Month: November 2019

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Every Day

Frugal Things This Past Week

These are the things we did frugally this past week:

– Saved money on tolls on our trip by using our EZ pass.

– Purchased Halloween candy at 50% off. It is the next year’s supply: for Hubby, the grandchildren and baking.


– Baked cinnamon bread to take to our family in the Albany area


– Took all of the Christmas gifts except for one to our family to save on postage


– Returned an item of clothing that was defective. The company paid the return postage.

– I have been looking for a good buy on reusable produce bags. I finally found one at 40% off at Amazon. The set had 9 of different sizes. Our state has banned plastic bags as of early next year. However some of the stores are going to begin the ban at the end of this year so I wanted to be ready.


– My tablet is extremely old and is not being updated so many apps I can’t use. So I will be on the lookout for a good deal. Hopefully, there will be one on Black Friday.

– I picked up a nice size frosting bucket from the bakery at Top’s free for the asking. I use these for  storing dry goods in the basement. It saves me from buying more of the large ones. 

– I received a $3.00 rebate.  


– I purchased a $ 60. jacket at Kohl’s for under $15. using Kohl’s cash that was given to me for a mistake they made and a coupon.


– I saw that Aldi’s has Butterball turkeys for $.87 a lb. This will be my buy price for Thanksgiving unless I see something better in the future. We love Butterballs.


– I washed two loads of clothes in the HE washer using cold water. I hung them to dry.


– Hubby turned the heat down to 60 while we were away.

– I got a cut, shampoo, and blow dry at the hairdresser. No color or highlights this time. That saved me many $$$’s. 

– We have been very careful about using up food in the fridge so as to have zero waste.


– I cooked a dozen eggs in the pressure cooker to use for breakfasts and sliced up on salads.

– Some of the apples in our fridge needed to be used up so I made homemade apple sauce with stevia to sweeten it.


–  I watched “Hamburger Hill” on amazon prime videos.

– We just finished our last regular size tube of toothpaste so I am using up some of the many, many travel size tubes that the dentist has given us.

What did you do frugally this week?

Categories
Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week

I needed to go grocery shopping yesterday not only because we needed a couple of things but because it was Senior Discount Day (6% off). This is what I purchased at Top’s:

4 jars of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce – $ .75 each after Q’s = $ 3.00

4 Kummelweck rolls – $ .75 each = $ 3.00

1 Bag of Ruffles – $ 1.99 after Q

1/2 lb of Virginia Baked Ham – $ 3.36

1/2 lb. of Charlie The Butcher Roast Beef – $ 6.59- comes with free au jus


5 pkgs. of Jimmy Dean Bacon – $ 17.98 after B2G3F 


4 pkgs. of Taco Seasoning – Free after Q’s


1 Celery – $ .88 after Q


24 ct. Large Eggs – $ 1.99

1 Land of Lakes Cream Cheese – $ .99 after Q

1 Box of Microwave Popcorn – $ 2.99 


Total was $ 39.93 after 6% discount.


This is the cheapest spaghetti sauce that I have seen in a long time. When I don’t have time to make homemade for West, it will come in handy.
 
The rolls were for beef on a weck sandwiches for dinner last night. And yes, I ate a roll- the 2nd one that I have eaten in 8 months. This is my very favorite sandwich and since my blood work numbers were so beautiful yesterday, I celebrated. But it will probably be another 4 – 5 months before I eat any bread again.


The chips and celery were purchased for Thanksgiving. Hubby wanted the cold cuts for his lunches. We use a lot of bacon for Sunday family breakfasts. Eggs were a great price and I was down to 2 dozen. I use a lot of cream cheese. Hubby wanted the popcorn for snacks.


I have a busy day so I need to hard boil a dozen eggs for my breakfasts. Then I will go out to the Post Office to make a return and to Kohl’s to use up some Kohl’s cash. We have a snowstorm coming tomorrow so I want to get these things done. 

Did you get any good deals this past week?

Categories
Every Day

Been on Vacation

We went to the Albany area(4 and 1/2 hour trip each way) early Friday morning to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, Alexa. We had not seen them since Alexa came to visit in August. We wanted to get one more trip in before the snows come and we are stuck inside for the winter.

It was a wonderful visit. Alexa is now 5’8’inches tall and I have to look up at her to talk to her. Some of you probably remember her when I posted her birth announcement all those years ago. The years have flown. She is a beautiful young lady now and I enjoy spending time just chatting with her.
 
Before we left I tanked up the SUV using gasoline points that I earned buying groceries. On the way out we saved on tolls by using our EZ Pass which gives us a discount. 

We drove straight through without stopping for lunch relying on the snacks that I had packed. We did the same coming home. 

On Friday evening, we took everyone out to dinner at a diner that Alexa wanted to go to in another town. We had great food and a wonderful time and I only spent $58.01 and a $12.00 tip.

On Saturday, my daughter-in-law took me shopping at Walmart for marked down Halloween candy. We found some at 50% but others that I picked up that were in the Halloween section were not marked. I got to the register and was told that only a few were marked 50% off. I told them to keep the majority of it and just got the few that rang up at 50% off. However, a manager was near by and she told the cashier to give me the rest at 50% off. So I spent $84.66 on candy but saved double that. I left about 40% of it with my family and brought the rest home to dole out over the year to West and family. I also was thrilled to find really large bags of Almond Joys which are never discounted, so I bought all they had which was 8 bags. Hubby uses those little bars in the middle of the night if he has a low sugar. They will last us for a few years. Some of what I purchased is pictured above.

We also went to Price Chopper( wow is that store expensive) and picked up some strip steaks and burgers for dinner. My son grilled and it was everyone’s choice what they wanted. It tasted so good.

We spent a quiet day on Sunday and had pizza, antipasto and wings for dinner. 

We came home yesterday. We got unpacked and I caught up some laundry. I still have more today. I also need to go grocery shopping since it is Senior Discount Day at Top’s. I made some fish in the air fryer and some frozen veggies so that we didn’t have to pick up fast food for dinner.

First thing this morning, Hubby and I went to the lab, in another town, for blood work for an upcoming appointment. On the way home, we stopped and voted.

I have pulled some shaved beef out of the freezer to make for dinner. It will be easy.

Aqua Systems is coming to blow the lines on our sprinkler system at 1PM. When that is done, I will get the groceries.


Then, I plan on taking a nap. I am beat from our trip. I will be back to posting tommorrow.
 

Categories
Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week

This past week I shopped at Aldi’s. My weeks run from last Wednesday through Tuesday of this week.

This is what I purchased:

4 Avocados – $ .69 each = $ 2.76

Organic Smoked Turkey – $ 4.49

2 Cream Cheese – $ .79 each = $ 1.58

2 Heavy Whipping Cream – $ 1.55 each = $ 3.10

2 Half and Half – $ 1.55 each = $ 3.10

2 doz. Large Eggs – $ .89 each = $ 1.78

1 Sunflower Kernels – $ 1.59

2 Macadamia Nuts – $ 8.99 each = $ 17.98

1 Roasted Pistachios – $ 3.59

1 Trail Mix – $5.49

1 Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil – $ 2.29

1 Pkg. of Romaine Hearts – $ 2.39

1 Pkg. of Food Saver Rolls – $ 9.99

Total was $ 61.11 including tax.

My supply of nuts and sunflower kernels was almost gone so I stocked for a while. The trail mix is one of Hubby’s snacks. I have at least 1/2 an avocado a day. Sometimes more if I have a salad for dinner and want some cubed up on it. 

I love smoked turkey spread with cream cheese, rolled  up and cut into slices. YUM! The whipping cream is for my coffee and the half and half for Hubby’s coffee.

I now after this shop have 4 dozen eggs in the fridge. We eat a lot of eggs.  We also go through a lot romaine and lettuce in salads.


The aluminum foil is to use for my Thanksgiving turkey. 


The bonus this week was the deal on the Food Saver rolls. These were a great price and fit my Food Saver.


Did you get any good deals this past week? Please share with us.