Neither Snow Nor Dark of Night will Keep My +Ups from Expriring!

The crazy woman who went out in a snowstorm to use expiring +Up Rewards on the Day after Christmas......

3 x Holiday M&Ms 50% off($2.14)=$6.42

I used $6($5 expiring that day)in +Ups and put the .42¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.

And I have to run out again today for MORE expiring +Ups.  At least it isn't snowing....yet! lol

This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$12.87
+Ups coming into this trip....$53.00
+Ups used....$6.00
+Ups earned......$0.00
+Ups at the end.....$47.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$698.74
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$14.00
Other Rebates due......$3.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.57 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$236.00+
+Ups received...$236.00+
+Ups currently...$47.00+   

Sluggy

Monday Food Spending/Meal Planning on Friday...Who Cares!?

 

 

Time to get back to the mundane tasks of my life, like food spending and meal planning.

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

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

Sunday--Burger King Whoppers(BOGO 55cents Deal), Broccoli

Monday--Beef Pie leftovers

Tuesday--Salmon(Crab Cakes for #2 son),Green Beans

Wednesday--Stuffed Shells, Tossed Salad

Thursday--Hot Dogs, Beans, Potato Salad

Friday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night

Saturday--Hubs bought take-out Pizza

 

I don't recall the Potato Salad happening tho.

Between the Bread/Bakery Outlet load up and 3 small trips to the local grocery stores, the food spending last week(through the 22nd)came in at $92.37 for 8 days.  The big honking rib roast trip will be on this coming Monday's post.

As of the 22nd, food spending for December was at $328.41, leaving $71.59 of my $400 food budget for the month.
As of 12/24, I am $11.66 over for December.

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

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

Sunday--Chicken Enchiladas

Monday--Christmas Eve dinner at Chinese Restaurant

Tuesday--Ravioli w/Marinara Sauce, Standing Rib Roast, Roasted Vegetables, Green Beans, Rolls, Pies

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--Pork Chops, homemade Mac and Cheese, Broccoli

Friday--Pizza, a green veggie from the freezer

Saturday--Kielbasa on Rolls, Caramelized Onions, Beets

I had made up Sunday through Tuesday's meals beforehand. Add in that the day after Christmas is always Leftover Day here, so I was good through Wednesday.  The one item that didn't get mostly consumed on Christmas was a bowl of green beans, so I took the leftovers of that and made a green bean casserole on Wed. and we now have no more green beans. lol

#1 Son wanted Thursday's meal that was served and I was able to cobble the ingredients together from items I already had here.  I used a bunch of partial blocks, shredded bags of cheese that were opened for the mac and cheese and an opened can of evaporated milk from making pies got thrown in with the fresh milk too.  After making the mac/cheese I have a container of cheese/bechamel sauce extra for the freezer. That sauce will make a dinner for two of more mac/cheese, or pasta alfredo or carbonara style noodles.
I also boiled down the carcass/skin on Sunday when I made chicken filling for the Enchiladas and have 2 containers of chicken stock in the freezer ready for Chicken and Dumplings or Chicken Soup sometime this Winter.

I've spent $83.25 to get this menu pulled together, though not all of that spending was used for this menu.  There were some seasonal stock-ups included.  I've got a $5 voucher to spend before Jan 1 at the local market so I'll pick up a few things before the month is out like eggs, pineapple, milk.

#1 son left this morning so the food cooking/spending should return to the humdrum, boring stuff soon.

January will be belt-tightening time(like everyone else I see online!)so we will be cleaning out and using up stuff lurking in the dark corners of the pantry and freezer that have been hanging around much too long.
I'll also be re-evaluating, in the coming weeks, my food budget and what and how much I've been cooking(or not)this past year.

Is 2013 going to be the year you start planning your meals out ahead?  How about food budgeting.....are you going to put one into place and try to stick to the plan?

Sluggy

6 Things About Our Merry Little (Non)Frugal Christmas

Well I guess I could call our Christmas celebration frugal, if I couched it in terms of what we didn't do,  like.....
"We didn't fly the entire family to Vegas and spend Christmas wantonly gambling away our savings."
OR
"We didn't hit the local Mercedes dealership and there was no new car with a big bow on top in my driveway on Christmas morning."

Yes, compared to those two scenarios, ours was a very frugal Christmas. 8-)

Here is the main offender to our frugal celebration.....

A standing rib roast.
And here is why I have never bought one of these before, in my entire 53 years on this planet....

I about fainted after I saw the price in the grocery store! lol
And THAT was the "on sale" price.  Look above the yellow sticker part for the regular price for a 7lb hunk of this steer.....Geez!

It did look purty though, nekkid and going into the oven....

Unfortunately I don't have an "after" photo as I was too busy to snap a photo before serving it to my ravenous crowd......and there were no leftovers.
We almost had fist fights breaking out over second helpings.....


Now here are the Frugal Points to our Christmas Celebration.

1.  We stayed home and cooked.

2.  No relatives here that required anyone to fly cross country or drive further than 5 minutes away to get here. (Excepting #1 Son, who arrived on Sat. night, driving and he was in PA anyway.)

3.  Other than the roast, we made our meal from items in the stockpile(except for a couple of cans of whipped cream and a bag of carrots).

4.  Entertainment consisted of voyeurism like
Watching family members opening gifts.....

Tormenting the family dog......

Tormenting the children and spouse too by making them smile and pose for a photo.....

5.  Making food from scratch or buying complicated desserts from the Bread/Bakery outlet.
We had 5 desserts Christmas evening.....a cheesecake and Stollen from the Bakery Outlet, 2 kinds of pie and fudge(all made from scratch)

And scratch made rolls from my Great Aunt Lula's recipe.  I made a double batch of rolls actually, since they are quite popular and we hardly ever have leftovers.  So I saved myself some time and energy by making double to throw into the freezer for later.....IF they all don't get eaten in the next few days.....which they probably will.....
I made 11 pans of rolls, and I had 6 pans leftover when the clock struck midnight on Christmas night.

6.  We give sensible gifts mostly.  Though #2 Son's Christmas Wish list consisted of 1-a 2 thousand $ flute and 2-a $400 smartphone(which he can't afford to pay the plan for anyway), he received neither.
And he KNEW he wasn't getting them because this Santa mom doesn't roll that way.
We spend sensibly on children, even teenaged and almost grown ones.

When Hubs and I married, and thus marrying our vastly different Christmas traditions, gifts and spending were at opposite ends of the spectrum from what each other had experienced.  His family, which struggled financially for many years, didn't lavish money/gifts on the kids.  1 present was their norm.
My family, which had struggled early on but grew to be upper middle class and had parents who enjoyed spending their wealth and going into debt, thought nothing of dropping serious money on kids at Christmas.  In our family, there were many many gifts under the tree for each of us kids and usually 1 big(and expensive) present too.

So compared to Hubs parents, we are spendthrifts at Christmas, but compared to my parents, well, just call us Scrooge and a very Merry Hum-bug to you all. ;-)

We have a monetary limit for spending on gifts.  I try to get deals to make the spending seem like it's more than it really is.  I try not to buy mindlessly.....buying "things" just for the sake of buying stuff.  If it's a "thing" I buy, it's a thing that was asked for or a thing that is needed.  While I prefer to give services and consumables, it's very hard to do that with teens and almost adult children who don't live around here to buy services.  Since 1 is 21 now, buying consumables for him at least, adds a whole new dimension.

With my crowd now, MONEY is the most popular gift.  It always fits. lol

Now you will excuse me because I have $5 in +Up Rewards expiring today so I need to get up to Rite-Aid before the roads get any worse.
Yes, we are having a White Day-After Christmas here. 8-)

Merry Christmas!

Sluggy

Merry Christmas To Y'All!

Sluggy

Almost Snug in Our Beds Awaiting the Man in Red!

A last trip to the grocery store this morning since I finally settled on a Christmas Day menu.
I decided on a Standing Rib Roast.  I about fainted when I saw the price on the one I got.
A second mortgage may be in order to pay for it. lol

Then it was off to Rite-Aid to deliver some Fudge to my friends there.

Then pie baking happened here today!
Here a pie.....

 There a pie......

Everywhere a pie!

Then it was off for our Christmas Eve tradition--Chinese Food!

Everybody sing along in "A Christmas Story" style....

Deck the Hars wif boughs of horry, fa ra ra ra raaaa, ra ra ra ra.

#2 Son got a Christmas present from his girlfriend.....

A nice watch!

A couple of bottles of sake later and it was letting the "kids" open a present Christmas eve....

My Christmas Eve glass of  hot sake has me doing a little dancing before hitting the sack......

Sluggy

One More Sleep Til The Big Guy Comes!

