April To-Do List......Update

Let's see how we did on April's list of stuff to get done..............

* Pay Bills  DONE  First thing I do every month(or when the bill arrives that month)  Generally I sit down every two weeks and pay what arrived during that time.  That helps me stay more organized and not forget to pay something. ;-)

* Read 1, 2 Books DONE
I read this one........ 

It's a retelling of the California Gold Rush from 1848-1853.  It relies heavily on first person sources, diaries and memoirs of a varied lot of everyday folks who traveled to CA during this time who were intent on profiting off the event.  Very few made lasting fortunes mining the gold.  It was an interesting time and the author feels the spirit of innovation and the free spirited society still resides in and helped shape what CA is today.  There is also a bit of the unsavory that helped make CA what it is today if you hold to this author's suggestions here.
I especially liked the actual excerpts of the diarists over the author's take on "what it all means" and conclusions.

I also read this one.........

Gumption by Nick Offerman(actor and manly man extraodinaire)
This is his follow-up to his successful "Paddle Your Own Canoe" book.  This sequel(if you will)is more a vanity piece for him.  It's basically 21 chapters, each  about a person he admires for some reason(s)and how/why this person defined/defines "gumption".
He starts off with dead historical folks and then quickly veers off into current celebs/famous folks he admires who he considers full of gumption.
At times I think Nick Offerman is full of something other than gumption but hey! it's his book.
I won't say anything else bad about the man who gave us Ron Swanson. ;-)
This book shines at times and then there are the other times......not bad for an actor overall and a fun read.

I also started in on two other books in April and hopefully I'll get those polished off before May is over with and can let you know about them.

* Purge Coupon Envelope  DONE

Every 3 months I clean out the coupons inserts but every month I clean out my coupon envelope(it's a pencil case I life hacked for this purpose).

* Sell Stuff  DONE

 This sale was basically pure profit as the shampoo didn't cost me anything out of pocket at Rite-Aid.

This sale was at a loss and was something I was just trying to get out of the house. lolz
Both sales meant stuff left my house so I am good with it.
I do need to get back onto the local Yard Sale site and get some things sold there now that the weather has improved greatly.

* Sell House in LA PENDING
All the repairs have been made, contracts signed, we are just waiting on their mortgage company's appraiser to sign off on the repairs(taking their everloving sweet time on this!) and to close.  
Can't come soon enough for me!!

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  And the winner started enjoying her goodies this past Thursday. 8-)

* Finish Redoing Passwords Book  DONE

I got all the current information transferred into this nifty little spiral notebook.  I can't show you the insides for obvious reasons. lolz
This one should hold up better than the last book as the covers are plastic not thin cardboard/paperboard and not as likely to be torn off as easily. 8-)
It does feel good to let go of all that old out-of-date information and there is plenty of room before I get this one filled up.

* Plan possible 2018 Travel  PENDING  Still working out the kinks and maybe changing direction on this one.  Stay tuned.

* Work on 2018 Goals  FAIL  Well we are at a place where it's very difficult to plan any more goals for this year(mostly).  So much is up in the air.....this house sale, travel plans, College Boy's plans, etc.  We are sort of in a holding pattern at this point in our lives.   Maybe once we nail down the travel itinerary and the house sells we can move forward and think about the future.

Mostly we got what we needed to get done in April.
I'm now working on my To-Do List for May and am posting items on the side bar as I figure them out.

What did you get marked off your To-Do List for April?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the May 4th Edition

Let's see what frugal wins we had last week.......

*  I got hungry while out running errands so I picked up a sub to bring home for lunch.  Dug out my Subway rewards card and it had enough points on it to get a sub for free, which is what I did. 8-)

* Snagged a few straight-up freebies at Rite-Aid this week.....also got two pain cream samples but didn't get those in the shot either. Oops.

*  One of our US Savings Bonds matured so we went to the bank and cashed it out........

No point in letting a fully matured bond sit in the safe deposit box earning ZERO.  Cash those suckers in and throw them into something that earns interest(as little as it may be). ;-)

*  I had a 10% certificate for Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)that I had earned that was expiring in a few days so Hubs and I went there to see what we could find that was a good deal.......

Seasonal flavors of oatmeal packets(pumpkin and gingerbread)for $1.16 a box after 10% off.

3 Cheese blend Kraft grated for $2.24 after 10% off(can't even buy this that cheap on sale and w/a Q at the grocery store here!).

I was out of green chiles and Ollie's had them for .71¢(cheaper than the grocery stores).
The large no beans chili was $1.79 and the MASSIVE can of chili beans was $1.61 after my 10% off card.

The best deal were these boxes of cold brew coffee pods(not K-Cups)for making iced coffee.  At 75% off they were .37¢ a box and looking at my receipt now it seems the cashier only rang up 3 boxes. 8-)

*  Last Friday's Weis Freebie was procured by Hubs....

A free package of Weis cookies.

*  On the not-so-frugal front.........

We bought Chester a toy at Ollie's.  Even with the discount it was pricey but hey! it was a name brand(Animal Planet)and he's worth a new toy every now and again.  It was made of an indestructible fabric but I should have checked the seaming work on it better.

 5 minutes after giving the toy to him here is what I turned around to see........

His alligator toy is now in pre-op for surgery. ;-)

Hope y'all had a frugal week!


Sluggy

Wellness Wednesday Using Up/Converting PPs

Another Wellness Wednesday has come and gone.
Here are the freebie samples I got......

4 x Sensodyne toothpaste samples for Hubs
2 x Olay face thing(I forgot to put the 2nd one in the photo)w/a Q on the back

The Wellness Wednesday Qs weren't so hot overall this month.
I did use a few however to pick up some killer allergy meds for cheap!

I got this on my son's card............

2 x Nasacort 120 sprays on sale $17.99=$35.98
1 x Allegra 30 ct. on sale=$17.99
2 x Rolaids BOGO50%=$4.48
1 x Rolaids 20% wellness disc.=$2.39
SubTotal........$60.84

Coupons Used
1 x $8/1 Nasacort ManuQ=$8.00
1 x $8/1 Allegra ManuQ=$8.00
1 x $7/1 2 x 120 Nasacort sprays WWQ=$7.00 *
Coupon Total.....$23.00

$60.84-$23.00=$37.84

$37.84 in Plenti Points paid for all the OOP on this transaction.

I earned back $20(2 x $10 wyb $30 select allergy/pain/oral items).  All the items bought were part of the spend $30/Get $10 BC Deal.

I now have $5.79 left in Plenti Points on this card.
I also have $67.96 tracking toward the $20 Allergy Reward(wyb $75)

* The WWQ was $7 off 1 80 ct. Xyzal, 1 70 ct. Allegra or 2 x 120 Nasacort Sprays.  Three cashiers and I went over the shelves and nowhere was there a double 120 spray Nasacort item(2 boxes banded together like they had Flonase on the shelf) which is what the Q read to us all.  Barring no product we tried it on 2 single 120 spray Nasacort and it beeped but since no double banded product existed management pushed the Q through because technically we satisfied the Q requirement.

There is also a $5 for $15 purchase or $10 for $30 purchase cash rebate for these Chattem branded products HERE.  Requirements are select brands and you have to purchse at least two in one transaction between certain dates AND your cost is after coupons or sale prices.
I have already uploaded my receipt that qualifies for the $10 rebate.

I also forgot a $4/1 Nasacort IPQ I had to use on the second bottle of Nasacort for this transaction(didn't get 2 Q inserts on Sunday so no second $8 Q...boohoo)so I'll take it up next trip to R-A and they can do a "post coupon" and give me $4 cash. ;-)

Then I bought this on the same card...........

1 x I-Caps on sale=$17.99
1 x Allegra 70 Ct. 20% wellness disc. less than sale price=$31.99
SubTotal.......$49.98

Coupons Used
1 x $5/1 ICaps ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $10/1 ICaps WWQ=$10.00
1 x $15/1 Allegra ManuQ=$15.00
1 x $7/1 Allegra WWQ=$7.00
Coupon Total.....$37.00

$49.98-$37.00=$12.98 OOP
The $5.79 left of my PPs was used which left $7.19 balance.
$7.19 worth of BC was applied so Zero cash paid OOP.

You'll see that now the system says I have 0 PPs left on this card.
Since the tracking topped $75 on this transaction it generated a $20 Allergy BC Reward too.
I now have $24.95 left on the Allergy tracking going forward.

