June is Busting Out All Over....with Decluttering P*rn!

More stuff leaving my house this week.....

2 x Transformers Beast Wars toys
9 x Micro machines Star Wars Battle Packs and Vehicles
1 x Racing Champions Black Sabbath Car
1 x Set of Star Wars Curtains

1 x Stick Horse
3 x Blankets/Flat Sheets

1 x Scooby Doo Mystery Machine
1 x Oreo Cookie Jar

1 x Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel
1 x Flubber Doll
2 x Star Wars Metal Keychain Sets
8 x Miniature Mme. Alexander Dolls
1 x Racing Champions Ozzy Osbourne car
1 x Teletubbies Dominoes Set
1 x Star Wars Simon Sez

And  courtesy of #2 Son's closet we have this......

2 pair men's shorts
5 men's t-shirts
2 men's l/s shirts
1 scarf
1 pair men's pajamas
6 pair men's jeans
1 pair men's dress slacks

So what stuff have you pared down in your life this month?

Sluggy

I Finished Buying Gift Cards

Well I did the gift card Cat Deal at Weis Markets 2 more times.  This was 1 time short of my goal of 3 more times, but I didn't have my car one day due to the Daughter having to take it to work.
So 2 times had to be enough.

I got some more soda and coffee along with each of the gift cards(purchased in separate transactions) so I received 2 more of the smaller denomination Cats as well as the $10 Cats.
And I am back up to 70 gas points, so I can fill my minivan's tank by Saturday at $2.65 a gallon.


I also went back to Rite-Aid and bought 2 more of the "Home Improvement" Gift Cards that were generating $10 +Ups and used the BIL's Wellness card.

Since I spent the 1st $10 Cat and other smaller Cats already I have left to spend......

6 x $10 OYNO Cat
1 x $5 OYNO Cat
2 x $4 OYNO Cat
2 x $2 OYNO Cat
1 x $5 Weis Gift Card

4 $10 +Up Rewards(Rite-Aid)

For a total of $83 in free food at Weis and $40 in free food/toiletries at Rite-Aid left to use.

$200 in Lowe's Gift Cards
$200 in "Home Improvement" Stores Gift Cards
2 x $25 Restaurant Gift Cards
$100 Kohl's Gift Cards**used already**

I'm OOP $550 for $550 worth of stuff I have to buy anyway.
And I have $123 worth of free food/toiletries as a bonus.
Plus I have another 70 gas points to use by the end of this week.

And the Cats I spent already($22.50 worth), helped me get my food spending last week down a bit more.

If you have to spend money, why not find a way to get something extra for spending it?! 8-)

Another scenario where I would buy gift cards when you would get a $XX Bonus Catalina is for Christmas(or Birthday or other gift occasions in your life).

If you have to cash on hand to spare or tie-up  until the gift is needed AND you are sure the recipient needs/wants/can use the gift card you are buying(or you can use the gift card to go and buy an actual "thing" present when the time comes to "gift" them), then wait for a Catalina Bonus when you buy gift cards at the grocery store and then go purchase them.  Gift cards are easy to store and don't take up the amount of room buying actual gifts can.  You don't need a gift room or gift closet to store these presents, just an envelope in your desk or a sock drawer.
But you DO need the spare cash and that doesn't mean to use money in your Emergency Fund to pay for them.
Gifting is not an emergency situation, no matter what your kids tell you......

Sluggy

Food Spending June Week 3 & Meal Planning?.....Maybe Not

One way to save money is to plan a menu and buy what you need, shopping from a list.  Planning your meals and food purchases also aids in eliminating food waste.
We had no food waste last week.

This is what we actually ate last week......

SUNDAY--Spaghetti with Sausage and Vegetable Pasta
MONDAY--Taco Bell

TUESDAY--Burgers on Roll, COC

WEDNESDAY--Barbecue Chicken, Grilled Asparagus
THURSDAY--Domino's Pizza, Tossed Salad
FRIDAY--Leftover COC, Chinese Food, Spaghetti, Pizza
SATURDAY--More Leftovers COC, Salad, Hot Dogs with Sauerkraut

Thursday's dinner was changed to Pizza, due to the 50% off code for Domino's.

I must say I REALLY don't like Domino's pizza now.  This is the first time we'd had it since they changed it.

It is TOO GARLICKY!

And somebody told me it's "spray on garlic??"  yuck.

I scrapped Friday and Saturday's menus as we had so many leftovers from earlier in the week.

I think it's because the teens weren't here for some meals, so we just ate the leftovers.  Hubs could have heavier food and I could eat lighter since it was hot and I didn't feel like pasta and hot dogs.

And I got a break from cooking.....go me! ;-)

Food Budget matters....
I've been a shopping fool this past week, doing the deals at the Weis Grand Opening Sale in my town.
I spent on food/toiletries this week....$179.02
(That includes a couple receipts from last week I just found, $14.39 worth.)
I did buy 3 Lysol toilet cleaners on Saturday's trip to Weis, which I will submit for a $3 rebate(making those $1 each after rebate).  That purchase/rebate brings my weekly spending total down to $176.02.

Reg. shelf price for what I bought....$520.46
That's a 65.60% savings rate.


Now granted I DID buy 12 12-packs of soda, 4 6-packs of vitamin water, 6 bags of cookies, 6 bags of chips, muffins and pizza rolls at the Grand Opening Sale at Weis over the course of the week.
But last week, I also got....6 lbs.of local honey, flax seeds, quinoa, 6 loaves of bread, 12 lbs. of coffee, asparagus, toilet cleaner, laundry detergent, corn, potatoes, other produce, 6 lbs. of ground beef, 2 lbs. of shrimp, a 3lb. bag of potstickers, seltzer and a box of cereal.

I just have to take all that junk food and hide it before #2 Son comes home and figure out how I am going to dole it out to him.  If you've been reading here for some time, you KNOW #2 Son has little self-control when it comes to soda and cookies.  I have to limit it or he'd have it all consumed in days.  I'm going to see if I can make the soda last until October.  The cookies?....I'll be lucky to get through August before the only thing left are crumbs.

I've given myself $400 for food this month. I have spent to date $306.91, so I have $93.09 left for June.

The Human Eating Machine(#2 Son has left the building for the rest of June so I should be able to keep the spending on target.

************************

This week's menu.....

No Menu this Week

Me and Scarlett will think about that another day.

Fiddle-dee-dee.

So what is everyone else eating this week?
C'mon.....make me jealous with your awesome cooking and food choices!


Sluggy

What Up!......Happy Father's Day to Your Favorite Thug

Everybody and their brother are making copies of "The Dad Life" Rap.
Remember that?

Check out the original HERE if you somehow missed it all these years.

The only thing about that one?
When the old guys starts talking about his "manscape" it sort of creeps me out. ;-)

My eyes are bleery from watching 23 versions of this video.
But it still makes me laugh after all these years.

Go give the Dad in your life a hug and then go make him watch this with you.......



Word to ya Fathah.....

Sluggy

Friday Music

Here's some music for your Friday afternoon.

If you don't watch Craig Ferguson's show, you should start.
If you can't stay up that late at night, CBS reruns them online the next day.

Enjoy!  This band is from Scotland and Craig promoted them on his May episodes they did in Scotland.

Sluggy