It's My Birthday!!!

First some business......

I did this on Sunday to use up expiring BC at Rite-Aid.
Except......I didn't figure things correctly, like the price on the body wash was reg. retail and not my 20% discount so I had to buy 2 candy bars to use the BC up instead of just one candy bar.
No fear though as Ex-College Boy has agreed to take these bars off my hands. lol

I ended up spending .36¢ on a R-A free gift card but I got the BC all used up.
Except....the Softsoap gave me a new $1 in BC.  So I'll find a way to use that within the next 30 days and I don't plan on having any BC on this Wellness card going forward, so 2 cards(almost)done.

I plan on emptying another card later this week on Friday.  More later as that unfolds.

* Today I start another trip around the sun.  I had planned a Giveaway to start today to celebrate my birthday but I've got people to see and places to go today and didn't get it finished yet so that will go up on Wednesday(if I don't party too hard today/tonight lol).

So have some fun and raise a toast today to the 'Ol Slug(and my haters can curse me as is their fashion)but do something out of the ordinary to celebrate your life!

And I'll see y'all tomorrow. 8-)))

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Who Buys Cookbooks Anymore?" Edition................

I saw this cookbook during a trip to an Ollie's in December.  I would have liked to have leafed through it but there was no time to do so and I wasn't about to buy this book.  I love me some sweet potatoes though!
With the world's recipes online at our fingertips, does anyone even buy cookbooks anymore?

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-two weeks worth!

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

1. Sunday--Meatloaf, Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Sugar Snap Peas or Tossed Salad, (Pasta for Hubs too)
3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Sloppy Joe on Rolls, Corn

6. Friday--Chicken Broccoli Casserole
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Meatloaf, Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Sugar Snap Peas or Tossed Salad, (Pasta for Hubs too)
3. Tuesday--Sloppy Joe on Roll, Corn

4. Wednesday--Pizza, Salad

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Applesauce
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 1 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out. 
Most of the plan happened except the Chicken Broccoli Casserole(which moves to this week), the cheap pork I found at Weis got used and Pizza happened. 

What got put into the freezer last week....
* Nothing

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
*  Ground Turkey
*  Ground Beef
All that ground turkey and beef from the week before got cooked up and mostly used.

2 small trips to Weis($19.58), a trip Target(5 cases of water, OJ, Almond milk, sour cream and 2 cream cheese)using a Target gift card bought in 2018 for 10% off($15.40)and a trip to the Bread Outlet($6.67) brought the weekly spending to $41.65 and my January spending on food to $84.18.

My savings percentage last week was 59.59%(without Rite-Aid trips)and January's monthly savings total comes in at 54.36%(w/out R-A).  

I have 11 more food shopping/spending days in January.

Leftovers going into this week.....Sloppy Joe mix and 1 Pork Tenderloin.  That's it!

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

1. Sunday--Tacos or Taco Salad(I'll have my second pork tenderloin from last Friday)
2. Monday--Butternut Squash Ravioli, Roasted Carrots
3. Tuesday--Birthday!!! I don't cook!

4. Wednesday--Fish(type TBD), Veggie(TBD)

5. Thursday--Chicken and Dumplings

6. Friday--Chicken Broccoli Casserole
7. Saturday--Leftovers

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing I can think of at the moment.  Produce will need to be bought soon as carrots, potatoes and cabbage are all I have left.
I may hit Malacari's for deli meat this week since we had loaves of bread again to make sandwiches.  Might do the Finish dish tabs deal at Weis(PMITA)Markets again this week before my Qs expire. That all should amount to $25 or so. But that's all I have planned.

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 great deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy

Sunday Night Ramblings & Things That Make You Go "Huh?"

It's been an interesting day here.

*  I don't know why but I fell down today.  It was slow motion really.  I bent over to clip Chester to the tie-out to take him outside and I just kept going down. lol  Except for my pride nothing got injured.

As I lay there face down on the floor Chester thought I was playing and licked my face, jumped around my head and stood on my back(King of the Mountain anyone? lolz)while I felt like that "Help? I've fallen and I can't get up lady on TV.

I must have tensed up when I took that dive as my left shoulder is now sore.  My sinuses must have given me some vertigo symptoms which caused me to fall as they have been draining for a few days at least that's what I am hoping was the cause.

*  I had to laugh at this sign at Maines Restaurant Supply I saw in December........

Bean Green aka Green Beans.  I guess they are outsourcing their signage from India or China or ?

*  Have a look at my "long" nails..........

I've never had nails of any note but I recently grew them out.  I have very soft nails(always have)that split easily so these are long for me.
I found after a week or so that I HATE having long nails!  Not only do I mistype on my keyboard because of them, I hate having to constantly having to clean them out and file them.  I used my hands to make meatloaf and boy were they a mess after that. lol

*  I received this in the mail right before Christmas and thought, Hey! This could be something good!

But it was just an ad to get me to buy......a hearing aid. lolz
Nice trick Miracle Ear folks.

*  I saw these fancy paper towels at the discounter nearby......

Since LSU won the College Championship I'm thinking I missed a great opportunity to cash in! lolz

*  I bought these cookies at Lidl back in October when I stopped at my son's apartment for the day coming back from the Ocean City MD girl's weekend.  Son took me to Lidl near his place as I've never been to one.  I must say these were the best Pfeffernüsse cookies I've ever had.  Five thumbs up!
And they were not expensive either because, well, Lidl! ;-)

*  I got the current bill for either Kohl's or one of my fat lady clothing stores(don't remember which now).  Just look at all these ads for more crap to buy that were shoved in with the bill!

6 pages of advertisements for stuff I'd NEVER buy!!
I should have saved it all and returned it with my payment, right?! lolz

*  When Hubs and I went to Kohl's recently to spend my $10 Chit we wandered around all the Christmas leavings there.

This was a "Do-It Yourself Christmas Tree Kit".  A vial with fir tree seed pellets, a hand trowel and a hand rake, along with a tiny journal to record the milestones of your tree's life.
So silly and even on clearance too expensive.

*  And now that my Daughter is married I can start sending her pictures of stuff like this...........

I may have to nag my way into becoming a Grandma! lolz

*  Let's end with some puppy cuteness.  It looks like Chester is winking in this one.......

And that Xmas toy behind him?  It took the two of them 2 hours to destroy it.
Kids and furkids are why you can't have nice things! lolz


Sluggy

Using Up Bonus Cash-There is Light at the End of the Tunnel!

So I hit up R-A on Friday/Saturday to use up a lot of Bonus Cash.

I did this on Daughter's card........it had $3.08 in BC on it.

1 x Caltrate on sale=$6.99
1 x Baby Ruth candy bar on sale=.49¢
SubTotal.......$7.48

I used a $4/1 Caltrate ManuQ so $3.48, $3.08 in BC used and .40¢ on a gift card and Boom! this card has no more BC on it.

I also will earned $4 cash back on Savingstar for buying the Caltrate so a .52¢ moneymaker.

Then I went to do the "Spend $50 on select items/Get $20 Visa gift card Deal" but the return from Tuesday(which I had to call about on Thursday because my BC was NOT put back on my card 2 days later)was still not accounted for with the return of the BC points. sigh.
So I did some of the deal(and called again when I got home about the missing BC)and went in Saturday morning before the snow started.

2 x Kleenex 6 pack on sale=$15.98
2 x Scott big tp on sale=$15.98 *not pictured*
4 x Butterfinger candy bars on sale=$1.96
1 x Micinex DM on sale=$14.99
2 x Altoids on sale=$4.00
SubTotal.......$52.91

Coupons Used
2 x $1/4 Kleenex singles or 1 4 pack ManuQ=$2.00
2 x .50¢/1 Scott tp ManuQ=$1.00
4 x .50¢ Instant Discount Peelie on candy bars=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Mucinex IPQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.........$7.00

$52.91-$7.00=$45.91+$1.05 tax=$46.96 paid for with Bonus Cash.
R-A actually paid me .04¢ to take those Butterfingers home(after sale/instant Q they were -.01 each). ;-)

I earned a $5 Catalina(spend $25 on Kimberley/Clark-Kleenex and Scott products)...........

And the $20 Visa Reward Card code printed on my receipt this morning.....

So I turned $46.72 in BC into a $5 Cat and a $20 Visa debit card that expires the end of June 2020(and can be used anywhere, not just R-A).

Then I bought another Caltrate on Hubs card.....

$6.99-$4 ManuQ=$2.99 paid for with Bonus Cash.  This is something I need and use and I needed to spend the BC down.
I have another $2.24 in BC on Hubs card that has to be used before end of business Monday.
I have $1.06 BC on son's card which doesn't expire until Feb.
I also have $20 on my card which expires end of Jan. so I'll be spending that all down in the next week or two.

This means I am almost divested of ALL of my BC and can take a nice long break from Rite-Aid.
I am just tired of playing the drugstore game and we are full up with toiletries.  8-)))

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the January 17th Edition

A quick look at what passed for frugal this past week around Chez Sluggy.....

* I got the Weis Freebie item last week--

Or rather Hubs got the freebie as I sent him to Weis. lol  Cotton swabs are always useful so heck yeah!!

* I went to pick-up an item I ordered from Kohl's--

I had $10 in Kohl's Cash that had to be used before we went to Louisiana so I ordered a bra and did a store pick-up so no shipping.  It came in after we got home.
Total OOP was $7.99 after sale/Q/K-Cash for a Playtex 18 hour bra.  Nice.

*  After we got home from Louisiana I got a $10 Yes2You Reward as well from Kohl's in my email.

Hubs and I went in the store and checked out the clearance stuff.  I can't show what I got as family reads this here blog sometimes(when they are really bored!).  I picked up a big gift and 2 small gifts for a grand total OOP of $4.31(including .08¢ tax)after K-Cash, 15% off Q and clearance deals.

* I earned .10¢ on Ibotta this past week. Oooooo!

*  Best deals of the week............

 Free after sales/Qs/Bonus Cash toothbrushes at Rite-Aid.

And 6 pork chops for $1.66 OOP at Weis.

* I picked up Domino's on Wednesday when I went out to Weis at lunch time.  I ate some of my pizza for lunch and Hubs reheated his for dinner.  It seems tomato recipes no longer like me at dinner time(have to limit acidic foods to before 4 pm or I get bad heartburn at night)but I still can eat these foods earlier in the day.
What made this frugal?  I used a long ago paid for gift card so no OOP.

* I found some money!

A penny in the R-A parking lot last Saturday.  I opened my car door and there it sat right next to the car.

On Wednesday I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets and used my favorite self check-out to ring out.
Lookie what someone left me there............

.31¢ left in the machine change return that came home with me.
Found Change total this week...... .32¢.
Found Change total for the year..... .83¢

That's about it for this past week.  Otherwise I've been staying home, cleaning, de-cluttering, getting Giveaway Boxes ready, doing end of year paperwork and loving on my doggies.

What frugal wins did y'all have this week?
Tell us all about it!

Sluggy