This Week on the Dining Table

The  "Drowning in Collards" Edition.....

4 little collard plants sure do produce a LOT of collards!  Hubs and I will be finishing off the collard greens leftovers tonight but I'll be cooking 2 large Ziploc bags more of collards today so we'll have more collards to eat this week.  Between salad greens and collard greens we are set for fresh veggies this week.  I don't think I will want to see collards again in quite awhile though. lol

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself
2. Monday--Steak, Spinach Salad, Sweet Potato
3. Tuesday--Quesadilla(using Fajita filling)

4. Wednesday--Pigs in a Blanket, Veggie TBD from Freezer
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-Out

6. Friday--hot Tuna Subs w/Spinach and Tomatoes
7. Saturday--Leftovers or BLTs

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

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself
2. Monday--Steak, Spinach Salad
3. Tuesday--Clam Chowder, Biscuits

4. Wednesday--Tuna Subs w/Spinach and Tomatoes
5. Thursday--Quesadilla(using Fajita filling w/cheese)

6. Friday--Pigs in a Blanket, Broccoli
7. Saturday--Leftovers(I had Clam Chowder)

Last week saw 5 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.  

We didn't get Chinese take-out since I had a big can of clams to use so I made clam chowder last week.  We have enough leftover of that for about 3 more servings for lunches.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 packages of pork chops

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

* 3 petite steaks

* 1 pack of hot dogs

* bag of broccoli

We spent $58.92 last week(all at Weis(PMITA)Markets), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $58.92 for October so far.
There are 26 shopping days left in the month.  

I've earned $11.65 on Ibotta in October. 

I've earned $0 on SavingStar in October.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in October.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 100 points from food shopping on Fetch in October.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on ShopKick in October.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in October.

My savings percentage for last week was 49.80%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips but with CVS)for October and the monthly savings total for October comes in at 49.80% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....Collards and Cornbread, Clam Chowder, 4 Biscuits and 3 Pigs in a Blanket.

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

1. Sunday--Pork Chops, Green Beans
2. Monday--Spareribs, Collards
3. Tuesday--Beef Pie

4. Wednesday--Beef Liver, Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Collards
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-Out

6. Friday--Leftovers or ?
7. Saturday--?

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing.  Perhaps I'll be able to stay out of the grocery store this week.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Salmon

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

Frugal Friday......August 9th Edition

Here are the few frugal wins we had this past week here............

*  I seemed to find money everywhere I went this past week.
Of course I didn't go many places so yeah. lol

This penny at Rite-Aid shoved into the corner at the register counter.

This dime at Rite-Aid in the foyer leaving the store and the penny in the foyer at Burger King.


This penny and nickel in a crate in my bedroom underneath my slug/snail collection I was unpacking to put into my sewing room.  Evidently Hubs dropped these coins when putting change into his change cup on his dresser and he missed with these two coins.  Too bad, so sad......mine now! ;-)

*  I made a trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets and used a $5 when you spend $25 Qs they mailed me.

Last week Weis sent me these Qs to advertise their remodeling(they shoved a wine and beer section into the Weis store here).  These are good on anything in the store, not just the booze section.  I used one this week and the other one is good after 8/14 so I'll be sure to use that one too!

*  I've already posted all the goodies I picked up at Rite-Aid this week, while trying to spend down my Bonus Cash.

I didn't pick up the Weis Freebie last Friday(it was plastic cutlery and we didn't need that)but I did get a free pen and travel mug at R-A.

Go.
Me.
Yay.

* I was at Burger King this week to use one of my Stranger Things Giveaway winning drink code scans, a free order of French Fries.

I went inside instead of using the drive-thru and found a penny too so two wins in one!

* I received $2.00 from SavingStar from Mayo I bought last week.........

It was regular price, but I had a $1/1 digitalQ so $3.29.  I got back 2 x $1 SS rebates so in the end it cost me $1.29.

*  I finally received $14.94 in my Ibotta account for the motel reservation I made on 2/28/19 through Booking dotcom for our NH stay. I am still waiting on $6.99 for a Choice Hotels reservation made on 3/16/19 for a stay on 3/18/19 in NC.  The average wait to receive rebate is 100 days after stay for Choice Hotels.  We are coming up on 5 MONTHS since that stay! sigh.

* In grocery Ibotta rebates I earned/received $6.70 in the past week there.  $6.10 of that was for the R-A trip buying the Arnicare items.  I also received .60¢ for buying "any items" at Weis so $6.70 total received for grocery stuff.

I am having a devil of a time with Ibotta when it comes to Weis(PMITA)Markets.  I had to complain to their CS to get my Edward' Pie $1 rebate and now I am trying to get the $2 for Kleenex they owe me. ugh.  It's been 10 days and still no rebate for that purchase has shown up in my account.

