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   

Frugal Friday....the May 31st Edition

There are a few Frugal wins over the past week.

*  Had two PT sessions this week.  Again, no co-pays.  Man, this gal works me hard too but I think I am getting stronger in my shoulders. 8-)  I've got 2 more sessions with her next week and then I continue doing these at home by myself(well the ones that don't require a big machine!). I start another round of PT for a muscle in my back the following week.  If it ain't one thing it's another, right?  The therapist and I had a talk about what the Pain Management folks wanted her to try but A-it's sort of dangerous to do this as the muscle is over my kidney and B-Medicare no longer reimburses them for this procedure/therapy so I'd be paying out of pocket.  We'll be trying deep tissue massage and exercises instead which Medicare does pay for and then will see how that works out. ;-)

*  Hit up Walmart on two days........

2  cans of Culture Pop soda, one had a BOGO free rebate from the manufacturer and I got $1 Ibotta rebate so both cost me .88¢  Has anyone tried this product yet?

The Curad wrap was $1.97 and I received 560 Shop Kicks back for buying it($2.40)so a moneymaker.

The bottle of Zero sugar Pure Tea was $1.98 and I got a $1 Ibotta rebate on that.

The All detergent was .97¢  after Shop Kicks and Ibotta rebate.

The small Max Fresh Colgate toothpaste was a $1.03 moneymaker after Ibotta.

Same for the Colgate small size toothpaste, a $1.03 moneymaker.

The Cover Girl face make-up was $1 OOP after a $3 Shopmium.

The 2 bottle of Olay body wash was $1.83 each after Ibotta rebates and Shop Kicks.  (I generally don't spend that much but this Olay is good stuff.)

The Tazo tea was on clearance and after the Ibotta rebate was $2.25.

The Small Spaces was .94¢ OOP.

The Old Spice trial size body wash was .97¢ after Ibotta rebate.

(The detergent, both toothpastes, face make-up, Old Spice and maybe the sodas will be going to the food bank.)

So either $5.52 or $4.64 OOP for what I am keeping(depending if I keep the Culture Pop).

Then I picked up this at a different Walmart.........

The crackers were a $1.52 moneymaker after Ibotta rebate.

The toothpaste was  a .03¢ moneymaker as well.

The 3 hand soaps were $1.89 total after Shop Kicks or .63¢ each.

Toothpaste and the hand soaps will be going to the food bank as well.

So a $1.52 moneymaker OOP for what I am keeping.

A $4.00 OOP for both trips is I keep that Culture Pop and a $3.12 OOP if I don't.

At any rate the Food Bank wins.  The lady last week when we dropped off our offerings requested toothpaste specifically and more toiletry type items so I am on a mission(even without a Rite-Aid).  ;-)

*  We hit Kroger near PT too yesterday and I scored a few deals......

I got 3 packages of breakfast sausages marked down to $4.40, so $1.47 each.  The Kraft mozzarella shreds were $1.99 per bag(If they had been marked down before Tuesday and part of the "Buy 5, Get $1 off each item" then they would have been .99¢ per bag.  Oh well....still a good price.

I also found a 3 lb. package of 80/20 Ground Beef*not pictured*marked down to $8.66 which makes that $2.89 per lb.

But the best deal was the 16 lb. bag of Kingsford Charcoal briquets.  On sale for $10.99 and I had a $5 off digital coupon so paid $5.49 OOP.  Then I submitted my receipt to Ibotta and got $4 back, making this big boy only $1.49. 8-)))

*  As for Kroger and my KCB account...go read last week's Frugal Friday rant on this....still no resolution and the Technical Team has still not contacted me or anyone else from Kroger.  I have been a bit busy this week with other stuff so I didn't have an extended period of time to call them and find out where we are with this.  They still "owe" my KCB account that missing $1 when they "gave" me a store credit plus  I am missing $21.55 for 8 items I purchased on 5/17 and 5/19 so the saga continues.

