Thursday, February 9, 2023

"Gee Toto, I Don't Think We're in Pennsylvania Anymore"

This is just a post about weird to me stuff in Louisiana.  If you've lived here or grown up here these things won't seem odd to you I reckon.

I bet most Walmart frozen food sections don't include these items......



Boudin balls, Shrimp or Crawfish Étouffée or Fettucine and Gumbo.

**The nurse at the wound care place says this is the best place for Bouudin Balls......HERE.
And if you want your own raw ingredients to cook go to Bergeron's for your boudin and Cajun meats....HERE or at their other locations across the river.

Mardi Gras isn't just a day, it's a season......
You can't escape the purple green and gold no matter where you go!   Not that I mind purple and green....

Here's the string of beads I got on my birthday from the hardware store that's Mardi Gras Central in these parts......

For those who asked, a proper King Cake is more pastry than cake.  It's a filled oval pastry or Danish(fillings vary but most have cream cheese and cinnamon at least),topped with icing and colored sugar.  If you like sweets(Kim, you listening?)you will gain 50 pounds eating here during the Mardi Gras Season. lolz
You can get a very good King Cake shipped from where we bought ours.  They are expensive and cost about the same to 2 day air it to you as you pay for the cake.  Their website is HERE.

Did I mention that they have drive-thru Daquiri stores here?  You can get a King Cake Daquiri just in season however so get down here soon!

Another local pizza chain is called Johnny's Pizza House HERE.  I have only ever had their Muffuletta sandwich, which is very good even though it's not served on proper muffuletta bread.   They have a pizza called "Sweep the Kitchen" which has all kinds of toppings(the reference is to what a pizza kitchen looks like with bits and pieces on it at the end of the night...not a very appetizing picture if you ask me).
During Mardi Gras they run a Kajun Krewe "Sweep the Swamp" promotion and they send our flyers and coupons........


Here's what's on a Sweep the Swamp pizza--Shrimp, Crawfish, Taste of Crab, Cajun Spices, Andouille Sausage, Onions, Bell Peppers, Jalapenos and Mozzarella Cheese.

Umm, no thanks.

And the last odd thing(for now)is you can't find frozen ravioli very much down here.  All we've been able to find is the Great Value brand at only ONE Walmart so far.  Up in PA you could find at least 5 brands in any grocery store you walked into....Celentano, Rosina's, Buitoni, etc.  Here?  It's like nobody ever heard of ravioli.  To busy eating étouffée and boudin I suppose.

Sluggy

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Income & Spending 2023........the January 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 January report---

I had 2 goals for January......
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 January in the black
The amount we ended the month of January with?...$6,253.85

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in January---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)
*  SS income of $3879
*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $144.96
*  Paypal payment from rebates/coupons of $443.46
*  Ibotta payment from rebates of $552.39
*  PA car insurance refund of $533.76
*  401K quarterly withdraw of $5,200.13

Total "Income" for January....$13,989.51

Expenses in January---
* Irregular bills in January were $1,964.28
* Variable Expenses in January came to $3,500.39
* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,270.99
Total Expenses....$7,735.66

$13,989.51-$7,735.66=$6,253.85

Slush into January of $59,556.21 in that Fund, add overage of $6,253.85 in January and we get $65,810.06 into January's 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $1,962.08

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone and internet were the same as last month.
*  The water bill was $2.66 lower than in December
*  The electric bill was $9.19 lower than last month.
*  The WAM was $200.00 lower than in December.
*  The Mastercard was $1,487.71 lower than last month.
*  My Amazon c/c was $92.09 lower than in December.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The health insurance premium went up by $44.86 in 2023.
*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill was higher by $119.29 from December's bill.

*  We had irregular bills due in January too--
  *   I paid $1,709.55 on the Norwegian Cruise c/c-I only put cruise charges on this one.  I prepaid out gratuity charges in December for the 2023 cruise before those charges went up among other charges.
  *  Our LA property tax bill for 2022 was due in the amount of $94.11.  
  *  We had to make a first payment for Hubs Medi Gap monthly bill of $94.11.  Those don't kick in every month until he turns 65 in April.

