Meal Plan Monday.....March 1st Edition....Spending Breakdown & Cheap Good Food

Before I get started, HAPPY MARCH Everyone!!


Last Week's Menu Postmortem...
Everything but the Sloppy Joe's make an appearance at our house, due to 1 night of leftovers as I wasn't feeling well.  The kids told me they don't like Sloppy Joes anyway, so we are NOT putting it on this week's menu.  Gee, I kind of liked them.....

2 Straight days of steady S-N-O-W did keep me home and out of the stores for a bit last week.  I did get out to use my expiring Catalinas plus a bit more food/toiletries shopping in spite of the weather.

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week.....our household presently consists of 2 adults and 2 teens at home.  No children under 13.

This week is all about using what I have and incorporating leftovers as well. Since alot of what I am serving is stockpiled, I'm putting what  I paid for the ingredients that are on hand so you can see what I spend w/stockpiling & sales versus buying it weekly when it might not be on sale. If I use a leftover ingredient I won't add that cost as it was already figured into the previous meal's cost.

MONDAY--Free Bday meal out at Red Robin for #2 son(if some choose to stay home, it's 'make your own dinner' night)...eating out comes out of the entertainment money, not food money
TUESDAY--Beef Enchiladas(3.47), Refried Beans(.89), Salad & Dressing(2.00)
WEDNESDAY--Baked Ziti(2.50), Salad & Dressing(2.00)
THURSDAY--Shrimp & Grits(4.00), Collards(need to buy)
FRIDAY--Tacos(4.05), Fiesta Corn(.30)
SATURDAY--Crockpot Chicken cooked in Salad Dressing marinade(3.50), Garlic Noodles(.25), Creamed Spinach(.50)
SUNDAY--??  Not sure yet....maybe Leftovers if we have any, if not there is always Sloppy Joes!lol
SNACKS/DESSERTS--Cantaloupe(2.00), Cheesecake(leftovers), Ice Cream(2.50), Pineapple(.80)

Adding up what has already been spent and what I need to spend for this week's menu, I can serve this menu of 5 meals including desserts/snacks to a family of 4 adults/teens for $33.76. Since I'm not sure what people will actually eat for leftover nights, I didn't add in those costs.  If you divide the meals and snacks cost by 5 nights, you get an average cost per night of $6.75.  That's $1.69 per person per night.  And this is mostly a cooking from scratch menu.  The only 'processed foods' are the Knorr's noodles with powdered sauce and the Salad Dressings.  Who says you can't cook healthy on the cheap?

LAST WEEK'S FOOD SPENDING
$33.55 was spent on food/toiletries last week. $22.47 at Weis on Catalina spending trips, $7.49 at WAGS on Toiletries only, $2.85 at Price Chopper on paper products and $.74 at Rite-Aid on bunches of stuff both food and not-food.  Some of the Weis items bought qualified me for $20 in prepaid Visa card MIRs so a very inexpensive shopping week once those come in.

The only item I need to purchase for this week's menu are eggs and collards-I'll make a big pot of collards that will stretch for at least 2 meals.  I'm figuring on spending $5 on the greens(making them the most expensive food for the week) as I am not waiting on a great sale to get them.  If they cost more than $5 this week, I'll substitute a cheaper option that I find at the store or dig around in the freezer for something we already have here. I am almost out of eggs, milk was replenished last week and we are ok on bread until next week.

FOOD WASTE REPORT
We were successful in eating ALL the leftovers last week!  Nothing went bad.  We have 1 pork chop leftover from last night and the meatballs that are being reinvented tomorrow night as Enchilada filling....that is it!

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

CVS Trip from a Couple of Weeks Ago....Oops!

I was over by CVS a couple of weeks ago so I went in to get some cheap Glade Candles, the Cover Girl deal and Crest Rinse.
It's weird but even though we have TONS of CVS's(almost as many as our crop of Rite-Aids)and CVS tends to limit the good deals to 1 or 2, if I don't get there on Sunday or maybe Monday, the good deals are gone!
So like Target, if I go, I go with NO expectations. ;-)
The Cover Girl stuff and Crest Rinse was, as expected, GONE!
But I still had a $10 ECB to roll over or spend or whatever, so here is what I did....

4 x Glade Candles on sale $3=$12.00
1 x Aussie 'Poo on sale=$2.99
1 x Gillette Custom Pivot Razors on sale=$6.49
SubTotal....$21.48

Coupons Used
2 x $3/2 Glade Items IPQ=$6.00
1 x $1/1 Aussie product ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 Gillette Disp. Razors ManuQ=$3.00
Coupon Total....$10.00

$21.48-$10.00=$11.48-$10 ECB=$1.48+$.09 tax=$1.57 OOP, put on CVS Gift Card so ZERO spent.
Received ECBs....$2 Gillette Razors, $2 Aussie item, $4 WYB $12 in Glade=$8.00

I did have the presence of mind to get a Raincheck for the Crest Rinses but forgot about the CoverGirl Powder....oh well.  Not like I NEED that anyway.

