Random Stuff from Chez Sluggy

*  First a weather report from Teeny Tiny Town..........

It was 1F in the car this morning.

Weather dotcom says it's going to climb to a balmy 19F today before diving to -5F tonight.
Yay! *snort*

*  If you want to know why we were out in the insanely cold weather this morning, I had to go get my driver's license renewed.  Well I had to go have my photo taken for the license.  I was going to do it earlier in the month except our DMV was closed until Jan. 24th for renovations.  Um, other than moving a kiosk I didn't see any improvements in the building. lolz   So I am forced to go out in this yuck because it has to get done before Feb. 1st or there will be complications like Hubs having to drive me around everywhere and that's not happening. ;-)

*  Last week we had a deathly cold day, so cold that Chester refused to go outside.  Poor baby was trying to lift all 4 paws off the ground at the same time it was so cold on his feet.
Hubs ran right out and got him a pair of booties...........

They didn't have straps so we had to use rubber bands to keep them on his feet.  He kept them on long enough to do his business and then tried to tear them off. lolz

*  About Linda......I had a call from her earlier this week.  She got the money together to get a new laptop but what she wanted was out of stock so it's been ordered.  Linda should be back online in a week or two?  I am just guessing on this but it sounds plausible.  ;-)

*  About Sonya Ann.....she is finally divorced and all the martial assets have been untangled so she has no ties to the Asshole(as we call him)anymore.  She moved last Spring out West, in with her daughter.  The house daughter bought was a clusterf*ck so it's been a whole different kind of stress living there but.........Sonya has moved to a place of her own as of last week and is enjoying the peace and quiet.  She's now at a place where she can heal emotionally and physically.  It's been a very long, rough journey since October 2017 but she is on the mend now.  I know she is in a better place in her own head because she tortured me yesterday with a text that it was 65F where she is living...the stinker!! ;-)

*  I finally jumped through all the hoops to sent for that P&G Beauty $15 Rebate Visa that ran from late Oct. until Dec. 31st of 2018(Your envie has to be postmarked by Jan 31st 2019).
Man, the crap you need to do and send to qualify for the rebate is such a hassle!!  It's hardly worth doing them anymore.  I have backed up my submission with copies in case they deny the rebate(which they did once to me a few years back which made me stop even submitting for these rebates).  If this one gets denied I am so over P&G!

*  Here one of the more innane ads I got in the mail end of 2018........

A handbag with my initials in a Louis Vuitton pattern.  Done is genuine imitation leather *snort*.  The purse if 14" wide and 10" tall and comes with a goldtone keychain with my name on it.
Only $139 + shipping and handling of gosh knows how much.  I rarely spent more than $20 for a purse......
What a bargain!  How can I refuse. 8-)))

*  Neither of my $20 Rite-Aid cards I sent for have arrived yet from the "Spend $50/Get a $20 R-A card Deal" earlier this month.  Anybody else get them yet??


*  I was looking at the fridge magnet Kim sent me for Xmas.  It's one of those vintage women scenes with a sarcastic caption...........

I think I am offended..........Kim called me a ham face!?!?

*  I am getting ready to do our end of the month finances.  I don't think my piggy bank will be happy when it's all written out......
There is always next month, right?

*  Strange fortune cookie fortune I got recently........

*  I have so much to do before Friday and it's not all going to get done.  I just can't seem to get my brain organized lately.
It might have something to do with weening myself off the crazy pill I take.  I need to get off this one for awhile to see if these tremors are related or not and have some testing done.

*  We got the reimbursement from the medical account(that pays our healthcare premiums)and it was $12.60 short.  Another phone call to those idiots and some one didn't included the vision part that we paid.  I just wish people could do their job and not cause issues for customers. ugh.

*  I got a lovely spam comment on my Birthday.  Letting me know all about a great moneymaking opportunity if I work for live girls dotcom doing webcam porn I could make up to $5K a month in my spare time.
Seriously?!  Nobody wants to look at this 60 year old body nekkid.......


*  I'll close with a gratuitous photo of Chester........

He has three beds....well 2 beds and a piece of fabric we call the Ex-Bed because he tore it up and pulled all the stuffing out.
Anyway, the brown fuzzy bed we call "the Girlfriend" because that's the bed he humps.  The grey bed is the one he got for Xmas this year.  He will carry the "Girlfriend" and try to put it into the grey bed and then have sex with the "Girlfriend".  It's hysterical to watch.  Kim's sister enjoyed watching Chester try to do this, especially since he didn't get the Girlfriend in correctly and his leg was on the laminate flooring while he was "going at it" so he had no traction.  Oh, it's just a three ring circus around here sometimes..........lolz

What's been happening at your place?



Sluggy

The Deals I Got Last Week-Mostly Weis/Some Ollie's

I sure spent a LOT of $$$ last week on groceries but I got some nice deals.......

