This Week on the Dining Table

The "Having Fun, Wish You Were Here" Edition...

Having fun with Sissie and her Hubby and all the Kitties.  Every day we think of some way to torment Kim by sending her a sort of mean photo.  Here's some pastries Kim!  Too bad you didn't get any....*snort*

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Reuben Sandwiches

2. Monday--BLTs or Big Salad

3. Tuesday--Chili

4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?

6.  Friday--?

7. Saturday--?

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

1. Sunday--Reuben Sandwiches

2. Monday--Leftovers

3. Tuesday--Wienerschnitzel, Mushroom Gravy, Green Beans Almondine

4. Wednesday--Can't remember

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Steak, Shrimp, Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Dinner out(I had Crab Cakes)

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

* Nothing that I am aware of....yet ;-)

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

* a small Corned Beef

* Otherwise, no clue as I wasn't home to cook.

I spent a whopping $80.79 on food/toiletries/HBA last week on just 2 trips to Walmart.(I'll add in the little bit spent at Wags when I get home.)  But I got back $67.61 from Ibotta/Coupons dotcom so $13.18 OOP.  This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $304.17 for July.   

There are 12 shopping days left in July.

I've earned $210.55 on Ibotta in July(should be more Weis is being a PITA tho).

I've earned $10.00 on Checkout51 in July.

I've earned $21.47 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in July.

I've earned 7,599 points from shopping on Fetch in July which equals $7.59.

I've earned 4230 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in July which equals $16.92.

I've earned 6,258 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in July which equals $62.58. 

That's $242.02 in rebates(not counting the ShopKick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $304.17 in grocery spending so in reality it's $62.15 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count until I cash out on the other three apps.

My savings percentage for last week was ?%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for July and the monthly savings total for July comes in at ?%.(w/out R-A). I'll figure that all out when I get home and update this part.

Leftovers going into this week....no clue.  I ain't home to see what get et and what didn't get et.

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

1. Sunday--Sissie's "Mustgo" dinner(leftovers)

2. Monday--?

3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?

6.  Friday--?

7. Saturday--?

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  No clue.  When I get home later this week I have no clue except to pull stuff out of the freezer.  Until then I am captive of the whims of Sissie. ;-)

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 16th Edition

 Here's my list of frugalness from this past week......

*  I went to Wags with Sissie a couple of days ago(though I don't do Wags)and found some clearance items I couldn't resist......

This was my second trip.  The Wags branded Melatonin gummies were on clearance at $1.39 and also BOGO50% for the second bottle was .69¢.  The Natrol was also on clearance for $2.49.  It didn't ring up correctly so I had to take a photo of the clearance tag and show it to the manager.......

So I got it for $2.49.  And I had a $2 manufacturer coupon which the register would take so the cashier did some hocus pocus and I paid just over $2 for everything(including something not shown which was a gift for someone).

I also picked up 2 108 packs of low dosage aspirin on clearance(.70¢)and the second pack was 50% off that so .35¢ which was a great deal.

*  I spent money on gas to get down to Sissie's but my car is little and gets great gas mileage. ;-)

*  I found money and boy!, did I!........

I found a dime at Rite-Aid last Saturday.

Then I found another dime at my Rite-Aid again on Sunday.

On Tuesday I went to Sissie's house and found all this on my bed there......

On Wednesday I found this at Wags.........

A penny on the sidewalk and a dime under the counter at the register.

Then I pulled "a Kim" at the Mickey D's Drive thru jumping out of the car while Sissie drove and picked up all this change(plus another penny I put in the donation slot as it was close to the window and someone missed obviously-the other's were picked up by the speaker)so I kept 9¢.

Then I went back to Wags on Thursday and found another penny in almost exactly the same spot on the sidewalk outside.

I hit Mickey D's again for an Iced Tea on that trip and spotted this squished penny next to the ordering speaker so I opened the door and scooped it up before going to the window to pay/get my drink.

Total Found This Week....$1.15
Total Found This Year....$12.09

*  I left Hubs at home with tons of leftovers and foodstuff to make meals.  But I've yet to cook since I left for MD. 8-)  And we haven't eaten out except for at the food court at Ikea while I've been here.

That's about it for this past week.......

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?  
Tell us all about it!

Sluggy

Ready for a Hot & Sweaty Giveaway?

Who's ready for the Sixth Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway for 2021?!?

It's July and the year is more than halfway over....can you believe that?  I can't.  Don't wait to enter as you only have a limited number of days to enter this Giveaway but come back and enter every day or I'll make you eat mustard on your watermelon! lol    

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

1 x Betadine spray

1 x Max Freeze topical pain reliever

1 x Clean and Clear Lemon scrub face wash

1 x Suave 2 in 1 Shampoo

1 x Dove Rose scented antiperspirant/deodorant

1 x Jergens glow lotion

1 x Yardey oat and almond soap

1 x Colgate Optic White toothpaste

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Revlon photo fix concealer

1 x Carex lip balm

1 x Listerine power tabs

1 x Nutella breadsticks and chocolate hazelnut spread snack

2 x Health Warrior pumpkin seed bars honey/sea salt

1 x Ladies Schick slim twin razors pack

1 x Cover girl mascara

1 x Revlon Ulltru HD Gel Lipcolor(HD Twilight)

1 x Cover Girl Melting Pout lipstick matte metallic(Pristine Queen)

1 x Rimmel eye brow pencil with brush(002 Hazel)

1 x Zone Perfect protein chocolate peanut butter bar

Close up shots of these goodies.....

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

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

* The giveaway is open to ALL readers, previous winners or not.

* There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY.  Come back each day to enter again.

* 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 Summer is progressing.  Any big projects going on? Any trave plans?  If you garden is it producing yet? What are you favorite summertime foods to eat? Whatever you want to share.

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 July 23rd , Friday at 11:59 pm Eastern  Daylight Savings Time. On July 24th, Saturday, I'll draw the winning entry and post the Winner. 

*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

The Great Bathroom Reno of 2021

 So I have looked and looked in my photo files and can NOT for the life of me find a single photo of our main upstairs bathroom.  After living here just shy of 21 years you'd think I'd be about to find at least ONE photo of it for a Before shot, huh?

Nope.  And I totally forgot to take any photos in that bathroom before the guy came out to renovate it.
I can describe it for y'all instead.  The room in general was tan and beige.   From the linoleum floor, to the toilet, to the tub to the sink and the wall colors it was all tan/beige.  The vanity that held the sink and the frame around the mirrored/medicine cabinet was high style oak wood of the 1980's when the house was built.  The only color(I don't consider tan/beige a color)in the room was the wall border that ran along the top of the walls(also very 1980's).  That was mostly tan/beige with a pop of moss green and was seashells.
Let's add that this room was on the North facing side of the house so it was always dark in there, even on a sunny day with that color scheme!  Plus, once the kids were old enough to clean their own bathroom I barely set foot in it again. lolz

So we had exactly TWO contractors return our calls and come out to the house and write up estimates for the job.  It was to be a total gut out-keep the walls but remove the flooring, the vanity, sink, mirrored medicine cabinet, light fixtures, overhead lights and vent, shower, tub and surround and floor moulding.  The only items we kept were the towel bar, the hand towel ring and the toilet paper holder.

We chose the contractor who could begin the job the soonest.  It helped that he was also much cheaper than the other contractor. lol  Contractor was a jack-of-all-trades one man operation while the guy who didn't get the job had a crew of helpers.

Our job "'should" have taken 5-7 business days except that we were held up by the tub surround walls as they were back ordered.  So except for that one thing the job came in on time.

I did remember to take some photos after the contractor started ripping out stuff......

A shot of the old sink and cabinet and the toilet. blah

A shot of the linoleum floor. Blah again

The underside of the tub partially removed.

Part of the shower surround wall laying on it's side in the hallway.  Blah blah blah

Where the oak framed mirror/medicine cabinet use to be.  Wall color Blah again.  I didn't get a shot of the de rigeur 1980's wall border at the top of the walls, seashells in a beige color scheme with "pops" of moss green or the bronze lighting fixture with old fashioned 1890's frosted shades.  8-P

Here are a couple of shots in progress......

The vanity and sink came in as well as the tub then we had a long Memorial Day weekend.

And he worked on everything else until the surround came in and once that was in it was fini!

So I present to you the renovated bathroom with painted walls.....

The wall color is a pale blue, the hardware is brushed nickel/chrome........

 A shower curtain I picked up to go with the room......

And the floor is a greyed wood look planked waterproof laminate with a dark grey moulding along the base of the walls which looks much better than the faux wood moulding the house came with in every room, including the bathrooms.

Other than the surround for the shower/tub the job went well and on time.  Using a local "one man band" operation(Hubs did have to lend a hand with two man jobs like removing the old toilet, etc.)not including paint supplies and labor to paint everything else was done by him and we paid $5,292 for this.(He didn't replace the towel holders or toilet roll holder so everything else in the room.)

Now I need to put police tape over the entrance or put a velvet rope across the doorway(like you see in old house museums to keep you from going in a room)so no one messes it up before we put the house on the market. 8-)

So tell me, where you live how much would a reno like this cost in your area?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Happy Birthday to My Oldest Child!" Edition...

I can't believe this was him 30 years ago today!

And here he is last birthday when he turned 29.  

He won't be here today as he is teaching Summer School in NJ but maybe early in August when that is finished he can come visit.  I told him no card or gift unless he comes for it as he is less than 2 hours away from here. That's how this momma rolls.....lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Salad

2. Monday--leftover Chicken Thighs, Zuke in Tomato Sauce, Rice 

3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala over Taters, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Salmon, Sweet Potato, leftover green beans
5. Thursday--Stir-fry Veggies, Chicken and Noodles

6.  Friday--leftovers?

7. Saturday--Flatbread Pizza, Tossed Salad

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Salad

2. Monday--leftover Chicken Thighs, Zuke in Tomato Sauce, Rice 

3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala over Garlic Taters, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Salmon, Sweet Potato, leftover Collards
5. Thursday--Stir-fry Veggies, Chicken and Noodles

6.  Friday--Hubs had TV dinner(I had a late lunch so no dinner)

7. Saturday--Grilled Steak, Brussels Sprouts, Baked Potato

Pretty much everything planned got eaten except I thawed 2 steaks instead of making flatbread pizzas on Saturday.  Another week of high temps outside meant a lot of outdoor or stove top or crockpot cooking last week.

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

* 3 Chicken breasts(sliced into thin slices)

* 1 TV dinner

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

* 2 small Steaks

* 1/2 bag of Brussels Sprouts

* bag of Stir-fry veg w/Chicken, Noodles

* 1 Chicken breast

* 1 TV Dinner

* 1 hunk of Salmon

We actually made a dent in the freezers. yay.

We spent a whopping $122.50 on food/toiletries/HBA last week at just Walmart. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $223.38 for July.   

There are 19 shopping days left in July.

I've earned $136.09 on Ibotta in July.

I've earned $10.00 on Checkout51 in July.

I've earned $22.58 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in July.

I've earned 5,044 points from shopping on Fetch in July which equals $5.04.

I've earned 2930 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in July which equals $11.72.

I've earned 2,258 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in July which equals $22.58. 

That's $168.67 in rebates(not counting the ShopKick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $223.38 in grocery spending so in reality it's $54.71 spent after the rebate apps.

My savings percentage for last week was 46.13%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for June and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 51.00%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week....1 helping of Chicken Marsala w/Taters, 1 helping of Collards, 1 helping of Brussels Sprouts.

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

1. Sunday--Reuben Sandwiches

2. Monday--BLTs or Big Salad

3. Tuesday--Chili

4. Wednesday--?
5. Thursday--?

6.  Friday--?

7. Saturday--?

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Not going to be here most of the week.  I am leaving Hubs plenty of food he can easily prepare/assemble. Maybe he'll use up some more freezer items....here's hoping! ;-)

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