The Food Budget costs for December are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on January 2023---It was a great month financially!  Only the healthcare premium and Hubs Amazon c/c bill were higher among all the bills.  The best is the Homestead Exemption on our Louisiana Property tax bill.  PA had an exemption(it was a whole $40 or so a year)and we were paying right around $5K per year for taxes.  Generally the first $75K value of your property in LA is exempt from taxing if you occupy it.  Plus Hubs turns 65 this year so he can apply for a property tax freeze at whatever the amount we pay in 2023 is for the remainder of our time here.  Sweet!

THOUGHTS going forward into February 2023--
Well we had a large overage amount for January due to that quarterly 401K withdrawal.  But all of it will be applied to the next cruise which I paid off in February.  Not going anywhere this month(except to medical and dental appointments)so the bills should be stable at January's level.  The only exception is having to purchase stuff for the house(like bookshelves, a bed frame, curtains, etc.)  I may have to break down and replace items we can't find from the move that are still missing(lids for the cookware, my food processor and my pasta machine).  I wouldn't hate anyone who wanted to send me gift cards to replace those items. hehehe

So how was your January financially? 
Did you spend less than the income you had in January?
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   

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Food Spending 2023....the January Report

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




Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2023.

I have posted January'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 January.  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. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
****************
KROGER
OOP  $146.62
Qs/Ads  $122.14
Value  $268.76
Savings  19.40%

SHOPPER VALUE
OOP  $9.89
Qs/Ads  $6.08
Value  $15.97
Savings  38.07%

SUPER 1 FOODS 
OOP   $41.55
Qs/Ads  $29.67
Value  $71.22
Savings  41.66%

WALMART
OOP  $216.62
Qs/free Gift Cards  $52.14
Value  $268.76
Savings 19.40%

*********************
My best 2 Store Savings Totals were at Super 1 Foods at 41.66% and Shopper Value at 38.07%

I only shopped at 4 different stores in January.   8-)

TOTAL Spent in January................$414.67
TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$211.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$626.28
TOTAL Savings of ............................33.79%

This closes out the January food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....well my spending/percentages went up as I wasn't able to grocery shop much due to having to stay off my injured leg.  Having Hubs shop isn't the best way to keep spending down and I couldn't be in the store to snag clearance deals as Hubs sticks to a list I have to assemble for him. ;-)

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 9.39% in January 2023 to 33.79% compared to the December's 43.18% savings average.  It's really not a great comparison between these 2 months as we weren't home and cooking for most of December and largely housebound in January. 

With 1 month accounted for, I have spent a Total of $414.67 on groceries in 2023 so far.

2022 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$414.67
2022 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$626.28
2022 Grand Total Saved...............................$211.61
2022 Yearly Savings Total..............................33.79%

The average per month amount spent is $414.67 in 2023


LOOKING AHEAD to February 2023...
Still in recovery mode and can't stand to cook for long so it's limited grocery shopping and meal choices.  The word for February is perseverance.


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 January?

*  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

Monday, February 6, 2023

This Week on the Dining Table

 The "It's No Longer January" Edition.....



I received two cards for my birthday, one from Hubs and one from my brother.  I guess the younger generation no longer believes in sending cards since none of my kids sent me one.   Now we are in February or still the Rainy Season in Louisiana.  Might need to put a call into Noah if the rain keeps up as it's been in January. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......
1. Sunday--I had a Greek Salad
2. Monday--Chicken Parm, leftover turkey sides or salad
3. Tuesday--Kielbasi, Cabbage
4. Wednesday--I'm getting a tooth pulled so applesauce or something similar, Hubs is on his own
5. Thursday--Ditto
6.  Friday--Leftovers or ?
7. Saturday--?

And here's what actually happened........
1. Sunday--I had a Greek Salad
2. Monday--Kielbasi, Cabbage
3. Tuesday--Subway sandwich for Linner
4. Wednesday--Jello(Cherry)
5. Thursday--Jello(Peach), leftover Mashed Potatoes
6.  Friday--Salmon, Spinach Souffle, Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
7. Saturday--Chicken Parm, leftover Cabbage


What got put into the freezer last week....
*  4 Stauffer's Spinach Soufflé
*  1 Kielbasi ring
*  1 pack of Turkey Bacon
*  2 frozen Chinese dinners
*  1 box of ice cream bars
*  1 frozen Pizza

What got taken out of the freezer and used...
*  Kielbasi
*  Salmon
*  1 Spinach Soufflé
*  Chicken Parm

Last week we picked up stuff at Kroger, Ollie's and Walmart(I went to Kroger to get $1.99 lb. cherries but they were out so I bought lots of other stuff yay!)and spent a total of $145.43.
This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $145.43 for February so far.

