It's Here, It's Here!

I so feel like Navin Johnson from the old movie THE JERK.
If you are a person of a certain age, you know what I am talking about.
The scene from the movie when the new telephone books come in and he finds his name in print and goes bananas.



The mail came yesterday and you probably heard me doing a dance of joy from where you are.
If not, you felt the earth move at least cause when I dance, everything shakes.lol

Anyway, WHAT you ask got me so excited?
Getting this.....

This is a book called "I Wrote You Word".  It was published back in the 1990's as part of a historical series having to do with Virginia history.
This is a collection of the letters that Private John Lee Holt wrote home to his wife while he was serving as a soldier in the Confederate forces during the War of Northern Aggression.
Or what yankees like to call it, The Civil War. 8-(

John Lee Holt was born in Campbell County Virginia in 1829, the eldest son of James Holt and Sarah Mason Holt.
He was a school teacher as well as a tobacco farmer in the Summer months.
He enlisted in July of 1861, at the age of 32, 2 days before the Battle of Bull Run.
He left a wife of only 2+ years and a 16 month old son to go off to war.
John Lee Holt, being a literate man, in a time when so few were, was quite the prolific letter writer.

These letters were bound into print in a small edition of 1000 books.  Each one is numbered and signed by the great granddaughter of John and Sarah.

I have been waiting and watching to find this book at a price I was willing to pay.....and knowing me, you KNOW it was quite frugal.
I finally found a used and rare bookseller in Indianapolis who made this available for purchase online.
And after sending a check away, what seems like eons ago, my book finally arrived and I did my best Navin Johnson impersonation yesterday.

So why did I want this book so badly?
Well, ya see......he is kin.
John Lee Holt was my 2 x Great Grandfather's Nephew.

If you want the twisted branches of the tree play-by-play......

My 2 x Great Grandfather is James Harper.
His brother is John Harper.
John Harper married Elizabeth Frances Holt.
Elizabeth is the sister of Nancy Holt.
Nancy Holt is the second wife of James Holt-who is the father of John Lee Holt.
James' first wife, Sarah Mason Holt, John Lee's mother died in 1862.  James Holt decided to marry him a "trophy wife"-Nancy was 31 years younger than her husband and 7 years younger than her stepson John Lee Holt.  She only lived another 1-2 years so there were no additional children added to the family from this union.

I haven't looked into it yet, but I may be related through John Lee's mother, Sarah Mason, as well, since I have other branches of my tree that intermarried into the Mason clan in Campbell County too.

Anyway, let's just call him kin and move on, shall we?

I have just begun to read the book so I will leave you with a photo of John.....

This is a photo of a brooch John Lee Holt had made for his wife......or in his words....
"I have had my likeness taken in a breastpin for you & will send it to you the first opportunity as I do not wish to send it by mail"

Off to dive into the world of John Lee Holt now.....

Sluggy

I Can't Help Myself!....The Decluttering P*rn Returns!

More Decluttering......

This first lot got taken in May with a bunch of other crap, but I forgot to write these things down on the paper and post this photo here, so I'm noting them now.....

6 x Star Wars Action Pack of Vehicles
4 x Star Wars assorted Model Kits
1 x Micro Machines Star Wars Playset
1 x Barbie 40th Anniversary Doll
1 x Dilbert Dogbert Ceramic Mug
1 x Easter bunny candy mold

5 x Framed Power Rangers Posters

1 x Cabbage Patch FURSKINS Teddy Bear

4 x Miniature Radio Flyer Wagons

3 x Star Wars Trading Card/Role Playing Card Game Sets

6 x Cheaters Reading Glasses
2 x Kid's Sunglasses

 2 x Kid's Bed Sheet Sets(used)

10 x Ty Beanie Babies-retired

47 more Most Excellent Items outta here!!!

Sluggy

Could You Do This?

Has anyone seen that show on A&ETV called BARTER KINGS?
These 2 guys take a small item and by bartering only(no money changes hands), they trade up to a big ticket item that they either want/need or they can sell and cash out.

You can check them out HERE

A recent example--one guy took a $100 welding helmet and traded it for a set of used Chrome rims($300), traded those for a "Mexican Food" Neon sign(for a business, worth $800), to a commercial freezer/fridge($1500), to a utility golf cart($3000), and he sold that for $2900.

They utilize Craigslist to find folks to barter with.

Great idea, right?
I thought to myself, hey!....I could do that.
It would be a great way to get rid of stuff here to trade for something I can sell.

Well, after spending some time on our local Craigslist and thinking about this, I've come to the conclusion that you need 2 things to make this work.

First you need to live where the Craigslist is vibrant.
That ain't here.lol
Second, this bartering thing only works with "guy" stuff.
You know......power tools, commerical/business items, things with wheels, electronics, music stuff and "boy toys".   The only collectibles I've seen them trade successfully are rock music related.

It doesn't work so well with the kind of stuff I have to barter.
So much for my great idea......

It's still a fun show to watch.

Sluggy

Garden Update

One of the 2 types of green beans we planted have finally yielded a small crop.
These are GoldRush variety beans....

No, they are not ailing, they are suppose to be yellow-green in color. lol  I'll be cooking these tonight.

And in the bed out front we picked these over the weekend....

4 good sized squash. 
I grilled 1 last night for dinner(cut into slabs for Hubs and I)but have 3 left.   Tomorrow we'll have a fish fry and I'll fry up some slices of squash too.  It's like fried zucchini but yellow.

And speaking of zucchini(how can you avoid speaking of zucchini in the Summer?!)......here is what I made last week for dinner one night.....

We call it Lemon Chicken but the proper name is "Lena's Chicken".  This recipe comes to me by way of an old friend of my mother's.  The origins past there are unknown.

It's Chicken thighs dredged in flour and lemon pepper mixture(either the no salt variety or a mix of salt/no salt ones), then pan fried until the skin is browned, but not cooked all the way through.
The veggie is a mix of onions and zuke slices with a can of tomatoes(use crushed or whole) in the pan you browned the chicken in(after you pour the leftover oil out).  Put the chicken back in on top of the veggies and put a lid on the pan.  This simmers covered for 45 min. while you fix your rice separately.

Then eat it.  It is a mighty tasty way to get rid of all that zucchini if you are tired of fried zuke and zuke bread.

I need to thin out my Collard Greens soon.  I'll probably do that this weekend and use the thinnings to make a small batch of greens.  The young leaves will be more tender but they won't be as sweet as letting the first frost get to your collards before you pick them.

The tomatoes are quietly doing their growing thing.  The peppers and salad are not.  We are still waiting on the other variety of green beans, the Romano ones, to bloom.
It's been a very weird Summer in the garden.

Sluggy

Food Spending July Week 3 & Meal Planning Week 4

Well my mouse seems to be the culprit(ie-my keyboard possession of last week), so I'll be going out to get a new mouse later today.  I know that was worrying all of you.....


I actually went to the store last week!  Well I didn't go to the grocery store but I bought food at Rite-Aid and Big Lots.


*****************************
And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Leftover Chinese(from our Dinner Out)
MONDAY--Marin Joe's Special

TUESDAY--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini

WEDNESDAY--Hamburger Helper type casserole, leftover Squash casserole

THURSDAY--Kielbasa on Rolls, homemade Pickles, Green Beans

FRIDAY--Take-out Italian

SATURDAY--Leftovers
Everything was cooked/served as planned except for the Quiche on Friday.  I didn't get out for a pie crust so we got Italian from the local joint.  I had Lasagna and Hubs had an Italian Sub.  That was all the eating out/take-out we did all week. 

The weekly food spending was $42.36 done in 2 trips to Rite-Aid and 1 trip to Big Lots.  A large chunk of that($33+) was stocking up on Gatorade for #2 Son and Juice.   I didn't darken the door of a grocery store at all last week.  ;-)

 

The regular retail value for all was $132.59 so I had a 68.05% savings rate. 

As I reset my July Food Budget to $300, I now have $158.97 left to spend on food/toiletries this month.  8 shopping days left in July.  I think I can make it! 8-)

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......1 piece of cornbread.

The garden has decided to finally produce something other than radishes, so I have a big pile of green beans and 4 yellow squash going into this week.

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

This week's menu.....Hubs has vacation this week, so I am not going to designate which meals for which days.  He might want to be spontaneous(imagine that!lol)and go or do something with little notice so I am keeping my plan loose & flexible this week.

MEAL 1--Dinner out at Ruby Tuesdays(did this already on Sunday)

MEAL 2--Corned Beef and Cabbage

MEAL 3--Grilled  Squash, Hamburgers

MEAL 4--KFC chicken, Green Beans

MEAL 5--Tacos or Taco Salads

MEAL 6--Fried Fish and Squash, Pickles

MEAL 7--?? Leaving open/probably take-out or eating out

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....
Cabbage, Salad Greens and other fresh produce to put into salads.  We also need milk, fruit, lunch meat for Daughter.

So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

Sunday Shopping....Big Lots & Rite-Aid

Hubs and I went to Big Lots on Sunday while we were out.

10 x Old Orchard 100% Juice on sale $2=$20.00
2 x Ground Cumin $1=$2.00
1 x Nido dry milk=$3.00
1 x Tuna Helper=$1.00
Total....$26.00

The juice was $2.50 and marked down to $2.00 so we stocked up.  I only buy the 100% stuff, never the juice "sugared up cocktail" varieties.lol
I was out of cumin.
I wanted to try the Nido dry milk as I've heard of it for years but have never found it on the shelf around here before.  It was $3 and makes 2 gallons.....I have no idea if that is a good price but since fresh milk is regulated by the PA Dairy Board(ie-the price is artificially inflated and regulated and does not fluctuate due to supply and demand like it does in the rest of the country), we pay almost $4 a gallon for milk.  So 2 gallons for $3 is a deal to us.

The Tuna Helper......well, it was an impulse buy.  We haven't had it in ages and if I don't get a bare minimum of processed crap my brain might seize up. ;-)

Then I went off to Rite-Aid by myself.
I went because I had a $4 Hydro Razor Q that was expiring on Sunday to pair with a Rite-Aid emailed $2 Q.  I planned to get the Hydro 3 razor and after 20% Wellness discount and Qs it would have cost me .67¢.
Well, the plan was great.....except that the store was out of 3's and only had the more expensive 5's.
Ugh.  The $1.63 THAT razor would have cost was a good deal but I didn't get it, because I didn't need a razor.  Hubs like cheap single blade disposable razors....go figure!
But I just couldn't leave Rite-Aid without SOMETHING, now could I?LOL

2 x Powerade on sale .88¢=$1.76
2 x Extra Gum on sale 2/$2=$2.00** RANG UP w/ 20% Wellness discount instead $1.03=$2.06
1 x St. Joseph Aspirin 200 ct. on sale=$5.99
4 x Oreos on sale 2/$6=$12.00
SubTotal......$21.81

Coupons Used
1 x $1.50/2 Powerade AdPerk Q=$1.50
2 x .50¢/1 Extra Gum AdPerk Q=$1.00
1 x .50¢/2 Extra Gum IPQ(walmart site)=$.50
2 x $1/2 Oreos AdPerks Q=$2.00
2 x $1/2 Oreos IPQ(Smartsource dotcom)=$2.00
Coupon Total....$7.00

$21.81-$7.00=$14.81
I used $11 in +Up Rewards....$14.81-$11.00=$3.81 + .04¢tax=$3.85 OOP


$3.85 OOP sort of....

I was suppose to get $11 in +Ups back($5 St. Joseph, 2 x $2 Oreos wyb2, $1 wyb 2Extra Gums).
But the Gum was NOT coded to produce +Ups OR come up as $1 purchase price.
So I put $1.10 on my free gift card(a moment of silence for the end of the gift card please....), paid $3.75 in cash.
When I told them the Gum $1 +Ups didn't print, they gave me a dollar back.....so I "paid" $2.75 cash.
I didn't notice that the gum rang up 6 cents too much.  If I go by there this week, I'll get my pennies back for that.

So I paid $2.75 and got $10 +Up Rewards back.
But that's not all....

I bought $12 of Oreos and there is a $2 SCRebate this month for that, so I'll get $2 cash back next month for that.
There is also a St. Joseph's SCRebate.  It's advertised in the Weekly ad as on sale for $5.99 AND a $2 SCR available for this same size product.
But if you look in the SCR catalog, the rebate is for the 300 ct. bottle of aspirin, so I'll submit it and see if it comes through.  If it doesn't come through AND I want to be a hard ass I could call Corp. CS and argue about false/misleading advertising and such until they make good on it.
Whatever.....

I paid $.99 in the end for the aspirin and that's a great price on this 81 mg. stuff!  And it's something I use as I am on a baby aspirin regime. ;-)

So I paid $2.75 OOP, got $10 +Ups back and I'll get either $2 or $4 in cash back.
Either way, it's a good deal!


Cookies and Powerade going into the Marching Band supplies, Gum goes in the Xmas stocking box and the Aspirin goes into me. 8-)

As of now, my Monthly Rite-Aid Stats for JULY are....

Out Of Pocket....$16.36 cash
Value of items bought....$65.52+$49.25+$49.19 + $36.01=$199.97
Single Check Rebate due....$6.00(or $8.00)

+Ups at beginning of month...$33+
+Ups used....$55+
+Ups received...$32+
+Ups currently...$10+ 


Food Budget spent today.....$28.75

Did you find any good deals anywhere this past week?


Sluggy

What I Bought at Rite-Aid This Week

I had $7 in +Up Rewards to spend/roll.
Here is what I got this week.....
And so you aren't shocked later on in this post, let me tell you I actually SPENT MONEY this week at Rite-Aid! 8-(

15 x Gatorades on sale $1 each=$15.00
2 x Milky Way bars on sale .50¢=$1.00
2 x Extra Gum on sale .99¢ each=$1.98
1 x Gillette Custom 3 Plus disposable razors w/20% disc.=$6.39
1 x Gillette Shaving Cream w/20% disc.=$3.03
SubTotal.....$27.40

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Milky War bars IPQ(no longer available)=$1.00
1 x $.50/2 Extra Gum ManuQ(AllYou Magazine)=.50¢
2 x .50¢/1 Extra Gum AdPerks IPQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Gillette Custom 3 Plus razors ManuQ(P&G)=$2.00
1 x Buy G. Razors Get Shave Cream Free ManuQ(6/10 insert)=$3.03
Coupon Total.....$7.53

$27.40-$7.53=$19.87 + $.74tax=$20.61

Used my $7 +Ups...$20.61-$7.00=$13.61 OOP

I received back $11 in +Up Rewards.....(2 x $1 WYB5 Gatorades-limit 2, $5 WYB15 Gatorades-montly deal, $4 WYB select Gillette Razors)

Now I know I could have broken this into 2 transactions and paid about $4 less OOP in the end and wound up with $7 +Ups instead of $11 +Ups.
But I was in a hurry to get somewhere else so I bit the bullet and spent $13 instead of $9 OOP when all was said and done.

*With Marching Band camp about a week away, cheap Gatorades(.53¢ each)tempted me.lol

*The candy bars were free so a no brainer.

*The gum was .24¢ a pack so almost free(these will be stocking stuffers).  If you can find the Key Lime Pie flavor of Extra Gum it's ringing up on clearance so would be much cheaper, maybe even free with overage if you have the right coupons.

*The Gillette razors are part of a deal where the $12 and such non-disposable razors are on sale for $9.99 this week AND give a $4 +Ups back on purchase.  This particular disposable package IS pictured with the non-disposable ones on sale AND also gives the $4 +Ups.  At my store this disposable pack is $7.99 reg. retail, so with 20% Wellness discount comes out to be $6.39.  With the $2 Q and $4+Ups, it ends up costing me .39¢ for the package.

*I saw on A Super Savvy Saver that there is a coupon in the 6/10 inserts(Red Plum) you can pair with these razors that will give you a free can of shave cream too.  Thanks Sheila! 8-)
So the razors and shave cream cost me .39¢ OOP.

As of now, my Monthly Rite-Aid Stats for JULY are....

Out Of Pocket....$13.61 cash
Value of items bought....$65.52+$49.25+$49.19=$163.97
Single Check Rebate due....$4.00

+Ups at beginning of month...$33+
+Ups used....$44+
+Ups received...$22+
+Ups currently...$11+ 


What did you find good to buy at Rite-Aid this week?


Sluggy