I found these boxes of Kleenex on clearance for .64¢ each and I had a $1/4 ManQ so paid $1.56 OOP.
You can do that rebate up to 5 times so I earned $2 from Ibotta which will make these a .44¢ once the rebate arrives.
I much prefer to send register receipts for Ibotta offers over linking a loyalty card(with Weis you can ONLY use a loyalty).  I get rebates faster with the scanning of receipts at Ibotta.


* The big win has to be the garden...............

Last weekend I picked the last of the broccoli, 2 large heads of cauliflower and our lone cucumber.
Chester is enjoying the broccoli, the cauliflower was blanched and is taking up real estate in the chest freezer and the cuke is waiting to make it's appearance in a salad.  This all weighed in at 5.78 lbs.

And the first ripe tomato has appeared and I picked it.
We've got a big hunk of London Broil leftover from our Korean Beef stir-fry dinner so we'll have that along with a really nice fancy salad this weekend and the salad will feature home grown cuke, tom and greens.  yummo!


That's about it from Chez Sluggy.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Let's hear it!


Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the August 31st Edition

Happy Labor Day Weekend to everyone!

So let's get to the frugal things that happened this past week at Chez Sluggy.........

*  I went to Weis Markets last Friday and got the freebie plus used a rain check..........

The seltzer was the freebie with a Weis digital coupon.
The ice cream was $2.99 per box with my rain check, plus I had 2 x .75¢ IPQs which each doubled to $1.50.  And I had a digital .75¢/1 Q in my Weis account which also doubled to $1.50 and came off on this order so I got both Ice creams and the seltzer for $1.48 total.

I also earned $2.25 back on SavingStar for buying the ice cream so I got paid .77¢ to bring all 3 home.  ;-)

*  I found some money in the Rite-Aid parking lot.......

A quarter!  This goes into the change pot and will get applied to the grocery budget at the end of the year.

*  Still harvesting garden veggies too......

Not many but I have another photo I haven't taken yet of what's been picked since last Friday.

*  Hubs and I went out for our Anniversary Lunch on Tuesday to Longhorn Steakhouse.  I had an old gift card with $38+ on it and I brought along a $3 off 2 lunches Q.  With tip after Q and gift card our steak lunches cost $13.11 OOP.

*  Hubs and I went to a pick your own farm on Monday and picked all this.......

23 lbs. of tomatoes and 19 lbs. of peppers.
With the corn, cabbage and eggplant we didn't pick but  bought as well it cost $29.60.  Had I bought all that at the grocery stores it would have cost $78 or so OOP.
Just going to the source of fresh produce and doing a bit of the work yourself can save you loads on your food bill.

*  Lots of grocery shopping this week.........

Some of the freebies from Target(using a free gift card to pay).

 Freebies from Rite-Aid(using sales, coupons and Bonus Cash).

Cheap shopping trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets. 

*  I earned cash rebates totaling $19.50 this week on Ibotta and SavingStar.  I love when I get paid to buy stuff!  Those rebates brought down my weekly food spending to $91.13 from $110.63(though I add the rebates back into the food budget at the end of the year, not when earned).

*  Don't know if this is very frugal but I have taken lots of produce(both from our garden and from the farm we visited)and turned them into canned veggies for use this Winter........

Here are 6 quarts of tomatoes(there is another one in the fridge)canned and processed on Wednesday.

And here are 14 pints of my secret recipe Pepper Relish I also processed that day.

Like I said, after you add in all the costs(produce, gas to get to the farm, electricity to can them, other items needed)this might not be frugal but.........
I know what goes into this stuff I can(no preservatives other than lemon juice in the maters)and with the relish, if I didn't make it, we wouldn't have it because you can't buy this stuff in a store, as nobody sells something exactly like it. ;-)

So what frugal wins did y'all have this week?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....August 10th Edition

It's been an ultra-frugal week this past week, mostly since I was confined to my room for 3 days.
Can't spend if you can't leave your bed. lolz

Here's the few frugal wins we had this week.........

*  The $50 Target card I sent for arrived.........

I'll pair this free with credit card points gift card with a $10 off when you buy $50 Target coupon I was mailed and get free+ food at Target sometime in the next 3 weeks.

*  Harvested lots of garden veggies.....

We are in the process of using or freezing them all with more coming.

*  I haven't grocery shopped this past week.  Hubs has run out and bought....1-Taco shells for when he made tacos on Wed., 2-a watermelon because I wanted one(lolz)and 3-ice cream because we were out.  At least #2 and 3 were both on sale.  8-)

*  I received .25¢ more on Ibotta for buying that hair coloring and Cover Girl I bought at Rite-Aid last Friday so am up to $5.25 in cash rebates on it.

This all cost me $3.60 in BC and I earned $10 in new BC.

This cost me $5.92 in BC and I earned $4 in new BC AND earned $5.25 in cash rebates.
I haven't gone to Rite-Aid since last Friday.  I am sure I missed out on free Hello and Colgate toothpaste this week.

I did get this at the checkout last Friday.........

Friday(today)and Saturday there is a 30% Friends and Family Sale at Rite-Aid.  (Also valid online using the code THANKS.)
I need to go refill some meds so I might pop in today and have a poke around.

But that's it for my frugal exploits this week.

What about you?  Any good frugal-ness to report this week?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......The July 27th Edition

Let's see what frugal wins we had this past week...........

* The only grocery shopping so far this week has been a trip to Maine Source last Friday.  I  got some good produce deals-cabbage and bananas .49¢ lb., yellow squash and tomatoes for .99¢ lb., asparagus $1.69 lb. and sweet corn for .33¢ an ear.  I also picked up a 25 lb. bag of onions for $14.99, a 6.73 lb. bag of ground chuck at $2.39 lb. and 2 packs of roast beef deli meat at $7.99 lb.
The store had a $5 off wys $50 coupon so along with the good prices I saved an additional $5 too.

*  I found money!

1¢ in a Rite-Aid parking lot on Saturday.

*  And speaking of Rite-Aid after we hit a brew pub to celebrate Eldest son's birthday I hit two different Rite-Aid on the way home and picked up all this free candy......

8 bags of Jolly Ranges and Twizzlers varieties that double dipped with a Buy2/Get $1 BC weekly Deal and a Buy2/Get $2BC monthly Deal.  So every 4 bags on sale for 2/$3 cost me $6 in BC and gave me back $6 in BC.
I did 4 bags on each of two cards and rolled $6 of BC on each of those cards.
If the kids don't want this, look for it to come to a Giveaway Box near you.  ;-))

*  I baked Eldest son a birthday cake............

Here he is pretending to blow out his candles so I could take a photo. lolz
I could have bought a cake from the local bakery or the Weis Markets bakery department.  I had a cake mix and frosting in the stockpile and made his favorite type of cake(German Chocolate)so no additional $$ spent.

*  Also on Friday I hit the Bread Outlet since we were down to our last loaf of bread;
3 packs of hamburger rolls(for bbq and burgers), 3 loaves of bread and 2 boxes of chocolate donuts later I spend down my WAM by $10 instead of putting it on the c/c which is usually how I pay for groceries(to keep track-c/c charges are paid off monthly).

*  I received a Target mailer/ad with this coupon on it..........

It was a Back To School ad but this coupon can be used on anything in the store, not just typically BTS items.
I can send for a $50 Target gift card using c/c points for free and pair it with this Q making it an even better deal.

*  More garden goodies got picked on Thursday.......

75.8 ounces more of zuke and Summer squash.
There will be more zuke and squash on next week's menu I think.  ;-)

What frugal wins did you have this week?

Tell us all about it.

Sluggy

Stuff Shopping Frenzy, Meal Plan Tuesday & ArmaCUKEgedon!

If you recall, here is what I planned on the fly to eat last week....

SUNDAY--Ravioli, Garden Salad
MONDAY--leftover Pork Loin slices, Fried Yellow Squash, Mashed Potatoes
*Then things got rejiggered with the additional of the Nephew at meals.*
TUESAY--Rueben Sandwiches
WEDNESDAY--Chicken Fajitas
THURSDAY--Chicken Cheese Broccoli Rice Casserole
FRIDAY--Boston Baked Beans, Cornbread, Pickles
SATURDAY--Leftovers


This plan happened until Friday.
I didn't get the beans soaking in time so I substituted some good old "Breakfast for Dinner".....Buckwheat Pancakes and Bacon.  No one was interested in a fruit side dish, so I saved it for Saturday.

The Nephew got packed up and returned on Saturday.  Not before a big long talk about Senior year and what he needs to do to get on the ball about college.  Hopefully he'll get his head out of Jersey Shore and his social life drama.

Since then we've been spending actual money all willy-nilly around here!  This is so strange since we never spend money on stuff anymore, just food and experiences.

My knees has been acting up so Hubs went out Sat. without me and bought socks and shoes for work.
Yes, I let him pick them out alone. 
I was cautiously optimistic we wouldn't A-overspend and B-he'd come home with lime green Converse sneakers and rainbow striped toe shoes.  This would be a bad thing since he is NOT a professional Rodeo Clown....

He done good and toted home a pair of black loafers, 4 pairs of black sox and 4 pairs of muted dark
heather-toned sox in earth shades.
And he only spent $50.99 and he got $10 in Kohl's cash that I can use to get Daughter or #2 Son something this weekend for school duds.