There are 22 shopping days left in February.

I've earned $38.77 on Ibotta in February.
I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in February.
I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in February.
I've earned 2,239 points from shopping on Fetch in February.
I earned 10 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in February.
I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in February.

That's $38.77 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $145.43
 in grocery spending so in reality it's $106.66 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 31.27% and the monthly savings total for February comes in at 31.27% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week.....Kielbasi and Onions, Turkey slices, Corn Casserole, Rolls.

Here is this week's "food plan".....
1. Sunday--Cheeseburger, leftover Cabbage
2. Monday--Teriyaki Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry, Rice
3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself
4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushroom and Meat
5. Thursday--Something frozen
6.  Friday--Pizza, Salad
7. Saturday--BBQ Chicken, Veggies TBD

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Mushroom, other Veggies for Sat. and Salad stuff.  Not a very inspiring plan, just easy basic stuff mostly that I can delegate prep to Hubs so I can stay off the leg.

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 

Sunday, February 5, 2023

What's Happening Around Here

We celebrated my birthday two Saturdays ago.........

At a nice Chinese Restaurant connected to a seedy motel.  They had a dark beer from Brazil called Xingu.  It was the closest thing to a Guinness I could find on their menu.  That's my yearly Birthday Beer.


Me checking the giant incense burner, at least I think that's what it is. lol

Then it was off to get my Birthday cake......


Since it's Mardi Gras Season here, do what the natives do, get a King Cake!  This one serves 20-24 people or 10-12 Cajuns according to the information they give out. ;-)

Around these parts this is where you come for the best King Cake around, a Hardware Store that's everything  Mardi Gras too in the Season.


You pose with their Giant Baby(like the ones they bake into a King Cake.


I posed wearing culturally insensitive to some Mardi Gras beads.


Not like these beads were much better.......lolz

Down here, Mardi Gras is not just a day of celebrating before Lent, Mardi Gras is a Season that runs all through January up to Fat Tuesday whenever it falls somewhere near the end of February.  
This hardware store is Mardi Gras Central in this part of Louisiana.  Racks and racks of beads, King Cakes, boxes of miniature Moon Pies, Doubloons, mini footballs, mini frisbees, masks, Hula hoops and everything else the Krewes throw from the parade floats.  Since it was a weekend the place was jammed with people picking up Mardi Gras parade paraphernalia.  Everyone was wishes us a Happy Mardi Gras too.

Here I am in a miniature hat ready for Mardi Gras........

All these years I thought my birthday was in such a depressing Wintery Season.  I was just not living where the "Bon Temps Rollez" until now.

It has rained all week here....the first Sunny day was Friday.  I think Louisiana needs to rethink how they divide up the year.  This place is more like Central America with a dry season and a rainy season.  We are definitely in the rainy season now.
Just take a look at these photos of our yard.........


Yes, those are old boats in the distance.  I told Hubs we need to drag them closer to the house just in case we need to use one to evacuate. lolz


This is our own personal "bayou" in the front yard near the driveway(if you can call it a driveway).....


A couple other "lakes" out on the side yard. 



Even the Wound Care place is all decked out for the Season with purple, green and gold fleur de lises........


It has been a heck of a week this past week but not in a good way.  4 out of 5 days saw me going for medical tests(I passed with flying colors!), wound care(no power washing, hooray!)and a tooth extraction.  I am now moving onto the 2 times a week Wound Clinic where they are increasing the compression on my leg to get this thing healed up  Go Me.
The only thing is all this bandaging on my leg goes down onto my foot and I can't get my shoe on that foot.  I have been reduced to going around in public in slippers.  **face palm**  I never thought I would end up a "Person of Walmart".  What's next?...wearing pajamas in public??! 



Sluggy