Showing posts with label life happens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life happens. Show all posts

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Thanks & Stuff


I am loving all your comments and attempts to cheer me up the last two days.
It's all much appreciated!
It helped to just not go online for a bit too.
Thanks for the break.

I emailed my doc about what was going on with him.  He isn't leaving the area or the practice, he's taking on a new project here in Scranton and Kingston(Wilkes-Barre).  Geisinger is starting a "Primary Care Senior Focus Program".  A one stop shop for seniors medical needs and wellness if you will.  You have to be 65 or older(I assume it's some sort of Geisinger Medicare option)to join it so I am SOL.
So this means I can't be a patient of his for another 4.5 years until I hit 65.....and "if" we are still living here.
Well CRAP is all I have to say about that!
In the meantime I'll give Doggie Howser a chance......after all, what other choice do I have? lol


And I am obviously not alone in my irritation with the Jeopardy champ either from some of the comments I read. lolz

Both Mary and Cheryl's sister can't stand him either!
Cheryl's sister says he reminds her of Gomer Pyle so I made this side-by-side image..........


Yep!  I can see it, can you?


 Go-ooolly! lololz


I did a little digging and Jeopardy is NOT James' first game show rodeo.
We don't have cable so I didn't know he was on the Game Show Network show "The Chase".  I had seen it a couple times while we were on trips at hotels and had cable tv service.
I liked the concept of "The Chase" and the "Beast" contestants have to beat to win money on that show is framed as a "bad guy" so you are rooting for the team of 3 contestants to beat him.
James H. won $175,000 on that show with his 2 teammates.

He was also on a short lived game show called "500 Questions" that ran May 2015 to June 2016 sporadically.
James H was on Season 1, Episode 3. facing champ Steve Bahnaman.  James did not unseat him.


Plus James H's wife was on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" in 2012 walked away with $22,800 from her appearance there.


No argument that James H. is a great trivia master but I like to see more even handed competition on Jeopardy myself.  No doubt James Holzhauer will be appearing in a Jeopardy Tournament of Champions at some point in the future.  It would be nice to see him matched against previous champions but man, it's a bloody bath most days on these regular Jeopardy episodes......

Ok, I've got stuff to do here, doggies to show love to, a kitchen to clean and food to prep for Easter.

Sluggy


Monday, December 12, 2016

This Week on the Dining Table

The  "We Interrupt Your Life For This Important Message" Edition--


Well, it's been a hell of a week here.  All my plans/priorities for now are on hold as the leg above has taken over my life.

Yep, I am a regular Florence Eff'ing Nightingale now. ;-)
Go me.

Later this week I also get to be medical transport too when Gimpy has a dr. check.
This should be fun. hahaha

Moving on......

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Ceasar Salad
2. Monday--Roast Chicken, Sweet Potatoes,(Baked Potato for BF), maybe Stuffing if there is some left
3. Tuesday--Grilled leftover Meatloaf, Broccoli,(Box Mac and Cheese for BF)
4. Wednesday--Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sammies, Veggie Brussels Sprouts, Macaroni Salad
5. Thursday--Chicken Soup using Leftover Roast Chicken, Grilled Cheese Sammies
6. Friday--Ravioli w/Pasta Sauce, Garlic Bread, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers of Fend For Yourself

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Chicken Parm, Ceasar Salad
2. Monday--Roast Chicken, Sweet Potatoes,(Baked Potato for BF)
3. Tuesday--Grilled leftover Meatloaf, Broccoli,(Box Mac and Cheese for BF) Not many of us ate actually. 8-(
4. Wednesday--Januzzi's Subs take-out
5. Thursday--Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sammies, Macaroni Salad
6. Friday--Primo Subs take-out
7. Saturday--London Broil, Brussels Sprouts, Au Gratin Taters


5 meals cooked at home, 1 of them nights of leftovers, and 2 nights of Take-Out. 
Menu be damned last week and we got take-out a few nights since being an "angel of mercy" wore me out!

