Sunday, May 30, 2010

Another 2010 BORING BLOG BOX of FUN GIVEAWAY is OPEN! LAST WEEK-the Box is now FULL!

This is the 2nd Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY WEEK FOUR Post!

Just to recap, I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

LOTS of stuff went into the Box today to fill it up.......


1.  A bottle a Dove Shampoo
2.  A pack of Avon Instant Manicure
3.  A pack of Revlon Emery Boards
And then I thought I'd throw in some goodies from my New Items to Sell on eBay purge pile...
4.  A Porcelain Cherished Teddies Christmas Ornament
5.  A Mouse Mat/Pad with the artwork from one of the 1st Beatles Album Covers
6.  A Wooden Plaque for you Moms that says, "When Sweetness Fails and Tears Don't Work....NAG!"
7.   2 pack of Dove Soap (Mmmm....cucumber)
8.  A bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce
9.  A Healthy Choice Mixers Instant Meal

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways on THIS POST.

Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until Sunday, June 6th at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.  Leave your name/email addy and a comment for a valid entry on THIS POST only. 
Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get extra entries....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with the URL of your blog. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in your extra comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

A quick recap of what is NOW in the box....

  A Package of BIC Silky Touch disposable razors.
  A sample sized bottle of ACT Mouth Rinse.
  A bottle of Ecotrin enteric coated aspirin.
  A Revlon Mascara.
  2 bottle of Mentos.
  4 small tubes of Sarah Michaels Body Wash.
  A Reach Dental Flosser
  A Fresh Effects Citrus Chapstick
  A Secret Deodorant Stick "Oh La La Lavender" Scent
  A bottle a Dove Shampoo
  A pack of Avon Instant Manicure
  A pack of Revlon Emery Boards
  A Porcelain Cherished Teddies Christmas Ornament
  A Mouse Mat/Pad with the artwork from one of the 1st Beatles Album Covers
  A Wooden Plaque for you Moms that says, "When Sweetness Fails and Tears Don't Work....NAG!"
  A 2pack of Dove Soap
  A bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce
  A Healthy Choice Mixers


Any questions?  Just email me at slugmama@yahoo.com

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

MAY Budget Results.....Food & Toiletries Spending TOTALS

Since I have finished my food shopping for the month I am posting my May Food Budget Totals today. I have also updated the Totals for the Year on the right sidebar.   It feels nice to be ahead of things for once... ;-)



Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2010.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(5 at home this month) & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $144.90
Qs/Ads $110.49
Value $255.39
Savings 43.25%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $22.34
Ads/Sales $52.45
Value $74.79
Savings  68.80%

GERRITY'S
OOP $23.46
Qs/Ads $42.09
Value $65.55
Savings 64.22%

KEYCO(restaurant supply store)
OOP  $47.09
Qs/Ads  $67.86
Value  $114.95
Savings  59.03%

REDNER'S(local chain grocery)
OOP  $40.48
Qs/Ads  $37.47
Value  $77.95
Savings  48.07%

RITE AID
OOP $18.54 ($18.19 put on Rite-Aid Gift Card)=$.35 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $407.69
Value $408.04
Savings 99.91%

WALMART
OOP $8.88
Qs/Ads $26.72
Value $35.60
Savings  75.06%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $29.54
Qs/Ads $125.55
Value $155.09
Savings  80.96%

I don't track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN MAY
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Prevacid....$24.99
Rite-Aid SCR....$74.84
Snapple.....$12.98

Subtotal........$115.81

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Rite-Aid Allergy SCR $25 Gift Card
KMart $10 Gift Card(Reese's Pieces)
Staples $9 Ink/Paper Rewards Certificate

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$159.81

FREE ITEMS
Kraft Mac & Cheese x 2
Neti Pot
Fresh Express Salad FREE ITEM Qs x 2(giveaway win)
Kraft
Wheat Thin Bags x 3
International Coffees x 3
Chavrie Goat Cheese FREE ITEM Q

COUPONS
$1/1 EOS Shave Gel x 2
$1.50/1 Better Than Ears

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 99.91%, Weis at 80.96% and Walmart at 75.06%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$318.04
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$869.32
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1,187.36
TOTAL Savings of..........73.21%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$115.81
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$202.23
TOTAL Savings of..................................82.97%

This closes out the May spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
After rebates were figured in, I stayed under my $250 budgeted amount....$47.77 under.  While I didn't do a lot of stocking up, except 'good' hot dogs and dog food, I did do much more food buying without using coupons.  The restaurant supply store is a new venue I am trying and while they don't take coupons(as most of the food stuff is NOT personal consumer sized), there are deals to be had that that end up saving me more.  I'll have a post of this later in the week.  With #1 son home for the month, we ate down on much of the meat/fish/chicken stockpile and I have not replaced much of it.
You will notice that I only frequented 1 drug store this month.  I find that I can fulfill our toiletry/drug needs working the game at Rite-Aid alone, and for basically free.  Unless I feel the need to build up the excess supply of toiletries for another yard sale or flea market venture, I'll be staying out of CVS and Walgreens this summer.  I know I can get it for almost free there too but we don't need it now and Rite-Aid is closer so why bother? ;-)

What's ahead for June 2010.....

The June 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget is set at $250 cash out of pocket since #1 son is leaving for the summer shortly and the other teens will be gone for weeks at a time during June as well so we won't be doing much eating so no need for much spending, right?
  Any rebates received this month will offset this OOP spending. I have almost NO outstanding rebates due(except for Rite-Aid)so there will not be much extra cash to offset the food budget this month.  Even with that, I feel $250 will be a generous budget.

With 5 months of the year behind us, we have averaged $172.92 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens.


How did you do in May with your Food Budget?  Leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy


Saturday, May 29, 2010

Last Trip to Rite-Aid for May's SCR Period & Monthly Totals

I was going through my Rite-Aid receipts since the May SCR Period ended today, May 29th, so I could post my totals.  I found a receipt/transaction I somehow forgot to report in on.  This was from May 1st.

Lost Transaction....sorry no photo.
4 x Benadryl $4.39 with 20% Wellness discount level=$17.56
4 x Rite-Aid brand Benadryl BOGO sale($4.49)=$8.98
2 x Kashi Cereal BOGO sale($4.99)=$4.99
SubTotal...$31.53

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$10.00
6 x $2/1 Any Cold/Cough/Allergy Wellness CRT Q=$12.00
1 x FREE Kashi Cereal Q(max. $4 off)=$4.00
Coupon Total....$31.00

$31.53-$31.00=$.53 put on Rite-Aid Gift Card=ZERO OOP
Value of Items....$49.90

True to form, I waited again until the end of this week to get up to Rite-Aid.
Oh well.....
I just had a few things to buy this trip(more juice and finishing off the allergy rebate) but I added the clearanced cans of tuna at .37¢ each so my total was about $1.50 more than I had planned on.

2 x Welch's Grape Juice on sale w/Wellness card $3=$6.00
4 x Benadryl  $4.39 w/Wellness 20% discount level=$17.56
5 x Bumblebee Tuna clearance .37¢ each=$1.85
SubTotal....$25.41

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $1/1 Welch's Grape Juice IPQ=$2.00
2 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$10.00
1 x $1/$10 Cough Cold Allergy OTC Wellness CRT Q=$1.00
Coupon Total....$18.00

$25.41-$18.00=$7.41 total **Put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card**=ZERO OOP

This Benadryl purchase put me over the $75 purchase amount needed for SCR #553-a free $20 Allergy Gift Certificate.
Value of Items....$39.79


MAY SCR PERIOD TOTALS
Number of Transactions.....12
Out of Pocket.....$21.27--all but $.35 put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card=$.35 OOP
SCRebates due....$33.00 Cash & $90 in Rite-Aid Gift Cards/Certificates(2x #552 $25 GC & 2 x #553 $20 GCerts)


What I Bought--
8 Nivea Body Wash
24 Benadryl
2 Eos Lip Balm
1 Motrin PM
4 Rite-Aid brand Benadryl
6 Tresemme Shampoo
2 small Aveeno Lotion
1 large Aveeno Lotion
1 Toothpaste
2 Dove Shampoo
4 Ban deodorant
1 Schick Razor
2 Kashi Cereal
2 TGIFriday's Snacks
2 Cordial Cherries
2 Hershey Dark Bars
2 Snickers Dark Bars
1 Trident Gum
2 Kotex
3 Puffs w/Lotion
4 Oreos
6 M&M's
3 Grape Juice
5 Tuna
1 set of Paper Lanterns


Value of Items....$408.04
What I 'paid'--.35¢ Cash
What I'll get back--$33.00 Cash and $90 in Gift Cards/Certs.


Sluggy

Friday, May 28, 2010

Check Out SonyaAnn's CSN Giveaway!

My blogging buddy SonyaAnn over at A Mom, Money and More is holding her 1st Giveaway!

Head on over HERE for the details on entering.
She is especially excited about the Track Lighting Dept. over at CSN located HERE.  I am more of a chandelier kind of gal myself.

The deadline for entry is JUNE 4th so go enter soon....you don't want to miss out on an awesome prize..... ;-)

Sluggy

Holiday Weekend Time!

If you are spending your holiday weekend someplace that looks like this I have one thing to say to you........




TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!

Here at Chez Sluggy in landlocked Pennsyltucky, we'll be rocking the back deck with assorted relatives instead.  Hopefully the weather holds out because the house inside is a mess and as you know, my dining room table is out of commission...perhaps permanently. 8-(

I have the honor of throwing a barbeque for said relatives.  Except I really don't feel like cooking.  How come nobody else ever throws that 'que so I don't have to work it?  Maybe I'll go on strike and make the relatives bring the food.....um, on second thought I DO like to eat so nevermindthat!lolol
I just hate to go to the grocery store(since I haven't been again this week!)and spend a load of $$$ on food.  The 'sales' at the stores this week are pretty lame unless you plan on eating nothing but mustard and drinking soda.

Speaking of soda....we officially ran out this week.  All those 12 packs of soda I had accumulated over the past 6 months or so are G-O-N-E!  The teens have been reminded every month as the supply dwindled that it would NOT be replenished......now they may actually realize I mean what I said!lol
I wonder how many hours until they start freaking out......

Today I've got to take the 3 dogs to the vet for their annual.  This should be fun times, no?lol   Fun times and another big hole in my wallet...
And we get to talk to the vet about our bladder challenged beagle also.....oh goody!  I have a feeling this will not go well for the beagle.....

Then I've got more clearing out and cleaning up to do at the house before Sunday when the relative shows up for a weeklong stay.
Next week you can either find me in the garage(more cleaning/organizing), in the storage unit(more clearing and digging out)or in the bedroom closet(changing over the clothes to the warm weather stuff).    Plus it's also the last week 2 of the teens will be home before they leave for summer jobs so there is stuff to get them ready to send off.


I don't know what, if anything, the relative has planned for her week.....

And next week means the end of the month calculating to see how we did on the budget and the Savings Challenge so check back for that.

And when I went to pick up the Minivan from the $667 a/c repair the guy told me the mechanic saw my steering was leaking while he was under the car......do you hear that crappy KA-CHING sound?
I do!
Good times......

I'll be here this weekend and probably posting when I get time.  Beats interacting with the family sometimes, don't it?lolol

Enjoy your time off, relax and hug a soldier if you get the chance!

Sluggy

Thursday, May 27, 2010

An Alexander Day

So have you ever had one of those days were in hindsight, it would have been better to just stay in bed with the covers pulled over your head rather than get up and face the day?

Around here, we call those days "Alexander Days".  That's in honor of one of my kids' favorite kid books called, "Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day".

We all have em....
Well mine was a doozy.
I even considered moving to Australia it was so bad!!

After we dropped the food off at the food bank at the church in town #1 son & I dropped off a package at the PO and then took my minivan up to get the a/c recharged.  The guy said it would take a few hours so we came home to finish steam cleaning the dining room carpet before the relative arrives this weekend since they will be sleeping on the inflatable bed in the living room/dining room.
#1 son went to move the dining room table.....my big lovely heavy solid oak table.....my one good piece of furniture in the house that I've had since 1989.
Well he dragged it across the room.
And I heard a bad sound.
And this is what one of the two support columns of my lovely table now looks like.....
(the table is upside down on it's top)

And here is what the other support column looks like....ignore the cobwebs please......



Yep, he broke my table.

So now I have to find someone to fix it(hahaha), or give it away to someone who wants to fix it for themselves or let DH take an axe to it and make a big pile of very expensive oak kindling.
**sigh**

Now I have nowhere to pack my eBay stuff......or seat everyone for family dinners.....


As my fuming subsided into an overwhelming sadness & tears after a few hours, I called the car repair guy.

My $89.95 a/c recharging was not to be.  My minivan needs repairs to the a/c system before it can be charged.
I now have an "estimate" of over $600 and I'd be carless for another day or more.
K-aching!
There goes the flea market profits.....

1 table.
1 car repair.

The sadness just kept coming.....

And to prove that bad things do indeed come in threes, after I cooked dinner and put it on low to keep warm unto DH came home, I left things in the teens hands and went upstairs to hide in my bed.
It was so warm I put on the a/c in the bedroom, then I went into the bathroom to close the window.  As I closed said window my hand slipped and smacked the towel rack underneath and it came flying off the wall, crashing into 3 pieces onto the floor, towels and all!

So I took 2 painkillers and crawled into bed at 3:30pm in the afternoon....or 5:30am the next morning in eastern Australia time.

sigh.......

Yep, Alexander would have been proud.....

Sluggy

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

We're Off to the Food Bank This Week too!

Well I dragged the leftover food items from the flea market that didn't sell and added some to it from excess in the stockpile and the result is a right decent food bank donation!

Here is what we took over this morning.....
2 x Easy Mac Bowls
2 x Corn Pops Cereal
2 x Frosted Mini-Wheats Cereal
2 x Throat Coolers
3 x Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
4 x BC Cookie Mix
1 x Wheat Thins Crackers
1 x GG Asparagus Spears
8 x One a Day Vitamin Drink Packets
3 x Purevia Sweetener
3 x All Laundry Detergent
8 x Wacky Mac Pasta
1 x A-1 Steak Sauce
3 x Healthy Choice Mixers
9 x Frank's Hot Sauce
2 x Pillsbury Cookie Mix
9 x Jello Boxes
4 x Bumble Bee Tuna
1 x Wishbone Salad Dressing
3 x Kraft BBQ Sauce
5 x Knorr's Rice/Pasta Sides
3 x Healthy Choice Soup
2 x Pasta Sauce
2 x Pop-Tarts
5 x Bumble Bee Sardines *not pictured*...forgot to put these on the table
23 x Cat Treats *not pictured*....forgot these too...doh!

Total Items.....88
Retail Value...$169.43

Total Food Donation for the Year so far....166 Items

Sluggy

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

May Donation #2......Slow Going this Month

I was going Gangbusters in April with the decluttering!


