I suppose you could say I'm going out with a bang after the 'quick' trip to Costco?
$40 in gas ($3.23 a gallon)
And then the shop WITH a list, which was pretty much stuck to ... but still...
Paper towels $14.89
80ct Coffeehouse kcups $37.99
5 lb beefsteak tomatoes $6.99
36 pk water $3.75
dozen croissants $5.99
TP $17.99
Aidell chicken hotdogs (1 was apple other is pineapple, delicious) $10.99 x 2
6 pk romaine $4.29
24 oz bag o' Ruffles $5.29 (hey, better than $7.99)
large bag of organic tortilla chips $4.89
8 pk Torta sandwich rolls $5.99
72 ct dayquil $14.29
72 ct nyquil $14.29
18 oz wedge of percorino romano $9.54
1 lb of Coastal Cheddar $6.99
18 pk protein bars $17.69 (score, the price dropped!)
36 ct welchs fruit snacks $10.59
12 pk 5" burger buns $2.39 (for the juicy lucys)
90 ct EmergenC $19.49
2 lb organic spinach leaves $4.29
string cheese $9.49
large jug fresh pico de gallo $5.49
2 pkgs fully cooked steak strips $12.99 each (for my steak salads and other things)
2 lb bag of peeled garlic $4.99
2 lb strawberries $3.99
3 pk english cukes $3.99
2% milk $3.35
I skipped the eggs, over $5 now for 36 ... the price really went up fast. Also skipped a few other things as the price is just not what it used to be.
I stood in line at the Pharmacy for oh, 10 minutes, just to get the real-deal Sudafed. Handed over my Costco card and debit card and realized that I didn't have my license with me. Crumb. Which is why I got the other stuff. Uggg.
So, grand total? $289.49. Geesh. Just about the amount that would have been swept over to my savings account in the morning. Bummer.
Then it was the place to fill the spare propane tank $20.00
Then Publix for cocktail sauce $3.36
Then 7-11 for ice (forgot to get at Publix), 40 lbs for $10+ ... good Lord.
Yeah, I am going out with a bang!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
New Year's Eve Festivities
We pretty much have all the food on hand that we will be preparing (well, except the water chestnuts, the chips, the fresh tomatoes ... ok, Marked picked up a few things) ...
But I was waffling back and forth about the liquor.
Yes, I have 4 bottles of Tequila (wait, make that 6, 4 are the real good stuff), JD, Gin, Titos Vodka, and a little rum and some other odds and ends. Like the Double Espresso Vodka and the bottle of Kahlua <shudder> (those 2 shaken and chilled, strained and done as a shot? delicious but wicked headache the next day ... though that could have been from the amount of wine consumed beforehand?)
And yes, I have 'some' beer in the fridge, but not enough for a party so to speak. You know, 10 or more people does constitute a party.
So I went to Wine Spirits and More. And got 3 12 pks of various beers. A 12 pk of Smirnoff Ice (variety pack, for the younger drinkers). 2 bottles of good champagne and 3 bottles of cheap'er' champagne (still $16 a bottle, but I just can't pull off cheap stuff, you know??)
Hmmm...what else?
Oh, yeah. A bottle of Crown Royal and a bottle of Sour Green Apple Schnapps ... for Washington Apples.
Honestly, I'm trying to avoid a hangover on Sunday.
Total spent was pretty much A LOT. $178. And one of the bottles of champagne was free, and $5 off in coupons for the beer. I did put the little crown bag away for part of a pirate costume for next Halloween (I can never seem to find one when I need it!)
Appetizers will be spinach/artichoke hot dip, shrimp cocktail (freezer), mini quiche (freezer), cheese with summer sausage and crackers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, stuffed mushrooms, chips and salsa, cheese spread, and if I'm motivated enough, I will do a few cold cut rollups (turkey and ham are in fridge). But then again, probably not as Mark bought a Honey Baked Turkey Breast (yum) today. Ummm...that was NOT on the list but he did it anyway. I guess he's figuring going out with a bang?
Just being honest here. I'm hoping that the champagne is NOT all drunk that night, as the beer, ice and Washington Apples. But if it is, it is. Just means I may have a dry spell there =D
We will probably leave the house and head to A1A and Las Olas for the Ball Dropping at the Elbow Room. However, I'd just as soon stay here instead and watch the fireworks as we can see them from the front yard.
I'm not feeling too badly (still) about the liquor tab. We generally have ONE big bash in the winter months and didn't get to do the boat parade this year ... so .... I'm ok with it. I need to go online though and look at my balance and clear out the funds to start the new year with $1341 in my checking account on Sunday ... woohoo ... let the games begin!
But I was waffling back and forth about the liquor.
Yes, I have 4 bottles of Tequila (wait, make that 6, 4 are the real good stuff), JD, Gin, Titos Vodka, and a little rum and some other odds and ends. Like the Double Espresso Vodka and the bottle of Kahlua <shudder> (those 2 shaken and chilled, strained and done as a shot? delicious but wicked headache the next day ... though that could have been from the amount of wine consumed beforehand?)
And yes, I have 'some' beer in the fridge, but not enough for a party so to speak. You know, 10 or more people does constitute a party.
So I went to Wine Spirits and More. And got 3 12 pks of various beers. A 12 pk of Smirnoff Ice (variety pack, for the younger drinkers). 2 bottles of good champagne and 3 bottles of cheap'er' champagne (still $16 a bottle, but I just can't pull off cheap stuff, you know??)
Hmmm...what else?
Oh, yeah. A bottle of Crown Royal and a bottle of Sour Green Apple Schnapps ... for Washington Apples.
Honestly, I'm trying to avoid a hangover on Sunday.
Total spent was pretty much A LOT. $178. And one of the bottles of champagne was free, and $5 off in coupons for the beer. I did put the little crown bag away for part of a pirate costume for next Halloween (I can never seem to find one when I need it!)
Appetizers will be spinach/artichoke hot dip, shrimp cocktail (freezer), mini quiche (freezer), cheese with summer sausage and crackers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, stuffed mushrooms, chips and salsa, cheese spread, and if I'm motivated enough, I will do a few cold cut rollups (turkey and ham are in fridge). But then again, probably not as Mark bought a Honey Baked Turkey Breast (yum) today. Ummm...that was NOT on the list but he did it anyway. I guess he's figuring going out with a bang?
Just being honest here. I'm hoping that the champagne is NOT all drunk that night, as the beer, ice and Washington Apples. But if it is, it is. Just means I may have a dry spell there =D
We will probably leave the house and head to A1A and Las Olas for the Ball Dropping at the Elbow Room. However, I'd just as soon stay here instead and watch the fireworks as we can see them from the front yard.
I'm not feeling too badly (still) about the liquor tab. We generally have ONE big bash in the winter months and didn't get to do the boat parade this year ... so .... I'm ok with it. I need to go online though and look at my balance and clear out the funds to start the new year with $1341 in my checking account on Sunday ... woohoo ... let the games begin!
Best Buy and Reward Points
I've been putting off getting ink for the one printer for oh, about a month now.
Why? Because I wanted to go to Best Buy and get it ... I have $50 in reward certificates. And quite honestly, I had NO desire to head in there during the holiday crush.
Last night I finally stopped on my way home as Princess really needed to print this paper off and keep in her car (she's a procrastinator apparently) until her new tags arrive. Ha.
I avoided browsing, although I did little longingly at the new printers but moved on to the cartridges.
I debated on the XL cartridge for $40+ or just the ordinary cartridge for $15+. I opted for the $15 one.
Went to check out ... handed over my $10 and $5 certificates and forked over two quarters and two pennies ... thankfully I had change in the bottom of my purse that I scooped out of my car that morning, so I wasn't in the same predicament as I was with Target.
Yes, 52 cents is what it cost me.
I feel good. And I still have $35 left. Yippee Yahoo.
Why? Because I wanted to go to Best Buy and get it ... I have $50 in reward certificates. And quite honestly, I had NO desire to head in there during the holiday crush.
Last night I finally stopped on my way home as Princess really needed to print this paper off and keep in her car (she's a procrastinator apparently) until her new tags arrive. Ha.
I avoided browsing, although I did little longingly at the new printers but moved on to the cartridges.
I debated on the XL cartridge for $40+ or just the ordinary cartridge for $15+. I opted for the $15 one.
Went to check out ... handed over my $10 and $5 certificates and forked over two quarters and two pennies ... thankfully I had change in the bottom of my purse that I scooped out of my car that morning, so I wasn't in the same predicament as I was with Target.
Yes, 52 cents is what it cost me.
I feel good. And I still have $35 left. Yippee Yahoo.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Quick Stop At Target
Heh, let's just say that for the most part, Target is NOT my friend.
See, I stopped by there the other morning to look for any kind of good food mark downs, along with paper items since it's the week after Christmas. Remember, over here, I was going back and forth on whether or not I should explore ....
Needless to say, I should have stayed out of there.
First trip that morning yielded a LOT of Hickory Farm summer sausage and cheeses. Like $50 worth (they were $2.49 for a 10 oz cheese and $2.49 for the 1 lb roll). A good deal in my book and something that is shelf stable without taking up valuable space in fridges and freezers. Not to mention, we all like this stuff ...
The 2nd trip (that evening) was solely to get the 80/20% hamburger for $2.50/lb. I got 10 packages because over here, I was just complaining about the lack of beef in my freezers AND the fact that it's close to $4 a pound nowdays. And a bag of frozen, peeled cooked shrimp (1 lb) $5.99. And more Hickory Farms pepperoni sticks ($2.49 again). This cost me $53.30. How do I know the exact amount? Because I had $53 in my purse but NO CHANGE. So ended up using the debit card (thankfully my bank was one of the ones who joined the no fee for using it).
So I spent $100+ at Target in one day, 2 trips. Really. On food stuff, no less. Not good. Uh uh. Not at all.
We did have cheese and sausage with crackers for dinner. Wanted to make some burgers but of course, don't have any burger buns on hand. Think I will do that for New Years Day ... thinking of some juicy lucy using the smoked cheddar cheese ... yummmm.
See, I stopped by there the other morning to look for any kind of good food mark downs, along with paper items since it's the week after Christmas. Remember, over here, I was going back and forth on whether or not I should explore ....
Needless to say, I should have stayed out of there.
First trip that morning yielded a LOT of Hickory Farm summer sausage and cheeses. Like $50 worth (they were $2.49 for a 10 oz cheese and $2.49 for the 1 lb roll). A good deal in my book and something that is shelf stable without taking up valuable space in fridges and freezers. Not to mention, we all like this stuff ...
The 2nd trip (that evening) was solely to get the 80/20% hamburger for $2.50/lb. I got 10 packages because over here, I was just complaining about the lack of beef in my freezers AND the fact that it's close to $4 a pound nowdays. And a bag of frozen, peeled cooked shrimp (1 lb) $5.99. And more Hickory Farms pepperoni sticks ($2.49 again). This cost me $53.30. How do I know the exact amount? Because I had $53 in my purse but NO CHANGE. So ended up using the debit card (thankfully my bank was one of the ones who joined the no fee for using it).
So I spent $100+ at Target in one day, 2 trips. Really. On food stuff, no less. Not good. Uh uh. Not at all.
We did have cheese and sausage with crackers for dinner. Wanted to make some burgers but of course, don't have any burger buns on hand. Think I will do that for New Years Day ... thinking of some juicy lucy using the smoked cheddar cheese ... yummmm.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Coming Down To The Wire
This is it, the homestretch!
I did good over the weekend, Zero Spend Saturday and Sunday (uh, doh, it was Christmas Eve and then Christmas, I'm aware of that).
Monday would have been a great day too except that my neighbor, who is like my Florida mom, she wanted to do the casino. As she's going through heavy radiation and chemo yet again, I told Mark that I almost felt like I needed to do this as it may be the last time to do so.
$60 in. Came out with $3. Ahhh. I remember why I hate gambling.
This week should be a fairly inexpensive week as far as spending goes. Hoping that Penn Dutch puts chicken on sale as I think I'm getting low. Same with beef. Wondering if we shouldn't go back to grinding our own beef again (we have a meat grinder, not commercial size!) ... if beef stays over $3 almost $4 a pound, may consider it. Still need to get to Costco but now re-evaluating the cat thing. We have a big box that the Boy put a beach towel in and a few cat toys, and the old kitty, Gman has taken up ownership in it ... Kitty Kitty has a tendency to want to stand on it and then walk to the edge where it collapse, freaking Gman out. Not sure how long that will last before we kick it out :)
If I do Costco and skip the cat condo thing, I'd say under $100, possibly even less than that. Most likely even less than that now that I think about it.
We had no consumable water over the weekend (main waterline break) so used up most of my bottled water. Will need to replenish that, and Costco is the best price for it.
Other than that, feeling good going in to the New Year. How about you?
I did good over the weekend, Zero Spend Saturday and Sunday (uh, doh, it was Christmas Eve and then Christmas, I'm aware of that).
Monday would have been a great day too except that my neighbor, who is like my Florida mom, she wanted to do the casino. As she's going through heavy radiation and chemo yet again, I told Mark that I almost felt like I needed to do this as it may be the last time to do so.
$60 in. Came out with $3. Ahhh. I remember why I hate gambling.
This week should be a fairly inexpensive week as far as spending goes. Hoping that Penn Dutch puts chicken on sale as I think I'm getting low. Same with beef. Wondering if we shouldn't go back to grinding our own beef again (we have a meat grinder, not commercial size!) ... if beef stays over $3 almost $4 a pound, may consider it. Still need to get to Costco but now re-evaluating the cat thing. We have a big box that the Boy put a beach towel in and a few cat toys, and the old kitty, Gman has taken up ownership in it ... Kitty Kitty has a tendency to want to stand on it and then walk to the edge where it collapse, freaking Gman out. Not sure how long that will last before we kick it out :)
If I do Costco and skip the cat condo thing, I'd say under $100, possibly even less than that. Most likely even less than that now that I think about it.
We had no consumable water over the weekend (main waterline break) so used up most of my bottled water. Will need to replenish that, and Costco is the best price for it.
Other than that, feeling good going in to the New Year. How about you?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Rule #10 - Do It Myself Beauty
Oh boy.
This could be difficult and probably one of the most painful things to do.
No manicures.
No pedicures.
No hair color.
No eyebrow/lip waxing (ok, maybe, maybe, maybe 2 times for 2012? NO??)
These are all things that cost premium money and also, things I can do myself, at home, for a fraction of the price.
Manicure/Pedicure $30 plus (simple, discount rate)
Hair color $165 plus (AND $50 for cut)
Eyebrow/lip waxing $16 plus.
Ummm. Yeah.
Fortunately, there are a TON of beauty tips out there for DIY stuff. I'm sure there will be alot of posts coming up in 2012 to share some of the one I try ... and hopefully successful!
Rule #10:
Do It Yourself Beauty.
This could be difficult and probably one of the most painful things to do.
No manicures.
No pedicures.
No hair color.
No eyebrow/lip waxing (ok, maybe, maybe, maybe 2 times for 2012? NO??)
These are all things that cost premium money and also, things I can do myself, at home, for a fraction of the price.
Manicure/Pedicure $30 plus (simple, discount rate)
Hair color $165 plus (AND $50 for cut)
Eyebrow/lip waxing $16 plus.
Ummm. Yeah.
Fortunately, there are a TON of beauty tips out there for DIY stuff. I'm sure there will be alot of posts coming up in 2012 to share some of the one I try ... and hopefully successful!
Rule #10:
Do It Yourself Beauty.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A little update - 7 days to go
Nervous? A little!
Excited? Absolutely!
Hubby is still not 100% on board with me, I don't think. Well, not that he's not on board, but the full understanding of what this really means. It could be tough for him at first, plus, he's not one to make spontaneous purchases, so to speak, but then again, when it comes to the boats or cars, he spares no expense. So...with that in mind:
What are we going to do about Vernors AND Arnold Palmer?? I suppose I'm going to have to keep them in for now. We did limit the number of ginger ales we were buying, more as an attempt to break his horrible ale habit (better than crack I suppose??) I will keep experimenting with the Arnold Palmer stuff. Just need to find the right mix.
I'm a little freaky that I might go hog wild this week with Christmas clearance AND stuff being on sale. New pots and pans? New dishes? How about a new electric frying pan? Oh and don't forget, those boots I've not gotten yet this year ... I may just have to stay OUT of the stores coming up this week just so I don't have to torture myself. What's worse, knowing WHAT I missed or NOT knowing what I missed??
I have 3 checks yet for the month. Well, really, only 2 as I'm putting the check that comes on the last day of the month to the first (by the time I get it deposited, it will be the new month, new year). So those 2 checks, $286 total, will be put in for any other straggler items that are out there. Then everything will be CLEARED out of my savings account and put into the NO TOUCH savings account. Huh. Pretty brutal, don't you think?
I will start the new year, January 2, with about $1400 in my account. No problem. Electric, cell phone, credit cards, $150 for food, and it just dawned on me that the Boy will need to buy some books for the new semester the 2nd week in July. Ok then. That 'may' create a small problem. But we'll see. It's a tight budget, and I'm up for the challenge!
We need to make a run to Costco. Should have done it Friday, but will probably do Monday. Hubby wants me to take our friend as he wants to check out the meat stuff. I want to get the TALL cat perch they have (condo thingy like) as I think BOTH cats would like that instead of having to hog the one single perch we currently have. It's something like $70 or so and I wanted to get it for Christmas, but that didn't work out that way.
Also need to get some salad stuff, spinach, eggs, milk, fruit, snacky crap for the kids, and this must all be under $150. Was considering buying some beef as I believe I'm out (need to do inventory on the freezers) and what kind of household are we without beef?
Yes, Costco will still stay on the list of stores I shop. I just won't be doing BIG shops like I've done in the past unless I want to borrow grocery funds from the next month. Um, no, I don't want to do that! I think Costco can be frugal IF you follow a list and a plan, don't get sidetracked, don't even LOOK at stuff outside the list (although, I've found some excellent deals by browsing BUT it puts me over the budget). I also am a firm believer that CASH is the way to do Costco otherwise, the debit card and/or american express get hit HARD.
I'm going to try very hard NOT to do a big shop this week in anticipation of the new challenge for 2012. That would sort of defeat the purpose IF I spent $500 on food this week, wouldn't it? OF course, if meat (ham and turkey) are at rock bottom prices, I will be stocking up on them, but only as much as I have room for in the freezer, which at the moment, is not much at all ... I really need to get them organized. So that's what's I'm off to do today.
So far this morning I've made the snowball cookies (using the Ande mints since it's what I have) and have the milk/oil/sugar mixture cooling to make the cinnamon rolls for neighbors delivery in the morning. The kitchen is a mess and I need to get that cleaned before I tackle the freezers.
Here's hoping that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas ... enjoy spending time with those you love!
Excited? Absolutely!
Hubby is still not 100% on board with me, I don't think. Well, not that he's not on board, but the full understanding of what this really means. It could be tough for him at first, plus, he's not one to make spontaneous purchases, so to speak, but then again, when it comes to the boats or cars, he spares no expense. So...with that in mind:
What are we going to do about Vernors AND Arnold Palmer?? I suppose I'm going to have to keep them in for now. We did limit the number of ginger ales we were buying, more as an attempt to break his horrible ale habit (better than crack I suppose??) I will keep experimenting with the Arnold Palmer stuff. Just need to find the right mix.
I'm a little freaky that I might go hog wild this week with Christmas clearance AND stuff being on sale. New pots and pans? New dishes? How about a new electric frying pan? Oh and don't forget, those boots I've not gotten yet this year ... I may just have to stay OUT of the stores coming up this week just so I don't have to torture myself. What's worse, knowing WHAT I missed or NOT knowing what I missed??
I have 3 checks yet for the month. Well, really, only 2 as I'm putting the check that comes on the last day of the month to the first (by the time I get it deposited, it will be the new month, new year). So those 2 checks, $286 total, will be put in for any other straggler items that are out there. Then everything will be CLEARED out of my savings account and put into the NO TOUCH savings account. Huh. Pretty brutal, don't you think?
I will start the new year, January 2, with about $1400 in my account. No problem. Electric, cell phone, credit cards, $150 for food, and it just dawned on me that the Boy will need to buy some books for the new semester the 2nd week in July. Ok then. That 'may' create a small problem. But we'll see. It's a tight budget, and I'm up for the challenge!
We need to make a run to Costco. Should have done it Friday, but will probably do Monday. Hubby wants me to take our friend as he wants to check out the meat stuff. I want to get the TALL cat perch they have (condo thingy like) as I think BOTH cats would like that instead of having to hog the one single perch we currently have. It's something like $70 or so and I wanted to get it for Christmas, but that didn't work out that way.
Also need to get some salad stuff, spinach, eggs, milk, fruit, snacky crap for the kids, and this must all be under $150. Was considering buying some beef as I believe I'm out (need to do inventory on the freezers) and what kind of household are we without beef?
Yes, Costco will still stay on the list of stores I shop. I just won't be doing BIG shops like I've done in the past unless I want to borrow grocery funds from the next month. Um, no, I don't want to do that! I think Costco can be frugal IF you follow a list and a plan, don't get sidetracked, don't even LOOK at stuff outside the list (although, I've found some excellent deals by browsing BUT it puts me over the budget). I also am a firm believer that CASH is the way to do Costco otherwise, the debit card and/or american express get hit HARD.
I'm going to try very hard NOT to do a big shop this week in anticipation of the new challenge for 2012. That would sort of defeat the purpose IF I spent $500 on food this week, wouldn't it? OF course, if meat (ham and turkey) are at rock bottom prices, I will be stocking up on them, but only as much as I have room for in the freezer, which at the moment, is not much at all ... I really need to get them organized. So that's what's I'm off to do today.
So far this morning I've made the snowball cookies (using the Ande mints since it's what I have) and have the milk/oil/sugar mixture cooling to make the cinnamon rolls for neighbors delivery in the morning. The kitchen is a mess and I need to get that cleaned before I tackle the freezers.
Here's hoping that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas ... enjoy spending time with those you love!
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