Frugal Friday....the May 20th Edition

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

*  I made two online orders at Rite-Aid this week.

This transaction was a $1.67 moneymaker.

This order was a $5.74 moneymaker.

*  Of course holding the Stockpile Sale was pretty frugal.  Got some coins for items obtained for little or nothing and those who bought the items from me got a great deal.  Razors, hair coloring and deodorant for $1?!!  Great deals.  Honestly I could have stood to get rid of more of it but I am happy with what left.

*   Spend a long day/night working the election, earning myself a few tax-free dollars. woot!

*  Went shopping with Hubs on Thursday to Ocean State.  I used free gift cards and we bought a few things with no OOP.

*  The painting in the house is almost done.  Just the kitchen and den left to go.  We have saved a bit by not hiring this job out.

*  We had a big lunch out on Thursday at Applebee's.  I used a gift card(it wasn't full so didn't quite cover the full cost + tip)and we paid a little OOP.  Better than paying fully OOP for food out. ;-)

*  It's been unseasonably warm here this past week as well as last week.  That= means not running the heat=we'll have a lower than normal electric bill for May.  Works for me!

*   I found money!

This penny at Rite-Aid on Friday.

This dime also on Friday at Rite-Aid.

 

This penny at the stockpile sale.  A gentleman dropped it and I picked it up to hand it to him but he said keep it.  You  don't have to tell me twice! lol

I went to Rite-Aid on Monday and found this dime there on that day.

Not bad for a found money week considering I only went to Rite-Aid two times this past week and I didn't go anywhere else besides to work the polls.

Total Found in last Week...... .22¢
Total Found This Year......$12.51

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  

Busy Busy.....Get Er' Done!

 When I went out to Rite-Aid on Tuesday to roll my Bonus Cash I notice there was a sign up at the entrance to my community/neighborhood.  Seems the 'gods that be' decided to hold the Community Wide Yard Sale in May, this Saturday!!  Usually it's in June and that is what I was planning on... a Sale in June so I could coordinate my Stockpile Sale with that community yard sale.

So I've been a busy bee the last 2 days trying to get the garage set up for the sale.  First I had to move stuff out of the way(the front of the garage)then I had to move tables and shelving.

Luckily Hubs and I had spent last weekend moving totes into the storage unit so I got all the tables/shelving in place by Wednesday.  Plus I had moved most of the inventory to sell down into the living room already.  So I've been putting the stuff to sell out and set up all morning.  Here's a look at where I am right now.......

I have the dining room table, a card table, the patio table, a short shelving unit and a tall shelving unit set up now.  I still have to set up some boards on chairs for more shelving and drape the back shelving with sheets along with getting all the products set out.  Then I get to price sticker it all....oh joy!  Then I'll put an ad on all the usual online places to advertise the sale.  And Hubs will place the signs Friday night.

Well at least this will be out of the way after Saturday...unless I don't sell enough then I'll have another sale in June followed by hauling stuff to the Food Bank.

Hubs is making progress on the painting inside the house too.  Upstairs hallway and stairwell are done.  Now he is doing the downstairs hallway and then the kitchen and den are on the list.  Still waiting on the windows to come in so the handyman can do those.  After that we are DONE making  improvements/repairs.  Then it's time to call the realtor in. ugh.  I just hate this process......

And in other news I got an email from the cruise line yesterday.  Remember that Baltic cruise next June I booked 1 week before Russia invaded Ukraine?  Well it's been cancelled.  Boo.  Sonya Ann said I am a country wrecker.  You want a country invaded and destroyed?  Just have me book a cruise there. ;-)

That's about all going on here today.  What's happening in your world?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the July 2nd Edition

 A new month but the usual frugalness around here at Chez Sluggy.  Let's look at what went down this past week............

* I had gotten a "we miss you, here's $5 to spend" from Kohl's so I went in and found something that was close to that price that I could use/live with.....

a long sleeve knit shirt for kicking around the house that cost me $2.20 OOP.  It may be too big to wear in public by Winter/Fall but perfectly good for around the house.

*  I got a post coupon at Rite-Aid........

$3 for a coupon that was forgotten.  Poor little coupon.

*  Then I returned a couple of items and got money back.........

*  I got some deals at Rite-Aid, spent down to $0 on one of my cards this past week, and hit some Ibotta rebates and bonuses along the way.

