Making Plans & Calling for Input

Hubs and I leave for our cruise on May 20th.  We are flying Air Canada with a 5 hour stopover in Montréal then on to London.  We are staying in the Kensington area of London for 2 nights before being bussed down to Southampton to the dock and onto the cruise ship.

Our port itinerary is thus......from Southampton, England to Edinburgh, Scotland, to Inverness, Scotland, to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, to Belfast Northern Ireland, to Dublin, Ireland, to Holyhead Wales, to Cork, Ireland, to Portland England back to Southampton and then to Heathrow for our flight back to the US, via Montréal again, where we have another lengthy layover(7 hours).

First question.......if you had 2 days in London, what sights would you want to see?  We may book a full day sightseeing tour one of the days there involving a bus ride and a river ride on the Thames, with a stop at Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London(I won't be putting extra $$ into the Crown Jewels room donation box Anne!), a photo op outside of Buckingham Palace and maybe see the changing of the guard or at least the Household Calvary parade(depending on what time we are there).  This tour meets at Victoria Station and leaves you via "the Tube" at Gloucester station which is right near our hotel and we'll toddle back to the hotel for some pints and fish and chips in their pub.
The second day we may go to a museum or two(hotel is near the V and A Museum, Museum of Natural History and something else), have High Tea at Harrod's or elsewhere and end the day with a matineé performance in the West End.  I keep joking that "Hamilton" is playing right now in one of the theatres but being performed in England by English actors it might just end with us losing the Revolutionary war and instead of Hamilton dying in a duel he'll be hanged at intermission and the show ends there. lol
My vote at the moment is to see "Six" which is the musical version of the reign of Henry VIII through the eyes of his 6 wives who make up the cast.  Afterall, except for Anne of Cleves I am related genealogically by cousinry or by marriage to cousinry to 6 of the 7 figures involved in that messy, colorful, misogynistic part of English history. 8-)) 

Of course there are so many tours and sights to see, including tours going off to Salisbury Plain(Stonehenge), Bath(Jane Austen's stomping grounds), etc., but we have at the most two days(unless jet lag takes us down on one of those days, then it's one day).  So what would you do, see in London?

If you know the Kensington area where is the most advantageous place for currency exchange?  I know rates vary from day to day but we'll be needing to have some British pounds on us of should be do that at Heathrow once we land?  And should be also carry Euros as we are going to Ireland, Wales and Scotland?  So many questions I know!

As for the cruise ports, we waited too long to book a couple of excursions we were interested in.  No way I was going to climb to kiss the Blarney Stone but I would have liked to seen the castle as it was built by my McCarthy ancestors(my paternal grandmother was born a McCarthy)outside of Cork.  We did book an On Your Own tour in Edinburgh where they dropped and pick you up on the Royal Mile, a Whisky tasting at Glenmorangie Distillery outside of Inverness(sorry Nessie), a Dublin on your own which will mean lots of pub stops for "real" Guinness, a trip to Caernarfon Castle in Wales since  Edward I and II Plantagenent are my 22nd and 21st GreatGrands respectively, and a coastal bus tour of Kinsale near Cork.  We have no excursions booked for Belfast(Northern Ireland.....they may shoot me as I am a descendant of Free State Irish)nor Portland(nothing looked interesting there really).  In the Orkneys we don't have time to do a tour(only there like 4 hours)so we'll bus to the Kirkwall Transportation Centre and walk to a thing or two(very compact town)or take a cab to see the Ring of Brogdnar and the Stones of Stenness(which are near each other)because Hubs loves that sort of thing(old rocks and mounds of dirt....I can't tell you have many I've visited in the US! lol).  There is also an Orkney pub at the base of the harbor I want to go to.  Maybe I can connect with locals there who also share my Viking heritage over a pint before staggering back to the ship. ;-)

So if you live in or near one of these ports, would you like to meet up or drive us around or something, especially in the on your own towns(Edinburgh, Dublin)or Belfast or Kirkwall in the Orkneys or Portland England?  Or even if you are in London and want to meet, or play tour guide?  Or do you want to meet in Montréal at the airport?
I'd love to meet more blogger friends.
Just email me.

Sluggy

What's on the Dining Table

The "Got The Critter" Edition.....

                                 

Although this is an entry about food and menus no, we didn't trap a possum to eat it.  Though English and Virginia writer and early Jamestown colonist William Strachey wrote that they were "good eating" upon his encountering them in North America. I suspect people in the South still eat them(if they are TB free)as well as squirrel(my mother's boyfriend use to shoot and eat squirrel in his  youth).  8-)

Hubs saw this possum marching through our yard at dusk and go under the house as the skirting is in bad shape with many openings. We also have a convenient water source under the house until this week when the plumber came out and fixed a leak in a PEX PVC pipe.  Possums are good to have around as they eat ticks and other bugs but I certainly don't want one living under my house with two small dogs here!

Hubs bought a trap and after about a week caught it late last week.  He drove it a few miles away to some woods and released it back into the wilds.

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Taco Salad using more of the leftover taco filling.

2. Monday--On his own as I am dog sitting at Daughter's house

3. Tuesday--Catfish and Veggie TBD

4. Wednesday--Birthday dinner out for Hubs

5. Thursday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

6.  Friday--Grilled Chicken, frozen Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Halushki

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

1. Sunday--Taco Salad using more of the leftover taco filling.

2. Monday--Hubs on his own as I am dog sitting at Daughter's house

3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself(I wasn't hungry)

4. Wednesday--Birthday dinner out for Hubs

5. Thursday--I had the 1/2 of the leftover Birthday meal I took home(steak, sweet potato)

6.  Friday--Daughter took us out for lunch, I had Flautas(no dinner)

7. Saturday--Halushki

I cooked one real meal last week on Saturday.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't have dinner as I had lunch and wasn't hungry in the evening.

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

*  1 pack of Burritos(Hubs)

*  5 bags of frozen veggies

*  7 big Ribeye steaks

*  3 lbs. of meatballs(making them today)

*  5 lbs. of butter

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

*  Nothing but the dredges of a container of ice cream.  Between the birthday dinner out, not being home on Monday and leftovers, not much cooking happened and nothing was used from the freezer. :-)

Last week we both hit Kroger twice and Walmart to do some deals spent a total of $312.24 on all shops. 

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $374.40 for April so far.  I know it's high but there were great deals across most categories right before Easter so we loaded up.

There are 20 shopping days left in April.

I've earned $54.45 on Ibotta in April.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in April.

I've earned $13.00 on Coupons dotcom in April.

I've earned 358 points from food shopping on Fetch.

I've earned 8,400 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in April.

I've earned 356 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in March.

That's $67.45 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $374.40 of grocery spending so in reality it's $306.95 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 42.30% and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 39.82% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week... taco shells and Halushki.

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

1. Sunday--Ham, Asparagus, rolls in freezer leftover from Xmas, Deviled Eggs, Mac and Cheese

2. Monday--might get Burgers at Trivia

3. Tuesday--Fish and Squash Casserole

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

5. Thursday--leftover Easter foods

6.  Friday--Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Chicken Strips

7. Saturday--who knows?   Whatever is leftover

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? Not shopping this week unless I go to Kroger after Wednesday to stock up on a couple of lbs. of Salmon(good deal!)

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?  It's Easter deals at more store this week so get those loss leaders you need.

Sluggy 

Another Celebrity Genealogical Connection

 It's always interesting to me when I find a genealogical connection to a known celebrity, be it in the arts, politics or historical figure.

I was watching "Finding Your Roots" this past Tuesday evening and one of the guests was actor Billy Crudup.  They mentioned his paternal grandmother was a woman named Priscilla Anne Parham, born 1922 in Henderson North Carolina.

Being as all my maternal ancestors are more or less from Virginia originally, going back to Jamestown, my ears perked up.  Especially since I have direct ancestors with the surname of Parham.

We share a common direct ancestor in Thomas Parham Jr who was born about 1665 in Charles Citie, one of the eight original counties of the Virginia Colony and died in 1717 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Colony.  He may have also lived in Prince Georges County at some point and the place of his burial is unknown at this point.  Thomas Parham Jr married Elizabeth "Jane" Branch in 1685 in Charles Citie County.  Their known offspring are Amelia, Thomas III and William Parham.  My line goes down from William Parham and his wife Anne Stith,  and Billy Crudup's line goes down from Thomas Parham and his wife Mary Isham.  As luck would have it I also have the surname Isham in my direct line(though I haven't fleshed out how we are related on that line)so that makes us double cousins!  My most recent Isham ancestor is Mirah Dorcas Isham Foster(a widow with two sons by her first marriage), born 1587 in Hertfordshire England died 1670 in Lower Norfolk Count Virginia Colony married Bartholomew Hoskins, one of the "Ancient Planters" of Virginia, at St. Dunstan's Church 3 July 1628 in Stepney London before setting sail on the ship named the "Safety" in 1635 for Jamestown.

My most recent Parham ancestor is Jane Parham(1738-1804), the daughter of Ephraim Stith Parham(William's son).  Billy's most recent Parham ancestor is his paternal grandmother Priscilla Anne Parham.

William Gaiter "Billly" Crudup is my 8th cousin 1 x removed.

Billy did the voice over for MasterCard commercials for 14 years so I am sure you know his voice if not his face.  In this one he actually appears in this commercial as the gas station employee.

And here he is winning his first Tony Award in 2007.....

Just a little interesting tidbit. 8-)

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the April 7th Edition

 Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

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

*  I got my steroid shot in my knee so I can walk again.  I hope it lasts long enough for me to get through the cruise in May/June.

*  Hubs birthday was Wednesday and I took him out to Texas Roadhouse.  Zero out of pocket as I used old gift cards we brought from PA.

*  Did some grocery shopping before Easter and got some good great deals.....

5 lbs. of butter for $2.49 each, 1 lb. of OM bacon for $2.99(sale price Q + $2/1 digital Q)

I got a ribeye roast for $4.97 lb. after $2.02 off per lb. Q(they were selling ribeye steaks for $6.99 lb. so I can cut my own steaks from this roast and save $2.02 per lb.).  I also got a good sized Cook's ham butt for .89¢ per lb. for Easter as our Daughter and Son in-law are coming over.  I'll have plenty leftover to cut into ham steaks or for sandwiches to put in the freezer.  I also got 3 lbs. of 80% ground beef which I'll probably make into meatballs tomorrow or tonight for the freezer.

I hit the clearance bins on Tuesday at Kroger and found a pair of pillar candles for $1.50(lots of storms here in the Spring so good to have for power outages)and 2 jugs of He type Tide marked down to $1.60 each.  

I couldn't turn down this 2 month supply of Allegra.  It was $36.99 reg. retail but was part of a Spend $30/Get $10 off instantly deal.  There was an $8/1 E-coupon, I got $10 back on Ibotta and another $8 back on Coupons dotcom so it cost me .99¢ all told.

The Duke's mayo was $2.49 OOP after sale and Ibotta rebate, the Finish was a $3.57 moneymaker after sale price, Coupons and Ibotta and the Splenda was .99¢ after sale price, Q and Ibotta.  I stocked up on some loss leaders as well since there were lots the week before Easter.  

*  I bought 2 gift cards at Dollar General last Saturday, one for Taco Bell(for Hubs)and 1 for Zaxby's as they were 10% off.  Some stores discount certain gift cards right before holidays like Christmas, Easter, etc.  Since we/he eats at those places why not get that 10% off by buying gift cards when they offer these deals, right?

*  I saw a local orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday about having a knee replacement later this year.  My insurance has a program  where if I use one of their elite surgeons around the country for a joint replacement it is free for the surgery plus they pay for the transportation costs, hotels, meals, etc.  If I use a local doctor in network I'll still have co-pays but I need a local surgeon to recommend(do the paperwork, x-rays, etc.)so we took care of that bit of it.

*  I found money!  

On Tuesday we went to an orthopedic surgeon for a consult and current x-rays.  I found a penny by the elevator.

Total Found in last Week.... .01¢
Total Found this Year.......$1.02

That's all for this past week.

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

Sluggy   

Income & Spending....the March 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 March report---

I had 2 goals for March.....
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 March in the black.

The amount we ended the month of March with?...$1,606.35

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in March---

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

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $170.23

*  Stock Dividend of $19.11

Total "Income" for March....$7,304.15

Expenses in March---
* Irregular bills in March were $1,180.55

* Variable Expenses in March came to $2,246.26

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,270.99

Total Expenses....$5,697.80

$7,304.15-$5,697.80=$1,606.35

Slush into March of $61,183.25 in that Fund, add the overage of $1,606.35 in March and we get $62,789.60 into April 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,606.35.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this March 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.

*  The water bill was $3.08 lower than in February

*  The electric bill was $166.17 lower than last month.

*  My Amazon c/c was $145.85 lower than in February.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $13.75 higher than in February.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $78.72 higher than last month..

*  We had irregular bills due in March too--

  *   Long Term Care quarterly premiums of $784.55

  *  Federal 2022 taxes paid of $330.00

  *  PA 2022 state taxes paid of $66.00

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

FINAL THOUGHTS on March 2023---Regular bills were nice and low.  We did have 3 irregular bills come due this past month  but those didn't tip the scales out of our favor.

THOUGHTS going forward into April 2023--

Still having limited mobility(now it's my bum knee)so we still need to unpack stuff. ugh.

Louisiana state taxes will get filed in April(and we will owe about $700).  

No other irregular bills due in April but the lawn tractor purchase and cruise excursions will be paid for in April on credit cards(and promptly paid off).

So how was your March financially? 

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