Rite-Aid Earlier This Week

I went to Rite-Aid on Monday and got this.........

5 x Fig Newton cookie bars on sale 2/$1=$2.50
2 x Sharpie pens on clearance=$1.14
SubTotal.....$3.64 + .06¢ tax=$3.70 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned $2 in Bonus Cash for buying 2 Sharpies and I submitted to Checkout51 for a $3.75 cash rebate on the Newtons so spent $3.70 in BC and got back $5.75 in BC and cash.
That is all.

Sluggy

Happy Birthday to Chester!

It's April 10th.
That means that "Lil' Nell's Chester Alan Arthur III" turns 2 years old today!
Go HERE to read about the person our puppy is named for.  Quite an interesting fellow he was.
I am related to Ellen Lewis "Nell" Herndon Arthur(Chester A Arthur III's grandmother).

Here is Chester's puppy photo from the breeder for the pet shop where we found him........

And here is Chester on the ride home when we picked him up just after he turned 6 months old..........

And Chester this morning trying to get a photo of him but he does't hold still for very long these days........

And a few seconds later rolling on his back like a nut, trying to get Cinnamon to play with him..........

Happy Birthday little man!
You are a most excellent dog and add so much to our family.

A nice piece of meat is on the menu for your Birthday dinner. 8-)))

Sluggy

Random Stuff & Photos

*  This is my Daughter's dinner from when we took Ex-College Boy out for his Birthday dinner.

Almost too pretty to eat!

*  For those of you who asked about Linda....I heard from her early March and she was having trouble getting into her blogger account or something.  As far as I know she's still out there and alive and you should check the comments on her last blog post to see if she has updated what's going on.

*  Saw this candy item in the one tourist shop we went into in Myrtle Beach.

Idaho Spuds.  Is this a thing?
I see that it's been around since 1918 made by the Idaho Candy Company.  How did I get to live to be this old and have never seen this candy before??

*  Back while we were down South, the local donut shop Kim and I went to last October got hit by a car.  Newspaper article HERE.
Hubs and I were out yesterday and went by said donut shop and it's still closed.
Kim says it's a tragedy and how will I ever get her to come back here if it doesn't reopen? lolz

Like I mentioned recently, vehicles running into buildings happens around here with alarming frequency.  I've never lived anyway where this is a weekly problem/news event.

*  We came home from vacation and found that Weis(PMITA)Markets decided to rearrange half the store while we were gone.
I knew they do this for 2 reasons.....to make you notice items(and buy them)that you didn't see before the rearranging and because some management lackey took a merchandising class and has decided that this will solve the stores financial problems.
Not only do customers LOATHE when stores that because now they can't find shit but the lowly employees hate it to because it just makes more work for them to fit into their hours.

To me, this is just like rearranging deck chairs on the Titantic.
Ugh!


*   I saw this on a car here in traffic..........

In pink it says, "tiny cocks make me giggle".
So strange and random......but something I can agree with. ;-)

*  We had a lunch....can't remember when now.....and  finally had Hubs snap my photo w/Red Robin's statue of liberty.
Who looks classier?

And then on the way out I saw these cheeseburger stools in the waiting area and I had to sit on one. lolz

*  As I drove up the driveway the other day I noticed my odometer.......

It was just about to turn over to 28K miles. 
I bought the purple car back in mid-May 2014 so I've put 28K miles on it in a bit less than 5 years.
That's even with about 5 trips to southern VA, a trip to Ocean City and of course the epic Midwest solo road trip in 2014.
I guess I really don't drive much other than Rite-Aid, Weis(PMITA)Markets, the gas station and the bank.

*  Saw this gift bag on the way down South while in the liquor store.
That's my kind of poem.
Wine.
*snort*

*  Yesterday the Daughter's dog knocked me over bigtime.  She freaked out(she is "special")while I was trying to put her on the tie-out and 85 lbs. of dog slamming into Sluggy after a full run means Sluggy will fall down and go "boom".  I was able to get up after a fair amount of cursing and yelling and by that time, Daughter's dog was long gone and Chester was running around the yard like a crazy canine.  I got Chester inside and yelled for Hubs to go find our special granddog.
She ended up running back after about 5 minutes and I got her inside with the promise of a chewy stick.

In the end the dogs are fine and I am a sore mess and working on some lovely bruises.  It wasn't as bad as the fall I had March 2018 on ice w/Chester but if I don't post for a couple days it's because my wrist is too sore to be online much.

And with that I am off to do stuff in the garage w/Hubs as the weather is nice here for a change.  8-)


Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Why is This Here?" Edition....

I've been sorting through photos on my computer and found this random one of booze on a store's shelves.  I can't recall where I took it but it's quite the selection of Boone's Farm flavors and I thought at least Sonya Ann would enjoy seeing it. lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday---Meatloaf, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

2. Monday-Chicken Queso skillet Casserole, Corn

3. Tuesday--Chicken Sausages, Harvard Beets, Pierogi

4. Wednesday--Birthday Meal Out

5. Thursday--Ravioli, Chicken Parm

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday---Meatloaf, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

2. Monday--Tuna Noodle Casserole

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Birthday Meal Out

5. Thursday--Ravioli, Chicken Parm, Sugar Snap Peas

6. Friday--Chicken Sausages, Harvard Beets, Pierogi
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/fend for yourself, 1 night of Eating Out/Take-Out.
That Chicken Queso Casserole thing....I just can't seem to pull the trigger on it, can I? lolz  

Everyone seemed to enjoy those chicken sausages so if they go on sale again and I have coupons that will happen again as it's an easy meal that Hubs could do besides boiling pasta in water and opening a jar of sauce. hehehe

What got put into the freezer last week.....
* Pizza Bagels
* Chicken Sausages
* 2 bags of chicken cutlets
* 3 pork loins
* 3 lb. pack of hot dogs

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* Pierogi
* Chicken Sausages
* a bag of chicken cutlets
* a bag of ravioli
* a pack of ground pork
* a pack of ground beef


Two trips to Weis(1 was technically March but am counting it in April)and the food spending last week came to $110.56 and my April total so far to $110.56.
A week in and we are above $100 spending.  This doesn't bode well for a low spend month but we aren't outrageously over target either. 
We aren't going to eldest son's GF family for Easter and I'm not inviting Hubs family over either so we are on our own.  I've got a ham in the freezer we'll do some sort of green veg(which needs buying), deviled eggs(as eggs will be going on sale soon), homemade rolls and the fams favorite mac and cheese.  Easter should be an inexpensive affair this year.

My savings percentage last week was 58%(without Rite-Aid trips)and April's monthly savings total came to 58%(w/out R-A). 

I have 23 more food shopping/spending days in April.

Leftovers going into this week....3 chicken sausages, some sugar snap peas, some cheese ravioli, some Harvard beets.  Not a lot of leftovers so there will be much cooking. 8-)

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

1. Sunday---Pork Chops w/Apricot Glaze, Rice w/Broccoli, Broccoli

2. Monday-Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread

3. Tuesday--French Onion Soup

4. Wednesday--Barbecue Sandwiches, Cole Slaw

5. Thursday--Steak, Baked Potatoes, Veg TBD

6. Friday--Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.

What needs buying for this menu?  I got hot dog/burger rolls, pork chops, Cole slaw mix, salad greens and hot dogs, plus I loaded up on cottage cheese(Qs were expiring and it was on sale as well)last week. We are out of cream cheese plus  Ex-College boy has hit the hot dog/burger rolls hard the last few days so I may need to pick up more of those and as always, the ubiquitous milk. ;-)

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  

The To-Do List.....March Update

Let's not be so late this time and take a look at how the March To-Do List turned out, shall we?


* Pay Bills  DONE--Paid on time or this month many were paid early as we were out of town for half the month(when some were due).

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

"The Mormonizing of American: How the Mormon Religion Became a Dominant Force in Politics, Entertainment, and Pop Culture" by Stephen Mansfield

I found this book very enlightening about a religion(yes it's a religion and not a "cult" as many still think)I knew little about.  Written by an author who is not of that faith but it was a very even handed study nonetheless.  The author interviewed both Mormons and non-Mormons for this book.  A lot of history and backstory in this as well as modern day stories of Mormon followers.
I couldn't put this book down, it was like a drug....ok, maybe a Diet Coke. lolz  (Sorry I couldn't resist the joke, Kim.)
I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about Mormon culture, teachings and history.
And then this one............

"Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It" by Star Parker

Written by someone who grew up poor and ended up in the ghetto "culture".  She was a welfare mom, or as she says, suckling at the teat of government for her very existence.
Ms. Parker raised herself out of the system that keeps an underclass of Americans dependent on government handouts, or as she terms it dependent on "Uncle Sam's Plantation".  She started a non-profit called CURE(the Center for Urban Renewal and Education)to address what she feels are the issues that have destroyed African-American family life and move adults and families from a life of dependency on Government programs to personal freedom and responsibility.  While I don't agree with some of her agendas I do think she is one of the few people who has a clue how current social policies are destroying our country.
No matter what side of the political bench you are perched on(or not)this is an eye opening and thought provoking book.  Check it out!

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

I gave away two boxes of goodies in March.

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  I know one arrived safely....still waiting on the other winner to acknowledge their box arrived.

* Plan rest of 2019 Trips  DONE  I am calling this one done.  We went South in March for two weeks.  There is a week long trip planned to New Hampshire in June.  Perhaps our eldest son will visit sometime this Summer.  We may go to the Family Reunion end of September and there is a girls trip planned for early October to the beach.  Other than that we are being homebodies this year(unless something comes up).

* Open new CD  DONE  The old CD monies finally processed and we got most of the proceeds put in a new CD at a different bank with a higher rate.
Go me.

* Go on Trip  DONE  That trip is in the books and thankfully our time in Myrtle Beach didn't coincide with college Spring Breaks. lolz  We did some things in Charleston(didn't get down to Savannah GA however), met up with Hubs siblings, got to reconnect with a friend of mine from high school, did 2 different battle fields in NC, spent a couple of days hanging out with my brother and sister in-law and then our eldest son in VA.
It was a low-key, hop in the car and go somewhere, kind of trip.  The best kind IMHO.

*  Purge Inserts  DONE  The "possibly gonna use" Qs got cut out and all the old/expired mostly Q inserts got trashed.

* Work on Health Goals  DONE sort of......I've been in maintenance mode since December and doing well.  I got an appointment at Hershey medical center for an HS clinic but that's not until July. ugh.  Just trying to get through until then but all other health issues are status quo.  I am going to be going on a short term diet regime once the Daughter moves out next month.  More on that at a later date.

*  Plan Home Projects-Timeline  FAIL  Hubs and I have talked loosely about what project need addressing but haven't put a timeline together.  We didn't feel like debating all this while on vacation so we'll be hashing over projects and time frame in May.

*  Purchase Porcfest Tickets  DONE  We purchased the event tickets before the prices went up(Early Bird Special anyone?lolz)and the motel reservations are in place.  Eldest son is still on the fence about going but there is space in our room to accommodate him if he decides to go.
PORCFEST is an annual social/pseudo-political gathering for Libertarians.  Think political convention meets Burning Man. lolz  Hubs has wanted to go for years but it never worked out that we could get there.  This year we go.  The porcupine is the mascot of the Libertarian party thus Porc-fest.  
This should be an "adventure" in every sense of the word........


So how did your list of goals for March turn out?


Sluggy