Food Spending July Week 4 & Meal Planning August Week 1

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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

Sunday--Dinner out at Ruby Tuesdays

Monday--Grilled  Squash, Hot Dogs

Tuesday--Green Beans, Chinese take-out

Wednesday--Leftover Chinese

Thursday--Corned Beef and Cabbage

Friday--Fend for Yourself(Hubs had Beanie Weenies, I had a Grilled Cheese sandwich & a salad)

Saturday--Leftovers(I was the only one home for dinner.)

I only really "cooked" 2 full meals(green beans don't count on Tues.lol).  We stretched out the take-out to 2 dinners and we just scrounged in the pantry/fridge since it was too hot to cook.  I bought some salad greens and melons had a few salads and ate fruit. 

The weekly food spending was $94.05 done in a trip each to Weis, Walmsrt and the local Shursave Market.  I had a $5 off $50 Q for Weis so I spent enough to use that.  I stocked up on cream cheese andMtn. Dew(#2 Son is home!lol).  I also got dog food, single serve fruit cups for Hubs lunch, bagels, juice, produce, yogurt and lunchmeat.  I picked up a box of those BelVita Breakfast biscuits for $1.50 after Q/sale to try them.  Maybe I can convince #2 Son to eat them before Band Camp if I say they are cookies.lol  I used $11 in Qs(including the $5 off $50 one)at Weis and got 10 gas points.  I also received a $5 OYNO Catalina Q which I'll use on one of the Catalina Deals this week.

The regular retail value for all food bought was $144.01 so I had a 34.70% savings rate. 

As I reset my July Food Budget to $300, I now have $64.92 left to spend on food/toiletries this month.  1 shopping day left in July.  If I stay out of the stores tomorrow,(except Rite-Aid) I'll make this no problem.

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......small chunk of corned beef, 1 helping of cabbage, a 1/4 of a head of raw cabbage and 1 yellow squash.

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This week's menu.....back to the grind.....lol

Sunday--BBQ Chicken, Collard Greens

Monday--Hamburger Helper type casserole, Pickles

Tuesday--Fried Fish, Yellow Squash, Coleslaw

Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, Mixed Veggies

Thursday--BLT Sandwiches

Friday--Chinese take-out, Teriyaki Green Beans

Saturday--Tacos or Taco Salad

I have collards, squash and green beans to use from the garden this week.   The leftover raw cabbage will be made into coleslaw.  The leftover corned beef will make a sandwich or two for lunches.

I am trying very hard to NOT turn on the oven this week.  Everything will be cooked on the stovetop or in the microwave.  When it's this hot out I really don't want to eat hot food much, and really not wanting meat much either.  I'd live on cold sammies(ok, maybe a grilled cheese thrown into the mix now and again), fruit and salads if I had my druthers.....and once Hubs retires and the kids are gone, I'll get a chance to do just that. ;-)

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....breaded chicken(it's on sale and I have Qs), a tomato, bread, lettuce.  Also more lunchmeat, fruit and milk. 

I'll wait until Wed. to shop since that's the first of August and my food budget resets to $300.  With #2 Son home again, I am considering adding back another $50 to the food kitty.   $50 should be enough to shop for this meal plan, unless Daughter runs out of something.

Stock-up opportunities are not known yet for this week.  Weis is running a bunch of Catalina Deals this week, including one for dog food(which we need).

So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

A Rite-Aid Quickie!

Everybody likes a quickie, right? ;-)

After dropping #2 Son at Marching Band Camp I ran over to Rite-Aid to do some deals.

6 x Dove Shampoo on sale 2/$7=$21.00
2 x Axe Deodorant on sale but 20% wellness disc. less($4.39)=$8.78
1 x Suave Shampoo on sale-price for 1=$1.99
SubTotal.....$31.77

Coupons Used
3 x $3/2 Dove items ManuQ(Sunday paper)=$9.00
3 x $2/2 Dove items AdPerkQ=$6.00 *YMMV
2 x $1/1 Axe Deodorant ManuQ(Sunday paper)=$2.00
1 x $2/2 Axe items AdPerkQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$19.00

$31.77-$19.00=$12.77
I used $9 in +Up Rewards, leaving me an OOP of $3.77, which I put on my gift card.

I received back $10 in +Up Rewards(2 x $5 WYB $15 in Unilever items).

Then I bought this stuff here.....

2 x Crest Mouth Rinse on sale $5=$10.00
2 x Head & Shoulders Shampoo on sale $4.99=$9.98
2 x Crest Toothpaste on sale $3.00=$6.00
SubTotal....$25.98

Coupons Used
1 x BOGO Crest Mouth Rinse ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Mouth Rinse ManuQ=$1.00
1 x BOGO Head/Shoulders ManuQ=$4.99
1 x $1/1 Head/Shoulders ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Crest Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$12.99

$25.98-$12.99=$12.99
I used the $10 in +Up Rewards I got in the last transaction and put the $2.99 left OOP on my gift card.

