Monday, June 28, 2021

This Week on the Dining Table...HaHaHa

 The "Sort of Back to Meal Planning"...

I think this fortune cookie I cracked open in June says it all as far as life here right now. lol
(If you can't read it, it says "Don't panic.)


Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-
This is what was planned--
1. Sunday--FFY-I had a small tv dinner
2. Monday--Chicken apple sausage, Sweet Potato Wedges
3. Tuesday--Spinach Salad and TBD
4. Wednesday--Leftovers or No Clue
5. Thursday--Fend for Yourself
6.  Friday--Salad, Pizza(homemade on flatbreads)
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what really happened.......
1. Sunday--FFY-I had a small tv dinner
2. Monday--Chicken apple sausage, Sweet Potato Wedges
3. Tuesday--Chinese Take-Out(I had Hot and Sour Soup)
4. Wednesday--Spinach Salad(didn't need anything else)
5. Thursday--Fend for Yourself(We had Father's Day lunch out)
6.  Friday--Salad, Flat Bread Pizza
7. Saturday--Leftover Chicken Sausage, Collards


What got put into the freezer last week....
* 8 pack of burrito

What got taken out of the freezer and used...
* 2 tv dinners
* 1 pack Chicken Apple Sausages

I went a little wild with food shopping this week. *Sluggy hangs her head in shame.*
We spent a whopping $271.24 on food/toiletries/HBA last week at Target(both in store and online), P and R Outlet, Aldi and Walmart.  No Weis(PMITA)Markets again. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Grand Total to $326.50 for June.   Hopefully I'm done with June and can claim it a success in keeping under $400 spent!

There are 2 shopping days left in June.

I've earned $263.24 on Ibotta in June.
I've earned $0.00 on Checkout51 in June.
I've earned $8.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in June.
I've earned 15020 points from shopping on Fetch in June which equals $15.02.
I've earned 5,531 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in June which equals $22.12.
I've earned $25 in Target gift cards.
I've earned $7.44 back in a rebate from Snuggle(hopefully that one pans out).
I've earned 1021 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in June which equals $10.21(if they ever finish fixing my ticket).   

That's $271.24 in rebates(not counting the ShopKick/Swag Bucks/Fetch/Snuggle/Target gift cards)on $326.50 in grocery spending so in reality it's $125.06 spent after the Ibotta and Coupons dotcom rebate apps.

My savings percentage for last week was 32.82%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for June and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 51.41%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week...some carnitas, 2 helpings of Collards and 1 hot dog.  It's going to be hot as blazes here for late June/early July so I really don't want to cook hot food(or eat it for that matter). bleh.

Here is this week's "food plan".....
1. Sunday--BLT Sandwiches(finally got ahold of a "good" tomato
2. Monday--Chicken Thighs, Zuke in Tomato Sauce, Rice
3. Tuesday--Chicken apple sausage, Sweet Potato Wedges, Green Beans or whatever
4. Wednesday--Salad, Flatbread Pizza
5. Thursday--more BLTs maybe"
6.  Friday--Salad, Whatever, it will be too hot to cook
7. Saturday--Cook-Out at Son's place(I'm not cooking)
You can tell I am not enthused about cooking this week, can't you?;-)

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this "sort of" menu? Not a single thing.  I hope to not grocery shop this week. 8-)))  Sluggy plans, God laughs....

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



Sunday, June 27, 2021

Frugal Friday.....2 Fridays Worth of Weeks the Sunday June 27th Edition

 I know I've been MIA a lot lately.  Between bathroom renovation, organizing stockpile sale, going to Boston for awhile, mailing out the June Giveaway Box(it should be on the way Debbie!!!), doing stuff for Hubs for Father' day and having the stockpile sale again plus all the other Real Life stuff, I just haven't had time to blog but in spurts and fits.  Things should settle down shortly but I have lots of chores to do here including still changing out my Summer clothing.

As I was up near "Bastahn" last Friday the 18th I owe y'all two Frugal Fridays so here goes............

Week of June 11th to 18th--

* I only spent $27.64 on groceries in that time frame.  Too overwhelmed with finding what to wear to the funeral and other things to go out and spend money.  Hubs just ate what was here and didn't starve. lol

* I got a $26.61 refund at Rite-Aid on the 12th. *sorry no photo of that*

* I found money!

I found .76¢ at Rite-Aid. as the customer 2 people in front of me threw his coin change on the counter and left.  The person checking out in front of me ignored it.  When my turn came I said, "I will save this abandoned money!" lol


Then while unpacking my computer bag at the hotel outside of Boston I heard jingling in one of the pockets.  Opened it up and .44¢ fell out on the desk.  Hmmm.  Now this is the same bag that went with us to Ocean City in 2019 and I found cash in it then.  I thought when I got home I had thoroughly searched...

Either I hadn't actually OR the alternate explanation is that Kim's Sissie had planted change in the bag as I brought it to her house in May on our beach trip, left it downstairs and she had access to it for most of my stay at her house.  And after she left that quarter on my bed when I got there so I had a head start beating Kim at the "change finding adventure" I am thinking it's Sissie's doing. 8-)

Total Found This Week...$1.21
Total Found This Year.....$5.36

* Having to make a last minute trip to Boston is not frugal in itself but I drove my little purple car so the gasoline bill was not as bad had I taken Hubs car and when I had to refill I looked for lower rate stations.

* I saved some money on eating while away.  I took breakfast with me on the trip there and spent $1 on a large iced tea at McDonald's.  One of my other cousins took me, my aunt and his granddaughter out to dinner Thursday night and paid.  I did the free hotel breakfast(and paid a $2 tip to the server since with Covid there guests can't go into the room where the breakfast buffer is laid and she has to bring what you want out to your table).  After the funeral mass there was a catering reception at a restaurant my cousin lived when they lived in this area of MA.  I paid $3 with tip for a ginger-ale.  I could have gotten ice water or coffee for free but opted not to.  The buffet was good but smallish and personally I didn't feel like eating much at this point after the day's "activities".  I did try to sneak two small portions of a 3 ft. sub sandwich(it was cut into 2" lengths)into my purse to take back to my room so I did have to go out and pay for more food that night.  I only had some unused Kleenex in my purse and the napkins there were cloth so I couldn't wrap them in anything but the clean Kleenex. After taking my aunt home and checking in with her sons I was indeed famished so I stopped at a nearby Micky D's for iced tea, a hamburger happy meal w/milk and apple slices and I treated myself to a small cone($7 total).

  I had forgotten about the sub pieces until I smelled them.  I took them out and salvaged the turkey and cheese but the veggies and bread were beyond saving.  So I had a turkey and cheese hamburger.  Here is what came out of the bottom of my purse when I got home even after cleaning it out in the hotel room!


Now my Vera Bradley purse smells like an Italian Deli.  Time to wash that baby! ;-)

I skipped the hotel breakfast having saved my apple slices from dinner to have before I hit the road on Saturday for home along with a bottled tea and ice water I had brought with me.  I made one stop for food in NY at a Mickey D's we stopped at in 2018(near where my 4x GGrandfather is buried).  Last time here I had found a boat load of change in the drive-thru but alas, I got skunked this trip.  I did get another Iced Tea and 2 of those fruit pies(apple)they sell($3 spent).  This made my food spending $16 for the entire trip. :-)

NOW LET'S MOVE ONTO..............
The week of June 19th to 25th

* Back home and I hit the grocery/rebate app deals with a vengance given I hadn't spent $122.06 through the first half of June.  There was a Target online on some foods.  My total came to $62.44 before discounts and digital coupons and I paid $60.92.  I have gone over what my total should have been three times and even with tax and the discounts it's suppose to be $53.25.  I did ear $20 in gift cards($5 dog treat deal, $5 wys $15 drinks, $10 wys $50 on food)but still.  I need to contact them on the errors.  I had 3 items in my order that were cancelled....perhaps they still charged me for those?

Hubs and I also did a Target in store shop, spending another $39.39 and getting a $5 Gift Card and I've sent for a full price rebate of $7.44 on the Snuggle.  We hit P and R outlet, then I hit Aldi and Walmart in the town south of us so tomorrow's food spending for the week will NOT be pretty. lol
But I did get a LOT back via the rebate apps and finished a ton of Bonuses on Ibotta.

* I found money!


This lone penny at Rite-Aid on the 22nd on the hand sanitizing station base back by the Pharmacy so I could pick it up an conveniently sanitize it. ;-)

Back at R-A on the 23rd for something and I found a quarter sitting on the walkway at the entrance right next to the trashcan outside!

Found Change This Week.... .26¢
Found Change This Year.....$5.62

*  We've been washing/drying clothes in the evening as usual as we get a time of day discount during certain evening hours from our electric provider.

* Other than taking Hubs out for his Father's Day meal on Thursday there has been no Take-Out/Eating-Out food.  He was Jonesing for Mexican so that's what we got(even though it's not high on my list as an eating out option.  He got to pick and I paid. yay.

* I had a refund of $8.10 at R-A and then a $1 post Q situation there last week so $9.10 cash monies back in my pocket too.\


* Just setting up for another Stockpile Sale on Saturday and getting my back to stop hurting took up a lot of my week otherwise which kept me from shopping more(thank Goodness!).

Ok, now my frugal things are all caught up.  Now I need to go clean....desperately!



How was your past 2 weeks?  Any frugal wins!  I'd love to hear them!!

Slugguy

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Recent Rite-Aid Shops

 I hit Rite-Aid last week one time before leaving for MA last week and picked all this up.........


2 x Hydro Schick razors=$14.98
1 x Hydro women's razor=$8.49
1 x US Bic razor=$8.39
1 x US Bic razor refill=$9.99
1 x Tide on the go wipes 50% off=$3.14
1 x 6 pack Dove lavender bar soap=$6.99
1 x Aspercreme=$9.35
1 x Garnier Nutrisse color reviver 75% off=$2.25
4 x Health Warrior protein bars 50% off=$4.36
1 x Almay eye pallette 75% off=$2.74
2 x Colorista blue temporary hair coloring 75% off=$5.26
2 x Degree women's deodorant=$11.18
2 x Degree men's deodorant=$11.18
1 x Nutriss Garnier hair color 75% off=$2.25

Total after $48.75 in Qs including that $15 off $60 one from that week was $54.21 paid with Bonus Cash and gift card.
I earned back $16 in BC and $10.10 on Ibotta for this too.  Don't recall what/if any Shop Kick or Fetch I got.  Spent down the BC and converted a little to cash monies.


Then on this Tuesday I got all this and used one of the $10 off wyspend $50 Qs.....

2 x Quaker Oatmeal=2/$5.00**
2 x Sport tampons BOGO50%=$8.98
2 x Nerd Gummies=$2.00
1 x Boston Baked Beans=$1.00
2 x Dove men's deodorant BOGO50%=$10.93
2 x Dove women's deodorant BOGO50%=$7.33
5 x Health Warrior protein bars 50% off=$5.45
1 x Revlon eye palette 75% off=$2.74
1 x Revlon eyeliner 75% off=$2.74
2 x Revlon lip stick 75% off=$5.25
1 x Tide to go Wipes 50% off=$3.14

After $24(should have been $27 but a $3 Playtex L2CQ didn't come off so I had to call to get $3 in BC back on my card)in Qs the total came to $39.81 paid for with Bonus Cash and gift card.  I earned $11.00(counting that $3 snafu)in new BC and $25.50 on Ibotta.

** The new cashier had problems.  first they hit the pay button before I handed over my coupons and then when they had to rering it all they forgot to charge me for an oatmeal, so I had to go back the next day and return the one I was charged for at reg. Gold discount price then rebuy 2 containers for the sale price.  

I am purposely trying to spend down the BC to zero before August because I am tired of the whole rebating and Rite-Aid and such. 8-P

Now excuse me while I go take Hubs out to the Mexican Restaurant he wants to go to for his Father's Day dinner. 8-)


Sluggy



Wednesday, June 23, 2021

And the June Winner Is..........

 Here's what was up for grabs this month.........


And the winning comment was............



Debbie H!

We're vaccinated :) We are currently away for a week...up north in our state. We're here with two of our four daughters and their husbands. Wish it could have been all, but it's hard with so many work schedules and the kids' limited pto. My husband and I also go often to our camper, currently on a seasonal site this year. Planning on next year's out of state travel for a couple of family get togethers in WA and OR. Plus there's always house and yard projects! A lot gets crammed into our MN summers..haha!


Congratulations to Debbie and I need you to email me your mailing information to my personal email on the right sidebar under "About Me".

You have 48 hours after this post goes live to get in touch with me.  After that, I'll have to draw another winner.


Thanks for everyone who participated this month.  Come back in July for some more chances to win some of my crap. ;-)))


Sluggy

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

Today is your last chance to enter the current Giveaway.

Go HERE to enter before 11:59PM EDST tonight, June 22nd




Sluggy