To-Do List 2018.....May Results

Let's take a look at how we did on the May To-Do List.........

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything got paid and on time.  All bills put on the credit card are paid off each month and we don't pay interest on that.

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

"Bill Sublette-Mountain Man" by John Sunder

Though I've wanted to read this book since seeing in the gift shop at Fort Laramie last July I resisted spending $20 on it there.  I got it finally online for under $10(free shipping on Amazon too)and consumed it during most of May.
Bill Sublette, one the original Mountain Men of the American West, along with his siblings, is my 1st cousin 6 x removed.  There were 5 Sublette brothers who each went West for adventure and fortune(they were Sophronia Sublette's brothers-Sophronia has already been discussed recently on the blog).  The Sublette boys were a one family power house in terms of American exploration.  Bill was the most successful in that arena.  The writer paints Bill as a noble, trustworthy and successful business man who went out of his way to help his extended family.
At his death he owned a good portion of what would become downtown St. Louis Missouri.
Much of out early American knowledge of the wilderness beyond the Mississippi River we owe to Bill Sublette and men like him.  There are lots of Western places and features named for him too.
I highly recommend this book if you are into early exploration of the American West.

I also just finished up(ok, I read this into June a bit)........

"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Another highly recommended book due to the writing style and subject matter(WWII). I hope the movie they are making based on this book does it justice.  The author had a winning writing style, the language was simple and the chapters were short(though the book was over 250 pages).  If novels give you pause because of the length this is one you will zoom through to get to the end to see how it all comes together.  It's no wonder this author is an award winner many times over.

*  Clean my Desk  DONE(sort of)
The desk area was cleaned early in the month though looking about me, it is almost back to it's very untidy state and could use some more work. lolz

*  Sell House in LA  DONE!!!!!!!!!

So glad this is off my financial plate.  And the check for the unused house insurance has arrived and is going into the bank today.  Woohoo!

*  Clean out Fridges  DONE  What a mess.  Glad that's done.

*  Clean out Freezer 1, 2  DONE  I went through both fridge freezers AND the chest freezer as well.  Things are a little tidier and I've pulled "lurker" items to the front/top to get them used up.

*  Clean/Organize Pantry  DONE  Another bear of a chore but it's done.

*  Organize Garage  IN PROGRESS  Rome wasn't built in a day and the Garage is getting there.
I've done most of the stockpile in May but in terms of other things out there I need Hubs assistance.  And parts of the garage won't get done until the kids move out! ugh.

*  Change out Clothes for Summer  IN PROGRESS  I've only got to go through my long pants(to throw out some rags and organize it all back in the drawers)and that is done.  I've pulled out some clothing that hasn't been worn in years to donate and some items that no longer fit(undergarments)with tags still on them that I can sell.  I'll use the proceeds of those sales to purchase new bras that DO fit!  Seems I lost most of my weight in my boobs. lolz

*  Hold Giveaway 1, 2  DONE

I held two Giveaways in May, letting each winner pick out what they wanted to receive.

*  Mail Giveway 1, 2  DONE  Got both mailed out and received.

*  Plant Garden  DONE

I need to get another updated shot of what the garden looks like now....coming soon.


*  Plan possible 2018 Travel  FAIL  A big, fat fail as a matter of fact.  We just can't seem to get this together.  Canada is now out....unless we go in the Fall so not quite off the plate.  I wanted to take two or three of the kids down to VA to my brother's house for a visit(he hasn't seen two of them in years)but Ex-College Boy got a REAL JOB! right away and doesn't have time now for a trip and Eldest son won't give me a definitive answer on his Summer plans(He teaches so has Summers off). Ugh...kids!
I want to go out West again(Arizona way)to see Cousin Sonya but she's still stuck in IL with no end in sight yet.  I'd like to go see Lorraine since she has Summer's off but Alabama in Summer is not tempting! lolz
I don't know......I'm a flat squirrel lately. 8-(

*  Work on 2018 Goals  FAIL  I haven't even looked at the few Goals I wrote down at the beginning of the year to see if/how I've done on those or add in any way to them.  It's all I can do here these last few months to keep up with my monthly "To-Do" List of goals.  Maybe I need to just focus on the monthly/immediate goals I can accomplish and not worry about Yearly Goals?
Maybe.

It's been a mixed bag of successes and failures here.  One big goal and some little ones were achieved.
Onward and upward to June!

How did your month shake out?
Any successes?
Any not-so successful ventures?


Sluggy

Sorry for No Post Today

Between stuff going on here; taking care of Hubs, running him to the doc, running errands, taking care of Chester and the Grand dog, and getting sucked down a rabbit hole of genealogy(slogging through Colonial FFV PAGE family ancestors until I am cross-eyed)my day has disappeared.
gotta go make dinner now but I'll try to get my May To-Do List report done for Wednesday morning.

I don't know but I just feel sort of overwhelmed lately.
Too much to do?  Maybe.
Just can't deal with anything?  Maybe.

I saw this on Facebook the other day and it resonated with me.........lately I've been a "flat squirrel".

How about you?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Two Down, One to Go" Edition--

Since Ex-College Boy didn't want to walk at his graduation ceremony we had to wait a bit for his diploma to arrive.
I finally got a photo of him with it.
Two kids are college graduates now(one of them has his Masters as well), we've just got to get the daughter through by next Spring and then get her and ex-CB outta my house! lolz
Yay!

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Burgers, Hot Dogs, Roasted Veggies

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans

5. Thursday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself

6. Friday--Marinated Beef w/Broccoli, Rice

7. Saturday--Chicken Fajitas, Refried Beans

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself

2. Monday--Burgers, Hot Dogs, Roasted Veggies

3. Tuesday--Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans, Rutabaga

4. Wednesday--Chinese Take-Out

5. Thursday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself

6. Friday--Fajitas(used leftover turkey meat)

7. Saturday--More Leftovers

Everything but the Beef w/Broccoli got made/eaten.  With the leftovers and the Take-Out(and those leftovers some of us had)we didn't need one of my meals so that moves to next week.

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 night of leftovers/fend for yourself, 1 nights of Take-Out or Eating Out.  

A trip to Maines for a 5 lb. block of Cooper cheese, a hunk of ground beef and lots of fresh veggies($57.53), using a rain check or two that were expiring at the Shursave market($18.92) and some stocking up on pantry deals at Weis($39.53)brought the weekly food spending to $115.98.

I've got $284.02 left in the food budget for June and 27 days left in my shopping month.  

My savings percentages last week was 54.08%(without Rite-Aid trips)and June's monthly savings total so far is at 54.08%.

Leftovers going into this week.......garlic bread, stuffing, rice, mashed taters, rutabaga, hot dogs.

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

1. Sunday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Asparagus

2. Monday--Marinated Beef w/Broccoli, Rice

3. Tuesday--Tacos

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

5. Thursday--Stuffed Shells, Salad

6. Friday--Fish?

7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.

What needs buying for this menu? Lettuce, milk and maybe more hamburger rolls.

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

2018 Income & Spending Report.....May 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 come up during the year.  If we still have Slush Funds at the end of the year we'll decide then what to do with them.

  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 May 2018 report--

I had 2 goals for May......
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 May in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of May with?.......$2903.35

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in May---

* 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 May of $1255.65 #
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $333.00

Total "Income" for May......$6620.29

# 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 May---

* Healthcare Premium for May was $1813.48.(paid with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in May came to $3716.94.
* 6 mos. car insurance came to $911.74.(paid for from Sinking Fund)##


## 6 mo. car insurance premium expenses are due in May.  The carryover in the Sinking Fund coming into May was $1989.49.  $911.74 in car insurance paid leaves us $1077.75 in the Sinking Fund going into June.


We went into May with $10,362.43 in the Slush Fund.
Add in May's overage of $2903.35 to the Slush Fund and it stands at $13,265.78 going into June.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this May, 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 electric bill was $101.14 lower than last month.
*  The credit card bill was $842.76 lower than in April.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals were the same as last month.
*  The LA house electric bill wasn't paid in May. The amount of that bill will be deducted from the refund of our deposit with the electric co-op there(that refund should arrive later in June).
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in April.

HERE are the BAD THING

*  The water bill was $6.12 higher than April.
*  The gas card charges were $41.46 higher than last month.
*  The medical payments were $64.92 higher than in April(a dentist bill).
*  Semi-annual car insurance was due this month. This irregular bills is paid out of the Sinking Fund account.
*  We had a private c/c bill of $110.44 due in May(clothing).
*  Hubs used his Discover card and the bill was $38.14.

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

So we end May in the black with $2903.35 in new general overage so once it goes into the Slush Fund that Fund goes into June standing at $13,265.78. ($10,362.43+ $2,903.35=$13,265.78).
The Sinking Fund goes into June standing at $1,077.75

FINAL THOUGHTS on May---
While we did have a dentist bill due in May, that $200+ in charges turned out to be just $94.60 because the dentist wrote off a good piece of what our insurance didn't pay. 8-)
I was glad to see that the credit card bill was over $800 less compared to April.  The lower I can get it the better.  The credit card bill is a lot of miscellaneous spending here.  Besides the food spending which is how we almost always pay for groceries/toiletry spending, we had Chester's meds, a trip to Lowe's for some house stuff, gasoline purchases, a $100 Amazon bill(reloaded that account with funds and paid for it on our c/c), a 3 month phone service card for me, eating out spending, Hubs bought some home brewing supplies and $47.70 to Fedex as we had to pay to overnight papers for the LA house sale(which in hindsight was money wasted as we didn't have to overnight them because the freaking realtors delayed the closing! grrrr).

THOUGHTS going forward into June 2018----This month there is 1 irregular bills due, Long Term Care Insurance Premiums, so that will come out of the $1077.75 balance in the Sinking Fund.
Depending on the weather, electricity usage may stay about the same or go up a bit if the a/c is needed in June.  There are no big excursions planned for June so gas usage won't go up but the price per gallon has risen so our costs on that item may be higher.  Our eldest son may make a trip here for a few days once school is over(he teaches)so there may be beer outings or such.  He is a big spender when someone else is paying. lolz
The WAM withdrawal will be the same in June, $200.
I am going to make more of an effort in June to sell some things around the house by utilizing the FB yard sale group I am on since I really don't have enough to declutter/sell to have a physical yard sale.

Once June is done and dusted Hubs and I will probably sit down for a mid-year review of the finances and especially revisit the 401K withdrawals as we don't seem to really need them at this point since we do end up with extra money left at the end of each month.  But that's a discussion for another time.   ;-)

So how was your May financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in May?
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 increase 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

Best Grocery Deals Last Week

Here are the best deals I found at the grocery outlets this week......

 I bought 2 shelf stable milk cartons, 2 ice cream cartons and 2 8 oz. blocks of cheese as part of the Mix and Match Buy 6/Get $3 off deal.
I also had a $1/2 Cabot IPQ so after sale prices, $3 and $1 Q off all 6 came to $9.94 or $1.65 per item.

The Eight O'Clock K-Cups were on clearance($6.29 down to $3.29).  I had printed off $1.50/1 Qs early in May for these so paid $1.79 per box.

The Ragu finally went on sale at Weis on Thursday and that was the last day my 7 x .75¢/2 Qs were valid.  These double at Weis to $1.50/2 so .92¢ per jar with the sale price.  They double up to 4 of the same Q per transaction so I purchased these 14 jars in two transactions.

I also have 2 x .75¢/1 Kozy Shack pudding Qs expiring on Thursday.  The individual cup packages were on sale for $3 at Weis so after doubled Qs I paid $1.50 per package.  Hubs can eat these while his sore from surgery windpipe recovers.

I also bought Ex-College Boy 6 Gatorade bottles.  They are .77¢ per bottle this week plus I had a B5G1Free CatalinaQ for this that printed off a couple of weeks ago at the register and it took $1 off not .77¢ off so all 6 bottles cost me $3.62 or .60¢ each.  Another CatalinaQ printed off so when I went back for the last 6 jars of Ragu I picked up 6 more Gatorade.  No photo of those Gatorade though.

Sluggy