My 1st donation of May saw 22 items leave the house, so we were off to a good start this month.
But May has turned out to be somewhat lackluster since I had only made that one donation all month.

I lost all of last week due to being overwhelmed with life here but I got myself together over the weekend and got together quite the large donation for Sallie's.....


4 x Lord of the Rings Figures & Weaponry--just too heavy to be worth selling online
3 x Teenie Beanie Baby Sets
1 x PM Sugar Town Train Station Light Up--too heavy also
1 x Magnolia shaped Ceramic Platter--love it but no place for it
1 x Enameled LA Rams Pen in Tin Case
1 x Reading Rainbow Wall Clock--won this at a penny auction
1 x Star Trek Sticker Book
3 x Figure Skater Paper Doll Books
8 x Hand painted Masonite Placemats--I won these at a church auction 8 yrs. ago, the church had a mission in Haiti and these were painted by a Haitian who worked at the mission.  While they are lovely folk art, I have no place for them.
And some used items.....
3 x Sets of Star Wars Sheets(used)
17 x Boys Shirts(used)
5 x Boys Boxer Shorts(used)
1 x Boys Jeans(used)
1 x Boys Cargo Shorts(used)


Total Items for this Donation....50
Add to the 22 items from earlier this month and the May total now stands at 72 Items decluttered.

April Total....96
May Total....72
Yearly Total to Date....168 Items.

Yearly Food Bank Donation Total....78

Yearly Total for all Donations so far.....246

Sluggy

eBay Question for Those Who Buy Stuff There

I have a quick question for all you eBay shoppers out there.
Have you ever used the MAKE AN OFFER feature on an item to try to purchase it?
And if you have, do you have any guidelines for how much you offer for items?

I am just trying to figure out if I am Waaaay off base as a Seller with my thinking on these MAKE AN OFFER situations.....or if I just attract all the weirdos?!? ;-)

Leave us a comment if you will.....much appreciated!

Sluggy

Monday, May 24, 2010

Rite-Aid Trips 5/21/10 & 5/22/10....& a Pitiful Picture

Would you like to see something pitiful?
Here is my Single Check Rebate for April.....you remember, the month I hardly set foot in Rite-Aid?


If you can't make it out(thankyouverymuch crappy camera!), it says.....$8.00.
Yep, 8 whole big ones!
For some folks, an $8 check at Rite-Aid rocks but for me?.....I hang my head in shame.lol

On to other things......

Have you noticed that I am so lazy this month and I keep holding off on my Rite-Aid runs until the week/sale is almost over?
This is NOT good since the good items go fast!  But I have been darn lucky with this, as I have been able to find what I want to buy....excuse me, get free most, if not all of the time anyway.  ;-)

Here is what I bought on Friday......


Transaction #1
3 x Benadryl w/Wellness discount $4.39=$13.17
2 x Oreo Cookies on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Gallon of Milk=$3.20  **Not Pictured** since it's GONE ALREADY!lol
SubTotal.....$22.35

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
1 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Benadryl ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1 off $10 Cough, Cold, Allergy Purchase Wellness CRT Q=$1.00
1 x BOGO Buy 1 Nabisco Cookies and Gal. Milk/Get 1 FREE Nabisco Cookie Facebook Q=$2.99
1 x FREE Nabisco Cookie/Cracker Item Home Mailer Q=$2.99
Coupon Total....$17.98

$22.35-$17.98=$4.37 OOP * Put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO OOP

Benadryl purchase qualified BIL for $25 Gift Card level of SCR #500.
This Benadryl purchase also qualified BIL for a $20 Allergy Gift Certificate.  This is the Allergy Rewards Program....purchase $75 in qualified Allergy meds and you get a $20 Certificate good at Rite-Aid.  BIL had some Benadryl purchases on his account from March that was within the time frame for this program so this $50 purchase for SCR #500 also got him over $75 in purchase for the Allergy Program.
So....$25 Gift Card & $20 Gift Cert. qualifed for now!

Value of Items purchased....$29.25

Why I bought what I did?
*I needed $12 and change more to get BIL to $50 in Allergy purchases to qualify for SCR #500 & get him the $25 Rite-Aid Gift Card level.

*That Nabisco Facebook Q was expiring that Day so I HAD to use it or lose it.  Combined with the FREE Cookies Home Mailer Q, I got 2 free cookies and just had to pay for the milk, which we needed anyway, so might as well buy it at Rite-Aid since it's the exact same milk/company/price as at the grocery store, and the grocery stores in town won't take the Facebook IPQ.....so there you go.lol

While leafing through the May SCR Directory Friday night,  I noticed the $2 Nabisco rebate #94-- Buy $10 of Nabisco items, get a $2 SCR.  Since I already was over halfway to $10 & Oreos are always welcomed here, I put another scenario together for Saturday evening.


Transaction #2....


