Last Chance Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter the current Giveaway.

Go HERE to enter before 11:59 pm EDST.

I've only got 4 valid entries so far.  Someone called Kath Mattus also entered but there is no contact info on her Blogger page so she needs to email me her info if she wants her entry to be valid.

I am thinking there are almost no entries this go round because A-I limited to folks who haven't won yet and B-everyone is so preoccupied with the Pandemic.  I am not seeing many posts from other bloggers lately either.

And nobody who has entered has come back and put in entries every day either.

Maybe I should stop running these giveaways?
Let me know what you think.....

Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the March 20th Edition

Well staying home more means less frugality of the "out and about" variety but staying home lends itself to another type of frugality.  It's hard to spend money(except online)if you stay home, right?

This virus is forcing a level of frugalness on us all which can't be a bad thing. ;-)

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

A bag of frozen French fries.  I nabbed this photo from online since I don't feel like digging my bag out of the chest freezer. lolz
I just got word that Friday Freebies are suspended until further notice.....Weis has instituted "Marshall Law" of sorts as they try to keep the store shelves stocked.  No doubling coupons, no returns and strict limits on items.
Madness I say, Madness!! ;-)

* I found money!

A dime and a penny both found at Weis on Friday.  The dime was over by an end cap near the laundry detergent aisle and the penny by my favorite self-checkout.

These 2 dimes and 1 penny were found at Rite-Aid on Sunday......one dime by the register up front, a penny down an aisle and then another dime under the candy rack up front by the register when I was leaving the store.

After Rite-Aid I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets and it was more crowded than I have ever seen it.
Panic buying must mean more folks not paying attention to their change because I found 4 pennies at various places in the store--1 by the CS desk, 2 by the self-checkouts and 1 penny at the end of the regular checkouts on the way out of the store.

Then on Wednesday I found this dime at Rite-Aid when I went to pick up an Rx.  It was standing on it's end under the shelf where the weekly ads are kept, beckoning to me.

Please note-since last week I've kept an antibacterial wipe in my pocket and I use that to pick up any found change.  All change gets a thorough washing/scrubbing with soap and water once I get it home.  No point in not taking precautions.  ;-)

Found Money This Week...... .46¢
Found Money This Year so far....$44.27

*  I earned $1.00 on SavingStar and $11.10 on Ibotta in the last week.

*  This finally arrived last week too............

My P and G $15 debit card from the December Rebate Period.
yay me.
I am still waiting on my February Rite-Aid $20 Debit Card.

*  Gas has dropped here dramatically.  The best deal since I have a Sunoco card was there.  It's $2.25 but I get a .05¢ discount so $2.20 per gallon.  That's better than the Turkey Hill($2.23)and Weis($2.21 if I didn't use my Weis points there).  Gas was $2.69 at Sunoco just 2 weeks ago so I am loving this .49¢ per gallon discount.

*  I got some deals since last Friday which I blogged about already............
At Weis--

Various transactions at Rite-Aid--

*  There was no lunch out this week and everyone should know why. All restaurants are closed here except for a few that are doing take-out.  One of our two Chinese take-out places has also closed.  If you can afford to buy a gift certificate or get take-out from your local restaurants please support them.  They are hurting for business right now.  ;-)

*  I had to go to Weis on Wednesday but I spent as little time there as possible(along with my Lysol wipes.....the cart wipes thingy at the entrance was empty so I am glad I had wipes on me!).

This was the beer/wine cafe area by the ready to eat foods and salad bar......all the tables and chairs were gone so no one could eat there.

My asparagus rang up $3.99 lb. instead of the ad/posted price of .99¢ lb.  So I did have to walk back through the store and take a photo of the sign to get my money back.  I did hesitate because of this health stuff but the frugal force was stronger(and I didn't encounter any people on this walk through the produce section).  If it had only been a few cents I might have let it go but it was $3.13!

*  I got a temp. Census Bureau job but they have suspended operations until April 1st so we'll see then how this plays out. It pays $17 hr. + .57¢ mileage here so not bad. The door-to-door enumerator jobs may go away totally or just get pushed back into this Summer thought or whenever the pandemic ends.  If they want someone to schlep around in the Summer heat, I am not that gal. lolz

*  And finally I am sooo glad I don't live in a tiny house at this point in time.  If so, I would be in prison for murdering either Hubs and/or Ex-College Box.
I thought I had misplaced my last nerve but Wait!.....they found it!!! 8-P

That's it for this week.

And a reminder.............

Any frugal wins in your life this past week?


Sluggy

Our January Trip to Louisiana-Part 2

Read about Part 1 HERE.

So January 2nd saw us rising and shining in partly sunny coastal Alabama at Lorraine and Chris' house.
Chris had to work that day but Lorraine was on school break from her lunch lady job so we did a little sightseeing.

First it was off for a short walk.  We took a trail near Village Point Park to see a guy about a tree.........

It's a really BIG oak tree!  See that speck in yellow to the right of the tree?  That's Lorraine.

This tree is known as the Jackson's Oak.  It's 95 feet tall and 28 feet in circumference. It was notable even back in the 1700's as it was a survey marker in an old Spanish Land Grant map from 1787.

What I can gather, during the War of 1812, in 1814 specifically, after General Andrew Jackson and his troops drove the British out of the Pensacola area of Florida(Florida was Spanish Territory then, with coastal Louisiana, the Mississippi Territory-which also encompassed present day Alabama-and Western Florida-the Panhandle including Pensacola-were disputed territory between the US and Spain),

Jackson and his men bivouacked in this grove of oak trees before heading to New Orleans(and the Battle of New Orleans).
Gen. Jackson is said to have climbed into this oak tree so as to address and give his men a rousing speech before the march forward West to NOLA.

It's near impossible to get a goodly amount of Jackson's Oak into a camera shot it's so massive, much like the Angel Oak we visited in South Carolina last Spring.  I tried to get a shot into the canopy of the tree but without any leaves(it was Winter when I took this)it wasn't so great a picture but you do see a lot of the silvery moss draped on it's impressive branches.
I'd like to see the Jackson Oak again but in full foliage. ;-)

Anyway, after seeing the tree we trotted back to the parking lot but not before passing a woman with her dog, who asked us if we belonged to that Fiat parked back in the lot.  Yes, it was Lorraine's car(which she loves by the way!)and those two struck up a conversation.  Seems that woman needs/wants to buy a car and was pumping Lorraine for information on her particular model.  I hope that woman got some good pointers and made a good car buying decision when it was all said and done. ;-)

Next up Lorraine drove us to see another guy about a church and it's property. 
This is where Chris works.  He is the head groundskeeper of a local Catholic Church. 
And wouldn't you know it, where he works is the same name as the church and porochial school I attended in Virginia as a child.
We drove by lots of land the church owns....church, chapel, rectory, school, fields for various sports.....there was a LOT of buildings and land this church owns.  And Chris is the only groundskeeper, which seems like a lot of work for one person to me!  If you know the Monsignor there, tell him Chris deserves a raise. ;-)

After stopping at the equipment shed and saying "Hey!" to Chris as he ate his lunch, we were off again to see another Wonder of the Area.

But this wasn't a Natural Historical Wonder but a Modern one............

A Buc-ee's gas station/convenience store in Baldwin County Alabama.  Said to be the "Disneyland of Convenience Stores" it was the first Buc-ee's built outside of Texas(and opened on my birthday in 2019).
Built off the Baldwin Beach Expressway it's a must stop on the way to Pensacola FL I hear and everyone for 50 miles must have been in that store the day we were there! lolz

We did use the restrooms since they are suppose to be amazingly clean and then we browsed around.

Me in front of the "Wall of Jerky".   Or you could say just another jerk by the jerky. lolz

Leg Lamp shirts that McVal would have scarfed up had she been there.....plus they were on SALE!lolz

Southern saying pillows and mugs because we are in the South.

 And then there were funny saying t-shirts with a Southern theme.

And then funny signs about pets.

Now I didn't even take photos of....all. the. food. and. drink.
Canned/bagged/bottled as well as freshly cooked.  The smells in that place were amazing and mouth watering.
But we resisted, I only  bought the bumper sticker and chap stick in the photo 7 back. 

We hopped on over to a place called the "Mellow Mushroom" for lunch.........

Here I am with the Mellow Mushroom man.  Gotta get my funny touristy photos in, right?

I heard about this regional chain from a young blogger I use to read/follow who lived in Eastern Tennessee(she no longer blogs).  She and her hubs are vegan and this was a hipster place they liked to eat at.

And here is Lorraine outside of their "Flushrooms". lolz

And here's the pizza Hubs and I shared for lunch there.  We had ordered a pizza called "Holy Shitake" but they were out of mushrooms for it(I find that so ironic......the place is called the Mellow Mushroom and they had no mushrooms*snort*).
So we punted and got the "Funky Q. Chicken", a pie with bbq chicken, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, Applewood smoked bacon and finished with a bbq sauce swirl.
While I would have preferred the Holy Shitake(as Churches and shrines seemed to be the theme of the day)the Funky Q. Chicken hit the spot.

Then it was off again to see a guy about another church..........but you'll have to wait for that piece in Part 3.

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Sunday & Monday Trips + My New Temp Job....Maybe

I made a trip to Rite-Aid on Sunday to get some cereal and other things.

Select varieties of cereal were $1.88 a box on a 3-Day Sale(Sun. to Tues.)this week at R-A.
I also had 3 x $1/1 Kellogg's Qs(paid for with points in my Kellogg's Family Rewards account)and  a $1/2 Kellogg's cereal IPQ so I bought this...........

3 x Rice Krispies strawberry flavor $1.88 each=$5.64
2 x Frosted Mini-Wheats(1 original/1 strawberry)$1.88 each=$3.76
SubTotal........$9.40

Now I used those $4 in Qs I mentioned above plus see those yellow $1 R-A instant coupons on the 3 boxes of strawberry Rice Krispies?
Yep I got $7 total off so 5 boxes of cereal cost me $2.40.

And then my card had this Bonus Cash Challenge.........

So I will earn $2.50 in new BC in April for spending $9 on Kellogg's cereals so now I've been paid .10¢ to take these boxes home.

AND.......I will received $2.65 in cash rebates on Ibotta as well(2 x .35¢ Mini-Wheats/3 x .65¢ Rice Krispies)so now I've made $2.75 between BC and cash for buying these 5 cereals.

Some will go to the food bank in the next couple of weeks(depending on which ones Ex-CB wants to keep for his consumption). 8-)))

Then I bought this lot on son's card.

Note-I am trying to finish 2 Bonus Cash Challenges on his card-the 6 $15 visits to earn $7 BC and the Cover Girl one(Spend $16/Get $4 BC where I am at $11.83 spent).

1 x CoverGirl concealer 20% wellness discount=$5.99
4 x R/S chocolate Easter eggs on sale 2/$1=$2.00
1 x Reese's pb cups on sale=.58¢
2 x Rimmel mascara 2 packs on sale BOGO50%=$7.03
SubTotal.......$15.60

Coupons Used
1 x $3/1 CoverGirl any face item IPQ=$3.00
1 x B4G1Free R/S Easter eggs ManuQ=.50¢
2 x $2/1 Rimmel eye product IPQ=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$7.50

$15.60-$7.50=$8.10+.36¢ tax=$8.46 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $3 in new BC now($1 R/S eggs wyb2, $2 Rimmel wyb2 items)so I spent down $5.46 in BC.
I will get $9.75 in more BC in April($7 for 6 $15+ visits, $2.75 more in CoverGirl spending)for this transaction so that takes my transaction to a $4.29 moneymaker.
AND add in that I will get a .25¢ cash rebate on Ibotta for buying the Reese's pb cup pack.

Then I had to pick up an Rx on Monday so I finished off some more deals while I was there..........

1 x Tide detergent on sale=$4.94
1 x Edge shave cream 2.75 oz can 20% wellness discount=$1.99
I used a $2/1 Tide L2CQ and paid $4.93+30¢ tax=$5.23 OOP with Bonus Cash for both items.
I'll get back, next month, another $1.75 in BC for buying the shave cream and finishing the Gillette/Venus Deal and $1.50 more BC for buying the Tide and finishing off that Deal, so $5.23 spent in BC and $3.25 earned back.

Then I did this straightforward deal, stacking In-ad Qs with ManuQs........

2 x Lady Speed Stick deodorant on sale=$4.00
1 x Irish Spring body wash on sale=$3.99
2 x Speed Stick deodorant on sale=$4.00
1 x Colgate toothpaste 20% wellness better than sale price=$4.39
1 x 2 pack Colgate toothbrushes on sale=$4.99
2 x R/S Easter eggs on sale=$1.00
SubTotal......$22.37

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Lady Speed Stick ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Irish Spring body wash ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Irish Spring body wash In-adQ=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Speed Stick dodorant ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothpaste ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothpaste In-adQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate 2 pack toothbrushes ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothbrush(es) In-adQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.......$13.00

$22.37-$13.00=$9.37+.32¢ tax=$9.69 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned $7 back in new BC(2 x $3 wys $10 Colgate/Speed Stick/Irish Spring, $1 Russell Stover)so I spent down the BC by $2.69 on this transaction.


Recap of the last two days of R-A Deals--
Total Spent in BC.....$55.28(with tax)
Total Coupons Used....$29.50
Total Spent in BC after Qs...$25.78(with tax)
Total Earned in new BC....$25.50
Total Ibotta Cash Earned...$2.90
Total Overage w/BC and Ibotta...$2.62

Nice.

Things have gotten "real" here since Monday with non-essential businesses shutting down(including Ex-CB's store)and the report of the first case of the virus in our county.  For now I'll be self-quarantining and if we need anything Hubs will be going out since he is at a lower risk of catching this thing.  I am immune-suppressed and on a Biologic but he's just old. ;-)
They also closed our state run liquor stores here as of tonight....the ONE state agency we really NEED right now! LOL

And last night I got a phone call from the Census folks.  I had applied for a job with the Census this year and I've been accepted.  Now I'm not so sure I want/can do this job since it involves going door to door and interacting with people. 
I will go forward with the process though and hope they push back when they send workers out to count.  The Census door-to-door counting was suppose to begin Mid-May and finish by July for those who didn't complete their form online.  You would think that they'd delay this phase of the process what with a pandemic going on, right?  We shall see.......

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "The Dog's Revenge" Edition................

We've had both of our dogs fixed lately and had to put up with a lot of "cone of shame" time here.
I had to laugh when I saw this on FB.
Do you know how hard it is NOT to touch your face when told not to? lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--Pork Teriyaki, Stir-Fry Veggies(Rice for some)
2. Monday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke in Tomatoes, Rice
3. Tuesday--BBQ take-out(I have a gift cert.)

4. Wednesday--Clam Chowder, Biscuits or Cornbread

5. Thursday--Salmon, Roasted Carrots, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Pizza, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers of Fend For Yourself

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Pork Teriyaki, Stir-Fry Veggies(Rice for some)
2. Monday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke in Tomatoes, Rice
3. Tuesday--BBQ take-out(I have a gift cert.)

4. Wednesday--Clam Chowder, Biscuits or Cornbread

5. Thursday--Chicken Tenders, Broccoli, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Leftovers/Fend for Yourself
7. Saturday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 1 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  We ate lunch out on Wednesday.
The salmon and pizza didn't happen since we had so many leftovers from cooking earlier in the week so those move to this week.  I subbed Chicken Tenders one night as I wanted to use those up and free up some freezer real estate. lolz

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 chicken cutlet packs
* 2 chicken boneless thighs packs

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* Chicken thighs
* Pork Loin
* Chicken Tenders
* Broccoli

3 trips to Weis(PMITA)Markets this past week in the amount of $125.34 brings my March Grand Total spending on food so far to $224.19.  I didn't realize I spent so much last week and all of it at Weis.  For someone who only "needed" a cucumber last week(and milk)I sure found lots to spend $$ on anyway. lolz  Though none of it was panic buying, just my normal "found some deals too good to pass up" stuff. No tp, hand sanitizer, wipes, etc.....though I did buy some peroxide on a good sale which I use in the washer.
No worries as we are about on target for a $400 spend month.
I've earned $28.95 in Ibotta rebates too in March so far.

My savings percentage last week was 49.63%(without Rite-Aid trips)and March's monthly savings total comes in at 56.01%(w/out R-A).  

I have 15 more food shopping/spending days in March.

Leftovers going into this week.....1 small helping of Asparagus, 1 helping of Pork Teriyaki Stir-Fry and Rice, 1 bowl of Clam Chowder(and a few Biscuits), 1-2 helpings of Lemon Pepper Chicken, Zuke and Rice, 1/3 of a pan of the Mac and Cheese and a small helping of Broccoli.
Mostly Hubs can polish all the leftovers off for lunches(except what's designated for dinners this week).

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

1. Sunday--Salmon, leftover Mac and Cheese, Green Beans
2. Monday--Hamburgers or Cheeseburgers on Rolls, leftover assorted Veggies or Salad
3. Tuesday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice or Noodles, Salad

4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself

5. Thursday--Hot Dogs and homemade Beans, Sweet Potato Fries

6. Friday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Veggie TBD
7. Saturday--I might make Chili for the guys or Tacos or ?

What needs buying for this menu?  I need mushrooms from Aldi for the Stroganoff but that's about it.  If I can't get them then the menu will change.
I'd like to get some ice cream midweek at Weis(Mix and Match Deal + Qs)but that's all that is on my list.  With the craziness at Weis I don't think I'll be finding any discount sticker meats this week but it's not a "need" because we can eat from the freezer(and will).

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