Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The Summer of the Car(Windshield More Specifically)

This Summer is turning out to be all about the Cars here at Chez Sluggy.

Since May we've spent $1,153.01 on car repair and maintenance.
May-new tires, belts, tune-up and oil change on Hubs car.
June-windshield repair, new windshield on Hub's car.  Mystery problem on College Boy's car.
July-another windshield repair on Hub's car.
Can I say Ugh here?

The one that irks me the most is the windshield issues.

While passing through Pascagoula MS on our Louisiana road trip in May on I-10 a truck through up a rock(pebble sized)that hit our windshield and put a nice hole into it near the driver's side edge.


When we returned to PA Hubs went and had the glass place fix it but they thought it just needed filling.
We have $100 deductible for glass replacement on the cars so we paid $79.50 OOP for that repair.
Two weeks later we get into the car to take Hubs to his favorite brewpub during Father's Day weekend.
I mentioned that it looked like the crack had gotten a bit bigger.....maybe 1/2 and inch on one of the lines emanating from the hole that was filled.
Hubs said I was hallucinationg.
Right...........

So we go to the brewpub and when we went out to the car 2 hours later the crack, that Hubs said was NOT betting worse/longer, is now snaking halfway across the windshield........


I know it's difficult to see in this photo under those fluffy cloud reflections but it is there nonetheless.

So Hubs takes it back to the glass place and we pay another $25 to get the windshield replaced this time.  Same "repair event" so they only charge us the difference between what we paid for the fill and the balance of our deductible......except they charged us $25 instead off the actual difference which was $20.50.
sigh.

The windshield replacement was on June 22nd.
Not even two weeks later Hubs is going down the mountain to get to the Interstate here to go to work on July 5th and another pebble hits his windshield and puts a hole into it.
WTF?!?

So as of this past Monday we have another filled hole and we are out another $79.50.
And don't even mention that he should have bought a kit and fixed it himself.
I mentioned that both times the glass company were just going to fill the hole and he REFUSES to even consider doing it.
Men.
Can't live with them,
Can't kill them.
;-)

CB's car is going to be the death of me.  It keeps throwing Check Engine codes.  The dealership had the car last month for almost a week running diagnostics on it and driving it around and pulling things apart and putting them back together.  After a bill of $551+ they still can't figure it out!  They even called Corporate or whatever.  This car is now famous(or should that be infamous?)at this dealership.  They "think" it's a bad oxygen sensor.  I told Hubs if he takes it back in there will be no more extended "look see"by the dealership, just replace the sensor and we are DONE!  I am not putting that kind of money into this POS car again only to have no solution or fix to the problem.

It kills me that Hubs is so eager to throw money at a car problem(because he knows nothing about them when it makes no sense to dump good money after bad.

Have I ever said how much I detest cars and the $ they suck out of my wallet?

Sluggy

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Since so many asked for my made from scratch Mac and Cheese recipe yesterday, here it is.

It's actually the recipe off the back of a box of Mueller's elbow macaroni from back in the early 1980's.  That's when I married and we set up housekeeping.

It's a simple little recipe.  The recipe can be doubled to feed a large gathering or a couple of teenagers. lolz
I modified the recipe a few years back to use only half the amount of dry mustard called for in the recipe.  We like it better that way.
I also don't do a crumb or cracker topping anymore.  It doesn't need it really. ;-)



Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
2 TB Margarine(I use butter)
1/4 Cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 and 1/2 Cup Milk
2 Cups Grated Cheese
8 Ounce Elbow Macaroni
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs(can substitute Ritz crackers or use nothing like I do)

Boil macaroni in pot of salted water for 6 minutes.  Drain and put aside.

Melt margarine over low heat in large pot.
Stir in flour, salt, mustard, pepper until smooth and flour has "cooked"(about 2 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in milk.
Stir constantly while cooking over medium heat 10 minutes until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 and 1/2 cup grated cheese until melted.

Turn macaroni into greased 2 quart casserole.  Pour cheese mixture over macaroni.  Mix.

Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs(or crackers or nothing)over top.
Bake 375 Degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

Enjoy.

Sluggy

Monday, July 11, 2016

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "Cooking From Scratch A Lot" Edition.............



I've been doing a lot of scratch cooking this past month.  Above was a meal eaten sometime in June-salmon(breaded fillets for 2 of the diners), roasted Brussels Sprouts(with bacon!)and mac and cheese.


The Daughter had to work until 9 pm that night so she had to reheat hers and missed being the first person to dig into that pan of mac and cheese.  I sent her this photo above at work and told her dinner was ready.
She messaged me back that I was a brat.  Well, yes, yes I am! ;-)

Moving on......

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Leftovers or FFY
2. Monday--Cook-Out Foods
3. Tuesday--Chicken Parmesan, leftover Risotto(for those who want it), Salad
4. Wednesday--Pork BBQ, Cole Slaw, Buns, leftover Cook-Out sides
5. Thursday--Meatloaf, Sugar Snap Peas, leftover stuffing(for those who want it)
6. Friday--Shrimp Dish(Shrimp and Grits or Garlic Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry or Shrimp Scampi)
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers or FFY
2. Monday--Cook-Out Foods
3. Tuesday--Chicken Parmesan, Salad(nobody wanted leftover Risotto)
4. Wednesday--Pork BBQ, Cole Slaw, Buns
5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Meatloaf, Leftover cook-out Corn, Spicy Mac and Cheese(leftover stuffing was added to the meatloaf)
7. Saturday--Leftovers

7 meals cooked at home, 2 of them nights of leftovers.

As for my grocery spending..... I spent a total of $161.87 on 6 trips to 3 different stores. I have $145.04 left of my $450 food budget with 20 days to go in the month.
Yah, this doesn't bode well for staying under budget this month. 8-(


Leftovers going into this week........Pork BBQ.  That's it.  Everything else got eaten.  I live with eating machines evidently!

Here is this week's "food plan"--

1. Sunday--Chicken Spaghetti(don't ask!lol), Sugar Snap Peas
2. Monday--Breakfast for Dinner(Daughter is cooking)
3. Tuesday--Reuben Sandwiches
4. Wednesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken, Rice, Zucchini
5. Thursday--Shrimp Scampi, Salad, Garlic Bread
6. Friday--TBD
7. Saturday--TBD

This week will see 5 new meals cooked and 2 nights of NO CLUE yet.

What I need to buy for this menu.....small shrimp, rye bread, 2 bananas, sauerkraut, zucchini, French bread.

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 last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

Friday, July 8, 2016

Grocery Shopping This Week

Well this week is turning out to be a spendy one as far as groceries go.
2 trips to Weis(PMITA)Markets, 1 trip to a small regional chain store in the town South of us, plus I sent College Boy to buy bottled water at Weis as it was 50% off this past weekend.

Here are the deals I got that are worth mentioning............

6 boxes of Nabisco crackers and was paid $2.88 to take them home. ;-)
3 boxes of Jolly Time popcorn for $2.39(Buy1Get2Free Deal)
3 bags of Emerald nuts for $3.99(Buy1Get2Free Deal)
2 boxes of Ronzoni Manicotti shells for $1.14 each(half price clearance deal)
3 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta for $2.50(half price clearance deal)
3 boxes of GM cereal for .88¢ each($1.88 ea. had to buy 3 plus $1 off each box Qs)
2 cans Hormel no beans chili for .74¢ each (after sale/Buy6Get$3Off Deal/Qs)
2 packages of Chi-Chi's flour tortillas for $1.29 each(part of the B6G$3Off Deal) + I also had a Chi Chi's Q for $2 off Eggs wyb2 Chi Chi items, so I got 1.5 dozen free eggs too
2 packages of Perdue breaded chicken cutlets for $1.50 each(after BOGO sale and Q)
1 jar Hellman's olive oil mayo for $1.47(after sale and Q)
1.5 lbs. of ground beef for $1.97 lb.
30 breakfast sandwiches for $21.85 *
3 tubes of Grands! biscuits for $1 each on clearance
6 dozen eggs(besides the 1.5 dozen listed above) for $4.00 total

*The breakfast sandwiches are $42.71 regular retail.  On sale 30 those bad boys were suppose to be $29.97.  The cashier screwed up and when I tried to let her know she was ringing things up the wrong price she got snippy and copped an attitude like, "bitch you don't know". lolz
So I let it go and let her ring stuff up wrong and save me another $8.12, spending $21.85 on $42.71 worth of sammiches.  I will attempt to be honest if you aren't charging me enough, but if you give me grief for it I'll just live with your mistake. ;-)

Grocery spending this week?
$160.68
Yikes!
Savings rate varied from a low of 48.81% to 55% off so it's not so bleak if you look at the deals I got over regular prices.  $160 but I got a LOT of food for that.

There seemed to be lots of deals around the 4th Holiday so why not take advantage of them, right?

Next week's ads aren't so great so I may stay out of the grocery stores next week.....or at least try to because I am over halfway through my food monies for July and it's only the 8th.
Ack.

Sluggy




Thursday, July 7, 2016

Eating Out Totals....June Update

We spent $120.82 on eating out in June.  I like to keep it at $100 or less so we are over some.
We had Father's Day in June so that accounted for the bulk of it at $98.14.
Just a little Chinese take-out and a couple of subs from Subway otherwise.
No trips in June so no trip eating out.

We have spent $998.24 so far in 2016 on Eating Out.  That averages out to $166.37 per month.
Hopefully we can keep the last 6 months of the year at this level and keep the yearly amount spent at $2K or less.

My Eating Out Log can be accessed HERE.
For some reason the tab for this page is not visible on my home page.

Sluggy