This Week's Rite-Aid Foray

It's not been a great week here.  More on that later.
I did want to pop in and tell y'all what I got at Rite-Aid this week before the deals are gone......

2 x Ocean saline spray on sale $1.50=$3.00
2 x Sucrets drops on sale $1.50=$3.00
2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale $3.50 but Gold disc. $3.43=$6.86
SubTotal....$12.86

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Ocean IPQ HERE=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Sucrets IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Colgate toothpaste ManuQ(2/3SS or 2/10SS)=$1.00
Coupon Total....$5.00

$12.86-$5.00=$7.86
I used $7 in +Up Rewards to pay and put the .86¢ on my gift card.  Had I not been in pain(and thinking clearly) I'd have probably added a .26¢ Cella cherry to my order, used $8 in +Up Rewards to pay and put .12¢ on my gift card.  Ah well....

I received back $8 in new +Ups(2 x $3 Colgate, 2 x $1 1 for OCean/1 for Sucrets).

This Trip......
Value of items bought....$31.74
+Ups Used.....$7
+Ups Received....$8

**GRAND TOTALS FOR FEBRUARY**So Far

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$85.05
Savings Rate of  100%
Rebates due......$0.00

+Ups at beginning of month...$20.00+
+Ups used....$27.00+
+Ups received...$17.00+
+Ups currently...$10.00+   

Sluggy

Wanted

I saw this posted on Facebook and had to share.

This is by far the best "Roommate Wanted" ad ever posted on Craigslist.
See it HERE.
The ad isn't the great part.
And be sure to click on the link in the ad to see his bio....he's an interesting guy!


Now the best part of the ad isn't the ad per se.
It's the Song a Day he wrote about his ad.
Check it out....

If only I needed a roommate....in Brooklyn......and I wasn't married.....lol

Sluggy

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon a la American Idol

If you've been reading here for a year or so, you may remember last year I mentioned that I was rooting for someone on American Idol.
I have an online friend I met through our being on a beanie baby discussion board back in the 1990's.  He's a sweet guy and he has a daughter who grew up and went to NYC to seek her fortune as a singer/actress.  She ended up meeting a guy and they became a songwriting team and eventually formed their own singing group on the side.
Last year her partner, Nick Boddington auditioned for American Idol and made it onto the show.
He did get cut while they were in Las Vegas however, so it was a short stint.

This season he decided to audition again and he made it through the initial rounds and made it onto the show a second time.

Last week was Hollywood Week.  I have no clue what that means though.  lol
Nick performed as part of the boy group, The Math Heads.  They were the first group to go in the group round.  The video is of their song.  Nick is the guy wearing glasses.

After surviving the Group Round, here is his performance in the Solo Round....

So if you are into this voting thing and watch this show, don't forget our boy Nick and wish him luck!
The top 20 guys who go on will be revealed this Wed. and Thurs.

Sluggy

Sometimes Cheap Food Isn't Really Cheap

I know we are not all Suzy Freakin' Homemaker.....
Not everyone is cut out to be chained to the kitchen, churning out delectable foods for the family.
At some point in our lives, we all need to make concessions in feeding our families, be it buying less expensive ingredients or cutting corners due to time, talent or finances.

There are tons of companies out there with food products and sometimes making a choice is daunting.
Just know that those labeled "convenience foods" will almost without fail be the most expensive choice you make.  It may seem like a bargain at the register if it's on sale and you have a coupon for it, but in the end what is the quality of the product(the taste)and even more so what is the end result on your health by eating that product?

Take for instance Pop-Tarts.
It's cheap(on sale and with a Q), it's easy(no work involved unless you want to toast it and that really doesn't involve any "work" lol), and it's something you can get your kids to eat readily(it's sweet).
But in the end the quality is questionable(it's full of ingredients you can't pronounce)and stuff that is rather bad for you(empty calories).

If you have some baking skills, why not challenge yourself to come up with a homemade version of a Pop-Tart?
You know....one that you can control what ingredients go into it, so it tastes good but is also better for you and your kids!  See if you can do this and keep the cost at or lower than what the Pop-Tart folks charge for their product.

And the next time you are in the grocery store and you go to reach for that processed food thing you are about to put into your cart,  ponder this.....

Makes you want to put a garden in your yard this year, doesn't it?

Sluggy

Meal Planning Feb. Week 3 & Food Spending Week 2

Here is the only photo I took of the "Nemo" we got around here.  Snowfall totaled about 6-7 inches.

Oh the inhumanity of it all!  Will I ever be able to sit on my swing again? lol
To a Southerner(except for those raised in the mountains), THIS amount of snow is enough to make you panic.  Nobody can drive in it, most places don't have the equipment to deal with it and everybody goes nuts thinking they'll never be able to buy food at the grocery store again!
I must say that "real" snowfall amounts were a novelty to me the first few years I lived above the Mason-Dixon Line, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing snow.
But it wears off right quick when you have to shovel it.

Good luck up in New England though as they got total snowfalls like we use to get in the Poconos every year.   Here's our previous house.....

I can't believe we lived there and SHOVELED out multiple times a Winter without a snowblower for 14 YEARS!  We were young and healthier......oh, and broke, so couldn't justify the expense of a snowthrowing machine.

So you folks in CT, RI, MA and ME have my sympathies.

And here is what actually got served last week......

Sunday--Chicken Fajitas

Monday--Taco Bell or Fend for Yourself

Tuesday--Salmon, Broccoli

Wednesday--Pan Saute Chicken, leftover rice from Take-Out, leftover Corn

Thursday--leftover Chicken Fajitas

Friday--Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip with Celery or leftover Tortilla Chips

Saturday--Hamburgers, French Fries, leftover Salad

I served about half of what I had planned.  The hot dogs, ,the soup and the ravioli got moved to this week.  Friday the Daughter was all jazzed to make some amazing chicken dip she had had before.  It called for 2 bottles of Frank's hot sauce(2 bottles!!!)so I knew I'd probably be dieting on Friday whether I wanted to or not. lol  She cut down on the hot sauce but it was still too spicy for me, though I did eat some of it.  It was also a CHEESE OVERLOAD.  So between the mega cheese and the hot sauce, let's just say I was not a happy camper on Saturday who stuck close to the bathroom and leave it at that.   Next time, I'll eat less of that hot mess and carry a box of baby wipes with me for the next 24 hours.  LOLZ

Now that I've scarred you for life.....let's move on.

The food spending last week?

Ugh.

I spent $120.90 at my 2 stores.  Most of the damage was done at Weis PMITA Markets.  I bought dairy products for Daughter's dip(everything was on sale thankfully), fruit, ravioli, asparagus, beans, OJ, clearance bologna, 3lb. of ground beef and splurged on a box of Crab Rangoons.  Then I stocked up on 6 100% juices, honey, 3lbs. of catfish and 4 pizzas, the ones we love best(on sale AND used Qs!). A sale pack of Salmon, Cabbage, Onions and frozen Green Beans(all on sale)rounded out my shopping for the week.

I've spent $206.92 and I am left at this point with $193.08 in my food budget for February.

As for leftovers rolling into this week--the only thing is a big bowl of that Chicken Dip stuff.  I'm not eating it but the family has orders to do so since it sure did cost a fortune!

If I have to buy some chips or something to get them to use it up, by gosh I will.....even if I have to pay retail for the chips!! ;-)

***********************

Here is what is getting served this week.....

Sunday--Hot Dogs, Grilled Asparagus

Monday--Ham and Bean Soup, Green Bean Casserole, homemade Bread

Tuesday--Halushki + Ham Soup/GB Casserole, Bread

Wednesday--Meatloaf, Potatoes(not sure which way), Cauliflower

Thursday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself

Friday--Ravioli, Sausage Sauce, Caesar Salad

Saturday--Maybe Chinese date nite with Hubs

Needed at the store to serve the meals I am making this week?

I already picked up the Asparagus, Cabbage, Celery, frozen Green Beans, frozen Ravioli and a can of beans(for the soup-can you believe I had no dried Northern beans left?)last week.   

Still need....Romaine lettuce, milk. I'm looking to stay out of the store(except to do my Price Book Week 6 numbers) so I'll give myself $40 this week just in case a good deal comes up.

What's on your menu for the week?  Any good deals at the grocers this week?
Did you have any food waste this week?  I need to clean out the nether regions of my fridge this week and I have a bad bad feeling I'm going to find a science experiment back there. lol

Sluggy