Frugal Friday.....the July 8th Edition on Saturday

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

*  I only made 1 food shopping trip and it was to Weis.  I did get $9.25 in Ibotta rebates even though I just bought things we needed.

*  Used a free gift card to buy subs at Subway on my shot day as Hubs didn't deal with dinner that night.  He's been doing a lot of painting around here instead.

*  Spent a good deal of time this week cleaning and clearing out clutter instead of mindless spending and shopping.

*   I found money this past week! 

I found this penny walking out of Weis(PMITA)Markets last Friday.  That's the only place I went(other than R-A)all week.

Total Found in last Week.... .01¢
Total Found This Year.....$13.42

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  

Giveaway for July is OPEN!

Who's ready for the Another Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway for 2022?!?

July is here so let's have another Giveaway!

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

1 x Mentos Clean Mints

1 x Tresemme shampoo

1 x Suave Sweet Violet Body Wash

5 x Sally Hansen nail polish(151-Warm Cacao, 014 Take the Reigns, 300 Sweet Berries, 359 Pretty Piggy, 252 Rose and Shine)

1 x Neutrogena Make-Up Wipes

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Revlon  eye shadow palette 715 Precious Metals

1 x L'Oreal Color Juice Lipstick 710 Plum Crazy

1 x Almay Skin Perfecting Make-Up 130 Medium w/SPF 25 Sunscreen

1 x Colgate Gum Protection Toothpaste

1 x Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

1 x EOS Lip  Gloss

1 x Trident cinnamon Gum

2 x Orbit Gum(1x Sweet Mint, 1x Peppermint)

1 x Japonesque Emery Boards Pack

Close up shots of the goodies.........

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

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 within a few days it's because I don't have your contact/email info.

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 plans(if you have any), what your garden is growing(if you have one), what you like to cook/eat in the Summer, stuff like that.

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 13th, Wednesday at 11:59 pm Eastern  Daylight Savings Time(EDST).  I'll  pick and post the winner on July 14th, Thursday.

*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

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