As for the grocery spending.....2 trips to Weis brought the week's spending to $94.39 and brings my December food spending Total to $149.14 so far this month. 19 Days left to spend in December.

My savings percentages this week was 54%.

Leftovers going into this week.......stroganoff, rice, meatloaf, chicken meat from the roasted chicken I cooked(I made chicken soup with it on Sunday), 1 piece of chicken parm.

Here is this week's "food plan".

1. Sunday--Pork Loin Roast, leftover Macaroni Salad or au gratin taters, Sugar Snap Peas
2. Monday--Ravioli in Marinara, Salad, maybe Garlic Bread
3. Tuesday--Eating Out/Daughter's Birthday Meal
4. Wednesday--Flounder, Cole Slaw, French Fries
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-out or homemade Pizza
6. Friday--? Not sure, Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner
7. Saturday--Leftovers of Fend For Yourself

This week will see 3 new meals cooked, 2 nights of Take-Out/Eating-Out and 1-2 nights of Leftovers.

What I need to buy for this menu? Can't think of anything at the moment as my brain is fried.

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

Thursday, September 1, 2016

2016 $38K Savings Challenge......August Update

Every year I keep a close eye on our monthly expenses and our monthly income.
Our income is mainly the salary my Hubs draws from his job.  We have money taken off each paycheck from the top to put into savings, before we even get our hands on it.  This money that's taken goes into various pots....life insurance, health insurance premiums, long term care insurance premiums, investments and retirement savings.  It's automatic so we are never tempted to NOT put it into savings or these other categories.

Once the automatic savings amounts, plus taxes and medical/dental/vision premiums are taken out, it leaves what we get to "live on".  From this amount we budget for bills, both monthly and irregular bills(semi-annual, annual etc.) and our variable bills(like food, eating out, clothing  etc.)  Anything left over once our monthly expenses are paid, I put aside into an interest bearing Savings Challenge account.

For 2016 I am continuing my Yearly Savings Challenge.  I am raising the Goal amount to $38,000 this year, $8K more than my goal for last year.


On to the August report.....
I have posted my August End of Month $38K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the Savings Challenge page tab at the top of the blog for the specific numbers HERE.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $3,166.66.

I have to report that we finished up August with a staggeringly low amount.
The extra amount we ended the month of August with?.......$964.60

Income

We had $669.66 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Other monies received in August totaled $294.94.  This included interest made on non-retirement accounts, a small per diem payment and a medical refund for over payment.

This brought us to our gain of $964.60
Since we have no debt, this goes into savings.

Outgo
As for the expenses this August, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges, electric bill, internet and cash withdrawals were approximately the same as last month(Within $1 or so).
*  The gas card spending was down $65.47 from July as Hubs put less gas charges on the gas card.
*  The water bill was $9.69 lower than in July.  Obviously someone was not showering as much. ;-)
*  The direct medical spending was down $247.09 from July's total.  Lots of little co-pays and no big bills from Daughter's LA medical stuff....that is all paid off as of now.


HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The credit card bill was UP $1550.02 from the previous month's bill. Much of that was vacation spending.
*  The Electric bill was up 5.25.  Not bad considering more a/c was used in August than July.
*  House Insurance was due in August.  This is an annual bill.
* While I though I could get away with ditching car insurance on the third car, per state law we have to keep it insured until the designated dono charityr hauls it off, so I had to pay 3 months worth at $218.76.
We will get a pro rated refund once the car is physically gone.


The Food Budget costs for August are in another post, which is located HERE.

With 8 month accounted for, our Savings Challenge Grand Total for 2016 is $23,253.64.

Final thoughts on August---

If not for the vacation spending on the c/c, a charity cash donation, an annual house insurance payment + a partial car insurance payment we would have hit the monthly goal of putting $3166.33 into the Savings Challenge kitty.
But life happens, doesn't it?

Compared to August 2015 we put $1897.55 LESS into savings this August.
.
We have $23,253.64 saved so far in 2016, and we have only $14,746.36 left to save over the next 4 months at this point to reach our goal of $38K saved.  That averages out to $3686.59 a month for the rest of the year.  This means for the rest of the year I need to average $519.93 MORE per month than our monthly savings target goal of $3,166.66.
bleh.

