Grocery Shopping Exploits This Week

On Tuesday after voting Hubs and I went down to Aldi to pick up a few things we needed plus we found a couple of Christmas items.  I picked those up too as I wasn't sure whether I would get back to Aldi before Christmas...........

2 bags of flour for $1.15 ea.
2 cans of cranberry "glop" for .89¢ ea.
4 cans of evap. milk for .59¢ ea.
1 pie crust rolls for $1.39
All of the above is for Thanksgiving

1 box cornstarch for .89¢ *not pictured*
1 bag cole slaw mix for $1.29 *not pictured*
6 bananas for $1.04 *not pictured*
1 bag of "Doritos" for Ex-CB .99¢ *not pictured*
4 cans refried beans for .75¢ ea.
1 bag of harvest bagels for $1.99
1 bag of chocolate croissants for $2.99(a treat)
1 container of chicken salad for $2.99(a treat)

And 5 items for Christmas--
2 packs of Bourbon Sweet Potato Ravioli for $2.99 ea.
1 Cranberry/White Cheddar Cheese round for $3.99
2 Stollen(1 Butter Almond/1 Cherry)Cake for $4.99 ea.(love this!)

And here was the deal of the day at Aldi's......

80/20 Ground Beef patties for $1.33 lb!!!  Each package was just over 1.5 lbs. and $4 off, which made them $1.33+/- lb.  I wish I had more room in the freezer for more than the 3 packages I bought.  We've eaten 5 of the patties already and the other 7 are wrapped well and resting in the freezer as I type.  ;-)

We spent $50.54 Total at Aldi.
Only $23.76 of that was Not Holiday spending(Turkey Day/Xmas).
Reg. retail at other grocery stores here would run upwards of $89 for all this.

The Aldi's had just reopened after being remodeled and I'll tell you it's a much nicer store now.  They expanded a bit and the lighting is much better(as is the floor plan).  The produce prices seem lower as well.

And don't look KIM, I hit the mother lode of abandoned change there.........

I went to get a cart and put a quarter in and some guy started waving and yelling at me, pushing his cart back to the corral.  He handed me his cart and I tried to give him a quarter(since I'd get "his" quarter back when I was done with the cart)and he just walked away, so I made a quarter. lolz
Then I looked down under the carts in the corral and saw a plethora of pennies scattered there.
It was pouring down rain but do you think I stooped over and picked up every penny I could reach?.....of course I did! lololz
Then when we were done and I returned my cart and retrieved my quarter from it there were more carts gone and I could reach the last few pennies that were under the row of carts.  I am .46¢ richer after that Aldi's visit!

We hit the Dollar Tree next door for 4 packages of boxed potatoes, $4 spent OOP.

Then we hit that town's Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!)that had all that 75% clearance food a couple of weeks ago and I picked up a few more items.......

I picked up just a few more items.........
2 MH coffee drinks
3 Avelina oatmeal
2 Jello puddings
1 Pillsbury frosting(cinnamon)
All 75% off=$2.70
The almond flavoring was $1.99(reg. Ollie's price).
So $4.69 OOP for everything above.

After my dr. appointment on Wednesday I went back to Price Chopper to use that $10 OYNO Catalina.........

The weekly flyer from the Sunday paper had a lot of coupons if you spent $15 on non coupon stuff---
1 x King Arthur flour for $1.99
2 x Domino sugar for .99¢(1 was .99¢/1 was $1.99 but I stacked a $1/2 Domino ManuQ so the second sugar was .99¢ as well)
1 x 18 ct. eggs for .99¢
1 x lb. of butter for $1.99
1 x PC brand choc. chips for .99¢
2 x Wesson oil for $1.77 ea.

I also found 2 x ZClif bars in a clearance bin for $1.79 ea.
Also bought but not pictured was a 12-pack of Snapple teas for Daughter and 3 boxes of Count Chocula//FrankenBerry cereal on clearance for $1 each for Ex-College Boy. ;-)


Here are the things I bought so my total before the special Q items was over $15.......

1 x Hatfield Black Forest dinner ham on sale for $7.19 and I had a $1.50/1 Q so $5.69.
2 x Hatfield chorizo loose pork on sale for $2.39 ea.
2 x Hatfield Pork Loins(Texas bbq flavor)on sale for $4.79 ea. and I had 2 x $1/1 Qs so $3.79 ea.
5 x Hatfield bacon packs on sale for $2.99 ea.
All the meat was $33.00 after sales/coupons.

But even better there are Ibotta cash rebates on the loose pork, tenderloin and bacon right now($1 on the loose and bacon, $2 on the tenderloins)
There was also a $1 ZClif bars rebate too.
I ended up earning back $15.50 in Ibotta rebates on this purchase($11 on meat items, $2 on Zbars, $2 Mid-Week Bonus and .50¢ November Level 1 Bonus).

$47.54 OOP after Qs and the $10 Cat and I got back $15.50 in rebates.
I'll take it! 8-)))

Then I hit Rite-Aid since it was Wellness Wednesday but that's another post for later.
I was so tired by then I never even got to Weis(PMITA)Markets before this week's sales ended.
Bu that's ok as they didn't have much I wanted in that ad.

I am over $100 spent for the week but that's aok as I picked up some Turkey Day and Xmas needs/wants too.


Sluggy

Holiday Budgeting....Really Think About What You Spend for Christmas

**Given how close it is to Christmas this may or may not help anybody out this year but it's worth a read and a think about implementing this next year if not this Christmas.**

A recent Coinstar survey found that 65% of US adults who give presents at the Holidays establish a budget.  This is a good thing.

Even so, 85% of those folks admit that they go over their budgets for present buying, travel, decorating and other expenses of the Holidays.

However planning ahead CAN reduce the risk of overspending or overspending by a massive amount.  It's hard to keep to a budget and hit that goal if you don't have a target of any kind, right? ;-)

Here are some ideas ideas to help keep you on track this Christmas spending season......

1.  Estimate ALL your Holiday spending not just what you spend on gifts.  List all categories of spending that take a hit at the Holidays--gifts are just the tip of the iceberg!

Here are some categories to consider.............

GIFTS-'nuff said.lolz   How wide is your gift giving circle?  Immediate family? And extended family?  And friends?  And co-workers?  And business associates?  And people who provide services to you like--mail people, your children's teachers, trash collectors, doormen, really wait staff, delivery persons, dog groomers, etc.?  Look at how many people you feel obligated to give gifts to(either due to your own standards or just because they give you gifts so you feel compelled to reciprocate)and really think hard about how much this is costing you financially.

DECORATIONS- There is the decorating(trees, other Holiday displays, tablescapes, mantle displays, special decor in rooms such as dens, kitchen, bathrooms, etc.).  Americans can go crazy decorating for the Holidays.   Don't forget that if you electrify your decorating then an additional nice added chunk of utility usage gets tacked onto your decorating totals.

CLOTHING-Holiday gathers often necessitate wearing clothes that are special to the event or to the party.  Holiday parties that require evening wear, special clothes for Church and Church events, Work Holiday parties, even ugly sweaters for those types of events.  Unless you already have appropriate clothes for a given event, add in some cash to get yourself properly outfitted.

PARTIES/ENTERTAINMENT-If you throw a party or gathering be sure to put enough money aside for all that party food and drink and the entertainment(be it a professional band or buying supplies for a game or activity held at your party).  If you plan on attending a party where you are required to bring a dish or drinks or a wrapped toy donation, etc. be sure to include those costs in your budget.

TRAVEL-If you go away for the Holidays(be it fly or drive or take a train)make sure you budget for tickets, cabs/Ubers, the gas, car rental, nights in motels along the way or at your destination, food to eat along the way, etc.

FOOD/ALCOHOL-Many people have Christmas traditions that involve special food and drink.  Don't forget, if you don't include these items in your regular food budget to put aside extra money to procure these extra goodies.

The most important thing is to figure out what you can afford to spend without racking up credit card debt.  Seriously, don't go into debt to pay for Christmas.  No trinket, food, special night out, etc. is worth paying months and months of interest on to get out of the financial hole you might dig for yourself.  Gifts for the kids and seeing their smiles on Christmas morning are nice and heartwarming to a parent/grandparent but better yet is knowing you aren't jeopardizing their financial futures(or yours).
There was a segment on the news just last night here about a survey that found how a good percentage of Americans(I didn't catch the exact figure)are STILL PAYING OFF THE  HOLIDAY PURCHASES PUT ON THEIR CREDIT CARDS FROM 2017!  And the kicker is, these same folks plan to put their 2018 Holiday purchases on credit card again!!!  Don't be one of those people.

