!! lol

I contacted the people running that selling platform and they don't seem to give a flip so I'll not be buying anything there anymore.  That makes me sad as now I can't support a business that sells there.  I guess the number of complaints like this has to reach a critical mass before this selling platform takes any action.

I got another $5 "come buy something" credit at Kohl's.  The Kohl's here is crap(doesn't have anything good and is a very small store)so I guess I'll go in and "buy" another Godiva dark chocolate bar.

My hair. oh, my hair.  It is finally growing back in and I look less like a cancer patient.  I did look for a time like a character from "Orange is the New Black".  Remember the mental patient named Lolly, who stomped a guard to death and buried him in the greenhouse?

Before I dyed my hair before our trip my hair looked something like hers.

Now it's grown bit more and I have the "French Collaborator" look going on.

French women who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII were publicly shorn of their hair to make an example of them and to identify them.  Many had people holding them down and just had others hacking off their hair in chunks with scissors, which is not a good look.

Either that or I have the "Alfalfa" of Little Rascals fame "gone wrong" going on.  I have clumps of hair and cowlicks popping up all over my head.


Picture Alfalfa with 10 cowlicks.  Neither is a good look, especially on a woman.  I am hopeful that my hair gets to a "normal length" at some point.  The dermatologist told me to get some Rogaine and put it on my scalp but the hair is too long now and there is no earthly way to part it to get to my scalp.  I may have to resort to those vitamins with minoxidil in them.
Here's the last photo I took of me with "real hair" before they shaved my head for surgery in July....
My hair wasn't in great shape at that point after my 2 older children decided to stab us in the back and it was falling out in clumps from the stress they caused me.  At least it is growing back in evenly if not quick enough.

My neurologist is still playing with my tremor medications-trying to find the right balance.
The first two tries haven't worked and now she had me change my blood pressure meds to something different that has the added possibility of helping with tremors too.  I now have to take my bp 2 x a day as this new Rx is stronger and it could cause my bp to go too low and there is the real possibility of me passing out. Oh goody!  Needless to say I haven't been driving until we know how my body will react to this new med.


I did get an offer to take out a student loan from a local bank.  I think they are 44 years too late though. 8-)


We saw an Ugly  Christmas Sweater with a sloth on it but alas it was about a 10 year old Girl's size so wouldn't work for my almost 29 year old son. Did I mention that he is crazy for sloths? lol


I saw these in Kroger.  It's a brand of wontons with "Squid Game" images on the bags.  Why would that creepy show entice someone to buy their product?  Marketing......It's beyond me.

And of course the obligatory discarded dental picks we saw on our trip....


That one was in South Carolina and I'll spare you from all the others we encountered in GA, AL. MS, NC and VA(and of course LA).  I now have so many photos of these nasty things I could fill a book with them.  For the love of god, please stop throwing these things on the ground and find a trash can people!  It's really not that difficult a task.

Last Friday on our outing to Kroger, we stopped at Aldi while in that city.  While I waited in the car while Hubby ran in to pick something up, I noticed snow falling sporadically.  It didn't amount to anything and by the time we drove out of their parking lot, it had changed over to rain.  And this new front moving in has shifted well South of us so no more snow here, just bitter cold.  Well bitter for people who have never lived in the North. ;-)

Sluggy






Friday, January 17, 2025

Frugal Friday....the Jan. 17th 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 salads this past week as well as a 2lb. bag of fresh green beans. And I did a little Ibotta shopping for the food bank too. 8-)

*  We also had no food waste last week.   We ate lots of leftovers this past week.

*  There was no eating out this past week.

*  I cashed out a total of $100.00 from Ibotta.

*  I received a $15 prepaid Visa card this week from P&G.

*  We bought groceries at Kroger on Friday after they reinstituted the 4 x points for Friday purchases here(it had gone down to 2 x points during the Summer).


These packages of salmon were marked down plus were part of the Mega Sale so an additional $1 came off each package.

*  Kroger also had select canned veggies for .44¢ per can.  We picked up 16 cans of veggies I use in various dishes.  I only use canned veggies in some recipes as we prefer fresh veggies.

*  I picked up 3 prescriptions at Walmart.  No charge as I hit the Catastophic Phase after filling my first Rx.

*  We turned down the thermostat 2 degrees as night.  Being under blankets we don't need it as warm when we are in bed. ;-)

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

*  I picked up two freebies at Walmart on Thursday.......

Truvani had bags of protein and Bellway had super fiber full price rebates I sent for and receive.

*  I found money! 



I thought I was going to get skunked this week but I found a penny on Thursday in Walmart.

Found Money This Week.... .01¢
Grand Total Found this Year....... .21¢

That's all I got.



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

Sluggy