This & That

Its hard to believe that it's already May. April was a very spendy month for me. I actually broke the grocery budget. I don't feel bad about it, because I've been doing bulk shopping every 2-3 weeks. We were way under budget in March and I know that (other than dairy & bread), we don't need to shop for another 2-3 weeks.

I went to Sams last week and when I got there, there was a long line outside the store again. So I did the only logical thing & went to Ollie's instead....lol I especially went to Sams in the afternoon, hoping that the long lines would be gone. When I returned after Ollie's, there was still a long line (I hate this new normal). So I got in line and chatted to an old neighbor in South Africa online, while I waited. Thankfully the line moved fast.

- There are still meat limits at Sams (I don't mind this, because it gives everyone a chance to grab some meat). However, there was only one package of the non GMO chicken breasts I usually buy. I'm so thankful that I managed to get that. I also grabbed a package of ground turkey (80 oz) and a package of steak.

I managed to get everything on my list, with the exception on t/p. They had 2 packs of Scott t/p left, but those packs were way smaller than the Members Mark ones I usually get and they cost about $3-4 more too, so I passed.

I sure wish we had a chest freezer, because I don't know what's gonna happen with even more meat shortages. We don't eat much meat, but I do like to have some form of it. If I had an extra freezer, I could at least have stocked up with meat from Meijer & Walmart.

- On Saturday I used one of those ground turkey packages (40 oz) for taco meat. I found a homemade taco seasoning recipe online and made my own mix. Thankfully I had most of the ingredients. The recipe I found online was rather bland (we love spice & heat), so I'll go back to buying taco seasoning. I also made refried beans & banana oatmeal muffins

- At Ollie's I splurged on 3 books for myself. I'm an avid reader and haven't had anything new in quite some time. Finding 3 of my favorite authors' books, was like finding gold. Spent $10.59 total.

- I didn't find any gravy at this Ollie's location, but I found this Heinz baked beans for 79c each. Now we love our Bush's baked beans. That's the only brand I ever buy. However, I decided to give Heinz  a try. With shortages on select items, we're trying to not be so picky. The other reason is that 2 cans of Heinz = 32 oz ($1.58) cost less than the 28oz Bush's baked beans ($1.99). If this tastes good, then I'm gonna keep an eye out for the Heinz beans to stock up. Unfortunately these have short expiration dates, so I'm gonna check Walmart's price next time I'm there.

- A few weeks ago, Eddie Bauer offered a $10 q when you text a number of theirs. I've never shopped at EB stores, but signed up for emails a long time ago when I learned that they send out $10 qs from time to time.

Then they had an extra 50% off clearance & free shipping, so I got a ball cap for DS for free.

- I also got myself a nice winter wardrobe for $55.19 and earned $1.04 back through Rakuten. I've had my eye on a clearance blouse for some time, but just never got around to purchasing it. It just never felt right (I trust that gut instinct of mine...lol). Then last week they had B2G2F + extra 50% off clearance sale and I needed no second invitation....lol. I got 13 pieces for that $55. That's $4.17 each (including tax).  That's better prices than the thrift store. Thrift stores have become so expensive over the years, that it's sometimes better to just wait for retailers to have end of season sales. I added the 13th item, so I could score free shipping (free at $49), instead of paying $8.95 shipping. Yeah, I'm cheap like that...lol.

I haven't received everything in my order yet, but this blouse is by far my favorite piece. It's so elegant. The store picture didn't do it justice. The best part is that I already have navy pants and white & blue jeans to wear this with. I can dress it up or down. Man, quarantine needs to end now so I can wear my new clothes...lol

Now I need to pull 13 items from my wardrobe to resell. 13 In 13 Out.

- I sold some drugstore items and earned $88.93 last month. I mentioned before that selling drugstore items won't make me rich, but it's nice to have the extra cash.

YTD drugstore expenses (after cash back) $213.87
April drugstore earnings (88.93)
Total OOP $124.94

I've sold a few more items since the year began, but I'm gonna have to look those number up sometime.

The best part is that we haven't needed to purchase and HBA since this pandemic started. We're still set for several months.

- We also earned $199.93 last month, selling some of our old personal items.

- I ordered a small sewing machine from Walmart, so I can make our own masks. It's just a simple $20 thing and I didn't want to pay shipping. I found some Scott t/p for $9.99 (12 pk), so I added 2 of those. I'm not a fan of Scott t/p, but right now we're not too picky since t/p is still as scarce as chicken teeth. Used $35 gcs and paid $7.81 OOP.

- I've been checking Sams online regularly. They keep saying they have Members Mark t/p (our favorite), but when you check out, the item disappears. Last week I was able to score a pack (happy dance), so I now have a decent t/p stockpile again. We currently have enough t/p to last through end June/mid July (excluding the new ones I just ordered), but I don't know how long shortages are gonna continue.

Earlier this week I hit up Walmart & Dollar Tree. I needed some cleaning items and DH was out of juice. I was pleasantly surprised to see lots of bleach at Walmart. They also had lots of store brand t/p. The bleach was the smaller bottle, but right now I'm not picky. I only grabbed one bottle (even though there's no limits). Same with eggs. I was happy to see how well stocked Walmart was. They even had meat (not much chicken). I grabbed some Italian sausage, bacon, breakfast sausage. I've already cooked the bacon & breakfast sausage. I don't have freezer space for a big meat stockpile.

- I've already started making a vegetarian meal plan, in case of crazy meat shortages. We will survive.

- Ordered 4 reams of printer paper from Staples. It was free after rewards and I was running low.

Now I hope to have a few no spend weeks. Other than bread, dairy & produce, we don't need anything for the next 3 weeks. Well I do need some more work supplies, but that's business expenses.