Once I get all this straightened out(IF it gets straightened out)I will think twice before I do any deal involving KCB.  IMHO, They feel it's not worth the time or energy to fix that system and just throw store credit at anyone who complains.

*  I got a check from the cruise line this week.......

It's an odd amount and neither Hubs or I can figure out what this refund is for and the stub only says "net refund".  I even called my "guy" at NCL and he could see it was issued to me but he has no idea what it's for either.  It's not like it lines up with any shore excursion we paid for or anything else!  Those cheap bastards only gave us a 10% off a future cruise for stealing an entire day of our trip where we got to ride a bus hours to the Gibraltar border, got turned away from entry and then rode said bus back to the port all because the Cruise Line did NOT do the paperwork/passport stuff they needed to do.  You would think this was the first time NCL had an excursion from Spain to Gibraltar. This piddily little check is not enough to compensate for that! I'm cashing it anyway. 8-(

*  After PT Tuesday we were near BK and they had a National Hamburger Day Deal--get a free hamburger when you spent .70¢ on any item.  Of course they have NO items on their menu priced that low. lol  I bought the smallest bag of Onion Rings they sell which was more palatable than ordering the equivalent sized French Fries so I spent $2.09+ tax OOP.

*  We have been using food here and eating all the leftovers(except the small burger and rings on Tuesday).  No "real" eating out so far this week.

*  I got good news on the Essential Tremor front.  Scheduled to see a doctor in VA and will be staying with my brother and his wife while there.  These medical people seem more on the ball and I could have the procedure before Summer is out(if I qualify).  Medicare and Supplement pay for this.  I will had to drive to VA and back(the gas won't be frugal)but I won't have to make multiple trips like to the place in Dallas and I have a free place to stay while in VA. 8-)  And if it works, I won't be on these seizure meds for the rest of my life just so I can perform normal  ADL(activities of daily living).  More on that saga later....

*  I found money!

I went up to Walmart to pick up some Rxs on Sunday and found this penny.

That was my only find for the week even though I seemed to be going out most days of last week.  Pennies are thin on the ground here right now.....

Total Found last week.... .01¢ 

Grand Total Found this Year.......$4.55 & 5.30 Euros

That's all I got.  

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

Sluggy     

 

Frugal Friday....the April 5th Edition Happy Birthday Hubs!!!

There are very few Frugal wins this week but here goes....

* I already posted about the rebating I did earlier this week but I did some more rebating on Thursday.........

Walmart Haul

4 x Fabuloso

3 x Palmolive

2 x Werther's Caramel Popcorn

1 x Swiffer Duster Kit

1 x Hellman's Mayo

1 x The Good Bean RTE

1 x Dove Deodorant

1 x 12 ct. Cesar dog food

4 x Mateo taco seasoning

1 x Gum dental picks

8 x Clorox Wipes

1 x Gillette razor 1 ct.

1 x pack of Burritos *not pictured*

Total after using a free $25 Gift Card and 1 x $3 Q=$57.28

Kroger Haul

4 x Annie's Mac Cheese clearance=$4.28

2 x Gatorlyte Hydration packets clearance=$7.52

1 x Bachan's Japanese bbq sauce=$8.99

2 x Gatorade Zero tablets clearance=$6.12

3 x Propel Zero tablets clearance=$9.18

4 x Verb Caffeinated bars=$3.75

3 x Cover Girl eyebrow pencils=$6.47

1 x One Touch test strips clearance=$15.48

Total=$61.79

Total Spent for all=$119.07

All Rebates gotten or pending(Alexa, KCB)=$125.75

If all the rebates come through this all is a $6.68 Moneymaker. 8-)

*  I also found some dog treats on clearance........

3 x Dentalife treats on clearance $4.00 each

1 x Ginormous Beggin' Strips on clearance $10.50

Nice.

I also found a 30ct. Claritin in the clearance bin at Kroger for $8.50.  This is regularly $19.99 so I picked it up even though I had no coupons or rebates on it.  Allergy meds for less than half price?  Yes, please!