* I held a stockpile sale in conjunction with a community wide yard sale day in town.  Busy, busy and got rid of lots of items and between the two sales(with a week in the middle when I was out of town)I raked in 7+ bills.  I gave some away to local friends, there is a largish load ready to go to the food bank, I've got items earmarked for relatives and friends when I go see them too.  I think I emptied at least 3 large Rubbermaid tubs of goods!

*  Hubs got Burger King for us one day using a free gift card. go us.

*  I found money!

Two pennies at R-A on Friday........

Another two pennies at R-A on Monday........

And two additional pennies at Walmart on Tuesday(forgot to take a photo of those).

Total Money Found This Week... 06¢
Total Money Found This Year...$5.68

That's about all I remember from this past week that was frugal.

What frugal wins did ya'll have this past week?
Let's here it!

And have a good weekend....

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the June 11th Edition

Staying home most of the week leads to a not so exciting frugal week but we did have a few wins........

*I did go to Rite-Aid and got some free Daylogic razors among other things  when I went to pick up my Rxs.

* While at my unscheduled Walmart stop on Tuesday I tried the Freeosk and it was actually working!

I got this baby degree deodorant for free!

* Got a dr. appointment yesterday and this happened.......

Got a steroid shot in my knee joint. ouchie!  Not really, it wasn't bad and much less than hobbling around on what is was like. lol  Hopefully this helps stave off a knee replacement for awhile. ;-)

It's frugal as we have good medical insurance so this won't cost as much as a knee surgery if it helps.

* Been setting up for the Garage Stockpile Sale on Saturday and have posted the ads online for it this morning.  I have a bit more to set up and price plus I had a backlog of bags of crap to put out once I sell some of it. lolz Wish me luck and wads of cash!8-))

* I found money!

 While cleaning stuff out of the garage we came across an ugly handmade mug our daughter made in high school art class and left here.  I found a penny inside of it!

Monday I found 4 pennies at my Rite-Aid.  1 was on the floor and the 3 others someone left on the register counter and didn't want.

Total Found This Week... .05¢
Total Found This Year...$4.15

What good frugal finds did y'all have this past week?
Have a great Friday and Weekend!

Sluggy

Surprise! A Post!! Sort of.....

 Got almost everything staged in the garage and now it's time to price sticker it all. ugh.  Not quite as hot as the last few days....low 80's I can handle with breaks in the a/c now and again. 

I'll share photos at some point.

I also have a last minute dr. appointment for my knee in a couple of hours.....probably will result in a cortisone steroid shot.  fun times.  Then I get to come home and shot myself too in the leg for HS.
good times, good times.  Hopefully by Sat. morning I'll be able to function and run this sale.

No shopping at all for me except that Walmart run earlier in the week.  Ibotta hasn't sucked me in again....yet. lol

Sluggy

To Paraphrase Blobby & Urspo-I got nothing!

Well actually I do have stuff....soooo much stuff!  I just don't have time right now for much blogging.  I am preparing for a big stockpile sale on Saturday and it's so blazing hot out I can only stand being in the garage for limited amounts of time.  I finally got Hubs to help me arrange the furniture/shelving so now I  can lug shit out there and set it up, then take photos and post on various local websites.

And price stickers!  I went to Buck a Branch(aka Dollar Tree)yesterday to get little sticky dot price tags and they had NONE!  Which meant I had to then go to the Evil Empire(aka Walmart).  While there, after finding the sticky dots, I did a small haul to finish my Grand Slam and my Midweek Bonuses and paid a whole $6.28 OOP on all the Ibotta goodies after using a free Fetch $25 Gift card.  After rebates earned and a .50¢ coupons dotcom rebate on the ice cream too) rebates came to $36.43 making this trip was a $30.15 moneymaker(just counting the Ibotta items bought).

 I lucked out and found 2 vitamin clearance items that were $2.50 moneymakers plus another one that was free after rebate. I also found 3 items that were $5 total on clearance that didn't have Ibotta rebates but they were so cheap and stuff I could use(Move-Free, which might help my knee and some vitamins)so I brought those home too.

And I still haven't gotten a response from my Dr. about my knee issues.  I looked online and my message from 6/3 still hasn't been read by staff as of today, 6/9. Grrrr.  I suppose the doc is on vacation so nobody is in a hurry to check his messages.  Just another irritation on a hot humid sweltering day, right?

