Frugal Friday.....Feb. 7th to Feb 13th

Here are our frugal wins for this past week....

*  I love finding marked down foods at Kroger(this really doesn't happen at Walmart).  I found that Kevin's Thai Chicken dish on clearance that I wrote about on Monday.

I also found some veggies and a couple of bagged salads with clearance stickers too.

*  We also had no food waste last week.   We cooked at home and then ate some leftovers this past week.   I had green onions that were going South so Hubs used them in his Thai meal.

*  We didn't run the heat most of the week as the temp has been so high here right now.  It hit the 80Fs a couple of days this past week.  Crazy for February!

*  Entertainment last week was free tv, YouTube watching, doing genealogy or reading.

*  I found money! 

We went to Walmart to pick up an Rx and I found 7¢ strewn about the floor beyond an actual manned checkout register as we walked by it on the way to the entrance/exit.

Found Money This Week.... .07¢

Grand Total Found this Year....... .29¢

That's all I got.

Except--

I've been out of sorts and after trying to get a discussion going on another blog.  The blog owner lashed out and her sycophants hurled personal insults at me.  Now I've got an ex-reader emailing me after she was told that her emails were unwanted and unwelcomed and she won't stop.  I don't need this kind of shit.  Has everyone in this world gone bat shit crazy?

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

Sluggy   

Wasteful Spending Can't Be Defended

This is just a piece of the list of where some of your tax dollars have gone in USAID-- 

$2 million for sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala.

$6 million to fund tourism in Egypt.

Spent $20 million on “Ahlan Simsim” — a new Sesame Street show in Iraq.

Over $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan.

Up to $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals went to al Qaeda-linked terrorist group the Nusra Front.

$500,000 to group that “empowers women” in an attempt to solve sectarian violence in Israel just 10 days before Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. Awarded

nearly $25 million to Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia (the country). 

$4.67 million to EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key nongovernmental organizations funding bat virus research at Wuhan Institute of Virology, in late 2021.   

$20 million for the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability through Investigative Reporting program which used the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project as its implementing partner. 

USAID’s 2022-2030 climate strategy outlined a $150 billion “whole-of-Agency approach” to building an "equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions."

$7.9 million to a project that would teach Sri Lankan journalists to avoid “binary-gendered language.”

$1.1 million to an Armenian LGBT group.  

$1.2 million to the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., to build “a state-of-the-art 440-seat auditorium.”

$1.3 million to Arab and Jewish photographers.

$1.5 million to promote LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.

$1.5 million to “rebuild” the Cuban media ecosystem.

$1.5 million for “art for inclusion of people with disabilities.”

$2 million to promote “LGBT equality through entrepreneurship … in developing Latin American countries.”

$2.1 million so the BBC can strengthen the media ecosystem in Libya, “designed to value the diversity of Libyan society.”

$2.3 million for “artisanal and small-scale gold mining” in the Amazon.

$2.5 million to promote “inclusion” in Vietnam.

$3.9 million to LGBT causes in the Western Balkans. 

$5.5 million to LGBT in Uganda.

$6 million to advance LGBT in “priority countries around the world.”

$6 million to “Transform Digital Spaces to Reflect Feminist Democratic Principles.”

$6.3 million to men who have sex with men in South Africa.

$8.3 million for “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion.”

Another $16.8 million to a separate group in Vietnam for “inclusion.”

And yes, this agency does do "good" work at times.  And the heads of those projects that feed people(and not the terrorist groups who got millions)and provide life saving medicine can and know how to get waivers to keep their funds.  And those "real" agencies are not being shut down.

Now could you defend this sort of wasteful spending in Your Household/Family Budget?
I think not.

Sluggy

Oh Brother!

Blogger, in their infinite wisdom has decided that a private blog can only have 100 readers.  Since I've got close to 200 people asking for invites this isn't going to work for us.  I had to put up a mirror site, Sluggy 2.0 as it were, with the same posts on it.

But then Blogger didn't even let me invite 100 readers to either blog and shut some folks out.  Plus all my blog roll and pages will also have to be duplicated(this is why all of you on the mirror site don't have a blog roll or can see any of the page tabs-because I haven't duplicated those).  I also am not fond that folks on the original site can't see what folks son Sluggy 2.0 are saying.  It just isn't right and this is turning into a big old headache for me.

So I am going to wait about a week and hope that the trolls and haters have moved on to new fertile ground and open the blog back up as public.   

So hang on for a bit longer if you will.

In the meantime, here is a clip about USAID.

Sluggy

Food Spending....the January 2025 Edition

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for January 2025.

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, Pet Food. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
****************

ALDI

OOP  $3.69

Value  $4.99

Savings  24.59%

BROOKSHIRE'S

OOP  $10.91

Value  $14.87

Savings  26.63%

KROGER

OOP  $308.37

Qs/Gift Cards  $254.43

Value $562.80

Savings  45.21%

WALMART

OOP  $77.51

Qs/Gift Cards $38.54

Value  $116.05

Savings  38.54%

********************
My best Store Savings Total was at Kroger with a savings of 45.21%.  My worse rate was at Aldi with 24.59%.  Not a bad savings rate average overall though.

I shopped at 4 different stores in JANUARY.  

TOTAL Spent in January......$400.48

TOTAL Rebates Banked....$100.00

TOTAL Spending in January....$300.48

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$398.23

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$698.71

TOTAL Savings of........56.99%

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

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....Most of our $$ was spent at Kroger(got the best deals there)and we had over a 40% savings rate at that store.

The Monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 6.50% in January to 56.99% compared to December's 50.49% savings average.

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-because I don't have to). 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 1 months accounted for, I have spent a Total of $300.48 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2025 after rebates received.  Food prices have gotten to the ridiculous level, haven't they?

2025 Yearly Total Value of Items  $698.71

2025 Total Saved   $398.23

2025 Yearly Total Spent  $300.48

2025 Yearly Savings Total of  56.99%

The average per month amount spent is $300.48 in 2025 but that's after all the rebate monies are added in.

Remember that I withdraw all my cash rebate monies(Ibotta, Shopmium, TaDa, Checkout 51, Swag Bucks, My Points and other miscellaneous rebates-Aisle, Tremendous, Sampoll  etc. and have it sent to my Paypal)and add it back into my food budget.  I have cashed out $100.00 in January so my January spending has gone down to $300.48.

The other savings apps like Fetch, Shop Kick, Kroger Cash Back that let us get free gift cards(or $ off your grocery total-Kroger Cash Back), those are added back in when I cash those points in along the way. 

Because I don't like to let money sit in these rebate accounts and Paypal, I send $$ to my bank account throughout the year.  I have sent $ from various rebating programs and through Paypal to my bank.  If you add in all that my food spending at the 1 month point in 2025 comes in at $300.48 or $300.48 per month.

Besides all I sent to my bank account I have more $ sitting in these various rebating programs as well as in Paypal.  This is not counting ShopKick or Fetch, which all comes out in gift cards.

LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY 2025....

After we went through and organized the freezer, I am trying to eat down freezer/pantry in 2025 in preparation for our move away from here.

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 January?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just keep 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....Feb. 2nd to Feb. 8th

The "Kroger Clearance" Edition........

We picked this item up on Friday at Kroger.  It's spicy(which Hubs likes)and not only was it on clearance for $3.36(reg $9.99)but it was part of the Mega Sale so cost $1.36.

Plus it's nowhere near it's Use By Date and Hubs has lots of rice leftover he made to have with last week's Lemon Pepper Chicken dish so it's a no-brainer to buy all around!

Onward to the meal planning!

Here is what was planned for the last week.....

1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken and Dumplings

2. Monday--Chicken, Green Beans

3. Tuesday--Leftovers(probably the Hamburgers and a Veg)

4. Wednesday--Shrimp, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

5. Thursday--Pasta in Mushroom Sauce with Meatballs, Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Salmon or Chicken Burgers, Leftover Green Beans

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken and Dumplings

2. Monday--Cheeseburgers(bun optional), Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Chicken Strips, Green Beans

4. Wednesday--Muffaletta Pizza

5. Thursday--Leftovers(Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke)

6. Friday--Shrimp, Roasted Brussels Sprouts

7. Saturday--Pasta w/Mushroom Sauce and Meatballs, Salad

Everything pretty much happened but not necessarily on the day it was planned, except the Salmon or Chicken Burgers.

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

*  Chicken Strips

*  Meatballs

*  Shrimp

Last week we spent $32.89 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 53.17%. Spending for the month is $400.53 and the savings rate is 40.10% for January.

Rebates earned in January-

$162.31 on Ibotta

$10.00 on Checkout51

$78.20 on Aisle and Misc.

$250.51 Total in $$

10,372 Pts. on Fetch

707 Pts. on SwagBucks

513 Pts. on My Points

0 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Leftovers going into next week...Sweet Potato Fries, Green Beans, Beef Pie, lot of Spaghetti w/Meatballs.

Here is what was planned for this week.....

1. Sunday--Leftover Beef Pie

2. Monday---Rotisserie Chicken, Leftover Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Thai Chicken w/Rice or Veggie Lasagna

4. Wednesday--Pot Roast, Onions and Carrots, Rice(optional)

5. Thursday--Salmon, Veggie TBD

6. Friday--Leftovers TBD

7. Saturday--Leftovers TBD

Just trying to eat down what is here when I'm not getting great deals.  I chose my meals by cherry picking the deals and building meals around those items, combined with what is in my freezer.

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? 

Sluggy