*  I waited until we had a full load for the dishwasher and the washing machine.  I hung out a few larger items(comforter, sheets, etc.)instead of putting them through the dryer.

*  I had purchased an 8 oz. bag of what I thought was Cashews at Kroger a few weeks ago(they were in the clearance bin).  When I opened them more than half the bag contained Almonds(turns out, though it was labeled "Cashew Crave Mix" the primary ingredient was Almonds, not Cashews).  Now I like Almonds but really, I thought this marketing/labeling was a tad deceptive.  So I found the company's email and told them I wasn't happy with this product, etc.(In a nice tone mind you.)  I got a response quickly and the CS person offered to send me any product they make for free because of my dissatisfaction with what I bought.  So I went on their website and found something else to try and they are sending it to me. The company is family run and located in Texas outside of San Antonio.  I'll let y'all know all about them once the new product arrives and I've tried it.  Hopefully I'll be a fan then.

*  I had some Rxs filled and since I am in the Medicare Part D "Catastrophic Phase"(don't ask if you aren't on Medicare lol)ALL my drugs are free and have been since early March.

(Let's not talk about how much the premium for my Part D is each month.) ;-)

*  We've been eating down the Easter dinner leftovers(plus a few other things).  Need to clear out the fridge before the cruise, so I haven't been buying any fresh produce this past week or any real groceries(maybe some rebating freebie here and there but it's either frozen or shelf stable).

*  The only eating out this week was yesterday to Observe Hubs Birthday.  We opted to do lunch on a Thursday instead of dinner on a Friday(tonight)to avoid all the weekend dining out folks.  While I didn't have any discounts or coupons to use for this Hubs enjoyed himself and I didn't even bitch that he had a beer at the restaurant(when he has plenty of beer at home). lol

A neon sign in Logan's.  I am so tired of "GO" being spelled in the French "GEAUX" everywhere down here. lolz  But the sign combining Geaux and Dos Equis beer was clever. ;-)

*  Oh, I lied.  We did get Whoppers on Whopper Wednesday at BK.  I had enough "crowns"(points)on my account to get a free Whopper and since it was WWed. there was a special of $3 for any Whopper so I used almost all of an old gift card to get Hubs one too.  Nothing spend OOP.

*  I bought Hubs 2 items at Dollar General last Saturday for his birthday(plus the greeting card)and used a $5 off $25 purchase digital Q(I bought some other things too that we needed to get to that $25.  I also purchased him 6 bottles of a wine he likes at Kroger.  The wine was on sale and if you buy at least 6 bottles you get an additional 10% off your purchase.  That's a win-win in my book! 8-)))

I also gave Hubs this Butler's Irish Whiskey Dark Chocolate bar I bought in Ireland last May.  I was hoarding saving it for myself but he is a Whiskey loving guy so I let it go.

His last gift arrived late in the day..........

*  I found money!

I went to our Bougie Dollar General on Saturday to pick up a few things.  I found 4 pennies in the parking lot behind my car.  Then I found another penny in the store on the floor.

I found a penny in the pocket of my coat on Sunday.

I was in our local Walmart on Monday.  I found two pennies in the course of walking around the store.

Then I found a penny by the clearance rack in Kroger.  Score! 8-)

Then I found another penny walking out of a different Kroger on Thursday.

Lately I've been finding pennies everywhere I go.  I think it's a sign from my mom....or people around here just not valuing pennies.  If that's the case, it's really says something about our society.....

Total Found in last Week.... .10¢

Grand Total Found this Year.......$2.79

That's all I got.  

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

Sluggy    

This Week What Might or Might Not Be on the Dining Table

The "Donuts Everywhere Edition"...

I meant to post this last week for National Donut Day in honor of Kim but Hubs didn't send the photo to me from his phone in time. Found these dog frisbees at Ocean State Job Lot and thought of her. lol

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Pizza, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Soft tortilla Carnitas

3. Tuesday--Bratwursts on Rolls, leftover sides

4. Wednesday--Chicken Enchiladas
5. Thursday--some sort of Seafood, Sweet Tater Wedges

6.  Friday--? or Fend for Yourself

7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Pizza, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Soft tortilla Carnitas

3. Tuesday--Bratwursts on Rolls, leftover sides

4. Wednesday--Leftovers
5. Thursday--hot dogs, potato salad

6.  Friday--Fend for Yourself

7. Saturday--Corn on the cob, Leftovers

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/planned overs or FFY and 1 night of Take-Out/Eating Out.  We had lunch out on Friday while shopping so we just scrounged for dinner,

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

* 1 container of ice cream

Most of what we bought was toiletries and produce.

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

* Whiskey flavored pork roast

* 4 Bratwurst

* 4 hot dogs

We spent a whopping $36.60 on food/toiletries/HBA last week at 2 different stores(Walmart on Wednesday and the Produce Outlet on Friday).This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Grand Total to $103.73 for June.   

There are 16 shopping days left in June.

I've earned $116.96 on Ibotta in June.

I've earned $0.00 on Checkout51 in June.

I've earned $3.50 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in June.

I've earned 7053 points from shopping on Fetch in June which equals $7.05.

I've earned 1036 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in June which equals $4.14.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in June which equals $0.

That's $120.46 in rebates(not counting the ShopKick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $103.73 in grocery spending.

My savings percentage for last week was 79.67%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for June and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 79.03%.(w/out R-A).  Higher than usual savings rate due to clearance at Walmart and cheap produce at the Produce Outlet.

Leftovers going into this week... potato salad, a helping of teriyaki pork stir-fry, lots of brown rice, some carnitas and 2 helpings of quiche.

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

1. Sunday--Chinese Take-out

2. Monday--Caesar Salad w/Grilled Chicken

3. Tuesday--Some Protein TBD, Sweet Potato Wedges

4. Wednesday--Chicken Parm, Spinach Salad
5. Thursday--Fend for Yourself

6.  Friday--Steak, Baked Potato, Tossed Salad

7. Saturday--Leftovers

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? Nothing really.  Got the proteins and lots of fresh produce here from last week's shop.  Just need the "umph" to whip up the meals.

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 great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The  "Eating Whatever" Edition--

My meals down in VA have been somewhat haphazard and slapped together.  The point is I have NOT been cooking other than reheating or heating in the microwave.  On Friday I cooked bacon in the microwave and made me and the mother in-law BLT sammies.  I also had a Stauffer's spinach souffle one night for myself for dinner.  I went out to Captain D's and got us a fish dinner for lunch one day but mostly I haven't been getting any take-out/eating out here.  I bought snacking foods(pimento cheese, hummus, cheddar, crackers, pita chips,celery)and have been having that for meals with fruit, or a can of soup or beefaroni.  Plus the mother in-law has been eating on the Mother's Day ham dinner sis in-law made.  I had to put those leftovers in the freezer finally but she'd got a stack of TV Dinners her daughter bought her.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Ravioli and Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

3. Tuesday--Roast Chicken and Veggies

4. Wednesday--Leftover Chicken in Gnocchi Soup

5. Thursday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself
6. Friday--Biscuits and Gravy(BFD)
7. Saturday--? or Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Ravioli and Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

3. Tuesday--Roast Chicken and Veggies

4. Wednesday--Leftover Chicken in Gnocchi Soup

5. Thursday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself
6. Friday--Biscuits and Gravy(BFD)
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 7 nights of dinners....0 night of take-out, 4 nights of Leftovers and 4 nights of cooking new meals.  Daughter stuck to her meal plan, go team!

One trip to Weis put a dent in the food budget of $15.   This brought my May food spending total to $94.93.  There are 9 days left in the month and we are still under $100 spent on food this month.  Daughter has been emptying the freezer in my absence since she HATES food shopping!  Works for me. lolz

My savings percentages last week was ?% which brings the month's percentage to ?%. 
I don't have the receipt from Daughter's grocery shopping so I don't have the accurate amount she spent(other than telling me "around $15")and I don't know what she bought.  I'll get the details when I get home.

Leftovers going into this week.......haven't a clue what they have left.

Here is this week's "food plan"....
* Denotes "complicated" meals

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Baked Ham, Corn Casserole, Asparagus

3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?

5. Thursday--?
6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--?

This week will see ? new meals cooked, ? night of Take-Out/Eating-Out and ? nights of Leftovers.

Daughter is baking a ham and they'll be eating off leftover ham this week.  She also plans to make Beef Stroganoff and a Veggie, a Chicken dish(Marsala or ?)and maybe Shrimp Scampi w/Liguine(which was my suggestion).

What I need to buy for this menu?  Well I'm not there so I am not buying anything. lol
She says she needs to by fresh produce(corn, asparagus, mushrooms)and will pick up some frozen veg too.  And cheese.

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 great deals on food at your stores this week?


Sluggy

How The Week is Going Foodwise

St. Patrick's Day ended on a high note......

Irish Stew made with Stout(and wine!) with a Bell's Cherry Stout chaser.
Mmmmmm!

I had some discounted steaks in the freezer that needed using up so this was the perfect way given the month and date. lolz

I've spent $5.11 on groceries so far this week.
All I "need" is a loaf of rye bread for Rueben sandwiches but I'll cruise the meat and produce aisles for discount stickers/50% stickers anyway later today when I go out for the bread.
Could be a really low spend food week.....or not, depending on what I find.  '-)

Right now we have leftovers--rigatoni and meat sauce, mushroom lasagna, corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, ginger garlic chicken and veggie stir-fry, roast turkey breast and stuffing, and a helping each of garlic cauliflower, steamed broccoli and collards.
The rest of the week will entail reheating(and assembling sandwiches)and NO new cooking.

Oh, whatever shall I do with my time?

Well there is always working on genealogy and sewing. 8-)))

What is on your plate this week.....both literally and figuratively?

Sluggy
 

This Week on the Dining Table

The "The Groundhog is a Liar!" Edition ........

 

 

 

The Groundhog out in Punxsutawney LIES!!!  How on earth can he see his shadow in weather like this!  We've had no sunshine in a week.  He's lying or drunk, take your pick.....
Week 2 of snowy days and nights.
Not.
A.
Fan.

Here's what was planned last week.....................

1.  Leftovers(I had soup, hubs had hot dogs)
2.  Risotto with Chicken & Mushrooms  

3.  Leftover BBQ, Coleslaw

4.  Chicken & Dumplings, Carrots
5.  Bean and Ham Soup, Brussells Sprouts

6.  Tuna Noodle Casserole, Veggie
7.  Leftovers

 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Leftovers(I had soup, hubs had hot dogs)
2.  Risotto with Chicken & Mushrooms  

3.  Leftover BBQ, Coleslaw

4.  Chicken & Dumplings, Carrots
5.  Chinese Take-out

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

I didn't feel well so Hubs got Chinese take-out one night(I had Egg Drop Soup)and with so many leftovers the Bean/Ham Soup and the Tuna Casserole didn't happen yet.

Last week I made 2 trips to 1 grocery stores here(just to get some deals) and spent $47.03 on $109.49 reg. retail worth of food.

My spending for January on food is $311.59 for $1202.64 worth of food/toiletries.(Counting Rite-Aid.)
Didn't make my $250 budget goal but a lot less than my usual $400 per month spending.

Leftovers going into this week are barbecue, coleslaw, lasagna, risotto w/chicken, chicken & dumplings, eggplant parm(that I found lurking in the back of the fridge that Hubs didn't finish while I was in VA).

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Pizza(frozen that I doctored up), Salad
2.  Leftovers Fiesta lolz

3.  Lobster Ravioli, Salad

4.  Bean and Ham Soup, Brussells Sprouts
5.  Kielbasa on rolls, Green Beans

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

The poor Bean and Ham Soup. 
If the leftovers hold out the soup may not make this week's line-up either.
 Can you tell I am not a big fan of this dish. 8-)
 

I can do this plan without buying anything this week.  With this week's weather forecast I might not even get a chance to go to the grocery store either.  Maybe Winter will keep me out of the stores. ;-)

 

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

Week 3 Spending for August....Hitting the Food Spending Ceiling

My food spending seems different this month.  I have been ignoring most of the "deals" at the grocery stores.  I can't recall the last time I bought a boxed, processed item....well, except for those frozen pizzas that kids want.lol
I have just been buying ingredients as needed these weeks along with produce, meat and dairy buys I find.  Throw in a trip to the bread outlet and I've spent $88.18 of food in Week #3 of August.

I spent $4.78 on 6 bread items at the outlet that would have run me $22.74 at the grocery store.
$4 at the Dollar store in snacks for daughter to take to college later this week. 
$20.10 at the local market for hot dog rolls, OJ, lettuce and frozen pizzas(at the kid's requests)and 4lbs. of ground beef for lunch burgers.

My big expenditure last week was at a new restaurant/party supply warehouse on Saturday.  Daughter requested I cook ribs in the smoker for her before she leaves for school, so I got ribs, as well as 5 more pounds of ground beef, a big bag of onions, 2 lbs. of bananas, a 40 count bag of pot stickers and a pork butt.
Cost?....$59.31.
I made 42 meatballs with half of the ground beef and browned/crumbled the other half for tacos/beef pie/sloppy joes. I now have 5 meals + leftovers worth of meats ready to go from that ground beef.   I smoked the ribs on Sunday, along with making baked beans and cornbread from scratch, and we have enough left for another full meal.  The pork butt will be made into a Pork Ragu this week at #1 son's request when he gets home in a couple of days. This pork/pasta meal will supply another full meal in leftovers. The pot stickers are a quick lunch item for this week.
Next month I'm hoping to see some chicken and/or fish deals since we have been light on chicken and fish the last month.

I made the leftover steak from a week ago Thursday into Beef Stroganoff on Saturday night.  We have almost another full meal of this for leftovers.

So here is what I am starting this week with in leftovers or precooked  foods.....
1-Beef Stroganoff w/Rice
2-Taco meat
3-Meatballs
4-Beef Pie meat
5-Sloppy Joe meat
6-Ribs(from last night)
7-Squash Casserole
8-Green Beans
9-Baked Beans
10-Cornbread
11-Pickles, always!lol
Plus I have the Pork Butt.

Here is my Meal Plan.....

Sunday--Ribs, Baked Beans, Cornbread, Pickles  done
Monday--Sloppy Joes, leftover veggies(squash/g beans)
Tuesday--Leftover Ribs meal and/or Stroganoff
Wednesday--Pork Ragu, Salad Greens
Thursday--Dinner out before kids leave for school
Friday--Assorted Leftovers
Saturday--Spaghetti Meatballs or ?, Zucchini

I have frozen veggies to add in where needed, so the only items I need to buy for this menu are more salad greens and zucchini.
Imagine that?...I need to BUY zucchini!lol
Along with milk, some more fruit for snacking(I'm thinking watermelon and peaches)and we are done with shopping for the week and hopefully the month.
$20-$25 should do me.

I've spent $262.33 up until now in August on food.
If I add in my $14.19 so far in rebates and my Toluna check for $20 into my food budget, that gives me $284.19 in the kitty.  If I can spend $21.86 or less for the rest of August, I'll still be on budget.

I am feeling the frugal burnout lately.  Inflation has made it harder to find deals and stay on budget. 
I am just tired of working so hard on this. 

We will be down to feeding 3 people again after the oldest 2 leave for college, so I am hoping I can still keep my $250 food budget for awhile longer.  Or am I being unrealistic in this economy to spend so little on food?
What do you think?

Sluggy