Not Much of A Post Today

 You may have noticed that I didn't post anything yesterday.  Good reason for that as it was election day and Hubs and I worked the polls here in Pennsyltucky.

Of course there was a clusterf*ck or two and even the local news started perpetuating a rumor about the ballot machines being rigged(take it from this not a Democract/not a Republican person who saw the machines that they were NOT).  

Last election voters who's credentials weren't in order had to use a paper/provisional ballot(and there were conspiracies floating around that these votes wouldn't be counted at all).  This election we had voters(mostly Republican voters)who refused to use the electronic machines because some IT person had programmed them so that the first screen called it a Democratic ballot so they assumed the slate of Democratic candidates would come up and not the Republican ones thus making them vote for the party they weren't registered under nor the candidates they wanted elected. *In PA we don't have open elections in primaries-you can only vote for the folks running under the party you are registered for.  These voters refused to use the "rigged" machines and insisted on paper/provisional ballots.

Someone or some ones called the local news so it was all over Facebook and the local media outlets by 11am. that the machines were rigged and a court case was started before the election ended that evening.  What a mess!

 It's too long of a story to get into here and I am still so tired of politics and voters right now.

Anyway we had a good crew of workers as usual and tried to have fun through all the hassles and a very, VERY long day.

At one point we found this new form to have voters fill out..........

I told my workmate that if a deceased voter walked through that door I'd be leaving immediately!  I don't think there was a Zombie Party candidate so we were safe...........lol

I am under orders from Sissie to stay off my knee and ice it today.
Have a good Wednesday and I'll be back on Thursday. 8-)

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

    The "If Mare of Easttown came to PA" Edition.......

Onward to the meal planning!
Moving On-

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Fried Chicken, Tater Salad, Sugar Snap Peas

2. Monday--Manicotti, leftover SSP

3. Tuesday--Leftover Fried Chicken, Tater Salad, Veggie TBD

4. Wednesday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Green Beans
5. Thursday--Steak, Baked Potato, Veggie TBD

6.  Friday--Salmon, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Leftovers

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

1. Sunday--Fried Chicken, Tater Salad, Sugar Snap Peas

2. Monday--Manicotti, leftover SSP

3. Tuesday--Leftover Fried Chicken, Tater Salad, Corn

4. Wednesday--We had Subway for late lunch so dinner was FFY
5. Thursday--Steak, Baked Potato Wedges, Green Beans

6.  Friday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Tossed Salad

7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked(except the fried chicken)dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/planned overs or FFY and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.

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

*  1 piece of salmon
*  2 lb. bag of CA mix veggies
*  2 lb. bacon
*  4 small chicken pot pies
*  2 cans of OJ concentrate
*  1 box of creamed spinach

*  2 containers of gelato

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

*  2 steaks
*  frozen sugar snap peas
*  a bag of green beans
* 1/2 bag potato wedges
* a pan of manicotti
* a pack of stew beef

We spent a whopping $121.01 on food/toiletries/HBA last week at Target, Food Lion($33.31 total, both from last week), 1 item at Weis($3.69), the Produce Market($30.41)and Walmart($53.60).  This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $152.68 for May so far.   

There are 13 shopping days left in May.

I've earned $90.95 on Ibotta in May.

I've earned $0.00 on Checkout51 in May.

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

I've earned 1,101 points from shopping on Fetch in May.

I've earned 4,450 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in May which equals $17.80.

I've earned 210 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in May which equals $2.10.

I've earned $18.87 in Target gift cards.

That's $129.72+ in rebates on $152.68 in grocery spending so far.

My savings percentage for last week was 65.36%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for April and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 62.46a %.(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week...a piece of steak(I'll make into a sammie for lunch), 2 manicotti, 1 helping of stroganoff, rice, green beans

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

1. Sunday--Chinese take-out

2. Monday--Fend For Yourself or Leftover Chinese

3. Tuesday--Take-out(working the polls all day/night)

4. Wednesday--Cheeseburgers, Squash
5. Thursday--Caesar Salad w/Grilled Chicken

6.  Friday--Salmon, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Leftovers

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? Got it all...unless of change my mind/the plan. lolz  Not a very exciting plan this week but at least I made a plan, right? ;-)

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

Sonya's Rite-Aid Porn

 If you don't want/need to see a dizzying display of freebies from Rite-Aid then just move on.  I know cousin Sonya Ann won't click off this though. lol

Here is what I "brought home" from Rite-Aid this past week/sales cycle............

Full disclosure there are 4 items missing; a package of homeopathic allergy tablets(those boxes on the far left front-I gave one to Ex-College boy Friday when he came over for dinner)and 3 bath chairs/stools(2 go in the tub for folks who need to sit while bathing and 1 is a swivel stool for getting in/out of the tub if you have leg issues-that one I am keeping).  I just couldn't fit everything in this photo.

Items in this Haul.......

* 3 bath chairs
* 6 bottles of Tresemme 
* 2 bottled of Method dish soap
* 1 bottle of Dove body wash
* 1 6-pack of Dove bath soap
* 2 bottled of Lubriderm lotion
* 1 bottle of Aveeno lotion
* 2 bottles of Dove hand wash
* 5 bottles of Aveeno face wash
* 1 4-pack of Dove bar soap
* 1 box of R-A brand nasal spray
* 1 box of Advil Allergy/Sinus
* 12 bottles of Nature's Truth vitamins/supplements
* 12 bottles of Sundown vitamins/suplements
* 3 packs of Bic disposable razors
* 4 Bic reusable razors
* 1 pack of Bic razor cartridges
* 1 pack Dr. Scholl's arch supports
* 1 bottle of Kerasal foot relief cream
* 1 package of Compeed blister strips
* 2 Aveeno Baby cream
* 11 Cover Girl assorted cosmetics
* 1 Revlon eye cosmetic(on clearance)
* 8  boxes of  Hyland's homeopathic allergy tablets
* 1 king size clearance white chocolate Reese's cups(needed a filler that transaction)

Total spent in Bonus Cash......$501.65
Total earned in Bonus Cash...$513.00
I also got $15 in cash at the Clueless store for a Spend $50/Get $15 Q and I earned $10.60 in cash rebates on a few items I bought through Ibotta making my "earned" amount $538.60.
That's a $36.95 moneymaker overall.

The one mistake I made was those Baby Aveeno products.  Last time there was a BC Deal on Aveeno the baby items were included so I didn't even notice there was no shelf tag this time. sigh.  If I had I'd have bought something else that qualified for the BC deal.  But they were $2 less than the shelf price at that particular store AND besides the $2/1 IPQs I had to use there were $2 freshness peelie Qs on the jars.  I'll try to sell them at my upcoming Stockpile/Toiletries Sale(more on that later)and if they don't go I can always return them to the store as I ALWAYS save my receipts. ;-)

I may be taking a break from Rite-Aid this week as the sales ad is "meh".  Unless something good pops up....... 8-)))

Have a nice Sunday!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the May 14th Edition on Saturday

 Frugal wins this past week, May 7th to May 13th........

*  Well it was bound to happen.  While on vacation we hit an Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!).  So as soon as I got home I got a 15% off flyer in the mail. lolz  Potential savings for my next trip to Ollie's?  Perhaps....

*  Hubs and I went to Target last weekend to do the Spend $20/Get $5 Gift Card deal, as well as pick up a few items to finish my Ibotta Weekend Bonus.  The trip turned into a clusterfuck!
Since my knee was messed up I took advantage of those electric shopping carts rather than keep walking on it and let me tell you it was great!  The problem came when I went to check out as I used a self-checkout.  The employee working that area saw me in that electric shopping cart and came right off to give me "assistance" which I didn't need.  I guess she figured I was a doddering old lady so she took over scanning my items and must have had 5 Red Bulls that morning because she was moving like "The Flash", pushing buttons and ringing stuff up before I could do my coupons, etc.  I was dizzy and wondering what just happened and ended up using all my free gift cards to pay that were in my Target wallet and then OWED another $6.07.
WTF???
So we went over to the customer service desk to hash these mangled transactions out.

These(except for the chocolate bar)were my 2 Spend $20/Get $5 GC transactions.  Total before Q was $44.33(excluding the chocolate).  I had $6 in digital Qs and I had $8 in  paper Qs that I didn't get to use so I got back $8 in cash at the desk.  I also got $12 in Ibotta rebates(should have been $16 but the Banana Boat rebates disappeared from my account before I got home and submitted the receipt. sigh

And $10 in Target gift cards was received so it "cost" me $8.33 in gift cards(or was suppose to).

Then the steaks......I found 2 discounted nice steaks which were BOGO50% off and had $5 off peelie Qs on them.  I had rung one up before the Red Bull employee came over and just took over my checking out process.  Not only had she not deducted that $10 off my bill but she rang up 1 of those steaks again so the receipt said I bought 3 steaks but clearly only two were in my bag.  So I got another $10 in cash for those 2 coupons and a $8.87 Target gift card as that was the price the phantom 3rd steak rang up and I had used gift cards to pay so I got that overcharge back on a new gift card.

I will still keep that $6.07 in cash I "spent" on my grocery tracking since the $18 total in post coupon cash went into my envelope for that and will be added back into the food budget at the end of the year and I'll account for the $8.87 gift card whenever I used it in the future.  Good times, good time! lol

*  I found money!

A penny on Friday when I went to Rite-Aid for an Rx.

This dime at the same R-A on Saturday when I did some "bringing stuff home from the store".

Another dime later that same day at Weis(PMITA)Markets when I went to get the freebie on Ibotta-Artisan Flatbread.  It was lying in the middle of the floor in the self-checkout area.

There was this penny near the register at the R-A I call the "Clueless Store".  Both times now when I have presented one of those "Spend $50/Get $15 back in BC" Qs it hasn't worked because they didn't scan it.  As a result I have now $30 in cash instead of Bonus Cash for their ineptitude.  Would rather have it in cash anyway and now I also have a nice shiny penny too! ;-)

I found both this dime and penny in the parking lot at the "Suspicious Rite-Aid".  I don't enjoy going there since it's the furthest R-A away that I frequent but I go there because it's a LARGE store and I can find stuff there I can't find at other R-As plus it's super clean.  Except the parking lot has money in it. lolz  I call it the "Suspicious Store" because the cashiers inspect every coupon you try to use and if you end up getting back more BC than you spend they will go over your receipt like it's Nazi Germany and you are presenting your papers for inspection.  What one has to do sometimes to beat the system.....

Total Change Found This Week.... .33¢
Total Change Found This Year......$3.72

*  Hubs and I hit the Produce Outlet on Wednesday and got fresh produce(10 lbs taters, 2.5 lb. squash, 2 lb. strawberries, 1 lb. carrots, etc.), canned OJ, a 2 lb bag of frozen veggies, 2 packs of bacon, 1 lb. of frozen salmon, a pack of creamed spinach, 4 pot pies, a bag of lettuce, a huge can of corn, a lb. of Whole Foods dried cranberries and a WF chocolate brioche plus 2 other items I can't identify from the receipt for $30.41.  I figure it's all more than 50% off regular retail at Whole Foods or Weis or whatever other retail grocer around here(not that we have a Whole Foods within 100 miles of us).  We got great value for that $30.41.

That's about it this week other than all my Rite-Aid hauls which I'll talk about later this weekend.  There were 4 different Spend $50/Get $15 Bonus Cash codes again this sales week.  Yum!

What frugal wins did y'all have lately!?

Sluggy

Income & Spending 2021....the April Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.

  I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the April report---

I had 2 goals for April.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2021.

I can report that we finished up April in the black.
The amount we ended the month of April with?.....$317.87

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $243.27

* Transfer from Hubs private account to cover part of state taxes $252.00

Total "Income" for April.....$5,689.50

Expenses in April---

* Healthcare Premium for April was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in April were $577.00
* Variable Expenses in April came to $2,822.64
Total Expenses....$5,371.63

$5,689.50-$5,371.63=$317.87

Slush into April of $46,565.10 in that Fund, add the $317.87 in overage and we get $46,882.97 going into May.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $317.87 for April.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this April, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet and cell phone were the same as in March.

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The electric bill was $89.95 lower than in March.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The gas bill was $98.03 higher than in March.
*  The water bill was $3.74 higher than last month.
*  My Amazon c/c was $286.81 higher than in March.
*  The Mastercard was higher by $636.72 than last month's bill. 
*  We had to pay $577.00 to the state of PA for taxes in March. bleh.

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post, which is located HERE .  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on April---
Well we ended up with one irregular bill in April, Hubs filed the PA state taxes early.
Otherwise it was an ok month.  Any month I end up with more money than month is good. 8-)
I did spend a bit over on food than I wanted/planned to in April but it's all good.  I earned back $360.55 on Ibotta on the $426.43 I spent in April on food. (And that doesn't count the other 4 rebate apps I use so I almost got back all the food budget money I spent which gets addd back at the end of the year. 8-)))

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2021----

One irregular bill(semi-annual car insurance premium of $600+)in May and some bills on landscaping/gardening work will be coming in on the c/c and that's on top of the regular variable bills for the month.  And my vacation c/c bills...I don't even want to go LOOK at what those will be! lolz

So how was your April financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!


Sluggy