I finally got #1 Son to put some ornies on the tree.
And I even got evidence that he did....

Of course he put on His ornaments only!
Like this one.....

Hubs finally put a couple on.....

Yah, we can't celebrate Christmas without the Mets.

And he put the beagle on the tree.
Not this beagle....

But this one.....

The Real Life beagle had to guard the tree.....though I did hear more snoring noises out of her than guarding noises....

I think she's worried I haven't put her stocking up yet.

And here's an ornie that tell's you a child of the 1960's lives here....

And here's an ornie that tells you a child of the South lives here....

I was shocked to learn at 19 that not every Christmas tree has a watermelon ornie on it!

It's finally looking a bit fuller in the decoration department.
Maybe now I can get the room cleared out of Xmas tubs.....

I am off to the grocery store, as I have finally decided on what to cook for tomorrow's repast.

Enjoy this while I am gone fighting the food shopping crowds!

Sluggy

Tunes in the Key of Christmas

This music video is Faaaaabulous!

Sluggy

Out & About on Saturday

Hubs and I went out Saturday....he had Christmas shopping to do(he drives me nuts waiting until the last minute!) and I had a Fashion Bug gift card to use up since the stores are going out of business.  I wanted to get into that store before everything good got bought up.  I found a couple of things and used up my gift card and waited in the car for Hubs to emerge from Walmart.  No way I was setting foot in Walmart during the weekend before Christmas! lol

Then we hit the bread store to stock up on bread products since I haven't been back since Nov. 24th.  I may have gone overboard with the Holidays here, buying things like doughnuts, cakes, Stollen too.....I LOVE Entenmann's Stollen!
$22 later and 7 loaves of bread, 3 packages of rolls, 2 Stollen, 2 packages doughnuts, 1 cheesecake, 1 pecan danish ring and 2 cheese buns, we left the store.
This should get us through the rest of December AND well into January.

I had to pick up 2 prescriptions at Rite-Aid too, so while I was in the store, I "bought" a couple of other things......

3 x Pretty Woman Magnetix Nail Polish clearanced colors $1.99=$5.97
1 x Cepacol drops on sale=$3.99
1 x Russel Stover large box of Candy on sale=$8.99
1 x Cella cherry w/Gold discount=$.26
SubTotal....$19.21

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Cepacol IPQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 Rite-Aid Cepacol FacebookQ=$3.00
Coupon Total.....$4.00

$19.21-$4.00=$15.21+.06¢ tax=$15.27
I used $15 in +Up Rewards and put the .27¢ on my gift card.

I received back $5 in +Up Rewards($2 Cepacol, $3 Russell Stover big box of candy).
I can submit for SCRebate #3--$6 wyb 3 Pretty Woman Magnetix nail polish (Limit 2 rebates).
I "spent" $15 in +Ups  and got back $5 in +Ups and $6  in +Ups converted to cash, meaning this transaction "cost" me $4.
The Cepacol was a $2.01 moneymaker, the Magnetix polish was a .03¢ moneymaker and the RS Candy box cost me $5.99 after sale/+Ups.

This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$47.58
+Ups coming into this trip....$63.00
+Ups used....$15.00
+Ups earned......$5.00
+Ups at the end.....$53.00
SCR earned....$6.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$685.87
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$14.00
Other Rebates due......$3.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.48 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$230.00+
+Ups received...$236.00+
+Ups currently...$53.00+    




The Oldest son arrived home safely late afternoon on Saturday.
And my Holiday miracle--an item I ordered in November from overseas arrived BEFORE Christmas!  I had given up hope on it getting here in time for present unwrapping time.
It's wrapped up and under the tree.

Now I am one contented mama.

And we got a light dusting of snow which made the snow-crazed beagle happy.....

I actually got a shot of her standing still for once.  Usually when she sees snow, she's jumping all over the place or rolling around on her back in it. 
Silly dog.....



 And I still don't know what I'm cooking for Christmas dinner......sigh.....



Sluggy

Getting Ready To Celebrate

I went back to Dollar General yesterday since I had another $2/1 Axe Gift Set Dollar General Q and a $3.75/1 Axe set ManuQ.  I also took along a couple of $2/1 Dana fragrances Qs and $2/1 Playboy fragrances Qs since the DG ad noted that they carried the small bottles of Dana brands for $2 and Playboy body sprays were on sale for $3.50 this week.

I ended up finding the last one of each of these products at this particular store!