Now take the realistic amount you can afford to spend on Christmas and figure out where to apply that money and where to cut the budget or cut out spending altogether.  I like to prioritize the categories and fund what is most important to me(some gifts and food)and leave off what doesn't add to my personal Holiday Joy(parties, clothing).

Don't get rid of Holiday items that can be reused year after year.......trees, decorations, lights, ornaments, decorative candles(unless you burn them), holiday clothing, etc.  Save those boxes and gift bags and bows and reuse them year after year.

Maybe this is the year you actually acknowledge to yourself that you can't afford to do "up" Christmas like you'd wish or you have in the past(and you really couldn't "afford" to do as much as you did back then).  Good on you on being honest with yourself and not giving into the social pressure to spend, Spend, SPEND!!!

If gift giving is a priority for your Holiday then start NOW to plan for your Christmas shopping next year!  You can reduce so much stress in your life by buying throughout the year when you find a great sale/deal.  But the caveat here is to--make sure you have a person to gift that "whatever you got for pennies on the dollar in Feb." to next December and that you have a secure place to store it for the next umpteen months.  If you end up losing it and/or no one to gift it to that gizmo is better left in the store.

If you have your gifts bought before Thanksgiving and Black Friday comes around it just melts the stress away.  If you buy/collect all your gifts(or at least the bulk of them)before the Christmas season arrives you can relax and focus on something else during the Holiday and not have to fight the crowds at the stores(because face it, the stores are a ZOO in December!)or worry that those last minute purchases made online will arrive in time.

If you have a rewards program through your credit card or do Swag Bucks or some other small money generating online scheme, you can put more cash into your budget.  Play mind games with yourself throughout the year by joining a Christmas Club account at your bank, or saving spare change/small bills, or keeping all rebates received throughout the year to throw into your Holiday spending budget.
If you are diligent and find enough ways to fund Christmas in this way you may be able to stay away from using credit cards and/or your regular income and still have a jolly holiday!

If your extended family or even your nuclear family is expanding exponentially you might want to pow-wow with the adults in your family about cutting the gifting expenses by either discontinuing gifting for the adults(and put the gift focus back on the kids and/or the elderly in your clan)or institute some sort of gift exchange--draw names and only buy for one other person, etc. and set a money limit.

Also think about homemade gifts if you have a talent in that vein.  Sometimes they can be less costly in money but will take up more of your time.   Most anyone is appreciative of something  made specially for them.

I want to close with this video CT MOM shared on her Facebook group awhile back of the most recent Martin Lewis' Money Show.  The clip is HERE.  It's just a small piece of the show.

Here's an interview he did in the UK about this show back in late September......



I'm not trying to be a Scrooge and say you shouldn't spend at Christmas.
All I want is everyone to take a good hard look at what they are spending and really think about whether it's a realistic amount you should be spending and can afford.
Does your Holiday spending impact your financial future?

So who's with me when it comes to simplifying Holiday spending?


Sluggy

Thoughts on The Morning After

I've got a busy day today so y'all just get this quicky post today(I don't know if you should be relieved or upset by this. lolz).

I AM happy that I don't have to suffer through all the unsolicited phone calls and flyers in my mailbox telling me whom I should be supporting or voting for, for at least another almost 2 years.  8-)))

No matter who won it would behoove us to remember these words of George Washington from his farewell address.  During his first term as POTUS he saw the rise of opposing political parties in our country(the Democratic-Republican party vs. the Federalists).  The words he spoke 220 years ago are just as potent and apply even more so to our country in 2018.

"However (political parties)may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."

If you have never read this finely crafted document it might be time you did.  
Ya'll can peruse the address HERE.

And like Forest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

Sluggy

2018 Income & Spending Report.....the October 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 those funds.

I have set up a page to track the Slush Fund.  Click on the tab marked "Slush Fund 2018" at the top of the blog.

  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 October 2018 report--

I had 2 goals for October......
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 October in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of October with?.......$402.22

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in October---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3218.16(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1813.48
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $377.04
* Blogging Revenue of $113.20

Total "Income" for October......$5521.88


Expenses in October---

* Healthcare Premium for October was $1813.48.(paid with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in October came to $3306.18
Total Expenses....$5119.66

Sinking Fund--The balance in the Sinking Fund coming into October was $468.37. No irregular bills were due or paid so the Sinking Fund goes into November at $468.37.


We went into October with $24,000.37 in the Slush Fund.
Add in October's overage of $402.22 to the Slush Fund and it stands at $24,402.59 going into November.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as in September.(Within $1 or so).
*  The water bill was $2.35 lower than last month.
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in September.
*  The gas card bill was $22.88 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $157.27  higher than last month. !!!  It turns out that the Aug. and Sept. electric bills were estimated as they didn't come out and read our meter.  Both months should have been higher than what we paid thus the October bill was double what we usually pay. ugh.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals were $80 higher than last month(due to the trip to Maine spending)
*  The c/c bill was up $142.81 higher than in September.
*  There was a $89.88 charge card bill on my Visa card this month.
*  We spent $150.00 at the church auction in September.
*  Chester was due for rabies and an annual check-up so there was a $100 vet bill this month.

The Food Budget costs for October 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 October in the black with $402.22 in new general overage to add to the Slush Fund.
The Sinking Fund goes into November standing at $468.37.

FINAL THOUGHTS on October---
I knew going in that October would be a tight month--no 401K withdrawal, trip bills made the credit card high plus we took a bit more WAM out($80)than usual.  Then we had a vet bill for an appt. that I forgot was coming up in Oct. and a secondary c/c bill.  Add in the electric bill was double due to a correction. bleh.  Had we not had interest and a blogging revenue check come in we would have been $88.02 in deficit in October and would have had to pull money from the Slush Fund.  I don't like being so close to the monthly financial edge if avoidable.

THOUGHTS going forward into November 2018----
November.......let's see what's coming up.
Normal WAM withdrawal this month.
Normal food spending planned.
The credit card will be high but not as high as in October(The bill runs mid-month to mid-month so a few NC trip charges will be on it.).
Semi-annual car insurance will be due from the Sinking Fund and there isn't enough in it to pay it fully so we'll pull from Slush Fund or any general Overage in November to cover most of it.
No unusual financial stuff in November.....steady as she goes.

So how was your October financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in October?
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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "How the Mighty Have Fallen From Grace" Edition.........

Poor old Mario Batali.  Once the darling of the food world until his sexist ways were brought to light in the #MeToo scandals.
Hubs and I were in the Amish discount grocery outlet late Summer and saw this sad, slightly crushed box of Mario branded spaghetti sitting on a shelf there, priced at 49¢.  I am sure before Mario's career hit the skids this baby went for big money.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Chicken Fajitas

3. Tuesday--Leftovers or FFY

4. Wednesday--Potato crusted Cod, Cole Slaw, Veggie TBD

5. Thursday--Chicken and Chile Enchiladas

6. Friday--Beef Goulash, Rice, Spinach Souffle
7. Saturday--FFY(Fend for Yourself)

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Chicken Enchiladas

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Chicken Fajitas

5. Thursday--Hot Dogs, Beans, Potato Salad

6. Friday--Chicken Tenders, leftover Potato Salad, Mac and Cheese
7. Saturday--Pork Tenderloin sandwiches w/LTO(lett., tom., onion).

Last week saw 5 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/fend for yourself, 0 nights of Eating Out.  
The fish and the goulash didn't happen.  The hot dogs were a last minute meal(didn't take stuff out to prep in time so needed something quick and easy)and the pork sandwiches happened as I got that deal on a big hunk of pork.

 A flurry of grocery shopping at the Bread Outlet, a little bit at Ollie's and 2 med. sized trips to Weis brought the weekly food spending to $104.18 and brought the November total to $104.18.

I have 25 days left in my shopping month for November.

My savings percentage last week was 49.65%(without Rite-Aid trips)and November's monthly savings total comes to 49/65%(w/out R-A)so far.

Leftovers going into this week......1 helping rigatoni w/meat sauce and fajitas filling, 1 enchilada, 2 hot dogs, 1 helping beans, 2 pork tenderloins(need cooking). Not enough to feed a family(everyone the same thing)so this will all be lunch fodder for this week(mostly Hubs will eat it all).

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

1. Sunday--Chicken Marsala, Rice 

2. Monday--Meatloaf, Baked Potato, Salad

3. Tuesday--Beef Goulash w/Sweet Taters, Noodles

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Roast Chicken, Veggie TBD

6. Friday--Fish, Cole slaw, Broccoli, Fries
7. Saturday--Chili w/Beans, Cornbread

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

What needs buying for this menu? More mushrooms and broccoli.  That's it. 
A good deal of beef roast, ground beef, BSCB, frozen fish(and that whole chicken I bought last week) will be utilized and free up a bit of freezer space.

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