Wicked Wednesday

Well, I have been singing these wrong for many years. How about you?
Off to staple a vicar,
Sonya Ann

Robbng Elves or Jewel

I'm still using free money to make more money. Yay!
I got $9 from Pinecone Research. And I bought $300 worth of giftcards from Jewel and got $60 worth of free catalinas/store coupons. I used the $60 catalinas/coupon to buy food and put the money in the Christmas fund.
$145.43  BP
$5         free check from magazines.com
$51       Pinecone research(surveys)
$75       Energy Plus(electricity rebate)
$140       Jewel(bonus for buying gift cards)
$5.74    Bank of America Add it up(Like Mr.Rebates/My Points)
$15       AutoZone rebate/visa card

$437.17 for Christmas 2013.
I think that I am going to buy another $100 in gift cards to earn another $20. And the really good news is I have 7 people done on my Christmas list. Not too bad considering it is the middle of June.
Off to work another angle,
Sonya Ann

Tupperware Love

This is my beloved Tupperware box. Me love you long time, Tupperware. A friend of my grandmother gave it to me when she replaced some of her Tupperware when I was barely 20. She also gave me an olive green flour and sugar container. My guess is they were from the 70's. They could easily be as old as I am. No wonder it cracked! I'm sure there is a joke in there and there is no reason it say it.
"Tupperware® Brand products are warranted by Tupperware against chipping, cracking, breaking or peeling under normal non-commercial use for the lifetime of the product."Yay, Tupperware! The only problem is you have to be able to read the number on the piece. Ummmmm, this is so old that it didn't have a number. I called and was told to bring it to a local consultant and he/she would determine if it was a true Tupperware container. Ok, that's fair. I contacted my local consultant by email and waited and waited. Two weeks went by and I decided that it was time for another call to corporate. See I have patience. Fine, it wasn't really patience, I forgot about it.
Corporate decided just to send me a replacement part after I told them that I was having a hard time finding someone to call me back.
Unfortunately, they don't make anything like this anymore. So they are sending me a cake carrier, all I had to do was pay $5.75 for shipping. I am so overjoyed! But I am going to miss my old container. It was a part of the family. Maybe someday I will get lucky and find another one at a garage sale.
I just wanted to say how happy I am with Tupperware! I know there are a few other companies that have a lifetime guarantee on their products but I have never had to get a replacement. Just thought I would share my
happy experience!
Who wants to experience me,
Sonya Ann

Fabulous Friday

Since we are getting closer to the 4th of July, I figured I would start looking for cheap decorations. I mean, we have to have a party. And if we have a party that means that I will surely go over my weekly food budget and then I will have more to write about. It seems like I am always choosing fun over my budget. I mean it though, I will get it under control. Just not during the summer.
The fun complainer,
Sonya Ann

Wash Job

 This was my latest garage sale find. An old washboard for the laundry room that is never going to get finished. Oh well for $3 it will help make it a little better.

 My adorable old washboard looks to be the real thing. It's worth about $20 on a good day but I'm not going to resell it so it doesn't really matter. But it is nice to know that there is a profit in my little find. 

And this is the back with the hook already in place. I might need to start using it to save some money. I have no self-control with our grocery bill so maybe I can save a few bucks on the electric bill and laundry costs. I posted this little find because I didn't want to talk about how far I'm off my grocery budget. Fine, if you are going to force it out of me. I spent $205.59 for the week. And I have $100 budgeted. I SUCK. I sat down and went through everything and I'm spending too much time at the store and I'm making too many trips. I'm going to keep tally on the frig of my spending and I think this should help. Maybe talking about it is making it worse. So lets shut up about it and so back to looking at the washboard.
Off to spend save money,
Sonya Ann

Wicked Wednesday

I know a few people that I would let test my motorcycle. Ok, first I would need to buy a motorcycle but it might be worth it.
Have a wicked Wednesday,
Sonya Ann

Movement

I've got more money to add to the pot. And speaking of pots, I'm glad that I don't have a chimney.
BP was ever so kind and sent me $25.17 and Pinecone research sent me another $3!
$145.43  BP
$5         free check from magazines.com
$42       Pinecone research(surveys)
$75       Energy Plus(electricity rebate)
$80       Jewel(bonus for buying gift cards)
$5.74    Bank of America Add it up(Like Mr.Rebates/My Points)
$15       AutoZone rebate/visa card

$368.17 for Christmas 2013.
And that is about as exciting as I get. WooHoo!
No Movement,
Sonya Ann

My Sad Little Garden

 It's not much but its all mine. Most of this comes back every year without any effort. And that's good because I'm a lazy gardener. We spent a total of $4.60 for my little project. We have chives, oregano, green onions and dill that has come back. We planted cilantro, parsley, lettuce and basil.

 Dead center is lettuce, to the right is parsley and bottom left is cilantro. I read that cilantro does better in a container and won't go to seed as fast. We shall see.

And there is my dill and basil. Everything was doing very well until went ape shit with the fertilizer. Less is more, Den. Less is more. He also got a hold of our impatiences in the front yard. They melted slightly.
It's probably best that we don't have a farm or a large garden. We would starve and do severe damage to the land.
My aunt has a large farm in southern IL and I told her how Den always wanted to live out in the middle of nowhere and live off the land. She asked me if he could hunt and farm. I said we would be living off the land for sure, we would be eating dirt. She laughed, I meant it.
Off to market,
Sonya-piggy-Ann

Fabulous Friday

I love this. Could someone please make me one of these? Or you could steal me one? Really, I'm alright with your sins.
Fine, don't steal. Just think about coming up with a way for me to get one of these. Let's drink and then concoct a plan. Yes, I think that this is the best plan that we have come up with.
Jailbird,
Sonya Ann

Shoppin'

I'm still trying to get my weekly shopping totals down. Riveting, I know. I spent $146.31 last week. Since I have budgeted $100 a week, this is getting to be a bit bothersome. That was a bit too mild of a statement. Fine, I'm pissing myself off really.
Of the $146.31, $10.32 was bleach for the pool so that really doesn't count as groceries since it comes out of the pool fund. And for everyone that doesn't have a pool-bleach is the same thing as pool chlorine. You just have to make sure that it isn't watered down bleach and Aldi's bleach doesn't seem to be.
So I actually spent $135.99 for the week. Still it is too high and I think I know the problem. ALDI! How can this be you ask? A lot of the food prices have dropped around here and have hit my stock up prices. My being a penny-pincher is the problem. Every time I see a deal, I load up.
Plus it doesn't help that we like to entertain. We are fun, what can I say?
I have averaged the weekly totals and I'm at $127.40 for 11 weeks. I am also going to track how many coupons I use a week. It was 5, by the way. I used 2 $1 coupons and 3 free coupons that I got when we bought the freezer. I have a theory that I'm not saving enough money using the coupons and it doesn't warrant the time or the money. 
And that's it for my boring life. How much do you spend a week on groceries and do you have a weekly budget?
Tally me,
Sonya Ann