This Week on the Dining Table

The "Monday Post is Back" Edition.....

Me on the beach in Florida trying not to get sunburned. I think I lasted 10 whole minutes. lolz

Well it is and it isn't.  Still living at my Daughter and Son in-law's house and not in control of meals.  It is killing every frugal bone in my body that my daughter orders these meal kits(for convenience as she gets home late)which are overpriced.  I offered to shop and cook but she insists on doing it this way so we eat whatever is in the kit on the days dinner is provided and the other 3 nights a week we either eat leftovers, make something ourselves(ie-tv dinners)or go out or don't eat dinner.  This is what it is and by next month we'll be on our own in our own place.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Shrimp Mushrooms and Pasta, Salad, Garlic Bread(Kay bought, Kim cooked)

2. Monday--Leftover above

3. Tuesday--Steak, leftover Salad, Garlic Bread(Sluggy bought the steaks, Anne cooked)

4. Wednesday--Arby's roast beef sandwich

5. Thursday--leftovers I think?

6.  Friday--Chicken and noodle dish(too peppery so only ate the chicken out of it)

7. Saturday--a peanut stew of chicken, sweet potatoes and kale(This was tasty.)

I was in Florida and Alabama until Thursday when I spent the day on a Greyhound bus and back in Louisiana the end of the week.  No actual cooking on my part all week. ;-)

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

*  3 tv dinners

* 1 pt. of ice cream

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

* Nothing

                                                   

I spent $92.16 on food/toiletries/HBA this last 2 weeks at Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Walmart.  I spent $$ at Walmart and Publix while in Florida but that's vacation spending. ;-)

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $92.16 for October so far.  Hubs spent something while I was gone but I don't have his receipt so don't know what he spent while I was away. 

There are 14 shopping days left in October.

I've earned $14.49 on Ibotta in October.

I've earned $9.00 on Checkout51 in October.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in October.

I've earned 456 points from shopping on Fetch in October.

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

I've earned $0 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in October.

That's $14.49 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $92.16 in grocery spending so in reality it's $77.67 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 24.63% and the monthly savings total for October comes in at 24.63% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week....don't know, don't care. 

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

1. Sunday--Turkey meatballs in gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry

2. Monday--?

3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?

5. Thursday--?

6.  Friday--?

7. Saturday--?

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Not my menu and I don't shop for it.  I've got some tv dinners for the nights we don't have the daughter's box o' meals.

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?  I have only been in Walmart, Dollar Tree and Dollar General here.  Everything else is far away. 8-(

Sluggy 

Food Spending Report....the September Edition

* Again, this is way late but I'm trying to get back on track.*

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2022.

I have posted September'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 September.  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 2(and 2 dogs).
****************

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $29.90

Qs/Ads  $23.06

Value  $52.96

Savings  43.51%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Gift Cards  $125.62

Value  $125.62
Savings  100%

WALMART
OOP  $141.16

Qs/free Gift Cards  $38.45
Value  $179.61
Savings 21.40%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%,  Dollar General at 43.51% and Walmart at 21.40%.

The worst rate was Walmart at 21.40%.  
I shopped at 3 different stores in September.

TOTAL Spent in September................$171.06

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards...$61.51

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$232.57

TOTAL Savings of .............................26.45%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for September w/R-A..........$171.06

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$187.13

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$358.19
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................42.24%

This closes out the September food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....Well I knew it wouldn't be pretty as we couldn't take any food with us(there are some staples that moved but they are in storage just yet).  Daughter mostly provides dinners(she gets a meal box every week which gives us 4 dinners plus a 5th of leftovers one night)but we are on our own for the other 2 nights, plus all breakfasts and lunches and we have limited space in her fridge and pantry for purchasing our food.  There are also only 2 grocery choices nearby-Walmart and Dollar General which is very limiting.  As we get acclimated here we'll branch out to other food sources.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 3.54% in September 2022 to 42.24% compared to the August's 38.70% savings average.  

