This Week on the Dining Table

The "Interesting Potato Chip  Flavor" Edition.....

At the Bread Outlet last week they had a whole row of chips.

Have you ever heard of/had Spicy Cajun Crawtators before?

It's a Zapp's product with all the flavors of a crawfish boil.  Not being a fan of crawfish I'll pass.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Stuffed Red Peppers, leftover Collards

2. Monday--Big Salad w/Chicken on top

3. Tuesday--Pork Tenderloin on Bun, Corn

4. Wednesday--Lunch out or Take-out

5. Thursday--FFY

6.  Friday--Catfish, Sauté Cabbage or Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, either Green Beans or Beets

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

1. Sunday--Stuffed Red Peppers, leftover Collards

2. Monday--Big Salad w/Chicken on top

3. Tuesday--Mac and Cheese for me after dental work

4. Wednesday--Gyro for lunch, leftover peppers and spinach souflé for dinner

5. Thursday--Salmon, Sweet Potato wedges

6.  Friday--late Lunch out Chinese

7. Saturday--Leftover Meatloaf, Sautéed Cabbage

Catfish, Liver and Onions and Pork Tenderloin didn't happen again butt Salmon did happen.  Those 3 meals move to this week and some day I will fix them. lol

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

* 2 packs Nathan's Franks

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

*  Ground Beef

*  Chicken Tenders

*  Salmon

*  Spinach Soufflé

Last week Hubs picked up items at the Bread Outlet(I went there too)and Kroger and spent a total of $79.96.  

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $79.96 for March so far.

There are 25 shopping days left in March.

I've earned $6.25 on Ibotta in March.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in March.

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

I've earned 10,090 points from shopping on Fetch in March.

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

I've earned 502 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in March.

That's $6.25 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $79.96 in grocery spending so in reality it's $73.71 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 35.18% and the monthly savings total for March comes in at 35.18% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week.....a leftover red bell pepper.

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

1. Sunday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli and Strawberry Shortcake

2. Monday--Pecan Chicken, Green Beans

3. Tuesday--Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

4. Wednesday--Lunch out or Take-out

5. Thursday--?

6.  Friday--Catfish, Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Sweet Potato Wedges

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Cabbage or Cole Slaw mix, might need Jack cheese too.  Another week on me not shopping. Oh goody.

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....February 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 February report---

I had 2 goals for February......
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 February in the Red.

The amount we ended the month of February with?...-$4,626.81

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in February---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $174.04

*  Check payment from Checkout51 of $50.94

*  Medical refund of $40.00

Total "Income" for February....$7,379.79

Expenses in February---
* Irregular bills in February were $7,277.72

* Variable Expenses in February came to $2,457.89

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,270.99

Total Expenses....$12,006.60

$7,379.79-$12,006.60= -$4,626.81

Slush into February of $65,810.06 in that Fund, subtract shortfall of $4,626.81 in February and we get $61,183.25 into March 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $4,626.81.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone, WAM, Health Premium and internet were the same as last month.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $1,255.74 lower than in January.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill was $2.37 higher than last month.

*  The electric bill was $59.42 higher than in January.

*  My Amazon c/c was $131.47 higher than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $69.21 higher than in January.

*  We had irregular bills due in February too--

  *   I paid off the rest of the May/June cruise bill to NCL.

  *  Paid off the American airlines c/c for our checked bag fees for last year's cruise.

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

FINAL THOUGHTS on February 2023---Other than the cruise payment it was an ok month financially.  All that 401K withdrawal in January(and that overage last month)went toward that cruise bill and was planned for.  Our regular bills($2,457.89)were slightly less than they were in January so that's a win.

THOUGHTS going forward into March 2023--

Still having limited mobility so we still need to unpack stuff. ugh.  This has got to be the slowest unpacking and setting up a household I've ever been a part of! lolz  I think the house insurance payments are all done for the year so that's one good thing.  But we are still nickel and dime spending on miscellaneous repairs on the house and haven't even addressed the big ticket items that need to be purchased./fixed.

So how was your February financially? 

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

Frugal Friday....the March 3rd Edition

Welcome to Frugal Friday!   

There are a few Frugal win this past week......

*  On Monday I had to get out of the house.  So we hit a craft burger place/bar that does Trivia on Monday evening.  We ate at home and just got a beer and water.  Had We eaten here too it would have cost $50+.

*  On Wednesday we found a bread outlet and went to check it out.

$1.30 for a loaf sure beats $4.49 at the grocery store.  They even had some Dave's killer bread/bagels for $3.00 each.  Most of what we bought got put into the freezer.  Daughter loves strawberry shortcake and I got strawberries so if she makes it over for liver and onions on Saturday I've got dessert for her. 8-)

*  Hubs bought another interior door handle for the Master bedrooms to replace the exterior door handle that was on that door.   He also replaced the innards of the 2 sinks' faucets in that bathroom. Inexpensive to replace ourselves vs. paying a handyman and plumber to do this.

*  I found money!
Nope.  Skunked again.

Total Found in last Week.... .00¢
Total Found this Year....... .38¢ 

That's all for this past week.  

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

Sluggy   

Food Spending....the February Edition

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for FEBRUARY 2023.

I have posted February'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 February.  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  $148.9

Qs/Ads  $86.90

Value  $235.88

Savings  36.84%

OLLIE'S

OOP  $10.49

Value  $22.73

Savings  53.85%

SHOPPER VALUE

OOP  $41.08

Qs/Ads  $9.63

Value  $50.71

Savings  19.99%

SUPER 1 FOODS 

OOP   $19.47

Qs/Ads  $22.97

Value  $42.44

Savings  54.12%

WALMART
OOP  $221.45

Qs/free Gift Cards  $108.71
Value  $330.16
Savings 32.93%

*********************
My best 2 Store Savings Totals were at Ollie's at 53.85% and Super 1 Foods at 54.12% .

I shopped at 5 different stores in February.   8-)

TOTAL Spent in February................$441.47

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$240.45

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$681.92

TOTAL Savings of ............................35.26%

This closes out the February food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....another less than stellar month for food spending.  I'm ok with it given my physical limitations at the moment.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 1.47% in February 2023 to 35.26% compared to the January's 33.79% savings average.   A slight improvement even with having Hubs doing 90% of the food shopping.

With 2 months accounted for, I have spent a Total of $856.14 on groceries/HBA /paper goods in 2023.

2022 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$856.14

2022 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$1,308.20

2022 Grand Total Saved...............................$452.06

2022 Yearly Savings Total..............................34.56%

The average per month amount spent is $428.07 in 2023 so far.

LOOKING AHEAD to March 2023...

Still in recovery mode but looking to resume normal cooking activity later this month. 8-)

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 February?

*  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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Would You Drink This?" Edition.....

I am so out of the loop I hadn't even heard of this--a Marshmallow Peeps flavored limited edition Pepsi drink.  It doesn't sound very appetizing to me and I know Kim would never drink this for two reasons, 1-it's not diet and 2-it's not Coke. lolz

Would you drink this?  I'd take a sip just to say I've tasted it but I'm not about to pay $2.18 for a whole bottle!

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Tempura Shrimp, Cole Slaw

2. Monday--leftover Lasagna, Salad

3. Tuesday--Collards, Chicken Parm

4. Wednesday--Zaxby Zalad w/Chicken

5. Thursday--Brats on Roll(or not), baked Sweet Potato Wedges

6.  Friday--Catfish, Sauté Cabbage

7. Saturday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie TBD

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

1. Sunday--Tempura Shrimp, Cole Slaw

2. Monday--Zaxby's Zalad w/Chicken

3. Tuesday--Collards, Chicken Parm

4. Wednesday--Catfish Lunch w/Okra, Corn, Fries(no dinner)

5. Thursday--Brats on Roll(or not), baked Sweet Potato Wedges

6.  Friday--Fend for Yourself

7. Saturday--Hamburgers, Salad

The Catfish meal and the Liver meal didn't happen.  We had catfish out on Wednesday and the Daughter had to work Saturday so the liver is still tucked in the freezer hoping to get made this Saturday. 8-)  Everything else got made but not necessarily on the day I planned.

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

*  2 bags of broccoli

*  2 bags of stir-fry veg

*  3 Chicken Parms

*  2 bags of Chicken Teriyaki

*  2 bags of Burritos

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

*  1 box of Chicken Parm

*  1 bag of Shrimp

*  1 pack of Bratwurst

Last week Hubs picked up items at Shopper's Value Mart, Kroger and Walmart(I went to this one too)and spent a total of $116.46.  

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $441.47 for February so far.

There is 1 shopping days left in February.

I've earned $147.25 on Ibotta in February.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in February.

I've earned $19.00 on Coupons dotcom in February.

I've earned 3,508 points from shopping on Fetch in February.

I earned 40 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in February.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in February.

That's $166.25in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $441.47 in grocery spending so in reality it's $275.22 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 45.03% and the monthly savings total for February comes in at 35.26% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week.....a little Stroganoff but no rice, Collards and 2 or 3 Brats.  Hubs will take care of most of these for lunches.

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

1. Sunday--Stuffed Red Peppers, leftover Collards

2. Monday--Big Salad w/Chicken on top

3. Tuesday--Pork Tenderloin on Bun, Corn

4. Wednesday--Lunch out or Take-out

5. Thursday--FFY

6.  Friday--Catfish, Sauté Cabbage or Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, either Green Beans or Beets

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  I am almost out of flour so that's something to pick up.  Hubs can make the Monday to Thursday meals(and half of the Friday meal).  It is more difficult for me to walk/stand as the doc has increased the compression on my leg(wound).  It is painful to walk due to the compression dressing on my ankle and foot so I'll be more sedentary for the next little while until they discontinue this compression. ugh.  So meals need to be simpler or things Hubs can prepare as I can't be walking around much.

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