January Is My Birthday Month! Giveaway #1

January is when I celebrate another trip around the Sun here on planet Earth.

This year is a big dreaded Birthday.
The big 6-0.
But seriously, I can't believe I am this old?!?!?!

Tell me, does this look like the face of someone turning 60?

Ok, maybe the crazed expression makes me appear old AND nuts, but still.........

How did I ever go from this.........

To this..........

In just 60 years?

If you have an answer please let me know.  ;-)


Moving forward.........
Let's make this month all about my readers and not me by holding THREE COUNT 'EM THREE GIVEAWAYS this Month!!!

These will be a little different(just like me lolz)and will NOT be an awesome collection of toiletries and such.

First giveaway--a set of bags, a duffle/tote bag and a purse.

These were part of a clothing order I made in 2018 but the last thing I need is more luggage/tote bags so they are up for grabs.

I will also throw in one of these sets of earrings and necklaces from Paparazzi Jewelry, winners choice.........

If you are selected as the winner, I'll send you a better photo of the 4 sets so you can choose which one you want.  All are lead and nickel free for those who have jewelry metal sensitivities.



Close up shots of the goodies..........

Both bags are made of a monotone patterned leaf print in a heavy canvas-like fabric.  The pink flowers are embroidered onto the bags.

The tote has longish handles, the purse has a long strap and an outside pocket on the back.
Both bags have zippered closures at the top.

There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY for this Giveaway.  Come back every day and enter though!
Please tell me what you love or hate about the month of January, how old you will turn in 2019(if you dare!), your best birthday memory, your favorite kind of birthday cake, the best gift you received for a birthday and how old were you, stuff like that in your comments.

You can also earn 1 additional Entry(one per giveaway)by blogging about this Giveaway on your own blog or on Facebook.  I need a link to that mention to check it, to make that entry valid.


I'll leave this giveaway open until Thursday, January 24th at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. On January 25th I'll mark all valid entries and use Random dotorg to pick a number and that corresponding person's entry wins.

*Please note the rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winner on this blog on January 25th and that person has 48 hours from the time stamp on that post to contact me privately via email(my email addy is listed on my "About Me" page, as well as on my side bar).

If I am not contacted via email, I'll attempt to contact the winner via the email they supplied with their entry(or gave me to add to the Giveaway Data Base)and if that email is not responded to within another 48 hours I'll pick another winner.

Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US only.  As the cost of postage to foreign countries has gotten too high I am sorry to say I can no longer afford to mail boxes outside the US.  These giveaways are not sponsored by any companies.  I pay for it all(the cost of items given away and the postage to mail it all)out of my own pocket.

***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 a hold of you. 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.

If I can't contact you then you can't win.  I am still having to disqualify entries due to this issue and I sure don't like doing that.  Thanks!

So let's get the Birthday Giveaways started.  Good Luck to all!

Two more giveaways coming up later today.......

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "It Ain't Emptying Very Fast" Edition.........

I did make some progress emptying out the chest freezer....heck I made enough room in there to put that $2.49 Stollen I got for half price at Aldi's after Xmas to keep until next Xmas.

But then.......a huge styrofoam container landed on my front porch.  Our belated Xmas present from my brother--an Omaha Steaks cooler of meats.
Sigh.
While we appreciate the gift, I now had to find room to put all this frozen goodness which meant there is no discernible difference in the amount of food in the freezer this week.  ;-)
So there isn't much progress eating down the freezer to report. 8-(

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Roasted Rainbow Carrots

2. Monday--Large Salads w/Grilled Chicken 

3. Tuesday--Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Saute Cabbage

4. Wednesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini, Rice

5. Thursday--Chicken and Dumplings

6. Friday--Ham and Bean Soup, Cornbread
7. Saturday--Leftovers or FFY

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Roasted Rainbow Carrots

2. Monday--Large Salads w/Grilled Chicken 

3. Tuesday--Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Creamed Spinach

4. Wednesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini, Rice

5. Thursday--Chili, Cornbread

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Chicken Apple Sausages, Saute Cabbage and Onions, Au Gratin Taters 

Last week saw 6 nights of home cooked dinners, 1 night of leftovers/fend for yourself, 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  
The 2 soups didn't happen and Sausages did plus a night of leftovers

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.......
* 1 London Broil
* 2 bags of grilled chicken strips
* 2.65 lbs. of ground beef
* 2 packs of boneless chicken thighs
* 1.35 lbs. of ground beef
* 1 lb. ground turkey
* 2 packs of chicken sausage

What got put into the freezer last week.....
* 2 packs of chicken sausage
* 2 bags of roast beef slices(lunchmeat)
* 2 packs of breakfast pork sausage

* And a cooler full of a Xmas present of meats 8-)))


 A couple of grocery trips.....2 smallish trips to Weis($20.85)and Walmart($7.67) and a trip to Maines for produce($30.08)brought the weekly food spending to $58.60 and brought the January monthly total to $145.30 so far.

I have 17 days left in my shopping month for January.

My savings percentage last week was 52.23%(without Rite-Aid trips)and January's monthly savings total so far comes to 50.38%(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week....some breaded shrimp and clam strips, meatloaf, lemon pepper chicken, zuke and rice, chili, cabbage and onions, sausages, some crab dip and au gratin taters.

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

1. Sunday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, leftover veggies

2. Monday--Leftover Buffet

3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

5. Thursday--Catfish Fillets, Cole Slaw, Veggie TBD

6. Friday--Lemon Chicken w/Couscous, Spinach and Carrots
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 5 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.

What needs buying for this menu? Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber

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  

Rite-Aid This Week

I decided that this was a good week to divest myself of some Bonus Cash and roll it into a Rite-Aid Gift Card using the "Spend $50 on select items/Get a $20 R-A Reward Visa Card".
Even though the Visa card earned expires 60 days from when it's activated so the use by date is no longer than for Bonus Cash I just want to get rid of BC on some accounts.

So I spent down my BC on my Daughter's card and my card and earned 2 x $20 Reward Visa Cards this week.

3 x Huggies on sale $9 ea.=$27.00
2 x Aleve on sale BOGO50%=$8.68
1 x Thermacare on sale BOGO50%=$7.59
1 x Robitussin on sale BOGO50%=$3.74
1 x Visine 20% Wellness disc.=$4.63
SubTotal........$51.64

I used these coupons....
3 x $2/1 Huggies=$6
2 x $3/1 Aleve=$6
1 x $3/1 Thermacare(L2CQ)=$3
1 x $1//1 Robitussin(the $3/1 L2CQ didn't come off)=$1
1 x $2/1 Visine In-AdQ=$2
Coupon Total......$18.00

$51.64-$18.00=$33.64 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned the $20 Reward Visa card, a $5 Catalina(for spending $25+ on Huggies), and $6 in cash rebates on SavingStar($3 Thermacare/$3 Robitussin).

I then bought 3 more diapers on my card..........

3 x Huggies on sale $9 ea.=$27.00
I used the previously earned $5 Cat, 3 x $2/1 Huggies IPQs and a $5 Visa card I earned in November for buying SC Johnson items mid November Deal Here.

So it was $27.00-$16.00=$11.00 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned another $5 Catalina.

Then I rinsed and repeated that transaction and bought 3 more bags of Huggies..........

Same $2/1 Qs, previously earned $5 Cat and a second $5 SC Johnson Deal Visa card, paid $11 OOP with Bonus Cash.
I earned another $5 Cat and got the code to get a second $20 R-A Reward Visa Card.

Bonus Cash spent  $55.64

Reward Visa Cards earned  $40.00
Catalina left  $5.00
9 packs of Diapers to Sell  $45.00


Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the January 11th Edition

Let's take a look at the frugal wins we had at Chez Sluggy this past week............

*  I got the Weis Freebie last Friday.......

These will get used and we were almost out of croutons too.

*  I found some money!

A dime in the Walmart parking lot.  Sorry for the bad photo. 8-(

2 dimes found in the Weis(PMITA)Markets in town, both at the register but on the customer's side of it.  30¢ for the week!

*  I got some free food(and half price food)....

These jars of pimento were half price according to the shelf tag so I picked up three.  Checked my receipt after the transaction and they rang up regular price.  So I went over to Customer Service, after taking a photo of the shelf tag to show them.........

I got 1 free since they rang up incorrectly and I got back 50% what I paid on the other two so I paid $1.30 total for all 3 jars.
Sweet!


*  The best "deal" at the store this past week........

Turkey breakfast sausage packs were on sale for $4 each.  These two also had $3 off instant meat discount stickers on them plus I had a $1/2 Peelie Q(from buying 2 packs last month and could only use 1 Peelie Q on those)so these cost me .50¢ each.


*  I also found a few more Christmas clearance items at a different Weis this past week.......