So these two transactions cost me $50.82 in PPs/BC and I earned back $40 in new BC(plus $10 cash rebate and $4 back for the forgotten Q).

Then I did this transaction on daughter's card...........

1 x Midnite sleep aid monthly sale=$9.00
1 x R-A bandaids 20% wellness disc.=$3.43
2 x Speed Stick deodorant on sale but 20% wellness lower $2.71=$5.42
12 x giant size candy bars on sale $1 each=$12.00
SubTotal.......$29.85

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Midnite IPQ(company website)=$1.00
1 x $2/1 R-A bandaids WWQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Speed Stick In-AdQ=$4.00
1 x $1/2 Speed Stick ManuQ=$1.00
12 x .50¢/1 Q sticker on product=$6.00
Coupon Total....$14.00

$29.85-$14.00=$15.85
$15.85 was taken from my Bonus Cash to pay.
I earned $11 back in new BC($3 wyb $12-the candy bars, $8 Midnite).
Those 12 ginormous candy bars "cost" $3 total. $12-$6 in discount stickers-$3 in BC earned=$3 spent.  That comes out to .25¢ per bar.

I then bought more allergy meds on daughter's card........

2 x 120 spray R-A flonase BOGO50%=$29.98

I used 2 x $5/1 R-A flonase 120 sprays WWQs so $10 off makes this $19.98 OOP.
$19.98 came off the $20.15 I had left of BC on this card so Zero OOP.
I topped the $75 Allergy spending/tracking mark on this purchase so a $20 Allery BC Reward was earned.(I now have $20.86 tracking toward another Allergy Reward.)

So I spent $35.83 in BC on these 2 transactions and earned back $31 in new BC.

Where all 3 of my cards/accounts stand now....
Son's card-$57.81 in BC/no PPs left
Daughter's card-$31.17 BC/no PPs left
My card-$61.72 in BC/$17.92 PPs left

There is a monthly Deal of Midnite sleep aid/Doan's pills/cream/Vivarin.  The price is $1 more than the amount of BC it gives you back.  Go to their websites and print off a Q to make this a freebie or a moneymaker.  Be careful though because the limit is 1 Deal and they are all part of the same Deal.
I got the Midnite on Daughter's card/account so that card is done for this deal. I'll get a Doan's on my card and a Vivarin on son's card eventually.

Did you do any shopping at Rite-Aid this week?

Sluggy

2018 Income & Spending Report.....April Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity(like a pension) and 401K$ withdrawals(retirement savings), I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.
But this money leftover at the end of each month, at least for now(as we find our new financial "normal")won't be saved toward a yearly Savings Challenge.  This leftover cash will go into a "Slush Fund" for now to be used if we have any emergencies.

  I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the April 2018 report--

I had 2 goals for April......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2018.

I have to report that we finished up April in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of April with?.......$2,161.32

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3218.16(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1813.48
* One third of 401K withdrawal balance(after funding Sinking Fund)for Apr. of $1255.65 #
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $337.99
* Blogging Revenue of $131.85
* Sinking Fund addition of $1383.24(from 401K withdrawal)

Total "Income" for April......$6,757.13 **

**  We got our federal tax refund this month as well-$5744.00.  After expenses and additional taxes paid in April(reported under variable expenses in the Expenses for April section below)our net refund stands at $5362.97.  I am not counting this windfall in with the 'Income" I report yet.  We need to decide what to do with this money first.  If we decide to put it into the Slush Fund/Overage monies I'll add it at that point.  If we decide to with go a 401K withdrawal next quarter and use the tax refund instead,  I will report/add it appropriately to the Sinking Fund and those 3 monthly "income" pots.

# We made a 2nd quarter 401K withdrawal in April of $6K.  After withholding for taxes due we got $5170.70 net.  $1383.24 of that gets put into the Sinking Fund to cover irregular bills coming due this quarter(long term care insurance due in April, car insurance due in May). $3766.95 is the balance of the 2nd quarter 401K withdrawal.  This got divided by 3 and gives us $1255.65 extra in April to add to the income for the month(May and June will also get $1255.65)for general expenses.


