The Darkest Day of the Year is Here!

*It's 3 am and I am headed to bed after staying up too too late to pack up things that sold on eBay and need to ship out today.  Don't make too much noise and wake me as y'all head out the door to shop, if you are so inclined.
Here's a repeat of my teeny rant last year on Black Friday.
The clip at the end is funny yet too close to the truth sometimes to be hilarious.
Enjoy!

Sluggyzzzzzzzz
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Will you be out with the Shopping Fanatics on Friday morning?
Or will you be snug in your bed or headed to work at that early hour?
Me?....I don't 'do' Black Friday.

Besides the fact that I don't have many people to buy "stuff" for during the Holidays, it's rare that I want/need something so badly at an insanely low price that I'd brave the traffic headaches, go out into the Chaos of Crowds and stand in lines a mile long to pay in order to save money on an electronic/appliance/toy/article of clothing/etc.
But that's just me I suppose....
Hey, I am all over a great deal but even I have my limits.

If you do have the "Shopping Monkey on your back" and you'll be hitting as many stores as time will allow in a Shopping Bachanalia, remember that all that "stuff" you buy needs to fit into your already crowded with "stuff" home and once you are done with the new "stuff", it will most likely end up clogging up a landfill somewhere....and we are fast running out of places to dispose of all our unwanted "stuff" on this planet.  Consider these points and buy judiciously if you have to purchase "stuff".

The teens mostly want cash or gift cards and Hubs and I don't need more "stuff". I'm going to try to find ways to support local businesses this year when I do buy.
I'll try to find gift cards/certificates to buy off of local small merchants(for consumables or experiences mostly)and try to stay out of the big box stores.

Speaking of big box stores and Black Friday, have a lookie at this SNL skit and tell me that this isn't where we are headed.....



Since I sold a few things on eBay on Thanksgiving(bless all those cyber shoppers with nothing to do but watch football on Thursday!lol) I'll be packing and shipping when I'm not strolling down the aisles at Rite-Aid on Friday seeing what food/HBA items I can bring home for free(or close to it).

Whatever you are doing on Black Friday, stay safe, stay sane and stay warm!

Sluggy

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been up since 5am.
Seriously, who in their right mind gets up that early if they don't have to?!?!lol

Judy may have the Battle of the Thanksgiving Salt & Pepper Shakers but I've got Kermit Pilgrim.....

Now if I can just keep him out of my homemade Salted Caramel and Apple Pie, we'll be good to go.

And for Practical Parsimony who asked me what in the world is Bell's Seasoning, this is it....

It's just a pre-blended mix of herbs for stuffing....you know, sage, rosemary, thyme, that sort of thing.  It's a tradition for us.
Not frugal at $3 an ounce, but a tradition.

The pies were done yesterday, as was the stuffing.
I've got the roll dough rising, the rutabaga in the crockpot, the dip made and the turkey just went in the oven.
I've got time for a 2 hour nap now before I have to start drinking. ;-)

Hope your Thanksgiving is safe, comfortable(put on those fat pants today!), and surrounded by those you love(if not in body, in spirit).
Thanks for being my readers and my friends. 8-)

Sluggy

Turkey Day Prep is in Full Swing!

The photo above is for SonyaAnn.  It may not be a naked Santa but it's pretty racy, funny and a tad bit irreverent just like you.lol

Daughter is home and we are in full swing with the Thanksgiving meal prep.
*Turkey marinating...check.
*Cranberry glop in the fridge to chill...check.
*Pie filling made.....check.

Now I'm off to deal with the pie crusts.
Also on deck is toasting bread, chopping aromatics and sautéing them for stuffing, making a salted caramel apple pie(nomnomnom) and cubing the rutabaga for the crockpot.

I'm just hoping I can get all this done without having to run to the grocery store again. ugh

Here's hoping your meal prep is going well!

Sluggy

Tuesday Chit-Chat & Randomness

Hubs and I have solved the IRS/Brown Family dilemma.....
Kody and wife #1 file as married with 7 dependents(their kid and his and wife #3's 6 kids).
Wife #2 files as Head of Household(as she has a job)with 6 dependents(her and Kody's kids)
Wife #3 does not file a federal return(don't know if she has to file a state return or not in her state)...she has no income, child support or alimony so Kody take the kid deductions
Wife #4 doesn't file either as she has no job/income...unless she gets alimony and/or child support.  If her ex-husband pays child support, he takes the deductions on their 3 kids probably.  If she gets the deductions and receives alimony and/or child support then she does file as Head of Household.

Now next year(meaning for 2011 returns), Wife #4 with have a new kid with Kody, so he gets another dependent deduction. 
But since the moved to Vegas none of them have jobs....well except for the money TLC is paying them to be on the show, their tax stuff all changes for 2011.
 
Which brought up another point in Hub's mind. 
How is TLC paying them?  Since only 1 Sister Wife is legally married, they can't just pay Kody or Kody and wife.  They would have to pay each of the adults separately, which means they ALL have income now, even the SAHM ones.  So all but the 1st wife files as Head of Household now?
Ack....I need a Tylenol.....

At the suggestion of Sharon I have moved the Follower Button/Feature to the top of the blog.  She said it might encourage more people who drop by here to actually follow.  I feel like Sheldon a bit when I look at the blog because something just seems 'off' to me with it there.  No matter what I say to the contrary, I guess I don't adjust to change well.......

I do believe that half of France is shopping for the Holidays on eBay this year.  I am getting multiple inquiries each day about the shipping costs of this or that to France.  I've sold a thing here and there in the past to someone in France, but nothing like lately!  I thought France was in an economic crisis?  Seems the folks there with money still didn't get the memo.

And another observation about eBay......I get questions about shipping outside of the US frequently because I am one of the few US sellers who welcomes international customers.   I have learned over the years a few things.  One thing I'm going to say is going to sound sort of bad.  I'd call it a stereotype except that sometimes those have a basis in fact when you get down to it's core.  Here is my Un PC observation from many years on eBay--If you get a question about shipping to Netherlands, you might as well just ignore that person.
Why?
Because if they live in Netherlands they won't pay whatever the shipping cost is.
Why won't they pay it?
Because it will always be too expensive to them.
Yes, people from Netherlands are tightwads frugal shoppers.  I got it into my head that these people were cheap back in the 1980's.  My mother-in-law(one of the most frugal people I have known)had a book of money saving ideas.  One of those ideas was to cook beans under your mattress.....well, heat them up, then turn off the stove and put the covered pot under your mattress....the residual heat plus the insulation from the mattress would 'cook' your beans without using any additional energy.  I thought that tip was unique and strangely bizarre as a 20-something.  And that tip came from someone from, you guessed it.....Netherlands!  In face quite a few frugal tips were from persons from Netherlands.

Not too long after reading that book, a college friend went to visit someone who lived in the Netherlands.  What fun and exciting activity did her friend entertain her with?  They went walking.....walking for miles out into the sea in the muck left behind when the tide rolls out.  It's even got a name-Wadlopen or Mud Walking.
Wow!.....now that's living large.

I guess in my next life I might want to find myself located in the Netherlands.  My frugal butt would be much smaller and I would fit right in with that culture.
Except that mud walking thing.  I'd confine my exercise to biking or walking around town.

Here's something that I don't get.  Well I DO get it, but why anyone does it is a mystery to me.
I have a moderate feature on comments here on the blog.  Yes, I am a control freak that way.
The only thing that will get your comment banned is grossly inappropriate comments(slander, vulgar cursing, etc.)and spam.
I am constantly getting comments to moderate that are spam.  People who leave comments that are SORT OF innocuous and SORT OF say something on topic but have either 1-hyperlinked words in the text of the comment to sales sites or 2-the person's User Name, if clicked on, takes you to a sales site rather than their Blogger ID page.  Now you KNOW they are just trying to get either page views on their sites or trying to get people to buy stuff.  I don't appreciate being used nor does my teensy tiny blog.
If you are out there, doing this and reading now, KNOCK IT OFF!
Everyone else keep calm and carry on.....

I am off for some last minute Turkey Day food shopping.  Then to start digging out the dining room, baking pies and brining the bird.

Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
MONDAY--Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs
TUESDAY--Teriyaki Salmon w/ Veggie Fried Rice
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Kielbasa, Potato Salad, Cabbage
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Take-Out Pizza *at behest of Hubs and #2 son

No Breakfast for Dinner night, Chinese take-out instead.  No Squash casserole night because I never got to the Product market last week for said squash, so we had leftovers instead. And I was out voted on Saturday and a pizza was ordered(using a gift card).

Last week was all about many little food shopping trips revolving around....say it with me!....GRAVY!

8 transactions at Weis Markets(aka Evil Empire)and 1 trip to the RSS(aka Restaurant Supply Store)for blue cheese dressing(aka PRECIOUS).

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $91.07.

 

That sure sounds like A LOT of $$ to me, but look at what I got for that amount.....

93 cans of gravy

21 cans of soup

1 bag stuffing

4 bags of croutons

6 bags of frozen potato/onion rings

2 bags of salad

2 cans of pineapple

4 bags of cheese

8 containers of sour cream

2 cans of cranberry sauce

5 3-packs of yeast

11 single packs of yeast

2 boxes of broth

1 applesauce cups

2 boxes of pie crust

2 bags of green beans

1 gallon of dressing

1 14-cut cheesecake

1 turkey

The only thing missing is a Partridge in a Pear Tree.....

If I saw it all sitting out together I'd think I did good.  I need my visuals people!lol

My savings percentage was 72.40% last week, as the reg. retail was $329.84 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $213.52, which leaves me $36.48 to stay within my $250 monthly food budget.  Ok, I "really" have $39.48 since I have $3 in rebates this month to throw into the food kitty....which is how I handle rebate $. 8-)

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Tacos, Veg.
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Chili or Leftovers
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Yellow Squash, Bell Seasoning, Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Celery and Milk.  I have $20 in store Rewards I have to spend by Saturday or lose them, so I'll get as much of this as I can at the ShurSave store.  

This is the last food shopping Week in the month.  Between the free $20 rewards and the $39 I have left, I think I'll be able to stay under budget for November...yay!

 

Unless of course, I start jonesing for some more Gravy! lol

So have you run out of food budget yet this month?

Or do you have lots of cash left?

Sluggy