And the bathroom reno continues.  We had a delay as the shower walls still hadn't come in(and they still aren't in!)but everything else is done except sanding the spackled walls so we can paint....oh yeah, and buying paint. ;-)

Here's sneak peak at the floor........

It's a greyed laminate waterproof plank wood flooring.  All the stuff in there will be white with chrome or nickel accents(faucets, towel bar, etc.).  Nice and bright and clean looking as opposed to the big blob of  ugly tan it all was before.

I am off to gather more crap to sell and I may not be heard from again until Friday's frugal post.

Stay out of the heat y'all and have a good midweek!

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

Stockpile Sale Outcome

I am getting where I get anxious when I have to deal with the public.  As I get older I just want to stay home and not interact with people I don't know.  This was my frame of mind going into this adventure.

I advertised the stockpile sale on craigslist(which also automatically put it on the yard sale app)and I posted on 3 local FB sales sites on Friday.
The dingbat comments started shortly after. lolz

Then the ones who wanted to show up on Friday because blah, blah, blah.
Read the ad.....it's Saturday for this hour until that hour.

Then the ones who wanted prices and a list of EVERY SINGLE ITEM I WAS SELLING!
Nope.
You have to show up on Saturday.....my event my rules.

I opened the garage promptly at 8 am.

Except for the first guy and his wife everyone was lovely who showed up.
The first guy was such a jackass that the other folks who were there while he was were rolling their eyes and making comments to me.
sigh.

After he left there were no problems and no stress.
Things were steady, busy for the first two hours.  Then a few stragglers the next one and 3/4 hours and I started breaking things down about 45 minutes early due to nobody showing up and closed the garage door 15 minutes before I posted I'd end it.

If you happened to be here at quarter of ten you would have seen the "show".....me fall straight back out of my chair, flat on my back on the ground.  It was a silly little chair that folded up when I bent over to grab a bag for a customer to put stuff in and when I went to sit back up I just kept going back onto the ground. lolz
Fun times.
Sore as hell and bruised still from that but no damage was done.

Some of what's left........

What sold?
Spaghetti Sauce and liquid laundry detergent sold out.
Salsa, cereal, lotions, shaving cream, ladies deo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, razors, soap and baby products nearly sold out.
Feminine paper products, shampoo, cold meds, pain relievers, laundry pods and "some" make-up sold well.

I still have TONS of shampoo.  The low end stuff($1 a bottle)didn't sell. It was mostly the $2 and $2.50 bottle stuff that went but not enough of it sold.

I'll take some 'poo down to my brother/sister in-law, to son and GF and to Kim and her Sissie next month when I see all of them.  I am in the process of giving away things to people I know around here who can use them.  Another load of shampoos will go to the Food Bank not to mention into the Giveaway boxes.

I made a wad of cash, more than I thought I'd make which was nice!
But I am not telling y'all how much I made yet.

You'll have to wait until I post the September Giveaway tomorrow and you'll see why then.  ;-)

I started with 7 Rubbermaid tubs of stuff to sell and now have 3+ left.
All this is in excess of what I kept for family use.  Since I had to move the toiletries tubs out of  Hubs' man cave room I now only have space for 2 Rubbermaid tubs plus 2 unused bedroom dressers I have filled with toiletries.

Had I done another flea market with this stuff it would have meant more work(and compressed into a short window of time),traveling and hassle which I wanted to avoid.

Overall, the sale was a success--it lightened the amount of toiletries sitting around here AND gave me a little "fun" money. ;-)
And it was beautiful weather to sit in the garage and have people give me money for stuff they wanted and I got for free or almost free.  8-)))

Sluggy

I Survived the Stockpile Sale

Yep, survived sitting in the sun for 4 hours and dealing with the public even though Sonya Ann didn't take me up on my offer to come over and sit with me. ;-)

Closed up an hour early as traffic fell off swiftly after 10 am.

It was nice to have it ALL inside the garage so I just took myself in the house and closed the garage door behind me.

I am tired.
The mess can all wait for tomorrow for me to go out there and put it all away.
I'll talk later about what sold, what didn't and what a PITA some people are. lolz

Like I've said before about stockpile sales in the garage vs. going to a flea market to sell, if I can just sit in my garage for awhile and have people come and hand me money, it's a good thing. lolz

More on Sunday. 
I've got to clean the dining room and living room today so I can put the table back, etc.

I'll be napping and self-medicating later after I enjoy some of this beautiful weather we are having here.

What is everyone else up to today?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the September 6th Edition

Frugal Friday AGAIN!?!?
Yes please!
Let's do this........

*  Tomorrow I hope to turn all this into $$$..............

That's 7 Rubbermaid tubs + tote bags of toiletries I will attempt to sell at my Stockpile Sale on Saturday.  It's all now in the garage and I'll spend today setting everything up/out on the tables and then posting about it on the local sales sites.
Cross your fingers the weather forecast holds up and people show up and buy! 8-))

*  I found money just about everywhere I went last week(but I didn't go many places so there is that lol).

I found this quarter at Rite-Aid on Friday. It was shoved up under the candy rack/half under the floor mat in front of the second register counter.

After we left the farm where we picked peppers we hit Aldi.  Someone abandoned their shopping cart near the cart corral but more importantly they abandoned their quarter IN the cart slot. lolz

Then on Wellness Wednesday at Rite-Aid I found a penny under a candy rack by the door and then another penny back by the pharmacy counter.
.52¢ richer am I.

*  Hubs and I had lunch out on Tuesday at Denny's.  Had I known they no longer had the chicken salad sammy on their menu(it's been over a year since we've been to a Dennys') I would have insisted we go elsewhere to eat(as I didn't want breakfast food).
I had a burger and we used a $5 wys $20 Q.

*  When I went to the Pain Clinic on the 31st since I take opioids on occasion for my HS flare pain they asked me to be part of a research survey.
I earned this for 5 minutes worth of answering questions..........

*  Last Friday I got the Freebie at Weis(PMITA)Markets.....

*  I also got a few deals at Weis.......

Buy $15 worth of certain cleaner type things and get an instant $5 off.
These Finish tabs were $5 a bag and I had $2/1 ManuQs so it ws $15-$5 instant-$6Qs=$4.00 + .24¢ tax for all 3 bags.

When I went on Wednesday they had a bunch of new clearance in the canned meat aisle too.
We were getting low on tuna so I restocked the pantry. 8-)
The 4-pack of tuna was $2.99(50% off), the single cans of tuna were .83¢ each(50% off)and the large cans of chicken breast(10 oz. cans)were .75¢ a can! They were $2.50 and the register deducted .50¢ off each can and then $1.25 came off each can at the end. $2.50-.50¢-$1.25=.75¢ each!!!
I see lots of chicken salad in my future....... lolz


*  We needed a new mattress and frame/bed.  When Daughter changed her address with the local PO back in May they sent a packet here(she was long gone lolz)including this Wayfair 10% off coupon code.

There was also an Overstock % Q(our current king sized mattress and frame/bed came from there)but I didn't get the stuff ordered before that one expired. sigh
But I did get on the ball and get the items ordered(plus a new mattress for the daybed in Hubs' room)using this discount.  Two of the items were also on clearance plus this code saved me an additional $116+ so go me! ;-)

* Lots of Rite-Aid bounty this past week...........

All paid for with Bonus Cash plus a little bit on an old gift card.

*  Picked more of these.............

And turned them into this...........

I didn't pick any tomatoes this year at the farm like I did last year.  Between these jars, 6 jars from last year's harvest I still have, the fresh tomatoes I still need to turn into sauce here(stuff that's ripened since Wednesday)plus the canned tomatoes in the stockpile, along with the jars of ready-make sauce when I got a really good deal at the store, we are set.

*  I also got a deal at Kohl's on Labor Day.  There were 3 coupon codes that stacked plus I did store pick-up so no shipping charges.  I am still waiting for 4 items to show up at the store before I go pick it all up together and then I can show y'all what I got.
Nothing exciting really but I paid a fraction of the cost and it's stuff we can use. ;-)

*  But the best "deal" was this.......

19.61 lbs. of bell type peppers @ 65.¢ per lb.
Also got 2 large yellow squash and 6 ears of fresh corn for a total of $18.50.

That's about it from Chez Sluggy.

What frugal goodness happened in your world this past week?
Let us know all about it! 8-)


Sluggy