*  Goldfish crackers are .99¢ a bag if you buy 3 at a time at Weis now.
 I bought 2 Hershey Gold candy bars for $1 each, used a .75¢/2 Q which doubled to $1.50 off so         .50¢ total OOP for 2 bars.
 The Gatorade protein bar was free after a Free Catalina Q the machine spit out on a previous visit       to Weis.

*  These cleaners were $1.97 each when you bought any combination of 3.  I used 2 x .50¢/1 Qs for    the Fantastik and the Scrubbing Bubbles that doubled to $1 off.  I also had a .75¢/1 Windex Q that      doubled to $1.50 so it was $2.41 total for all 3 or .80¢ each(plus 1¢).

*  I got 2 Chi-Chi's salsa on Fantastic Friday sale for $1.25 each so $2.50 .  I used a $1/2 Chi-Chi's IPQ so $1.50 for both.  The Chi-Chi's flour tortillas were in the ad for 2/$4 but our store had them on special for $1.89(which  was a better price).  I bought 2 bags of tortillas and used a $1/2 Chi-Chi's IPQ so those were $1.39 each.
The new Foldable flour tortillas had a .55/1 Q on the packages so I got two of those as well.  The Q doubled to $1.10 off so these were .79¢ per packages.

*  Also on Fantastic Friday the Herr's corn tortilla chips were Buy One Get Two Free so $4.29 for 3 bags or $1.43 per bag.  I bought 6 bags of these total.
Ex-College Boy goes through a LOT of these chips so I am glad to stock up on them when I can(and I'll hide them from him so I can control how fast they get consumed).

*  As part of Weis(PMITA)Markets new pricing deals lots of Weis brand products(and some produce)is now lower priced when you buy in groups of 3.
Among those deals is Weis brand mac and cheese boxes.....29¢ each wyb3.  Buy less at a time and they are .69¢ each.

*  The Old El Paso items were on sale 4/$5.  When you bought 4 in a single transaction you got a free 16 oz. Weis sour cream.  I had a $1/2 Old El Paso digital Q attached to my card so all 5 items cost me $4 OOP.

*  Ragu pasta sauce was on sale for 3/$5($1.67 each).  I had 8 .75¢/1 Ragu Simply Qs that doubled to $1.50 so the sauce cost me .17¢ per jar.
I bought 4(only 4 like Qs will double per transactions)and went back later in the week and bought 4 more.

*  Chobani yogurts were .87¢ each last week.  I bought 5 and used a $1/5 ManQ so $3.35 for 5.  I went back again and bought 5 more using another $1/5 ManQ.

*  I bought 8 more Hershey's Gold bars using 4 more .75¢/1 Qs which doubled to $1.50/1 so $2 spent on 8 bars or .25¢ per bar.

*  I bought 2 dozen Eggland's best using a $1/2 ManQ.  They were on sale for $1.77 each so these cost me $1.27 each dozen after sale/Q.  That was the best price for eggs here last week and we were low.
*  I also found some dog treats on clearance for half price plus I used my free Purina dog food can Q.

*  Another Fantastic Friday deal was Reynolds Foil for $2.99.  I bought 2 and I had a $1/1 Digital Q attached to my card which came off so $4.98 for both.

*  When I took Kim and her Sissie to Ollie's I found these large cans of mushrooms.  With my 15% off Q they were $1.10 each.

*  These corn tortillas were $1 each.  I bought 4 and used 2 x $1/2 Chi-Chi's IPQ making them .50¢ per package.
They also had deli-sliced provolone cheese for $4 per lb.  This usually costs between $6-$8 here at the deli so I got 2 lbs.

*  The best deal I got was Bella wet dog food trays.  They were on clearance 1/2 off for .40¢ each.
I bought 24 trays and used 2 x $5/12 Bella IPQ.....$9.60-$10.00= -$.40.  The second $5 off Q wouldn't scan so the cashier manually pushed it through.  I was confused why as I had plenty of other items the overage should have attached to.  After shoppping I looked at my receipt and for some reason I also had a $2.50/6 Bella digital Q attached to my card.  That explains why the second $5 Q wouldn't scan, because I didn't buy 30 Bella trays.  So I paid -$2.90 for all 24 trays.  8-)))

I also got a lot of fresh and frozen produce last week(on sale and/or in season stuff), some soda(3 6-packs for $1.87 each) and a few meat deals.
I spent a lot more than I planned last week but I got quite a few good buys. 8-)



Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "It's Slowing Going Down!" Edition.........

Last Monday......

   

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

A bit more left the freezer last week.  I did spend a LOT at the grocery store last week but mostly refrigerated or pantry goods.
I still need to make room to shove a ham in there that's in the fridge. ugh.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

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--?

And this is what actually happened--

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

2. Monday--Hamburgers, Carrot and Potato fries

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Brussels Sprouts(I don't eat CFS and gravy.)

