Food Spending NOVEMBER Week 3, Meal Planning Week 4

Happy shining teen faces, ready for pie.

Ok, so ONE of them is visibly happy.....call me shocked......

Well I am thankful THAT is over with.....aren't you? ;-)

Seriously, I am at that age where my kids should be grown(if I had birthed them sooner), have partners(hopefully be married) and be making me grandkids.

Along with that comes matriarchal status and being invited to their homes for Thanksgiving, where I sit on my fat ass and someone else slaves in the kitchen and SERVES ME Thanksgiving Dinner!

But alas, we are still many years away from that happening.......if EVER......lol

Now it's onward to the next Holiday and keeping all the plates in the air and spinning.

I.

Can't.

Wait.

Can you? lol

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

And here is what actually got served last week....

Sunday--Chili, Cornbread

Monday--2 people Taco Bell, me that leftover chicken in a homemade Quesadilla, Corn

Tuesday--Everyone found their own dinner(take-out or made something from what we had on hand)

Wednesday--Leftover Chili,or What You Can Find

Thursday--Turkey Dinner, Pie

Friday--Subway Sandwiches

Saturday--Leftovers

The food spending last week was $142.39 for $361.37 reg. retail worth of goods. And all but $8.16 of that $142.39 was spent AFTER Thanksgiving. 8-))

Yes Friday and Saturday I was burning through the food budget money grabbing those Holiday deals, wasn't I?
I have gone through $344.93 of the food money for November and have $55.07 left to get through until Saturday.

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

Going into this week, I have leftover Thanksgiving foods still and a big pot of chili.  The chili will go into the freezer now as everyone is sick of eating it.lol   I'll move the Spaghetti that didn't get served/made last week to this week.

This week's menu....

Sunday--Tacos

Monday--Leftovers

Tuesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Green Beans

Wednesday--Chicken and Dumplings

Thursday--Pork Chops with Apricot Glaze, Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes, Beets

Friday--Pizza, Salad

Saturday--Leftovers

This week I need to use up only a couple of Thanksgiving leftovers.  The turkey will be gone tomorrow when Hubs makes a turkey sandwich to take to work.  What is left of the carrots/parsnips are very overcooked now, so I'll mash that up and add to the dogs' dinners.  I am finishing the cranberry as I type this. ;-)  The rolls are being eaten in the mornings and the pies, well the pies lived a very short while.

R.I.P.  pies..... 8-))

The only things left are stuffing and the potatoes that I halved and baked in foil.  I'll use the taters on Thursday and I'll serve the stuffing with the pork chops that night as well.

Left to buy this week for this menu?.....Salad greens.  We have certificates for 2 free pizzas at a local shop so we'll use one of those, or both if everyone is home on Friday and is extra hungry.

I haven't looked at the ads this week yet.  I do have a $5 certificate to use at the Shursave Market(got it on Friday when I bought General Mills brand flour and frozen veggies).  Besides the greens, we'll need milk later in the week, but I think I can stay under $55 this week.

Do you have lots of leftovers to eat through still?  Or are you back to making fresh meals again?

Sluggy

Week 5 of the Boring Blog Box Giveaway.....Last Week to Enter Again!

Here's another installment of......

Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

Here's how it works.....

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

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

1.  1 Air Wick compact air freshener-lavender scent

2.  1 tube of Tylenol pain reliever cream (like Ben-Gay)
3.  1 bag of Harvest Mix candy corn

4.  8 Halloween Kit Kat snack bars(special white chocolate coating that's orange)

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.  *As always, if you are located outside the US, you CAN enter and win but weight restrictions/shipping costs may mean your prize box will contain less items.*

***Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email addy and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week in your comment I want to hear about what stands out in your mind as the BEST present you every received at whichever Winter Holiday you celebrate--Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Bodhi Day, Yule, Saturnalia, Pancha Ganapati, Kwanzaa or if you never exchanged gifts at the Holidays, for your Birthday.

Tell me how old you were, what the gift you received was and why it stands out as special to you.

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get 2 EXTRA entries on this and each new Giveaway Post.......

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. **If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment once each week of this giveaway.

2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog with a link to this post.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post so I can go view it.  You can do this extra entry once each week of this giveaway.

This lot of goodies means that now THE BOX IS FULL!!

And it's time to send it off to one lucky reader!

THIS IS THE LAST POST FOR THIS PARTICULAR GIVEAWAY.

I WILL LEAVE THIS POST OPEN UNTIL DEC.2ND, SUNDAY, AT 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

I WILL DRAW A WINNER ON MONDAY, DEC. 3RD AND POST THE NAME.

You have 6 days left to enter, so get busy! ;-)

As always if there are any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

The Rest of My Saturday

So we headed out Saturday afternoon, the Hubs and I.

I snapped this shot at 1pm as we pulled out of the driveway.  It's our first "Snow Event" of the Season!

By the evening, everything had melted though.

We went to the Gun Shop(Buy local!).  I had told Hubs that Saturday was NOT a good idea, seeing as Deer Season opens Monday morning.  I knew they'd be swamped and they were!

Next stop, we hit another Rite-Aid in another town.
We got there right after a shoplifter had fled the store.  He left a trail of destruction in his wake inside the store.  The manager who was still quite upset told me that they had caught this guy stealing and when he was confronted he started clearing shelves of merchandise and knocking down displays.  There was a huge pile of gift cards on the floor he had thrown from an endcap and all kinds of perfume and make-up gift sets littering one aisle. What a mess!  They were waiting on the police to show up before they cleaned up the store.

After that bit of excitement, I picked up 4 more Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergents, 2 more Shave Gels & 4 more Monster drinks, using BIL's card.
After Qs it came to $20.50 + tax.
I paid with my $20.50 in +Ups from yesterday(so all the tax came off the order) and I got $14 in +Ups back.
I also bought 2 more $50 Home Improvement Gift Cards(out of reg. income funds)so I can add another $20 in bonus +Ups to my +Ups stash.
Woot!
I got a mess of rain checks too.

This trip--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$43.30
+Ups coming into today....$43.49($20.50 ready to roll today)
+Ups used....$20.50
+Ups earned.....$14.00 + $20 in bonus +Ups=$34.00

GRAND TOTALS so far FOR NOVEMBER.......

Out Of Pocket....$1.25  cash
Value of items bought.....$273.03
Savings Rate of  99.54%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate  99.54%

+Ups at beginning of month...$10.00+
+Ups used....$112.50+
+Ups received...$159.49+
+Ups currently...$56.99+ 

We then hit the Restaurant Supply Store for 2 standard items in this house....
My "Precious".......lol....

This is the best Blue Cheese Dressing around!  I don't buy it often anymore but I'll splurge for the Holidays as it make a great dip as well(for raw veggies and for chicken wing pizza).

And a 5lb block of cheese....

The cheese is retailing for $6.99lb. at the deli counter, so even though the RSS price for a 5lb. block went up to $18, I am still saving $16.95 for every 5lbs. I used to buy at the grocery store.
And this is a local business too.  I am glad to see they are reopened after being decimated in the flooding of September 2011.

 Then it was a romantic lunch for two at Wendy's.   Oh yum.....insert eye roll here......

Afterwards, we stopped in a beverage distributor to do some adult beverage shopping.  In PA, you can't buy 6 or 12 packs of beer(unless it's a place like a restaurant that also has a license to sell alcohol that is consumed off premises).  You have to go to a beverage distributor, though there are a few grocery stores that can sell beer too now here, and you have to buy a case.
I "heart" the alcohol laws in PA......insert eye roll here......

So this particular Beverage Distributor was taking part in SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY.  They had a guy from a local microbrewry start-up in the store giving out samples(SAMPLES!)and promoting their brew.   There was a special price for Sat. only on the local brew and the store was running a 10% off imports and micros on Saturday.
That was enough to entice us to open our wallets and purchase some beverages.

We also got free beer glasses when we bought the local brew case and I can send away for a $5 Rebate on the Mike's.
Yes, I use coupons and rebates when I buy liquor.  Why would anyone think otherwise?  ;-)

We came home and what did I find in the mail on Saturday?
Why the 1st Christmas Card of the season!

Thank You Sonya Ann! 8-))

So that's my jam packed Saturday.
Today I am lying low, working on my Meal Plan for this coming week, doing some house chores and taking a nap.  We might drag out the Holiday decorations later but no pressure to get that all done today.
What are you up to today?

Sluggy

Been Busy Shopping The Last 18 Hours

Ok, so haven't been shopping the whole last 18 hours.
I did sleep for a good stretch of that time!

On Friday when everyone was at the mall.....or actually everyone who went to the mall and the big box stores in the wee hours of the morning to shop and then had come home and were SLEEPING.....yes, when everyone was shopped out or catching up on sleeping, I was at the grocery store.

Since I had denied myself picking up the good sales deals at the grocery stores BEFORE Thanksgiving, trying to spend as little as possible, I now had almost $200 left in my food budget for November so I hit the Shursave market and picked up some deals.
Nothing earth shattering really, just cranberry "glop" at the lowest price of the year, some chip type snacks for the Christmas holidays coming up(BOGO deal), and an in-store "Buy 10 GM foods, Get $5 Certificate" Deal.  Oh, and they had frozen Birdseye veggies for .88¢ so I grabbed some of those to stick in the freezer.

Then, since I was out, I hopped over to where else?.....Rite-Aid.
It was about 3 in the afternoon and no crowds at all.
Just the way I like it. ;-)
There were a few things I wanted to pick up, present type things, so I took some of my Christmas money up with me and picked up.....

* 1 8G Flash Drive for $13.99, which gave back a $10 +Up Reward
* 2 gift sets of Planters Peanuts for $5.99, which each gave back a $3 +Up Reward
* 2 boxes of Hershey's Chocolate for $3.99, which each gave back a $2 +Up Reward
* 1 nail polish Gift Set for $3.49, which gave back a $2.50 +Up Reward
* 2 Home Improvement Gift Cards for $50, which each gave back a $10 +Up Reward (These cards are good at Home Despot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, Farm & Tractor Supply, Sears, as well as other places.  These weren't gifts so came out of the regular income and will be used for home repairs and projects.  It's just converting the money we use for these things from cash into cards.)

I spent $38.47 from my Christmas funds and $100 from the regular income.
I got good deals(not amazing), but.....I also got what I consider Free +Ups to use to shop for everyday needs at Rite-Aid.  $42.50 in +Ups so it's a win-win for me! 8-)

While I was in the store, I went and used/rolled my old +Ups even though I don't have to use/roll them for another week.  There must have been a REALLY good deal for me to do that, huh?
It was!!
Before I went, I printed a $1/3 laundry detergent from the Arm & Hammer website.

4 x Arm & Hammer liquid Laundry Detergent on sale $3 each=$12.00
I used my $1/3 Q and paid $11 in +Up Rewards and put .66¢ in tax on my gift card.
I got back 2 x $2 and 2 x $3 +Ups back.
The Black Friday weekend ad Deal is buy 2 of these and get a $3 +Ups back.
There is another double dip Deal on these however(a monthly? deal)so that you also get a $2 +Ups back for every 2 you buy.
So basically, I "spent" $11 in +Ups and got back $10 in +Ups, meaning I spent down $1 of my +Ups.
That's .25¢ for each bottle of laundry detergent!

Here is my Grand Totals for yesterday's laundry detergent buy.  I am not counting the Christmas shopping here, but I'll roll the +Ups gotten into my pile of +Ups(bonus!lol).....

This trip--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$29.16

GRAND TOTALS so far FOR NOVEMBER.......

Out Of Pocket....$1.25  cash
Value of items bought.....$197.54
Savings Rate of  99.37%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate  99.37%

+Ups at beginning of month...$10.00+
+Ups used....$58+
+Ups received...$60+
+Ups currently...$12+ 
Bonus +Ups added....$42.50+
+Ups total.....$54.50+

So I went back this morning to Rite-Aid to roll some of these +Ups......

4 x Axe Deodorant 2/$8 Sale....really they are ringing up BOGO50% sale!....each set of 2 at my store(the overpriced store)are ringing up $8.23, not $8!  so I paid $16.46 for 4, not $16(I'll be going back to get my .46¢ back later. Of course you KNOW I would....lol)
I used $16 in +Ups and got back $11 in +Ups back(2 x $3 wyb2 weekend ad, $5 monthly wyb $15 in Axe).
In the end I "spent" $5 in +Ups for 4 Axe Deodorants.

I also got this.....

4 x Gilette brands of Shaving Gel on sale 2/$5=$10
I used 2 x $1.50/2 IPQs-1 for Edge and 1 for Skintimate=$3.00
I paid $7 in +Ups and got 2 x $2 Gillette +Ups back=$4 +Ups.
In the end I '"spent" $3 in +Ups for 4 Shave Gels.

I also got this.....

4 x Monster drinks on sale 2/$3=$6.00
I used $6 in +Ups and received 2 x $2 in +Ups back, so $4 +Ups.
In the end I "spent" $2 in +Ups for 4 drinks.
And yes, since #2 Son now has a girlfriend, he is watching his caloric intake so it's sugar-free. ;-)

And I also bought this.....

2 x Soft Soap hand soap on sale $1.89(not such a great deal really)=$3.78
Each one gave back a $1 +Ups so they cost me .89¢ in +Ups.
1 x Clear Shampoo on sale $1.99 and it gave back a $1.99 +Ups so FREE.
Now before you say, what an amazing deal THAT was, look at the size of the bottle.....lol
It's a travel size.
meh.
I'll put it into someone's stocking.
I spent $5 in +Ups and put .77¢ on the gift card and I got $3.99 back in +Ups.

So here is what this morning's trip looked like.....

This trip--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$32.19
+Ups coming into today....$54.50
+Ups used....$34.00
+Ups earned.....$22.99

GRAND TOTALS so far FOR NOVEMBER.......

Out Of Pocket....$1.25  cash
Value of items bought.....$229.73
Savings Rate of  99.45%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate  99.45%

+Ups at beginning of month...$10.00+
+Ups used....$92.00+
+Ups received...$125.49+
+Ups currently...$43.49+ 

I've still got $20.50 in +Ups from yesterday I can use today(the $22.99 I got this morning I can't use until Sunday), so I might go hit up another Rite-Aid while we are out today for more laundry detergent and shaving gel. Or maybe I'll pick up some more Christmas goodies that give +Ups so I can add those to my +Ups stash.
Be sure and get rain checks for stuff too if your store is out!!!
Oh, the possibilities are endless!lol

Sluggy

My Sealed Pot & Take A Guess, Maybe Win A Prize!

This is my "sealed pot" and what it looks like today........

As you can see, it more of a "bowl" rather than a pot and it is definitely not "sealed" in the typical sense of the word.
We have a change cup that Hubs and I contribute to daily/weekly.  When it fills I take the change and roll it up into coin wrappers.
We don't save bills in there, just the change.
I know it won't go far to bankroll our Holiday spending, but every little bit helps, doesn't it?

I am about ready to take these rolls, count them up and take them to the Credit Union to exchange for bills.  Maybe I'll do that come December 1st.....

Anybody want to guess how much is here?
Maybe if enough people put a guess in, I can find something to award whomever comes closest to being correct?
How about I leave this open for guesses until December 1st at midnight.
The prize will remain a mystery until the winner gets it.....and no, they will not be able to retire because of it. ;-)

So who's up for playing along?
Leave 1 guess on this post.

Sluggy