2 Quickies

I forgot to post a tiny trip to Rite-Aid a week or so ago.....

2 x Dove Men's Body Wash $2.50(Raincheck)=$5.00
I used 2 x $2/1 ManuQs to bring my cost down to $1.00 for both of these bad boys.
I paid with a $1 + Up Rewards.

This Trip......
Value of items bought....$12.58
 +Ups Used.....$0
 +Ups Received....$0

**GRAND TOTALS FOR FEBRUARY**

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$97.63
Savings Rate of  100%
Rebates due......$0.00

+Ups at beginning of month...$20.00+
+Ups used....$28.00+
+Ups received...$17.00+
Gave my Daughter all my +Ups to use....
+Ups currently...$0+   

Just 3 little trips to Rite-Aid this month.
My $9 in +Ups were expiring on Thursday so I gave them to my daughter to use, meaning I have Zero +Ups now.
I'll be taking a break from Rite-Aid for a couple months, unless something incredible pops up that I really really need.


The other thing is that I cobbled together a load of goodies to take to the Salvation Army 2 weekends ago.
Here is the Porn.....

Not a huge load but some choice bits, some of which you can't really see in the photos.  Trust me, I made a written list and they are there.....lol

My tooth hurts worse than BEFORE the dentist worked on it last Wednesday!
I'll be calling them tomorrow morning.  If I can't get some relief I may just have the tooth pulled before the appointment on the 13th.  I have a feeling that's where we are heading anyway, so why spend more cash on a tooth they aren't going to be able to save?
Ugh!

I'll be back when I feel more human.....
Until then I'll be throwing crap into boxes to haul out of here to charity.  That's about all I am good for when I am feeling this way.

Sluggy

Is It Safe?

If you are a movie buff you may get where this post is heading, due to the title I gave it.
If not, read on.....

I have my dentist appointment yesterday morning.
The result today is that I am not in as much pain and I have to go back in 2 weeks to have the root canal procedure finished, then another appointment with my regular dentist for a permanent filling put on the tooth.

The reason the procedure couldn't be finished in one day is because though I attempted to alert the dentist to the anomalies in my mouth, she didn't take my words seriously.  After all, I am just a dumb patient and I don't have a dental degree, right?

I told her about the tooth.....well the space beside the tooth she was going to work on, the space which once held a tooth......a tooth upon which a root canal was attempted and failed, due to the way in which my tooth's nerves were inaccessible.  That tooth had 3 nerves, one of which was inordinately thin and twisted in such a way that it couldn't be killed.  In the end, the dentist killed and filled 2 of the nerves and then encased the tooth in filling material so that the live nerve was protected.  I got about 5 years more before that conglomeration wore off and I ended up having the tooth pulled.

The new dentist "poo-pooed" what I had to say and set to work.  The first root, then the second root done, no problem.
Well no problem except for when she went into a nerve that wasn't deadened yet and I about levitated to the ceiling!!!
Then she went digging for #3.
And things came to a standstill.
She couldn't find the root.
She stopped 2 times during the procedure to take just another x-ray.
She finally found it and then kept having to change the size of her tool or whatever they use to get into the nerve.....each one being a smaller number than the last.  She started with a 6 and we were down to a 2 when she stopped the appointment and sent me on my way, still without accessing that last nerve.

I had been in the chair for over an hour and 15 min.
The novacaine was wearing off.
And she had another patient waiting to be seen......who probably had better roots than me too. lol

So I traded my throbbing tooth pain for soreness and pain in my mouth and gums and pain in my head, neck, shoulders and back muscles from all the clenching and stiffening my body went through during the procedure.

Then I got to reading the paper they gave me AFTER I had the work done and not BEFORE.....the one that tells me all the crap that could go wrong and how the root canal comes with no guarantee that the tooth can be saved, yadda, yadda, yadda......
Add in that they were drilling into a tooth with a crown and they make no guarantees that they won't screw up the crown(meaning it will break and I'll need a new one for another $900, of which insurance pays $400).

Whether they finish this root canal or not, I am out just shy of $1000 for it(before we get some $ back with our insurance).

The little voice in my head keeps telling me I should have just had that tooth pulled because that's where this is heading anyway.

I just wish it was over.....






Sluggy

A Whole Lotta Nothing Good this Week

One more day until I get my tooth fixed folks!
The last 2+ weeks have not been great here and I apologize that the blog content has suffered.  It's hard to get motivated to do anything when you feel like crap.

My dentist appt. is tomorrow and now I can't find the appt. card with the guy's name and location on it or the x-ray my dentist gave me to take to him.
Just great.

I am just a mess lately.....what can I say?

My To-Do List for February has suffered as well.  I've gotten Jack Shit done.  It's hard to focus when you have a mouth full of hurt and have been on painkillers most days.  Heck, I can't even focus long enough to read a chapter in my current book.
I've been lucky to remember to pay the bills this month!
Oh, wait!!  I forgot one......  Hopefully I'll remember to pay it after I get this posted. lol

The one good thing about hurting is that I haven't felt like going anywhere or spending any money(besides the grocery store).

I usually do the state and federal taxes, but this year I handed them over to Hubs to work on since the Vicodin clouds my mind and in my drug induced state I might claim the entire population of the state of Rhode Island as dependents or something.
Mostly I wanted him to handle the Education Credit stuff this year since it became MORE complicated than in years past, due to the fact that we took distributions from ESAs for 2 of the kids.
The whole thing is a witches brew of taxable and non-taxable with inscrutable rules and formulas. 
So in my lucid moments between pills I've been checking on his work and he made 2 big goofs(not claiming something and claiming way too much for something else) that I am glad I caught. 
I ended up being hands-on with the return anyway. sigh
I've got it all filled out except for the supporting charitable deductions "in kind" list.  I'll be finishing it this weekend after the mouth is happier.
I just want it done and I want my dining room table back!!! lol

I got the FAFSA done too.  Only 1 child to fill it out for this year since #1 son is graduating in the Spring...yay!
I don't know why I fill this out anyway since Daughter will be going to a community college and she won't get any aid(not that she needs it anyway), but fill it out I do.



The marching band trip missing check debacle......the second missing check has turned up.  Both checks have been cashed according to my bank account.  #2 Son still needs to make sure they were both cashed by the band group.  So we have overpaid for this band trip.  Lovely.  I'll have to make sure once they figure out the final payment(which should be less than what I paid x 2), that I get any excess funds back.

#2 Son is in mourning today.  Seems the meeting about who gets accepted into the Young Scholar/College Program at the high school was yesterday.  They go by class ranking and he missed the cutoff by 9 spaces.  And his girlfriend got in.
And he needs 2 wisdom teeth extracted plus we think he has strep throat.
So there is no joy in Mudville today.....

Oh and I fired our family doctor today.  Yes, the idiots who took over his office and management of his practice drove me to it.  I told the little 20 year old college student receptionist bitch today what I thought of them all.
Not returning phone calls......not telling patients that the dr.  is sick and won't be in.....not telling patients that the dr. has NO ONE currently covering for him when he's sick and you need to go to Urgent Care until you actually talk to a live person on the phone, which you can't do for 4 days since they never returned my calls until this afternoon.
I am over this quack and his office of quackers!

Ok, It's time for more drugs.....
I'll be back later if I can remember where my computer desk is. ;-)

Sluggy




 

Meal Planning March Week 1 & Food Spending Feb. Week 4

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

Sunday-Chicken Parmesan al fresco, Spinach Salad, Lemon Cake

Monday--Pizza, Clementines

Tuesday--Pulled Pork on rolls, Coleslaw

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--Kielbasa, Beans, Coleslaw

Friday--Clam Chowder, Fish fillets, Coleslaw

Saturday--Leftovers

I served everything planned,except the Stuffed Shells, which move to this week.

The food spending last week?

I spent $58.85 in 2 trips to the local Shursave affiliated grocer.

Of that amount, $25.84 was spent on food consumed last week and the other $33.01 was spent on stocking up on deals like butter, local honey, microwaveable lunches and pre-made meatballs for the freezer as I may be laid up a couple days after my dentist appt. on Wednesday.   The meatballs give Hubs another option if I am not cooking.

I've spent $338.46 and I am left at this point with $61.54 in my food budget for 3 more days.

As for leftovers rolling into this week--Pulled Pork sammies, Coleslaw and Clam Chowder.

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

Here is what is getting served this week.....

Sunday-Subway Sammies

Monday--Hamburgers, Clementines, Fries

Tuesday--Stuffed Shells, Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic Bread

Wednesday--Leftover Pulled Pork sammies, Coleslaw

Thursday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Asparagus

Friday--Beef Pie w/Cornbread Topping

Saturday--Sweet Potatoes and Leftovers

Wednesday I am serving leftovers and Thursday I have a prepped casserole on deck.  I won't feel like cooking and these are things Hubs can "cook".  If I am still not up to snuff on Friday Hubs can choose to make the Beef Pie or just go get some take-out or have leftovers, as I might still be eating just soup.

Needed at the store to serve the meals I am making this week?  

Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower.  We also need eggs, milk, fresh fruit and OJ. 

Other than that I don't know what I'll be buying yet.  With $60+ left for 3 days I'll be staying under budget going into March 1st and a new $400 for groceries.

A few words about where my Menu is headed......

I am trying to change up my menus and what we eat in general here.  With the kids' schedules I never know how many are going to be eating dinner at home each night.  This makes it near impossible to get my meal sizes right and we either end up with not enough on the table or having way too many leftovers.

I have also cut way back on the dishes I serve that call for cheese, rice and noodles.  Believe me, if I could, I'd cut out pasta totally!  But having a Hubs who was raised in an ethnic Italian household, he would divorce me if I tried. lol

I've also been trying to find better ways to prepare foods we like by changing or taking out simple carb components. We are "de-whiting" our diet, meaning changing or eliminating the white carbohydrate foods like refined sugar, white rice, white flour, white noodles, white breads.There is nothing scientific to the way we are proceeding, it's more of a learn as we go process.

In order to get more veggies into our meal times I have begun changing how/what I serve.  I am moving away from the traditional 1 meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable dinner plate scenario toward a 1 meat, 1 vegetable plate, with other vegetable based side dishes also served.  And sometimes the meat is also missing from the dinner plate.

We are working on finding more exciting ways to prepare veggies too, that don't include frying, battering, breading, or covering with cheese.

It isn't easy doing this, since all 4 of us at home enjoy/thrive on different foods and different percentages of each type of food.  I am not a pasta lover but Hubs is.  Hubs is not a raw food or salad eater and I could eat this way every day.   Hubs insists on meat...not protein, MEAT, so we are working on better ways to prepare it.  If you feel the need to share your Tofu recipes, just keep moving.  Tofu and being Vegan isn't happening here. ;-)

#2 Son eats veggies but his repertoire is limited and most veggies he wants cooked in meat products, plus he likes all that processed stuff.  Daughter eats everything but she loves comfort foods which include all those white foods I am trying to limit.

We are making baby steps toward a new way of eating for us.  Some weeks we do better than others but overall we are making progress.  This week won't see any progress due to my tooth emergency. 

What's on your menu for the week?  

Any good deals at the grocers this week?
Did you have any food waste this week?

Sluggy

About Judy

About Judy's blog going missing again.....
I've been in touch with Judy.
She has taken down her blog for good so she won't be back.  She has her reasons, which are very valid but they are private so please don't go asking me to share that.

Judy had...HAS a unique view on life and I know we will all miss her blogging voice.
She will still be reading and commenting on the blogs she reads so look for her there.
She will still be around. 8-)

If anyone wants to leave a comment here for Judy, feel free.  I know she'll be reading.

Sluggy