Only 4 months left in the year to get to my savings goal.  We are quickly running out of time in 2016.


THOUGHTS going forward into September----
September Bill Armageddon month-Property Taxes are due. bleh.
Fortunately our 3rd paycheck month is September this year so that will offset taxes.
Add in that we have finally hit that mark in the year where the government taxes go down so we get a little more in each payment.
We should be on track to have a large amount to dump into the Savings Challenge at the end of September....unless life happens again.  ;-)

So how was your August financially?
  
Did you spend less than the income you had in August?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!

As we go forward into the last half of 2016 why not make this year the one were you clean up your finances and pay off your debts.
Plan to set something aside if you don't already now or increase what you bank now for your future self.
Or pay extra on the principle of your mortgage if your house isn't already paid off.

Live below your means and keep some change for a rainy day....because no matter how sunny it is in your life now, dark clouds come along and you'll be glad you have that umbrella to keep you dry.

Sluggy

Friday, October 1, 2010

Is it Just Me? and other Randomness

**Is it just me or is it strange that at Rite-Aid you can use your WELLNESS CARD to get a discount on Junk Food?  Every week in the sales flyer there is some candy or snack food on special sale when you use your Wellness Card.
Isn't that kind of like presenting a card to show your membership as a Quaker to buy bullets?

**Is it just me or is October 1st the start of the official Fall Season for you too?  And right on cue, the weather here went from rainy and warmish yesterday to windy and cool today....or as Hubs would call it, COLD!  I swear the man can't take a stiff breeze and temperatures in the 60's without breaking out a sweater or two.  I truly believe Hubs was a lizard in a previous life wanting nothing more than to sun himself on a hot rock.lol

**Is it just me or can you really believe that the year is 3 months away from being over??!  Here comes the triad of American Holidays....Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas(or Chanukah).  Of course, if you've been in one of the Temples devoted to American business(=a store) in the past month or 2, you already know that the Holidays are quickly pressing down on us.  I am so not ready for all the hype and the pressure to be too busy with activities and stuff.  Stop this merry-go-round and LET ME OFF!  Be careful this Holiday Season and don't take a nosedive off of your Financial Future into that deep hole called Debt!  Limit your Spending, Budget for the Holidays and STICK TO IT!!  You'll be so glad you did in April when you aren't getting Credit Card bills still from stuff you bought and the kids broke in December.

**Is it just me or is applying to FIVE colleges overkill?  I've always been told to apply to THREE--the school you want most to attend, a "stretch" school(one you probably wouldn't EVER get into with your grades/scores &/or that accepts a low percentage of freshmen each year), and a "safety" school(one with lower standards for grades/scores/etc. than you possess, that would consider you a great catch even on your worst day).
Unbeknownst to me, Hubs has allowed Daughter to submit applications to FIVE schools.  In retrospect, #1 son only wanted to apply to 2 schools...both of them on par with the other, nothing "stretchy" and we had to insist that he apply to a third.  (He got into all 3 by the way.)
This is not a case of "Daughter has to spread a wide net in hopes that SOMEBODY will want her".  The girl is gifted in many ways(not all of them evil either!lol), scored 1890 on her SATs, ranks around 24 in her class of 250 something, has a 4.2 cumulative average, was in the Carneige Mellon Talented Youth Program for PA in grade school(she outscored 8th graders in the state in math when she was in the 4th grade), etc. etc. etc.
I applied to 3 schools, though my criteria for applying was somewhat bizarre....but then again, my home life during my teen years were somewhat bizarre compared to most people's lives.lol

**Is it just me, or do teenagers do things out of left field sometimes?  This same child from above, also in the last 3 months, has decided she may not go to college directly.  Like her brother before her, she's been told she's receiving XX amount of dollars for school from us, so depending on where she decides to attend/where she gets in, she may need student loans if she doesn't save any money toward her own schooling while in high school.
This seems to be putting a crimp into her grand plans for life as she envisions herself going to medical school eventually and becoming a doctor.  That's great and all but the cost of getting a medical degree is way more than we can afford without liquidating our retirement funds and Daughter is somewhat of a miser-in-training and can't see herself going into that HUGE hole of debt for medical school.  Hey, let someone else take the financial hit is cool, but not her.