1 x Axe Gift Set=$10.00
1 x Dana fragrance=$2.00
1 x Playboy spray=$3.50
SubTotal....$15.50

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 DG Axe gift set Q(don't remember where..coupons dotcom?)=$2.00
1 x $3.75/1 Axe gift set ManuQ=$3.75
1 x $2/1 Dana brands IPQ(dana website)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Playboy brands IPQ(redplum dotcom)=$2.00
Coupon Total....$9.75

$15.50-$9.75=$5.75+.34¢ tax=$6.09 for all

After Qs, the Tabu was free, the Playboy was $1.50 and the Axe set was $4.25....plus tax.

Then Daughter and I did some Holiday baking yesterday as well.
We did 3 batches of fudge.
Then we had a take-out lunch.
Then we lost the motivation to do anymore baking and napped.

But here is what we got done before lunch....

Chocolate Nut Fudge
Butterscotch Nut Fudge
Salted Butterscotch Fudge

Then I went and used our hotel points to make a donation of $40 to Rebuilding Together.  The membership company doubled the donation to $80.
Awesome!

A large box of gifties arrived today from my brother and sis-in-law.  The tree is looking quite grand and bountiful now.....

That old Christmas rug by the way has been in my family since before I was born.  It is a bit of tradition that makes the Holidays feel like home to me. ;-)

I also hung a few more ornies on the tree.....

Celebrate in Maxine style!.....

And everyone's tree needs other kinds of crabbiness as well.....

And really, if you have kids that grew up in the 1990's, it's not Christmas without cartoon characters like this one.....

And mom get's equal time on the tree for her childhood.....

Sluggy

Gift Wrapping 101...Just in Time for Christmas

Are you in the present wrapping weeds?
I know I have been the last few days.
Going into the Weekend before Christmas, we could all use some help, couldn't we?

We could all learn a lot from Aunt Chippy.....




Sluggy

A Close Shave

I printed off 3 $10/1 Norelco shaver IPQs at the end of November(before they changed the wording to only specific models).

There is a monthly +Ups Deal at Rite-Aid for December....Spend $30 on Norelco products, Get a $10 +Up Rewards.  There is a limit of 2 Offers per Wellness account/card.

I bought this on Tuesday...

2 x Norelco Groomer/Razor Sets reg. $20.99 w/Gold discount $16.79=$33.58

I used 2 x $10/1 Norelco Razor IPQs=$20.00

$33.58-$20.00=$13.58+.81¢tax=$14.39
I paid with $13 in +Up Rewards and put the $1.39 on my Rite-Aid gift card.

I received back $10 +Up Reward for spending $30 on Norelco products.(With $3.58 in tracking toward my next $30 spent.)

Then I used two Rainchecks I got on Black Friday weekend and bought all this last night......

1 x Norelco Shaver reg. $50.99 raincheck=$29.99
1 x Nivea Shave gel reg. $3.99 raincheck=$1.99
2 x Waggin' Tails dog treats on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Bayer Aspirin low dose 32 ct. w/Gold discount=$2.79
3 x 3 Musketeers candy bars B2G1Free sale=$1.98
SubTotal....$42.73

Coupons Used
1 x $10/1 Norelco Razor IPQ=$10.00
1 x $1/1 Nivea Shave gel In-Ad Q from Black Friday weekend(stapled to raincheck)=$1.00*
1 x BOGO Waggin' Tails ManuQ=$2.99 (automatically deducted $2.99)
1 x $2/1 Bayer/Aleve product under 36 ct. R-A Q HERE=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Bayer product IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x B2G1FREE 3Musketeers IPQ (was available on coupons dotcom)=$.99
Coupon Total....$17.98

$42.73-$17.98=$24.75+.17¢tax=$24.92
I paid with $24 in +Up Rewards and put the $.92 on my Rite-Aid gift card.

I received back $10 +Up Reward for spending $30 on Norelco products.(The $29.99 spent this transaction added to the $3.58 tracking from my last transaction put me over $30 spent again, and triggered the Reward.)

* If you get a raincheck at Rite-Aid for an item that has an In-ad Q that week that makes it a good deal, be sure to cut that Q out of the sales ad and have the cashier staple it to your raincheck, so you get the sale price AND you get to use the Q you would have used IF they had had the item available the week of the sale.  Many stores will also let you staple a ManuQ or IPQ that is valid when you get the raincheck but may expire before the rainchecked item comes in again to the store.  Like on Sunday, I had a ManuQ for $1 off 2 Post cereals that was expiring that day! and the cereal was on sale 2 for $5.  If the store had been out of Post cereal, I would have gotten a raincheck for the cereal AND had them staple the then valid ManuQ to the raincheck so that when they got more cereal the following week and went to use my raincheck, they know I had the ManuQ ready to use during the dates it was valid, so they would accept it.

When in doubt, staple that Q to the raincheck!  If you find a better deal elsewhere before the Q expires, you can always remove it from the raincheck and use it somewhere else too.

$92.97 in Razors and $20.93 in other goodies, I am out $2.31 on my gift card and I am "down" $17 in +Ups or out $19.31 total.
Take out the cost of non-razor goodies and divide my total spent(with tax comes to $15.30) and each razor cost me $5.10.
$5.10 each for 3 nice Christmas gifts for the men in my life.

And I've used/rolled ALL my +Up Rewards that are expiring before Dec. 26th.


This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$113.90
+Ups coming into this trip....$80.00
+Ups used....$37.00
+Ups earned.....20.00
+Ups at the end.....$63.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$638.29
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$8.00
Other Rebates due......$3.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.28 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$215.00+
+Ups received...$231.00+
+Ups currently...$63.00+    

Sluggy

Tying a Knot & Hanging Onto 2012

What is it with all you people posting your goal results for 2012 and posting your 2013 Goals?
Really?....REALLY?!?!?

2012 is not over yet.
And I am just trying to get through December and everyone already has their 2013 shit together?!
Should I just throw in the cyber-towel now and call Game Over?
I'm sorry but I can't even "go there" with Goals for this year OR next year yet.  Plenty of time for that once the calendar rolls over into January.

I am still trying to get our Christmas tree ornamented.  The kids seem to have no interest in what is ON the tree, just what is UNDER the tree.

My time in eBay HELL is over for now.
I closed it down on Tuesday.  Better to shut down a week before Christmas than to leave myself open to dealing with panicking last minute gift buyers.
I already had one of them screw me over on Tuesday......asking questions(which I answered promptly), then buying something, then sending me a "I can't afford that, never mind" email a few minutes later when they actually looked at the shipping costs for the item.
On second thought, I should have closed it down a day sooner and would have avoided this asshat.

At least eBay HELL helped pay for Christmas and got some more things out of the house.

Now I get to clean the dining room aka "eBay shipping & packing central" and stack up the eBay storage tubs in the corner until after Christmas.  Now if only Hubs would stack the Christmas tubs somewhere other than the living room, things would look a bit neater in here.

I've got most everything wrapped at this point.  One gift has still not arrived and the chances are it won't get here before the 25th, but I knew that was a possibility when I ordered it back in November.  It's all good.....
Speaking of wrapping paper......I don't think I can ever use up what's here if I live to be 92.  90 maybe, but 92?....unlikely.
If I try to buy wrapping paper the week after Christmas, please come here and wrap my knuckles, willya?

I accomplished the gifting without stepping foot into a mall and most big box stores.
I did venture into Target with Hubs a couple of weeks ago with a $10 off $50 purchase Q but didn't see a thing worth buying.  It did give me some claustrophobic feelings and upped my stress level a notch or two.  Damn you Target Q!
And just for the record, my last trip before this one into a Target was about 2 years ago.  I do not "heart" Target.....

The only stores I've been in this month, besides that Target misadventure, are Rite-Aid(of course!lol), the Grocery stores, Ollie's, the Dollar Tree Store, KMart, Dollar General, and Bed Bath & Beyond.  Oh, and Sears to pick up an online order.  Gee, maybe I DID step foot in alot of store after all. ;-)

I am not looking forward to the Band Concert on Thursday.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE listening to my youngest playing for an audience.  It's the audience that I can't stand.
People around here make very bad audiences.  The grownups talk incessantly while the kids are performing and play with their phones.  They let their young kids wander and run about the auditorium unsupervised while they pretend to listen and play with their phones.
It's so rude and disrespectful of the performers!  And then they wonder why their kids grow up to be rude and disrespectful?

Give me my days back in the Opera world where you had to wait for an intermission to be seated if you came in late and there was no getting up and down to get a drink or use the rest room.
Maybe if they started charging for these recitals people would value the performance more and not bring their "too young to sit still" brats and stop texting long enough to pay attention?
Probably not.....

#1 Son is due home on Saturday.
He may look like this.....

But he'll always be this to me......

 I miss him so much because he hardly ever comes home and we don't see him much.  Of course, after he's been here 5 days I'm ready to send him back.  I like to think that it's because we are both strong personalities and so alike in many ways.   Or he's just a PITA....lol


Every time I turn on the AMC Channel, they are playing one of the various movie productions of  "A Christmas Carol".  I've seen the Reginald Owens(original one), the George C. Scott and the Albert Finney(titled SCROOGE) versions so far.  No Alistair Sim Version yet....

I have also watched BAD SANTA about 4 times since Thanksgiving.....on Spike TV I think.
Haven't caught "It's A Wonderful Life" yet though.

I really could use "two, tree bottles" of hard cider and a date night with George Bailey about now.

12 more days.....12 more days.......

Sluggy

Addressing the Elephant in The Room

The events in Connecticut last Friday.
What to say that doesn't sound like a worn out clique or someone stumbling to describe their feelings about the undescribeable?

Appreciate what you have.
Want what you have.
Take care of yourself and those around you.
Do good.

I'll leave you with this tribute to those we lost....

Sluggy

Food Spending DECEMBER Week 2, Meal Planning Week 3

 Yes, be sure to exercise your wine muscle this Holiday Season!

 

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

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

Sunday--Rigatoni w/Meat Sauce, Salad

Monday--Chicken Parmesan, Mashed Potatoes, Beets

Tuesday--Halushki and/or Leftovers

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--Daughter's Birthday Meal Out

Friday--Beef Pie with carrots, green beans and cornbread

Saturday--Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner

 

 

Wednesday's fish didn't get served as well as Thursday's hot dogs.  Everything else was as planned.

The food spending last week was pretty average.  $70.66 in 4 trips to the grocery stores plus a trip to the Carvel store for an ice cream cake.  So $52.71 for groceries and $17.95 for the cake makes $70.66.

2 weeks and I have spent $236.04 of the month's $400  food budget. 

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

Going into this week, I have leftover Beef Pie

This week's menu....

Sunday--Burger King Whoppers(BOGO 55cents Deal), Broccoli

Monday--Beef Pie leftovers

Tuesday--Salmon(Crab Cakes for #2 son),Green Beans

Wednesday--Stuffed Shells, Tossed Salad

Thursday--Hot Dogs, Beans, Potato Salad

Friday--?

Saturday--?

 

I've moved the 2 meals not served last week to this week.  Thursday has to be an easy meal as we have the Concert Band and Jazz Band concerts that evening.  The stuffed shells are in the freezer already.  Friday and Saturday I have no clue yet, but it will be something I have in the freezer already.  Since I'll be buying some of next week's goodies this week, I'm giving myself $70 for food shopping.  Daughter and I are baking later this week so that will have to include any supplies we need that I haven't already picked up.  We'll be doing fudge, maybe brownies, Hubs wants choc. chip cookies with butterscotch chips, and Daughter wants to make Cake Balls.  I'm not doing the large number of cookies this year because they end up sitting around too long.

What I need to buy for this menu so far?  Salad Greens.  Also some fresh fruit and milk.

I hope to get through this week cheaply.  I have $10 in free food vouchers for the Shursave market(from buying gift cards there last week) but there is little I want that's on sale this week there, so I'll hold them until next week's ad to use.

Not only can't I wrap my head around a menu plan for Fri. or Sat. but I can't seem to settle on what to serve on Christmas day.  Ya see, while we do the traditional turkey thing at Thanksgiving, we never really settled on a Christmas Day meal tradition.

Hubs grew up in NJ, in a family with a 1st Generation Italian father and a German/Dutch ancestored mother who only learned to cook after she married, so mostly she made Italian food.  Their holidays always involved pasta in some form....ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti mostly.  They never really did the 7 Fishes type meal.  That was probably due to the expense, as Hubs family was not well off when he was growing up.

I grew up in VA, with a Yankee father(with a very narrow food palate) and a Southern mother from a long line of Southern cooks who defined herself by her cooking ability, so we ate many traditional Southern specialties as well as a lot of meat(for my father).  Thanksgiving was all about the turkey(though it was surrounded by Southern dishes like Rutabaga and Tomato Bread Pudding, etc.) and Christmas was all about salt-cured Smithfield ham.

While Thanksgiving has been easy, It's been difficult marrying these differing Christmas traditions.  And after 30+ years together, we still don't have a routine down for Dec. 25th vittles.

 

We always go out to the Chinese Restaurant on Christmas Eve(our tradition)and family comes here on Christmas Day for dinner.  Many don't like ham, and I don't serve turkey again so close to Thanksgiving.  Hubs would be happy as a pig in mud if I just served Ravioli with Meatballs and Sausages(he grew up eating Italian food for every holiday), but I just don't find pasta "festive" enough. ;-)

I'm thinking about blowing out the food budget bigtime and serving a standing rib roast, seriously expensive carnivore fare!  $50 for a hunk of meat.  And I KNOW it will be devoured instantly. 8-))

If I do pasta and a hunk of meat it should cover all the bases.  And then I need to make Aunt Lula's rolls....pecan pie.....maybe pumpkin pie(again).....and I'll buy a cheesecake or cannoli.  This is turning into a production, isn't it?

A part of me is thinking maybe just serving snacks we can pick at all day.....platters of this and that--cheeses/deli meats, a fruit tray, deviled eggs, ham biscuits.

What are your menu plans for this week?

Heck, what are your menu plans for Christmas while we're at it?!

Sluggy

A Teeny Tiny Bit More Rite-Aid

A quickie at Rite-Aid on Sunday because my cereal Q was expiring....

2 x Post Cereal on sale=$5.00
2 x Chex snacks on sale=$3.00
2 x Cosmetic Gift sets BOGO50%($2.99)=$4.48
1 x Twin Set of Flashlights on sale=$3.47
SubTotal.....$15.95

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Post cereals ManuQ(expired Sunday)=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Chex snacks ManuQ(GM insert)=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$2.00

$15.95-$2.00=$13.95+.09¢tax=$14.04
I used $13 in +Ups and put $1.04 on my gift card. (I should have bought a "filler" cherry and used another $1 +Up and put a much lower amount on the gift card.  Oh well....)

I received back $8 in +Ups($1 wyb2 Chex, $2 wyb2 cereals, $5 wyb2 cosmetic gift sets).

After Qs and +Ups, each box of cereal was $1, the Chex snacks were .50¢ each and the cosmetic gift sets were free + gave .52¢ overage.  The flashlights were on sale but gave no +Ups nor did I have Qs for them.  They are a present for someone for Christmas.

I also tried buying those clearanced Pretty Woman fake nails I had price checked on Saturday evening.
They were $1.49 and 1 was $1.99 Sat. night.  Suddenly, now that they are part of a +Ups Deal this week and on sale BOGO50%, the clearanced nails are ringing up full price!
I wonder if next Sunday, when the Deal is over, if these clearanced nails will go back to being clearance priced? lol
Very weird.....

I've got a hunk of +Ups expiring on Christmas Day so I'll be going back either later this week or next week on Sunday or Monday to use those ones.  I know exactly what I am getting with them.  It will be razor time around here, involving Norelco and Qs and rainchecks and +Ups Deals.
Ho Ho Ho.


This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$28.53
+Ups coming into this trip....$85.00
+Ups used....$13.00
+Ups earned.....$8.00
+Ups at the end.....$80.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$524.39
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$8.00
Other Rebates due......$3.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.22 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$178.00+
+Ups received...$211.00+
+Ups currently...$80.00+  

Sluggy

Saturday Evening Rite-Aid

Just some more boring cheap stuff and bonus +Ups for my stash.  Nothing to see here, just move along.....

2 x Ricola on sale=$3.00
2 x Reach Toothbrushes on sale=$5.00
1 x Compleats on sale=$1.99
1 x Cella cherry w/Gold discount=$.26
SubTotal.....$10.25

Coupons Used
1 x $2/2 Reach toothbrushes IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Compleats IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Compleats Load2Card Q=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$4.00

$10.25-$4.00=$6.25
I used $6 in +Ups(expiring on Tuesday)and put the .25¢ on my gift card.
I received back $4 in +Up Rewards(3 x $1 Ricola, $1 wyb2 Reach toothbrushes).
I will also receive a $1 cash Rebate on the Reach toothbrushes from Saving Star.

So, in the end, I am "down" $2 in +Ups, but "up" $1 in cash, meaning these goodies cost me $1.

I also bought 2 more $50 Home Improvement Discover Cards(using money earmarked for home repairs), which gave me a bonus $20 in +Ups to add to my Rite-Aid +Ups stash, to spend on toiletires/food/beauty items.

I've got quite a pile of +Ups built up from these card buys so I need to sit down and figure out how to spend them before they expire.  I have too many now to just roll them from weekly toothpaste, cold meds, paper towel deals. 
The ones expiring after Christmas, I might use to pick up clearance goods ahead for next Christmas.
I have some expiring on 12/25 so I have to remember to spend them by the 24th, since even Rite-Aid won't be open on Christmas day. ;-)


This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$19.98
+Ups coming into this trip....$67.00
+Ups used....$6.00
+Ups earned.....$4.00
+Ups for buying Home Improvement Cards(Bonus)....$20.00
+Ups at the end.....$85.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$495.86
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$8.00
Other Rebates due......$3.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.22 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$165.00+
+Ups received...$203.00+
+Ups currently...$85.00+  

Sluggy

Friday at Rite-Aid

Here is my load of goodies I picked up Friday night at Rite-Aid....

1 x People Style Watch magazine $3.99 w/Gold discount=$3.19
1 x Scunci hair bands $5.99 w/Gold discount=$4.79
1 x Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail tabs $9.79 clearanced=$2.44
1 x Pretty Woman fake nails $5.99 clearanced=$1.49
SubTotal....$11.91

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 People SW mag IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 People SW mag Load2Card Q=$2.00
1 x $3/1 Sally Hansen product IPQ HERE=$3.00
Coupon Total....$7.00

$11.91-$7.00=$4.91 + .06¢tax=$11.97
I used a $4 +Up Reward and put the .97¢ on my gift card.
*Now that I think about it, I should have bought a Cella cherry to get me over the $5 mark and put .23¢ on my gift card.  But I was not thinking last night.lol

I received $5 in +Ups back(for the Conair/Scunci "Spend $10, Get $5 +Ups back" Deal).
And I'll receive a $2 rebate on the magazine.

Now, before anyone starts thinking Sluggy's brain was taken over by aliens, because she just NEVER buys stuff like this!.....I did buy it.
But there is an explanation.....really!, there is. 8-)

Most magazines are drivel.  And after paging through this particular one, I can put it into the drivel category.  It's nothing but ads and more ads......and then photos of "stars" wearing high end stuff, using high end products that the magazine is pushing, so that the reader(usually young girls/teens)will be brainwashed into wanting/lusting after/coveting these goods and the lives of these "celebrities".
Gawd!  What a waste of paper.
I bought it so that I could make a profit of $2.81.
I got $.81 in overage with the 2 Qs to use toward other items in my transaction.  I'll get a $2 cash rebate through Saving Star too.
I'll find someone to give this magazine to....or better yet, I'll just recycle it.
After removing the perfumed pages that is, because if you aren't allergic to perfume, you can put these scented pages in your clothes drawers to act as a sachet. ;-)

While I try hard not to buy stuff I can't use(or find someone who can use it to give things to), I will sometimes do this to roll my +Ups if I can't find something to spend them on.

The Sally Hansen nail things are for my Daughter.  She loves pink camo. ;-)
The fake nails?  Not sure yet....might be coming to a Boring Blog Giveaway Box near you. lol
The fake nails have a SCRebate--$6 back when you buy 3.  But next week, there is a +Ups Deal on them(Spend $12, Get $5 +Up)and they are on sale BOGO50%, so you might want to wait to buy them then....IF you can find any by then.

I also bought 2 of the Home Improvement Cards(which are really prepaid Discover cards)that give $10 +Ups this week when you load at least $50 on them, so I get $20 in Bonus +Ups.

I've got a couple more items to purchase today.....1 Compleat, 2 bags of Ricola and 2 more Home Improvement Discover cards on my Wellness card this time.  All but the cards will be free after Qs and +Ups and another $20 in Bonus +Ups to add to my stack.


This trip to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items.....$25.76
+Ups coming into this trip....$46.00
+Ups used....$4.00
+Ups earned.....$5.00
+Ups for buying Home Improvement Cards(Bonus)....$20.00
+Ups at the end.....$67.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$475.88
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$8.00
Other Rebates due......$2.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....102.10 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$159.00+
+Ups received...$179.00+
+Ups currently...$67.00+  

Sluggy

In The Holiday Mood

Merry Christmas from an oldie but goody......because who doesn't love a man/woman in uniform?
Or out of it for that matter. ;-)

 Happy Friday!

Sluggy