January To-Do List Update

Here's how the January To-Do List turned out.....

* Pay Bills  DONE  Number one priority each month.

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

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

A fun read and a pretty quick one as well.  I also have the other two books in this trilogy sitting on the ready for me to get to.  I don't know how I feel about viewing the motion picture Tim Burton and Hollywood made based on this tome.  Perhaps after I read the whole trilogy?

And this one.......

"Coolidge-An American Enigma" by Robert Sobel
Most people wouldn't make it their business to read about our previous POTUSes or even read about American history.  It's the past and so dry so why spend your time on it?  
I find history fascinating(why else would I be "into" geneaology?!lol)and unfortunately, enough folks today don't care or think learning from our past is important.

What did I learn from this book?
Calvin Coolidge didn't follow the formula to getting elected that most men do in politics.  "Cool Cal" was his own man who had a strong moral compass who took the office seriously and wanted to serve his fellow Americans.
He was different and again, one of the few POTUS in the last 200 years(and especially the last 100 years) that didn't piss all over the Constitution and use his office to enhance the power of that office and feed his own narcissism/megalomania.


* Hold Giveaways  DONE

* Mail Giveaways  DONE  Everything has been received. 8-)))

* Plan Winter Holiday  FAIL  Well I did some work on it but Hubs hasn't been giving me input plus I need to hear back from my brother before I can actually book anything....but I have worked on this a bit.  Will carry over this item into February and get it DONE!  Have to since we are going in March so we're running out of time. lolz

* Start Getting Tax Stuff Together  DONE  I just need to print out the 1099 from our online bank.  UPDATE-Just did that so this is checked off the list.

* Put Xmas Stuff Away  DONE  All the Holiday decorations got put away well before my Birthday without having to nag.

* Celebrate my Birthday  DONE

An amazing Birthday week!

* Organize Toiletries Stash  DONE
I spent 3 hours up in the Stash gleaning out some stuff to give to friends and family and more stuff to put into Giveaway boxes.  That still leaves me with a LOT of toiletries, et al. for us to use.  Last January the big purge/organize in there took all. day. long.

* Put 2018 Paperwork Away  DONE  Files have been purged and all the 2018 paperwork(except what is needed to file taxes)have been put away.  We are ready for the influx of 2019 paperwork now....ugh.  ;-)


Basically I didn't have much on my list in January to accomplish.
After a busy December/Holiday Season I tend to take it easy on myself in January....plus it's my Birthday month. ;-)

So what did y'all do in January? 
Did ya'll get stuff done that y'all wanted to get done?
Is there anything you avoided doing/getting to last month?


Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the February 8th Edition

A quick look around and I see we had a few Frugal Wins this past week and they were most excellent ones..........


*  I hit Rite-Aid on Wellness Wednesday and got lots of goodies!

Everything pictured above plus qualified for a $20 Visa gas card and it cost me $16.53 in Bonus Cash and I'll be getting $6 in cash rebates in my Saving Star/Ibotta accounts.  Woot!

*  Speaking of Rite-Aid, my 2 x $20 Visa Cards arrived.........

$40 to use before the end of March.  I think I can do that.....lolz

*  I mentioned that Kim's Sissie brought me presents last month for my birthday.

The gift bag(which was also saved)had nice glitter flecked tissue paper in it. Instead of throwing it out  I saved the paper and ironed it flat and folded it so I could use it again.  I have been known to save and iron wrapping paper too on the odd occasion.  ;-)

*  Our fridge had a problem.  The bottom shelf was cracked across the back so you couldn't set anything on the back half of the shelf.  Plus the plastic guides that hold the produce bins in place were broken off the unit.  Replacing the whole fridge because of this was just stupid and expensive.  Hubs found the replacement part/shelf online, I ordered it and it arrived last week.  For less than $50 we now have a fridge in original working order.

*  I got the Weis(PMITA)Markets freebie last week.......

a chocolate bar.  Who doesn't like free chocolate? ;-)

*  Speaking of free, a check from a cash back site arrived.........

I use "Shop At Home" when I buy most things online.  Going through their portal means I can earn cash back(usually a % or two but sometimes it's more)on items I was going to buy anyway.  I earned $21.53 this time.

*  One of January's giveaways was this book......

I usually send my giveaway prizes via Priority mail, except when I went to pack this I just couldn't send it that rate.  Books can be mailed for a LOT cheaper Media Mail rate so that is how I sent it.  Given the winner's distance from me it didn't take that much longer than Priority rate to get to her.
I just couldn't go against that frugal voice in my head(you know, the voice that sits right next to the crazy voice up there). lolz  I saved about $4 in postage sending it Media Mail.  Little things like that add up over a lifetime of saving. 8-)

*  And speaking of free money, I found some............

I swung through the BK drive-thru after picking up the nail polish at RA on Sunday.  The snow was melting and I spied a coin next to the building while in line so I hopped out of the car and picked it up.  It was a penny with some corrosion on it due to the ice melt it had sat in for who knows how long.
It will still spend just as well as a bright, shiny one thankyouverymuch. 8-)

And then in Rite-Aid on Wednesday I saw this on the floor...........

