Weis(PMITA)Markets Trip Yesterday

I found 2 Instant Discount Sticker meats+ 3 great deals at Weis yesterday.......

* The andouille sausage is reg. $6 and had a $3 off sticker on it....half price meat!

* The kielbasa sausage(regularly $4.49)was on sale for $3.50 ea. and had $2 off stickers on them.....$1.50 each or 66% off meat!

* The ground turkey(regularly $3.99)was on sale for $3.39 lb. and I had a $1/1 lb. Weis Q that they sent me......$2.39 or 40% off meat!

* The Perdue breaded cutlets(regularly $4)were on sale for $2(1/2 price already)and I had 2 x $1/25/2 IPQs......$1.375 a package or 65% off meat!

* The store made panko breaded pork tenderloins(regularly $5.88 lb.)were on sale for $2.98 lb......49% off meat!

$16.93 for $40.97 worth of reg. retail meat for a 58% savings rate on the meat.

This shop was rounded out with 3 x 1/2 price Bakery Items, a FREE gallon of milk(from the cereal I bought last week), a jug of veggie oil($1.77 sale price-cheaper than their value brand reg. price), a cucumber(.50¢ off), and a double brick of cream cheese(reg. $4.79)for $1.97 after sale and Q.

I elected to use some gas points toward a 5% discount, lowering this shop another $1.18, which all-in cost me $25.60 out the door.
Savings rate of 60% overall.
Not bad......

Sluggy

Money Tips & Tricks to Save for Christmas Spending

First off Christmas comes around every single year.  It's not a surprise nor an emergency so why ignore it until the month of December and then it's panic time?  Or worse still, pay for it all on credit cards and then spend the first three months of next year(or longer!!)paying it off.

Develop some tricks or strategies that help you cope with all that cash leaving your wallet at the Holidays.  Because you KNOW it is going to happen so don't pretend it won't.

Find little ways to soften that blow to your cash reserves in December by making yourself save for Christmas all year long.

* Start a Christmas club.
* Join one of those online sites where you do mindless time wasters to earn points you can cash in for gift cards. If you have time on your hands and you're online anyway, so why not if you can stand it.
* Put X$ out of every paycheck aside into an account or a jar or wherever you won't touch it until it's time to buy Holiday frippery/gifts/foods.  Same idea as paying yourself first....put something away for yourself, then fund your Christmas kitty before spending down your monthly income.
* If you earn a gift card for buying/doing something(buying items at Target/transferring a prescription/etc.)put those away to use at the Holidays.
* Stop yourself from indulging in some weekly/monthly "want" once a week/month and put the cash you would have spent into a Xmas fund. (ie-1 less coffee or treat out per week, 1 less meal out per month, 1 less magazine/toy/shoe/purse per month, etc.)
* Direct all your accumulated pocket change into a coffee can to cash in for Holiday spending.
* If you have a rewards credit card, wait until the Holidays and cash in your points toward cash rebates, gift items and/or gift cards.
* When you 'save' by using coupons/sales at the grocery/drug stores, actually take that amount 'saved' in dollars and stuff it into an envelope earmarked to spend at Christmas.

There are so many painless money tricks you can play all year that allow you to hoard a little pile of cash/gifts away for the Holidays.  Just tuck it away as you go through the year and then haul it out in November/December when you are ready to start dealing with how to dole it all out.

One trick is to search out/send away for freebies that you can use for gifts.  I am by no means a "dedicated Freebie searcher outer".  I see an offer for something in passing or get a coupon at the store to try something new for free, sure, I'll exert the little effort required to get it.  Even not trying very hard it's possible to accumulate a decent pile of free stuff.

Here are the items I've gotten for free in the last few months.  If you recall I am putting freebies, when appropriate, away for Christmas gifting.

Besides the $70 in free gift cards at Target for doing Deals and the Musselman's Promo, I cashed in credit card points earlier this Summer for more gift cards.  $350 in gift cards were procured with $150 of them being earmarked for Christmas gifts.(The other $200 procured was for Lowe's cards for home maintenance supplies.)

World Market sent me a $10 off any purchase of $10 or more coupon last month.  Though we don't have a World Market here locally(and I wouldn't redeem this online and pay postage on having items shipped to me), luckily the coupon arrived right before we went to the family reunion in Virginia.
There is a World Market near my son's apartment in Fredericksburg so I was able to go get $10 in free stuff....yay me!

I got more than these two items(jars of olives)but these are the items gotten for free that went into the Xmas stash-a canister of waffle mix and single use bottles of hot sauce.
Of course, Hubs bought beer at World Market so that trip actually cost me money! lolz

I also got that free protein bar this Summer at Weis and a large pack of Puffs tissues.

Going into the third quarter of 2016 here are all the freebies I have in my Christmas Stash to date......

hot sauce-World Market
waffle mix-World Market
2 x Axe gift sets-Rite-Aid
Axe deodorant-Walmart full sized sample
2 x large bottles Suave shampoo-Rite-Aid
3 x Vaseline cocoa butter lotion-Rite-Aid
2 x Andes peppermint mints-Rite-Aid
bar of goat soap-Price Chopper
protein bar-Weis
Puffs tissue pack-Weis
12 packs of gum-Weis
7 lip balms-Rite-Aid
6 packs of mints-Rite-Aid
4 sets of ear buds-Rite-Aid
$10 Best Buy gift card-Musselman's promo
$50 Barnes & Noble gift card-c/c points
$60 Target gift cards(4 x $10, 4 x $5)-Target promos
2 x $50 Target gift cards-c/c points

In cash assets I have-

Sealed Pot/rolled coins stash of $80
SavingStar rebates of $90.77
Ibotta rebates of $5.50(can't cash out until it hits $20)
Checkout 51 rebates of $29.35
Items Sold on FB Tag Sale-$93
Rite-Aid Cash-$42(This was cash returned to me for coupons that were forgotten or didn't deduct during a transaction.)

I usually throw the SavingStar rebates into my food spending budget to offset that yearly total(since the rebates are due to food/toiletries I bought during the year).
This will be the first year I've gotten cash back for Checkout 51 so that's another bit of cash to throw at the food spending as well.

Rolled coins/sealed pot get put with the Christmas funds.
But I am unsure where to direct the cash from the Facebook local sales-into Xmas monies or put toward Food Budget?  What do you think I should do with this cash?

I am also not sure what to do with the Rite-Aid cash I received when transactions were messed up.  I have been holding that in my wallet to use at Rite-Aid if I ever needed it/ran out of Plenti points but it doesn't seem like that will ever happen. lolz
Should I throw that $42 into the Xmas fund or use it to offset the Food spending?
What say you on that one?

Cash saved for Xmas.....$80.00
Gift Cards saved for Xmas....$220.00
List of freebie items for Xmas

Cash saved for Food Budget......$120.12
Weis gift cards for Food Budget.....$25.00* a free $20 gc for Rx transfer and $5 for a Deal that didn't print this Summer

Plus that $42 in RA cash and $93 in F/B sales site cash I don't know where to direct.

Things are shaping up to be decent for my freebie stash going into Christmas 2016.

How about you?
What are your tricks and techniques for saving for Holidays spending?
How is your stash coming along?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "No Energy/Getting Back into My Groove" Edition.......

I have felt so sluggish this past week with no 'umph'.  While the weather has cooled off into the 70's and 60's it has rained or been high humidity all week so I didn't get a lot accomplished other than grocery shopping/cooking/dogsitting/the usual.  Nothing much on my monthly To-Do List got done last week.
But my morning glories are still going gangbusters!

Moving on......

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Subway sandwiches Take-Out

3. Tuesday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Sauted Squash

4. Wednesday--Meatloaf, Noodles, Fried Green Tomatoes

5. Thursday--Kielbasa, Halushki

6. Friday--Crab Cakes, Fries, Cole Slaw, Broccoli

7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Subway sandwiches Take-Out

3. Tuesday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Sauted Squash

4. Wednesday--Meatloaf, Noodles, Green Beans

5. Thursday--Kielbasa, Halushki

6. Friday--Chinese Take-Out(The kids went to the fair)

7. Saturday--Rigatoni in Meat/Mushroom Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

5 meals cooked at home, 1 of them a night of leftovers, 0 nights Eating Out and 2 night of Take-Out(1 I was feeling badly and the other we treated ourselves since the kids were out.)

Some leftovers were eaten for lunches last week.  The Crab cakes which were not cooked/served move to this week and WILL happen this week, finally! lolz

As for the grocery spending.....2 trips to Weis and 1 trip to the Shursave grocery store brought my weekly spending to $101.00 and my September food spending Grand Total to $721.51.
Yes I could have gotten by without any food purchases this last week of September but there were some awesome Deals on things other than meat this past week and I took advantage of those Deals--8 boxes of cereal for .44¢ a box + a free gallon of milk coupon, 18 boxes of facial tissue for .55¢ a box, 16 cans of soup for .52¢ a can, 2 large boxes of pancake mixes for .99¢ box, 5 x 1 lb. blocks of cheese for $2.99 each, 10 x 8 oz. bags of shredded cheese for $1.50 each, 4 x 8 oz. containers of mayo for .50¢ each, 2 boxes of taco shells + 1 can refried beans for .76¢ each, 2 jars of spaghetti sauce for .89¢ each, 8 containers of instant potatoes for .19¢ each, and 3 small tubes of cinnamon rolls for .21¢ each.  The Deals cost me $59.90 but it was tremendous value for that amount($164.83 regular retail)and now I won't need certain products for months to come and won't have to worry about paying full price for them if bought when absolutely needed.  8-)

Leftovers going into this week........beef bourguinon, 1 chicken thigh w/peppers, 1/4 turkey breast, stuffing, rigatoni in sauce, 2 kielbasa, small container halushki, small container of flavored noodles, 2 pieces garlic bread.

Here is this week's "food plan".

1. Sunday--Cheese Steak Sandwiches with Peppers and Onions(requested)
2. Monday--Hamburgers on Rolls, Fried Green Tomatoes, French Fries
3. Tuesday--Leftovers(probably Beef Bourguinon)
4. Wednesday--Chicken & Stuffing Casserole(using leftover stuffing)
5. Thursday--Leftovers(Hubs and are going out/Kids on their own)
6. Friday--Crab Cakes, Cole Slaw, Broccoli
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 4 new meals cooked and 0 nights of Take-Out and 3 nights of Leftovers.

What I need to buy for this menu?  Sub Rolls, Steak-Umms, and Provolone Cheese.(Already bought on Saturday and a great deal.)

I do need to find a deal on B/S chicken breasts soon as I have none left.  Other than that and the few things I need for this menu I don't plan on stocking up on anything this week.

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

2016 $38K Savings Challenge.....September Update

Every year I keep a close eye on our monthly expenses and our monthly income.

Our income is mainly the salary my Hubs draws from his job.  We have money taken off each paycheck from the top to put into savings, before we even get our hands on it.  This money that's taken goes into various pots....life insurance, health insurance premiums, long term care insurance premiums, investments and retirement savings.  It's automatic so we are never tempted to NOT put it into savings or these other categories.

Once the automatic savings amounts, plus taxes and medical/dental/vision premiums are taken out, it leaves what we get to "live on".  From this amount we budget for bills, both monthly and irregular bills(semi-annual, annual etc.) and our variable bills(like food, eating out, clothing  etc.)  Anything left over once our monthly expenses are paid, I put aside into an interest bearing Savings Challenge account.

For 2016 I am continuing my Yearly Savings Challenge.  I am raising the Goal amount to $38,000 this year, $8K more than my goal for last year.

On to the September report.....

I have posted my September End of Month $38K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the Savings Challenge page tab at the top of the blog for the specific numbers HERE.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $3,166.66.

I have to report that we finished up September with a yummy amount.
The extra amount we ended the month of September with?.......$5,543.68

Income

We had $4998.87 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.

Other monies received in September totaled $544.81.  This included interest made on non-retirement accounts, stock dividends, blogging revenue, a medical refund for over payment and a car insurance refund for over payment.

This brought us to our gain of $5543.68
Since we have no debt, this goes into savings.

Outgo

As for the expenses this September, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges, electric bill, and internet were approximately the same as last month(Within $1 or so).
*  The credit card bill was WAY DOWN $2023.76 from August's amount.
*  We received a car insurance refund of $192.48 on the car that was donated to charity.
*  We received 2 stock dividend checks in September.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The gas card bill was up $115.66.  Hubs used it more than the Mastercard to purchase gas in September.
*  The water bill was $9.69 higher than in August.
*  The direct medical spending was up again $24.63 from August's spending.
*  We received a car insurance bill of $70.60(I don't understand why)but this now moves our semiannual car insurance payments to November and May from October and April.
*  Property taxes were due and paid.  'Nuf said.....  If they had to be due better to be due in a month with a third paycheck, right?  ;-)

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post, which is located HERE.

With 9 month accounted for, our Savings Challenge Grand Total for 2016 is $28,797.32.

Final thoughts on September---
Though we had some high expenses in September(Hello property taxes, I am speaking to you!)the third paycheck more than covered that and gave us a bit extra to tuck away into savings.

Compared to September 2015 we put $3625.32 MORE into savings this September, mostly due to this year's September being a 3 paycheck month.
.
We have $28,797.32 saved so far in 2016, and we have only $9,202.68left to save over the next 3 months at this point to reach our goal of $38K saved.  That averages out to $3,067.56 a month for the rest of the year.  This means for the rest of the year I need to average $99.10  per month LESS than our monthly savings target goal of $3,166.66.  But even with that, this will still be a tight race to get to $38K this year.  We have higher everything bills now with 2 extra adults in the house + more medical co-pays.

Only 3 months left in the year to get to my savings goal.  We are quickly running out of time in 2016.


THOUGHTS going forward into October----
I don't see any unusual or irregular bills coming up in October since the semi-annual car insurance bill moved from this month to November.  The electric bill will rise as we will see the heat being turned on in October.  Credit card purchases should stay steady and we have no trips planned this month which always derails our spending.

So how was your September financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in September?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!

As we go forward into the last half of 2016 why not make this year the one were you clean up your finances and pay off your debts.
Plan to set something aside if you don't already now or increase what you bank now for your future self.
Or pay extra on the principle of your mortgage if your house isn't already paid off.

Live below your means and keep some change for a rainy day....because no matter how sunny it is in your life now, dark clouds come along and you'll be glad you have that umbrella to keep you dry.

Sluggy

Fall Is Finally Here GIVEAWAY!

It's Finally Fall here so let's have another Giveaway!

This is the seventh  Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway for 2016.
This time it's a blend of toiletries from the stash AND items I picked up on my Summer Vacation in Maine to share with one lucky reader.  8-)))

Here is what you can win if your entry is picked.......

1 x Centrum Vitamints
1 x Degree dry spray Deodorant
1 x Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo
1 x Colgate Toothpaste
1 x Pentel Mechanical Pencils(2)with extra Lead and a Bonus Ink Pen
And from my Maine Adventure--
1 x Bar Harbor Lobster Bisque Soup
1 x Claey's Hard Watermelon Candies
1 x Maple Leaf shaped Gummies
1 x Moose Lobsterman Xmas Ornament
1 x Reny's Dark Chocolate w/Sea Salt Bar
1 x Lobster shaped Gummies
1 x Kashi Honey Oat Cereal
1 x Hotel Shower Cap
2 x Hotel Shampoo bottles
2 x Hotel Conditioner bottles
2 x Hotel Body Lotion bottles

I did a short viedo of the prizes too.............



I'll leave this giveaway open until Sunday, October 16th, at 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time, so that gives everyone a full 2 weeks to enter this one.  On the 16th I'll put all the valid entries into a container and draw out a name and that person wins.

You may get ONE ENTRY EVERY DAY by leaving a comment on this blog post every day until the Giveaway ends.
Tell me in your comment, what here is the thing you most want to win or what your Halloween plans are(parties?, decorate?, give out candy?, dress-up?), or tell me whatever you feel like telling me in your comment.  8-)

You can also get 3 BONUS ENTRIES by posting this Giveaway on your own Blog OR if you are a Follower of this blog.  Please leave 3 separate entries for these bonus entries with either a link to your blog post where you talk about the giveaway OR the name/ID you follow under so I can verify you follow the blog for your entries.

Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US only.
I am not the government with unlimited funds to pay postage, sorry.

***PLEASE NOTE***

Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you in your comment.
If you're not a registered Blogger User with your contact information on your User page, please put your email addy in your comment or email me your email addy privately when you leave a comment so I can get ahold of you if you win. If your Blogger associated user profile is a GOOGLE one with those Google Circles nonsense I CAN NOT CONTACT YOU as Google Circles doesn't show your contact info.
I again had to disqualify some entrants in the last giveaway because their profile is linked through Google and not Blogger.  Please check your profile!  And if you ARE entering through a Blogger profile PLEASE have contact info(email addy)in that profile.  If I can't access your email addy I can't contact you so email me your email addy privately or add your email address to your User Profile.  If you have sent me your email addy privately for a previous giveaway I still have it on file so no need to resend it for this giveaway.

If I can't contact you then you can't win.  I have had to disqualify more readers than I care to due to this issue and I sure don't want it to happen again.  Thanks!

So let's get this started!

Sluggy