Had an Alexander Day!

I know things could be a lot worse but yesterday was an Alexander day for me.

My knee/leg is still not right and now I have a UTI to go with that ailment.  As I recall(maybe not very correctly)I've had a total of ONE UTI over my last 61 years until now.
We believe it's due to a medication I am currently taking and I am not so patiently waiting for the labs to come back to confine so I can get the appropriate course of antibiotics.

I am also slated for a wide laser excision surgery on my boob the beginning of August due to my HS.
Yay me.  HS surgeries are not ones where they sew you up afterwards otherwise the tracks/tunnels under your skin would just reform and you'd be back to square one PLUS have scar tissue in there making it a worse situation.  No this wound on a very sensitive part of my anatomy will remain OPEN and will take 4-6 weeks to heal enough for me to feel human-like again and resume "normal" activity.
Yay me.
I see a lot of Netflix/Hulu/Amazon tv in my near future.

I got gyped at CVS yesterday(learned my lesson)and will again not be doing that drugstore again after I spent this last $10 ECBs I earned.
CVS obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about folks with a very popular Samsung Galaxy phone not being able to download/install their app any longer so they lost me again as a customer.  I have called two departments of their corporation now and their basic response was "Oh well, too bad" so screw you!

Walmart also gyped me-first they had the wrong stickers on a vegetable(which the self-checkout told me to scan instead of looking up the veggie to input)so I got charged for organic grape tomatoes at DOUBLE the price of the red bell pepper I was trying to buy.  Then they only had ONE employee manning that whole area so I had to wait a solid 15 minutes on my bad leg to get it corrected and after that, she didn't put the pepper back in the bag(which I didn't notice until I got home)so I paid for a pepper that I don't have. sigh
I won't even go into the rude customers not wearing masks and not maintaining social distance.

I also lost a pair of my glasses.  I keep one pair on my desk downstairs and the other pair on my nightstand in the bedroom.  Can only find one pair now. argh.

I was out of energy to cook dinner so it was Fend for Yourself night here last night and after I heated up my leftover Hot and Sour Soup from Sunday I dropped the whole thing as I tried to get into the recliner and it went all. over. the. den. floor.  I could have just cried at that point.

Then I lost 2 hours of my life in that recliner watching a terrible Adam Sandler in a drama movie(apologies if you are AS fans)because my son wanted to see it.  In hindsight, I should have just gone upstairs and read. ;-)
It was the perfect ending to a crappy day.

I know, first world problems, but it was truly a stinker of a day.
We all have 'em, right?
So tell me about your bad day and make me laugh or at least feel better before I have to go pee and scream again.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Marketing is Everything" Edition..........

We saw these small bags of Matzo Chips at P and R earlier this month on a shopping trip there.
I didn't buy any but packaging was clever and I had to take a photo.  Each flavor has a stereotypical Jewish mother/grandmother on it with her saying something she'd say.  From left to right she is saying, "Did you eat? Come have a Knosh." "A little spicy for me but my Jerry loves them.", "Eat something. You look skinny."
Of course you have to read those quotes in the appropriate Jewish mother accent in your head for them to be funny. lol

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

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

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

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

1. Sunday--FFY(I can't remember what I had, a bowl of cereal?)
2. Monday--Steak, Corn, Broccoli
3. Tuesday--Grilled Chicken, Sweet Potato Wedges, Cauliflower

4. Wednesday--Take-Out Pizza
5. Thursday--Leftovers(we had lunch out-Salad and Burger)

6. Friday--Caesar Salad w/Chicken(Hubs made this)
7. Saturday--Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 night of leftovers/FFY, and 1 night of Take-Out.  
3 of my planned meals didn't happen for various reasons.....I couldn't stand long enough to make the scampi or the chicken marsala and we still had chicken breast marinating so more grilled chicken and we got a rotisserie chicken on Friday at Weis(PMITA)Markets so that covered protein for the Fri. and Sat. meals.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 1 box of Popsicles
* 2 London Broils
* 3 ropes of Kielbasa
* 1 pack of uncured Hot Dogs

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* 1 bag of Cauliflower
* Leftover rotisserie Chicken
* 1 bag of Broccoli

We spent $155.00 last week at Big Lots, Walmart, Weis, Dollar General and Hubs hit the Bread Outlet(it's open again, yah!). Lots of small shops but they added up, didn't they?
July spending so far comes in at $288.08.  Not bad for 11 days left in the month. ;-)

I earned $67.88 on Ibotta in July so far, $10.00 on Checkout51 and .50¢ on SavingStar.

My savings percentage for last week was 53.18%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips)for July and the monthly savings total comes in at 59.49%(w/out R-A).

I have 11 more food shopping/spending days in July.

Leftovers going into this week.......Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice casserole, a little Cauliflower, a little bit of meat off the Rotisserie Chicken.  Not much really.

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

1. Sunday--Chinese take-out(I had Hot and Sour Soup)
2. Monday--Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms over Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Squash Casserole
5. Thursday--BBQ, Cole Slaw, maybe Beans or Pasta Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Shrimp Scamp w/Linguine, Spinach Salad

Eldest son is here this week so if he wants something else the plan may change but at least I've got one in place. ;-)

What needs buying for this menu? I need to find an inexpensive pork butt/shoulder to smoke by Tuesday so we'll hit the new Schiff's that took over Maines restaurant supply tomorrow. (Of course now that I need a pork butt, the only Maines left had it last week for .99¢ a lb.! but I'd have to drive an hour away to Binghamton NY to get it..oy!) I need to pick up some fresh produce too(celery, red/yellow peppers, sweet potatoes, etc.)so I'll see the new prices at this Schiff's or we can hit P and R or the Produce Market, and I'll need to finish off the $10 Summer Sizzler Ibotta deal this week too(if I can find a few items I use that qualify).

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

The July Giveaway-For the Menfolk Mostly

Time for the Ninth  Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway for 2020!

Let's take a look at what is in the ol' box o' goodies..............

1 x Bull Dog face wash
1 x Hello charcoal toothpaste
1 x Axe body wash
1 x Barlow's dry shampoo
1 x Right Guard spray antiperspirant
1 x 2 pack Lever soap
1 x Betadine spray
1 x Bic razors
1 x Stetson cologne
1 x Visine allergy eye drops
1 x Philips ear buds
1 x Tic Tac mints
1 x MandM candies-Hazelnut spread flavor
1 x Fabric Face Mask I'll sew for you too


Stuff to make you acceptable looking when you get to go out in public again, stuff to deal with seasonal allergy symptoms and "ouchies" plus chocolate that won't melt in your hands during the Summer!

Close up shots of these goodies..........

Depending on where you shop the winnings have a reg. retail value of approximately $50.00.

From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random.

* This Giveaway Box of goodies is open to all readers! BUT....this month anybody who enters who has not won a Giveaway yet, their enters will count twice.  So all you non-winners yet, be sure and enter this month because you have the advantage here! 8-)

There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY(but non-winners entries count for 2)for this Giveaway as long as they mention they haven't won a giveaway yet.  Come back every day and enter though!

In your entries I'd like to hear about your plans for July....Still staying home except for necessary travel?  How are your stores stocked?......better, worse, the same?  Any items you need that are still n short supply?  Did you put a garden in this year and how is it doing?
Stuff like that.

If you are on my Giveaway emails list just leave a comment and your name to enter. If you aren't on the Giveaway emails list make sure you leave your email in your comment OR email me your email privately after you leave a comment(my email is in the side bar area under "About Me").
I'll leave this giveaway open until July 27th Monday  at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time. On July 28th, Tuesday, I'll draw the winning entry and post who won.

*Please note these rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winner on this blog on  and that person has 48 hours from the time stamp on that post to contact me privately via email(my email addy is listed on my "About Me" page, as well as on my side bar).

Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US only.  As the cost of postage to foreign countries has gotten too high I am sorry to say I can no longer afford to mail boxes outside the US.  These giveaways are not sponsored by any companies.  I pay for it all(the cost of items given away and the postage to mail it all)out of my own pocket.

***PLEASE NOTE***

Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you in your comment.

If you're not a registered Blogger User with YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION on your User page, please put your email addy in your comment or email me your email addy privately when you leave a comment so I can get a hold of you. If your Blogger associated user profile is a GOOGLE one make sure your email info is linked to your profile.

If I can't contact you then you can't win.  I am still having to disqualify entries due to this issue and I sure don't like doing that.  Thanks!


So let's get this Giveaway started. Good luck to everyone!!!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.......the July 17th Edition

Here's the frugal stuff that happened this past week here at Chez Sluggy......

* We got Domino's this week.......

I used another of the scads of Domino's gift cards I have.  3 medium pies for under $20 makes for lots of leftovers for me and Hubs(not so much for Ex-CB lol).

* Remember that Listerine I got at R-A last week?

After $3 BC earned and 3 x $5 virtual prepaid debit cards they were better than free.
But how to spend a virtual prepaid card of only $5.
Here's how......
Go to Walmart.com and buy 3 x $5 Walmart gift cards.  They ship for free and you can use those physical cards in the store.

The first of three $5 Walmart gift cards arrived this week.

*  I bought 23 items with Ibotta rebates this week and besides the rebates I earned a $5 Bonus, a .50¢ July activation Bonus and a.50¢ Axe Bonus

*  Here is what I bought at Walmart on Thursday to finish the 23 items..........

a bag of carrots, a lb. of Country Crock sticks, a tub of Almond butter Country Crock, 2 Oui yogurts, a bag of Kind nut clusters, 5 Budding lunch meat bags, a Bic Soleil razor, a package of Alka Seltzer gum/antacid and a bottle of Aleve.
All but the carrots and the Aleve counted toward the Ibotta rebates.
The total with tax came to $20.14 after my $10 in coupons.
But I just paid .14¢ OOP because I used a $20 free prepaid debit card(I think it was a R-A Allergy Rewards card).
And I earned $13.83 + the $5 Weekly Essentials Bonus so $18.83 in rebates for spending .14¢.
Nice.


*  I found money!
Yeah.

A penny at Rite-Aid last Friday.

Two more pennies at Walmart last Saturday.  One next to a car going into the store and another by a register coming out of the store.

A double score--a dime and a penny under the candy racks at Rite-Aid on Sunday and 2 more pennies under the magazine racks there at the register as well.

I went to a Weis in the town West of here on Wednesday.  There was a lone self check-out over by the  deli/premade items and I saw two pennies on the floor there.  I only got one with the aid of my cane as the other one was stuck to the floor and I had no sharp implement to pry it up with(and I wasn't getting down on my hands and kneed to get it).
The second penny was in front of the Customer Service desk and the third one was in the middle of the lane cordoned off to direct you to a register so 3 pennies at that store came home with me.

This quarter was spotted on the way to the ladies' room at Red Robin.

And this penny was laying in the middle of the walkway on the way out of Red Robin.

Total Change found this week. .45¢
Total Change found this year....$46.90

 *  Besides picking up .03¢ at that other Weis(PMITA)Markets I also got $1.50 back in a refund when the Dole peaches cup in coconut water didn't ring up the 50% clearance price.  This goes into my refunds/post coupons envie to put toward food expenses come the end of 2020.

*  We got a few veggies out of the garden this week too.......

Two nice heads of broccoli......

And one smallish yellow squash.  More squash will be coming this week too. ;-)

That's about it for frugal-ness this week.......

What frugal stuff happened in your life this past week?

Sluggy

It's Thursday Already?

This week is just slipping away from me.

My prayers and hug go out to our Cheap Chick blogger in Canada.  I hope they caught it early and her prognosis is good and she'll be with her hubs, her mom, her step kids, her Buddy and back to our blogging family for years to come.
Please keep her in your thoughts as I will!

Last Saturday we had lots of excitement in Sluggy's Teeny Tiny Town.  First I went to Dollar General and bought this........

4 x Pantene Rose Water Shampoo and Conditioners @ $3 ea.=$12.00
4 x BioFreeze patches $1.75 ea.=$7.00
1 x Oral-B Toothbrush $2.00=$2.00
5 x Gatorade $1.00 ea.=$5.00(not pictured)
6 x Bella wet dog food trays=$2.50(not pictured)
Subtotal=$28.50

Coupons used
1 x $5 wyspend $25 DG DQ=$5.00
2 x $5/2 Pantene Rose Water line P&GQs=$10.00
2 x $2/1 Biofreeze IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1.50/1 Biofreeze DG DQ=$1.50
1 x $2/1 Oral-B Toothbrush DG DQ=$2.00
1 x $1 wybuy 5 Gatorade DG DQ=$1.00
1 x $1.50/6 Bella wet dog food trays DG DQ=$1.50
Coupon Total........$25.00

$28.50-$25.00=$3.50 + sales tax
I had another $2/1 Biofreeze IPQ but forgot to  use it so I could have gone down to $1.50+tax. duh

Then later that day we had a black bear traipse through our back yard.  Our neighbor, "Mr. Tree Hater" who cut every tree down on his property also keeps his garbage cans outside next to his house so Mr. Bear had a nice early dinner buffet out of his cans then wandering over to see what he could find for his dessert in our yard.  Hubs and I were upstairs screaming at him out of both bathroom windows to "git!" while Chester set off his alarm/barking system downstairs.  Eventually Mr. Bear wandered off back into the woods behind the houses on the main road into our development and darned if I didn't get a photo of him between all the shooing him off.

Then I saw a small rabbit on the front lawn enjoying all the clover that's shot up there and couldn't get a good photo of him due to the window screen.
See?  Even if I remember my camera I am thwarted at every turn. lol

On Sunday I bought the items above after discovering that the small Total SF advanced whitening tubes that the $5/3 Colgate toothpaste L2CQ applies to this on sale $2.99 tube which you can also use the $1/1 R-A in-ad Q on.

3 x Colgate toothpaste on sale $2.99=$8.97
2 x Venus single smooth sensitive Razor on sale $7.99=$15.98
SubTotal....$24.95

Coupons Used
1 x $5/3 Colgate select toothpastes L2CQ=$5.00
3 x $1/1 Colgate select toothpastes R-A in-adQ=$3.00
1 x $4/1 Venus razor L2CQ=$4.00
1 x $4/1 Venus razor Insert Q=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$16.00

$24.95-$16.00=$8.95+.48¢ sales tax=$9.43 paid with Bonus Cash and $8 in new BC was earned on the 2 razors.

I did this same deal again but the next time one of my razors also had a $1 Peelie Q on it and the cashier manually pushed that additional $1 off through so my total was $7.95+.42¢ tax so $8.37 paid for with BC and earned another $8 in new BC.

I went to Weis this week and Walmart too.  Whoopee Do!

The garden is growing well now.

My spinach barrel needs clipping and using as it's starting to bolt.
I'll replant in the early Fall more greens.

The collard plant in the kennel garden is taking off whereas the plants next to the deck are fighting for space with the morning glory vines.

 We've now got baby yellow squash too

We've also got baby tomatoes now(see one in bottom right of this photo).

We need to replace our recliners in the den and ventured into a furniture store here to have a look.

I liked the smaller profile of this one and the color(grey).  The controls are electronic and located around that cup holder on the left(there is even a blue light you can activate in the cup holder?)

The color on is one was acceptable though not my favorite and it has a wider profile.  It has a hand held electric control device and even better-it has a lumbar support button so is even more comfy that the other chair.

But this bad boy stole my heart.  It's a love seat w/two recliners.  The color is more to my liking than the other two, each seat has a cup holder, there is a phone dock and usb in the center.  The arm opens and the electronic control device stores in each arm.  In the middle is another lid that opens to a storage area and the back middle between the seats also opens upward to reveal 2 led lights(and a switch to dim those).  Need I mention this love seat also has a lumbar support function too?
Sigh.
But the cost is this is $400 more than buying two of the more expensive chairs above.
So decisions, decisions.

Other than that I've been laying in bed with my leg on the heating pad or parked in the recliner. 

The meal plan this week has gone to shit.
And frankly I don't care. ;-)

So what's life like in your neck of the woods?

Sluggy