This Week on the Dining Table

The "Eating While Traveling" Edition......

  

 

 

 

Onward to the meal planning!

What was planned last week--

1.  Pork Chops, Braised Cabbage, Mashed Potatoes(for Hubs and son)
2.  Tacos

3.  Meatball Subs, Veggie TBD

4.  Leftovers or Hamburgers
5.  Chinese Chicken(using my .84¢ chicken) w/Ginger Stir-Fry

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night

 

And this is what actually happened--


1.  Pork Chops, Braised Cabbage, Mashed Potatoes(for Hubs and son)
2.  Tacos

3.  Leftovers

4.  Leftovers or Hamburgers
5.  Meatball Subs, leftover cabbage and collards

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night

The chicken didn't happen(too many leftovers to use up)so it got shoved into the freezer for later.
 

Last week I made 4 trips to 2 different markets and spent $55.39 on $135.24 worth of groceries.  I cherry picked the good deals at Weis last week--cereal, peanut butter, boxed stock and canned tomatoes mostly.

 

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Dinner Out
2.  Dinner Out

3.  Dinner Out

4.  Chinese Out(Xmas Eve tradition)
5.  Rib Roast with Roasted Veggies, Homemade Rolls, Pumpkin Ravioli w/Sage Butter Sauce

6.  No Clue
7.  Mushroom Risotto, Tossed Salad Greens
 

 

What I need to buy for this menu.........the roast and some veggies for Christmas dinner and mushrooms for the risotto.


I am up to $287.61 in food spending for December with 9 more days left in the month.
 

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

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Again.....What Else?

I made one more trip to Rite-Aid on Saturday.
I had gotten another $3/1 Excedrin Catalina which made it free after +Up Rewards so how could I not get more? lolz

I also decided to do the $5 on $15 Baking Items +Ups Deal on another card.

2 x Playtex tampons on sale=$7.00
2 x BC cookie mix on sale=$4.00
1 x Excedrin on sale=$3.99
SubTotal......$14.99

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Playtex tampons IPQ=$2.00
1 x .75¢/2 BC cookie mix IPQ=.75¢
1 x $1/2 BC baking items VideoValuesQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 Excedrin CatalinaQ=$3.00
Coupon Total......$6.75

$14.99-$6.75=$8.24

I used $8 in +Up Rewards and paid .24¢ OOP.

I received back $5 in new +Up Rewards($1 Excedrin, $4 wyb2 Playtex) so this stuff  "cost" me $3.

And the Catalina machine spit out yet another $3/1 Excedrin Q!
I give up.....lolz

I now have tracking of $4 on 2 Wellness cards toward the $5 Baking +Ups.

This week I'll buy 2 containers of Domino sugar(on sale BOGO50%=$6.43 my store)and 2 canisters of Sun-Maid raisins(on sale $5 for 2) on each card.
These purchases will give me $15.43 spent on each and trigger the $5 +Ups for each.  The raisins also double dip as they have their own +Ups Deal staring Sunday--buy 2, get a $1 +Ups back.

I have a .75¢/2 IPQ(redplum dotcom)for the sugar so I'll spend $10.68 after Q and get $6 in new +Ups back on each card and $6 in +Ups will print out.

The cookie mix spending from this week was $2.25 on one card and $1.50 on the other card after Qs(one card got an extra .75¢ discount from my SavingStar account).

All together I'll get 4 bags of cookie mix, 4 4lbs. of sugar and 4 canisters of raisins($30.86-$5.75 in Qs=$25.11-$12 in +Ups earned=$13.11 "cost"(paid for mostly with +Up Rewards).  As I'd have to pay that much just for the sacks of sugar at the grocery store, this is a good deal if you need sugar, raisins and cookie mix.

Other than these items I don't foresee any other Rite-Aid shopping until after Christmas.
But then again, something that's an irresistible deal might turn up.... ;-)
Sluggy


 

What's Been Going on Around Here Lately

Well there was some of this......

Then some of this......

(Note the recipient of the gift above)

Then there was this, packages sent to friends/family far and wide......this is about half of what I mailed.  You do NOT want to see my postage bill......lolz

And then we attempted to go to the special Ollie's(invitation only) sale last Sunday night.

We arrived at Ollie's at 1 minute to 6pm and there was a line that wrapped around the building.
WTF?!?

Not wanting to fight that sort of a crowd and not really going there for anything specific, we just turned the car around and left.

I have been to these yearly sales at Ollie's in years past but NEVER saw a crowd like the one on Sunday night!
Is it because the economy is improving and people have more to spend for the Holidays?
Or is it because the economy is still struggling and people need to find real deals and make their meager gift dollars stretch further?


We ended up checking out a new place called GABE'S that opened up here in the old Price Chopper grocery store building.

They seem to have a lot of merchandise that is returns from other businesses at very low prices.  But you really have to hunt through everything to find the gems.
I saw these shoes I REALLY wanted but they didn't have them in my size......

Hubs found some dress shoes for work though at a good price, which he needed.

They had some wooden signs to hang in/on your house too.

"I'm a Proud Coal Miner".
Now THERE'S a niche demographic! lolz

We got the tree up.
I'm not talking about this tree......

But this tree.......

This is our old tree.  We didn't set up the huge tree, wanting to simplify all the work this year.
It's pre-lit and we put on garland and the star.
College Boy put on 5 or so ornaments this week so we are just calling it done now.  ;-)

This week, in between dr. appointments and grocery/Rite-Aid shopping I've been gathering toiletries to take to our oldest son.
And I've been cooking since Wednesday.

First I had to soak our salt-cured ham.......a Virginia delicacy........

 

This is a 3 day process.  Today I'll finish it up in the oven.

There was peanut butter cookie baking for College Boy, then the "Christmas Crack" needed making.....

You know you can quit eating this anytime.......NOT! hahahaha

Then it was onward and upward to pie making......

It's not Christmas here without pecan pie.

But before that, there was nut soaking in whiskey.
This is but the first step in making a surprise for someone.........

Friday morning College Boy helped me hauled all that laundry detergent and shampoo up to the Food Bank and then I went to Rite-Aid to give my friends there some "Crack" and cookies.

But I forgot to take the food so I did a transaction instead.
I needed some Hershey kisses for my baking and Hey!  Rite-Aid sent me a coupon Friday morning for cheap Xmas candy(and I did the Playtex tampon +Ups Deals).

I won't bother detailing this one.
Let's just say I used a lot of coupons and spent down my +Up Rewards by $10(after $4 in new +Ups earned for the tampons)and put the .54¢ OOP on my free R-A gift card.

 

 

 

I went home after that and worked on the surprise food item and then took the plate of baked goodies up to R-A afterwards.

Friday evening was simmering the ham and later this morning I'll be baking it off.

What have you been doing to prepare for the Holidays?


Sluggy

 

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yep.
It's the end of the fourth quarter of the year and you know what that means........

Stock Dividend Check Time!


What?
You thought I meant Christmas or something? lolz

Sluggy

Weis Shop This Week

I did my Weis grocery shopping on Wednesday.......

4 x GM cereals(Cheerios, Basic 4, Chex, Cinn. Toast Crunch)=$14.16
6 x Red Pack tomatoes on sale $1=$6.00
4 x Skippy PB on sale $2=$8.00
4 x GG veggies on sale .88¢=$3.52
5 x Swanson broth cans on sale=$3.00
4 x Swanson broth cartons on sale=$8.00
1 x Campbell's soup on sale=$1.00
1 x Eggnog quart(for Son)=$2.99
2 x Turkey Hill Ice Cream on sale=$5.00 *not pictured*
1 x Scotties tissue on sale=$1.00 *not pictured*
SubTotal......$52.67

Coupons Used
Instant $6 off wyb4 GM cereals=$6.00
Instant $5 off wyb $15 Campbell's/Swanson=$5.00
4 x Assorted GM cereal IPQs(all doubled to $1 off)=$4.00
2 x .55¢/3 Red Pack products(doubled to $1)=$2.00
4 x .55¢/1 Skippy PB(doubled to $1)=$4.00
1 x $1/5 canned Swanson broth ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1/2 Swanson carton broth IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Turkey Hill IC IPQ=$2.00
Coupon Total....$26.00

$52.67-$26.00=$26.67  OOP

Reg. retail of all items......$73.38

Savings of over 63%.
Nice.

I also saw this in the ad this week at Weis.....

Free $20 gift card with new prescription fill or transfer Offer.
I had an rx to fill for a painkiller for my back when it acts up so I took it to Weis with me.

And $5 later(the cost to fill the rx)I received this.......

I now have a $5 Weis gift card(for a Catalina Deal that didn't work correctly months ago), a $10 off your Order Catalina & this $20 Weis gift card.
That's $35 in free food which I'll probably use to get a Rib Roast for Christmas dinner.  8-)))

Food spending for the week so far.....$35.03(not counting the Rite-Aid OOP).
I might spend another $15 or so this week making this a low spending week. 
I can really use a low spending week on food.......!

Sluggy