A Little Giveaway for the Christmas Season....Come Enter! & Genealogy Too

And with that it's time for the Fifteenth Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaways for 2020!     
Here's a short little Giveaway to end this Dumpster Fire of a year.   You only have a few days to enter this one so don't delay!   

This is one of my many favorite Christmas tunes.  Though not a traditional carol written for the season, it comes from a 1944 film, "Meet Me in St. Louis", about a year in the life of the Smith Family of St. Louis Missouri in 1903.  Any nostalgic subject matter was popular here in the USA during World War II and this film starring Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Marjorie Main among others was a smash hit back then.     

This song was written for the film by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.  In this clip, Esther(Garland)is trying to comfort little sister Tootie(O'Brien)who is upset about a possible move by the family from St. Louis to New York.(Spoiler Alert-the Smiths don't end up moving and all attend the St. Louis Fair of 1904.)

*Incidentally, the film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and this is when he met Judy Garland and fell in love with her.  The couple was married in 1945.  

On a Genealogical note if  you are into that sort of thing--When Judy was 18 she had a brief affair with one of my cousins, Songwriter Johnny Mercer(8th cousin 2 x removed on my maternal grandfather's line)while she was waiting for fiancé Songwriter/Musician David Rose to get a divorce from Comedienne/Actress Martha Raye.       

Let's take a look at what is in the Giveaway Box this month.........

2 x Kokie nail polish(bright blue, lavender)

1 x BenGay topical pain reliever

1 x Wild Harvest bag of Breakfast Blend coffee

1 x Pantene shampoo

1 x Schick women's reusable razor

1 x Lady Speed Stick deodorant

1 x Colgate Total SF toothpaste

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Aveeno small tube of lotion

1x 12 pack of ink pens

1 x Freeman face mask

1 x Conair hair brush

*I also put in some Dove chocolates after I took these photos.*

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

Depending on where you shop, the winnings have a reg. retail value of between approximately $50-$60.

*Please note-the bag of coffee has a Best by date of December 18 on it.  It's still good but you'd want to use it right away.

Here's how this is going to work........

* The giveaway is open to ALL readers.

* There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY.

* Only VALID entries will be posted.  A Valid entry is a limit of one per day and I MUST HAVE VALID CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOU(either you are on the Giveaway Contact List which I maintain, your comment is connected to a Google/Blogger profile which links to your email address or you email me directly(my email is in the side bar on the Blog)your email address.

IF YOU ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AND DON'T SEE YOUR COMMENT AFTER A DAY OR SO(Give me time to post the entries each day)THAT MEANS YOUR ENTRY ISN'T VALID DUE TO ONE OF THE ABOVE REASONS AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX YOUR ENTRY!

I will no longer spend time hunting down folks.  If you want to win, read ALL the rules and do the work.

From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random and the winner has 48 hours from when the post goes live to contact me with their full mailing address.

In your entries I'd like to hear about your plans for Christmas if you have any.  Real vs. Fake tree?  Do you bake for the Holidays and what...pies, cakes, cookies or ?  What's your favorite treat to eat at Christmas?  Any family traditions you like?  Any family traditions you'd rather not? lol  Just leave a comment about anything Holiday related really.

If you are on my Giveaway emails list just leave a comment and your name(with last name initial please)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 December 19th Saturday at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. On December 20th, Sunday, I'll draw the winning entry and post the Winner.  If you are the Winner please let me know if you'd rather me mail it ASAP or wait until after Christmas to mail to give the shipping employees a little break. ;-)

*Please note these rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winners on this blog on  and those persons have 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.

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

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "She's Gotta One-Up Me" Edition.....

Kim's Sissie was so jealous of my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree she went out and found a Grinch Tree.

It's so stinkin' cute!  Too bad is a real tree and you can't store it away until next year.  Maybe she can keep it alive until next Christmas??

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Steak, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Kielbasi on rolls, Sweet Potato Fries
3. Tuesday--Pork Roast w/Carrots, Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Cheeseburgers, Veggie TBD
5. Thursday--Butternut Ravioli w/White Sauce, Salad

6. Friday--Take-Out

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

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

1. Sunday--Steak, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Kielbasi on rolls, Sweet Potato Fries
3. Tuesday--Pork Roast w/Carrots, Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Leftovers
5. Thursday--Lunch out so Fend for Yourself for dinner

6. Friday--Chinese Take-Out

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 1 night of Take-Out.   

The Butternut Ravioli didn't happen again and the Cheeseburgers as well, so they move to this week.

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  2 lbs. mozzarella cheese

*  1 small pork loin

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

*  1 package of Kielbasi

*  1 small Pork Roast

*  1 box of Brussels Sprouts

We spent $115.86 last week(just over $30 at Weis and Walmart each, just under $40 at Sharp Shopper, $12.38 on salmon at Aldi plus a $2.40 Wegman's shop from November that got forgotten).  That brings our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods Grand Total to $201.48 for December so far.

There are 17 shopping days left in December.  

I've earned $74.64 on Ibotta in December. 

I've earned $00 on Checkout51 in December.

I've earned $3.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in December.

I've earned 5004 points from shopping on Fetch in December.

I've earned 3165 points from food shopping on ShopKick in December.

I've earned 100 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in December(should be 600 pts. but that's a story for another day.)

My savings percentage for last week was 44.31%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for December and the monthly savings total for December comes in at 50.91%.(w/out R-A). The savings percentage wasn't stellar last week but still acceptable.

Leftovers going into this week.....1/2 a carton of Chicken Stock and some Pork Roast and Veggies. 

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

1. Sunday--Salmon, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Pizza, Salad

4. Wednesday--Meatloaf, Veggies TBD, maybe Noodles for Hubs
5. Thursday--Butternut Ravioli w/White Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

What needs buying for this menu?  

I might make the pizza from scratch or I might get frozen pizza at Rite-Aid as it's a deal this week(give BC and there's an Ibotta rebate plus it won't cost actual "money").  Otherwise we are set for this menu(if I stick to it). ;-)

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 December 11th Edition on Saturday

Here's some of the frugal stuff that went on this past week at Chez Sluggy besides the usual cooking at home, laundry done during off-peak hours, buying loss leaders at the grocery stores, etc.

*  The most frugal thing you can do is to stay out of stores and doing deals you don't need to do even though the sale ads, snail mailed offers and emails from some companies just keep piling up and tempt you.  It's very hard to show restraint at this time of year in the face of all the offers.  Stay strong my fellow frugalistas!

*  I used the $10 off $40 Rite-Aid flyer coupon on 3 cards and did some $40+ transactions........

Those 2 Axe deodorants below were 50% clearance priced plus I had $1.50/1 IPQs so were under $1.50 each.(Well really they were free since I paid with BC.)

I also used both of the $5 Catalinas I earned for buying 7th Generation laundry detergent during the Black Friday sales that were expiring this week(one of each of 2 transactions)which helped lower how much BC I used even more.

Paid for everything with Bonus Cash and earned back almost as much in BC as I spent plus I got $5.75 in Ibotta rebates between the Listerine and Suave.

**Rant Alert**

That last transaction was because the online order from the previous week came and they had screwed it up.  I had bought 2 of those Allergy Nasal Spray boxes but they only shipped 1 even though the packing invoice said there were 2 in the shipment.  The warehouse packer goofed or someone snitched one of those before it got sealed and shipped....how else can that be explained?

The first chat with R-A, the rep said if I bought one in store and there was a price difference they'd refund that difference.  So I purchased it in store for $23.99 after Wellness discount and went online to chat about getting the $8.50 difference(since R-A online REFUSED to replace/reship the missing item from my shipment)and this different rep said it is against their policy to price match w/store pricing.  WTF?!  They won't price match now(even though the other rep said so(and I have a record of it)or reship what I paid for? 
I call BULLSHIT on Rite-Aid!  

You know I'll be returning that Allergy spray to the store.....
And I am still waiting on that $15.49 in BC to hit my account for the spray they didn't ship me.  The first rep said 2-3 days and it's been 5 DAYS now since I contacted them initially.  Second rep this morning said it was credited to my account on 12/8/20 and it could take as long as 10 MORE DAYS to show!?

Again I call BULLSHIT on Rite-Aid!  If you have stock in that company I'd seriously consider pulling it out and putting it into a competent corporation.  Seriously.

**Rant Over**

I found money!

I found these two pennies last Saturday at Dollar General.  One was in an empty candy box in front of the register and the other on the floor on my way out the door.

Then I found a penny at my Rite-Aid later that day near the register.

Then on Tuesday on a trip to Walmart I found this penny in the main aisle near the cosmetics.  Abe's looking a might green on this one. lol

Then I hit Aldi for some salmon and found thi quarter laying under the carts in the cart corral.  I guess someone dropped their quarter after retrieving it from the cart slot and just left in on the ground for me.  How thoughtful of them. lol

The last coin found was this penny in a Rite-Aid near Hershey.  I ran in there looking for the Softlips balm that was $1 during the midweek sale as my store doesn't carry it and we were driving right past so why not look.
That store was out of it but I spied this penny in front of the register so scooped it up on my way out of the door.

I also spied another quarter when I went to pick-up my Big Lots order below.  It was in front of the register counter and I was all set to get it but then they opened another register and I was next in line so I missed out....boo hoo. lolz

Total Found $ This Week.... .30¢
Total Found $ So Far This Year....$52.85

*  A vlogger I follow mentioned a deal at Big Lots on gift items on Tuesday.  There were stacking coupon codes and a BOGOFree offer if you bought online and picked up in the store.  Since I was going out and would be near a BL that day I got all these gifts........

Regular retail of $40 total.  After $25.04 in discounts it cost me $14.96+.49¢ tax.

*  We hit the Sharp Shopper Grocery Outlet when we had to go to Hershey for my dr. appointment on Thursday.  Just got a few deals like ketchup  for .50¢, fair trade bagged coffee for $2.99, mustard for .99¢, Thomas' raisin bread for $2.50 a loaf,  3 Power-Ade drinks for .99¢ total, 1 lbs. of Mozzarella for $1.99, pork tenderloin for $2.99, etc.  Good deals.

*  While I was near Big Lots and Aldi's on Tuesday it was lunch time so I hit Taco Bell.  They were(don't know if it's still offered)doing a free Chalupa Box and a Doritos Loco Taco off if you download the TB app.  I did that last week and redeemed my free Chalupa Box offer.  That box gave me two lunches(plus the doggies enjoyed those cinnamon twists over two days as a treat).

That's about it from here this past week..........

What frugaliciousness did you have happen in your life this week?
Tell us all about it!

Sluggy

Dollar General Pillaging & Shingrix Side Effects

 I'm sorry I've have been MIA the last few days.  I got the Shingles Booster shot on Monday and they lied.

The lied that the booster didn't cause as many side effects as the intial shot.  The first shot made my arm hurt for 10 days, no lie.  This shot not only hurts my arm like a sonofabitch but the pains have traveled to my neck and back.  I literally can't find a position I can put my left arm in that doesn't hurt.  I've progressed from ice packs to Ibuprofen to something stronger to get through the day.  I hope tomorrow I can turn the corner and start to feel better.  What makes this worse is that I "mouse" left handed to using th computer has been limited. ugh.

I did hit Dollar General on Saturday to use my last 2 dog treat Qs, the $25 off $5 Sat. Q and take advantage of any digital DG coupons and/or glitches.
My closest DG had no dog treats I could use those Qs with so I punted and came up with a scenario on the fly........

Not pictured are 4 x 6-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper for me and 1 x 6-pack of Dr. Pepper w/Cream Soda for Ex-College Boy.  That deal was 5 for $10.00 and I would have bought this anyway so no harm no fowl.

1 x Old Spice deodorant $3 *Xmas item*

1 x All sensitive detergent $3

1 x Clover Valley sugar $2

1 x Cover Valley veggie oil $1.95

1 x Crest toothpaste $3

1 x Clover Valley brown sugar $1.65

3 x American Greetings cards $1.50 *I needed and they were .01¢ after Q*

2 x Welch's fruit snacks  .64¢

With another .26¢ this would have been $25 and I would have added s bag of Clover Leaf flour to get over $25 with the dog treats.

Subtotal was $24.74 and $35.74 with all that soda.

After Qs my total came to $11.41+.53¢ sales tax so $11.94 OOP.

So basically $1.94 for everything but the soda as I was going to buy that anyway.

And the last thing we need is toothpaste here but I found that cinnamon flavored one and it's my favorite flavor of toothpaste so I am happy to pick that up for less than $1 a tube! woohoo

Some of this will make it's way to the food bank if I can find the time to get there next week.

When I am better and can mouse normally(this has taken me an hour to type!)I'll recount the Rite-Aid my scores there this week and my online order last week which finally arrived and they bolloxed that up big time!

I won't be probably posting on Thursday as I'll be in Hershey most of the day.

Ho Ho Ho

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas at Chez Sluggy" Edition.....

I got our "Charlie Brown" tree up.  This is the replacement one I bought 75% off at Rite-Aid after last Xmas as ours finally wore out in 2019.  The red ball broke about 5 years ago when Ex-College Boy's friends were unsupervised in the house one day. lol

 I wonder how many years this tree will last?

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Leftover Thanksgiving foods
2. Monday--Butternut Squash Ravioli, Salad
3. Tuesday--Taco Salad

4. Wednesday--Turkey Casserole, Brussels Sprouts
5. Thursday--Domino's pizza or Hubs cooks

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--more Leftovers or Turkey soup?

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

1. Sunday--Leftover Thanksgiving foods
2. Monday-- big lunch at Red Lobster, no dinner
3. Tuesday--Breakfast for Dinner(using leftover bacon from the turkey blanket on Thanksgiving, pancakes and fruit)

4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself

5. Thursday--Pork Tenderloin Sammich, Brussels Sprouts(Hubs cooked)

6. Friday--Leftover Turkey into Turkey Divan Casserole

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, 1 night of no dinner and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.   

Hubs finished the taco meat for a lunch so that wasn't available for Tuesday's dinner.  Plus the Butternut Ravioli didn't happen so it moves to this week.

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  a bag of burritos

* 1 pack of hot dogs

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

*  1/2 huge bag of Broccoli

*  2 Pork Tenderloin slices

*  1 box of Brussels Sprouts

We spent $85.62 last week(lots of small trips to Weis, Aldi, Walmart, Malacari's produce, the Bread Outlet and Dollar General)bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods Grand Total to $85.62 for December so far.

There are 24 shopping days left in December.  

I've earned $32.54 on Ibotta in December. 

I've earned $00 on Checkout51 in December.

I've earned $0.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in November.

I've earned 100 points from shopping on Fetch in November.

I've earned 3100 points from food shopping on ShopKick in November.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in November.

My savings percentage for last week was 57.69%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for December and the monthly savings total for December comes in at 57.69%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....Turkey Divan, Stuffing and 1/2 a carton of Chicken Stock.  Hubs will take care of the first two items for lunches.  I might put the chicken stock into the crock pot with the pork roast to make a sauce for the meal since I don't have soup anywhere on the menu anytime soon.

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

1. Sunday--Steak, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Kielbasi on rolls, Sweet Potato Fries
3. Tuesday--Pork Roast w/Carrots, Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Cheeseburgers, Veggie TBD
5. Thursday--Butternut Ravioli w/White Sauce, Salad

6. Friday--Take-Out

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

What needs buying for this menu? Nothing for a change.

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