Last Chance to Win!

Here's a frugal Xmas tree idea for all you DIYers.  It's an egg carton tree! lol


Today is the last day to enter the December giveaway.

Go HERE and leave a comment on that post before midnight tonight, Dec. 11th.

Now I am off to the grocery store before the snow gets bad.....well, as soon as the home health person leaves since he's parked behind me.

Sluggy

Frugal Finds Despite The Week's Events

On Wednesday, while we waited on Hubs to go to surgery, I did a little shop at Rite-Aid..........

1 x Centrum gummies vitamins on sale...$6.99
2 x Progresso soups on sale....$2.50
2 x Russel Stover sugar-free candies on sale....$4.00
SubTotal.....$13.49

Coupons Used
1 x $4/1 Centrum gummies ManuQ(from Parade magazine)=$4.00
1 x $1/2 Progresso soup IPQ=$1.00
2 x $1.50/1 RS sugar-free candy R-AQ from Wellness Wednesday flyer=$3.00
Coupon Total.....$8.00

$13.49-$8.00=$5.49 OOP
I used $5.99 in Plenti Points to pay.
I earned $4.00 in SavingStar cash rebates($3 Centrum, $1 Progresso)so I am "down" $1.49 in Plenti Points.
In the end, the soup "cost me"(on points) .25¢ per can, the candy .50¢ per bag and the gummy vitamins were a .01¢ moneymaker.  8-)


On Thursday, after visiting Hubs, I hit Macy's.

I had bought this online before Black Friday.....

2 pack of Burt's Bees lip balm....$5.80 + .35¢tax=$6.15 with Free Shipping.
I used Plenti Points to pay so nothing OOP.

This purchase earned me $10 in Macy's Money which was valid this week.
I was in need of a new 2 cup measuring cup as the markings on mine had worn off from use over the years.

I found one for $5 and change on sale so I bought 2 coffee cups to give for presents to finish using the free $10 chit........

The coffee mugs are large 2 cuppers and made by Pfaltzgraff so they are good quality.
All this with the lip balms too cost me $3.49 including tax OOP in real cash.

A need met and bonus gifties too for $3.49.

I also hit Kohl's on Thursday to use $20 in Kohl's Cash to get my eldest son a present.  After KCash the present cost me $7.50 OOP.

The shopping here is now complete.  I am just waiting on something to arrive in the mail so I can send Eldest son and the Finacee their Christmas gifts.
Since we are home bound for the Holidays now I am having to mail gifts.  Since some of them are heavy(and would cost more in postage than I spent on them!)I'll just keep those for next year or hand carry them to them the next time we get down to VA and we'll have Christmas in March or June. lolz

Now I get to go add up all the receipts and see how bad the presents damage is to our finances.  I am figuring it's not too bad but I don't know exactly how much I'v'e spent at the moment.

Now I am off to clean up my invalid and feed him lunch so he AND ME can take a nap this afternoon.

What good deals have you found this week?

Sluggy

It's Always Something

So Tuesday night Hubs took a bad spill on the driveway while shoveling snow.

This resulted in a ride in an ambulance and a night spent in the ER(and then a ride home for me).

Wednesday was all about waiting around for determinations to be made after X-rays and CT scans(they confirmed a bad spiral fracture of the tibia and the fibula) and then for an OR so the orthopedic surgeon could shove a metal rod into Hubs leg.

By Thursday morning Hubs was no longer screaming with pain.  I suspect that smile is mostly drug induced.

He'll have the nickname of Gimpy for 12-16 weeks and I'll be Miss "Step N' Fetch-It" and Miss "Chauffeur to Medical Appointments" once he gets home.

Hubs can't put weight on the leg for 6 weeks and then will get a walking boot.
Daughter and I started rearranging the furnitures last night as Hubs can't climb the stairs and will have to stay downstairs.
Luckily we put College Boy's old daybed in the living room when Daughter moved back home for the dog to spend her days lounging on.  The dog is being displaced from her throne for the time being.

And I am so glad now that we decided to put the small Xmas tree up in the living room and not the full sized one.  Hubs will have a walker until he heals and maneuvering around the downstairs will be easier.

Luckily he can work from home but all our travel plans for Christmas are now off. sigh.
Daughter's birthday dinner out next week is also in jeopardy or at least delayed into the new year.
I applauded him on his impeccable timing of "this". lolz

I guess Hubs was due for a "break"(bad pun intended)since the last time he rode in an ambulance/went to the ER/had surgery was when he was 12.

He said he was tired of playing second banana to me every time we had to go to the ER and wanted all the attention for once.
Well, he got it.  And I think it cured him of wanting to be the center of chaos for awhile.

I am fine.  Just worn out with anxiety and worry.
And waiting for the pile of medical bills to arrive.  Not exactly what I wanted in my mailbox for Christmas but hey, we've hit our maximum out of pocket medical payments for the year so basically the bills until Jan. 1 are all paid 100% by our insurer. 8-)
And I am guessing we'll hit our high deductible figure quite early in 2017 now. 8-(

And this too shall pass.

Sluggy

I am going to be away from the blog for a few days.

There is a family emergency here(everything will be ok eventually)and I just don't know when I'll be able to get online for awhile.
Until then, remain calm and soldier onward to Christmas.  ;-)

Sluggy

Monthly To-Do List....November Update

Let's see how we did on our monthly TO DO LIST for November.

NOVEMBER

* Pay Bills  DONE and Done.  As always. ;-)

* Bike Something  FAIL  Let me confess that I did nothing on the bike. sigh.  I have so fallen out of this habit.  I WILL make an effort to get back into it in December despite it being the month of Holiday Madness.

* Read 1 Book  DONE.  A tome called "California Romance".   It's really 3 interconnected historical romance stories.  Not my cup of tea usually(except for the history angle)and I almost put it down as the religious overtones were offputting so I just skimmed over those parts.   Funny to combine a "bodice ripper" with religion and history.....not too much sex detail given the religious overtones which suited me fine.  A true escape type book which is what I required last month.

* Sew a Shirt  FAIL  Just no time/no desire.  I am taking this one off the lists until further notice because with the craziness that IS December, this isn't happening anytime soon. 8-)

* List Items on eBay  FAIL  I did do some research on selling prices and then decided it wasn't worth the effort.  eBay has changed again(for the worse)in the last few years while I have been away from it.  I may put a few things up on my town's Facebook tag sale site instead in December.  I am thinking I'll have better luck and less work doing that.

* Shred Papers  FAIL  Boy, this is turning into a stellar FAIL month isn't it? lolz  Just didn't get around to it in November.  Leaving on the list for December as it needs to be done.

* Hold Giveaway  DONE  Yep it got offered up.....

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  After a little difficulty contacting the winner(it was Thanksgiving after all)the box was shipped out promptly and received.  It was also nice that the winner emailed me that it had arrived and thanked me.  This doesn't always happen but it very good manners. ;-)

* Finish SA Donation  DONE

Among the goodies sent to Salvation Army were new in the box Christmas ornaments.  Perfect time of the year to let these things go. 8-)

* Take Donation In  DONE  A nice sized load was taken in Thanksgiving weekend.

* Scrub Kitchen Cabinets  DONE sort of.  I didn't get all of them finished so will work on the rest in December.

* Get Blood Work  DONE  Ouch.

* Go to 1 Dr. Appointment  DONE  My biannual appointment with my primary doctor.  Went over test results and medication changes. I got 2 count 'em 2 High Fives for my stellar test results and my work on my diet and my clean living.  Sluggy is an old fart stick-in-the-mud lately. ;-)

* Plan Turkey Day Meal  DONE  And I didn't break the bank buying the ingredients(though I did go over budget for the month).

* Cook Turkey Day Meal  DONE

And it seemed to be enjoyed by all.

* Clean Dining Room  DONE  This had to be done so we could eat on Turkey.  It has since been taken over by wrapping paper, bows, scissors, tape and mysterious bags holding gifts yet to be wrapped. (This is my Xmas wrapping staging area.)

* Clean Living Room  DONE  The living room was tidied and cleaned more than fully cleared out.  This clear out will happen in December to make room for the Xmas tree.

* Take Food Bank donation In  DONE
Here's the rest of what I gathered to take in before the month was out in addition to what I showed y'all last month......

Don't forget to add paper goods, laundry needs and toiletries to your Food Bank donation. 

Folks in financial straits many who are on SNAP benefits can't pay for those non-food items with SNAP funds so buying laundry detergent, TP and toothpaste, needs for most people, empty wallets quickly.

I also like to include condiments when I can because besides canned meats and peanut butter, condiments are a most requested need here.  At least locally, the charity funds used to buy bulk food to stock the food banks either aren't allowed or just don't buy condiments.(I guess ketchup, relish, mustard, barbecue sauce and mayo aren't considered nutritionally adequate or healthy enough to relegate the institutional monies to their purchase.)  Sometimes a bit of a condiment type item can make a bland meal a bit more appetizing. ;-)

So there you have it, my November To-Do List outcome.
A real mixed bag really.

How did you do with your Things to Accomplish in November?

Sluggy