February 2019 Goals Outcome....At Last!

I know it's waaaay late but life and then a vacation got in the way of getting this done. lolz
Here's how I did on the February Goals.......if anyone cares.........

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything got paid and early or on time.
Go me. 8-)

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

"Depression Era Wisdom-Simple Ways to Stretch Your Dollars" by Mary Wynn Ryan

This book was pretty much a waste of my time since most of what's in here I practice or know about already.  It's a good thing it was a thin volume! lolz
Anyway, there are some good tips in here and if someone doesn't already practice frugality or is young this would be worth reading(but I wouldn't buy it, find one in your library).

And this one............

"Race to the Top of the World: Richard Byrd and the First Flight to the North Pole" by Sheldon Bart.

Given that Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd is my cousin(12th cousin 2 x removed to be exact), and that Hubs gifted me this book for Christmas, I needed to read it.
This was a very interesting read, covering only a portion(but a large portion)of Byrd's adventures/explorations.  Luck was truly with him as he avoided some lethal voyages and choices during this exciting time of world exploration.  I had no idea that the 1910's through 1930's was such a hotbed of global adventure and many nations racing around to be the first to get to/claim somewhere or other!
This book only touches  briefly on the whole controversy about who was first and if Byrd and Bennett actually arrived at the true North Pole....that would need another book to expand upon that whole issue. lolz

Richard Byrd led quite the exciting life and in hindsight turned out to be of sterner character than others of his era/ilk(Yeah, I'm looking at you Charles Lindbergh!).
It took this reader a lot of time to slog through this large volume but it was worth my time.
If you enjoy biography, history and Polar exploration, read this one.
Two thumbs up!


* Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Mailed and received promptly.

*  Plan Winter Holiday  DONE  Finally got the last of it planned and we are back already. lolz

* Do Taxes and File Them  DONE  Hubs has taken over doing the taxes since retiring.  This year our taxes were not complicated(except for the house sale in LA)so we didn't have to pay for TurboTax or any other software purchase to complete and send them in.  He was able to file electronically for free the federal taxes and we expect a refund.  We had to file state taxes in PA and LA(crooks!)and I had to write two checks to cover what we owe to those states.
I got Hubs the info. I needed to and he sat on it all for what seemed like ages before starting them.  With me, I gather the info and "get 'er done"!  With him, it's a "process" and takes him weeks.  sigh  But it's done now.

*  Pack for Trip  DONE  Packing was tricky in terms of weather and what was forecast so I really over packed so I didn't run out of appropriate clothing or have to do laundry or wash things out in the sink.  I packed up some goodies to take to certain folks early and had that finished well before Feb. was over.

*  Open Ally Account  DONE  I finally got around to opening up an account with Ally Bank.  I moved some cash there and plan to set up a CD in March as they have the highest rates at the current time.

*  Cash in CD  DONE  Our CD at Capital One matured toward the end of February and instead of rolling it over we cashed it out so as to move it to Ally once the cash hit our B&M bank.  I also finally but Hubs on the accounts there.  When they were set up years ago I put them in just my name and man!, was it a big old PITA to get him on those accounts now.  He had to set up a checking/debit account in his name since he didn't have a CapOne account of any kind.  Then it was a couple of phone calls to them to get him put on those accounts. Geesh!

*  Open new CD  FAIL  Didn't happen in February due to the $$ moving into our B&M bank.  The timing didn't work out to get this done before the end of the month but it happened early March.

Not a lot of my list for February but most of it got done.


Sluggy

Rite-Aid Pillaging on Vacation

Well seeing as we spent a good amount of time in "The Land of No Rite-Aids"while traveling on vacation I had to seize the opportunities for pillaging when I could.
The first week in NC on the way to Myrtle Beach all I saw was closed up Rite-Aids as Wags had brought these ones out. So sad........

In Myrtle Beach and Charleston there were a couple of R-As but we were too busy doing other things so I didn't hit them(and that week wasn't very good in terms of R-A sales anyway).
So the 3 days in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia when we were at my brother's house I hit some stores.
I also hit a store in West Point VA, on the way to my son's place.
Once in Fredericksburg, again, I saw this terrible sight...............

A closed up Rite-Aid.  *sniff*

Even with this sad state of affairs I was able to hit 6 Rite-Aids between March 20th and 22nd.

Here is what I was able to pick up altogether.........

*4 Cover Girls mascaras are missing from this photo however, as I gave them to my sister in-law and son's GF before getting all this home.

11 x CG mascaras
8 x R/S chocolate eggs
10 x Fig Newtons
3 x Oreo candy bars
2 x Revlon beauty tools
2 x Colgate toothpaste
1 x 3 pack Kleenex tissues

I spent $10.33 after sales, coupons and a $2.50 Catalina from buying L'Oreal shampoos 2 weeks ago. I used $10.33 in Bonus Cash on all this to pay.
I earned $4 in new Bonus Cash back(4 x $1 R/S), $7.50 in Checkout51 cash rebates(10 x .75¢ Fig Newtons)and $1 in Ibotta(.75¢ Kleenex and .25¢ any item)cash rebates.
$10.33 spent-$12.50 back=$2.17 moneymaker.

It would have been a bigger MM if I didn't have to pay stoopid sales tax on the food items and the toothpaste, but that's Virginia law.
Bleh.

And 1 cashier adjusted down the R-A in-ad $2 Cover GirlQ since the clearance mascaras were less than $2.  meh.  No overage on that transaction so I returned the 3rd and 4th toothpaste since I would have had to pay for it then and really!, who pays for toothpaste when shopping at Rite-Aid?!? lolz

I still got some goodies while I was away so I am happy with that.

Now I am all about reconnoitering prices/store stock for next Wednesday since it's already Wellness Wednesday again.
Yippee!!

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "I Could Get Use to This" Edition....

By far the best meal I had last week.....a hunk of medium rare Prime Rib with grilled Asparagus and a Baked Potato.  I took half that PR home and had it for breakfast the next morning.

And it was half price too! lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Eating Out

2. Monday--Eating Out

3. Tuesday--Eating Out

4. Wednesday--Maybe cooking

5. Thursday--Maybe cooking

6. Friday--Maybe cooking
7. Saturday--Maybe cooking

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--B-motel/L-Captain D's/D-Jakes Diner

2. Monday--B-motel/L-Logan's Roadhouse/D-Grandson's Buffet

3. Tuesday--B-motel/L-Cook-Out/D-Leftovers at Brother's house

4. Wednesday--B-eggs, bangers and toast/D-The Butcher's Son

5. Thursday--B-Prime Rib/L-Chili's/D-Angie's Diner

6. Friday--B-Krispy Kreme/L-Pierce's BBQ/D-frozen pizza(which I "cooked" at my son's place lol)
7. Saturday--B-bagel/L-Dickey's BBQ/D-Take-out Chinese

Last week saw 0 nights of home cooked dinners(if you don't count heating a pizza), 1 night of leftovers/fend for yourself, 6 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.
I didn't think we'd be cooking while still traveling last week and my sister in-law was too busy to cook for us and my son didn't feel like making meals so we adapted.

What got put into the freezer last week.....
Nada since I wasn't here.

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
Nada again.

Between the little bit the kids bought at the grocery store and the stuff Hubs and I picked up to either eat on the trip or food good deals to bring home, the food spending over the last TWO weeks came to $100.65 and brought the March monthly grand total to $262.87 so far.

My savings percentage the last two weeks was 41,55%(without Rite-Aid trips)and March's monthly savings total comes to 48.98%(w/out R-A). 

I have 6 more spending days in the month.

Leftovers going into this week....no clue since I haven't been brave enough to go through the fridge yet. lolz

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

1. Sunday--We'll fend for ourselves when we get home after stopping at Bob Evans for lunch.

2. Monday--Leftovers/FFY

3. Tuesday--Stir-Fry Chicken w/Noodles

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--No Clue yet

6. Friday--No Clue yet
7. Saturday--No Clue yet

This week will see 1-? new meals cooked, 3-? nights of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out(I am burnt out on meals out and take-out right now.).

What needs buying for this menu?  We are out of milk no clue what else I'll pick up but we have stuff here for meals already.  Somebody just has to get the energy to actually pull meals together. ;-)

I will be buying a few things that are stockpile-able like cans of chili and jars of pasta sauce since they will be almost free w/sale and Qs.  I'm going to try to stay under $75 for the rest of the month all in.  That will still keep me well under $400 food spending for the month.

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  

Who Won Sluggy's Boring Blog Box O' Goodies for March?!?

So while driving home Sunday, I decided, "Why not give away TWO boxes this month?" 
After all, I have lots of goodies to share.
So that's what I am doing! 8-)

There were 70 valid entries out of 77 entries(2 entries were anonymous with no name at all and 5 of those who entered with a name have no contact info(name/email)linked to their google/blogger account so I can't verify whom they are nor have they sent me via email their contact info(name/email)so they lost out this go round.

 *I am happy to add anyone to my database list of name/email info if you aren't comfortable leaving your email in your comment, just contact me->right side bar has my email addy where I can be found.

Anywhoooo.........I put all the valid entries into Random dotorg and they picked our first winner.

And the winner is..........

Crystal Hankey!

Crystal HankeyMarch 20, 2019 at 6:21 PM

I see there is another Crystal on here. Funny how I don't usually see other people named Crystal that often. lol. Finally finished a pan of cinnamon rolls and one pan for the freezer. They are so yummy! Take care.

Second name that Random dotorg selected was...............

Mary L.

AnonymousMarch 21, 2019 at 7:08 AM

I'd love to win candies for Easter baskets. Mary L. maryjanedobson@yahoo.com

Congratulations to both Crystal H. and Mary L.!

I will sent you both out an email with a survey of products you want packed into your giveaway box.

Look for it later this evening in your inbox.  I am still digging out and unpacking today(and paying bills *ugh*)so give me a few hours to get to this.

Thanks to everyone who played, especially the "battle of the Crystals"LOLZ, and Jen G. who left many interesting comments and random facts in her entries, which always made me smile.  ;-)

We'll have another Giveaway up in April so stay tuned to this Bat Channel............and remember to keep it frugal!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the March 22nd Edition

Another Vacation Themed Frugal Friday post today....rah!

Here's what's been going on on the frugality front this past week............


*  While visiting Fort Sumter was NOT very frugal($23 each for the boat ride over but the tour of the Fort was free)I resisted buying souvenir crap for the most part.

I had Hubs take this photo of me with the tiny Confederate flag they were selling(only 1 of 2 CSA things they were hawking there)but didn't buy one.  I did cave and buy a Xmas ornie however........

*  The local place we wanted to go for lunch was just a clusterf**k of people so we got back on the road and saw a billboard and went to a cafeteria style restaurant instead.

Really good "real" food, really good prices and attentive waitstaff.  Even better we got an Early Bird Senior discount on the meal.  Score!

*  We visited a distillery($6 tastings are pretty frugal)and then a really big tree on Saturday..........

The iconic tree and park were free and we only bought a Xmas ornie in the gift shop there.

* Again, the place we selected for a late lunch on that day had a line(it was a Saturday)so we found another place nearby on the phone and it turned out to be excellent!(Well except for the loudmouth hipsters at the table next to us but that's a story for another time.)

I noticed on their chalkboard by the register that if you liked them on Facebook you got a 10% discount on your bill.

Hey!, a $3.48 discount is a win in my book! lolz

*  Speaking of Hubs.....when we got to Charleston SC it was much warmer than they had forecast but Hubs had only brought 1 short sleeved shirt with him(and had already worn it).
On Friday after we got into Charleston hubs and I went up to a local Goodwill store and he bought 3 short sleeved shirts for $14+ tax.

Here's one of the shirts that got a workout in Charleston.  Much cheaper than going to Walmart even and buying them new.

*  Stopped on the way outta SC to see Hubs siblings and did NOT pay for their drinks!

*  Stopped in Rockingham NC later for "linner".  Again the place we chose didn't work out so we went next door to Captain D's.  They had a Sunday special of TWO Family Style Dinners for $7.99 total, so that's what we got.
I found another penny in their parking lot(no photo).

*  Got to the motel in NC to discover they had an indoor pool so we went swimming.
Found this in the pool.........

.85¢ IN the pool. lolz
So I'm up .86¢ in found money for this week.

*  The next day we went to do a free thing...........

*  While walking around to look at monuments that day I found a dime!

*  On Tuesday we hit another free historical site............

*  We were finished staying in motels as of Wednesday.  Besides the discounts I got through Hotels dotcom app, using a discounted Hotels docom gift card to pay for the Myrtle Beach stay, and $4.05 earned back on Ibotta for that stay as well, I am awaiting a cash rebate on the one stay I made through Booking dotcom to credit to my c/c and am awaiting $39.94 more cash back on Ibotta.

* On Wednesday evening my brother and his wife took us out to a fancy pants dinner..........

Wednesday at this place the Prime Rib dinner is half off so we all got that, of course!  They had one cut of steak priced at $55 on the menu.  Well, you KNOW I didn't get that. lolz  Have you ever spent that kind of money on a piece of meat?  I bet it was tender and almost melted in your mouth but still, that $55(plus tip)could buy a whole mess of groceries..........

*  Afterwards we went to Dairy Queen down the road for a First Day of Spring Free small cone............

* My brother found a penny in the DQ parking lot and gave it to me so it counts as mine!lol

*  Then we hit a second DQ for another free cone.........

I changed it up by getting chocolate this time. ;-)

*  Hubs and I went to lunch of Thursday at Chili's.

We used a gift card bought last year so nothing spent this year OOP for that lunch and some more gift card script got used up.

*  We hit a few Rite-Aids and I got some more free fig newton cookies(Checkout51), some free Cover Girl mascaras and free Russel Stover chocolate eggs.  After Ibotta rebate the 3 pack of Kleenex I bought was free as well.  If I can find a R-A with enough clearance CG mascaras on the way home I'll pick up those and 2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste for free as well.

I also found a whole shelf of 50% off wine and am bringing this bad boy home........

5 liters of wine for $8.49 plus tax.

*  I found another penny on my brother's walkway when we got home.........

That makes .96¢ found this week.  Thank you Change Fairy!  8-)))

Ok, that's about it for us this week.   I hope everyone had a good week.

So what frugal wins did y'all have this past week?


Sluggy