This Week on the Dining Table

The "Just Say No!" Edition..........

First off, just for the record, I have never been a big fan of cauliflower, the vegetable.  I'll eat it(especially from fresh and roasted)and Ex-CB has always loved it(which will be good if he ever decides to go full-on Keto)so I've cooked it often enough.
Then I saw these in Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)awhile back-Cheddar flavor crackers made from cauliflower.  Then I saw them again, this time at P and R Discounters last week and I still couldn't bring myself to buy a box.
Has anyone tried these and am I missing out on a flavor taste treat(minus the calories)?  Inquiring minds......

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

This is what was planned.........

1. Sunday--Leftovers(I had corn on cob, mushroom ravioli)
2. Monday--Taco Salad or Tacos
3. Tuesday--Chinese Take-out or ?

4. Wednesday--Shrimp Scampi w/Linguine, whatever fresh produce I can find this week(maybe Broccoli from our backyard 8-)))
5. Thursday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Spinach Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Big Salad

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Leftovers(I had corn on cob, mushroom ravioli)
2. Monday--Chinese Take-out because Hubs didn't thaw the taco meat lol
3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Tacos or Taco Salad
5. Thursday-- Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad(I had a salad)

6. Friday--Grilled Chicken Breast, Broccoli Casserole
7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself(I had Butternut Squash Ravioli)

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 night of leftovers/FFY, and 1 night of Take-Out.  
The Marsala and the Scamp didn't happen because I couldn't stand that long to cook it without pain so we punted-Hubs made spaghetti with the meatballs I thawed and we had chicken on Friday with some lovely breasts I found at P and R for cheap and broccoli we picked from our garden made into a casserole.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 rolls of breakfast sausage
* 3 lbs. of butter

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* Ground Beef for Taco filling
* Meatballs
* 1 Squash Ravioli TV Dinner

We spent $103.70 last week($16.49 of that was at CVS)and the rest was that trip to P and R, Hubs bought 2 items at Weis(PMITA)Markets spending $3.49, $3.56 spent at Dollar General and a $38.41 trip to Walmart.
July spending so far comes in at $133.08.

I earned $13.10 on Ibotta in July so far and .50¢ on SavingStar.

My savings percentage for last week was 69.32%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips)for July and the monthly savings total comes in at 64.99%(w/out R-A).

I have 18 more food shopping/spending days in July.

Leftovers going into this week.......1 helping broccoli casserole, 1 helping of spaghetti and meatballs.  Not much really.
There are 2 ears of corn I need to strip and throw the kernels into the freezer to put into cornbread the next time I make that.

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

1. Sunday--FFY
2. Monday--Steak, Spinach Salad
3. Tuesday--Chicken Caesar Salad

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Wedges
5. Thursday--Pizza, Salad

6. Friday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
7. Saturday--Shrimp Scamp w/Linguine or ? depending on if Eldest son is here by then

What needs buying for this menu? More lettuce(romaine)as we can't seem to stay ahead with the lettuce crop. I'll replant lettuce in the barrel planter after my spinach bolts. Other than that, carrots(for coleslaw and carrot cake), some cheese(a deal at Weis + I have Qs) and my caffeine-free tea(on sale),there isn't much to buy this week.

Schiff's(another restaurant supply store)took over Maines and they are back open so I want to go there later this week for a pork butt/shoulder to smoke and make bbq while Eldest son is home.  No lunch meat to buy this week since I got 5 small Budding meat packets on Sat. at Walmart (that cost me .90¢ total after Q and Ibotta rebate).  I might make 1 trip out to Weis on Tuesday and that is it besides Schiff's.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home(not that I'm referring to/using it at this point with the heat).
* Shrimp Tempura
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Breakfast for Dinner

* Haddock Fish Dinner  new
* Chicken Tenders  new

* Beef Liver  new

Plus lots of thinly sliced Chicken Breast, grass fed Ground Beef and Ground Turkey in the freezer.

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

Frugal Friday......The July 10th Edition on Saturday

Not a lot that was noteworthy in the Frugal department happened this past week.................

* I escaped and hit up Rite-Aid last week.....

I got slightly moneymaker toothpaste and toothbrushes after coupons and Bonus Cash back.

The Listerines were part of a Spend $12/Get $3 BC Deal.  They were $5.19 + tax each and I bought them on 3 separate transactions/receipts so I could submit them for 3 x $5 Fandango Virtual Prepaid Card Rewards(limit of 3 and I think the Fandango thing does another week? but not the R-A Bonus Cash Deal).  I've already gotten the 3 x $5 Virtual Cards but the $3 BC never showed up on my R-A card so I had to call Corporate Again! It's now Sunday and the BC is still not on the card.....guess who is getting another call on Monday?!?

* No Money was Found!
Well it's pretty hard to find change laying on the ground when you don't leave the house much. lol

* I had Hubs take me out on Wednesday(or was it Thursday?....I am losing track of the days)and we
hit P and R Discounters and we did our grocery shopping.  I got scads of deals--BSCB for $1.79 lb., Strip Steaks for $4.99 lb., Tropicana OJ for.79¢, 3 lbs. of butter for $1.79 each(so exciting!), yellow squash for .59¢ lb., 5 lbs. Russet Taters for .99¢, organic brown eggs for .99¢ doz.,  2 tubes of Pillsbury whack biscuits for .39¢ each, head of lettuce for .39¢, a 6 pack of Sargento Snacks for $2.99(these are $$2.99 to $3.50 + at the grocery store for a single pack), a 12 pack of seltzer drinks for $3.99 and that's all I can remember w/out my receipt in front of me.  We spent about $40.
This is the place that sometimes gives out freebies too and they were putting out pallets of two kinds of snack chips and told us to take a case of each.

a 12 pack case of "Food Should Taste Good" Sweet Potato Tortilla chips..........

And a 12 pack case of "Sieste" Grain Free Tortilla Chips.

These things go from anywhere from $4.99 to $5.99 per bag in the stores when sold singly and $40+ per case on Amazon(or whereever).

The stuff this store carries has evolved over time and now they carry overstocks, many high end specialty foods(at a discount)and a lot of gluten-free and vegan items as well as dairy, meat and veggies and a cheap deli counter.
Need Bacon flavored Seitan?  They got it! lolz

* While over that way Hubs let me pop in CVS too....uh oh......

I joined the Caremark thing and got a free $10 ECB.
I only had the $2/3 Patene CVS machine Q, a digital $2/1 Oral-B toothbrush Q and the inserts Qs for the Herbal Essence, Pantene, Head and Shoulders and Poise liners.
After Qs and $10 ECB I paid $16 and change(again I don't have my receipt in front of me)and got back $15 in new ECB.

I was all set to go back to CVS shopping but then their app wouldn't install on my new Samsung Galaxy phone so I can't get app Qs or all those daily freebies this week and next either! so this CVS venture will not last beyond this new $15 in ECBs and I'll be cancelling that Caremark thing. ugh.

That's about all other than the usual boring stuff of cooking from scratch and eating at home, not throwing out leftovers, reading and free tv watching for entertainment, playing with puppies, watching the garden grow and resting my leg.

What frugal stuff happened in your world this past week?

Sluggy

Vacation Pillaging at Ollie's & Rite-Aid

Finally getting around to showing some of my favorite shopping pillaging from my trip down to Va and back.

As I remarked in my food spending post for June I actually spent money at Rite-Aid that month on 75% clearance food.

Besides all the baby aspirin I found(5 x triple packs 75% off so $1.49 for each 3 bottle pack)but I deleted all those photos on my phone so no pictures, sorry), here is some of what else I got and what it cost me OOP.............

3 x Quacker oatmeal packets(Cranberry and Almond-never seen it up here and one of my fav. food combos)=$1.22 each
2 x Craisins bags=.82¢ each(R-A brand were also 75% off but more $?)
4 x R-A brand organic honey bottles=$1.49 each(non-organic honey in this size bottle is reg. way more $!)
2 x R-A brand chicken broth=.79¢ each
2 x Hormel chili w/beans=.82¢ each
1 x Hormel no bean chili=.84¢
1 x R-A brand tomato paste=.29¢
1 x McCafe coffee bag=$2.24
1 x Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent=$1.49
1 x R-A brand Pink Himalayan salt=.84¢
1 x EOP refried beans=.44¢
1 x R-A brand ketchup=.54¢
2 x Campbell's Yes! soup(sweet potato chowder)=.84¢ each
2 x Hormel Roast Beef Hash=.84¢ each(Ex-CB loves this stuff)
4 x R-A sliced mushrooms=.29¢ each
3 x R-A organic/fair trade coffee bags=$1.69 each
2 x Jif whipped peanut butter=.99¢ each

I also bought this below at an Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)in Fredericksburg, VA(I already showed the generic Rice Crispies for 75% offI found in Va. Beach at.37¢ per box=I wish I had room in the car to get more of those!).  While not all 75% off these were still good deals with my 15% discount flyer....

1 x tart cherry juice=$1.29
1 x Minute Maid self stable OJ=..89¢
1 x Horseradish Sauce(for Hubs)=$1.09
3 x Bear Naked granola(this WAS 75% off)=.65¢ per bag

Keep your eyes and ears open because you never know when/what is going to be a good deal.

Sluggy

2020 Second Quarter......Small Economies Report

The second quarter of 2020 is in the books now.
Let's see where some of my small pots of savings look like so far halfway though the year.
These stats are all effective as of June 30, 2020.

*  Rolled coins--$3.00(still)

I haven't gotten enough spare change to roll any more coins.

*  Found Change--$46.50  Finding money is the best!  Nobody can argue with that, right? 8-))

*  Refunds & "Post Coupons"--$44.35 Mostly Weis(PMITA)Markets and Rite-Aid.

*  Cash Rebates--
   * Ibotta--$278.40
   * SavingStar--$25.00
   * Checkout51--$0.00
   * ShopAtHome--$23.27

Total.........$420.52 so far in 2020 to put toward the grocery spending in December.
At this halfway point in 2020 that means our OOP on food spending is $1755.55 with that $420.52 in small economies deducted.
Nice.

Do you stash non-income money aside to put toward a goal?
Tell us about it and what strategies work for you in savings small amounts of money!


Sluggy

To-Do List....June Update

So another month done and dusted.  Let's see how the JUNE To-Do List turned out, shall we?

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything paid early or on time as always.

* Read 1, 2, 3 Books  FAIL  I went to VA with high hopes on getting lots of reading done.  What I did get done was lots of napping instead. lolz  I got halfway through a book at home but didn't take it with me.  I started another book on the way down at my son's place but promptly left it there so another book begun(barely)but not finished.  
Oh and I made two trips to Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)-one trip with son and another trip with brother and sis in-law, and besides a few pantry goods to bring home guess what I mostly bought at those two Ollie's?

If you guessed MORE BOOKS you'd be correct! ;-) That's my cart with the 5 or so I picked up in Va. Beach.
But!  I did get one book completely read in June.

"Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain Without Turning Into One" by Karen Duffy
If you are a wise-ass, have a sarcastic gene and especially if you are a fellow chronic pain sufferer, I implore you to find this book and read it!  The book is enlightening and uplifting and a reminder that you can thrive even if you are among the 1 in 3 Americans who suffers from some form of chronic pain.
I felt like she was speaking directly to me.  5 Thumbs Up!!!!!

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

It took awhile to get in touch with the winner as she just had surgery and is enduring a tough recuperation period.
Please send out good thoughts out to Lisa B. if you would as she gets over this time.
I hope the package lifted her spirits a bit too. ;-)

* Mail Giveaway  DONE
Mailed and received quickly.

* 2 Doctor Appointments  DONE
Got a semi-annual check-up with one doc which went well and all blood work came back good.
Had a check-up and TB test with my dermo doc to see how the Humira was working or not.  She is recommending a Laser Excision Surgery on one spot of my HS that the Humira is not helping.  She gave me the paperwork/info on what that surgery will entail and I should be scheduled for surgery later this month.  Oh goody. 8-(

* Change out Clothing for Summer  DONE
I finally got around to changing the wardrobe for warm weather out before I left town.

* Pack for Trip  DONE
I sort of killed two birds with one stone by packing for the trip while changing out my clothes for Summer.  It was far easier since I was already reorganizing clothes in the closet.

* Sew Masks for Folks  DONE
Eldest had told me that VA had recently gone to face masks in public mode before I left home.  I had sent him a mask I made back in March(along with tp as he couldn't find any at his stores back then)so I spent some time a few days before leaving making more fabric masks-2 for Hubs, 1 more to bring to Eldest son and 3 masks for my Brother and Sis in-law as well as another mask for myself in a lighter colored fabric.  My  brother never leaves his property but my sis in-law is a realtor so she's been spending for disposable masks as she doesn't sew.  Having 2 so she can wash and change it out daily will help her and her wallet. ;-)
Some where along the way I lost the new mask I made for myself so I need to make another one soon. 8-(

* Deal with "Stuff" in VA  PASS
Well we've done some stuff and gotten the ball rolling but there are more hoops to jump through.  Decisions have been made and more are to come.  That's about all I can say for now on this.  We are waiting on some blocks to fall into place and the lawyer to return from vacation now so we are in "wait" mode for now.

* Visit my Son  DONE
I stopped for 2 days on the way down and 1 night on the way home.
He's leaving where he taught for the last 5 years and relocating to NJ so we had a lot to talk about.
Atlas, the cat was always nearby to comfort him. lolz

* Visit my Brother/Sister in-Law  DONE

Besides a quick trip to Ollie's my brother didn't go anywhere.  But we did get visits from the neighbors and their dogs while I was down there.  That's Harper and Truman and their humans visiting in the photo above.  We also got a visit from Petey on another day and his human.
Sis in-law and I, on the other hand, hit various Rite-Aids, Kroger, Aldi, Lidl, Cracker Barrel, Walmart and an Estate Sale while I was.  We bonded and laughed a lot.

* Plan Goals for 2020  PASS  Hubs and I have hashed out a few goals and made some decisions about our living arrangements going forward.  There is still a lot to do and it feels overwhelming at times so I'll be biting off a bit at a time for now.  Mostly, the Goal for 2020 is now to survive it! 8-)))

* Arrange for Painter  FAIL  This was on Hubs list of stuff to do while I was gone.  He got a list of painters at the hardware store then the store owner told him, "frankly, I wouldn't recommend any of these guys to paint inside your house". lolz  I am thinking once we contact a realtor about selling our house they might have better sources.  So this search for a painter is ongoing.

* Have Money Meeting w/Hubs  PASS  We had a half-assed financial meeting.  Half-assed as some financial things were up in the air and I was gone half of the month.  July's money meeting should be more productive but we did make a few money decisions in June so I am giving us a pass. ;-)


Did you have a To-Do List in June?
Tell us how you did with it.


Sluggy