Then Monday was the convergence of 3 deals aligning for me that made me part with some moola.
My favorite bras at Just My Size go on sale 2 x a year for half-price
On Monday they offered a one day deal to take an additional 25% off your total order, even sale items.
And if you spent $70 the shipping was free.

I hadn't bought myself a bra in over a year.
Hubs needed new boxers and undershirts.
I got to $70 easily even with all my purchases being on sale(the Hubs stuff was BOGO50% too + 25% off of that price).
Jackpot!
Hubs and I will be good for unmentionables for another year or so.

Then I had to order #1 Son's books for his upcoming semester.
The college bookstore changed the website/process a bit from last winter so I only ordered the books they had in stock that were used.  If we can't get them used, I'll just let #1 Son pick them up new in person at the bookstore once he gets back to college.
I was only able to order half of his books used.  Getting used textbooks, it came to $271.25.  But we still run the risk of the bookstore sending us new books because of the stupid way they set up the ordering process online....so we could be on the hook for $397.45 + shipping instead!  Even though I stated I ONLY want USED books.
Ugh.

If you end up having to get new on the other 6 books, that's $165 + more(1 book isn't in stock yet and has no price indicated).
If we end up with all new books, it comes to $562.45 + the one book we can't price out yet.
I will refrain from going off on a "textbook rip-off" rant at this time. 8-(

I wish Hubs and #1 Son would let me rent textbooks again but after our CHEGG fiasco 1st semester of his freshman year, renting is NOT an option no matter what I say.
His school's bookstore is looking into offering book rentals through them either next semester or next fall.  I might have a chance convincing them to do that deal. ;-)

I am just beginning to check on options for Daughter.  I was hoping her school would go digital books before the upcoming semester so we could entertain the possibility of a Kindle purchase and renting ebooks for it...IF that was the least expensive option.  I don't like the idea of pushing using another electronic device unless it's cost effective.

I also bought some items on Target.com recently and they arrived last week.
They offered Free Shipping on purchases of $50+.
I found a tabletop ironing board(for Daughter's dorm room), 2 purses(for me who hasn't had a new purse in 5 years) and 4 pair of designer rainboots.  Everything was on clearance....the boots were $7.48 a pr!  I'll give Daughter one pair and tuck another back for Xmas.  I can also take any of this and return it to the local Target for a refund.  Since I didn't pay shipping to begin with, that's a great deal.

If the bookstore ships us the used textbooks, I'll be $398.68 poorer after all this shopping.

As for this week's Meal Plan.....

I got the smoker out again on Sunday and smoked up one of those London Broils I got at Weis Markets 2 weeks ago on a BOGO sale.
I served Creamed Spinach with it(and my homemade pickles).
Here's a photo to make you drool....

And here's a close-up.
See that awesome smoke ring?

 Some of us ate it straight and some made sandwiches on Steak Rolls.

Monday's dinner was Chicken Breast Patties pan sauted crispy with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese melted on top....a stove top Chicken Parmesan.
No heating up the house with running the oven.
Hubs and I put it on Kaiser rolls for yummy chicken parm sammiches.

The rest of this week.....in no particular order, depending on what I 'feel' like making each night.
* Leftovers, Pasta Salad
* Quiche Lorraine, Green Salad
* Tuna Noodle Casserole
* Leftovers Again

And on Saturday Hubs is off for a Chess Tournament so I'll get Chinese for lunch for #2 Son and I and we'll just raid the fridge/freezer for something for dinner.

I'll need more milk for #2 Son.  I also need a bit of swiss cheese and maybe I'll buy a cheat crust for the quiche since pie crust is on sale this week.  I need to pick up some fruit and veggies.  I'll hit the local farm tomorrow I think.

And here is what the garden is giving up lately......

Yes, it's ArmaCUKEgedon!!!
After the rain on Saturday, these bad boys went from baby dill sized to GIGANTOR "you could hollow these out and paddle about the lake in them" size!
This is what is left this morning after BIL took one and Hubs took 4 to work.
I am scared to even go look outside.
The cukes will be crawling up on the deck and knocking on the door soon.
Seriously.
I need to find some cheap lamb(cheap-hahaha) and make some Gyros.
*Hey!  Inspiration just hit....I'll get some pitas and make the smoked London Broil leftovers into some ersatz Beef Gyros.
Genius!....well maybe for a lazy woman......

In other garden news--I am not-so-patiently waiting and eying the 4 tomatoes that are turning red.
One is bound to hit "critical mass red" any day now.
I'm off to defrost a lb. of bacon in anticipation.....

What's happening in your garden and in your wallet lately?

Sluggy