Crunching Numbes to See Where We Stand

Since Hubs has said he wants to retire in about 2 years from now, I've gotten keen on looking at how much of the income we actually have been spending to "live" and where/how we can reduce these expenses before he actually leaves his work.

For the last few years(2011)I've kept a handwritten monthly accounting(plus a breakdown of food/toiletries spending in a notebook)of our money and where it all goes. 

I look back at the beginning of each new year to see how we did compared to the previous years and then we think on how we can reduce some of the expenses/spending.

Yes, it's "Numbers Nirvana" for geeks like me! ;-)

I am taking a DEEP BREATH and bravely posting a rundown of our yearly spending on the essential bills we paid plus some significant non-essential categories of spending.  You will note that we don't have a mortgage because the house is paid off. 8-)))

Not included are spending on the kids(except for food where I can't separate it out), pet care(since we don't have those bills any longer), clothing for us and "frivolous" spending(Vera Bradley handbags anyone?).  Also not included are any category that we have automatically deducted from the paychecks(all retirement account funding, medical/dental/eye/long term care/life insurance premiums, charitable contributions and federal/state/local taxes withheld).

I'll come back to these lists at another time/post and get into the nitty-gritty of them.

2014 SPENDING

Long Distance Phone    $87.16
Dental Bills                    $88.20
Eye Care                       $172.05
Cell Phone                    $216.39
Home Maintenance   $2767.76
Landline Phone           $292.19
Garbage                       $336.00
Sewage                         $407.40
Water                           $610.93
Insurance Home          $634.00
Cable/Internet            $1269.66
Car Maintenance       $1563.21
Insurance Cars          $1890.51
Electric                       $2890.02
Local Taxes                $3272.12
Gasoline                      $4393.81
Medical Bills  OOP    $4652.97
Food/HBA                   $4989.49
SUBTOTAL.............$30,533.87

Non-essential categories-
Car Rentals                 895.79
Eating Out                $1890.99
Lodging                     $1923.20
Alcohol                      $2284.81
SUBTOTAL.............$6,994.79

GRAND TOTAL......$37,528.66


And here are the same categories we spent on in 2013.

2013 SPENDING

Long Distance phone      $91.30
Dental bills                  $1071.00
Eye care                         $135.00
Cell phones                    $214.12
Home Maintenance  $19452.51
Landline phone            $284.58
Garbage                        $336.00
Sewage                          $407.40
Water                            $780.52
Home Insurance          $612.00
Cable/Internet            $1293.84
Car Maintenance       $1726.53
Car Insurance            $3080.17
Electricity                   $2437.36
Local Taxes                $3148.24
Gasoline                      $3197.15
Medical Bills OOP    $2442.99
Food/HBA                  $4560.82
SUBTOTAL.............$45,271.53

Non-essential Categories-
Car Rentals                $392.17
Eating Out                $2182.54
Lodging                     $1158.07
Alcohol                      $1129.98
SUBTOTAL.............$4,862.76

GRAND TOTAL....$50,134.29


Sluggy

 

This Week on the Dining Table

The "WTF? Happened to the Weather" Edition ........

It hit -2.5F degrees last night at 11pm.  The blowers on the new heating system flew the white flag and gave up the fight at that point.
I went to bed with a nightgown and sweatpants on, 2 heaters on and I didn't fall asleep because of being cold until after 2am.
Hubs was outside early this morning with a hair blow dryer trying to warm up the compressor unit to get the blowers to come back to life.
It must have worked because by noon the den was back up to 66F degrees and the blowers were working again.

 

 

Here's the forecast for Thursday here.....

 

-8F degrees!
We might have to go to a motel to stay warm.

Here's what was planned last week.....................

1.  Spaghetti w/meatballs & homemade sauce, Green Beans
2.  Pork chops, Potato Salad(leftover), Carrots

3.  Garlic Ginger Shrimp w/Stir-fry veggies, (rice for Hubs)

4.  Ham & Bean Soup, Salad
5.  Chicken Marsala, Asparagus, (noodles for Hubs)

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Spaghetti w/meatballs & homemade sauce, Green Beans
2.  Pork chops, Potato Salad(leftover), Carrots

3.  Garlic Ginger Shrimp w/Stir-fry veggies, (rice for Hubs)

4.  Fried Shrimp, Collards
5.  Eat-Out

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

Most of the plan happened except for the bean soup and chicken Marsala.


