Happy New Year Y'all!

Sorry I went MIA on the blog yesterday.
But it is hard to write when you are traveling in a car most of the day.
Here's a recap of what was going on in my world the last 2 days--

The partying began on December 31st at lunchtime.......

Let's play "Where's Waldo?"(but substitute Waldo for the Craft Beer) among the family members in this photo at lunchtime . lolz

This place had an entire large menu just for their beer offerings....geez!

Oh, appetizers happened here, yes sirree they did!
Pretzels as big as your head and homemade Pimento Cheese with pickles and baguette.

There may have been a Revolutionary War era hospital on this site(and the sign looked about that old too!)but the current site tends to mental health alcoholic and physical hunger needs now.

It was back to the hotel for a quick nap and then some of us had a swim before heading out for dinner at our son's apartment.

We hung out afterwards, watched a movie nibbled on snacks and started the imbibing while waiting for son's GF to get off work and join the party.

As we rang in the New Year of 2016 this is what was going on around me........

Rockin' in the New Year with tv.
Half of these celebrities I don't even know who they are.
I am officially an old geezer now......

But I do still know how to drink! ;-)

Lilly the grandkitty was not amused by the human hijinks in the wee hours of the morning.

After going back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep and breakfast we packed up and left for home.

But not before stopping along the way at a Walmart to stretch the legs and have a "look/see".  This cute Thomas the Tank Engine bank tempted me into picking it up for a 2016 Xmas giftie until I remembered that my son is not 3 years old anymore but 24+.
Oops.....

And then awhile later we were crossing into PA.  A quick very late lunch/early dinner in Carlisle and then only a few more hours until we would be home.

And then the skies opened up and it started snowing!
Flurries at first but as we crossed that invisible "snow line" that exists once you get far enough North  in PA, it looked dubious whether we'd be able to get home before being inundated with that evil white stuff.

We hit some bad snow squalls and the snow was covering the ground next to the highway and then swirling on the roadway.  The temperature was bouncing around like a ball on a roulette wheel from below to above freezing and we went in and out of snow, sleet and ice ball range, leaving the road wet and possibly slick with black ice.  And all that was within the last hour of the drive.

But in the end we persevered and pulled into our driveway around 5 pm or 2 hours past when we expected to get home.

A quick unloading of the car and then we handed College Boy his gifts from his brother and his Aunt and Uncle.

Gift cards all round.  Love the "Man Card" design one. lolz

So now, on January 2nd,  I have laundry to tackle, meals to plan and cook(maybe we'll get some take-out this weekend as I ease back into "real life"), 2015 goals as well as December/monthly ones to recap, a Savings Challenge to close out and then to formulate what the heck will be in store for us here at Chez Sluggy in 2016.
And there is always another trip to Rite-Aid to pull off before this day is out....... 8-)

So please bear with me as I dig out and get back into my domestic groove again.

Let's look forward to a year of many possibilities for us all, where the good largely outweighs the bad in our lives.
Here's to us all!!!

Sluggy

Greetings from Virginia!

Hey there everyone!
Greetings from cloudy, rainy Fredericksburg Virginia!

Here's the view from our room door.  Too bad it's gray and cloudy or those skylights would be nice.
By paying in advance and booking out of season I got a room at this more upscale hotel.

We've already had breakfast and a swim and will be heading out soon to spend the day with Eldest son and his GF(until she has to go to work)and then ringing in the new year tonight together.

Then it's back to the grind in PA on the 1st and I'll be finishing up the finances on 2015 and will post anon about the Savings Challenge End of Year Recap, calculating the Net Worth snapshot for January 1st 2016, going over the December To-Do List and going over what/how we did on the 2015 Goals and tying up some loose ends on the blog.

This has turned out to be a very low key trip which is fine by me!
Of course 2 trips to Rite-Aid were involved............ ;-)

Here's hoping everyone parties safely tonight.  I myself have a date with a bottle of Prosecco. 8-)))

Let's start thinking on those 2016 Yearly Goals too!
And if anyone has any thoughts or ideas for the direction this blog should take in the new year just drop me a note or leave a comment.