With 9 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $1,997.83 on food/toiletries in 2022.

2021 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1,997.83

2021 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$10,322.79

2021 Grand Total Saved...............................$8,325.26

2021 Yearly Savings Total..............................80.65%

The average per month amount spent is $221.99 in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD To October 2022......Still in transition here so the grocery game will remain the same.  I did spend on grocery items while on my trip so October's spending will be more than September's tab.

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 September?

*  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

Income & Spending Report.....the September Edition

*I know I am way late with this but things like moving, living in one room and out of  suitcase and then traveling to Alabama and Florida will take up all your time and energy.  Plus the numbers are so so ugly this month.  You have been warned. 8-) *

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 September report---

I had 2 goals for September.......
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.

This month I also had a goal to survive the move and have a little fun.  So far, so good.;-)

I can report that we finished up September in the red.

The amount we ended the month of September with?...-$1,645.88

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in September---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $129.81

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.37

*  SS of $3,570.00

Total "Income" for September....$8,668.99

Expenses in September---

* Irregular bills in September were $4,494.98

* Variable Expenses in September came to $3,593.76

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$10,314.87

$8,668.99-$10,314.87=-$1,645.88

Slush into September of $48,886.01 in that Fund, subtract $1,645.88 and we get $47,240.13 going into October's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $1,645.88.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone, WAM,  storage bill, as well as the Health Insurance premium were all the same as last month.

*  The internet bill was $36.70 lower than in August as we were only in PA for 12 days in September.

*  The electric bill was just .23¢ higher in September but I'm calling this even.

*  We got a small refund from our garbage service in PA as we paid in full for all of 2022.

*  The gas card bill didn't get forwarded to LA so that will appear in October's numbers.

HERE are the BAD THINGS(so many bad things...)

*  The Mastercard was $851.91 higher in September(gee I wonder why?  Oh yeah, moving...).

*  My Amazon c/c was $93.49 higher last month(again, moving).

*  Hubs had an Amazon c/c bill in September too.

*  We had LOTS of irregular bills due in September--

  *  School Taxes(if we sell the PA house before the end of Dec. 2023 we'll get a prorated refund on that)

  *  Moving expenses for disposing of chemicals in PA, renting a dumpster, hiring an electrician to take care of a few items in PA and hiring cleaners to spiffy up the PA house.

  *  We also paid $400 here in LA for an inspection on a house we were buying.

(The BIG moving expenses of the POD rental and move will be in October's bills.  Can't wait....not!)

The Food Budget costs for August are in another post, which I'll post soon with a link here.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on September 2022---If you didn't know, Moving is EXPEN$IVE!  And moving halfway across the country is even more expensive!!  We donated lots of items we didn't feel the need to hang onto plus trashed lots of items as they weren't worth carting 1,341 miles or donating.  Our moving and storage fees are going to HUGE with what we did keep/move.  The costs we paid in September associated with moving were more than our regular living costs we usually incur each month so that's what ate up any excess income funds.

THOUGHTS going forward into October 2022--With the POD expenses, an airline flight, a moving truck rental and gas expenses and a round trip bus ticket to Alabama plus paying cash for a house this will be a great financial month(*insert eye roll here*).  I so want to go back to bed for the rest of October and hide from the numbers.  I feel like Richard IIIrd except I'd want "a tourniquet, a tourniquet  for the hemorrhaging". 8-((

So how was your September financially? 

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

The Great Moving Adventure.....Day Three, The End For Now

 We had a lovely breakfast after a restful night in Tuscaloosa Alabama.  A brief stop to gas up the cars and for a coffee and iced tea at a nearby Mickey D's and we were back on the road on the last leg of our journey to our daughter's house in Louisiana.  