5. Thursday--just can't remember what we had but I cooked

6. Friday--Spaghetti and Meatballs
7. Saturday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Last week saw 6 nights of home cooked dinners, 1 night of leftovers/fend for yourself, 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  

What got put into the freezer last week.....
*  4 pints of ice cream(daughter's)

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.......
*  2 lbs. of Catfish fillets
*  1/2 a bag of Chicken Fried Steak
*  4 hamburgers
*  2 packages of meatballs
*  Brussels Sprouts
*  2 packs of pork

 A couple of grocery trips.....3 trips to Weis($39.35/$63.99/$78.75)and 4 things bought at Ollie's that were food($4.40)brought the weekly food spending to $186.49 and brought the January monthly total to $385.09 so far.
I have 3 days left in my shopping month for January.  So much for my low spending groceries in Jan.....

My savings percentage last week was 50.74%(without Rite-Aid trips)and January's monthly savings total so far comes to 50.24%(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week.... zuke, chicken and dumplings, Lemon chicken w/Barley spinach and carrots.

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

1. Sunday--Chicken Piccata, Zuke and reg. noodles

2. Monday--Beef Pie

3. Tuesday--Meatball Subs

4. Wednesday--Pot Roast, Carrots, Taters and Onions

5. Thursday--Fend For Yourself

6. Friday--homemade Pizza, Salad
7. Saturday--something Mexican(TBD)

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? I might need more carrots.....we've been on a carrot jag lately.

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  

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

Sorry I am a day late in drawing the winners for these three giveaways.

I was just too busy to get to it yesterday.

I've done the deed and here are the results...........

Giveaway #1......

 The winner is Barbara!

BarbaraJanuary 20, 2019 at 10:06 PM

Looks like we both are going to have snow and cold for our birthdays! I'm glad I'm not working this week! Hope your day has been great.

Congratulations Barbara!

Please email me your full name and mailing address Barbara so I can send you better photos of the necklace sets for you to pick which one you want as well as the bag set.

Giveaway #2.......

The winner is ladybug!

ladybugJanuary 18, 2019 at 8:39 AM

Still hoping to retire early but if I don't I have 5 years to get it all together!

Congratulations ladybug!  

Please email me your full name and mailing address and I'll get this out on Monday to you

Giveaway #3........

The winner is Jill!

Jill HeuringJanuary 18, 2019 at 12:50 PM

My daughter brought home Lindt chocolate for us when she was in Switzerland. Yum!

Congratulations Jill!

Please email me your full name and mailing address and whether you prefer the reg. peppermint bark w/milk chocolate base of dark chocolate base and I'll get all this in the mail to you.

As always the winners have 48 hours from the time stamp on when this post goes live to contact me to claim their prizes.

If I don't hear from a winner I'll draw another name from those who entered that particular giveaway to choose a new winner.

Thanks to everyone who played along during my Birthday month.  It seems chocolate though is the hands down most popular item y'all want to win. lolz

Going forward maybe I'll put more chocolate in the prize boxes(except during the Summer months).

Who thinks that is a good idea?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the January 25th Edition

Another week, a few more frugal things.
Here's the skinny on what went down last week.........

*  I found .02¢ last Friday at Weis(PMITA)Markets.

Then I got too much  change at Mickey D's on Saturday when Kim had to make a Diet Coke run. 

My change should have been .15¢ but the gal gave me .20¢ back.  I had shoved it into my coat pocket and didn't look at it under we got home so I am counting that extra nickel as found money! 8-)

I made another trip to Weis on Tuesday and found more money!

A dime under the bubble gum machines.  Luckily I had my cane with me to retrieve the coin and didn't have to resort to crawling under the machines. lolz
That makes .17¢ for the week. ;-)


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

a container of oatmeal.  I consider this a good freebie.  And it actually rung up correctly too for a change.

*  I used my free Purina dog food coupon they sent me........


*  I spent A LOT of money on groceries at Weis this past week.  We're talking $200 worth. Ouch. But I'd rather pay $200 and get good deals we'll use than wait and pay $300 later buying this stuff at regular price.

Last Friday's trip was a mangled mess though.  4 of my Qs wouldn't scan so the cashier manually put them in.....and didn't double them.

So I had to go over to CS and get $3 back.  I wanted her to put a credit on my c/c but she gave me cash before I could say something.

Then I went over my receipt and found the organic pear halves on clearance rang up full price.  So I had to go back in with the pears and receipt, take a photo of the shelf tag and get a refund from CS.
One can was free($1.97 back)and the other can I got the .99¢ I overpaid back so $2.96 went back on my c/c this time.

*  I had a free lunch on Thursday.

I have a Red Robin loyalty club thing so I get a free burger during my birthday month.  I had water w/lemon to drink so my meal was totally FREE(except for leaving the tip-I used some of my WAM for that).  I had an old Red Robin gift card so paid for Hubs meal with that.

*  I paid the garbage bill last week.  If it's paid in full before January is over you get a free month of service.  Hey!, $28 saved is $28 saved.  8-)))

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Let us know how you stay frugal......


Sluggy