See y'all in the new year,

Sluggy

2015 Food & Toiletries Spending......December Update & Year End TOTALS

Onward to December's food spending report.......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2015.

I have posted December's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 19.

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

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $4.75
Value  $20.45
Savings  76.77%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $8.00
Value  $19.82
Savings  59.63%%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $35.88
Qs/Ads/gift card $59.59
Value  $95.47
Savings 62.41%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $549.00
Value  $549.00
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $57.24
Qs/Ads $33.98
Value  $91.22
Savings  37.25%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $19.04
Value  $32.90
Savings  42.13%

TARGET
OOP  $0.00
Value  $14.38
Savings  100%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $278.76

Qs/Ads  $336.79

Value  $615.55

Savings  54.71%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Target and Rite-Aid at 100%,  Bakery Outlet at 76.77% and  Price Chopper at 62.41%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Markets at 37.25%.  Besides Shursave all my savings precentages were at Least in the 40's.  8-)

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.

** My TOTAL out of pocket for December food/toiletries was $403.67.
However I cahsed out my Saving Star account(where some of my electronic coupons savings are deposited-I don't count these coupon savings in my monthly totals until it's cashed out)and was able to deposit $84.17 for 2015 into our bank account, thus offsetting $84.17 of food spending.  This brought my OOP spending from $403.67 down to $319.50.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $319.50**

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1119.29

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1438.79

TOTAL Savings of...................................77.79%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........64.09%

This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into December wanting to do a $350 food budget for the month and I went over by $53.67 due to last minute Holiday temptations.  8-(  The only thing that saved the month was the cashing out and banking of my SavingStar rebates and I had almost forgotten to do that before year's end.  This deposit brought my food spending in December down to $319.50 so I finished the month under budget.

The monthly savings percentage went down by 1.2% in December to 77.79% compared to November's 78.99% savings average.  This is mainly due to all that free stuff I got at Rite-Aid in November Black Friday weekend and then I got less free stuff in December.  Still way over the 40% savings rate I like to see each month.

GRAND TOTALS for 2015

2015 YEARLY OOP SPENDING on Food/Toiletries........$4,338.87
2015 YEARLY VALUE OF ITEMS BOUGHT.........$11,975.45
2015 YEARLY SAVINGS of................$7,636.58
2015 SAVINGS PERCENTAGE on SPENDING..........63.77%

I have spent a total of $4,338.87 on food/toiletries in 2015. That averages out to $361.57 per month. We came in at a monthly average of under $400 for the year which pleases me.  By strategic shopping we were able to eat well AND save money. 8-)

LOOKING AHEAD To January 2016.........
As we are packed to the gills with food/toiletries I think we'll be eating down our stores at the house and not grocery shopping much in January.  I am thinking $200 in food spending for January and perhaps another $100 to stock up College Boy with provisions for the upcoming semester.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
Here's hoping y'all had a great year for spending less on food in 2015.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in December?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?
*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

Now let's start 2016 off right by tracking where your money goes on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods/pet needs.
Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

Sluggy's 2015 in Review

It was a hell of a ride in 2015 here at Chez Sluggy!

Let's recap the year a month at a time, shall we?

*January--Lots of snow later in the month.  Lots of dark too.
Highlights were my birthday and visiting my brother in Virginia for a couple of weeks.
Of course I brought the bad weather with me to Southern Virginia.........


* February--We met our medical insurance deductible this month due to expen$ive drugs plus assorted medical tests.  Good news came that the spot on my lung detected 2 years ago is not a tumor.
This month we also finished up those nasty tax return forms and the dreaded FAFSA.  Glad that was over for another year!
The snow continued in drips and drabs but the worst thing was the EXTREME COLD the Winter of 2015!
I started genealogy research on my paternal side in earnest, solving a long standing family mystery in the process.

* March--There was great sadness in Sluggyland here when Rite-Aid did away with their +Up Rewards Program late in the month.
We bought a "new to us" car this month paying it in full using most of Hubs yearly bonus.  I used my credit card to pay(and paid that off 2 days later)to get $250 in free gift cards.  Truly I am always working the deal.

I started the ball rolling on joining one of the many genealogical societies I qualify for due to my illustrious maternal ancestry.  The ball didn't roll very far however as I lost interested in doing this.

March was also the beginning of the Cataract Surgery Saga when I went for my initial consultation.
It was a full month after that before I actually got the first surgery.
I also began an exercise routine this month, riding a recumbent exercise bike my daughter left here when she moved away to Louisiana.

* April--My eye surgery went well but now I needed the other eye done to see like a normal person again.  They made me wait 11 weeks for the second surgery which put a big crimp into my traveling plans for 2015.

The end of this month I got my new Rite-Aid Plenti Program Card.  It's been a mixed bag of good and bad this new program but at least I no longer have to run to R-A to use a Wellness Reward within 2 weeks.  The new program points don't expire for 2 years upon issue.

* April--I began to record short shopping trips in vlog form, but alas my readership numbers did NOT soar.
This month also saw the formation of the Bloggers United Federation.  Boy, that didn't last long did it? lolz
We also made a trip to Allentown in April to visit a Meadery which was one of Hubs Christmas presents.

And the yearly de-cluttering began with the first yearly trip to Salvation Army.

* May--The highlight of this month was our road trip to Louisiana.  Lots of interesting sights and good local food.  Oh, and a tornado.....such fun!!

My first eye was cleared and the eye doctor scheduled my second surgery on the other eye for TWO MONTHS after this date.  There went any traveling plans for this Summer as I wasn't cleared for all normal eyeball activity until late July.

Hubs and I finished our yard project-a rock bed/garden with a bench.
I also broke down and bought a chest freezer, after being freezer-free for 1.5 years.
We got the garden planted(mostly)right before our road trip.

* June--This month I bought a metric ton of cheese for little money during the Weis Markets Kraft Promotion.
Hubs had a health issue come up which we are still working on 7 months later with no end in sight.
Eldest son got a teaching job offer this month 2 years after graduating with his degree.
We got the front flower beds planted.

* July--This month was spent driving back and forth to Fredericksburg Virginia to find Eldest son an apartment and then moving Eldest son into that apartment.  That was in between another cataract surgery and follow up appointments.

Another highlight was meeting a fellow blogger on the way down to Fredericksburg and having dinner with another blogger I have met before.
The lowlight of this month was experiencing the "shit hole" apartment. lolz

* August--Before August started really, we had company at Chez Sluggy when Lorraine and Hubs Chris stopped for a visit on the way home from their NY trip, giving us just long enough to throw some gang signs............

The rest of August was all about just keeping my head down and plowing forward with the usual chores and getting College Boy provisioned and then sending him back for his second year of college.
Then I prayed for lower electric bills with CB gone.

I also found an old newspaper account of what so far is my most notorious ancestor, Abner Redmond, "The worst man who ever lived in Charlotte County".

I organized the stockpile this month and the garden turned out to be pretty much a washout, except for yellow Summer squash and Collards, which we were practically buried in!

* September--This month saw more visitors to Chez Sluggy when Kim and Joel stopped by while touring the East Coast.........

Hubs and I sat down and solidify our retirement financial plans in September.

 This month was also when a friend/fellow blogger took his life.  I still feel unbalanced over that event.

We also went to my Family Reunion and brought Eldest son with us since we had to pass right by where he now lives.

I also thought I had developed a blood clot in my foot in September and after the doctors and tests could find nothing medically wrong with me they sent me to physical therapy, which did NOTHING for me, but drain dollars away from my wallet.  I took a hiatus from the exercise bike until the PT was finished.

My daughter came home to visit for the first time since leaving home 2+ years early.  Since I was bedridden for a week with that foot injury(that medically didn't exist)we didn't spend a lot of time together but we did manage to squeeze in a couple of visits to brewpubs in the area.  It was a good visit anyway.

I also found two of my cousins(I only have 3)on Facebook after trying to get information out of my Aunt(their mother)for 2+ years.  Hopefully we can reconnect on a broader level at some point but this is a start.

Koolickles also happened here in September.  Need I say more? ;-)

* October--The highlight this month was another road trip to Illinois to see Sonya Ann and Den.  I always enjoy my time with SA and we really don't have to do anything for the time to be special. 8-)

Sonya Ann and I crashed a Drumming Circle in IL.

Of course, Den decided to be the center of attention this trip but we'll give him a pass anyway.

Then we had lunch with Hubs sister on the way home........

Hubs and I had an outing one weekend South of here to a Chinese Auction.  We also had our annual outing to a Church fundraiser auction this month.  Lots of entertainment spending in October.

I also got the bulk of my Christmas shopping finished this month.

October began the quite unseasonably warm Fall weather in our region.  The benefit of this trend kept my heating/electric bills unusually low.

* November-- I was able to make a large food bank donation of goods this month by working the grocery store deals.

I also took myself to the movies this month.  I hadn't been to the movies in over a year I think.

I tried something new for Thanksgiving-a different preparation for my turkey, and it turned out well.

I did my Black Friday Weekend shopping at Rite-Aid.  $500 worth of goodies for .05¢ OOP.

* December--The good deals at Rite-Aid continued into this month.
More time was spent in December on getting ready for celebrating the Winter Holidays and I ramped up the de-cluttering again and made 6 more donations of said clutter to charity stores.

Throughout 2015 I saved, spent and reported in on how I did.  Hubs and I re-examined our retirement goals at various points in the year.
I held 6 blog giveaways throughout the year.

And I was able to save a nice chunk of our take-home pay for retirement.

2015 was a good year despite the ups and downs.

Bring on 2016!


Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "Can You Believe This Weather?!?" Edition--

We went to Virginia yesterday(though CB stayed home as his band has a gig in PA for NYE).  The temp while driving through Delaware hit what is in the photo above.  Once we got to Maryland further South we hit 76F degrees.  Yooza!  My brother said it was a tad warmer than that at his house earlier, before we arrived after dark.
Crazy crazy weather for the end of December this year.........

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week.......

1. Sunday--Rigatoni w/(leftover)Meat Sauce, Salad
2. Monday--Bourbon Glazed Salmon, (leftover)Cole Slaw, Olive Oil Potatoes
3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings or Pot Pie(using leftover roast chicken meat)
4. Wednesday-Leftovers(this will mean fish, stuffed shells and/or rigatoni w/sauce + a veggie)
5. Thursday--Traditional Chinese Dinner out Xmas Eve
6. Friday--Beef Roast, Mac and Cheese, Ginger Carrots, Rolls, a green Veggie TBD
7. Saturday--Leftovers or a Subway sammich or Fend for Yourself

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Rigatoni w/(leftover)Meat Sauce, Salad
2. Monday--Bourbon Glazed Salmon, (leftover)Cole Slaw, Olive Oil Gratin Potatoes
3. Tuesday--Pot Pie(using leftover roast chicken meat)
4. Wednesday-Assorted Leftovers
5. Thursday--Traditional Chinese Dinner out Xmas Eve
6. Friday--Beef Roast, Mac and Cheese, Ginger Carrots, Rolls, Salad
7. Saturday--I had a Roast Beef sammich and Salad

Pretty much everything planned was prepared last week.

As for my grocery spending last week...... multiple trips to the grocery stores with last minute holiday splurges put me over my $350 food budget for December by $53 and change.

Leftovers going into this week.....Meat Sauce, Stuffed Shells, partial Chicken Pot Pie, Prime Rib Roast, Baked Mac and Cheese, Rolls, Olive Oil Gratin Potatoes.  I also made up a big container of Taco Meat Filling for College Boy to munch on while we are gone.  The freezer is also packed with a pizza for one, frozen cauliflower, chili and chicken strips so he won't starve this week.

Here is this week's "food plan" for Hubs and I--

1. Sunday--Roast Chicken, Collards
2. Monday--?
3. Tuesday--?
4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?
6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 0 new meals cooked and 1 meal of leftovers consumed plus 5 night Eating Out.
We are traveling and in Virginia most of this week so a break from cooking for me....yay!

There will be no food shopping this week so my December food spending is in the books and I'll post my End of the Month/Yearly Update for 2015 on our food budget later this week if I can remain sober for that long.  8-)

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?
Are you making something special for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

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

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy