Are You Sure This Isn't the UPS Store?.....

I am struggling to find anything worthwhile to say this week.
My life is revolving around eBay lately so that's what you're going to hear about ad nauseum.....

Between that and my dining room looking like the shipping dept. of a huge corporation I've pretty much not left the house or done anything except list/pack/ship stuff on "you know e-where" for days.

 The downstairs of my house looks like a UPS Store most days.....boxes, cardboard, Goo Gone, scissors, yardsticks, pens, bubble wrap, newspapers, packing tape rolls, paper garbage laying EVERYWHERE.

Then Sunday and Monday I sold NOTHING for 48 hours.
During the weeks before Christmas?  THAT'S weird....and it had me on edge people....seriously on edge!

Sunday I get....people take time off from consumerism some days and anybody who shops on the weekend is most likely doing so at the mall or some brick & mortar store.
But Monday.....specifically the 3rd Monday before Christmas!.....most everyone is back at work so it's prime time to shop online while the boss has his/her back turned, right?

Nothing.
Crickets chirped.
The clock in the kitchen ticked off the seconds annoyingly loudly.

I went to a dr. appointment and rushed home to find....nothing sold.

I wrote my weekly meal plan/food spending post.  Surely after that much time there will be an email that something sold?.....didn't happen.

The mail lady came to the door and asked me why I had NO PACKAGES to pick up....was I sick?...in the hospital?.....abducted by aliens?  Sorry.....just not selling anything.

I read blogs for HOURS.....still nothing.

I moved crap around the living room and put things in the garage that weren't worth listing "you know where" to sell and got them ready for the ride to the Salvation Army.  I paused at my computer screen each trip through the den to see if I had a "Your eBay item sold!" email......nope!

I bought a social coupon deal on EverSave for $70 worth of wine for $35 HERE.  I had $10 in Save $s so it cost me only $25.  I then proceeded to spend it and bought gifts for 2 people on my list.  With the shipping and the couple of dollars I spent over $70 I paid another $22, so $70 of wine for $47.  I'd call this a very good deal!
While I was doing this online, I waited to hear that magical tune/note that mail had landed in my inbox....a potential sale?....nope, just spam and deal blogger ads...blah!

Then after Hubs came home and I bitched to him about how I think the Holiday selling rush was over so, so prematurely, the emails started popping up that I had made a sale or two.....and Hubs rolled his eyes at me for being a Drama Queen who needs a life.

Thank you eBay buyers for driving me stark raving mad AND making a liar out of me. ;-)

I was forced a little over a week ago to go buy packing tape.
You can't sell on eBay without large amounts of packing tape.....true dat!

And no, I don't hop up to the store and buy a couple of rolls, I buy industrial size amounts.....

36 Rolls.
And I am hoping it lasts me until I am done for good with eBay selling....but I know it won't. lol

And of course about a week after I ran out of tape, I was down to my last roll of bubble wrap.  2 days after Cyber Monday and I'm looking at the last roll of bubble wrap....hell no!!!

It figures.....you NEVER run out of both at the same time.....that's one of the Murphy Laws, isn't it?

Now my "roll of bubble wrap" is not what the average person pictures as a roll of bubble wrap.
This is a normal person's idea of a BIG roll of BW....

This is what I mean by a roll.....

And one of those isn't enough!

So here is what is taking up residence in my kitchen at the moment.....

Yes, 4 mega rolls of bubble wrap that are almost as tall as I am.
And yes, I had a hard time parting with the amount of money it cost, but it cost a LOT less buying it in bulk than running to the store for an anemic little roll OR 20! every couple of days.lol

And for all you bubble wrap popping addicts out there.....and I KNOW you are drooling over my Stash......keep your freaking hands OFF it!!!

This is NOT for fun and games....I have serious work to do I tell ya.....serious!

I know y'all BW addicts will enjoy this video.  Just be sure and turn DOWN your speakers if you are at work or you have a heart condition. ;-)

Sluggy

December Food Spending Week 1, Meal Plan Week 2

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Leftovers(Pot Roast)
MONDAY--Taco Bell
TUESDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Chicken Casserole, Sugar Snap Peas
THURSDAY-- Leftover Tacos or Taco Salad, Mandarin Oranges
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out

SATURDAY--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself

As I was knee deep in eBay last week, we had take-out food twice and leftovers thrice.  

We had chicken two days in a row.  My chicken breasts didn't thaw in time so I ran up to the ShurSave market to use my last $10 Reward and bought some breaded cutlets for the Parmesan.  

The following night I used up the leftover Thanksgiving stuffing by pan sauteing the now thawed chicken and concocting a Chicken and Stuffing Casserole.  I use to make this a lot when Hubs and I were newly married....come to think of it, I don't think I've made this since the kids were born.  To make it properly you start with dry stuffing mix, fresh onions/celery/etc.  I just deleted the large amount of chicken stock it calls for(to rehydrate the dry stuffing mix/bread)and heated it up until it was nice and bubbly.

Anyway, I think the only Turkey day leftover we still have are a few rolls and I will polish those off the next few mornings for breakfast unless some one else here gets to them first. ;-)

Total for all the food shopping last week came to $23.22.  Hubs picked up a gallon of milk.  I went to Weis and used a $2 Catalina Q that was expiring and bought burritos, ice cream and corn chips.....just a bunch of garbage I know!  

I had to use the last of my ShurSave Reward money by 11/30 so I spent $1.56 OOP on $14.52 worth of food using that. I'm counting this 11/30 receipt in Dec. bills since I forgot to add it into November's total.

My savings percentage was 54.12% last week, as the reg. retail was $50.61 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $23.22.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Subway
MONDAY--Chili, Cornbread or Biscuits

TUESDAY--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

WEDNESDAY--BBQ Chicken Legs, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli
THURSDAY--Seafood en Croute, Veggie Melangé

FRIDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Boston Baked Beans
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Salad Greens, Puff Pastry Shells and Rolls.

I haven't even looked at the grocery ads for this week yet.  And I have everything I need to make these meals until I get to Thursday's so I have time to get to the store to shop.  I need easy to reheat type stuff the next 3 days as #2 son has pit orchestra rehearsals until 9pm until Wed. (The play is Friday/Saturday so those nights I need quick meals as well.)

The following week is Christmas Band Concert rehearsals and the show so next week we'll be living large on fast food and quick slop too. lol

 I was toying with an idea in regard to my food spending for the year.  I am $227.15 from hitting the $3K mark spent for the year.  That's pretty close to my usual $250 monthly food budget.  Maybe I'll tighten up December's food budget and try to go for staying at or under $3K for the year?

I've already spent $23.22 this month, so that would put me at $203.93 left for December.  With the kids coming home and Christmas?.....I don't know.  I don't want to make Christmas a chore by not fixing some favorite foods for the crew but staying under $3K for the year is sweet, right?

What say you dear readers?

Should I torture my family and only spend $203.93 more this year.....or just spend whatever I want?

Sluggy

$32K Savings Challenge......NOVEMBER 2011 Results

Ok, here is my Savings Challenge Update post.
This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against so much spending.

Some day I'd like to spread all the cash I've saved out on the bed and lay on it.  This puppy has the right idea.....
  

On to the November report.....

I have posted my NOVEMBER End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up November in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of November with?.......$3,686.66!

Income
We had $3681.89 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $3.00 in Rebates(LOL) applied against the food expenses, $1.77 in Interest on the Checking Account toward the Savings Challenge & you get a total of $3686.66.

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal.
This month we blew that goal out of the water! 8-)

Outgo
As for the expenses in November......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

* The electric bill went up only $67.....that's good seeing as the heat was on!

* The food spending was almost on budget at $263.10
* The credit card bill was $1000+ BUT....almost half of that was money we spent on our mini vacation to Delaware, so we are pulling money out of what we saved in the Savings Challenge last year to pay that part of the bill.
* There were no car repair bills or taxes due this month...yay!!
* I opened my eBay Store up temporarily for the holidays to bring in a little coin, though I am not counting this income as part of the Savings Challenge because it will be spent....but it's STILL a good thing!lol

HERE are the BAD THINGS

* The water bill went up $10.
* Had $154 in unexpected medical associated bills to pay. (A dr. bill from this past summer when Daughter went and saw a dr. not in our plan so insurance won't pay any of it and #2 son lost his retainer so we had to pay for a replacement.)
*  Still a LARGE amount of cash withdrawals.  I went through Hubs receipts last month and there was no unusual spending...except he spends a lot on food and coffee during the day at work  I have nagged, pestered, whined, cajoled, bribed, offered sex all to get him to take his lunch and coffee.  Nothing convinces him.  I'm done trying.   ;-)
*  December means Christmas gift spending so the C/C bill will be high.  It's already at $500+ going into Xmas shopping season.  Add in the $200 in home improvement gift cards I put on the c/c last weekend.

The Food Budget costs for November are in another post, which is located HERE.  We kept almost to the food budget amount so I am calling this good considering the month included the big TURKEY DAY meal.

What's ahead for December.......
* There are the usual suspects: electricity, water, phone, cable, credit card bill, food cash, etc.
*  The electric bill will increase as Dec. is colder than Nov.

* Though Christmas is coming up I still plan to stay on budget with food for December.
* The credit card will be high.  With Christmas that's a given since I don't carry large amounts of cash on me when out holiday shopping.  But we don't buy more on the card than we can pay off each month.

YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
With 11 months behind us, our Savings total to-date for 2011 is $30,105.95.
We are $1,894.05 away from reaching our final goal for the year. Unless there is some catastrophe that wipes out our money in December we WILL hit our goal of $32K saved in 2011!

To add to my confidence that we will succeed is the fact that we will get THREE Paychecks in December because of when the paydays fall.  This means an extra whole paycheck in December...woot!!!  We will have enough if something bad happens to the budget and can still Live Christmas Large and tie it up with a red bow! 8-))))

So how are your savings growing so far this year?
Do you have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!  You really should, you know.
With the current financial climate in this country, you should try to put away into savings as much as you can each month or be throwing savings at your debt if you still have that.

So come along and Challenge Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal or Debt Goal!

Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  Put it into paying down your debt, put it into savings, invest it or put it toward the principle in your home mortgage....just get busy and do this!

It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Put it out there online and let us all stalk your money too. ;-)

So how was your November financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?

Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!

Sluggy

Look Who I Saw Today!

I was down at the mall outside of Philly today and guess who I saw there?
Judy over at We May Be Poor, But We Are Happy may SAY she's going for job interviews but she took another pain pill and THIS is really how she is spending her free time!
Turn your speakers up and check it out....

Sluggy

Keyword Searches...HUH?!?!

I like to go look at my Stats every now and again on Blogger and see what words people search for that leads them to wind up on my blog.
Usually it's something boring like Slugmama or Don't Read This It's Boring, which is what people who are too lazy to put my blog's URL as a Bookmark into their Favorites and just Google my blog title every time they want to come visit me do.  That's fine too but why not go ahead and follow or bookmark me to save yourself some time and typing! ;-)

But I like to see what bizarre search words or phrases lead people to my blog door.
Here are a few from last week.....

cat hoarding
pet hoarding
cat hoarders
aspirin
dishwasher detergent
kmart
sheeple black friday

And the BEST WEIRD search word/phrase was.....

hhhsssssshhhhjkkkkll

WTF?!?!LOLOL

I really don't think I'm very hhhsssssshhhhjkkkkll, do you?

So go look at your keyword searches and tell me what interesting words/phrases you find! 8-)

Sluggy

eBay Follies....Longish but Kind of Funny

It's been a pretty good week on eBay for me.
Yah, yah, I know....y'all are getting tired of hearing about this, right?lol

While things aren't flying out the door I've been kept busy with getting rid of(selling)things.  In the past 27 days I have listed 140 items.  Not quite the 150 I wanted to get done but it's close enough for me to feel a sense of accomplishment. 8-)

As of this morning, I've sold 49 items and I have a couple of Best Offers to rule on so I might be up to 50 by this afternoon.

Cyber Monday's sales were steady but not frantic.
And then on Tuesday things dropped off substantially.....except when I get something listed, there is a frenzy of questions to seller(and/or offers if I put that feature on an item)within the first few hours of it being 'live' on the site.  I actually sold something within an hour of listing it yesterday.
But unfortunately most things don't fly off the shelf like that. 8-(
eBay is way down from what it use to be like during the High Selling Season of Oct/Nov/Dec.
Ahhhh, the good old days....lol

I've had some really interesting potential buyers this week.

*A woman who bought an item from me about 7 years ago bought something from me last week.  How do I know this?  Because she sent me a long email telling me this, with many details, which jogged my memory and I actually sort of remembered her.  She was nice to deal with back then and still is, but the main thing I remembered about her was that she was very cheap and never wanted to pay for Priority mail shipping and was always trying to get a better deal out of me.  She is still sending me chatty emails and I just don't want to be her friend so I feel bad ignoring her.
That's the thing about eBay.   Some buyers want to have a relationship with you beyond the buyer/seller interchange.  They cross the line from friendly buyer into needy territory......I want your money but I really don't want to be BFFs if I meet you on eBay.lol

*Someone emailed me about a Star Wars action figure case I am selling that is out of production(from 1999)but new in the package.  She wants to replace a vintage case her son had gotten years ago, now that her grandson was using his SW toys, because that old case was falling apart.  She asked me a bazillion questions that the only way I would know the answers would be if I ripped open the sealed package and inspected the interior of said case.  This is not something I would under any circumstances do(unless the person bought it first and PAID FOR IT and asked me to open it before shipping it off).
After those bazillion questions that I couldn't possibly answer, she wanted to know how long would it take to get it without telling me WHERE she wanted it shipped to OR WHAT MAILING RATE she wanted to pay for. 

Then to top this all off and push it into the "Seriously, get a clue!" category, she offered me half of what I was asking for it...and I had NO Best Offer feature enabled on the item NOR is my price for this item outrageously high.

Since I am a nice person(most of the time...lol), I answered the 2 questions I could, told her why I couldn't give her more information, told her I wasn't taking half of what I needed for this item and directed her to a listing for a lovely used identical case for cheap and said goodbye.
I could have ignored her or told her to kiss my pastey white a$$ but I've still got a little bit of Holiday spirit left......but it's wearing thin I tell ya! ;-)

*How about two different cases where potential buyers emailed me frantically wanting to know where my listing disappeared to when I sold an item that they had put on their "watch list".  One even demanded that I relist the item so they could buy it!  The nerve of someone else buying it...humph!  Well if you really wanted it, you should have bought it instead of just watching it.
I have never understood why someone puts a Fixed Price/Buy It Now item on a watch list.....it's not like it's an auction and they don't want to miss the end of the auction and bid on it then so they win it.  You just have to hit the button and Buy It idiot.....no auction sniping needed!lol

*The impatient buyers from overseas.  I don't quote overseas shipping automatically in my listing details like I do domestic shipping.  Overseas shipping is a tad more complicated with too many variables to just give a cookie cutter response.  Some items can't go cheap rate(1st Class)due to size or weight restrictions.  And then there are countries where I will not ship to using 1st Class rates....countries with massive corruption in their postal systems(many of which are privately held)where packages regularly go missing and end up stolen.  That would be Italy.....Jamaica......and parts of Mexico to name a few.  I am also reticent to ship to places with oppressive communist or dictator-ish governments.....like some "use to be Soviet Union" countries, China, parts of the Middle East.  If you are in those places you need to wait until you ask me if I will/can ship an item to you and what rate I will allow it to go.
Add in that often overseas shipping is a LOT more anyway than these buyers assume.

I will get overseas buyers who ask me for a shipping quote and then since I don't answer them immediately, they go ahead and buy the item. 

I've had one of them last week do this and then pay me without including any extra for the shipping of the item. lol

This week I had a guy buy without finding out the shipping to Italy would be at least $40 since I won't send 1st Class rate to there.  He ended up paying for Express Mail rate for $48!  Heck, I thought Italy was declaring bankruptcy....this guy obviously didn't get the memo yet.;-)
Then I had someone buy without finding out the shipping to China.  I've already had one package returned to me from China that was undeliverable so I am reticent about sending there anymore.  Seems like China actually holds their citizens to the "you can only import certain goods/certain value of items per year" rule.  If someone in China(Hong Kong not withstanding)asks for a shipping quote I remind them to ascertain whether the item is allowed to be received by them.

Another person yesterday in Canada bought an item and immediately paid me.  They chose a random number out of the air and included that much extra in their payment for shipping.  They sent no note or explanation about this payment, including no expectation of which shipping rate they assumed this extra bit of money would buy them.  So now I have to figure out the shipping options quote and email them.  If what they sent is enough to cover the shipping they expect, that's fine, but if it isn't......I have to refund the whole payment and wait for them to send me to correct amount....and I have to email them and hope they see my email and respond in a timely fashion.   That's the thing that gets me.....buyers expect me to instantaneously respond to their inquiries, shipping their package immediately after they pay and post feedback a nanosecond after they pay me.  But when I need information out of them?.....Oh, they are in no hurry whatsoever to respond.  But if their non-response means I can't ship their item and it gets held up for any amount of time, they are hell on wheels bitchy at me. *sigh* lol

But even though eBay selling during the Holidays can be stressful...especially if you are an ethical seller with a conscience who cares about during things the right way....this year I am NOT letting it get to me like I did in past years. 
Because basically, I don't give a shit. ;-)
I don't care about my rating....ok, I do care to do things the right way, but if you have a hair up your ass and just want to go on eBay to screw with someone and ruin their Seller reputation to make yourself feel like a big deal(I've dealt with those in the past), I don't care if you leave me unwarranted bad feedback.  The whole feedback system is a joke and has been for years since they took any serious repercussions against Buyers out of the equation but left all the feedback power in the hands of the Buyers.  Sellers can't do anything to a bad buyer.....can't leave them negative feedback.  But a bad buyer can not only leave sellers uncalled for bad feedback but they can ding them on their 5 star rating for something that is beyond the sellers control--the cost of postage/shipping.  If I don't give FREE Shipping(something that I have to pay for out of my tiny profit and more and more buyers are expecting even though I can't write off the cost of shipping like huge corp. like Amazon can)and charge what it actually costs to ship something, my SHIPPING AND HANDLING Star gets downgraded by them.  This star really needs to be called something else since I don't CHARGE SHIPPING, the Post Office CHARGES it. I merely collect it.  And not only that put I get the great honor of HAVING TO PAY eBAY A FEE ON THAT SHIPPING MONEY THAT I DON'T CHARGE OR GET TO KEEP.  AND i GET TO PAY PAYPAL A FEE ON THAT SHIPPING MONEY I COLLECT FOR THE PO TOO.
And yes, I am shouting here.....

So I don't give a rat's a$$ about what my buyers think about my prices.  You buy it or you don't, your choice.  You pay me what it costs and I ship your thing to you.  You want to leave me nasty comments, fine.  Have at it!  I don't care because when I am done selling off my crap I am leaving eBay and it's Black Hearted Business Model far behind.
Cutting ya loose eBay....with a smile on my face(ok, maybe a smirk!)and a skip in my step because I'll never have to endure this again.

Yah, I'll miss the funny buyers and shaking my head at the "WHAT were they thinking!?!?" buyers but I am retiring as a Master Shipping Box Reconfigurer. 
I'm hanging up my postal scale, tape, yardstick and scissors after this last hurrah.

Sluggy

November Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2011.

I have posted November's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(3-4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 15.
******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $17.89

Value  $72.44

Savings  75.30%

LUCAS FARMS(local produce market)

OOP  $13.02 

Value  $27.33

Savings  52.36%

RESTAURANT SUPPLY STORE
OOP  $32.50

Value  $75.90

Savings 57.20%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $104.43

Qs/Ads  $173.15
Value  $277.58
Savings  62.38%

WALMART 

OOP  $3.60

Qs/Ads  $0
Value  $3.60

Savings  0%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $99.66

Qs/Ads  $261.51
Value  $361.17
Savings  72.40% 

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN NOVEMBER
Pinecone...$3.00
Subtotal........$3.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
$0.00
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$3.00 * a pathetic month*

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Zero  *more pathetic-ness*

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Bakery Outlet at 75.30%, Weis at 72.40% and the Shursave Stores at 62.38%.
I shopped at 6 different stores in November.....well really it was 8 but 3 of them were Shursaves so I counted them as the same store. ;-)


TOTAL Out of Pocket........$271.10  soooo close!lol

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$546.92

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$818.02
TOTAL Savings of...................................66.86%


TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$3.00
TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$268.10
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$549.92
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$818.02
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................67.22%

This closes out the November spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-I came very close to staying on my $250 food budget in November.  I cashed in a grocery store gift card and did a couple of different Catalina Deals(can you say GRAVY?lol)this month.  I also bought a second turkey in November and did a wee bit of stocking up on dairy/baking supplies.

Oh! Wait a minute.....actually if you look at my October food budget post I set a $300 budget for November so I came in UNDER!

Go me!!lol

Now I'm sure that if I had remembered I gave myself a $300 food kitty last month, wanna bet I would have spent $320?  8-)

What's ahead for December.....
As always I'll keep an eye out for Catalina deals I can use.  I am going to try to use up some meats/proteins in the freezer this month before we get to Christmas.  The freezer needs a good defrosting and clean out.  Using up will help keep the food spending in check since I foresee a big Ham purchase in 3 weeks or so for a big Christmas Dinner and that hunk o' meat will cost mucho coinage!

With 1 month left in the year, we have spent a total of $2,772.85 of our income on food/HBA in 2011.
That comes out to $252.08 per month.
We brought home items with a reg. retail value of $13,287.59 so far this year.
That's a savings of $10,514.74 or 79.07%.

How did you do in November with your Food Budget?  Did the Turkey Holiday dinner bust your budget(not to mention your belt!lol)

What are your challenges for December?  Any family coming to stay....Holiday Celebrations?..  Do you throw parties and how do you budget for that?...or is your/the childs'/the spouse's school/work/Holiday extracurricular activities schedule too busy to shop/cook/eat as a family?

Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy

One More Day....

....Until December!
I see all of you out there, you KNOW who you are!, talking about having your Christmas buying all wrapped up or nearly wrapped up.
And it's not even freaking December yet!
Come on......

WTF?!?!lol

I can't compete with this so I won't try.
I have bought throughout the year in years past, but with teens and older who don't want 'stuff' anymore I just don't buy much anymore.

I do give gift cards or money, which I can do late in the game and it's so much less stressful.
I ordered some gift cards with our c/c points over the weekend.
Now I have to get something for Hubs and my family 'Secret Santa' person.  The immediate family draws names and we each give 1 nice present to our SS person.
And I'll wait until this weekend to start freaking out over getting this done and getting the house in shape to decorate a bit.

I did buy 1 item for the Nephew for Xmas that was discounted 40% so reasonably priced on Black Friday.  And that was it for BF, except for the Gift Cards(that aren't gifts)I got at Rite-Aid.

Since I was online working on listings all day on Cyber Monday I did a little window shopping though.
I also wrestled with myself most of the day over the Deal of the Day on Amazon......

A $499 600 Pro Series Kitchen-Aid Mixer.
After sale price, rebate AND additional discount if you opted out of the Free Year of some magazine, the price was $183 and change.
I debated over buying this all day....never did hit that order button though.
I'd love to have it but with the kids leaving home, I find I make less and less baked goods.  It would end up being a very pretty and expensive counter tchotchke I'd have to dust.


With reopening the eBay Store, I haven't had time for much else the last week except for throwing food on the table or clothes in the washer.lol

Here's something shipping out today......

3 3-pack gift sets of CARS cars.
I sold them for $69.99.
I paid $5 each on clearance at Target 3 years ago.
My "geiger counter hands" strike again!lol

On the other hand, my 2 local Tag Sale Doll/Toy buyers crapped out on me.  There will be no $153 for me and less crap here to unload.
I'll repost all the Tag Sale stuff tomorrow....Pay Day!lol

There is major consternation in the local online Help Site. I'll post separately about that brew ha-ha when I have more time.

After a week of 60 degrees the temp has dropped and I swear it looks like it's going to snow at any minute.
My poor confused plants.....lol

I got an invite yesterday to go to Scranton and protest Barry Obama.
He's in town politicking and yammering on about something or other.....and causing major clusterfuckness on the 2 Interstates around here.  Thanks so much Washington and don't wait dinner for anyone who has to commute around here today.
Screw your Presidential convoy!  Why don't YOU sit your ass in traffic like the 99% do.....

I decided to stay home and stay pepper spray-free.
Of course, I do have a nice camping tent and I could probably drum up some people and start our own local OWS group.
Maybe if it was still 62 degrees and I didn't have work to do...you know, to make some money so I can support myself and not have to rely on the Government for handouts.

I'm more concerned about this protest right now....

 Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan Week 4+/December Week 1

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Mixed Veg, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Tacos, Corn
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Leftovers
SATURDAY--Chinese Take-Out

 No Squash casserole night again, because though I actually got to the Product market last week I forgot the yellow squash.  I am claiming I was so overcome by the beauty of the Rutabagas....yah, that's my story. ;-)  Lots of leftovers.  We are almost at the end of Thanksgiving leftovers(except for the stuffing)and we still have taco beef.

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $56.02.  I had to use half of my ShurSave Reward money and I still spent $17.46 OOP.  I spent $13.02 at the Produce market(and I got some extra sweet potatoes for later). 2 trips for milk last week and I was at $249.47 for the month.

 

Then Daughter came home and decided she needed yogurt(which she didn't eat all of before she left to go back to school), and frozen pizzas(1 of which she didn't eat).  I asked her to pick me up a few more apples for a pie.....so she bought beautiful eating apples NOT on sale instead of  "I don't care what it looks like as long as it's cheap" apples to put in a pie.  5 apples that cost over $6...EEK!  We had some words about buying apples afterwards.....lol

So I will blame Daughter for tipping me over my $250 food budget for November.

My savings percentage was 50.03% last week, as the reg. retail was $112.10 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $269.54.  I have to food shop tomorrow as I have a $10 ShurSave markets reward left that expires on that day.  I will try to keep it as close to $10 as possible.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Leftovers(Pot Roast)
MONDAY--Taco Bell
TUESDAY--Leftovers(Turkey)
WEDNESDAY--Leftover Tacos or Taco Salad
THURSDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Salad
FRIDAY--Subway or Chinese Take-Out or Pizza
SATURDAY--Chicken Casserole(uses up leftover stuffing), Veggie TBD

Items needed for this menu.....nothing really, I have everything I need to make it all....except for the Subway and the Taco Bell of course.

I don't plan on any food shopping this week except to use that $10 in Rewards on Wednesday.  Basically this week's ads suck, as they always do the week after the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I'll be posting my Monthly Food Spending Post in the next day or two as time permits between dealing with Real Life and eBay stuff.

And of course my posting about food shopping this month isn't complete without a mention of.....

 

Sluggy

In The Weeds....

Literally and figuratively in the weeds here!

That's why I haven't posted lately.
#2 son home from school still....it's deer hunting season in PA so they had off on Monday and today is Parent/Teacher conferences.
But he's had pitt orchestra rehearsals and orthodontist appointment.
Plus I am dealing with Daughter's medical issues and medical insurance provider long distance from college which makes me want to spit nails!
And the phone rang 23 times yesterday.....have I mentioned how much I detest talking on the phone lately?
And the eBay screwball buyers have come out of the woodwork and I am behind on getting things listed because I have been packing and shipping like a wild woman and have no time left for listing.
I haven't even done a menu for this week...ack!
And I am so tired I actually drank a cup of coffee at the Orthodontist's office....it was free so what the hell, right?lol

And the weather.....can I just say that the weather is crazy lately?
It's 60 degrees outside...it was 62 yesterday.
This is northern PA.....this is late November....WTF?!?!
It should be 25 degrees and snowing.
It's like in 2007 when it was 70 degrees and we had a tornado on Dec. 1st.
Wacky weather.......

My shrubbery is so confused.
Here is what my forsythia bush is doing.....

It's BLOOMING!
Likewise my Magnolia tree and the massive Rhododendron bush have budded out because they think Spring is here!
Sigh........

If this keeps up we'll need to mow the lawn again this weekend......in December. lolol

I'll be back later after I get something accomplished.

Sluggy

In eBay Purgatory & My Paycheck to Paycheck Guilt

*  First let me say that I have sold/bought stuff on eBay off and on for more than 13 years now.
I am so OVER eBay already it's not funny.
I am so glad my eBaying days are coming to a close.

In the past, I would dabble in eBay enough to get fed up with dealing with the stuff that happens there(sort of like Vegas but without the booze)and then I'd quit. 

But I wouldn't get fed up enough not to go back....either that or my memory is now so bad that I'd forget the stress and aggravation and just mosey on back during the HIGH SELLING DAYS at the Holidays....sort of like swearing off having another baby but after a few years the memory of those horrible labor pains dissipate and you find yourself back in the delivery room with your legs up in the air and your HooHa smiling out at the room.

In the last week I got 27 new listings up.
I wanted to have 70 new listings up in that time frame, or 10 per day.
Didn't quite happen, did it?lol

This was crunch time for listings since CyberMonday is tomorrow.
You are well aware that Online retailers get slammed tomorrow with orders but eBay also gets slammed on CyberMonday and I sure hope I am one of the lucky Slammees! 8-)

I did sell 5 items so far this weekend so I've got lots of packing/shipping to do today.
Then it's back to trying to get more listings up.

Later this week, I start discounting prices a bit since everyone loves a sale!lol 

I didn't get any atrocious buyers this week.  I did get a MAKE AN OFFER on something but it was a reasonable price so I took it.  And I have 1 potential Deadbeat right now.....and still lots of French folks wanting shipping quotes.....and I fielded a quote question from a new place-someone in Mauritius.  I bet you have no clue where that is either and you have to go mapquest it like I did. ;-)

*  I also relisted all my local Tag Sale site items again on Saturday, hoping some folks would look there for Holiday gifts when they weren't out cruising the mall.
And I have $138 in promised sales and I might have another $15 in possible sales for my efforts.  8-)

I did finally figure out that I need to run the Tag Sale items on either payday or the day before payday.
It appears everyone who uses that board to buy stuff lives paycheck to paycheck.
When I run the ad on weeks/days that aren't pay days I get people wanting to buy stuff but they want to wait to pay me on the 1st of the month or on fridays or whenever they get paid.

It shouldn't surprise me really and you would think I would have figured this out long before now.lol

It sort of makes me feel bad selling stuff to people who are living this way with their money.  I feel guilty that they are spending money they really can't afford on this crap and then when their car breaks or some emergency happens, they won't have the funds to take care of it, because they spent it on toys and dolls and stuff!
I am enabling and not helping them and I feel like a bad fiscal neighbor leading them astray.

But then again, if they weren't spending the money on my crap, they'd buy crap from somebody else, right?lol

So what are you up to today?

 Sluggy

Rite-Aid Deal for Anyone Who Spends $ at Home Improvement Stores...Hurry!

I forgot to mention this Deal earlier....duh!
If you are a home owner you probably end up spending money on your property at those big Home Improvement stores....you KNOW the ones I mean!lol

If you have spare cash to tie up until your next trip to Lowe's and/or Home Depot, head over to Rite-Aid TODAY.

One of their Black Friday Weekend Deals is this.....
Buy a $50 "Do It Yourself Home Improvement" Gift Card.
It looks like this....

Don't buy the identical one that you can put a range of cash into, buy the $50 one.  You pay no fees and it looks like it's a prepaid Discover card thing.  But you don't have to have a Discover card account to use this....sort of like prepaid American Express cards you can get but don't have to have an AmEx card to spend them.

Anyway, buy this card and you'll get $10 in +Up Rewards "money" for each one you buy.  There is a limit of 2 per Wellness card.

This is a great deal if you can afford to "tie up" your home repair/improvement funds in a gift card until you need to spend them at the store.
Or if you like someone you give gifts to at the Holidays $50 worth and they want this kind of thing, buy it for a gift and keep the $10 in "free" Rite-Aid script.

I went out on Black Friday(the ONLY shopping I did!)to Rite-aid and bought 2.
I'll be borrowing the BIL's card to get 2 more since he won't/doesn't need to get any of these.

This Deal ends tonight so get to Rite-Aid today.

Now I want to hear all about all you folks who rode the Crazy Train and hit the stores on Thursday and/or Friday.....insanely early wee hours of the morning or not and whether you get a buzz hitting the stores with your friends, if you go Holiday shopping on those days, you ARE riding the Crazy Train!lol

Me?  I went to Rite-Aid, grabbed my gift cards and was out of the store in 3 minutes.  No crowds, no lines, no sleep deprivation and no fist fights with coked up "people of walmart" types. 
Yes, I am boring but hey!....you knew that already. ;-)

Sluggy

The Darkest Day of the Year is Here!

*It's 3 am and I am headed to bed after staying up too too late to pack up things that sold on eBay and need to ship out today.  Don't make too much noise and wake me as y'all head out the door to shop, if you are so inclined.
Here's a repeat of my teeny rant last year on Black Friday.
The clip at the end is funny yet too close to the truth sometimes to be hilarious.
Enjoy!

Sluggyzzzzzzzz
***************************

Will you be out with the Shopping Fanatics on Friday morning?
Or will you be snug in your bed or headed to work at that early hour?
Me?....I don't 'do' Black Friday.

Besides the fact that I don't have many people to buy "stuff" for during the Holidays, it's rare that I want/need something so badly at an insanely low price that I'd brave the traffic headaches, go out into the Chaos of Crowds and stand in lines a mile long to pay in order to save money on an electronic/appliance/toy/article of clothing/etc.
But that's just me I suppose....
Hey, I am all over a great deal but even I have my limits.

If you do have the "Shopping Monkey on your back" and you'll be hitting as many stores as time will allow in a Shopping Bachanalia, remember that all that "stuff" you buy needs to fit into your already crowded with "stuff" home and once you are done with the new "stuff", it will most likely end up clogging up a landfill somewhere....and we are fast running out of places to dispose of all our unwanted "stuff" on this planet.  Consider these points and buy judiciously if you have to purchase "stuff".

The teens mostly want cash or gift cards and Hubs and I don't need more "stuff". I'm going to try to find ways to support local businesses this year when I do buy.
I'll try to find gift cards/certificates to buy off of local small merchants(for consumables or experiences mostly)and try to stay out of the big box stores.

Speaking of big box stores and Black Friday, have a lookie at this SNL skit and tell me that this isn't where we are headed.....



Since I sold a few things on eBay on Thanksgiving(bless all those cyber shoppers with nothing to do but watch football on Thursday!lol) I'll be packing and shipping when I'm not strolling down the aisles at Rite-Aid on Friday seeing what food/HBA items I can bring home for free(or close to it).

Whatever you are doing on Black Friday, stay safe, stay sane and stay warm!

Sluggy

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been up since 5am.
Seriously, who in their right mind gets up that early if they don't have to?!?!lol

Judy may have the Battle of the Thanksgiving Salt & Pepper Shakers but I've got Kermit Pilgrim.....

Now if I can just keep him out of my homemade Salted Caramel and Apple Pie, we'll be good to go.

And for Practical Parsimony who asked me what in the world is Bell's Seasoning, this is it....

It's just a pre-blended mix of herbs for stuffing....you know, sage, rosemary, thyme, that sort of thing.  It's a tradition for us.
Not frugal at $3 an ounce, but a tradition.

The pies were done yesterday, as was the stuffing.
I've got the roll dough rising, the rutabaga in the crockpot, the dip made and the turkey just went in the oven.
I've got time for a 2 hour nap now before I have to start drinking. ;-)

Hope your Thanksgiving is safe, comfortable(put on those fat pants today!), and surrounded by those you love(if not in body, in spirit).
Thanks for being my readers and my friends. 8-)

Sluggy

Turkey Day Prep is in Full Swing!

The photo above is for SonyaAnn.  It may not be a naked Santa but it's pretty racy, funny and a tad bit irreverent just like you.lol

Daughter is home and we are in full swing with the Thanksgiving meal prep.
*Turkey marinating...check.
*Cranberry glop in the fridge to chill...check.
*Pie filling made.....check.

Now I'm off to deal with the pie crusts.
Also on deck is toasting bread, chopping aromatics and sautéing them for stuffing, making a salted caramel apple pie(nomnomnom) and cubing the rutabaga for the crockpot.

I'm just hoping I can get all this done without having to run to the grocery store again. ugh

Here's hoping your meal prep is going well!

Sluggy

Tuesday Chit-Chat & Randomness

Hubs and I have solved the IRS/Brown Family dilemma.....
Kody and wife #1 file as married with 7 dependents(their kid and his and wife #3's 6 kids).
Wife #2 files as Head of Household(as she has a job)with 6 dependents(her and Kody's kids)
Wife #3 does not file a federal return(don't know if she has to file a state return or not in her state)...she has no income, child support or alimony so Kody take the kid deductions
Wife #4 doesn't file either as she has no job/income...unless she gets alimony and/or child support.  If her ex-husband pays child support, he takes the deductions on their 3 kids probably.  If she gets the deductions and receives alimony and/or child support then she does file as Head of Household.

Now next year(meaning for 2011 returns), Wife #4 with have a new kid with Kody, so he gets another dependent deduction. 
But since the moved to Vegas none of them have jobs....well except for the money TLC is paying them to be on the show, their tax stuff all changes for 2011.
 
Which brought up another point in Hub's mind. 
How is TLC paying them?  Since only 1 Sister Wife is legally married, they can't just pay Kody or Kody and wife.  They would have to pay each of the adults separately, which means they ALL have income now, even the SAHM ones.  So all but the 1st wife files as Head of Household now?
Ack....I need a Tylenol.....

At the suggestion of Sharon I have moved the Follower Button/Feature to the top of the blog.  She said it might encourage more people who drop by here to actually follow.  I feel like Sheldon a bit when I look at the blog because something just seems 'off' to me with it there.  No matter what I say to the contrary, I guess I don't adjust to change well.......

I do believe that half of France is shopping for the Holidays on eBay this year.  I am getting multiple inquiries each day about the shipping costs of this or that to France.  I've sold a thing here and there in the past to someone in France, but nothing like lately!  I thought France was in an economic crisis?  Seems the folks there with money still didn't get the memo.

And another observation about eBay......I get questions about shipping outside of the US frequently because I am one of the few US sellers who welcomes international customers.   I have learned over the years a few things.  One thing I'm going to say is going to sound sort of bad.  I'd call it a stereotype except that sometimes those have a basis in fact when you get down to it's core.  Here is my Un PC observation from many years on eBay--If you get a question about shipping to Netherlands, you might as well just ignore that person.
Why?
Because if they live in Netherlands they won't pay whatever the shipping cost is.
Why won't they pay it?
Because it will always be too expensive to them.
Yes, people from Netherlands are tightwads frugal shoppers.  I got it into my head that these people were cheap back in the 1980's.  My mother-in-law(one of the most frugal people I have known)had a book of money saving ideas.  One of those ideas was to cook beans under your mattress.....well, heat them up, then turn off the stove and put the covered pot under your mattress....the residual heat plus the insulation from the mattress would 'cook' your beans without using any additional energy.  I thought that tip was unique and strangely bizarre as a 20-something.  And that tip came from someone from, you guessed it.....Netherlands!  In face quite a few frugal tips were from persons from Netherlands.

Not too long after reading that book, a college friend went to visit someone who lived in the Netherlands.  What fun and exciting activity did her friend entertain her with?  They went walking.....walking for miles out into the sea in the muck left behind when the tide rolls out.  It's even got a name-Wadlopen or Mud Walking.
Wow!.....now that's living large.

I guess in my next life I might want to find myself located in the Netherlands.  My frugal butt would be much smaller and I would fit right in with that culture.
Except that mud walking thing.  I'd confine my exercise to biking or walking around town.

Here's something that I don't get.  Well I DO get it, but why anyone does it is a mystery to me.
I have a moderate feature on comments here on the blog.  Yes, I am a control freak that way.
The only thing that will get your comment banned is grossly inappropriate comments(slander, vulgar cursing, etc.)and spam.
I am constantly getting comments to moderate that are spam.  People who leave comments that are SORT OF innocuous and SORT OF say something on topic but have either 1-hyperlinked words in the text of the comment to sales sites or 2-the person's User Name, if clicked on, takes you to a sales site rather than their Blogger ID page.  Now you KNOW they are just trying to get either page views on their sites or trying to get people to buy stuff.  I don't appreciate being used nor does my teensy tiny blog.
If you are out there, doing this and reading now, KNOCK IT OFF!
Everyone else keep calm and carry on.....

I am off for some last minute Turkey Day food shopping.  Then to start digging out the dining room, baking pies and brining the bird.

Sluggy

November Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
MONDAY--Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs
TUESDAY--Teriyaki Salmon w/ Veggie Fried Rice
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Kielbasa, Potato Salad, Cabbage
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Take-Out Pizza *at behest of Hubs and #2 son

No Breakfast for Dinner night, Chinese take-out instead.  No Squash casserole night because I never got to the Product market last week for said squash, so we had leftovers instead. And I was out voted on Saturday and a pizza was ordered(using a gift card).

Last week was all about many little food shopping trips revolving around....say it with me!....GRAVY!

8 transactions at Weis Markets(aka Evil Empire)and 1 trip to the RSS(aka Restaurant Supply Store)for blue cheese dressing(aka PRECIOUS).

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $91.07.

 

That sure sounds like A LOT of $$ to me, but look at what I got for that amount.....

93 cans of gravy

21 cans of soup

1 bag stuffing

4 bags of croutons

6 bags of frozen potato/onion rings

2 bags of salad

2 cans of pineapple

4 bags of cheese

8 containers of sour cream

2 cans of cranberry sauce

5 3-packs of yeast

11 single packs of yeast

2 boxes of broth

1 applesauce cups

2 boxes of pie crust

2 bags of green beans

1 gallon of dressing

1 14-cut cheesecake

1 turkey

The only thing missing is a Partridge in a Pear Tree.....

If I saw it all sitting out together I'd think I did good.  I need my visuals people!lol

My savings percentage was 72.40% last week, as the reg. retail was $329.84 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $213.52, which leaves me $36.48 to stay within my $250 monthly food budget.  Ok, I "really" have $39.48 since I have $3 in rebates this month to throw into the food kitty....which is how I handle rebate $. 8-)

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Tacos, Veg.
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Chili or Leftovers
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Yellow Squash, Bell Seasoning, Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Celery and Milk.  I have $20 in store Rewards I have to spend by Saturday or lose them, so I'll get as much of this as I can at the ShurSave store.  

This is the last food shopping Week in the month.  Between the free $20 rewards and the $39 I have left, I think I'll be able to stay under budget for November...yay!

 

Unless of course, I start jonesing for some more Gravy! lol

So have you run out of food budget yet this month?

Or do you have lots of cash left?

Sluggy

Gravy Impossible or The Final Chapter of The Great Gravy Caper

Well, I still needed 13 cans of gravy for the FB as we headed into Saturday.
So Hubs took me up to the Evil Empire(aka Weis Markets)after he went to the Bank.
We sneaked up on the PF/Campbell's/Swanson Display and as I reached for the first of 22 cans I planned on getting(have to buy in lots of 11 to get the $5 discount), I saw a NEW little sign hanging on the shelf that said, "LIMIT 8 CANS".
I channeled my dear dead pet chihuahua, Mango, and muttered, "Crap!".
The cashiers probably wouldn't enforce this limit if I had Hubs do 11 cans and I did 11 cans PLUS we were buying other stuff so the gravy wouldn't be obvious.

And frrankly, when I want to, I can charm the pants off the Pope(not that I'd want to do that, have you seen His Holiness?lol)so limit of 8 didn't put me off of gravy procurement at all!
But as Hubs was in attendance(and he likes to play things safe and boring), I decided not to push the limit.

I handed Hubs 7 cans of gravy & 5 cans of soup(to get the $5 discount), 4 strips of yeast, a handful of coupons and told him to go get 2 sour creams and a bag of shredded cheese and checkout.

I turned and grabbed 8 cans of gravy(this last 15 would give me the 13 I needed to fulfill the FB request + 2 extra)& 5 cans of soup(to get the $5 discount).  Then I picked up other goodies to the tune of $17.21 OOP after sales/Qs.

Hubs order came to $7.30 OOP


All totaled, 83 cans of gravy bought at reg. retail would have been $115.37.  Even on big discount sale at .50¢ a can, it would have cost upwards of $41.50. 
I was able to get it all for around $5 OOP.

All these last 35 lovely cans are headed to the Methodist Church tomorrow morning.

And about the photo above?
Yes, it is true!.....you can bathe in gravy!!
Check it out HERE.

Sluggy

What If?.....

What if Jim Morrison had been hired to replace LaVar Burton on PBS?
It might have gone something like this.....



Sluggy

2 Things......More Gravy Talk and PW Fallout

I trotted over to the local Food Bank this morning as planned.
Of course, when I get there, there is a hearse pulled up to the back door where I needed to go. Did I ever mention that the FB here is located inside the local Methodist Church? lol

So I peek in the door to see if the FB is even open today, given that there is a funeral service going on inside. Not 10 feet away in the vestibule, the pastor was doing something with the casket before wheeling the departed one into the chapel.
I have great timing, don't I?

There was a new to me FB lady who came out and got the 4 bags. I told her it was 48 cans of gravy(no, I didn't make another gravy run that morning before I headed up).
She said, "Great! We won't put this away. We'll leave it out and we can put a can in each Thanksgiving Box!" I expressed pleasure to see that they hadn't made up/given out the Holiday food boxes yet, as I had hoped to get the gravy to them in time to be used for Turkey Day.
The FB lady went on to say that they have 83 boxes to pack.
Wow! Last time I was at the FB they were running about 50 clients a month. 83 families in my teeny tiny town is massive!

I told her that I only had 48 cans but if she'd like me to get 83 cans I would. She said that would be great if we had 1 can for each box.
So after I left, guess where I went??lol
I got 22 more cans and Saturday Hubs will assist me in getting the last 13 cans so I can drop them off on Monday, in time to pack into the boxes going out on Tuesday.

And as for my previous post of today......
The fallout from my ranting was felt immediately! Not 10 minutes after revealing I just don't get this whole Pioneer Woman fascination, I lost a Follower....ACK!!!
Thank you Follower, whoever you are were....you have wounded me deeply.....or maybe not.....

Sluggy

Brain Dump....Random Things on My Mind

Ok, if MARK can do a Photo Dump on his blog, I am allowed to do a Brain Dump on my blog.
Yes, I said Brain Dump....deal with it!
You know....just putting all the random crap that bounces around in your head out on cyber-paper so you can stop thinking about it.

*I woke up this morning and my teeth all seem loose.  I don't know WHAT I was doing in my sleep(grinding, clenching?)but they seriously hurt!  I take pretty good care of my teeth and have regular check-ups.  Heck, last time the dentist couldn't find a speck of tartar on my chopper and I have no gum disease.  But today they hurt like a bitch and I am waiting for the Tooth Fairy to be making an appearance.

*You know what irritates me?.....Ok, that's a very long list....but something recently.
Mormon mommy bloggers.
Let me say first off, I have nothing against Mormons....unless they are on my front doorstep trying to give me literature.  (But then again, I don't want ANY devoteé on my front doorstep selling me religion.)
I believe everyone can/should believe what they want.  But please, keep it sacred and to yourself, much like your genitals.  Don't be whipping those or your religion out in public to beat anyone over the head with it to prove that yours is better than mine.  Ok, bad metaphor but you know what I mean.

Mormon mommy bloggers are fascinating.  So domestic and so uplifting and perky all the time most of the time on their blogs.  You can't tell me that even the most patient Mormon mommy blogger doesn't have moments when their brood drives them stark raving mad and they don't want to throttle their kids....C'mon!
And this NieNie person?  I want to know what her husband does for a living to afford all the money they seem to be dropping on airplane tickets, trips, stuff, etc.  And he must have one heck of a flexible schedule to be jetting off everywhere at a moment's notice.  And she needs to lay off the proselytizing and Mitt Romney links because she is driving folks away with that. My advice?....Stick to photos of your kids and telling your survivor story cuz those rock!

*And since we are on the subject of Mormons, it's but a short step to my next BD topic.....those Sister Wives folks on the TLC channel.
I confess, I have watched that show from the beginning.  I really like some of them though I do think that Cody guy is full of himself and tad bit narcissistic.
I woke up earlier this week as I was coming out of a vivid dream.  The dream was about the Sister Wives.  In the dream I was worrying about the IRS implications of the Sister Wives family.  I know.....I have too much time on my hands even when I am asleep.
But you have to admit, that come tax time, being part of a polygamist family has to be a nightmare!
Wife #1 is legally married by government standards and they have 1 kid & 2 incomes.  So they take a tax hit.
Wife #2 also works and has 6 kids.  Not legally married, does she file as Head of Household or Single?
And she makes out with 6 tax deductions.
Wife #3 is the problem for me.  She also has 6 kids but doesn't work so has no income to claim.  What must the IRS drone who gets her return think?  7 deductions and no visible means of support.....
Wife #4 has 3 kids from a previous marriage....who takes the deduction for the kids?  She must get some form of child support.

*I have had my eBay Store reopened for almost 2 weeks now and I am already having problems with stupid people. 
I had someone send me a Question to Seller asking the specific size of a miniature doll, as well as asking me to take the doll out of the sealed package and to email them more close-up pictures of the doll.  First off, if they had actually READ the listing it says that the doll is 1" tall.  There are 3 close-up pictures of the item where you can see that the said doll is visible.  And if I opened the sealed package it would no longer be New in Package as the listing states.  They also did NOT give me their email addy so I could email them the photos that they can already see in the listing.

I have had someone forget to pay me for 1 week though this was not a deadbeat but an eBay regular who just lost track of their dealings.  I quick nudge rectified the situation.

The worst has to be the people who don't know how to negotiate.  On occasion I put the "Make Me An Offer" feature on listings.  If you are unfamiliar with that, it allows potential Buyers to offer you less than what you have listed the item for.  You can then accept, decline or counteroffer them.  I believe they have 3 bids or chances to make an offer on any item before the system automatically rejects their dealings with the Seller.   When you make an offer to a Seller it is a good thing not to piss them off by offering them some outlandishly low sum.  And if you are in a counteroffering/bidding situation with a Seller, you need to man up and meet them halfway...or at least that is my take on things.  I had someone this week offer me $15 on an item I listed for $30.  While not outlandishly low, it was pretty insulting.  And seeing as I had just listing the item 1 day before, I was not about to sell it for that little.
So I made them a counteroffer by knocking $5 off the item, making it $25.
And guess what price they came back with?   $15.50.
I come down $5 and they come up .50¢.
As Suze Orman would say.....Denied!
So I send back a new counteroffer......$30. LOLOL

*And now I know I will piss off many of you with this one......
What is this fascination with the Pioneer Woman?
I just don't get it.
Ok, she cooks.  She takes photos of cattle and cowboys' rear ends.  She's written a book.
Can somebody please explain to me why I should care?lol  I've seen her recipes.  Not impressed.
And no, this does not come from some kind of jealousy or blog envy.   What she has works for her but it's not what I want.
I just don't get whatever it is everyone else sees.  If you put shots like the one above on her blog I might be easier to convince that I need to read her. ;-)

I see it as something similar to all this Oprah worship women do.  We get fixated on people and then can't get enough of them.  I think I am missing some female gene thing.

Whatever......
Ok, I guess my brain is empty enough now for some new thoughts.

So tell us.....What is on your mind?

Sluggy

Gravy....It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Back to Weis for some necessities......oh yeah, and more gravy.....

2 x Texas Toast Croutons on sale $1.25(since I need something to go with my blue cheese dressing=$2.50
4 x Breakstone Sour Cream on sale $1.50=$6.00
2 x OS Cranberry glop on sale $1.25=$2.50
1 x Yeast on sale=$1.50
2 x Sargento Cheese on sale $2.00=$4.00
2 x Swanson Broth on sale $2.00=$4.00
8 x Campbell's Gravy on sale .50¢=$4.00
SubTotal.....$24.50 ($41.59  reg. retail)

Coupons Used
2 x .50¢/1 Texas Toast Croutons IPQ(doubled)HERE=$2.00
2 x $1/2 Breakstone Sour Cream IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 OS Cranberry item IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x .40¢/1 Fleischmann's Yeast IPQ HERE(doubled)=$.80
2 x .55¢/1 Sargento Cheese IPQ(doubled to $1)HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Swanson Broth IPQ HERE=$1.00
Instant Discount on the Swanson/Campbell's items=$5.00
Coupon/Savings Total=$13.80

$24.50-$13.80=$10.70 OOP
That's a 74% savings rate over retail.
Oh, and I received a .50¢ Catalina Q for buying the Yeast.  I would have bought more but that was the last strip in the store.  (I'll get .40¢ back from Saving Star on this purchase too.)

The gravy and broth cost me $2.00 OOP.  Buying that broth upped my gravy cost to .20¢ per can in that order, so $1.60 OOP on just the gravy.  Broth is expensive bought in a container.  I'll stick to boiling my meat bones and skin and making my own to stick into the freezer for later.

We are up to 48 cans for the food bank.  If I take that .50¢ Catalina Q I can get 11 more cans of gravy for ZERO OOP tomorrow morning before heading over to the food bank to drop all this off.
59 cans does sound much nicer than 48 cans, dontcha think?lol

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops..... ;-)

Sluggy