I received $14 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $3 Crest Rinse, 2 x $1 Head/Shoulders, 2 x $3 Crest Toothpaste)

I'm OOP $6.76 on my gift card, I have $81.35 worth of stuff and $14 in +Ups to roll.

If I hadn't forgotten some Qs on this trip, I would have done the Dove deal a bit differently and bought $45 worth instead of $30 worth.  There is a limit of 3 deals on the Spend $15/Get $5 for the Unilever items.  I have $1.77 spent so far toward the 3rd Deal of $15, so I'll go back WITH my Qs this time(doh!)and get more Axe and Dove.

If you want to do the Head & shoulders and/or the Crest Rinse Deals you need to do them before the end of July.  The H&S deal uses a BOGO Q from the July P&G insert(so it expires 7/31), and the Crest Rinse uses a $1/1 Q from that same insert.

About the Crest Rinse BOGO Q.....it's for 2 different sized of Rinse(Buy a large bottle, get a smaller bottle).  The ONLY smaller bottles that you can buy with this Q AND get you the 2nd $3 +Up Reward is the White specialty Rinse bottle....it's the only bottle of that size tagged on sale for $5.00.  If you buy a regular priced small bottle it will qualify to be used with the Q but it won't generate the 2nd $3 +Up.

The Pantene is also a good deal this week.
There is a $3/2 ManuQ in the Sunday inserts for Pantene.
Buy 2 bottles at Rite-Aid this week on sale for $7.
After Q, you pay $4 and then get back a $2 +Up Rewards wyb 2 bottles.
In the end, each bottle costs you $1 after +Up.

I'll be heading back after they get the truck unloaded to see if any Oral-B toothbrushes came in so I can do the Get $2 +Up WYB 3 Oral-B Toothbrushes Deal.  I also want to do the J&J Deal too and they are out of Reach floss.....that on sale for $2 and I have $2/1 Tearpad Qs so free and counts toward the $30 you have to spend to get the $10 +Up.

Out Of Pocket....$16.36 cash
Value of items bought....$65.52+$49.25+$49.19 + $36.01 + $81.35=$281.32
Single Check Rebate due....$6.00

+Ups at beginning of month...$33+
+Ups used....$75+
+Ups received...$56+
+Ups currently...$14+ 


Anybody else having fun with Rite-Aid this week?

Sluggy

Sunday Night Chit-Chat

Go see Carla if you want to play along. Copy and paste your answers and direct a link back to Carla's blog.
Here we go....

I've been scanning family photos this evening.  This is my brother holding me after my Christening in 1959.  Don't let that angelic, cherubic face on him fool you.  He had him some right nice devil horns the whole time growing up.lol



What are you...

Reading?  "I Wrote You Word"-the Poignant Letters of John Lee Holt.  *He's an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.  His great granddaughter had his letters home to his wife compiled into a book back in the 1990's.
 
Watching?  Listening to the Olympics, Hubs is watching them.  Well sort of, he has ADHD with the remote and keeps changing the channel.  It drives me NUTS!  Hopefully he goes to bed soon and I can actually watch an entire race from start to finish.lol

Listening to?  The Olympics.

Cooking/Baking? We thinned out the Collard Greens in the garden today, so I cooked up the thinnings with a tad bit of salt pork.  "Tad bit" is a technical cooking term you know.....
I baked a double batch of brownies yesterday as #2 Son came home from summer camp.  Those won't last long with him home.lol

Happy you accomplished this week?
 Got the bills paid.
Got some cleaning done.
Got some swimming time in between the downpours of rain.....yah, rain!!!

Looking forward to this week?  
Getting a good amount of photo scanning done.  Getting some more cleaning done in the living room/dining room.  Hubs goes back to work so I'll have some quiet time again. 
Working on some more genealogy.  I'm adding my sis-IL(brother's wife)family to our tree.  Will be interesting to see where that takes me.

Thankful for today?
  My kids.  They drive me nuts but they are good kids.  They are a blessings and I'll try to keep that in mind when they are on my last nerve next time!lol


*Bonus Question*
What are 3 RAK's (Random Acts of Kindness) you witnessed this week?

Well, I didn't really go anywhere this week so other than Hubs and I doing for each other, no RAOKs last week.  I let someone go ahead of me in line at Rite-Aid.....that will have to count. ;-) 
Ok, I offered to do some genealogy legwork for a guy in the UK......ok, the weather has to cool off first but it's penciled in for Sept. or Oct.

Sluggy 

Goal Check-Up....1/2 of the Way Thru 2012

Readers might remember that I set up a List of personal Hopes/Goals for 2012 back in January.
This post will be about revisiting my list and where I stand in regard to them at the 6 month checkpoint of the year.

Did I just say we are halfway through 2012 already???!!!  Ok, this post is almost a MONTH LATE and we are almost at 7/12th of the way through the year.
I think I really need to go breathe into a paper bag now, because I am about to hyperventilate at that thought!

At any rate, here is the list with updates....


Sluggy's Personal List of Goals for 2012

1.  Get all the tax and college Paperwork completed and filed by the end of February.
DONE....one of the few things I can totally cross off the list until next year.  Go me!lol

2.  Convert all my vinyl LPs to CDs and purge the LPs from my life.
I've decided to change this Goal to Digitizing all my photographs, since I have the handheld scanner and I've already begun to scan my photos into the computer.  If/When I get the photos completed I'll start on the vinyl LP conversions.  So for now, I'll give myself.....
IN PROGRESS But BEHIND!

3.  Continue to Declutter everywhere.  Finish the garage and move what's in the living room into the garage so that the house is 100% done by April.  Be out of the storage unit by December.
FAIL--well, the house is NOT 100% done yet so that's a fail.   
But I have continued to declutter.
I have gotten down in the decluttering to the nitty gritty of things.  I have so little used stuff to still get rid of and we just don't buy stuff anymore so there is nothing coming into the house to replace what I've gotten rid of.  That's a good thing!
But what is left is stuff I am finding difficult to pitch and donate.  All the things I bought to sell many years ago.  It kills me to donate some of this, knowing that what we get in donated value is less that what it cost me.  And yes, I'd sell it IF I could find someone locally to buy it and I've tried, believe me, I. Have. Tried.  And eBay is no longer an option because of the weight/high shipping costs these days.   There are buyers there but between the price of the item AND the shipping it's just too expensive.....and if I lower the price, well, it's more cost effective to take the tax write-off for the donation.
I guess I've had this stuff so long I am emotionally attached to it......and I need to let go of the thought of the money I have invested in this stuff.  Let go of the crap, let go of the money and let go of the memories.

We are almost ready to start work inside the house on the home reno projects. I know we have the cash for this but it kills me to hand it over to do this work that I use to do when I was younger.  I was always the handy one in the marriage.  I painted,  hung wallpaper, laid flooring and made a tiled platform for our wood stove in our old house.
My NEXT husband will be handy......lol 

4.  Complete 4 house projects in 2012.  2 inside/2 outside
FAIL so far.  Projects identified and the cash is there, but we haven't pulled the trigger yet on any of them.

5.  Read 20 books this year.
IN PROGRESS-I've read 3.  Need to up the reading time but I don't think I'm going to make it to 20 before Dec. 31st.

6.  Rework the stockpile.  Make it healthier and more compact.
IN PROGRESS but MOSTLY DONE.  I'm going to make one more sweep through to get rid of things we don't eat and things that have been in there too long now and get rid of it.  This will happen in September so it is still not finished.

7.  Finish up the eBay sales by May.
FAIL  
I shut down eBay before Christmas and didn't do any eBay sales this year.   I still have some things to sell there and will restart that in Sept. and shut down for good in Dec.

8.  Get the sewing going again.  Go through projects in-progress and alterations pile and get rid of stuff.  Sew clothes for myself for a change!
FAIL
So far I've done nothing except hems some pants for Hubs and daughter, and finish some pj pants for daughter. 

9.  Get the Etsy Store up and running. 
FAIL
So far this has not happened.  

10.  Spend more time with family, especially Hubs.
PASS  Hubs and I have been spending more quality time together.  The kids?....not so much.  Seems they don't want to spend time with us old folks unless we are spending money on them.

11.  Lose 40 lbs...there, I said it!  Now I have to do it!!
IN PROGRESS but way behind.  I've lost 5 lbs. for the year.  As long as I am heading in the right direction, I'm not going to freak out about this.

12.  Continue the Savings Challenge with a goal of $20K for 2012.
IN PROGRESS and ahead at this point for the year.  We've got $13971.40 through June.

13.  Continue to be Frugal whenever possible and live well below our means!
IN PROGRESS/DONE  We spend way below our means each month generally.  In a bad/expensive month, we still spend less than we make, though sometimes with not a lot of room to spare.

14.  Take at least 1 REAL vacation and ENJOY IT!
DONE....sort of  I don't know if I'd call 3 days in Ohio during a heatwarve a vacation really.lol  
 We celebrate our 30th Anniversary in August this year.  We'll take a vacation after the tourists all go home in October and go to the beach.  Which beach I have no clue....

15.  Just in case I think of something else later, I'm leaving #15 empty.


Looking at this list, I am frustrated that I haven't ticked off my things on my list at this point.  It looks like I am good about finishing if I have a firm "unmovable" deadline date for a goal, but goals that have no real deadline for me?......I just let them slide.
Bad Bad Sluggy!


Or maybe it's just a case of biting off way more than I could chew in a year?  I just don't feel as ambitious
as this list needs me to be anymore.

So with half the year gone, how are you doing on your Goals for the Year?

Sluggy 

Musical Friday

Hubs and I are off to change banks in a little bit.  Well not so much changing as "adding" a financial institution.  More later on that.

Then I am off reading and trying to stay cool.  While I Occupy the Backyard, how about something to ease us into the Weekend. How about a little Swing Band music?

Bet you couldn't have guessed this group is from Greece?!  There is absolutely no breaking plates, Gyro eating or Windex usage..... ;-)
Joking people......2 Points if you get the reference there. lol






Here's another video they did with a Nawlins voodoo/zombie feel.....



Have a great weekend!

Sluggy