Stuff Lately, Doing Stuff & Making Progress?

 June was a very expensive month here at Chez Sluggy.

Between having to replace the mini-split units(just the units, not the compressor)and replacing 6 of our windows in the house(the front of the house gets a great amount of direct sunlight and all the glass seals on those 6 windows were busted)so we can get this place ready to sell had to be done and paid for in June.
That all came to the tune of $6000+  meh.

Two of the new windows in the living room.  The other four are upstairs.

Hubs finished painting the walls last week.  Now it's on to the ceilings(along with a bit of repairs on some ceilings).  I need to paint the folding front hall closet doors.  Then clean up the white baseboard woodwork.

Just one of five photos of molds I took.

I spent this morning counting all the ceramic molds in the basement, taking photos and posting them on Craigslist.  I've got 240 molds.  eek  

I also carted up in my Ikea bags some of the bisque ware that's been squirreled away down there.  I've still got more to go(can't climb stairs with heavy bags but for awhile)but it's a start.  The bisque ware is getting packed in Rubbermaid tubs and will go with us when we move.

If I get no takers on the mold for a cheap price I'll contact local ceramic studios and see if they want the  molds for FREE.  Now who's going to turn down free when it's supplies they can make money off of? ;-)

That's the chore for this week.  Drag bisque ware and pack it and put it into storage and wait for nibbles on the ceramic mold listing.  Oh, and clearing out the living room too.  It's full of shipping boxes and toiletries.

I think another Toiletries Sale is in order too but it's kind of hot here now.

Now I am off to clean the dining room floor where the a/c guys replaced the mini-split as it's dirty as all get out in there.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Is It The 4th of July?!?" Edition....

Even Cousin Tom had a lot going on sometimes and stressed over deadlines. lol  Happy 4th Everyone!  

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Leftover Tempura Shrimp, Salad

2. Monday--Fend For Yourself

3. Tuesday--FFY

4. Wednesday--FFY

5. Thursday--Probably some sort of take-out

6.  Friday--Breakfast for Dinner

7. Saturday--?  Depends of what Hubs made this week

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Leftover Tempura Shrimp, Salad

2. Monday--Smashburger, Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Fish and Chips, Cole Slaw

4. Wednesday--FFY

5. Thursday--Leftover Shrimp, Salad

6.  Friday--Chinese Take-out

7. Saturday--Leftover Take-out

I was not home for 3 days so I didn't do ANY cooking last week!  That was nice for a change.  I left Hubs some leftovers(Beef Pie, Shrimp)and he made a Hamburger Helper type dish while I was gone.

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

*  1 pack of hot dogs

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

*  Nothing

                                                   

I spent $79.16 on food/toiletries/HBA this last week at Weis.  

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $79.16 for July.  

There are 27 shopping days left in July.

I've earned $9.50 on Ibotta in July.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in July.

I've earned $ on Coupons dotcom in July.

I've earned 1,704 points from shopping on Fetch in July.

I earned 0 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in July. 

I've earned $.02 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in July.

That's $9.50 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $79.16 in grocery spending so in reality it's $69.66 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 38.68% (without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)and the monthly savings total for July comes in at 38.68% so far(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week....some hot dog chili(if it didn't go bad).  I think Hubs ate all the leftovers while I was gone.

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

1. Sunday--Breakfast for Dinner

2. Monday--Steak, Corn on Cob, Grilled Veggies, Pie, Watermelon, Almost New Pickles

3. Tuesday--Hot Dogs, Zucchini Tempura,  and leftover 4th of July stuff

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti, Meatballs, Salad

5. Thursday--FFY

6.  Friday--Bratwurst, Pierogi, Almost New Pickles

7. Saturday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Veggie TBD

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? I bought squashes, corn on cob, steak, hot dogs, boneless pork chops, watermelon and rolls on Sunday which is most of this week's menu. The rest will come from the freezer. 8-)  I don't think I'll need to buy anything else this week.

I'll be cooking 6 out of 7 nights and Thursday will be Fend for Yourself(or leftovers).

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 deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

Income & Spending Report 2022.....the June Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals and social security payments, 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 June report---

I had 2 goals for June.......
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 2022.

I can report that we finished up June in the Red.

The amount we ended the month of June with?...-$3,538.09

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in June---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $160.97

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.36

*  SS of $2,432.00

*  Dividend of $18.48

*  Cash Deposit of $360.00(Hubs sold a gun and put some $$ into the household funds)

Total "Income" for June.....$7,940.62

Expenses in June---

* Irregular bills in June were $5,333.82

* Variable Expenses in June came to $3,918.76

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$11,478.71

$7,940.62-$11,478.71= -$3,538.09

Slush into June of $44,108.86 in that Fund, subtract $3,538.09 and we get $40,570.77 going into July's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $3,538.09

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill went up by $5.17 compared to last month.

*  The electric bill was $2.75 more than in May.

*  The gas bill was $48.55 last month.

*  The Mastercard bill was $147.51 higher in May.

*  The Amazon card bill was $296.18 last month.

*  We had 5 irregular bills due in June--

  *  The quarterly LTC premiums were due for $2,226.13

  *  The doggies had vet visits and shots for $218.00  

  *  A/C repair for $2,962.00

  *  6 Window replacements came to $3500.00

  *  A month of storage for $95.40

The a/c and windows are non recurring bills.

The storage is a short term bill for now.

The Food Budget costs for June 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 June 2022---It was a high spending month what with the $6,557.40 in home repairs and moving costs.   We were able to cover all but $3,538.09 of these abnormally high bills in June with our regular income streams.  The rest of the overage in spending came out of the Slush Fund which is why we have one. ;-)

The interest income on  the non-retirement funds was very low in June which wasn't expected.  Though the water, electric and gas were higher in June it was all small amounts.  The c/c bills were higher in June due mostly to Hubs purchasing painting supplies.

THOUGHTS going forward into July 2022--The only irregular bills due in July are the short term storage bill and my Ancestry membership renews in July.  We also have decided to take another quarterly 401K withdrawal in the 3rd quarter which nets us an additional $1,733.36 each of the next 3 months in 2022.  We should be well below our income this coming month.

So how was your June financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in June?
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 

Food Spending.....the 2022 June Report

 Onward to June's Food Spending report......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JUNE 2022.

I have posted June's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in June.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods, Pet Food & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 eating at home this month). No "kids" under 26. 
****************

ALDI

OOP  $18.24

Value  $25.85

Savings  29.44%

OLLIE'S

OOP  $29.53

Value  $55.94

Savings  47.21%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Gift Cards  $802.44

Value  $802.44
Savings  100%

WALMART
OOP  $28.28

Qs/free Gift Cards  $33.57
Value  $61.75
Savings 54.36%

WEIS

OOP  $72.63

Qs/Sales  $30.58
Value  $103.21
Savings  29.63%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%,  Walmart at 54.36%, and Ollie's at 47.21%.

The worst rate was at Weis at 29.63%.  
I shopped at 5 different stores in June.

TOTAL Spent in June................$148.59

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards...$98.30

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$246.89

TOTAL Savings of .............................40.05%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for June w/R-A..............$148.59

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$900.74

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$1,049.33
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................85.84%

This closes out the June food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....As planned I stayed well un $350 for the month....heck, I stayed under $200!  Lots of eating from the freezer will do that for ya. ;-)

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 8.25% in June 2022 to 85.84% compared to the May's 77.59% savings average.  

With 6 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $1,581.22 on food/toiletries in 2022.

2021 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1,581.22

2021 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$8,291.34

2021 Grand Total Saved...............................$6,710.17

2021 Yearly Savings Total..............................80.93%

The average per month amount spent is $263.54 in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD To July 2022.......We'll continue to eat down from the freezer.  Not much left in the pantry so I know I'm making inroads there.  We'll be buying fresh produce/dairy as needed.  I've got to ramp up the eating down as we are shooting to put the house on the market later this month.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in June?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just have your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.

*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?

*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the July 1st Edition

 So here are a very few frugal things that happened here at Chez Sluggy this past week.......

*   Took Sissie out to lunch last Saturday and used a gift card to pay.  Here we are the evening before when Sissie treated me and Hubs.

*  Took Sissie to Ocean State Job Lot later that day and paid for the goodies she got with my free gift card there. (Except for her bottle of sparkling water.)

*  I did minimal food shopping last Friday morning before Sissie arrived for a brief stay.

*  I drove to NJ for a couple of days to see oldest and his wife.  I stopped in Western NJ before crossing over to PA on my way home and filled my gas tank.  Saved .30¢ per gallon on the gas purchase by doing that. 8-)

*   I found money this past week!  

On Monday on the way to see my son and my DIL I stopped at a Rite-Aid over in NJ.

I found the penny in the parking lot and then the dime and quarter at the register under the candy racks.  8-)

Total Found in last Week.... .36¢
Total Found This Year.....$13.41

That's about all I've got for this past week.  

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

And have a good weekend!  

Sluggy