A $20 bill.  This was after the store's Wellness Ambassador found a few $1s and a $5 in front of the register and someone else found some cash in the parking lot.
We tried to find whomever had dropped it all but they were long gone.
The employees there know me(haha)so if the person who lost all this comes forward I'll return that $20 too.
If not, what should I do with this money?  I was thinking make a donation somewhere.....what do y'all think?
And no Kim, I am not sending it to you and I win the Found Money Wars this week! pppfffttt! 8-P

What frugal wins did y'all have this week?
Big or small a win is a win so tell us all about it!


Sluggy

A Porn Fest from Rite-Aid

I did various deals on each of my 3 Wellness cards/account on Wednesday.  I loaded the Wellness Wednesday Load2Card Qs plus stacked the paper pamphlet WWQs and sprinkled in a few IPQ or ManuQs to triple stack on a few items too.

A couple of the WW deals double dipped with the "Spent $50/Get $20 Gas Visa Card" Deal--the Centrum and the Emergen-C.  After buying those I only needed a few more items that qualified(that were also on sale and I had IPQs for)to reach the $50 of spending.

 This all was on my son's card/account.  The Folgers L2CQ didn't come off(just the WW pamphlet Q did) that "costs $1.79 instead of being a moneymaker.  The R-A artificial tears were .39¢ after stacked Qs.
After stacked or triple stacked Qs, the Crest mouth wash was -.77¢, the Crest toothpaste was -.97¢, the Soothe XP was -$2.41, the throat drops were -.51¢, the large make-up remover pads were -.17¢, the Ginger Chews, the smaller make-up remover pads and the Power Toothbrush set were each -.01¢.

I made a tactical error buying the Centrum and the Emergen-C in the same transaction as it charged me full price for the Emergen-C(the highest priced item), took 50% off 1 Centrum and 20% discount on the second Centrum instead of BOGO50% on both Centrums and 20% discount on the Emergen-C.  Doing them all in one transaction meant I paid .30¢ for all 3.  Not a deal breaker.

To get to $50 of qualifying products I also bought 2 x Eucerin(BOGO50% + $6 in Qs), 2 Dial foaming hand soups($4-$1.50 in IPQ)and 1 Cover Girl blush palette($2 instant discount + $2 IPQ)which came to $22.62-$9.50 in Qs=$13.12.  With tax I spent $13.30 in Bonus Cash on all the above and earned a $20 Visa Gas Card.

This lot was bought on my card/account.
Again, the Folgers "cost" $1.79 because the L2C WWQ didn't come off. Same items were same prices above, most were slight moneymakers.  I also bought a Thermacare item($6.07-$3 L2CQ)as it qualified for the "Spend $50/$20 Gas Card".  I did purchase the Emergen-C and Centrum in separate transactions this time(saving myself .30¢)

I "spent" $2.94 total in Bonus Cash on this lot and I have $35.99 tracking toward the Gas Card Deal(Only $14.01 left to spend).

This lot was bought on my daughter's card/account. Same stacked WWQs used and a couple of regular manu L2CQs.  I had to add in the Dial hand soap pumps(plus a $1.50/2 IPQ)because my total was in the negative without them.
Total paid OOP in Bonus Cash(with tax)was .29¢

Before leaving I also bought these 4 small Lindt bags. Each has 2 truffles in it and they are strawberries and cream.
On sale this week at Rite-Aid for $1 if you buy 2 or more(otherwise $1.29 w/out Wellness discount level you are at).
I had 4 x $1/1 Lindt truffle bag IPQ(coupons dotcom)and they specifically say on this size bag or larger so they were free(no sales tax on food in PA).  8-)))

Free chocolate?  Yes, please!!

All together I spend $16.53 in Bonus Cash on $341.04 reg. retail worth of stuff at Rite-Aid.
Plus I earned a $20 Visa Gas Card and got $4 back on Saving Star in cash rebates.
**Edited on Friday to add that I got $2 back for the Thermacare purchase on Ibotta as well so I'm up to $6 in cash back on these purchases. 8-)))

Oh and I got a sample sized tube of Burt's Bees toothpaste which I forgot to photograph. ;-)

All in all not a bad Wellness Wednesday.....

Did you get anything at Rite-Aid this week?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid & Ollie's Porn

I went up to Rite-Aid to do some reconnaissance for Wellness Wednesday's deals on Sunday.
While I was there I picked up some nail polish...........

The Kokie brand polish and fake eyelashes give back $4 in Bonus Cash this week.(Limmit 2 Deals)
If you have Gold status these $4.99 items are $3.99 after 20% discount.
If you don't have sales tax in your state, even better as these will be a .01¢ moneymaker each.

If you have sales tax that's all these will cost you so figure out if it's worth it to you to pick them up.

Mine total for each 2 bottles was .46¢(sales tax of .48¢ on 2 bottles).  I paid with Bonus Cash so spent BC down on 3 cards by .46¢.


I also went to a different Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)recently.  I should have taken Kim and her Sissie to this one when they were here.  This one must have a manager who has an independent streak as they always seem to have a bunch of food item marked down 75% and 50% off.....the same stuff at the other Ollie's I frequent NEVER have the same foods marked down thusly!
So I hit a deal.........

2 x Velveeta mac and cheese kits 50% off=$1.58
2 x OEP taco shells 75% off=$1.00(.50¢ ea.)
2 x Carrol Shelby chili kits 75% off=.80¢(40¢ ea.)
2 x spaghetti 2 lbs. 50%=$1.78(.89¢ ea.)
1 x Quaker Grits 75% off=.40¢
1 x Planters Pecan pieces 75% off=.87¢
2 x Kraft dressings 75% off=$1.28(.64¢ ea.)
6 x Nestle trio chocolate chips 75% off=$3.00(.50¢ ea.)
$10.71 OOP on $45.23 worth of food items.

The fancy pants chocolate chips were a great deal.  I suppose I have to bake some cookies now, huh? ;-)

Don't forget to get up to Rite-Aid today to do the Wellness Wednesday Coupons!!!  Load them to your card and get a sheet of the same paper ones in the store because they both come off.....except the Folgers Q-that Load2CardQ didn't come off.

Sluggy

2019 Income & Spending Report......the January 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.

Two changes we implemented for 2019 at your financial meeting in Jan--

* Hubs wants to take $150 per person WAM(aka Walking Around Money)in 2019.  I found last year's $100 per month adequate but Hubs chafed at that little so we are upping it this year to $150 per person per month.
                                                                                                                                                             
*As for our 2018 Slush Fund, this is how we are going to handle it in 2019......
We won't be taking a quarterly 401K withdrawal in 2019 until we "need" to, instead of taking one each quarter as we had planned back in 2017 when Hubs retired.

Since the Slush Fund ended 2018 with $23,164.17 in it and the Sinking Fund ended 2018 with $468.37 in it, we are for now at least not take any more 401K withdrawals and use what is in the Sinking Fund and/or Slush Fund to cover all irregular bills that come up in 2019.

I have set up a page to track the Slush Fund.  Click on the tab marked "Slush Fund 2018-2019" 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 January report---

I had 2 goals for January.....
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 2019.

I can report that we finished up January in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of January with?.....$409.77

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in January---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3218.16(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1833.50
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $386.58
* Blog revenue of $161.02(3 months worth)
* Withdrawal from my Paypal account of $233.72.
Total "Income" for January....$5,832.98


Expenses in January---

* Healthcare Premium for January was $1,848.67(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)**
* Variable Expenses in January came to $3,574.54
Total Expenses....$5,42321

** The folks holding our retirement medical reimbursement account screwed up and didn't reimburse the bit for the dental payment we made, thus we paid $1848.67 but only got $1833.50 back.  the shortfall will be accounted for when it finally comes in.

Sinking Fund--The balance in the Sinking Fund coming into January at $468.37. Nothing was paid from this fund so it goes into February at $468.37.


We went into January with $23,164.17 in the Slush Fund.
Add in January's overage of $409.77 and the Slush Fund goes into February at $23,573.94.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this January, 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 December.(Within $2 or so).
*  The gas card bill was $89.71 than last month(mostly these charges went on the MasterCard rather than the gas card so not necessarily lower).
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in December.
*  The c/c bill was $877.01 lower than last month.
*  I paid for a whole year of garbage removal in January for a 1 month discount over the regular yearly price.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was up $18.96 from than last month.
*  The water bill was $4.56 higher than in January.
*  The WAM withdrawal was $100 higher than last month.(Agreed upon change.)
*  Hubs had $82.04 in charges on his Discover card in January.
*  I had $134.60 in charges on my Amazon card(mostly my Prime renewal).
*  I had $20 in charges on my fat lady clothing charge card.

The Food Budget costs for January 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 January in the black with $409.77 in overage, leaving the Slush Fund at $23,573.94 heading into February.
The Sinking Fund goes into February 2019 standing at $468.37 with no deposits made into it in Jan.

FINAL THOUGHTS on January---
Not a bad month really.  Food spending a bit higher than I wanted it.  We paid an annual irregular bill out of reg. income and not the Sinking Fund and still have just over $400 extra money to carry into February.  The only troubling item is the RMSA account folks shorted us on our premium reimbursement.  I hope that doesn't take forever to straighten out(and doesn't happen again!).  If it does it's only $15.17 and not the end of the world but it does screw with my accounting. ;-)

THOUGHTS going forward into February 2019----
February.......let's see what's coming up.
NO irregular bills in February(but March we've got over $2600 worth).
The credit card bill is going to be high for Feb. mostly due to getting new tires and sensors on my car,  paying for new glasses,  my car was due for an oil change(synthetic oil=$$$), there is Birthday meal spending and Hubs spent $200 on two subscriptions on this statement coming up.  We are almost up to $2K in charges and the statement doesn't close for another 6 days.....I think I need to keep Hubs home this week so he can't spend anything. lolz
I don't see anything unusual outside of these items.
Everything else will be normal spending(well, the electric bill will be seasonally high(hello Polar Vortex!).

So how was your January financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in January?
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!


Sluggy