2 x Glade double pack of pumpkin scented candles for $2.  I used Qs so paid $1 for each 2-pack.
2 x Ghirardelli peppermint chocolate chunks for $1 each(goes into the baking goods box).
4 x Walker's shortbread cookies-the Holiday shapes were $2 a box.  I had $1 off Qs from the box I bought the week before so paid $1 per box.
1 x Ferrero Roche hazelnut chocolates in a Xmas tree shaped box for $2.  I had a $1/1 IPQ to use so paid $1 for the box.
$9 spent OOP on over $35 worth of reg. retail items.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?



Sluggy

The Big Things I Accomplished in 2018

Here is a list of the main things I actually accomplished in 2018.  

Some were written about/identified in my Yearly Goals(such that they were)and some in my Monthly Goals.

I have put them in order of how much satisfaction achieving them gave me. 8-)

#1 Deal with the house in Louisiana.  

We sold it in June and it is gone!!!  It was the largest source of anxiety in my life for the 1.5 years before it got sold.

'Nuf said.

#2  Continue to drop some weight. I lost and have kept off 11 pounds in 2018.  Add to the 30 I lost in 2017 and I am 41 lbs. lighter in 2019

#3  We took 3 trips in 2018.
A short weekend trip to VA in April to see our older son and meet his GF.......

A medium sized one to New England w/Kim and her Hubs in late September/early October......

And a short excursion down to the Outer Banks of NC later in October........

Bonus points because we got too have lunch with our son on the way back home from that one.....

Not a lot of traveling in 2018 but what we did was greatly enjoyed!

#4  I got my new passwords book done........

#5 Sold some things........

22 bags of diapers got sold on the local FB site.

And 6 items left the building from eBay.

More would have been better but this was enough in 2018.

#6  I broke down and got a smart phone.........

Alert the media-Sluggy joins the 21st Century.....lolz

#7  We consolidated our banking and cashed in bonds.

Having both a B&M bank and a credit union account was just too complicated so, being unhappy with the CU we closed the account there.  Now we just have a B&M bank and an online bank.

We stayed on top of maturing Savings Bonds and cashed them out in a timely fashion.

#8  Gardening and Preserving the Harvest

 The infamous Basil Tree....lolz

 Tomatoes out our ears by September!

I dried oregano and basil we grew.

I also made pesto out of some of the basil and froze that.

 I canned pepper relish(mostly from farm produce Hubs and picked-we didn't grow this stuff).

 I canned peach jam from farm produce.

I canned tomatoes from out harvest.

 Grew lots and lots of Morning Glory vines......

 And saved a large amount of seeds from those.

The Grand Total output of our very little garden was 104.275 pounds of food!

#9 I got around to reading 22 books in 2018(plus 2 more I started but haven't finished yet.)  

At the moment I'd say these 5 were my favorite reads of 2018......

#10   2 Sewing Projects Completed.

  One was an unfinished languishing project.

A pair of jams for the my brother.

The other was a major lengthening/hemming job on two pairs of pants for my daughter.

#11  Giveaways Held-16

16 boxes of goodies left Chez Sluggy in 2018.  

That's an average of 1.33 giveaways per month.

#12  Food Bank Donations

This was what went to the foo bank in early November.

Another small donation made it's way there as well earlier in the year but I can't lay my hands on a photo of it right now.

#13  I got my Passport.

It happened in July after sending for my birth certificate in June.

#  14 House Projects Completed

Mostly this was Hubs accomplishments in 2018.  Some long neglected maintenance and repairs were achieved.....replacing 2 doorbells, buying and installing new blinds in the kitchen and the master bathroom, patching and repainting the pillars and trim on the front porch and cleaning/dehumidifying the crawl space under a part of the house.

#  15  Decluttering

Not much left the house in 2018 to go to the Salvation Army.  Yes, a lot of trash left and lots of toiletries/stockpile items went to relatives/giveaway boxes/got sold/food bank donations, but we didn't have much "stuff" to give to charity last year.  Maybe 4 or 5 garbage bags of items/clothing.  I don't really keep records of that anymore as we don't itemize charitable donations anymore.

#  16  Keeping Paper Under Control

I spent a good amount of time each month purging/shredding/filing paperwork in 2018.  I was able to keep anything from stacking up by doing this monthly.  This included all my coupon insert work too.

Now the state of my desk was another matter...EEK!!!

Let's close the book on 2018 and not dwell on the stuff I didn't get around to doing last year(and there was quite a bit).....let's celebrate the accomplishments and move on into 2019!

Sluggy