I will be needing to put an addition on the house fairly soon just to hold all the candles I've acquired in the past 6 months.lolol

Sluggy

Diggin' Out After the Snowicane....Rite-Aid and Weis and I'm not Done!

So after sitting home for 2 days while it snowed for 2 days straight, I just HAD to get out.  I had $17 in Weis Cats to spend before they expired Saturday night plus I was itchin' to go to Rite-Aid.

So after hubby took me out for lunch to our favorite cheapy-but-oh-so-yummy place, I hit Rite-Aid.

2 x Pert for Men Shampoo on clearance $1.99=$3.98**Even better deal than the reg. Pert on sale $2.50
2 x Glade Candles on sale $1.99=$3.98
1 x Finesse 'Poo on sale=$2.99
1 x Rite-Aid Aloe Vera Lotion on clearance=$2.99
2 x PureVia on sale $2.50=$5.00
1 x Oral B Toothbrush on sale=$2.99
SubTotal.....$21.93

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks IPQ=$5.00

2 x $1.50/1Pert for Men Shampoo ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $3/2 Glade Candles ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $2 any Skin Care item over $2.99 Wellness IPQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 PureVia ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Oral B Toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Any Oral Care Item over $1.99 Wellness IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$19.00

$21.93-$19.00=$2.93+$.06 tax=$2.99 OOP Put on Prepaid Visa Card from P&G/Rite-Aid Deal

Qualified for $2 SCR(Finesse 'Poo).

I went looking for the Hershey's PIECES Candy Bags for $2.50 so I could use the rest of my $1/1 ManuQs but my local R.A. didn't receive them yet.
I might go out tonight and check a different store....

Then it was onward to Weis.  First I had to see if I was due a refund on 2 packages of OEP Taco Shells I bought 2 weeks ago in the Catalina Deal.  The ad had this size listed but it didn't ring up on sale or give me my $8 Cat(I got a $4 Cat instead for the lower threshold level of spending).  Took the shells, the ad and my receipt and had a pow-wow at CS and then with the Manager on Duty.  Manager said they should have been included so I got 1 package free(full refund of $2.29)and the other package I got the difference between what they rang up and what they were suppose to be priced at($1.04 diff.), so I got to keep both shells and paid $1.25 for both in the end after my $3.33 refund.  Not bad.  But I still didn't have my other $4 in Cats I should have gotten.....ugh.
So it was off to spend my $17 in Cats I did have + some other free item Qs and to see if the Gillette Deal was worth doing.

4 x Valio Real Goodness Lactose-Free Milk on sale $2=$8.00
6 x Furmano Tomatoes on sale $1=$6.00
1 x International Delights Coffee Creamer=$1.50
2 x Prego Heart Smart Spaghetti Sauce on sale $2.00=$4.00
1 x Breyer's Yogurt on sale=$2.50
1 x Generic Dixie Bathroom Cups on sale=$2.99**Hubby insists we buy these, it's not MY idea!lol
2 x Fast Fixin's Chicken on sale BOGO=$6.99
1 x Steak=$6.18
4 x Gillette Body Wash $4.39=$17.56
1 x Gillette Deodorant=$3.99
1 x Gillette Deodorant=$4.55
SubTotal......$64.26

Coupons Used
4 x $1/1 Valio Real Goodness Lactose-Free Milk ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $1/3 Furmano Tomatoes ManuQ=$2.00
1 x FREE ITEM International Delight Creamer=$1.50
1 x $.50/2 Prego Heart Smart Spaghetti Sauce ManuQ(doubled to $1)=$1.00
1 x FREE ITEM Bryer's Yogurt Weis Catalina Q=$2.50
1 x $3/1 Instant Store Coupon on Steak=$3.00
4 x $1/1 Instant Store Coupon on Gillette BodyWash=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Instant Store Coupon on Gillette Deo WYB 1 Gillette BWash=$2.00
2 x B1Deo/Get1BWash FREE ManuQ=$6.78(cost of 2 BWash after Instant Store Qs)
1 x $4/2 Gillette Deodorant or BodyWash(I used on the Deodorants)=$4.00
3 x $3 Off Meat or Chicken Catalinas=$9.00
2 x $4 Off Catalinas(from 2 weeks ago Cat Deals)=$8.00
Coupon Total....$47.78

$64.26-$47.78=$16.48+$1.38 tax=$17.86 OOP
$66.46 in Savings, Value of $84.32.... a Savings of 80%.

The Gillette Deal was worth doing.  With the Instant Store Savings and Coupons, plus when you spend $25 or more in a single transaction on eligible P&G items, you can send away for a $10 Prepaid Visa Card.  I spent $26.10 before discounts/coupons so I can send for the $10 Visa card.  In essence, that makes my OOP here $7.86!

And when I got home, in the mail waiting for me were $18 in Cats from Catalina Marketing!lol
The $8 I didn't get(the OEP shells snafu) and then a $10 one....must be from the broken Cat Machine Register at a different Weis I went to.  I hadn't expected that one!  I still had the $4 CatI got instead of the $8 2 weeks ago so I am ahead $4 at any rate.
The problem here....they mailed the Cats on 2/23 and they expire 2/27...TODAY!LOLOL
So I am jumping back in the car to go spend them tonight!
I sure wish I had gotten the mail BEFORE we went out today...I would have had NO OOP if I had them to spend earlier today.
Oh.
Well.

#2 son is lobbying for a cheesecake splurge.
Maybe I can do the Gillette Deal again(send that rebate to BIL)AND get a cheesecake..... ;-)

Sluggy

Rolling Register Rewards at WAGS....2/24

Since we were expecting a long Snow 'Event' Thursday and Friday here in PA, I hopped up to WAGS Wednesday evening to roll some RRs that were expiring on Friday.
Just in case I couldn't make it out in time.

I bought this.....

4 x Hershey's Pieces Candy Bags on sale $2.50=$10.00
1 x Gillette Fusion Razor on sale=$8.99
2 x Crest Toothpaste $2.69=$5.38
2 x Right Guard Deo on sale BOGO=$2.99
1 x Goody Hairbands=$2.99
1 x Duracell Batteries 8pk. on sale=$5.99
3 x Hydrogen Peroxide $.99=$2.97
SubTotal....$39.31

Coupons Used
4 x $1/1 Hershey's Pieces Candy Bags ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $41 Gillette Fusion Razor ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $1/2 Crest Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/2 Right Guard Deo IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Duracell Batteries ManuQ=$1.00
1 x WAGS In-Ad Q Hydrogen Peroxide =$1.97
2 x WAGS Feb. Booklet $1.50/1 Crest TPaste Q=$3.00
Coupons Total....$16.97

RRs Used
1 x $10(Joint Juice)
1 x $3(Schick Razor)
1 x $2(Poligrip)
1 x $2(Lypsyl)
RRs Total....$17.00

$39.31-$16.97=$22.34-$17.00=$5.34+$1.26 tax=$6.60 OOP
I hadn't planned on getting the Batteries but daughter needed them for her calculator to take the SATs in 2 weeks.  Without the batteries, I would have been OOP $1.31.

I received RRs totaling $11 for this transaction....$5 for the Hershey's Candy, $4 for the Razor & $2 for the HairBands.  I spent $17 in RRs.
The purchase of the Hershey's candy also triggered a ManuQ for $1/1 off a bag of M&Ms.  This doesn't expire until 4/21/10 so it might mean cheap M&Ms when the Easter candy goes on clearance.

I still had a $1 RR to roll so I bought.....

2 x Hydrogen Peroxide $.99=$1.98
1 x Gillette Razor on sale=$8.99
1 x Candy Bar=$.69
SubTotal....$11.66

Coupons Used

1 x $41 Gillette Fusion Razor ManuQ=$4.00
1 x WAGS In-Ad Q Hydrogen Peroxide=$1.31
Coupon Total....$5.31

Register Rewards Used
1 x $1(old RR)
1 x $5(new from Pieces Candy Bags)
RRs Total....$6.00

$11.66-$5.31=$6.35-$6.00=$.35+$.54 tax=$.89 OOP

I received RRs totaling $4 for the Gillette Razor.  I spent $6 in RRs.
I now have $10 in RRs to roll within 2 weeks.  Let's hope there are some good things I can use with RRs attached offered at WAGS in those 2 weeks.

Though the Peroxide was a bit more than the cheapest filler items I could have added to my orders in order to use all my coupons and register rewards, I'd rather spend a little more and get something I can use than some junkie thing.  I love to use Peroxide for cleaning and in the laundry!

Sluggy

Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway Week 4.....LAST CHANCE to Enter!

It's WEEK 4 of The 1st BORING BLOG BOX OF FUN GIVEAWAY of 2010!

Ok....after packing in this week's goodies, there is NO MORE ROOM for additional stuff!  So this is the FINAL WEEK to enter to win this box!

Here is what went into the Box today.....

1.  1 Pair of hunter green Men's Winter Thinsulate Gloves Size L/XL
2.  1 Box of Purevia(40 ct.) stevia sweetener
3.  1 Bag of Luden's Cough Drops(cherry)
4.  1 Bar of Dove Soap
5.  1 Tin of Sugar-Free Altoids
6.  1 Rimmel Mascara
7.  1 BOGO Dozen Eggs Coupon from the Good Egg Project Facebook Giveaway(expires 3/31/10)

To refresh your memory, here is a photo of EVERYTHING that has gone into the box over the last 4 weeks that you can win....

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways on THIS POST.

Time to enter.....You can enter this week from today, February 24th through Tuesday, March 2nd at midnight EST.

1 regular entry per person per week.  Leave your name/email addy and a comment for a valid entry on THIS POST only.
MUST be a follower to enter.
MUST still be a follower at the time the the winner is posted.

There are 2 ways to get EXTRA entries each week....

1. Blog about my Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.  You can earn an extra entry each week by reposting about the Giveaway.
2. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with the URL of your blog. You can earn an extra entry each week by keeping my blog on your roll.

I'll number all the entries from each weekly Giveaway post and use random generator.org to pick the winner.

I have to say there are NOT many entries at this point, so be sure and enter as the odds are pretty good! ;-)

Any questions?  Just email me at slugmama@yahoo.com

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy