Frugal Friday.....the August 5th Edition

**First off thanks for the good wishes for our move.  We are going to Louisiana to be near our daughter and her hubby for those that inquired why Louisiana.  Can't move to NJ near eldest(too expensive and crowded and we've lived there already and don't care for it)and Ex-College Boy isn't settled anywhere yet so can't decide on that.  So LA it is, swamps, mud bugs, gators and all.

Someone "Unknown" said they would come visit me in Louisiana but no name signed so I don't know who that is(friend?, stalker?)so that is a little creepy.  Please don't be creepy as I will shut down the blog for now.**

Lots of cleaning and clearing out this past week at Chez Sluggy.  We are in full on clean/clear mode as the move date approaches.

*  I put my antique sewing machine on the local free FB thing and it's leaving on Sunday to go to a new home.

*  I've filled another large bag for the Food Bank and it and the other 2 bags all went out this morning.

*  The power washer is reserved for this weekend so the outside of the house will be sparkly by Monday.

*  I've been using frozen foods for meals and trying my best to eat down the freezer. 

*  We've been eating lots of leftovers and odd meals as we clear out the foodstuff.  Last night was a big lasagna I made for Hubs to clear out lasagna noodles, some  of the homemade canned sauce and cottage cheese.  I had a very small bowl of Kalamata olives and some chicken strips.

*  Finished interviewing realtors this week so will decide on which company to go with to sell this house next week.

*  I found a farm market set up near our house last Sunday.  The only thing they had that I wanted was cukes so I got 6 for $1.  Much better than the .59¢ a cuke Weis wants for cukes.

I made bread and butter pickles on Tuesday.  They should be ready to eat tomorrow. 8-))  I had to buy a jug of vinegar as we were low.  That's all the spending I did on food last week basically-cukes and vinegar.

*  I went to Rite-Aid late last week.  There was a $10 BC when you spend $50 coupon last week(4 different Qs really)so I rolled my BC on 3 cards.  I also had a $XX off $XX spent Q to pair with it on one card. The best thing I got was Mega dose Flonase sprays for free after Qs/sale price/BC earned back.  I had $10/1 Qs(IPQs and L2CQs)for Flonase so I think I got 6 bottles.

 That should keep me in allergy sprays for a good long time.

*  I forgot 2 coupons on my Saturday Rite-Aid trip so took them in on Sunday and got $3 cash for my Refunds/Post Q envelope......

*  I found money this past week!  

         

I am not above trash picking in the trash can outside of Rite-Aid.  If there is a receipt on the top of the pile that's not goopy with a coupon on the bottom of the receipt I will pluck it out.

On Sunday I peered into the trash on the way out and spied someone had thrown these 2 pennies in the trash can!  How disrespectful of money!!  At least give them to the cashier to hold for someone who needs a penny or two to pay for their transaction(or leave it on the floor for me to pick up lol).

Total Found in last Week.... .02¢
Total Found This Year.....$13.96

*  Still making a daily to-do list to keep me on track and to make sure I get sh*t done.  Some days it goes well, other days not so much.  But it's helping.

That's about all I've got for this past week.  

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

And have a good weekend!  And stay cool.

Sluggy  

Frugal Friday.....the June 17th Edition

So here are a few frugal things that happened here at Chez Sluggy this past week.......

*  Not really frugal but a win nonetheless.....

I culled more items from the house to send off to charity.  

More stuff out of our lives that we can't/don't use. 

Here's the tote I cleared out from the kitchen pantry.  I only kept 1 item that was in there-my immersion blender.  This is the 4th tote I've emptied this year. ;-)

*  I had a free $5 in Kohl's script that was expiring so I went last Sunday and found 2 small stocking stuffers for Daughter(not showing them in case she is reading).  After my 30% discount and $5 script I paid $1.06 on my Kohl's card.

*  The only eating out this past week was on Tuesday.  I picked up Subway since the kitchen was not fully operational while Hubs is painting.  Used a gift card to pay.

*   Again, another not strictly frugal item--I went through all my paper recipes.  They were either cut out from publications or printed from online or handwritten.

Here's the stack of recipes I threw out.  It's stuff I'll either never make or recipes I did make and we didn't care for so why have all this clutter laying around for no reason?

*  I did some Ibotta deals at Rite-Aid which I already recounted....

More stuff for free.  Some to keep, some to sell and some to give away.

*  On my Monday post I said I was doing Lobster this week.  I found out Weis(PMITA)Markets was going to have Lobster on sale for $2 less per lb. than the place I usually get them.  Even though it's a splurge I'll say when I can by paying less for the product than I was planning on.

*   I found money this past week!  

When I was out on Tuesday I found a penny by the Rite-Aid waste basket.  Whoopee..... ;-)

Total Found in last Week.... .01¢
Total Found This Year.....$13.04

That's about all I've got for this past week.  

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

And have a good weekend!  

Sluggy  

To-Do List......the September Update

Here's how the September to-Do List turned out.......

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything was paid on time. No interest paid EVER! lolz

* Read 1, 2 Books  DONE  
I read this one..........

"The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough"

Mr. McCullough writes very readable books so it's always a joy to pick one of his up.
Wilbur and Orville(as well as their sister, Catherine, who was a teacher and an Oberlin graduate)were very interesting people.  
This book told me a lot I didn't know about the Wrights.  I found their trips to NC for their flight experiments most interesting as that is the part of the world I grew up near.


Then I read this one.......

"The Whole Town's Talking" by Fannie Flagg

I am a big Fannie Flagg fan but this books, IMHO, wasn't up to her usual standards.  I don't know, I just found it lacking in depth and it just seemed a predictable plot.  It started off well but by the end I wasn't as enamored with it.  But I am still glad I read it.

And then I read a third book.......

"The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel" by Jonathan Evison

This book went fast and I actually finished it before September was over.  It was a delightful little read(though the subject matter was so delightful lolz)that kept me interested and in suspense.  I may have to hunt down Mr. Evison's previous novel, "West of Here" and give it a look.


* Purge Inserts & Q Envie  DONE  
My poor little coupon envie looks so thin and anemic lately as I haven't been spending much time hunting down Qs to use.
 I have hardly any Qs in my envie right now after cleaning it out and the Insert stack is quite short.

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

All the above plus a few items chosen by the winner were given away.

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  
The box went out promptly and received safely.

* Deep clean Master Bedroom  IN PROGRESS
I haven't been able to deep clean our bedroom for ages.  All the stuff stored in it was relocated to new places in the house by the beginning of September but with everything I've been working on in September(sewing room mostly)I haven't gotten the bedroom thoroughly cleaned.  It's been cleaning by drips and drabs in there so far.
When I get back from my trip, the seasonal clothing will need to be switched and I'll incorporate the closet into the deep clean too.  More to do on this in October.

* Prepare Peppers for Freezer  DONE
This chore got done in early September as that is when we went to the farm and picked a peck of peppers(or was it 3 pecks? I don't know.).

* Can Tomatoes  DONE

I canned the tomatoes in early September.  After that the tomatoes ripened in drips and drabs so I either sauced and used them right away or tucked them into the freezer as there wasn't enough to run the canning pot really.
I didn't can as many this year as last partly because I didn't buy any at the farm like last year and we ate more of the ones we grew fresh(or I made sauce to use right away).

* House Train Puppy  IN PROGRESS
Mostly Dixie is trained now and we haven't had any accidents in the house in a month but I hesitate to mark this one DONE for awhile longer.  Maybe at the end of October?

* Take Load to Salvation Army  DONE
I didn't get a photo of what we took in the last week in September.  Mostly it was Hubs' things he de-cluttered from the man cave as he was setting it up after the makeover in there.

* List Items on eBay  IN PROGRESS
I got about 7 items up in September. It is so frustrating though as eBay REQUIRES you to have the "Make An Offer" feature on non-auction listings so I am having to run the gauntlet of lowball offers from eBay bottom feeders. ugh.
Is it worth it really anymore?  Maybe I'll just start putting my eBay goodies in Giveaway boxes instead!

* Get Car Checked for Trip  DONE  The oil got changed and all belts/hoses checked and tires inflated to proper levels.  We are all set to travel...woohoo!

* Move More $$ Into a CD  DONE I finally got this completed.  The cash hasn't been in a CD for a month yet and already I've earned $30+ on the deposit(can't take it until the CD matures but I still count it every month lol).  Much better than the .06¢ it was earning a month in the reg. checking account. 8-((

* Organize my Stuff in Sewing Room  DONE

All my crap is in there now.

And it's all organized and set up.

