A Funny for Saturday

 

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the November 3rd Edition

There are very few(if any)Frugal wins this past week so here goes....

*  I went to PT 3 x this past week.  Man, does that wear me out and I usually need a nap in the afternoon.  Good thing I've hit all my deductibles and co-pays so I'm not shelling out cash for this service.

*  Grocery shopping this past week--

Did a pick-up order at Kroger last Friday which turned into a disaster.  Of course, my store is the one where you can't get a paper receipt for a pickup order and Ibotta said I had to jump through all kinds of hoops for them to count my items with rebates so I kept the stuff that I got Kroger deals on and had Hubs return all the Ibotta stuff.  What a cluster!

I did get 2 freebies....

A box of pasta and a canned Starbucks coffee drink(which I'll give to Daughter if she ever comes over to see me-I've been home 4 weekends now and she is MIA).

*  Hubs finally used my .90¢ off each gallon of gas from Kroger on Tuesday, right before the points expired(these were Sept. points).

*  We got some takeout this week, a salad at Wendy's using a gift card.  yuck.  Not doing that again.  I wish Zaxby's would bring back their Teriyaki Zalad because I'm tired of their regular Zalads.  I also had a Patty Melt at Whataburger last Friday.  So much meat I didn't eat much else that day!lol

*  I found money!

I was feeling good enough on Sunday to go to Walmart and ride a cart there and do some shopping.  It felt good to get out and do something other than go to PT or a dr. appointment but it wore me out.

I was waiting at the entrance for Hubs to pick me up with the car and saw a penny!

Total Found in last Week.... .01¢
Total Found this Year.......$3.28

That's all I got.

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

Blogging will be taking a backseat to getting me healed so there might not be many posts here for the foreseeable future.8-)

Sluggy   

Food Spending....the October 2023 Report

Onward to October's Food Spending Report.....

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for October 2023.

I have posted October'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 October.  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).
****************

ALDI

OOP  $0.00

Value  $45.17

Savings  100%

CVS

OOP  $1.29

Value  $12.58

Savings  89.75%

KROGER

OOP  $106.28

Qs/Gift Cards $74.83

Value $181.11

Savings  41.32%

TURKEY HILL

OOP  $0.00

Value  $8.49

Savings  100%

WALMART

OOP  $272.80

Qs/Gift Cards $90.83

Value  $363.63

Savings  24.98%

********************
My best Store Savings Total was at Aldi and Turkey Hill with a savings of 100.00%.  My worse rate was at Walmart with 24.98%.  

I shopped at 5 different stores in OCTOBER.

TOTAL Spent in October......$380.07

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$230.91

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$610.98

TOTAL Savings of........37.79%

This closes out the OCTOBER food/toiletries/etc. spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....The travel stipend helped pay for some food/takeout both in Ohio and after we got home.  I also made strategic purchases with rebates as is my want.

The Monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 1.18% in October to 37.79% compared to September's 36.61% savings average.  Between all factors(and no Rite-Aid where I use to get "paid" to bring things home from there)it's nearly impossible to have a savings rate of more than 30%....and achieving that 30% is with trying very hard!  Since we have an adequate income and food should be a pleasure in life(no way am I going to eat unseasoned rice and beans for my remaining days like some people)I will buy quality food and pay the price at the register.  I may not like the price but I will deal with it.

With 10 months accounted for, I have spent a Total of $4,154.27 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2023.

2023 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$4,154.27

2023 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$6,897.91

2023 Grand Total Saved...............................$2,743.64

2023 Yearly Savings Total..............................39.87%

The average per month amount spent is $415.42 in 2023 at this point.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER......Not sure what we are doing for Thanksgiving.  I really am not up to traveling to see my youngest son yet in PA(and I'd miss a lot of PT).  I really don't know if I'll feel like cooking all that much for Turkey Day if we stay here so still unsure of the plans.  We'll deal with whatever comes.  Of course, I'll try to hit all the Thanksgiving deals coming up(or have Hubs go to the store for me depending on how I am progressing).

Remember that I withdraw all my cash rebate monies(Ibotta, Coupons dotcom, Shopmium, Checkout 51 and other miscellaneous rebates sent to my Paypal)at the end of the year and add it back into my food budget, so at the end of the year my food spending will go down.  The other savings apps like Fetch, Shop Kick, Kroger Cash Back that let us get free gift cards(or $ off your grocery total-Kroger), those are added back in when I cash those points in along the way.  Alexa app gives me Amazon credit onto my account but I don't buy food on Amazon(sometimes I buy dog food there)so I really don't know how to count that.

At the end of the third quarter of the year, I'd accumulated--$962.99 in Ibotta(most in my bank account as I don't like to leave Ibotta monies on the platform), $309.40 in Paypal from Shopmium ,Coupons dotcom as well as an odd rebate or two from another source, $43.35 in Kroger Cash Back I haven't spent, $36.78 in Shop Kick, $62.20 in Swag Bucks to redeem, $16.75 on Alexa for Amazon gift cards and some points on Fetch that aren't even worth considering at this point.  Without counting the Fetch that's $1,431.47 in cash or scrip total to put toward the grocery spending in 2023 which lowers my OOP on food spending to $2,342.73 give or take at this point in time.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us all.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in October?

*  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 versus 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 October 31st Edition

 The "Halloween is Almost Here!" Edition.....  

We no longer give out candy on Halloween due to no kids coming down our road.  But I use to give out full sized candy bars so I guess I was "The Legend".  I do know all the kids in our neighborhood in PA made sure to hit our house early.  A few even came back for another round which didn't bother me.  I thought them entrepreneurial. 8-))

This is day 141 of the "diet".  Yay!  If you can call what went on lately as a "diet".  Down 42 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again).

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--1 yogurt, 1 Chicken Strip

2. Monday--1 yogurt, No Clue

3. Tuesday--No Clue

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

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

1. Sunday--leftover Catfish and Green Beans, Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

2. Monday--Strawberries, Chicken Strips and Cole Slaw, Leftover Chinese Green Beans and Sesame Chicken

3. Tuesday--Leftover Chinese Green Beans and Sesame Chicken

4  Wednesday--Yogurt w/Strawberries, Whopper, Chicken Caesar Salad

5. Thursday--Toast, Butternut Squash Ravioli, 2 Chicken Strips, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

6.  Friday--Yogurt Shake, Patty Melt, Strawberries

7. Saturday--1/2 Tuna Sub, 1 Apple w/Spoon Peanut Butter

No going back to old habits and eating patterns for me!

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  2 Pork Slices

*  2 Chicken Breast pieces

*  Butternut Squash Ravioli Lean Cuisine

* 2 Chicken Strips

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

*  4 Stouffer tv dinners

*  2 bags of Chicken Strips

Last week we spent $169.96 on grocery shopping for October.  

Grand Total shopping comes to $380.07 for October.   

There is 1 shopping day left in October.

I've earned $183.10 on Ibotta in October.

I've earned $34.00 on Shopmium in October.

I've earned $5.75 on Alexa app in October.

I've earned $6.10 on Kroger Cash Back in October.

I've earned $7.59 on TaDa in October.

I've earned $2.50 on Checkout51 in October.

I've earned 10,354 points from food shopping on Fetch in October.

I've earned 4,664 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in October.

I've earned 2,294 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in October.

That is $239.04 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $380.07 of grocery spending so in reality it's $141.03 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 32.60% and the monthly savings total for October comes in at 37.79% spent.  

Leftovers going into this week...rice.

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

1. Sunday--Stouffer tv dinner

2. Monday--Salmon, Asparagus

3. Tuesday--Veggie Lasagna

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

I am NOT menu planning, period.  I have earned the right not to in my mind at this point.  I am giving up control of meals to Hubs.  I will put in requests now and then.

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 may post sporadically after this one or I might not, depending on drugs and stuff. 

Sluggy 

Frugal Friday...the October 27th Edition on Saturday

There are very few(if any)Frugal wins this past week so here goes....

*  Went to my old NP at the shit show clinic to get a wound check since the Pediatrician PCP refused to treat me.  The NP is a wonderful human being and we love her and she did me a big favor by checking my incision(it's fine btw)so I didn't have to spring that on the new PCP I was setting up with.

*  Went to a new PCP and this one, not being a Pediatrician by practice(and an A$$hole in personality)will be a much better fit.

*  While I'm complaining about stuff, my youngest child is the only one how checks in on me by phone every week.  My daughter who lives here can't be bothered to call or come over on the weekend and my estranged son never even responded to Hubs text letting him know I was having surgery.  Thank goodness I married a great man who has hardly complained about helping me out since we flew to Ohio.  He's my rock! 8-)

*  I went to PT 3 x this past week.  Man, does that wear me out and I usually need a nap in the afternoon.  Good thing I've hit all my deductibles and co-pays so I'm not shelling out cash for this service.

*  Grocery shopping this past week--

Last Sunday Hubs did the shopping with the list I gave him.

All the above would have cost $49.49 OOP except I still had travel stipend money for the surgery trip that was used.  I earned back $20.20 on Ibotta and another $7.24 for a free meatball offer.  I earned 600 Shopkicks for the ice cream, $3.24 on the ice cream again on Checkout 51 and 308 Swag Bucks on various items.

He also bought a head of Romaine and a clamshell of Strawberries which came to $1.97.(The strawberries were bought with the stuff above and were paid for using the stipend cash, the lettuce was paid for OOP.)

*  We got some takeout this week because I ain't in any shape to cook still.  I had a hankering for Chinese so I got garlic Green Beans and Sesame Chicken.  Those two containers lasted me 3 big meals.  We also used a BK gift card and go a $3 Whopper on Whopper Wednesday.

*  I found money!

Nope, skunked again, but then again I was in no condition to pick up change and I only went to PT and the doctor.

Total Found in last Week.... .00¢
Total Found this Year.......$3.27

That's all I got. Gee, there was no frugal wins really(other than using up some lingering gift cards).

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

Blogging will be taking a backseat to getting me healed so there might not be many posts here for the foreseeable future.8-)

Sluggy