1 x Welch's Grape Juice w/Wellness discount=$4.15
2 x Oreos on sale @$2.99=$5.98
1 x Colgate Pro-Clinical TPaste on sale=$2.99
6 x M&Ms on sale BOGO($3.99)=$11.97
SubTotal....$25.09

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
1 x FREE ITEM Welch's Item HomeMailer Q=$4.15
1 x $1/1 Colgate Pro-Clinical TPaste ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Colgate Pro-Clinical Rite-Aid In-AD Q=$1.00
2 x B2G1Free M&Ms ManuQ=$7.98
Coupon Total....$19.13

$25.09-$19.13=$5.96 OOP  *$6.31 put on Rite-Aid Gift Card, so $.35 OOP....I had taken all but 1 Gift Card out of my wallet and it only had $6.31 left on it so I HAD TO ACTUALLY SPENT MONEY at RITE-AID!!
The HORRORS!....lol
Value of Items purchased....$43.40

Why I bought this stuff?.....Well, the cookies were to get the $2 SCR. I figure if I apply the $5 off $20 purchase Q to the cookies since I had no more Qs for them, they 'cost' me $.98.  The Toothpaste was $.99 after Qs and I wanted to try this new kind so for .99¢ it's a go.  The juice was free after Q and I love grape juice...I just hope the eating machine aka #1 son keeps his grimy paws off it and I actually get a glass!lol
6 bags of M&Ms?  Well....getting 6 bags for a total of $3.99 is awesome and almost free anyway, right?  It breaks down to $.66 & a half cents per 12 oz bag.  And we love Peanut and the Peanute Butter M&Ms here....and it's one of the few candies I can send to camp with the kids that won't melt.lol

This transacation qualified BIL's account for a $2 SCR, so we ended up with $1.65 in overage this time. 8-)


Here are the Rite-Aid MAY SCR Period Grand Totals so far......

Number of Transactions.....10
Out of Pocket.....$13.33--all but $.35 put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card=$.35 OOP
SCRebates due....$33.00 & $50 in Rite-Aid Gift Cards--making cash overage this month of $32.65!
Value of Items....$318.35

Not a bad haul so far for 35¢, huh?

I don't see anything I have to have this week at Rite-Aid but something may pop-up later this week.  I need $12+ in more Allergy meds purchases to qualify for the $20 Allergy Program Gift Certificate on my account so I may buy that this week to finish it off.

Do you have any good deals you are doing at Rite-Aid this week?  Let us know!

Sluggy

Double Dip Time!....at Redner's Markets

 If you have access to a Redner's Supermarkets, you might want to head over this week as there is a possible double dip with Kraft Products.

If you were lucky enough to send away for one of those Kraft Taste of Summer Sample and Coupon packs a couple of weeks ago, you'll see that there is a rebate form in the box.
The rebate requires a Purchase $30 of any Kraft Foods Products between 5-23-10 and 6-13-10 and you received a $10 Rebate by mail.  Check out Kraft's website for qualifying products. 

There is a Catalina Deal this week at Redner's for a whole slew of Kraft products.
Purchase $25 of qualifying products and receive a $5 OYNO Catalina.  The Cat deal runs from 5-20-10 to 6-3-10 and has to be $25 or more total of Kraft products AFTER using any manufacturer's coupons.

What I plan to do is purchase $30 or more in products and use ManuQs & some of the FREE ITEM Qs I have here for Kraft products in a combination that leaves me with a min. $25 bill at Redner's.  I'll pay my $25 bill, get a $5 OYNO Cat for $5 of free food and then take my receipt and submit it to Kraft for the $10 Cash Rebate(since I 'bought' $30 in products).

A lot of the Kraft stuff that qualifies is what I consider "junk" food but shredded Cheese is included in the Cat deal on sale for $2 a bag.  The reg. retail around here on this item is $3.29 a bag. We are always needing cheese in this house and I think I have some $1/2 blinkies laying around here to make the deal better.

So for $25 OOP,  I'll have $54.35 of products(counting the $5 in more free food from the Cat deal) and a $10 cash check.  In the end my OOP is $15 for $54.35 worth of Cheese at reg. retail of $3.29, so better than 72.40% saved.  Actually, I would NEVER pay reg. retail of $3.29 for Kraft shredded cheese so my percentage saved on sale price of $35 of food is 57.15%.

Here's the scenario....
15 x Kraft shredded Cheese on sale @$2=$30
5 x $1/2 Kraft Cheese Blinkie Qs=$5
Total OOP....$25--qualifies for $5 OYNO Cat.
Submit for & Get $10 rebate.

 Not free but not too shabby for a deal in these parts.....

Sluggy

Friday, May 21, 2010

Mommy MeltDown

What do I have in common with this place?

Besides both of us being located in PA, we both have/had experienced a meltdown.

While my current meltdown is not radioactive, I'm having a really bad week.  Not "loved ones dying kind of week" but the "nothing is working out right kind of weeks" that's left me an emotional puddle of goo.

I have like a zillion projects and things I need to attend to here.  And nothing is getting done.  Making lists won't help since there is no one to delegate jobs to, so the lists just remind me what a failure the situation is right now.  There is no cooperation from the family, just more pressure.


Plus my health is not the best and no matter what I do, it's not getting any better.  Maybe I just need to face the fact that my body is older than my mind thinks it is and it just can't do what I want it to do anymore.