Expenses in April---

* Healthcare Premium for April was $1813.48.(paid with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in April came to $2782.33.
* Long Term Care insurance came to $449.98.(paid for Sinking Fund)##


## The Long Term Care insurance expenses are due in April.  The carryover in the Sinking Fund coming into April was $1056.23.  $1383.24 of the 2nd quarter 401K withdrawal gets added in giving us $2439.47-$449.98 LTC insurance bills leaves us $1989.49 in the Sinking Fund going into May.


We went into March with $8201.11 in the Slush Fund.
Add in April's overage of $2161.32 to the Slush Fund and it stands at $10,362.43 going into May.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as last month(Within $1 or so).
*  The water bill was $6 lower than March.
*  The electric bill was $52.93 lower than last month.
*  The gas card charges were $86.28 lower than in March.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals was $190 lower than last month.
*  The medical payments were $174.74 lower than in March.
*  The LA house electric bill was $4.97 lower than last month.
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in March.

HERE are the BAD THING

*  The credit card bill was $487.42 higher than in March.
*  Quarterly long term care insurance was due this month. This irregular bills is paid out of the Sinking Fund account.
*  We had to pay $100 to a handyman in LA to fix something on the house.
*  We had to pay state taxes to LA in the amount of $33.(State taxes paid to PA are reflected in/accounted for in the credit card bill for April.)

The Food Budget costs for March are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are covered in the credit card payment(sometimes WAM cash too).

So we end April in the black with $2161.32 in new general overage so once it goes into the Slush Fund that Fund goes into May standing at $10,362.43. ($8201.11+$2161.32=$10,362.43).
The Sinking Fund goes into May standing at $1,989.49

FINAL THOUGHTS on April---No big charges I didn't know where coming in April and the "usual suspects" aka the variable bills were pretty low.  Nice and boring, the way I like it. ;-)

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2018----This month there is an irregular bill due-our semi annual car insurance bill, and this will be paid out of the Sinking Fund balance. 
Electric costs should continue to go down. 
We will be getting a $200+/- dental bill in May to pay out of the regular monies, not the HSA. 
We are still waiting to hear about when the closing on the LA house is(should be soon as we are just waiting on the buyer's appraiser to sign off after repairs were made)so if we get that done in May there will be proceeds of that sale to put somewhere.....but hey!, that's a good problem to have. 8-)

So how was your April financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?
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!

Make this year was the one were you clean up your finances and pay off your debts.
Plan to set something aside if you didn't already or increased what you have banked 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

Food & Toiletries Spending.....April Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2018.

I have posted April's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in April.  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 3-5(4 at home this month). No "kids" under 22.

*****************
BIG LOTS
OOP  $30.96
Value  $66.56
Savings  53.49%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $7.00
Value  $24.14
Savings  71%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $3.00
Value  $7.57
Savings  60.37%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $54.65
Value  $85.62
Savings  36.17%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/PP/BC  $577.57
Value  $577.57
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE
OOP  $1.28
Qs/Ads  $1.21
Value  $2.49
Savings  48.59%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $263.81

Qs/Ads  $410.68

Value  $674.49

Savings  60.89%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bread Outlet  at 71% and Weis at 60.89%.  My worst savings rate was from Maine Source at 36.17%.

I shopped at 7 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket..........$360.70

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales...$500.17

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$860.87

TOTAL Savings of ................................58.10%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for Apr.....$360.70
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid....$1438.43
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales.........$1077.73
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items........74.92%

This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I kept it under $400 for April.
Go me..... ;-)

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 2.59% in April 2018 to 74.92% compared to March's 72.33% savings average.
The free stuff from Rite-Aid skewers my averages but without R-A I am at 58.10% savings.  So even without R-A we are doing well on the savings front.

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $1622.42 on food/toiletries in 2018 which is a 75.81% savings rate for the year so far and averages out to $405.61 spent per month in 2018.  Last month the average monthly spending was over $420 so we are heading down toward that magic amount of $400 per month.


LOOKING AHEAD To May.......
Keeping with that $400 food budget for May.  Maybe I'll do a bit better, maybe I won't.  ;-)
I'll continue to stock up on great deals on cheese, meats and frozen veggies but the canned/boxed pantry goods are good so maybe I'll hold off if anything comes up in that realm.  We do have company coming mid May so I will be spending a bit more for a meal for them.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in April?
*  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?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy