December Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

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

SUNDAY--Roasted Chicken, Carrots, Onions, Red Potatoes

MONDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Grilled Onions

TUESDAY--Hamburgers on rolls,Mixed Veggies

WEDNESDAY--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad
THURSDAY--Leftovers

FRIDAY--Chinese Take-out
SATURDAY--Squash Casserole, Barbecued Chicken Legs

The eBay thing cranked down a notch last week(meaning a bit fewer sales & I started slacking off on listing new items), so I was able to do a little more actual cooking.

We didn't do the Birthday meal for daughter last week, doing this week....other than that we pretty much had things as planned.

The roasted chicken made a dinner and 3 lunches for me(chicken salad sammies).  There were leftovers of the Spaghetti/Meatballs and Kielbasa.  We still have leftover barbecue chicken legs for this week.

Then I made 2 trips to the grocery store and Hubs stopped by Price Chopper for me.  In all, we spent $44.48 last year at the store.

I bought a chicken, ground beef, milk, pizza dough, crab rangoons, salad, a bunch of Pepperidge Farm cakes for the Holidays(on sale for $2 ea.) and beyond that I just don't remember without going through the receipts and nobody cares anyway so bleh. ;-)

Reg. retail of $83.11 so I saved 46.49% last week.

My Dec. food spending total so far through 12/17 is $101.57.  That leaves $198.43 for the month.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Lone Star for steaks(holiday treat out)

MONDAY--Daughter's Bday Meal out

TUESDAY--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Veggies

WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--BBQ pulled Pork Sammies, Coleslaw, Corn

FRIDAY--Eggplant Parmesan
SATURDAY--Chinese food out(Xmas even tradition)

Not sure if the Eggplant will happen.  If the leftovers are still plentiful by Friday, it won't happen this week.  #1 son is home for 1 week and leaves the day after Christmas so he is pretty much dictating what I am cooking this week.  What can I say?....he loves my cooking and I don't mind making him some favorite meals a couple of times a year on the rare occasion he is home. 8-)

Items needed for this menu.....Mushrooms, Eggplant, Cabbage and a big hunk of Pork butt for the Cue.

I'll also pick up stuff(like pecans for pie and bourbon balls)for the Christmas Day dinner too this week.

 

Not sure what the shopping list for Christmas dinner is because I'm still trying to figure out what to serve.  I want something nice and substantial but nothing I have to slave over half the day in the kitchen.  Daughter is suppose to 'help' me but I'm not counting on it.

What is everyone else serving for Christmas?

 

I can't decide between a ham or a rib roast, hmmmm..... 

 

At any rate, the food spending will be high this week. ;-)

 

Sluggy

Rite-Aid on Saturday

#1 son has suddenly gotten interested in cooking and saving money on food and HBA items.  After 2.5 years in college and actually having to sometimes spend his own money on stuff that "isn't fun", but neccessary, he's receptive to using money wisely.  He also wants to get an apartment off-campus next year for his Senior year so he's going to have to start cooking for himself on a regular basis.  All the years when he was still at home and I TRIED to get him to learn to cook......NOW he decides he needs to learn.

So he drove me up to Rite-Aid on Saturday evening so I could show him how I work the drugstore magic and explain why I bought what I bought.......

3 x Peace Tea....#1 son wanted these.....99=$2.97
1 x Scope blast mouthwash...on sale, #2 son wanted this=$3.99
2 x Visine original ($5.49)w/20% wellness discount $4.39=$8.78 *bought b/c they gave overage
2 x Cookies on sale $3=$6.00 *wanted to get golden Oreos for #2 son but they were out
Subtotal...$21.74

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Scope mouthwash ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $3/1 Visine original IPQ=$6.00
2 x $1/1 Visine In-Ad Q=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Visine Peelie on boxes Q=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$13.00


$21.74-$13.00=$8.74
I used $8.50 in +Up Rewards, which left .24¢ +.08¢=.32¢ to put on my Rite-Aid gift card.

I received $7.50 back in +Up Rewards(2 x $2Visine, $1 wyb2 Cookies, $2.50 Scope, basically I am down $1 in +Ups and out .32¢ on my free gift card.

Then I noticed my Peace teas didn't ring up with my 20% wellness discount.
So I got .60¢ back on my gift card.
Which means I ended up spending -.28¢ on the gift card....so I am "down" .72¢ in +Ups and I "spent" .72¢ for all these items.

Now my store lets you use any peelies found on items you are buying, even if you are already stacking a Rite-Aid Q and a ManuQ.  You mileage may vary.  While we didn't 'need' the Visine right now, next Spring it will get used.  It was the right time to buy it for the overage to pay for the things that weren't free or almost free(the cookies).

#1 son "got it" right away, but I don't see him putting much thought into working a deal himself.
Some day though, some day......  ;-)

Sluggy

Christmas Budget

Last Year I spent a total of $881.64 on Christmas related expenses.  I blog about my Holiday financials and call it my Christmas Spending Autopsy.

That included everything--gifts, Christmas cards, shipping costs, stamps for the cards, Christmas dinner fixings, Christmas Eve dinner out for the family, my family Secret Santa person's gift, and even the extra electricity used for Holiday lighting(estimated of course).
The only things it didn't include is what Hubs spent...which would be my gift(s), his Secret Santa person's gift and a gift for an exchange at his work.

I am hoping to stay right around that neighborhood again this year.
I've got what's left of the extra 3rd paycheck in December after deducting those unexpected expenses I talked about HERE to spend on Christmas.  Since I've got plenty of savings if I go over I can just yank money from that pile.  But I WILL keep track of what I am spending as I really don't want to yank savings money out if I can help it.

Of course, I only have 10 people on my gift list which helps me not go bankrupt.  My blogging buddy SonyaAnn has a list of people she gifts that is a mile and 3/4 long.  She has to be more frugal than I at the Holidays and she does a bang up job!  HERE is her most recent list of what she's gotten, what it's worth, what she's spent out of pocket and what she's saved.

I'm a just a little behind this year getting to my shopping for gifts. Usually by now I have finished up.  This year I have 4 of the 10 people done...one of those just has to be mailed out.
Another one I have to bake and mail out.
Yet another one I know what I am getting them, I just have to go down the road and get it(a gift cert. for a service).

That leaves my 3 kids and Hubs.
While I'm mostly done with the kids(after I throw money in their stockings), I am left with Hubs.
And this year all my usual standbys he has made it clear he doesn't want.
No special beer.
No special bags of coffee.
Except the book store gift cards.....if he EVER turns one of those down I know to call 911 as he has expired. ;-)
So I am scratching my head still trying to figure out what to get Hubs.

I won't go into the specifics of my gift list except to say that I have used a combination of discount deals online, items bought throughout the year for cheap and redeeming credit card points for gift cards to lower the out of pocket cash I spent so far.

At the moment I am OOP $127.46 for $396.88 worth of gifts.  And $19 of that $127.46 spent is for shipping.
My total OOP will be going higher later this week when I dig out a box of items from my closet I've been squirreling away throughout the year of little gifties and stocking stuff for the family.

After Christmas I'll be doing my Spending Autopsy like last year to see what went right, what went wrong and what needs to be fixed for Christmas 2012.

Did I just say Christmas 2012??
ACK

I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen.....lol


Sluggy

2011 Review Extravaganza....April through June

I'm taking part in this 2011 Review Extravaganza from over at Mimi's Place, Living in France.
Here is the link to The Rules.
If you want to take part go read the rules and then link up each Friday in December.
And to read the folks participating, go click on the Extravaganza Button on my side bar.


Onward to my 2nd installment of the  Review of 2011...the April to June months.

APRIL

I talked about saving money on groceries by thinking outside the grocery store HERE.

With 1 teen in college and a second one on the way in this past Fall, I talked about the "joys" of doing the COLLEGE FUNDING DANCE.

I ranted about my spendthrift Hubs HERE.



MAY

May was a super busy month.  Lots of school stuff....activities, concerts and a soon-to-be graduating high school Senior. 

I shared an Epic School Photo FAIL.

I really ramped up the de-cluttering and shared lot of pics of Decluttering P*rn this month.

I shared another of my FRUGAL HACKS.

My May Totals at Rite-Aid were pretty good.  No money out of pocket and lots of FREE STUFF. 


In the midst of all the craziness of May, Daughter and I were in a CAR WRECK.   Knocked around pretty good and 1 totaled car later and it was on to....



JUNE

We got another one through high school and GRADUATED.  Then we shipped all three off to summer camp to work and/or attend.

The Great 2011 PURGING and Decluttering continued into June.

Evil forces were at work in our Washing Machine.  Almost $100 later and we discovered The CULPRIT.

I found a rendition of that horrible show JERSEY SHORE that actually made it fun to watch.  They took the transcripts of "THAT SHOW" and performed it as an OSCAR WILDE Production.

Check back next Friday for Part 3 in the Series, where we dissect July to September.

Sluggy

Closing Out the Holiday Birthday Week With a Song

Daughter made it home yesterday from school. 8-)
She wasn't in the door 5 minutes and she asked to borrow the car, wanted dinner and informed me that "I" was buying her new clothes.


That reminds me....I need to mark on the calendar when she is leaving again.....lol

So let's close out this Birthday Celebration with one of my Daughter's favorite songs.
I see they have done an official Holiday Version of it.

That's a good thing.....because nobody needs to see Carrot Top in flag briefs and a cape.  Thankfully they left that shot out of the original version when they added the holiday content.
Like I told someone earlier this week*cough SonyaAnn*.....some things can't be UNSEEN. ;-)

Turn up your speakers and Enjoy!



Sluggy