Ok, so this is turning into a 'poor poor pitiful me' post and I don't want that because well, nobody wants to sit and read that, right?lol

I am at a point where I have no motivation for literally ANYTHING!  I don't want to cook or clean or tackle any projects(except the gardening and I can't do much of that myself).  "If breathing weren't automatic I'd probably die" kind of lack of motivation.

I don't even want to hunt the deals.....shocking, I know!lol

I am burnt out of eBay already(again!lol), and my decluttering has come to a standstill.  Decluttering because of the hoarding gene I possess is an emotional ordeal at best for me anyway, but add in the lack of support from my family and I ask myself, " why the hell am I  trying to accomplish this since it feels like a punch to the gut every time I try?".

Add in a situation with one of the dogs that keeps deteriorating and I am made out to be the bad guy because I don't want him here.  My house is a mess and we can't do anything about it because of this dog....a dog that was forced upon me to begin with.

Then pile on a weeklong stay by a relative that is putting more pressure on me that I don't want/need because I have a hubby who won't stand up to his family.

I just want to get in the car and drive.  I haven't felt like this since I had extremely bad post partum depression after #2 son was born, were I sat and cried for 6 months and then did actually leave home.

So keep some good thoughts for me.....


Sluggy

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Taking a Teeny Break to Go Dig

My blog brain has dried up.
I blame the sunburn I got on Sunday for frying my brain as well.
I just got nothing to say lately....imagine that.....me with nothing to say! LOLOLOLOL
Crazy ain't it?

Well, it's true.
I am still feeling overwhelmed with what needs to get done here.
And today is the first nice day since Sunday so I am turning off the machine here and heading outside to work in the yard and the garage until my back gives out.
We are suppose to have another wet weekend so I have stuff to get done NOW.

I'll probably be back here by Saturday with my usual nonsense so stay tuned!
And don't forget to enter the BORING BOX GIVEAWAY every day.  See the latest post to enter(it's a couple posts down from this one)or check out the link on the top of the Right Side Bar.  Don't let Marilyn walk away with this one folks!lol
  I've got some more goodies for the box to post this weekend and then it's filled!!

Sluggy

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Flea Market Redux....It's All Good!

The weather was going to be wonderful on Sunday according to the local weather guy on tv, so we loaded up the minivan and made tracks for the local Flea Market to sell my excess stockpile items.

After we got the minivan loaded I counted 13 boxes/tubs of items.  Then I had DH and kids haul out bags of lighter weight items(diapers, cereal, other boxes foods, feminine products, etc.), as well as some excess laundry detergent I decided to take at the last minute.

We arrived at 5:20am.
Here's a bad shot of the entrance of the Drive-In at about 6:15 in the morning after we had been waiting to get in for 55 mins.  Notice the street light is still on.....



This time we arrived at the flea market earlier so we learned about the 'waiting in line' to get in vendor's line.  Last fall we had arrived a bit later and they let us right in--no lines, no waiting since there were alot fewer vendors then.  This time they didn't open the gate until almost 6am to let us in.  And the line snaked along the road for what seem like a mile!

Here we are in line to get in to set up.  We have inched slowly about 1/2 a mile from where we started.  The line of vehicles behind us went on for another 1/2 mile at least.  You can see one of the movie screens in the distance...we set up 2 rows from that screen....

 The little gate house on the right was the entrance.  But the line of vendors snaked past that off to the 2nd drive-in lot to the right and looped around that lot(this is where all the parking was for the customers later) and then back over to the entrance gatehouse to actually get into the lot to set up.

Thankfully we showed up early since they let vendors in until they run out of room and I think they did run out of spaces before vendors.  It would have been horrible to have packed all this up and gotten up at 4am only to be turned away at the gate!  I think DH would have killed me....
We watched as cars passed us to get to the back of the line.  People with cars, not trucks or vans, with so very little amounts of stuff to sell.  All I can think is these folks were trying to sell off what didn't sell at their garage sales on Saturday or they live somewhere out in the sticks where you don't get enough foot traffic to have a successful garage sale, so they set up at the flea market instead.  It just seems to me that the $15 they charge for a space is a lot considering the among of used flea market type stuff these people were arriving with in their cars.

The flea market on Sunday was mobbed with even more customers than in the fall I think.  Customers were parking up on the highway as the parking lots were full.  The State Police showed up threatening to tow cars away every 20 min. or so.

Here is what sold out or nearly sold out....
Laundry Detergent-the first to go
Cereal
Boxed Mac & Cheese
Canned Dog Food
Pop-Tarts
Fruit Roll-Ups/Gushers
Shaving Gel
Mouth Wash
Benadryl

What I couldn't give away.....
Feminine Products

Everything else sold well to moderately well.
Sold a lot of shampoo and body wash, even the men's stuff which usually doesn't sell as well.
Dove, Herbal Essence, Pantene almost sold out in Shampoos while Garnier didn't sell but a few.  I even sold some low end 'poos like VO5, Prell and Suave.
Body Washes sold better this time than in the past.  Bars of soap(Dove/Olay/Ivory),except for a couple of 6 packs didn't sell much at all.
The dental stuff--toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss--didn't fly off the table like previous sales but sold steady.  What did go fast was mouth wash.

Ladies razors did better than men's razors and everyone wanted razor refills/cartridges....at $15 a pop retail and hardly EVER any deals to get those for almost free, of COURSE they wanted those!lol

I'm surprised that the Benadryl sold out(I should have brought more!)and that other OTC meds went well--like NyQuil, Theraflu, Tylenol, Rolaids, even some Vitamins.  I even sold the box of Prevacid($25 retail)for $10....the box that I paid $1 for after sales/Qs at Rite-aid and got a full rebate on from the company.  I also sold most of the high-end Olay stuff--cleansers($2.50), $30 creme stuff(for $10) & an Eye Roller($8)--all of it free or gave me overage after sales/Qs and various Olay rebates.

Last time in the fall at the flea market, my Deodorants sold like crazy....not as much went this time. I did raise the price from $1 to $1.50 with a special of $5 for 4 deos which made them $1.25 each.  Actually as I think about it, the MEN'S Deodorants sold very well, more than the Ladies.  Maybe all those ladies who bought arms of them from me last Oct. are still is working on what they have already.lol

A few folks recognized us from last fall....I guess they are regulars at the flea market.  One guy showed up who had been to our garage sale last July at our home, and remembered coming to our garage sale there.lol
I recognized a few people from last Oct. when we had set up.....especially the Russian gentlemen who kept coming over trying to talk me down on EVERYTHING. SINGLE. THING. he wanted to buy.  And in broken English.....and he wouldn't give up even when I said that's my final price.....and when I say final price, I MEAN final price.
Ugh
That got old real fast....

God love the Latin American immigrants though.   I did land office business with the ones who came to my table.  They were very good customers last fall too.  My Hispanic women customers love the beauty products and they know a deal when they see one!   And I get to pick up some conversational spanish in the equation so it's all good. ;-)

The bottom line.....
We did well.
But not as well as in the fall.
But it was the "worth going kind of well".

I didn't see any other people with toiletries set up, though there was at least 1 person selling food/grocery items there, so we didn't have competition.
But there were just so many more vendors I think it was more difficult for customers to cover the whole market or find you again if they left and were going to come back later to buy more.
And more vendors meant more ways to spend the money so less money to spend with me. ;-)

Judging from the amount of vendors, the amount of shoppers and what we took in the 1st hour, I told DH that we'd probably make $500 for the day.  We kept hopping with customers but it was never the craziness of last fall's market.
We stayed longer this time too.  Last fall the place was pretty much a ghost town by 11-11:30am.  The customers cleared out by 1pm this time and we packed up and left by 1:30pm.
The weather was gorgeous & I ended up with sunburn on my forehead, nose and chest despite keeping out of the sun as much as I could.  I hadn't counted on the sun being in a different place in the sky in the spring as opposed to fall....I had no problem with sunburning last fall due to the mountain ridges in relation to sun position.  Not so lucky this year.
Note to self....bring a hat even if you don't think you'll need one.

When we got home and I counted it all out and subtracted the bank we began with, we made $759.75.
After deducting the $15 space fee we came home with....$744.75

Last fall we made $947.25 and came home with $932.25, so we made $187.50 less but we did $244.75 better than I had expected.

Add in the Garage Sale total of $634.25 from last July and we have made $2,311.25 on stockpile excess.

Like I said we took 13 full boxes of stuff.  Here's what the back of the van looked like before we unloaded it.....


 And here is a shot of the back through the side door of all the bags of stuff thrown on top...


DH gauged the day a success.  To him, a successful sale was a sale where we did NOT run out of plastic bags to put purchases in.  If you remember last fall's flea market we experienced a severe bag shortage HERE.  DH has been saving used plastic bags since last Oct. for this day.  I was chastised on multiple occasions Sunday for doubling bags for fear we would run out before selling the last items of the day.  But as I told DH I do believe we brought MORE plastic bags than items to sell this time.lolol
We went with 13 full boxes and scads of bags(20?) of more stuff.
We left with 6 empty boxes and only 2 bags of stuff left.

If anyone is interested in my price list, just let me know and I can post what I charged specifically.
I made up a price list for DH but I figured him having to refer to it every few seconds would not be efficient.  So I marked prices on about 3/4 of the items with a permanent black marker. No fooling with price stickers just write the price right on the item.lol   I also tried to keep track of how many of what I brought with an inventory sheet but by box #7 or #8 I gave up on that.

I still have 7 boxes of items and I am not going to be doing the flea market again anytime soon.  Maybe in the fall again, depending on how I feel then.
If the community holds another garage sale this summer, I'll consider setting up for that if I get the garage in shape by then.lol

Sluggy

Another 2010 BORING BLOG BOX of FUN GIVEAWAY is OPEN! WEEK THREE

This is the 2nd Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY WEEK THREE Post!

Just to recap, I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

Here is what went into the Box today.....

