Some Days I Wonder Why I Even Bother Getting the Mail

Like the other day, here is what I got in the mail.....

I guess I am of a "certain age" and have gotten onto the old folks mailing lists.  I got an offer for a hearing test and a special price for hearing aids.

Hearing aids......really?
I am only 54 years old folks.

And this one will make you laugh.
Actually this is the SECOND one of these I have received in the mail.....

It's a letter from Whirlpool.
Remember back in the middle of June when I bought an Upright Freezer and it Died within 3 weeks of getting it?
Yes, it was a Whirlpool if you didn't recall.

And now the fine folks at Whirlpool are offering me an EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN for the freezer I returned to the store!
Get.
A.
Clue.

Well, thanks but NO THANKS on the service plan, since you couldn't even deliver me a freezer that would work longer than 3 weeks.
And then you wouldn't replace it and would only pay for it to be repaired!!
No one should have to repair an appliance in the first month they own it.

Assholes.

I will NEVER buy another Whirlpool branded anything for the rest of my life.
Got that Whirlpool?!?

I am off now to take my blood pressure meds(really need them after this post!lol), then try to sweep the new hardwood floors while sitting in my desk chair with wheels so I can put the rug down in the living room area.

Before I go let me tell y'all that I had the weirdest dream last night.

I dreamed that I was a cooking helper for that Pioneer Woman person(who's show I don't care for).....but she was a cross between that woman and that Duggar woman(of the "1 billion kids and counting" show).....but she was also Fundamentalist Mormon with 20 kids.  I had to cook for them all and the only food they wanted me to make was crap, processed stuff or full of butter and beef and other high fat foods. 
It was a very strange dream......
I guess that's what happens when you can't climb the stairs and have to sleep on a sofabed.  8-)

Sluggy

On the Dining Table This Week

The "Will the Health Issues Ever End?" Edition.......

 

It's a month now since the blood clot was discovered and I am so OVER it and all this testing and pills I need to take.
Now the dr. thinks I have podiatry problems that have nothing to do with the clot so I am off to a referral to a foot dr. as soon as they can fit me in.
Fun times!
For now I am off my feet so meals will be a bit weird, since Hubs has to pitch in......

Anyway, here's a funny photo to lighten my mood......

The Chihuahua has turned her bed upside down but is still laying in it peacefully.  That little thing sticking out on the lower right side is her leg.
She is a nut....


Here are the meals that were planned last week-- 

Sunday--Leftovers-Hubs had Spaghetti and I had a roast beef sandwich
Monday--Hamburgers, mixed veggies, Cantaloupe
Tuesday--Baked Fish, Corn Pudding, leftover Green Beans
Wednesday--Out to eat, using a coupon
Thursday--Lobster, Rutabaga Casserole
Friday--Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, Beets
Saturday--Leftovers and Broccoli Cheddar Soup

And here's what actually got eaten--

Here's this week's meal plan---
Sunday--Leftovers-Hubs had Spaghetti and I had a roast beef sandwich
Monday--Hamburgers, mixed veggies, Cantaloupe
Tuesday--Baked Fish, Corn Pudding, leftover Green Beans
Wednesday--Out to eat, using a coupon(I had a salad and JD Chicken Strips appetizer.)
Thursday--Lobster, Rutabaga Casserole
Friday--Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas
Saturday--Pizza and leftovers

Everything as planned except no Beets on Friday(Sugar Snaps instead) and I didn't make the Broccoli Soup until Sunday afternoon, so we had leftovers and a frozen pizza.

As for food spending last week.....I spent $89.78 on $145.11 worth of groceries at 3 stores in 4 trips.
I spent $49.69 at one store and stocked up last week on boxed pie crust, frozen veggies, taco shells(bought 10 items and got a $5 off OYNO Coupon), reduced sodium spaghetti sauce, canned tomato puree, some jello boxes, sour cream, diet soda and some frozen fries for #2 Son.  Another $11.56 was 2 frozen pizzas and some chicken deli meat, $3.49 on some cooking oil, and the last $25.04 was for 4 lobsters.  Lobster is an extravagance yet I only buy it on sale at $4.99 lb. which is less than most steaks around here.

As for food waste, we had to throw out a bit of halushki that didn't get eaten in time. 8-(

Leftovers going into this week--meatloaf, roasted potatoes, rutabaga casserole and lobster(which I will make lobster rolls with).

Here's this week's meal plan---
Sunday--Broccoli Soup, Hubs had some meatloaf too
Monday--freezer leftover chicken and stuffing, baked Butternut Squash
Tuesday--Lobster Rolls and/or leftovers, Beets
Wednesday--Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, Coconut Rice, Mixed Veggies
Thursday--leftover Meat loaf, Roasted Taters, Brussel Sprouts
Friday--London Broil, Baked Potatoes w/Broccoli Soup
Saturday--Leftovers

On the shopping list......I have everything I need to make these meals.  Not sure if my foot will be well enough for me to make them all, but I will try.  I'll need fruit, lettuce, veggies, milk, lunch meat plus will buy a few things ahead that count toward the Thanksgiving Certificate at one store.
$50 should get me what I need/want to buy.

That's what's appearing on the kitchen table this week here at Chez Sluggy.

 What's getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

Weekend Hijinks....Not Very Hijinky

Is hijinky even a word? lol


My weekend has been low key and not fully what I had planned it to be.
Saturday was filled and we had ourselves an adventure, Hubs and I.

First off, we went to the Annual Church Auction down the road from us.  We go to this every year.
Besides the items you see(well you can see about 75% of the items)that people donate for this event, they auction off business donated gift certificates.  The gift certs. are mostly what I go for.  I bid on(and hopefully win!)certs. for local eateries & entertainment we go to, and services we use anyway(like car oil changes, pet boarding, etc.).  Spending some money now on gift certificates at less than full price, instead of paying full retail when we obtain the goods and services later, saves us a big chunk of change in the long run.

Here's a little video I made with all the certificates I won on Saturday.  I got quite a lot more certs this year than I usually win the bids on.
And forgive me when I keep saying this was FREE in the video.....I KNOW they weren't free as I did pay for them.  I just paid less now than I would have to pay otherwise at the store/business.
And the money goes to the church which makes me feel good.



I had a savings rate of 43% overall on what I spent vs. what I got.

*I really wanted that lamp in the photo for my new living room, but it went for something like $50(still less than retail at that)which was way over what I was willing to shell out of my pocket. ;-)

Then we headed over to KMart.
I had bought a folding camping table Saturday morning online before we left for the auction.
I need one for my shipping HQ(my online packages for eBay/Etsy) and for sewing(to cut fabric on)
since I no longer have a dining room table to do these things on.  And once I get a dining room table, we can always use a good portable banquet type table.
So I waited to get one that didn't fold in the middle at a sale price.

It was $39.99, $10 off.
I bought it online because I had a Get $5 off a $40 order coupon code so if I bought $45 in goods I got $5 off.
So I needed to add $5.01 in goods, which ended up being FREE with the coupon code.
I got diet fruity sodas for me and grape sodas for #2 Son.

Then we hit Weis PMITA Markets for some chicken deli meat for lunch sandwiches for me for the coming week and 2 Di Giorno's pizzas on sale for $5 and I had a $2/2 IPQ, making the pies $4 each.
Hubs made one for dinner Saturday and the other is for #2 Son to have some time this coming week for dinner or lunch, depending on his schedule.

Sunday isn't going nearly as well or as planned.
Judy and I were suppose to meet for lunch but she is too sick to make the trip to her sister's this weekend.
I guess it's all for the best since I woke up to my foot.....the good foot that didn't have the blood clot....very sore and not being able to put much weight on it.
Ugh.
If it isn't one thing, it's another, isn't it? 8-(

So we'll do the meet up/lunch date in a couple of weeks.
And no Judy, I am not bringing the giant zebra's ass with me to Denny's, just my own giant ass......

I think I strained a muscle on the right side of my foot because while the pizza was heating up Saturday evening, I went out into the yard to pick broccoli so I could make more Broccoli Soup.  The yard is sloped where I had to stand to cut the broccoli and I must have hurt my foot standing on that uneven ground.
Ugh again.
So there was no way I was getting into the car and driving to meet Judy today.
I've been hobbling around the house today trying to make that blasted Broccoli Soup and straighten things up a bit.  I've got to be well enough tomorrow since I have a 4 month checkup with my primary doctor Monday morning.  So after the soup is finished I am off the foot for the rest of the day.

So that's my thrilling weekend.
How has yours been?

Sluggy

Guess Who Went to Rite-Aid?

Yup, yours truly did.
I know all you Rite-Aid fanatics were wondering when I'd jump back into Rite-Aid pillaging! lol
Not quite a pillage since I have no +Up Rewards to roll and I DID spend actual money this trip.....but here is what I bought.

3 x Purex Laundry Detergent  on sale Buy 1, Get 2 Free=$6.49
2 x Palmolive Dish Soap on sale .88¢=$1.76
2 x R-A brand Facial Tissue on sale .88¢ but my 20% discount makes it .80¢ ea.=$1.60
1 x R-A brand Paper Napkins on sale .88¢ but my 20% discount makes it .80¢=.80¢

Subtotal.....$10.65

Coupons
1 x Free Purex Laundry Detergent ManQ(won in a giveaway earlier this year-max. value $6)=$6.00
1 x $1/2 Palmolive Dish Soap any size ManQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$7.00

$10.65-$7.00=$3.65 + .22¢tax=$3.87 Out of Pocket(I have no +Up Rewards so spend)

And I received back a $1 +UP for buying 5 Palmolive/Simplify Brand items in 1 transaction.

If I had gone to one of the Rite-Aids in a surrounding town the Purex would have only been $5.99 and all 3 jugs would have cost me ZERO instead of .49¢.  Yes, we are the "wealthy" town in this part of the Armpit of PA....lolz

In the end, the dish soap cost me .38¢ a bottle, 3 jugs of laundry detergent cost me .49¢ for all and the paper products were .80¢ each and I get $1 worth of free goodies next time I go to Rite-Aid.

And I am finally 26 points($s)away from getting to the Gold discount level for 2013, which means I'll retain that 20% discount on all non-sale items in 2014 too.
Usually, when I was big into Rite-Aid shopping, I would get to the Gold level by March of the year but since I haven't shopped hardly at all in Rite-Aid in 2013 I am way behind in getting to the Gold level.  The only thing that has gotten me almost there is all the prescriptions I've had to have filled in 2013, first with my heart issue and now with the blood clot in addition to all my usual maintenance meds.

I do plan on doing some Rite-Aid shopping this Holiday season if the deals are there like they have been in past years.  But I am still overloaded with toiletries/HBA from previous years so there isn't much I need, so I'll only be going for the things we are out of or low on.

Sluggy

 

Part Two of Remodeling Work is Done & the Numbers...Yikes!

And here is the inside of the living room on June 27th,  BEFORE we began the renovations.......

And here is the only photo I can find at the moment of my dining room in the BEFORE state.  This is from a previous pre-Christmas season when I was heavily into decluttering via eBay and my dining room is "shipping central"........

And here are the in progress shots, first with the walls/ceilings painted.....

Then with the new flooring......

And now with the heating and a/c sytem in place, the mouldings done and all the thresholds and outlet/switch plates back on the walls.....

The only thing left to do is to change out the dining room chandelier and put furniture, rugs, lamps and décor into the rooms.

And to figure out how to arrange the furniture in the living room part as it's a tricky L shaped deal.


The original estimate by the Handyman Co. for all BUT the heating/air system and flooring supplies was $9,640.00.

We did the painting ourselves and didn't do the entire downstairs and the upstairs hallway/stairwell, saving the $3185.00 the Handyman Co. wanted to do that.  (The amount of painting we did in reality saved us about $1200.00 since we didn't do every room the Handyman Co. would have done.)
We got the flooring job(labor)down from the $3010.00 they initially quoted us to $1,875.00(which was lower than Lowe's wanted to lay the flooring).
In total, the Handyman Co. costs came in at $5,793.00 which was $3,847 lower than their initial estimate.



As for the money........sigh.......

We went into this escapade with the 2012 Savings Challenge monies I had saved last year as our funding source.
That amounted to $28,907.08.

Here is where the money was spent........

A/C & Heating System Total.....$12,616.15

All other Repairs/Renovations......$6,862.32
 Handyman......$5,793.00 (includes labor and some supplies)
 Flooring...........$710.03
 Paint.................$108.10
 Moulding.........$224.72
 Misc. Supplies...$26.47

*Total Spent...........$19,478.47

Supplies Paid on Gift Cards......$279.78
Total Paid from Savings Challenge 2012.....$19,198.69

Monies left in 2012 Savings Challenge fund....$9,708.39

The Great Summer Road Trip of 2013 will also be drawing $ from this fund(and I'll reveal all about that during the coming weeks after I post about the Road Trip of 2013 Saga), but I am hopeful that after the Road Trip cash is moved out of that fund we will be able to keep our hands off what is left in that fund until the end of 2013, when it will become permanent savings and transferred into the Permanent Savings Account.

Yes I am going to try to decorate and furnish these rooms out of normal paycheck monies as they come into our checking account instead of continuing to deplete that Savings Challenge fund.
So it might take me awhile to finish furnishing those rooms.

We completed this project a bit frugally by--
Using gift cards bought last year for some supplies.
Doing the painting ourselves.
Waiting for a great deal on paint.
Shopping around for mouldings to get the best price and then painting it ourselves.
Making the Handyman Co. compete on price with Lowe's to lay the flooring.



The rooms are ready to decorate and furnish now and I can close the books on the Great Renovation of 2013.  8-))

Sluggy