Now I just need the motivation and inspiration to get in there and sew something. lolz

* Reorganize Garage  IN PROGRESS
With the Stockpile Sale lots of things got moved and reorganized in the garage.  I've still got some work to do out there but with the weather getting cold now(and I'll be away for a couple of weeks)I don't know how much more progress I'll make this year.  I'll call this one done for the year once October is finished.

* Put Garden to Bed  FAIL
As we are still harvesting veggies into October the garden wasn't put to bed in September.  I am hoping Hubs does it without my help while I am away.  hehehe

* Organize my Stuff in Dining Room  IN PROGRESS  The Dining Room has become "eBay Central" now........it's where I photograph, store and pack what I am attempting to sell on eBay.  It's also where I load/store Giveaway boxes too.  I've got it fairly organized in there now and don't need to clear it out until Thanksgiving, when I'll just move the stacks into the corner of the living room where the Daughter's hanging device(for her back pain)use to be.

* Go Through Stack of Recipes  FALL
Here's what I need to go through...........

A red box of my mother's recipes as well as print outs of recipes from online and a recipe tin with recipe cards, both mine and my mother's.  A lot of these print outs from online can get pitched.  I just didn't get to any of this in September.  Maybe this Winter when I'm stuck inside because of the weather I'll get around to it?  Let's remove it for now and re-attempt this chore during the Winter in 2020.

* Make Reservations for Dec./Jan.  IN PROGRESS
I've gotten MY half of the reservations completed. Hubs is in charge of the car rental and the dog boarding reservations.  I suppose I'll have to nag at him, especially the boarding rez as they will fill up for the Holidays soon. sigh

* Clean my Car  DONE
I got it cleaned and vacuumed out.  The cup holder was nasty(Ex-CB must have spilled something in it one of the few times I've let him take my car lately)but otherwise not too bad.  I wish I could reach the windshield better to clean the inside of it but it's done.

* Color my Hair  FAIL
I didn't get around to coloring my hair until this past Thursday, which was October.

*  Pack for Oct. Trip  IN PROGRESS
Packing is a process and takes days for a trip like this.  I commenced the process late September(making the checklist and gathering supplies).  The actual packing(putting stuff in the car)happens a couple of days before leaving.  After all, I can't be riding around to Rite-Aid and Weis(PMITA)Markets here with my car filled with stuff, right? ;-)

*  Hold Stockpile Sale  DONE

Held the sale the first Saturday of September and traded a lot of what is pictured above for cold hard cash below, with a trace of my sanity too.........

That's all from Chez Sluggy for September.  It was a good and full month.
Onward and upward to October!

Did you have a productive September?  Tell us all about what you got done. ;-)

Sluggy

To-Do List....August Update

I know it's a bit late but here's our August To-Do List and how it all went down last month.....

* Pay Bills  DONE  First thing every month....pay ALL the bills in full.

* Read 1, 2 Books  DONE
In August I read this book...........

"The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.

Actually we found in when Hubs cleared out his bookshelves so I read this years ago already but I am counting it again anyway.
The data is dated in this edition now and it's not a how-to become wealthy anyway.  It just proves that if someone appears to be a millionaire(ie, big house, expensive car, fashionable clothing, etc.)it doesn't necessarily mean they are.  Most millionaire(not billionaires)can be ordinary working stiffs who live below their means, invest their money and grow it and not show off by living a fancy lifestyle.
It's an interesting read and the stuff about second generation wealth, EOC(Economic Outpatient Care), UAW vs. PAW, are spot on.
And then I read this book.........

"The Real Custer: Fron Boy General to Tragic Hero" by James S. Robbins

So many myths surround Custer but this book gives the true facts of his life an even handed treatment.  I wasn't a fan of Custer going into this tome and I'll say my opinion of him didn't change much.  In my opinion, between taking risks with his battalion at the Little Big Horn, his life long treatment/opinion of the Natives, and his playing politics, he got what he deserved.  The only career he was suited for was as a soldier but he thought he knew better than his superiors and chafed at the glacier slowness of the military structure and it's dependence on government's machinations.  If he hadn't had a widow who spent the rest of her life tirelessly  promoting and shaping Custer's legacy, George Armstrong Custer would have been forgotten long ago.
An interesting read no matter what your opinion of the man is.

* Purge Inserts and Q Envie  DONE  I try to do this every month.  As I get less Sunday inserts than in years gone by it's not as bad a chore as it was.

* Hold Giveaway DONE

* Hold 2nd Giveaway  DONE  I gave away two sets of these items.

* Mail Giveaway & 2nd Giveaways DONE

* Get Carpet Done in Hubs' Room  DONE

Gratefully Hubs found a carpet in stock that he liked so it wasn't long before they had it pulled and ready to install.

* Go Through Xmas Stash  DONE

This is the photo of my whole Xmas stockpile for 2019.  I've got a list of everything in these tubs/boxes and to whom the gifts are for.  Mostly my shopping is done.  I have also decided after this Xmas we are cutting down severely on gifting.  Going forward, as a rule, cash will be given to the adult kids and I'll still send my brother and his wife presents but that's it.  It will be easier that way(and cheaper too)and I won't have to shop for Xmas year round.

* Cut Dog's Hair  DONE
Chester got a hair cut and shampoo last month before his flea treatment(cologne).

* House Train Puppy  IN PROGRESS
We are still working on the house training with Dixie.  They said a Cavalier could take 4 months to fully potty train.  She's getting it but it's taking time mainly because she is such a ditz. lolz

* Move More $ Into a CD  FAIL
Just didn't do anything with any of the extra monies in the checking account. blah  Maybe in September?

* Continue to Clean out Garage  DONE

The shot down one side with a clear pathway after Daughter moved out and all her stuff left the garage........

And the front of the garage before the stockpile sale happened.  Look at all that floor space!!!

* Organize my Stuff  IN PROGRESS
Getting the last of my sewing stuff out of the master bedroom and into my she shed room.  I'll do a reveal when it's finished in September.

* Start Processing Tomatoes  IN PROGRESS  

I started in with processing tomatoes in August and this will continue into September.

* Get Ready for a Stockpile Sale in Sept.  IN PROGRESS

Here are all the tubs and bags of stuff to sell that I gathered in August.  As of this writing the sale is over, yeah!!! Stay tuned for September's update)or the September giveaway winner announcement) for the final tally of what sold.

I am overall pleased with the progress we've made getting stuff done in August.
Here's hoping September is equally productive.  

Did you get stuff off your To-Do List in August?
Tell us all about it!


Sluggy

What's Going On at Chez Sluggy?

Just a post of Random Tidbits from my life lately.

* We had a good productive couple of days last weekend.  I got 2 pair of pants hemmed.  Hubs and #2 son raked the leaves up and the town carted away 31, yes 31! large bags of leaves yesterday.  I also worked on getting another load of clutter together for charity.  And I FINALLY changed out all my summer clothes to the winter stuff....just in time for a week of temperatures in the high 60's here.
Ugh.

* I sold 3 more dolls on the tag sale site.  Hubs is delivering them today after work.  11 more to go....sigh.....

* #2 son started up flute lessons again.  He is super psyched with this teacher and finally is putting some effort into learning his piece for the Districts audition.  He is playing in the pit orchestra for the school musical next month, finishing up Marching Band season this month, playing the electric bass in the jazz band, playing flute in the concert band and he was just recruited by the music director to play the contrabass in the String Ensemble because the only bassist graduated.  He's never played the contrabass but he plays the electric bass and there is no one else in the band who plays well enough so he got elected.
I feel he is tired and too busy but he is enjoying it.  His grades are doing well so far so I am not impinging on his pursuits.

* #2 son's best neighborhood friend moved away this week.  The stepdad took a job in Alabama & they just sold their house.  They had the closing on their house on Monday and left the state.  # 2 son is in the dumps over losing his friend.

                    ***this is NOT my old house***

* Just by chance I discovered that the home we owned before moving into our current home is for sale!
I found the listing and it was a sad sight to see what they have done to it.  It's bordering on the verge of "fixer-upper" now.  I told Hubs we should buy it back since they are asking only $7K more than we sold it to them for.  It's a steal, really!   I loved that little house in the woods.....

* I reopened my eBay Store for the Holidays on Sunday.  The next couple of months are the busiest time of the year for sales on eBay so I jumped back into the water.  I'll be spending the next few weeks getting my Store stocked with goodies in time for Black Friday when things dramatically pick up....or at least I HOPE THEY PICK UP!lol  I have ALL my remaining boxes of eBay inventory in my living room.  Have I ever mentioned I have NO FURNITURE in my living room?lol
I'll weed through, as I go through the boxes to list stuff, and send some more of it to Salvation Army I am sure.  I have already sold 7 items....go me!  I've put a link to my eBay Store on the right sidebar.  Feel free to browse around it if you feel the need to buy overpriced old toys and crap. ;-)

* I am cleaning out the freezer this week.  I need to find room for the turkey I have to buy in the next couple of days so we are eating down the contents as well as pulling out old stuff to mix into the dogs' dinner bowls.  I have no doubts my dogs will "heart" me this week.....

So what's new in your neck of the woods this week?

Sluggy

Can It Be??......More September DeCluttering P*rn!

Oooh Baby!
I am on fire....on fire with decluttering p*rn!!

First off, Hubs contribution to the last trip's clutter was the Get Smart beanie, the Mets truck and the hand massager.....not that anyone tried for the Bonus Points or anything. ;-)

Onward to the third trip, as in "#3",  to Salvation Army for September.....

1 Cat in the Hat facial tissue cover(in the white box)
1 Wilton train cake mold
1 Christmas ornament
3 assorted books
2 Curious George toothbrushes
1 Cabbage Patch Kids playset
1 novelty coffee mug
1 Precious Moment figurine
1 Power Rangers candy mold

1 Gerber baby doll
1 Dilbert day planner/calendar
3 Pokemon pocket monsters
1 vintage cast iron wagon
3 Godzilla stamp sets
1 Polly Pocket pet shop
6 Teenie Beanies
1 Star Wars pin
2 Wilton cookie cutters
1 pair Thomas the Tank Engine shoelaces
1 roll Power Rangers stickers
1 Cat in the Hat watch
1 Walmart watch...yes a Walmart watch, as in a walmart truck goes around the face of this one!
1 package Troll party napkins

2 Avalon Hill strategy games
1 cross stitch pattern book
1 set Chinese iron balls(#2 son's contribution-still shaking my head why he spent good money on this at the amusement park?!)
1 McDonald's glass
3 California Raisin figures
2 Just the Right Shoe figurines

And if you are keeping score at home, that's 38 more items and the 11th load to Salvation Army for 2011.

Now I am off this blasted machine for awhile.
I actually have to leave the house today.
Go me!

What's on your plate for today?

Sluggy

Decluttering P*rn....The June Edition

Who's up for some P*rn this morning?

The Decluttering kind of course!

Various Beanie type dolls
1 Pee Wee's Playhouse VHS tape
2 Books on Healing Foods
7 Bath Poofs
a buttload of Stickers
1 Refrigerator Magnet
1 Fisher-Price toy(vintage)
2 Silver plated Swan Candle and Flower Holders

Here's a close-up of those.  I picked them up at Sallie's years ago and thought when we entertained I could make use of them.....

Well we never entertain so out they go!

1 willow basket
1 bamboo box
3 women's jackets/coats
1 set of men's thermals

A pile of toys......

93 assorted Kid's Meal toys still in the packages.  It may not look like much in the photo but they fill a Hammermill  paper box.
Now I know you are sitting there thinking, "Gee, she is the meanest mommy in the world, not letting her kids open/play with their Happy Meal toys."
Or
"Gee, she let her kids eat waaaay too much fast food!"

Considering this is a pile of Kid Meal toys from 3 kids and it spans all the fast food they ate over a 15 year period, they really didn't eat chicken-like nugget food that often.
Ok, it's not ALL the kid meal toys they got growing up since they did open and play with more of these things than I would care to recall....especially after stepping on way too many of them as I ran the obstacle course of toys left on the floors of their rooms over the years.

And yes, I did withhold the toys as a rule when they ordered a Happy type Meal.  Since I didn't want them having me buy food they didn't really want to eat, just to get a toy, this policy kept them from asking for food when they weren't really hungry.  We weren't throwing out/wasting food or money.
(Let's not talk about all the kids' meals "I" bought to get teenie beanie babies or pokemon toys.....lol)

I'd keep the toys and we'd dole them out at a later date.....say, when they were bored, on long car trips, as prizes for birthday party games, or when they did something to deserve a 'reward'.  So over the years, a large number of these toys didn't get claimed.

Anyway, moving on.....

2 women's bathing suits
1 sweatshirt(new)
1 pair Joe Boxer shorts
7 skateboarding themed t-shirts

And finally.....

6 pieces of Cape Cod Cranberry Glass
Before these hit Salvation Army I'm going to try to sell them locally.
Either way, they will be gone by the end of this month.


So that's my 1st June decluttering booty.
Are you getting rid of junk this month too?
Tell us about your efforts to pare down and declutter!

Sluggy