Frugal Friday...the March 21st Edition

Here are the frugal wins for this past week....

*  I love finding marked down foods at Kroger(this really doesn't happen at Walmart).  I only did a small shop at Kroger so far this week...picking up 3 4-packs of clearance Activia yogurt, 2 marked down salad kits, a couple of sweet potatoes and strawberries.

*  We used up some pantry items as well.  I have had a craving for corn pudding.  It's not on my "diet" but I can splurge now and again since I haven't made and eaten it in 3 years.  We just needed sour cream(bought that at Kroger on sale)and I only had a small portion so no worries.  4

*  We also had no food waste last week.  We even used a rotting apple to catch an opossum in a trap.

*  There was no eating out this past week.  

*  We took a load to the food bank.  Maybe one more trip there before we leave Lousyana.  It all depends on what deals I can find that we won't use before we leave.  Part of the next food bank donation will be courtesy of reader Diane R. 8-)))

*  It's been warm here so the heat had been off during the day.  The "Cajun Pony Express"(which is what we call the mail service here)lost our electric bill payment for February, so we had to pay it again online(and pay a "convenience fee" for the honor.)  Eventually the mailed ;payment showed up so now we have a large credit toward March's bill and it should cover a piece of April's bill too.  

*  Entertainment last week was free tv, YouTube watching, sitting on the deck reading or doing genealogy.  I've got two books in process--a biography of Roger Daltery of the "Who" and a book on Jesse James, who is one of my ancestral cousins so watch yourself around me! ;-)  

*  I found money!

Two pennies found in the dryer on Sunday when I did laundry.  Finders Keepers, right? 

          

Found Money This Week.....02¢

Grand Total Found this Year.......$1.13

That's all I got.

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

Sluggy    

This Week on the Dining Table.....the April 1st Edition

The "Grilled Pineapple" Edition.....

This was the best part of our Easter dinner-grilled pineapple!  I cooked a turkey that had been living in the freezer, made stuffing(or dressing with mushrooms and sausage as it was not put in the bird to cook), grilled asparagus and we had gravy if someone wanted it.  Of course, I forgot the deviled eggs I had made early Sunday morning(we ate them later though)and didn't put any cranberry glop in the fridge to chill either(so we didn't have that).

I had bought 2 fresh whole pineapples on sale at Kroger on Friday so I hacked away at those and Hubs fired up the grill and cooked those chunks and semi-rings and we had it for dessert.  I am in love with grilled pineapple and would marry it if I wasn't already married. 8-))

This is day 295 of the new "way of eating".  Down 59 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again, which would make it 67 lbs.).  

Kicking the weight loss up again with intermittent fasting this week, but no movement of the scale yet(especially after Easter dinner).

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week...........

1. Sunday--Pizza, Salad

2. Monday--BBQ Pork Loin, Assorted Veggie Mix

3. Tuesday--TV Dinners

4. Wednesday--Garlic Shrimp/Veggie Skillet meal

5. Thursday--Chicken Parm, Sweet Potato Fries

6. Friday--Catfish, Cole Slaw, Green Beans

7. Saturday--Steak, Scalloped Potatoes, Veggie TBD

And here's what actually happened......

1. Sunday--Pizza, Salad

2. Monday--BBQ Pork Loin, Assorted Veggie Mix

3. Tuesday--Fried Shrimp, Caesar Salad

4. Wednesday--Cheeseburger(no bun), Sweet Potato Fries

5. Thursday--Chicken Parm, Teriyaki Green Beans

6. Friday--Catfish, Cole Slaw, Green Beans

7. Saturday--Steak, Scalloped Potatoes, Sauted Yellow Squash

The TV Dinners and Garlic Shrimp Skillet Meal didn't happen as I always catch a "deal" at Kroger(clearance type)so that changes up the menu a bit, but everything else was as planned.

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  1 Frozen Pizza

*  a bag of Shrimp

*  2 Hamburgers

*  Chicken Parmesan

*  2 Steaks

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

*  2 lb. Butter

Last week we spent $170.72 on grocery shopping for March.  

Total shopping comes to $914.87 for March.   

There are 0 shopping days left in March.

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $278.04 on Ibotta in March.

I've earned $84.50 on Shopmium in March.

I've earned $24.50 on Alexa app in March.

I've earned $37.25 on Kroger Cash Back in March.

I've earned $33.43 on TaDa in March.

I've earned $0.00 on Checkout51 in March.

I've earned $40.22 on Aisle, etc.

I've earned 35,311 points on Fetch from food shopping in March.

I've earned 6,859 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in March.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in March.

I've earned 1,074 Points on My Points in March.

That is $436.19 in rebates(not counting the Kroger Cash Back/Shop Kick/Fetch/Alexa)on $914.87 of grocery spending so in reality it's $478.68 in food spending after the 4 rebate apps I count(the ones that give me cash back, not the ones that I turn the points into gift cards, or Alexa that gives me Amazon credit, and I count when those points are cashed in).  Some of what I spent was for Food Bank donations(I'll start not counting those items in our personal grocery spending going forward into April.)

My savings percentage for the last week was 56.38% and the monthly savings total for March comes in at 45.65% spent so far. 

Leftovers going into this week....pork loin in bbq sauce, steak, scalloped potatoes, yellow squash, teriyaki green beans, chicken parmesan and cole slaw.  I also have a sweet potato I need to use before we leave town.

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

1. Sunday--Roast Turkey w/Gravy, Stuffing, Asparagus, Deviled Eggs, Grilled Pineapple

2. Monday--Salad or Leftovers

3. Tuesday--Wild Rice Soup w/Mushrooms and Asparagus, Garlic Bread

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Whatever needs using up

7. Saturday--No Clue

Trying to use some fresh produce up and trying not to buy any more as our trip is coming up soon.  Shopping from the freezer this week and for Easter dinner last Sunday.

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 deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy