That Was The Weekend That......What?!?!? Part One

Friday started out like any other Friday............a trip to Rite-Aid and a trip to Weis.

Since we were expecting up to a foot of snow over the weekend I went up to Rite-Aid to do my deals on Friday since I figured I wouldn't be going anywhere on Saturday.

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

5 Kimberley-Clark brand paper products.  I had $1/1 Qs for each plus a $5 Catalina from buying Huggies the week before to use.
I paid $24.95 OOP using Bonus Cash.
I earned another $5 Cat and $10 in BC for spending $30+ on K-C products meaning all 5 "cost" me $9.95 spending down the BC.

Then I bought all this coffee on a different card.........

4 x Folger's 1850 coffee on sale for $5.99 each plus a box of candy for $1 to get over $24 threshold=$24.96
4 x $1.50/1 IPQs made this all $17.96 to spend down all the BC on that card/account.
I earned back $6 in new BC(2 x $3BC wyspend $12 on select food/drink items)making all this cost me $11.96(no tax).  Not a bad price-$2.99 per container and a bonus box of candy.  8-)

Then I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets for the Friday Freebie and a few deals which I'll talk about this Friday.
The cashier f**ked up the order so I had to go back to the customer service desk twice!(She manually put in 4 Qs and didn't double them.........)

And then I noticed the 2 cans of organic pear halves rang up reg. price of $1.97 and not the clearance price of .98¢ the shelf tag indicated..........

So I got 1 for free and .99¢ back on what I paid for the second can(and had her put it as a credit on the cc this time).

Things were looking up and then I spied .02¢ on the ground as I left the store..........

We were slated to go out for my Birthday meal on Friday night.  I suspected something was going on at this point since we make it a habit NEVER to go out to eat here on the weekends.

People here are NUTS for going out to eat and everything is so crowded and the place I wanted to eat out-Texas Roadhouse doesn't take reservations per se so I knew it would be a clusterf**k of a night.

But Hubs said we had to do it on Friday because ex-college boy's last night off was Friday and otherwise we'd have to wait until next Wednesday to go.
Ok, sounded reasonable, right?

So I get dressed and we head down the mountain to the steakhouse.  Our daughter met us there as she had just come from school/work.
We go in at 4:30 pm and it's already jammed full.

We walked and walked and walked to the very back of the dining areas and then I saw purple balloons at a table.
And two people wearing masks sitting there.
It took me a minute to connect the dots but then I recognized one of these masked marauders from her hair and her pallid skin tone framing that mask....another one of the whitest white women on the planet like me!
Kim!!!
And the matching masked bookend was Kim's twin, Sissie!!!

               Kim, Sluggy, Sissie


I tell ya, you could have knocked me over with a herring!  Kim had flown to her sister's house out East(she did go to Spokane-to get a flight AND her teeth cleaned)and they drove up to PA to surprise me for my birthday.

Just gobsmacked, I was!

My eyes are closed in this photo because I had had a VERY large alcoholic drink....that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I love that Kim has a halo above her head....yah, riiiight!

So the 6 of us had dinner and a great many laughs.
Kim's sister brought me gifts too.....

A purple kitchen glove, a purple fancy pie plate and a sheet of funny fortune cookie magnets.

This one is now the header of my Facebook page.........

I laughed until the tears rolled down my legs at this one. lolz

After dinner Kim dropped her Sissie at the motel and then came to the house for cake...........

                     My half price birthday cake!

So I blew out the candles after everybody sang and Hubs didn't catch the "moment" so I had to pose and pretend to blow them out and Chester helped.   That's why it looks like I am trying to not laugh while blowing.........lolz

Kim visited for a bit then headed back to the motel for the night. (I won't mention that she got lost going back and saw a bit of Wilkes-Barre that night before finally making it back to the motel.)
A big snowstorm was predicted for Saturday(followed by an ice storm on Sunday)so we weren't sure if they'd be able to hang out on Saturday before heading back.

Part Two tomorrow..........


Sluggy

It's My BIRTHDAY!!!

Yes, today I turned the big 6-0 at approximately 8:25 this morning.

I've gotten about 37 birthday greetings on Facebook so far.  Thanks to everyone who put a greeting up there who also reads this little old blog.



I stole the graphic above from one of those FB messages.....so cute!

I went and had a look at a list of people I share a Birthday with today.

*  Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, is 6 years older than me and didn't quite make it to his bday this year since he died in 2018.  I at least made it to 2019.

