Frugal Friday.....the January 7th Edition

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

*   No food waste so far. ;-)  The VA ham got cut off the bone and the bone will be utilized in a ham and bean soup soon.  Lots of the ham went into the freezer as well.  We have a few bits and bobs from the Holiday to polish off for lunches and snacking still.

*  I did a few Rite-Aid transactions this week.......

I still have to figure the finally number on this(maybe tomorrow?).  Basically I cashed out mostly or fully on 3 cards, utilizing Bonus Cash and a free R-A gift card.  I got a little BC back on 2 of the cards plus I got Ibotta rebates, a Swag Bucks rebate and Coupons dotcom monies.

*  I forgot to mention I sold something the previous week on eBay, the day after Christmas.  I had a different person offer me 25% LESS for this item the week before Christmas with the caveat that I could guarantee it's arrival by Christmas.  As I am not in charge of the USPS that was a hard no.  Plus this person had NO feedback and had just signed up the day they tried to buy the item. lol  Just goes to show you, don't jump at the first offer since I got full asking price from the other buyer. ;-)

*  I got a bag of almost free dog food at Walmart from Shop Kick.....

I paid $5.98 + tax, got $4.08 back on SK and $2 back on Coupon dotcom, so it cost me .28¢ in sale tax.

*  I bought 10 bags of this on NYE at Walmart when everything Xmas went to 75% off.......

10 bags of pecans in the shell for .50¢ each so $5 total.  These normally got there for $3.98 a bag so these were a great deal because we all know how expensive pecans are, right?! ;-)

*  I also bought this stuff at Walmart yesterday to finish off my Weekend $5 Ibotta Bonus....

The only thing missing is the box of Entenmann's mini cakes(which Hubs took).  The Palmer's shampoo and the 2 Revlon items weren't Ibotta offers but were on clearance and gave me $1.55 in overage after coupons.  The Palmer's shampoo WAS an Ibotta offer but also on clearance of $1.09 so that gave me $1.82 in overage as well.  I think the $1 Bumble Bee tuna pouch attached to the any soup offer as well as the .25¢ BB tuna offer.  I spent $4.39(.30¢ of that was sales tax)in cash after $20 in free SK and Ibotta gift cards.  I earned $16.38(including the weekend bonus and the .03¢ back for using $5 in Ibotta funds to buy a gift card-which also gave me an item toward my bonus)for this transaction.

*  I stayed home 4 of the last 7 days so I didn't spend anything then.

*  While I was out that way I hit the Produce Market instead of going to Weis(PMITA)in my town as foodstuffs there are much cheaper except for Weis loss leaders. I probably saved double what I spent there on fresh veggies and lunchmeat.

On a very sad note, I went to the shop next door to the Produce Market, my Bread Outlet only to find that is was GONE!! argh  Let's all bow our heads in mourning for that.  Having to pay full retail for bread products might just kill me.......*sniff*

*   I found money!

Both of these pennies at my Rite-Aid, one in the store....

The other in the parking lot.  Guess which one is which. lol

After hitting a R-A in a nearby town I hit Burger King there for a $2 Whopper deal on my app(using my free gift card to pay so there's a win within a win).

Under the drive-thru counter proved to be a honey hole of change!  I was able to scoop up most of it while the cashier tried to run my BK gift card(BK gift cards always take awhile to work).  Mostly pennies but throw in a dime and a nickel and I was up .24¢ there.

Then on Thursday I hit another R-A trying to use up my Bonus Cash before it expired/the snow came and found this dime by the front counter.  Yes!

Total Found in last Week...... .36¢
Total Found This Year...... .36¢

Not a bad start for 2022!

That's about all I've got for this week.

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

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Using It Up" Edition................

While digging through the freezer last week I found 2 bags of this..........

My great Aunt Lula's recipe yeast rolls.  I believe these were from Easter? lolz

 I usually make these in a double batch for Holiday meals and I usually don't have much leftover as we invite the "mooch"(brother in-law)and his son for holiday meals and besides eating his weight in rolls AT the meal, I give him a baggie full to take home.

Well this past Easter I forgot to give him his bag of rolls plus Daughter was on a low-carb diet so she didn't eat her quota and ex-College Boy, I believe, was working and came home late for dinner and didn't eat many.
At any rate I just dug these old things out of the freezer and needed to find a way to use 'em up!

So I made this.........

Two pans of bread pudding, a small one and the large one pictured above. (I used Lidia Bastianich's recipe again but subbed peach slices for cherries.)

Bread Pudding is one of Hubs most favorite desserts!

Bonus points because I used what was left of the non-canned peach jam container I had made this Summer that was sitting in the fridge not being eaten either.

Score!

I used 1 full bag of rolls up.

I made Chili last night for dinner and Ex-CB ate lots of rolls left in the second bag with his chili so we've got 6 rolls or so left to finish them off. lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

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

1. Sunday--Hubs' cooking Pork Chops, Glazed Carrots, Asiago Rice
2. Monday--Stuffed Peppers with Rice

3. Tuesday--Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash, Egg Noodles

4. Wednesday--Leftover Soup, Grilled Ham Sandwiches

5. Thursday--Lobster Cakes(like crab cakes), Cole Slaw, Yellow Squash and Onions

6. Friday--Leftovers or Pizza
7. Saturday--T-Bone Steak, Salad, ?

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Hubs' cooking Pork Chops, Glazed Carrots, Asiago Rice
2. Monday--Stuffed Peppers with Yellow Rice

3. Tuesday--Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash, Egg Noodles

4. Wednesday--Lobster Cakes(like crab cakes), Cole Slaw, French Fries

5. Thursday--Leftovers(I had a big Salad)

6. Friday--Leftovers(I had a BLT using homegrown tomatoes)
7. Saturday--Chinese Take-Out

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 1 night of Eating Out/Take-Out.

Everything happened except soup and sandwiches(which happened for lunch one day instead)and steak.  The steak moves to this coming week.
Between Fajitas the week previous, Stuffed Peppers and Goulash this past week, we are peppered out for awhile. lolz

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

* 6 lbs. of Bacon from Malacari's(at $2 lb.)
* 1 lb. Bottom Round Steak
* 2.5 lbs. of Chicken Thighs

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* 4 pork chops
* 2 packs of beef chuck/stew beef
* The Lobster Cakes were a discount sticker buy the previous week and the ground beef(for stuffing the peppers)was bought fresh last week. Diced homegrown tomatoes also went into the stuffed peppers and the goulash.

One trip to Weis($28.27), a trip to the Bread Outlet($4.89), a trip to Target($12.51), a trip to Malacari's($40.28)and a trip to Shursave Market($24.15)brought the weekly spending to $110.10 and my September Total spending on food to $224.71.

My savings percentage last week was 48.63%(without Rite-Aid trips)and September's monthly savings total comes in at 57.31%(w/out R-A).

I have 14 more food shopping/spending days in September.  The budget is $400 but we always hope to do a little better than that amount. ;-)

Leftovers going into this week......Harvard Beets, Fajita filling, Pork Chops, Carrots, Asiago Rice, Stuffed Peppers, Goulash, Egg Noodles

I also have a small stockpot filled with tomato puree(from our tomatoes)so I need to use that in a meal since I don't want to have to can so little.

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

1. Sunday--Chili, leftover rolls
2. Monday--Chicken Cordon Bleu, Veggie TBD

3. Tuesday--Barbecue Chicken Thighs, Yellow Squash and Onions, other Leftover Sides

4. Wednesday--Steak Ravioli w/Sauce, Salad

5. Thursday--Salmon, Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrots

6. Friday--Steak
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of  Eating Out.

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing really.  I got the ravioli and salmon at Aldi, the squash at Malacari's 2 weeks ago and the chicken thighs on discount at Weis last Friday.  The sweet potato was leftover as I didn't need both of the 2 I bought for the goulash last week.

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 "Best Coffee Mug Ever!" Edition................

Saw this gem at Walmart recently.  I might just have to put this in Hubs' Christmas Stocking this year. hehehe

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--London Broil, Corn on Cob

2. Monday--Chicken Fried Steak, Gravy, Mashed Taters, Cabbage(I'll just have Mashed Ts and Cabbage since I don't like CFS)

3. Tuesday--Tempura Shrimp, Veggies

4. Wednesday--Lasagna, Salad

5. Thursday--Tacos or Taco Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--London Broil, Corn on Cob

2. Monday--Chicken Fried Steak, Gravy, Mashed Taters, Mixed Veg

3. Tuesday--Tempura Shrimp, Zuke

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Lasagna, Garlic Bread
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  Nobody wanted salad with the Lasagna and the cabbage didn't get eaten, but otherwise everything got made/eaten as planned but maybe not on the specified day.

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

* Nothing

I bought nothing to stick into the freezer last week.  Imagine that?! lolz

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* London Broil
* Chicken Fried Steak Patties(6)
* 2 lbs. Shrimp

Two trips to Weis($37.33), a trip to Ocean State Job Lot($16.77)and a tiny trip to Shursave market($10.12)brought the weekly spending to $64.22 and my August total to $181.16.

My savings percentage last week was 48.98%(without Rite-Aid trips)and August's monthly savings total comes in at 46.32%(w/out R-A). 

I have 12 more food shopping/spending days in August and $218.84 left in my $400 food budget for this month.

Leftovers going into this week......Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Mixed Veg and Gravy(from the CFS).
I also have some leftover enchilada sauce I made awhile back that needs to be used up(I don't want to have to put it into the freezer)and some cooked turkey and chicken odds and ends IN the freezer so I'll make a small pan of enchiladas for the menfolk this week and use both up.

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

1. Sunday--Tacos and/or Taco Salad

2. Monday--Garlic Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, Cabbage

3. Tuesday--Baked Catfish, French Fries, Mixed Veg

4. Wednesday--Chicken/Turkey Enchiladas, Rice, Beans

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Pizza(maybe), Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers
Plus we will have sliced tomatoes and cukes to fill in if we are a low on a dish or someone doesn't want something served(me usually).

This week will see 5 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.
Through Wednesday is suppose to be the hottest weather so the Pork loin will be done in the crock pot and I'll bake off Tues. and Wed. dinners together on Tuesday.

What needs buying for this menu?
Maybe tortillas, I haven't checked yet if I have any in the stockpile.
I am going to the produce market today for some veg and lunch meat too but that's all that is planned for the shopping this week.
I do have a $5 wyspend $25 Q for Weis that expires the end of the month.  The next Weis ad is a 2 weeker that is pretty "meh" so I may use this Q before Thursday's new sales week. 
Either way I'll be shooting for $60 or less spent.

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 "Not Interested in Cooking" Edition................

We are working on house stuff lately since we haven't needed the a/c for awhile, so meals haven't been very interesting....just easy and cheap.
Moving and going through crap just zaps my energy and eating is an afterthought.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--FFY

2. Monday--Fried Fish and Zucchini

3. Tuesday--Quiche, Salad

4. Wednesday--Korean Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

5. Thursday--BBQ sandwiches, Cole Slaw

6. Friday--Lasagna Hamburger Helper, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--FFY

2. Monday--Fried Fish and Zucchini

3. Tuesday--Quiche, Salad

4. Wednesday--Leftovers or FFY

5. Thursday--Korean Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

6. Friday--Barbecue on Rolls, Cole Slaw
7. Saturday--Lasagna Hamburger Helper, Tomtoes and Cukes

Last week saw 5 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  
Pretty much everything planned happened last week.  Imagine that?! lolz

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

* Nothing

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* 1 lb. Cod
* 1 London Broil
* 2 bags Stir-Fry Veggies
* 1 bag of Smoked Pork Shoulder meat

Two trips to Weis($43.15), the Bread Outlet($4.00)and a trip to Malacari's($18.12)brought the weekly spending to $65.27 and my August total to $116.94.

My savings percentage last week was 42.70%(without Rite-Aid trips)and August's monthly savings total comes in at 44.75%(w/out R-A). 

I have 19 more food shopping/spending days in August and $283.06 left in my $400 food budget for this month.

Leftovers going into this week......about half of a quiche, lasagna hamburger helper, Korean Beef stir-fry w/rice, 1 piece of cod.

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

1. Sunday--London Broil, Corn on Cob

2. Monday--Chicken Fried Steak, Gravy, Mashed Taters, Cabbage(I'll just have Mashed Ts and Cabbage since I don't like CFS)

3. Tuesday--Tempura Shrimp and Veggies

4. Wednesday--Lasagna, Salad

5. Thursday--Tacos or Taco Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 5 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.
Or only 4 new meals if the leftovers hold out after Hubs attacks them for lunches. lolz

What needs buying for this menu? Corn.  I've got half a cabbage(after making Cole Slaw last week)and some aging sweet potatoes and a zuke left(to tempura).  Might need lettuce if there isn't enough left out in the garden.  I might also buy a cantaloupe or broccoli since both are cheap this week.

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......February 2nd Edition

So what frugal wins did we have at Chez Sluggy last week?

* Lots of freebies(and .50¢ jars of spaghetti sauce)from Rite-Aid.

* I used a $5 e-gift card for Amazon to reduce the price for ink cartridges for Hubs printer and used a $5 e-gift card to Walmart to help pay for some groceries I bought.

*  I hit a nice clearance sale on clothing online and it all came this week............

4 x s/s knit nightgowns
2 x s/s rayon buttoned shirts
1 x l/s rayon blend knit tunic
2 x l/s knit shirts
1 x s/s rayon print dress(which I'll have to hem up a mile of it)
All for $114 w/shipping
Finding plus size clothing is almost impossible at a brick and mortar store anymore(and if you can find some it's ridiculously expensive).  All nearly impossible to find at a thrift store(big ladies tend to wear out their clothing and not donate it around here).
I am thrilled with what I got and what I paid.  And thrilled that all of it is a size(or two)smaller than I use to buy. 8-)))

*  I picked up a few groceries on Thursday at Weis(PMITA)Markets.....

Eggland's best eggs are 1/2 off until Sunday night.  I don't usually buy name brand eggs but with a $1/2 Q these came out to .75¢ per carton so the cheapest eggs around these parts for now.(Weis brand are $1.99 dozen here.)
I also picked up 3 packages of ground beef patties 85% lean as they each had a $2 instant discount sticker on them.....

After sticker these were $2.49 lb.
I also saw Weis now carries a cheap brand(Valutime)of milk but in half gallons only.  It's 50¢ less than the Weis brand so that came home with me too.
All in I spent $16.09 at Weis.
I found another Eggland's Q in an insert so I'll get 2 more dozen eggs before that sale ends this weekend.

*  This was dinner on Wednesday evening.  I had put the leftover hunk of Christmas roast in the freezer to use it later.  I took it out and shaved off slices for Wednesday's dinner and made Beef and Broccoli.  I had gotten broccoli crowns for .99¢ lb. this week/last month.

What frugal wins have you had lately?
Keep it frugal and keep it real folks! ;-)

  Sluggy

Frugal Friday or How I Saved My Family $600+

Here are a few ways I've saved our family some money this past week.
The last one is a biggie too.  ;-)

* No take-out or eating-out this week.

* Doing laundry during off-peak hours only.

* 1 trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets this week where I picked up 6 discount sticker meat packages, 4 packs of tortillas for $1 each after sale and coupon, $50.93 reg. retail worth of frozen pizzas for $26.88 OOP after sales/points/stacked Qs and 4 containers of Weis brand OJ and Grapefruit juice for 39% off during a sale. (Having all that pizza on hand will help me not get take-out on nights I just can't cook due to exhaustion.)

* I took a small chunk of leftover Xmas roast and with the addition of potatoes, onions, red bell pepper(from the freezer)and spices I turned it into Roast Beef Hash. This along with a large quantity of cheesy scrambled eggs was dinner on Monday night.

* Regular readers will know that our oven/range crapped out on Christmas day which led to the hilarity of having to transport large amounts of food back and forth to my brother in-law's place so as to cook it.

By Xmas evening Hubs was browsing new ranges on his phone and had picked one out that the local big box hardware store could have delivered by New Years for $550 + tax and $75 delivery fee.

Instead I figured out that the lower heating element needed replacing, found the part # and jumped on the internet and ordered it.(You wouldn't believe the price range between websites for said part!) I did splurge an extra $1.60 and have it mailed Priority rate instead of parcel post rate.
The part arrived in 3 days and on New Year's eve between my 2 kids and I(and a You Tube video)we got the new element installed.

And while we had the range pulled out from the wall I got behind there and cleaned.
Now this baby works good as new, both inside and outside!

Cost of part w/shipping.....$16.70
Labor........FREE
Savings from not buying a new range(+ tax and shipping).....approx. $641.00

This past week was an epic frugal win week at Chez Sluggy.

Sluggy

Frugality These Days at Chez Sluggy

I haven't talked about frugality lately, that is, if you don't count my meal planning/menu posts on Monday.

So what kinds of frugal things has Sluggy been up to?

Not much really.
Other than working the grocery stores to spend as little as possible, meal planning and incorporating leftovers into the menu, I've not done much.

I haven't been actively trying to make more money but then again, I haven't been out spending unnecessarily either.

No Rite-Aid trips except for medications.
Oh, there was an issue earlier in the week when College Boy picked up his meds.....they overcharged him because they didn't put the Rx through on our prescription plan.
So I called and asked WTF?!? and got the difference refunded.
Yay me.

Daughter used a discounted gift card I already had to get a pair of pants for work at no cost to her.
Ok so this didn't actually save me anything but it did her.

We haven't eaten any meals out since last Saturday so no Eating Out spending for a solid week.
Daughter and BF went out to eat Saturday night rather than eat leftovers but Hubs and I stayed home and ate what was here.
Rah.

Speaking of eating out.......College Boy's friend cleans the local BK at night so he gets freebies there sometimes.  He gave CB some of those new Mac & Cheetos things the other night......

If you haven't heard about this new "food"(using that term loosely)it's mac and cheese nuggets shaped into Cheetos shapes and then covered in Cheetos dust/crumbs/whatever.

They look like turds warmed over and the nibble I took told me they are not something I'd spend my good money on.

Ok, maybe if you are drunk or stoned out of your mind you'd enjoy these but keep your eyes closed while eating them. lolz
I fed the 3/4 of the one I tried to Daughter's dog and she gobbled it up and hasn't died yet.
I just wonder how many named chemicals are in those things? bleh.

I've stayed home all week except to hit the grocery store.
I've spent time moving crap around, putting other crap into boxes to take to donate, vacuuming, paying bills and figuring out how to arrange and then moving furniture in the house.
And getting Daughter to move her and BF's stuff so it's not strewn all over the house.

Remember the Salvation Army truck that didn't pick up my stuff?
Well, I took photos of all the stuff and posted it all for FREE on my town's tag sale FB page on Friday afternoon and as of 5 pm Saturday it's all gone!!

I must have had 50 people wanting various things.
Even after I posted it was all taken I had people posting wanting things.

I guess giving stuff away is really anti-frugal but this frees up space in the house so well worth getting rid of it all.
Once we get the daybed, other exercise bike and the dreadmill moved I will feel a whole lot less anxious about things in the house.


I did go out early in the week....or was it last week, I can't remember.....and bought myself these.......

Purple pint canning jars!
I have lusted after these since they came out but couldn't see myself spending a premium because the jars were purple.
So I waited and bided(bode?) my time.
Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)had them cheap plus I had a 15% my order coupon so I picked up 2 packages(12 jars)for just over .50¢ after tax.
Much better than the $18.49 for 6 they are going for currently on Amazon.
Humph.

That's about all from Chez Sluggy.
What's going on at your house?

Sluggy

Tasty Leftovers

2 Sundays ago I roasted two whole chickens.  I am still trying to gauge how much to prepare for a meal with all 5 of us home to eat.
It's amazing how out of practice you can get at fixing meals for a large crowd once your kids mostly leave home and it's just you and the spouse to cook for.

Anyway, I ended up with one whole chicken leftover after that Sunday's supper to figure out how to use up in another dinner.  I pulled out the crock pot on Monday evening and set the leftover whole chicken to simmer overnight in some of the stock I harvested from roasting them both last Sunday.
By Tuesday I had a very rich stock along with tender chicken pieces I picked off the carcass.

So I decided to try one of those copy cat recipes for the Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup that are floating around on the internet.

The one I used is located Here.

It was fairly quick to prepare.  Of course you could make your own Gnocchi(I've never made gnocchi however and didn't want this dish to be my guinea pig)and it would take longer but be more homemade from scratch.

My only change was I didn't add the dried Thyme because I didn't have any and had no car yesterday to go run out for any.  It didn't seem to hurt the flavor however to leave it out.
Oh, and I just used 2% Milk and not Half and Half.  And I added a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken it up more(as I like a thick soup)instead of using more flour beyond the initial amount of that ingredient.

4 out of 5 diners approved this meal, served with some whack biscuits, if a sopping up the liquid item was needed to accompany this soup. ;-)
The only change I would make would be to put the carrot shreds in sooner rather than later so they soften more.  I didn't care for crunchy carrot bits in this.

Along with the biscuits(bought on sale and with a coupon)the cost was around $10 for 7-8 hearty servings.  We have 2 servings leftover for quick lunches.
A container of this soup To-Go at Olive Garden would run you $5.79.  Even if that container held 2 servings, you'd need to spend at least $17.37 + tax to feed a family of 5 with this soup.  And that doesn't include the cost of any bread products.
Also the OG version has 1,420 mg of sodium per serving, which is more than I want in my soup.  The recipe I used has added salt but it's to your taste and I added about 1/2 teaspoon(=1,150 mg for the whole pot of soup)which made it plenty salty.  Spread out over 7-8 servings that way less than the OG version.

Really, this is just a psuedo-Italian version of Chicken and Dumplings with added spinach and some herbs we Southerners don't put into our version.
This will be added to my recipe collection and be made again....especially since the Daughter bought me two bags of gnocchi and I only used one, so this will get made at least once more.

Now my problem is I have shredded chicken from half a roast chicken still as this soup only used 1 cup of the shreds.  And now I also have most of a bag of fresh spinach to use up as the recipe only called for 1 cup and what store sells that little spinach at a pop? lolz

I am thinking of using the chicken leftovers in a risotto.  I am not a big risotto fan but Hubs loves anything Italian and the BF loves anything Carb-y evidently so it will be eaten and go over well.
If I had more chicken left I might have prepared fajitas or quesadillas.

The spinach is slated to be used in a Spinach Salad with some boiled eggs and bacon because well, who doesn't like anything with bacon, right? 8-)

Have you got a "go to" use for leftover roasted chicken?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "Mother's Day" Edition--

 

 

The flowers from my daughter and Hubs, cards from Hubs and his oldest brother and my oldest son called me on Sunday to chat.  My only kid actually HERE on Mother's Day made no effort.....I didn't even get a "Happy Mother's Day or I love you Mom" or a hug outta him.  Just for that, I'll be waking him up bright and early today and putting him to work out in the yard......that'll show him! ;-)

 

 

Anyway, onward to the meal planning!

 

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

 

1.  Leftover Lemon Chicken w/Zucchini and Rice
2.  Leftover Taco Salad

3.  Kielbasa or Hot Dogs, homemade Boston Baked Beans(maybe), leftover veggies and macaroni salad
4.  Chicken Parm, Tomato and Cuke Salad(use up some produce)

5.  Ravioli,  Sauté of Squash and Onions

6.  Fend For Yourself
7.  Pizza?
 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Leftover Lemon Chicken w/Zucchini and Rice
2.  Leftover Taco Salad

3.  Kielbasa or Hot Dogs, leftover veggies and macaroni salad
4.  Chicken Parm, Tomato and Cuke Salad(use up some produce)

5.  Ravioli,  Sauté of Squash and Onions

6.  Fend For Yourself
7.  Fend For Yourself

Everything went as planned I guess except no pizza.  We stopped at a nice? restaurant on the way home from getting College Boy on Saturday so we just scrounged at home for something light for dinner.

Last week I made 5 trips to 3 different food stores and spent $52.98 OOP on $143.47 worth of reg. retail groceries and toiletries

I had 3 transactions at Rite-Aid last week and spent $11.67!
Gasp!!!
That's what happens when you have no +Ups or Plenti Pts. and are starting from scratch.....the OOP is too danged high!
I now have 600 Plenti Pts.
Again like last time I say....."Whoo-pee".

$232.74(plus $11.67 at R-A) spent of my $? May food budget.

Leftovers going into this week are---taco filling and some veggies leftover from the osso buco and mashed potatoes.
Hubs is out of town after Tuesday dinner time so it's just College Boy and me to feed Wednesday to Saturday.....and College Boy has work already(evenings) and Thursday is a long standing "Wing Night" at a local handout with his buds.

I don't want to cook a lot of leftover type dishes this week since we are going on vacation and College Boy has a bad track record with eating leftovers when we are gone.  I'll just put some easy fix items in the house(burritos, chicken strips, frozen pizza, etc.)and some cash to get fast food(as he has been fast food deprived due to a lack of spending $ at college)as that is what he wants to eat.
 

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

1.  Chinese Take-out(Mother's Day and I don't cook!)
2.  Salmon, Squash casserole

3.  Leftover Chinese take-out
4.  Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Cauliflower

5.  Fend for Yourself/Wing Night

6.  Tacos or Taco Salad
7.  Subway sammies

I am only cooking 2 "meals" this week.  I have TONS to do before we leave and all of College Boy's crap and laundry to deal with this week so I am all about making things as easy as possible this week.
 

What I need to buy for this menu.......nothing except to buy the take-out foods(Subway sammies,  Rotisserie Chicken at Weis).  I will use up the Osso Buco veggies in sauce by putting that into my taco filling this week.  Tacos leftover is the one thing College Boy will eat that is leftover even if we aren't home to remind him. 8-)

I will be hitting the grocery stores for some loss leaders this week and any deals that pop up or instant discount meats as usual.  I am figuring about $60 of spending.
 

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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "New Car Edition".....

Thankfully we have the cash to pay for this in full, no financing and no eating of rice and beans for the next 5 years to afford it.

We still have leftovers.  This week will be all about using them up.
Hopefully this will translate into a small grocery bill for this week ending March.

 

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

 1.  Lasagna, leftover Collards
2.  Salmon, Broccoli

3.  Irish Stew

4.  Rueben Sandwiches
5.  Roasted Turkey Breast, Stuffing, Cauliflower, Cranberry Glop leftovers

6.  Kielbasa on Rolls, cabbage leftovers
7.  Leftovers of some kind 

 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Lasagna, leftover Collards
2.  Salmon, Broccoli

3.  Irish Stew

4.  Rueben Sandwiches
5.  Leftovers

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

Everything went as planned except no turkey leftovers eaten nor Kielbasa on rolls and leftover cabbage.  We ate an extra night of other leftovers instead.

Last week I made 5  trips to the grocery store(and have a carry over from the previous week I forgot to put down then), so I spent $126.51 OOP on $222.98 worth of reg. retail groceries.
I also earned a $7 gift card for some of those purchases so $7 in future food paid for already.

I had 3 transactions at Rite-Aid last week and spend $1.25 OOP on $127.79 worth of toiletries.

For the week, $127.76 total spending on $350.77 worth of food/toiletries/HBA.

$242.70 spent of my $300 March food budget, leaving us $57.30 for the next 7 days of the month. ($64.30 if you count that $7 gift card.)

Leftovers going into this week are collards, corned beef and cabbage, turkey and stuffing, lasagna and Irish stew.  Yep, we still have a LOT of leftovers.

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

1.  Turkey, stuffing, corn, cranberry glop leftovers
2.  Lasagna, salad or collards leftovers

3.  Irish Stew leftovers

4.  Rueben Sandwiches using corned beef leftovers
5.  Sloppy Joe sandwiches, cole slaw

6.  Kielbasa on Rolls, cabbage leftovers
7.  Salmon, leftover assorted veggies, cole slaw

3 nights of new meals, 4 nights eating up the leftovers.

 

What I need to buy for this menu......nothing.  We stopped at the Bread Outlet as we were down in the city buying the car on Saturday and I got some on special Salmon filets also while out on Saturday.

Then I bought some Zero Powerades for $1 each and got a $7 Catalina at Weis before that deal ended.
Actually the Catalina did NOT print so they gave me a $7 gift card which won't expire so it's even better. 8-)

I may pick up some salad greens, tomatoes, milk and honey this week as we are out/those are on special this week.
 

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