Back on the interstate heading West into Mississippi.  Lots of truck traffic through MS(hubs almost got run off the road by one!)and we stopped in Vicksburg for late lunch/very early dinner at Popeye's then more gas at a Circle K near the Vicksburg Military Park and then over the Mississippi River to the first Louisiana rest stop to potty(us and the dogs)and eat.  Did I mention that is was upper 90's F still at every rest stop?  Should have done this trip in mid December for bearable weather. lol

Explain to me(if you can)the piece of lumber mostly painted white sticking out of the trash can at the rest stop.

It was hot as balls with trucks parked all willy nilly at this rest stop where they shouldn't be parked but at least the mostly treeless rest stop had covered pavilions with picnic tables.  We ate, dogs pottied and watered and after a quick human pee break we were back on the road.

You can't make it out from this photo but the ladies bathroom had high tide in there.

Hubs, me and the doggies had our photos taken in front of the LA sign at the rest area.  I sent one to daughter let her know we were in bayou(aka swamp)country now and would be arriving within 3-4 hours.

So we drove the last leg without incident, arriving at daughter and son in-law's house around 4pm.  We ate something but I can't remember what given it was 3 weeks+ ago.  We had to load our belongs into the house as well as the stuff for the dogs so that took awhile.

Thus we began our stay at daughter's house and sleeping on air mattresses for the foreseeable future.  I must say after two nights on those air beds we declared our aged bodies were too old for this shit. ;-)  But we were glad to be done with this part of our new lives.

Oh and here's my booty of found change from the 3 day journey South....

.98¢ total from drive-thrus and a bit of change from Hubs that he handed me(so I kept it).hehehe

Sluggy

The Great Moving Adventure....Day Two

Day Two dawned early.  The motel didn't have a proper breakfast so we packed and left.  This day was to have it's own obstacles like Day One.

We left Marion VA headed toward Tuscaloosa Alabama.  But first a pitstop at Mickey D's for breakfast on the run before we hit the interstate.

We headed southwest down I-81 into Tennessee.  Hubs dreaded traveling through Knoxville but I wasn't looking forward to going through Chattanooga.  Too much traffic in both but at least it wasn't tourist season.  We got through TN and passed into the Northwest corner of Georgia briefly.   We got off the road for gas and to hit Mickey's for lunch, to take to the first rest stop in Alabama ahead to eat and let the dogs potty and walkabout.  Hubs was so sleep deprived and rattled he paid for his meal and then drove right past the pick-up window without picking up his food.  I'm sure the employees there had a few laughs over their ditzy customer.  Luckily I had gotten 2 sandwiches(BOGO 1¢ Deal on my app)so once we got to the Alabama welcome center I shared with Hubs.

Then it was back on the road toward Gadsden and then Birmingham.  Oh Birmingham.  A word of advice about driving around B'ham....be very defensive!  Evidently not all Birmingham residents are aware that cars now come with blinkers(aka turn signals).  And driving at 80 MPH is the norm and weaving in and out(and on the shoulders too)at high rates of speed are everyday practices.  Somebody needs to tell Governor Meemaw a PSA is needed. *snort*  Just craziness on the Interstate there.

So we got clear of B'ham headed for Tuscaloosa and made good time.  Got to the motel and Hubs went inside to check-in.  And I waited......and waited....and waited in the car.  So I went to the lobby window and Hubs was on his phone and I gave him the "WTF?!?" look.  He gives me a "wait" signal so I wait some more.  Hubs comes outside a bit later to tell me what was going on.

Seems Priceline, whom we booked through, took our money and made our reservation but neglected to inform the motel we had a reservation!  So it was an hour of having to get in touch with them and luckily the motel manager was still there even though it was after 5pm.  We couldn't hand the phone over to the manager but Priceline had to contact the manager through their system to give the confirmation code and the motel's system timed out since they were taking so long to respond. ugh.

We finally got the room keys and hauled the dogs and their and our stuff into the room.  Again, no dinner for us but thankful to be out of the car after 9 hours and in the bed.

Day Three coming up.

Sluggy