Friday Shopping

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sluggy


 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 The Salty Six Info HERE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sluggy

 

Clarification on the Food Budget & Donations

Ok everyone, when I said I was considering separating our food bank purchases from our "gonna use this" food purchases I meant setting aside a bit of money outside of our reg. food budget to make these purchases, versus including the food bank items in our reg. monthly food budget.

I do keep track of all food bank items donated during the year and declare it for tax purposes already, that's not the issue.

Should I say give myself a monthly food budget of whatever(use to be $400 mo.)and then give myself a separate pool of cash to pay for donated items out of, instead of my food budget?

Maybe designate a part of our yearly Charitable $ giving Budget for buying items for the food bank or carve out a chunk of the regular Food Spending Budget to pay for these food donations?

$400 or $350 or whatever I spend a month is already tight so using a piece of the Charity $ might be the way to go with this.


Sluggy

Mail & Shopping

I got some happy mail this week.

The rebate for the purple crockpot I bought at Kohl's last November and the more than full price rebate on the Delsym cough syrup I bought at Rite-Aid around the same time.
I was only expecting a $13.49 rebate on the Delsym since I used a $1 off Q and spent $13.49 total, but they sent the full $14.00.

Then I finally got out to do some errands and to buy groceries on yesterday........this is the 1st grocery shopping I've done in February.

I spent $61.77

1 reduced sodium soy sauce
2 cans water chestnuts
1 bag frozen mushrooms
1 head cauliflower
2 red bell peppers
1 pack grape tomatoes
1 box salad greens
1 bag salad greens 50% sticker
1 bag shredded carrots
1 bag collards 50% sticker
1 pack bagels 50% sticker
1 pack onion rolls 50% sticker
1 bag Thomas' bagels
2 containers Philly cream cheese
1 container ground pork 50% sticker
6 packs of bacon

I also got 4 jugs of laundry detergent.....

Everything was on sale or had a discount sticker on it.
Buying the Thomas' bagels and 1 cream cheese(both on sale too)got me an instant $1.50 off.
I bought 2 cream cheeses and used a Philly $1/2 Q and a .55¢/1(doubled to $1) Thomas Q, so $7.50 on those 3 items-$2=$5.50-$3 instant discount=$2.50 for all three.

The OM bacon was BOGO plus it was a "Spend $40/Get $10 Catalina Deal.  $50.94 reg. retail before sale/deal, $25.47 was spent OOP on all 6 and I got the $10 off YNO CatQ so $2.58 a lb. after everything.

The Arm & Hammer detergent was $1.87 and there are $2/2 ManuQs and IPQs(coupons dotcom), so each one cost 87¢.

*On a side note, I am considering keeping what I spend on items for the food bank separate from my monthly food budget for the family.
I want to try to make more of an effort to take products to the local food bank in 2015.  though I plan on spending very little with the deals for the food bank it would still take away some $ from the budget and the things I buy to use.
I'll have to think about this some more.

$121.47 worth of goods for $61.77 + $10 of free food on my next trip.
Savings rate of 49.15%.  8-)

Then it was off to Rite-Aid, of course!
I had $6 in +Up Rewards to use before Saturday.

2 x Tresemme 'Poo on sale=$7.98
1 x Mitchum 'Deo(raincheck)=$2.99
2 x Puracyn Food Wash(raincheck)=FREE
2 x R-A Ibuprofen(raincheck)=$1.34
3 x Diet Coke 12-packs on sale=$12.00
SubTotal........$24.31

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Tresemme ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $2/1 Mitchum ManuQ=$2.00
3 x Free Coke 12-packs mailed Qs=$12.00
Coupon Total......$18.00

$24.31-$18.00=$6.31
I used my $5 +Ups and the $1 Catalina(from the DiGiorno pizza deal)and paid .31¢ OOP.

I received back $4 in new +Ups Rewars($1 wyb 3 coke 12-packs, $3 wyb2 Tresemme).
I'm down to $8 in +Ups now.
$63.16 worth of goods brought home for .31¢.
Nice.

Now I'm off to get the federal taxes all printed off, collated, checked so we can sign them tonight and mail them tomorrow.

Sluggy
 

My New Anthem

Because truly, there ain't enough whiskey.......

 

Sluggy

Thank You!

I just wanted to thank everyone who sent good wishes concerning my recent meltdown on the blog.
I am really bad about responding individually to comments, but if you've been reading here long, you already know that, so don't take offense if I don't respond to your note.

I also received a few emailed private messages of support.  Those were totally unexpected but are cherished just the same.

Being a woman of a certain age, I don't much care what anyone thinks of me or what I think or do.
Society in general can "KMFA" in regard to who and what I am and what I do.  Basically, "my religion" is to be a good person who tries hard not to hurt anyone else and if that ain't good enough for some people then too too bad and here's the remote so you can change the channel.

All that superficial stuff that's so important to the majority of those in our culture concerns me not.  I often feel so out of step with the rest of our society and the majority of womankind.  My worth is not dependent on the latest fashion and hairstyle, how small my dress size or what celebrity or sports team I identify with(none of them).
I know who I am and what matters in my life.

But now and again when my psyche is low things said can get to me.  I guess that's true of everyone.  And last week I was having one of those times so things said that don't usually bother me did, and tunneled down into my soul and made a mess of me at my core.

I really didn't want to stop blogging nor did I want to take it private.
This particular blog of mine has been up and running since 20 Jan 2009.
6+ years at this point.
It's been continually changing as I have changed over the years and it has enriched my life in ways I couldn't have imagined back in 2009 it would.

I think I am back on an even keel now, with a sturdy rudder.  My sails may be in tatters but we journey on into the great unknown.
Sea monsters and trolls need not apply.
There are still many adventures to partake in so come along on the voyage.  ;-)




Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Lot of Snow and More of the Same on the Way" Edition ........

 

 

This is a shot of my back deck this morning.   It warmed up and rained last night/late yesterday so we did some shoveling.
And then the rain started freezing and came down as sleet and the temperature dropped so we have a nice layer of ice over everything.  And more snow is coming later today/tonight.
Can I move out of here already??


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

1.  Pizza(frozen that I doctored up), Salad
2.  Leftovers Fiesta lolz

3.  Lobster Ravioli, Salad

4.  Bean and Ham Soup, Brussels Sprouts
5.  Kielbasa on rolls, Green Beans

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers
 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Pizza(frozen that I doctored up), Salad
2.  Leftovers(I had Chicken & Dumplings)
3.  Leftovers(I had Chicken/Mushroom Risotto, Salad)

4.  Salmon, Potato Salad, Brussels Sprouts
5.  Kielbasa on roll,(I had leftover beans too, hubs had potato  salad)

6.  Lobster Ravioli, Brussels Sprouts
7.  Leftovers(I had a Roast Beef Sandwich, Salad)

Most of the plan happened except for the bean soup.
Poor bean soup. 8-)


Last week I made ZERO trips to grocery stores and spent ZERO OOP.  I did however go to Rite-Aid on Friday and spend .20¢ OOP on $9.58 worth of toothpaste.

My spending for February so far on food/toiletries is $.20 for $9.58 worth of food/toiletries.
I have $249.80 left in my Feb. budget and 19 days to go.

Leftovers going into this week are lasagna, risotto w/chicken and extra alfredo type sauce from when I made the ravioli but that will put into the freezer for later.

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

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

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

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

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers

 

I can almost do this plan without buying anything this week. I do need some veggies for the stir-fry and the asparagus so spending will happen but it won't be much.

The ads this week are again lackluster. Plus the weather forecast is iffy too.  I have to go out at some point this week but it won't be for long, so another week being housebound.

At the end of this week we will have lots of leftovers since all the new meals except for the pork chop meal will generate extras.  Between what we are going into the week with in leftovers and the new leftovers next week's menu will mean very little actual cooking for me.
I'll take it! ;-)
 

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?    

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy