This Week on The Dining Table

The "Thanksgiving is over so who even wants to think about Food?!" Edition.......

 

   

Since I never even got around to posting the Weekly Menu last week or the "How we did sticking to the previous week's menu" discussion, let's just start fresh this week, ok?

 Here is what I remember from last week's menu/meals that we ate--
 

Sunday--Leftovers of some kind
Monday--Homemade Steak Chili, Baked Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas
Tuesday--Corned Beef, Cabbage
Wednesday--Leftovers(Sloppy Joes, Corned Beef, Chili or "whatever you can find"
Thursday--Turkey, Stuffing, et al
Friday--Taco Bell
Saturday--Turkey Day Leftovers

As for food spending last week....
There were 2 trips to the store and I spent $24.35 on $87.81 worth of groceries at 2 different stores-the local grocer and a run for bread products for the month to the Bakery Outlet.  I did the numbers on Saturday and I have spent $182.78 OVER my $400 November food budget.  (Actually I spent MORE than that since I made two quick small grocery store runs Saturday evening before the stores closed as there were some good deals ending.  I've marked those trips down for Dec. spending as I had already closed out the Nov. spending in the book.)
Wow.....just wow......nothing else to say......

Leftovers going into this week--leftover rutabagas, glop, stuffing(no turkey tho!lol), roasted potatoes, corned beef, cabbage, chili.

Here's this week's meal plan---

Sunday--Stuffed Shells, Salad
Monday--Leftovers-Whatever you can find night and Roasted Asparagus
Tuesday--Leftover Stuffed Shells
Wednesday--Fried Chicken, Coleslaw, Green Beans, leftover stuffing
Thursday--Eating Out
Friday--Leftover Chili and Burritos
Saturday--no clue yet, maybe use a free Pizza coupon I have

Looks like this is the week Sluggy won't be cooking.....go me! lolz
I cooked a pot of sauce Sunday and made the stuffed shells so except for picking up fried chicken(not cooking it)and Burritos I have no cooking duties other than reheating leftovers.
Works for me to get a break in the kitchen. ;-)

What I need to purchase for this menu?......the Fried Chicken(it's a Wed. special at the grocery store, 8 pce. for $5)and Burritos on special this week.  I have a $10 Catalina to use at Weis this week so it will pay for the chicken on Wed. and part of the Burritos.

I got the asparagus already Sat. evening.(on one of those trips I am counting in Dec.'s spending)so very little should be spent this week on food/toiletries.  I am thinking $10-$20 and that much only if I find some instant meat markdowns on Wed. when I go to get the Chicken and Burritos I am buying.

After November's food overrun, I really want to keep December's food expenditures low.
I'll be posting my Nov. food spending totals in the next day or two.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

"IT" Has Begun!

Was is "IT" you may ask?
It's the Christmas Season, of course!

On one of my four bazillion trips up to Rite-Aid this past weekend I noticed that by Saturday evening a large majority of homes I passed on the roads already had their Christmas lights hung and turned on.
WTF?

Is everyone an overachiever around here except me?!?

And speaking of overachievers......

As of Saturday's mail delivery we have received our 1st Christmas card of the season.

Who woulda thunk it, that Sonya Ann would be such an early mailer!?
Dare I call her a "premature mailer"?
bwwaaaahhhhh

I guess it would be REALLY bad form to mention that she spelled our name wrong, huh?  ;-)

So it's Dec. 2nd and I will now show y'all the entirety of my Christmas decorating efforts so far......Get ready for it.......

I put the Christmas vinyl tablecloth on the kitchen table.

Man!
Am I beat now....I might need to go lay down......

Sluggy
 

Scenes From A Thanksgiving Day

When you see this flag flying at my house, you KNOW what day it is!

Here's the "crowd"  here at Chez Sluggy on Turkey Day.
My son had to work all day so it was just Hubs and I and the Brother in-law and the Nephew....

Notice the empty living room(except for the boxes of merchandise currently for sale on eBay)and the lack of curtains on the winders.

Thanksgiving dinner this year was served and "et" a folding camping table, with the kitchen chairs used for seating.
Hey, I know how to throw a high class shindig.  ;-)

The menu this year......
*Smoked Turkey
*Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing
*Green Bean Casserole
*Mashed Rutabagas
*Glazed Roasted Carrots
*Roasted Potatoes and Onions
*Crescent Rolls
*Cranberry Glop
*Au Jus and/or Gravy-pick your poison
*Pumpkin Pie (whipped cream optional)
*Mincemeat Pie
*White Zinfandel(Californian)

My plate before I dug in.
Ooops!  Forgot the cranberry "glop".

The badass huge Silverplated Stuffing Spoon(this is the handle with a turkey on the end).
I guess you are suppose to use this to dig the stuffing out of the bird if you "present" the turkey on a platter at the table.  We cut that sucker up before it gets to the table so I just plop this spoon in the bowl of stuffing.
And I use to threaten the kids when they were little, that I'd whop them with this spoon if they misbehaved at the table.  This thing is huge and heavy and you could leave a mark if you whacked someone in the head with this! lol

 

The brother in-law and nephew.

An awkward first "selfie".  Good lord!  I look like I'd been sucking on a lemon before I snapped this.
The pursed lips remind me of my daughter's first photo in the hospital....notice the resemblance in the lips? lolz

Next time, maybe I'll brush my hair before company comes over.
Or maybe not.....

So how was your Thanksgiving?

Sluggy


 

Last of the Rite-Aid Bacchanal

 Went back last night to finish spending down some +Up Rewards on both my card and brother in-law's card.....

 *Not pictures is an 8 roll pack of Paper Towels in each photo.*

I found another online Q for $1/1 Ghirardelli so I got another 2 bags free after the purchase generated the bonus 2 x $1 +Ups for each bag.
Pay $6, use $2 in Qs, Get $4 in +Ups back and I paid with +Ups so free. 8-)

My out of pocket cash outlays for these transactions was .34¢(.05 tax)and .53¢(.03 tax).

I've got $40.98 in +Ups combined from both cards left.

This week at Rite-Aid I only plan on buying a couple of Axe gift sets(which will spend down $5.98 for 2), unless something else pops up that is an irresistible deal.  8-)
I am hoping for better weekly deals next week to finish spending/rolling these +Ups.

After the grocery shopping orgy that November turned out to be,(yes, I just finished running the numbers for the food budget spending for November and it ain't pretty!), I'll be scaling back food spending in December.....but this won't include Rite-Aid shopping if I can get what I want/need there for almost free.

How are the deals at the drug store you frequent?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Orgy

The last 2 days have been just a flurry of activity for me at Rite-Aid.
Utilizing both my Wellness card and the Brother in-law's and a mountain of +Up Rewards,  here is everything I've picked up.....*not pictured here, is a 12 pack of Quilted Northern TP*.....

OOP..... .20¢
$7 in new +Ups generated.

OOP..... .18¢
$1 in new +Ups generated.

OOP..... .69¢
$10.99 in new +Ups generated.

OOP..... .98¢
$4.00 in new +Ups generated.

I also got rainchecks for Planters 3 pack of Nuts(EVERYONE was out of those around here!), Rice Chex cereal and a couple other things I can't remember right now.

I used $48.50 in +Ups and got $22.99 in more +Ups.
I spent $2.05 Out of Pocket.
Regular retail is $133.82 on all this(including the invisible TP pack).

If you haven't been to Rite-Aid yet, go print out this coupon HERE. Like Nivea on FB and get 2 prints of the $3/2 Coupon.  Take it by tonight to Rite-Aid to get 2 free bottles of Nivea Shaving Gel/Cream(see it in the photo above).  It's on sale for $1.50 a bottle so FREE after coupons!
You just have to have a Wellness card to get that sale price but there is no limit on how many you can get.  And the stores here had plenty still on the shelves as of early this morning.  But if they are out, get a RAIN CHECK for it and hope it comes back into stock before the coupon expires(or have them staple the coupon to your rain check so you can use it even if it expires before they get the Nivea back on the shelves).

And if your Rite-Aid is out of all the freebie items, GET RAIN CHECKS!  I'm going to also get rain checks for the Brawny towels and Northern TP for that $5.37 price.  You can use your rain checks months after you get them(heck, my store let's me use rain checks a year later!).  Get your rain checks and then wait for a good coupon to show up to stack with the rain check price for some cheap paper products.

Ok, I am off to go clean and go through more stuff to sell/donate.
And then to check the Rite-Aid ad for next week since I have so many +Ups to roll in the coming 2 weeks still.


Sluggy