Last week I made multiple trips to grocery stores(can you say CATALINA DEALS?), got some foodstuffs at Ollie's and also went to the Bread Outlet.  I spent  $151.04 OOP on $288.19 worth of groceries.  I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday and spend .31¢ OOP on $63.07 worth of toiletries, so $151.35 spending last week.


My spending for February so far on food/toiletries is $151.55 for $360.84 worth of food/toiletries.
I have $98.45 left in my Feb. budget and 12 days to go.
If I put the $6.96 I spent on laundry detergent for the food bank last week I have $105.41 left in my budget.

Leftovers going into this week are risotto w/chicken and extra alfredo type sauce from when I made the ravioli but that will put into the freezer for later. We also have 2 pork chops, collards, green beans and small portion of carrots and small portion of spaghetti sauce left.

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Leftover spaghetti meatballs
2.  Leftover risotto, pork chops, green beans

3.  Boston Baked Yellow Eye Peas, Yellow Squash

4.  Ham & Bean Soup, Bread
5.  Chicken Marsala, Asparagus, (noodles for Hubs)

6.  Chicken Fajitas
7.  Leftovers

Since it's so cold here this week I am all about the comfort, hearty foods.....soups, baked bean pot meals, pasta.

 

What I need to buy for this menu......mushrooms for the Marsala and Fajitas, eggs and milk.

I don't need to buy much for this week's menu BUT the ads this week are pretty good(another Kraft Catalina Deal for coffee!)and I have $30 in Cats to spend. I may spent the rest of my monthly food this week...... or I might not.
 

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

Happy President's Day

In my ancestry hunt I have come across some family lines I can claim, that have given us men that have attained the highest office in the land, that of President of the United States, and also some of the First Ladies/President's Wives.

I am not someone digging my roots just to be able to wave about the fact that a famous "so and so" is hanging on my family tree.
But I do confess that when one turns up it is fun and quite exciting.  ;-)

Here are a few I can count among the limbs on my tree--All photos are from Wikkipedia--

3rd President Thomas Jefferson-Field Jefferson, his uncle, by marriage to my 7th great grandmother

9th President William Henry Harrison-3rd cousin 6x removed

                                                 

10th President John Tyler-not exactly sure of the distant yet but some sort of cousin

12th President Zachary Taylor-cousin(not sure which number distance yet), also Taylor's wife, Magaret Mackall Smith, through the same ancestor

10th President Rutherford B. Hayes-cousin(not sure which number distance yet)

21st President Chester Arthur, his wife-Ellen Lewis Herndon-6th cousin 4x removed

23rd President Benjamin Harrison-5th cousin 4x removed

 

28th President Woodrow Wilson, related by marriage to both his wives-1st Ellen Louise Axson, through her great grandmother Eleanor Randolph(not totally sorted out yet but a distant cousin thing), 2nd Edith White Bolling by marriage

43rd President George W. Bush, his wife Laura Lane Welch-7th cousin 1x removed

For better or worse, I am bonded to these people genetically or through allied families/marriages.

With all this in mind, is it any wonder now why I birthed a son on George Washington's Birthday? *Though technically the date we celebrate as Washington's actual birthday is not the same date as he was born on, due to the switch by the British from using the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar 19 years after his birth.  See explanation HERE.

Perhaps I should just stick to promoting William Henry Harrison as my famous ancestor, since he is the only one who died before he could do the nation any harm.  ;-)

Now go out there and celebrate President's Day like a true red blooded American and buy a large appliance!  8-)))

Sluggy


 

Friday Shopping

Hubs took Friday off and the weather was bitterly cold BUT SUNNY so we went out shopping after I got my blood work done.

First to Weis and then the local Shursave Market..............

FYI-The Weis $10 Cat when you spend $40 on select Kraft items is NOT a limit of 1 offer.
It it is a limit of 1 Offer PER Transaction.  So you can go back and do it again and again but only once per transaction/order.

So I got 6 more OM bacon and another $10 Catalina Q.
I also did the Sargento Cheese deal--Instantly get $3 off when you "spend" $10 on select Sargento items. (Here, it is running off the reg. shelf price not the sale price.)  So I got 3 sliced cheese packs(reg. $3.69, sale price $3), used 3 x .55/1 Qs HERE (doubled to $1 off each)and paid $3.00 for all 3 packs.

The lunchmeat is for Hubs, $1.69 after sale and $1 instant discount sticker.  The French bread was 50% in the bakery.  I also got a quart of Cabot yogurt on sale $3.99
Behind the cheese are 2 bunches of asparagus $1.88 lb this week.(One is slated for my Leek Soup, the other for broiling plain.)

I also got 4 more jugs of A&H laundry detergent at Weis for .87¢ each(not pictured)to add to the food bank donation pile.

We stopped at the Bread Outlet and got 3 loaves Arnold's fancy pants bread, spent $7. (Grocery store here charges $4.49 a loaf or more depending on the variety.)

Then we went to Ollie's because I had a 15% off anything in the store Q to use before Monday.
Here are the food items we bought.........

2 Hunt's no sale ketchup .76¢ ea.
1 minced Garlic $2.54
1 low-fat Hellman's mayo $1.69
1 large Oregano $2.11
1 Balsamic vinager $1.69
3 olive oil  $1.69 ea.
2 blueberry pie filling $2.11 ea.

2 Larabar Granola(grain-free) $1.69 ea.

Then Hubs talked me into going back to Weis that evening to get him some coffee.....Maxwell House is part of the Spend $40/Get $10 CatQ Deal.
The large cans(2 lbs!)were also on sale so it made it worthwhile

4 x 2lb. Maxwell House coffee vats on sale $7.99(reg. $9.49)
1 x smaller MH coffee not on sale $3.79
Total.....$35.75, got the $10 Catalina Q.

Over 4.5 lbs of coffee for $25.75 after the Catalina.
I don't know if this is a good or great deal because I don't know from coffee but Hubs is happy. lolz

Now I've spent about $120 this week on food(makes up for the last 2 weeks of little to no spending on food)and I've got 3 $10 off Cats to use in the next two weeks on groceries.  8-)

**Heads up for Weis and Rite-Aid shoppers starting on Sunday**

Rite-Aid has $2.00 off In-Ad coupons for Irish Spring Body Wash and it's on sale for $3.49.
Go print the $2/1 Irish Spring Body Wash Qs on coupons dotcom NOW for that sale to get free body wash(be sure to buy something else with it so you don't go negative at the register).

Weis will have Gorton's fish entrees for 50% off when you buy 3, with your shopper card.
Go print the .75¢/1 Q HERE .  If you have access to 2 printers/computers and your store doubles or doubles up to $1, print 3 and get a good deal on grilled fish.

Sluggy


 

Heart Health Month......Or Is It?

Since almost dying in March of 2013 I've learned a great deal about sodium in the diet and how bad it is for you.

Salt is only one name it goes by on your food labels.  Anything listed as a chemical compound with Sodium as 1 ingredient IS salt and should be avoided in large quantities for your heart's sake.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 milligrams of salt intake daily.
Do you know how much that comes out to?
That's 3/4 of a teaspoon per day.

You need some sodium in your diet because it's an essential electrolyte that our bodies need.
Often as salt it is paired with iodine which is another essential element needed in very salt numbers to keep our bodies in good order.

Why is sodium in large amounts so bad?
It can increase your blood pressure, cause water retention, and is a common risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

It is also put into most of the commercially made foods you eat with liberal abandon!

 The Salty Six Info HERE.

When it comes to the Salty Six it's best to choose lower sodium breads, deli meats, cheeses and soups(or make your own so you know exactly how much salt goes into it), and if you buy chicken, avoid most processed/breaded kinds and raw chicken that has been injected with a solution(as that solution is heavily salted).
If your child is eating a diet of pizza and chicken nuggets they are getting way more sodium in their diets than is healthy for them.

Ok, I didn't start this post to be a lecture on salt. ;-)
I wanted to show you how grocery stores say one thing but do another.

February is National Heart Month or something like that.
The grocery chains are playing this up as a big ad campaign to boost sales......yes, everything they do in the way of advertising is to move product and drive sales higher.

Here is a portion of a page of my local grocery store.
Can you guess why I am LMBFAO over it?

Heading says, "February is Heart Health Month.  Look for products with this logo."

Notice what they are advertising on special this week right under that heading..........
Chinese Food sauces-soy, teriyaki and sweet & sour
Chow Mein and noodles
Ramen noodles

All processed foods, most extremely high in salt.
Put the items with probably the highest sodium content right under the heart month heading.
WTF?!?

Just another reason why you should eye he sales ads with suspicion.

Sluggy