That is when she came up with the bright idea to join the military because they'll send her to college for free.  Envisioning my Daughter in the military in my head sounds much like replays of Judy Benjamin in that old classic movie, PRIVATE BENJAMIN.
"See, I did join the army, but I joined a *different* army. I joined the one with the condos and the private rooms.
To be truthful with you, I can't sleep in a room with 20 strangers.
And I mean look at this place.
The army couldn't afford drapes? I'll be up at the crack of dawn here!"

So between what the recruiters are telling her and what her father & I have discovered, she is trying to wrap her head around the pseudo-reality of what enlisting & going to boot camp will REALLY be like.  She is not a morning person and she has a problem with living with 4 other people....oh, to be a fly in the barracks when/if she does join the service!

She had decided on the Air Force IF she enlists since they have a base somewhere with an actual college on it.....and she 'assumes' that is where she'll be stationed.haha  She took the aptitude test last month that they use to see what jobs you qualify for(Daughter wants to be in the medical field).  She scored 93 on a scale of 99 and will find out some time this month what opportunities await her in the military with that number.

**Is it just me or do you think Daughter has some interesting ideas about how the whole higher education crazy train runs?  Daughter "thinks" she's going to get all the options first--her career track offerings from the military and her acceptance letters from the schools WITH how much in scholarships they will give her(even though I've told her that that actual financial award letters come much later AFTER she accepts and her parents have divulged all their financial matters & they don't offer money to those who don't accept first so she'd have to accept admission to all who offer it to get all the aid letters!lol)--BEFORE she decides whom she will grace with her presence.
Yah......not only does the child has NO ego problem here, but she has only a teeny tiny clue.  It's a good thing we love her or someone around here would have met an early grave years ago....;-)

Sluggy

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Where'd Sluggy go? Too Much Life/No Time to Blog

I realize I have been MIA online lately. Sorry if I haven't been around much to entertain ya'll but "Life Happened" this week.

At least I've been MIA for mostly good reasons.

Monday I threw a lunch party for #1 son's graduation with all the relatives that could make it to PA.....that would be all of hubby's siblings & the nephew. Entertaining and cooking up a storm, a quick change of clothes afterwards & then it was off to the Arena for "the walking".
The ceremony was short and sweet surprisingly.

And the rain held off afterwards to take a few pictures outside.


And hubby happened to time driving by the big electronic sign at the Arena on the way home, at just the right moment for me to snap this photo.
Afterwards was some cake back at the house for all, and the opening of some envelopes of cards with cash for the graduate.

Then he was off to the Senior Class Party at the High School. They have a "Lock-In". It's a chaperoned all-night party for the seniors....our school districts answer to keeping the kids off the roads and off the alcohol & drugs for the night. #1 son dragged his carcass home at 6am amid a raging thuderstorm/lightning storm. He pronounced the party amazing and proceeded to fall into his bed for the next 6 hours.

So excuse me if Meal Planning Monday didn't happen here. Between Monday's festivities and having a relative staying with us for the whole week and school letting out today for the other kids, plus daughter got some of her braces off today which meant TWO trips to the Orthodontist today, I've been "winging it" in every way!lol

I've also got RRs expiring today!, IP & ManU Qs expiring today & I need to hit the local grocery store specials tonight as they also expire today.

And to top that all off.....DOUBLE COUPONS again at K-MART!

What's a Coupon Goddess to do??lol

I had wanted to take a donation up to the Food Bank and the free Medical Clinic this week, but that won't be happening because there just isn't enough time in my week.

And for those of you who enjoy my "humourous" life, there is yet another "drama" in the works as I type. All I can say now is, "WHY ME!?!?"

More on that later as the story develops....

So what is everyone else up to this week?

Sluggy