*  Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, Russian Mystic and holy man,  aka the "Mad Monk", born 1869 died Dec. 30, 1916, age 47.

Grigori proves we Jan 21st babies are survivors and we are hard sonsafabitches to kill.  It took a group of Russian nobles, a plate of arsenic laced cakes, three glasses of poisoned Madeira wine, strangling, beating with a dumbbell and 3 shots to the chest and head, after which he was thrown into a frozen river, to finally off Rasputin.

* Thomas Jonathan Jackson 1824-10 May 1863.
Aka Stonewall Jackson.

Stonewall proves we Jan. 21st born are fierce under pressure.  Ok so we may also have eccentricities.....like sucking on lemons even in battle, submerging our heads in frigid water to help our eyesite, believing our body is out of balance and often raising one arm because one side of our body is heavier than the other and the blood needs to flow out to lighten that side of the body....but other than that we are great warriors.

* Alfred Hawthorne Hill
aka "Benny Hill"

1924 to 20 April 1992
One of the comic icons of early British television Benny Hill is known worldwide for his comedy show, The Benny Hill Show.
I came to know of Benny Hill as an adult but my first introduction to him was in movie, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".
He played a relatively benign role of the Toymaker in that film.

One of my favorite scenes from CCBB was this one...........

Known to be a tightwad, even after his net worth was well into the 7 figures he still bought discounted food at the market, walked instead of paying for a taxi(though he could drive he never owned a car)and mended clothing until it could no longer be fixed.
Alfred and I have a lot of things in common the least of which is a wicked sense of humor. ;-)

* Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary War patriot, Founder of Vermont
1738 to 12 February 1789, aged 51.

No genealogical connection with Ethan for me.  He did spend some time in the Wilkes-Barre PA area contesting some land grants that the Connecticut based Susquehanna Company laid claim to that Pennsylvania objected to.  Long story short, Ethan was part of a movement to carve out a new state from the Wyoming Valley area of PA and a chunk of New York, which didn't happen.
Other than occupying the same geographical area(albeit 215 years apart)the only connection I have to Ethan Allen is the brown couch in my living room........

It's an Ethan Allen. ;-)

*  Cristobal Balenciaga, Spanish born fashion icon/designer, considered the "King of Fashion"
1895 to 23 March 1972(aged 77)

Balenciaga was the master, one of the few fashion designers who could cut and sew haute couture as well as design it.  Balenciaga, the master who all the greats learned from..Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Ungaro and De La Renta and others.
Too bad my style run to the tacky rather than the elegant, otherwise we would have been best friends.
*snort*

* Charles the V, King of France  1338 to 16 September 1380(aged 42)
Called Charles the Wise

Charles was physically a contrast to his tall, strong father, King John II(John the Good)....Charles was pale with an ill-formed body. He was highly intelligent however.  He suffered from gout in his right hand and an abscess in his left arm so I can relate. ;-)

Charles V is also my 2nd cousin 21 x removed.  His Great grandfather, Charles Valois, is also my 22nd Grandfather so we share a birthday as well as genetic material(along with a prominent proboscis).

So Happy Birthday to all my fellow January 21st born kin!



Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Can You Tell Any Difference?!" Edition.........

Last Monday......

This morning..........

   

Doesn't look like much was taken out during the week but some did leave.  It's a bit more organized too.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

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

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, leftover veggies

2. Monday--Leftover Buffet

3. Tuesday--Chicken and Dumplings

4. Wednesday--TV Dinners and Leftovers

5. Thursday--Lemon Chicken w/Barley, Spinach and Carrots

6. Friday--Birthday Dinner Out 8-)))
7. Saturday--Leftovers(Chicken and Dumplings)

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 night of leftovers/fend for yourself, 1 night of Eating Out/Take-Out.  

What got put into the freezer last week.....
* 2 packs of panko breaded pork
* 7 TV dinners
* 1 bag of meatballs

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.......
* 2 packs of panko breaded pork
* a whole chicken
* 3 TV dinners
* 1 pack of BSCB

 A couple of grocery trips.....2 smallish trips to Weis($14.47/$24.36)and Walmart($12.22) and a couple things bought at Big Lots that were food($2.25)brought the weekly food spending to $53.30 and brought the January monthly total to $198.60 so far.
I have 10 days left in my shopping month for January.

My savings percentage last week was 48.02%(without Rite-Aid trips)and January's monthly savings total so far comes to 49.76%(w/out R-A).  We are under 50% savings for the month...ah well, what can ya do?  ;-)

Leftovers going into this week....some breaded shrimp and clam strips, zuke, sausages, chicken and dumplings, Lemon chicken w/Barley spinach and carrots.  Since no one seems to want the leftover seafood I'll peel the breading off and add it to the dogs' dinners for a couple of nights.

Here's the Knorr meal starter mix I got last month-8 bags for $1 at the Surplus Outlet-the Lemon Chicken Barley meal starter variety.  You add chicken, fresh spinach leaves and carrots.
Note to self.....don't use "rainbow" carrots(the purple ones)as it will turn the whole dish purple. lolz
It tasted good except that the color of the dish didn't "jive" with a lemony flavor. lolz

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

1. Sunday--Catfish Piccata, Asiago Rice, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Daughter is cooking since it's my Birthday day

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Veggie TBD

5. Thursday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--?

This week will see 4 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out and 2 nights of ?

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing so far, it depends on what the ? days turn out to be. 8-)

I am going to spend some $$ this week on really inexpensive pantry stock up items so my spending total will top $100 this coming week.  I'd rather take advantage of prices when they are low than keep my January spending lower.  I won't be stocking on frozen foods however because, well...you've seen my chest freezer.  ;-)

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  

Frugal Friday......the January 18th Edition

Let's see what frugal wins we had this past week here at ol' Chez Sluggy......

* I got the Friday Freebie last week at Weis(PMITA)Markets........

A whole cup of yogurt.
This has got to be the cheapest freebie they've had at .50¢.
Gee Weis, could you at least have given away TWO cups and made it a whole dollar's worth?!? lolz

*  I received $7.30 back in cash rebates on Ibotta.  2 rebates on any items and $7 for buying 7 Lean Cuisine meals.  They were part of the "Buy 6/Get $3 Back Deal" last week so were $2 each after that so $1 each after rebate.  Nice on something the Daughter wanted me to buy anyway.

*  I found money!

A whole penny.  Not a good week for finding cash on the ground and I didn't go out much either so not many chances to find any.

I don't remember where it was found as it was last weekend so it was probably at one of the only two places I went-Rite-Aid or Weis.  ;-)

*  I found some good grocery deals last week...........

Small bottles of Texas Pete were $1 each at Weis.  I had .55¢/2 Qs that doubled to $1.10 so each bottle was .45¢ after sale and Q.

Finlandia spreadable butter was on clearance for $1.74 and I used a $1/1 ManQ so .74¢.
The pumkin spice LOL butter spread was also on clearance for $1.29 and I used 2 x $1/1 IPQ so .29¢ each after sale/Qs.

Annie's mac and cheese were $1 at Weis on sale and I had .50¢/2 Qs that doubled to $1 so these were .50¢ per box after sale and Q.  If I had found the Healthy Bites magazine in my store, there is a Weis Q for .50¢ Annie's in there and they could have been almost free w/stacked Qs but .50¢ a box will have to do. ;-)

*  I received a Q from Purina in the mail..........

I don't usually but this kind of dog food but for free we''ll give it a go.  8-)

*  Remember those smashed up glass candles I received from Bath and Body Works?

I finally got through to them on the phone to complain about the 3 candles that got smashed.  They sent me two replacements and credited me for the third candle as they were out of that scent until next Christmas.

The candles arrived last week and intact for a change.   Won't be ordering those through the mail again......

*  I remembered to pick up more postage stamps before the price increase.........

I picked up a big lot in November when the Holiday stamps came out and I picked up another chunk this past week so we should be good now.  I got $100 worth total so am saving $10 buying them before the .05¢ price increase next week.  It's not much but it's something and tying up $100 in stamps isn't putting a crimp in our finances so why not?
Be sure and get stamps before the 27th.

*  And to proof that I am the Queen of Frugal(like anyone had any doubts on that score by now, right? lol)here is something I picked up this past week..........

The bakery dept. at Weis had this sheet cake marked down 50% off on Tuesday so I had Hubs buy it and have them write on it(in purple).
The cake is pretty ugly IMHO and the decorating is messy but at half price it is a gorgeous thing of beauty! 8-)))
If y'all were here I'd invite you all over for a piece!


That's it from here this week............

Tell us your frugal wins and remember to stay the frugal course!



Sluggy

Random Bits and Bobs

Lots of stuff to talk about but mostly no common thread and nothing worth an entire post so let's get crackin' with it! ;-)

*   First off an unexpected package arrived last week.  It was from one of the folks I sent a Xmas card to in Anne's card swap, "Treaders" who blogs at Random Thoughts.

Anyway the package was addressed to me but the back said it was for Hubs.
I had mentioned in my card to "Treaders" that Hubs' father's family was from Sicily and we hoped to travel there during out retirement.

Imagine the surprise when Hubs unwrapped a 2019 calendar from Sicily!  I think it made his holiday........  8-)))
Hubs is a big one for calendars. So thank you "Treaders" for your kind gift.  It is now hanging in a place of honor in the kitchen and Hubs has transferred all his important dates onto it.

*  Here is all the WAM(aka Walking Around Money)I ended the year with.....

Just short of $600.  At $100 per month that almost half of my WAM for the year.

*  And speaking of spending money(or not), I did buy myself a couple of things during the after Xmas sales.........

Rite-Aid had these two different Vera Wang fragrance sets.  I got a couple for real cheap during the Black Friday sale.  I figured I'd have one to give if I needed a last mintue "Oh crap! Someone's coming over and I didn't buy them anything gift".  I opened the other one and man, do I LOVE these scents!
So I decided to keep both for myself since they were practically free after sale/rebate/BC.
My R-A had 2 more left when they went to 75% off so I scooped those up too at $5.49 each.  There's where $11 of my leftover WAM went before 2018 ended.

*   Loved this fortune cookie..........

So true that!

*  Hubs and I have been taking advantage of no snow so far in January and just going out to stores to walk around and poke around in the clearance stuff.
Walmart was a boon for fun crap to check out...........

I have threatened all my family/friends on Facebook with these fuzzy/long john pajamas.  They are tacky cats and Xmas themed pjs.  That green panel is the back flap so you can do your bathroom business w/out disrobing.
Hy-sterical!

*  My daughter loves a good ugly sweater.

I got her this one in 2017 for her December birthday......

Got that one because I couldn't find the one with the unicorn vomiting glitter..........

Anyway, Walmart has been a treasure trove of ugly Xmas sweaters this month.......

Mooory Christmas!

And who wouldn't want a Santa riding a Unicorn, ALL DONE IN SEQUINS!lolz

Or this one that lights up in case you get lost in a snowstorm.......

Or this one with tinsel and half a stuffed unicorn sewn onto the front.
Yes, I believe, I believe this sweater is butt ugly!!!

Hey, I even found a matching fuzzy hat for this sweater....

Though I did like THIS HAT much, much better.......

A different Walmart had these lovelies...........

Beer Mug Hats

And this one where I looked like a demented Christmastime Mad Hatter.........

And then there was this Star Wars hat, there was........

Why do I always screw my face up like that for photos??

*  I had some salad bits and pieces to use up, some almost expired grilled chicken strips and frozen cranberries to get out of the freezer so I tried my hand at making the Bob Evans Cranberry Pecan Salad.  Except I didn't use pecans and we had feta not blue cheese.
I found a copycat Colonial Dressing recipe(though they LIED obviously because it called for ACV and not white vinegar and celery seeds instead of poppy seeds)and made a batch.

Though not quite on point it was tasty and used up some stuff lying around the fridge/freezer.

*   I saw this unusual word on FB and am embracing the concept.

My whole life seems to be a coddiwomple.

*  Speaking of traveling I went to the Weis(PMITA)Markets in the town West of here.  They are a much larger store than mine and sometimes they have better meat sticker deals.
As I got back in the car I noticed all the trash lying around my car in the parking lot.  Usually at this time of year there is a permanent layer of snow covering the ground so it doesn't look at run down and nasty as the parking lot looked that day.

Lots of the usual sort of litter......cigarette butts, food wrappers, bits of plastic....

Is it me does anyone else see dental floss picks all over the place!?!  Everywhere I go I spy them on the ground...bleck!

And the worst thing......

Do you see what's in the center of this photo???
A condom.
A "used" condom.
I guess I should be happy someone is practicing safe sex but really?  Who has sex in a grocery store parking lot???  Such a romantic place to park and do the nasty with your honey, yes?

*  They are predicting we are going to get hit with two snowstorms this weekend.  Oh goody.  I can't wait! hahaha
At least it shouldn't be anywhere near like this one from the '90s....

Ok, that's about it from me.
Hubs and I have our 2019 financial meeting soon.  We'll wrap up 2018 and see how it went and plan out a few things going into 2019.
I'll report in on that after we have it.

What's everyone else up to lately?


Sluggy