1.  A Reach Dental Flosser
2.  A Fresh Effects Citrus Chapstick
3.  A Secret Deodorant Stick "Oh La La Lavender" Scent


If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways on THIS POST.

Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I post another set of items for the Giveaway--which is usually about a week.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.  Leave your name/email addy and a comment for a valid entry on THIS POST only.  When I post again about this BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY entries on this Post will be CLOSED and you must post on the New Giveaway Post to enter.  I hope this isn't too confusing. ;-)
Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get extra entries....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with the URL of your blog. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in your extra comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

Again, you can enter on this post until I put another Giveaway Post up and then you need to enter on the NEWER Post.

Any questions?  Just email me at slugmama@yahoo.com

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

Monday, May 17, 2010

Monday....And Here Comes Another Week!


Oh, goody, it's Monday!
I got up early again today and it's just going downhill from there.lol
I won't bore you with my aches and pains but let me say it's hell getting old. ;-)
At least I have #1 son here to move the leftover boxes of stuff from the Flea Market yesterday to storage for the time being.
More on the Flea Market later when I get time to sit and ponder on the experience.....for now I'll just say that sunburn in not fun! ;-)

Now that my car is empty I need to wake #1 son up so we can get to the Bread Outlet(didn't I JUST GO THERE?!?!)since these kids seem to be addicted to bread lately and then we get to go to Lowe's for some gardening supplies to I can FINALLY get my garden going....yeah!
Later in the week, when the rain finally stops, #1 son can help me get it planted.
But first it's a trip to stand in line at the PO because though Paypal let me print the label with postage for this package I need to mail I need to go fill out a customs form since it's going to an APO/FPO, so 'technically' it's an overseas package though it's domestic/military rates.  Oh goody.....

The house is a mess, the laundry is creeping into the hallway, I have no meal plan for the week, children making demands on me and my time and being absolutely NO HELP,  having to sort out the flea market leftovers, tons of stuff ready for eBay that I have to take photos of and actually LIST THEM if I want them to sell, a garage to clean and organize and I have to prepare for a week long visit from relatives.  Throw in DH is going to be out of town part of this week & I might be taking a quick trip to VA for a few days and I am quickly going into sensory overload!
EGADS!
At least I have tons of cleaning products and toilet paper to clean up the mess here when my head explodes....and it just might do that....explode I mean.....

So tune in later.  I'll be posting another set of goodies for the BORING BOX GIVEAWAY since I'm getting tired of Marilyn's entries on the current post for it.LOLOL
And hopefully if my head stays intact, I'll have a post on the flea market later tonight.

Happy Happy Monday!!
Yeah right.....

Sluggy

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Rite-Aid Trips 5/15/10.....Just a Few Things

So I had to make a run to Rite-Aid on Saturday morning while I was out running to the bank to get singles for the flea market tomorrow.


Transaction #1
2 x Tresemme Naturals Shampoo on sale $3.29=$6.58
1 x Aveeno Lotion $12.49 Wellness Discount=$9.99
2 x U Kotex on sale $3.50=$7.00
2 x TGIFriday's Snacks on sale .99¢=$1.98
1x 1/2 gal. Skim Milk=$2.29 **Not pictured**
SubTotal....$27.84

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase RA AdPerks IPQ=$5.00
1 x BOGO Tresemme IPQ=$3.29
1 x $2/1 Tresemme Naturals AdPerks IPQ=$2.00
1 x FREE ITEM Aveeno ManuQ(homemailer)=$9.99
1 x $2/1 Any Aveeno Item In-Ad Store Q=$2.00
1 x $1/$10 Skin Care Purchase=$1.00
2 x $1/1 U Kotex IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1.50/1 TGIF Snacks IPQ=$1.50
Coupon Total....$26.78

$27.84-$26.78=$1.06 OOP put on Rite-Aid Gift Card
Qualified for SCR #54(Kotex)=$3.00
After Rebate, I have overage on this transaction of $1.94.

**I realized at the last minute, after the $12.49 bottle of Aveeno rang up at $9.99 with my Wellness discount that I was 1 cent short for using the $1 off $10 skin lotion purchase.  The cashier said not to worry and the Q went through with no problems.  I was prepared to grab another skin lotion product but didn't have to in the end.

After I got all 13 boxes of toiletries packed into the car for the flea market I ran out for gas since #1 son has drained the tank this past week.  I just happened to go by Rite-Aid again, so I popped in to do another transaction....

Transaction #2
4 x Tresemme Naturals Shampoo on sale $3.29=$13.16
3 x Puffs with Lotion on sale .99¢=$2.97
2 x Aveeno Lotion $2.95 with Wellness Discount=$5.90
2 x Hershey's Dark Bar on sale .50¢=$1.00
1 x Eos Lip Balm $2.63 w/Wellness Discount=$2.63
SubTotal....$25.66

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks IPQ=$5.00
1 x BOGO Tresemme Shampoo IPQ=$5.50**Cashier took off the max. for this Q, not the actual price.
3 x $2/1 Tresemme Naturals  AdPerks IPQ=$6.00
1 x $1/$10 Hair Care Purchase Wellness IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Puffs VocalPoint Q=$1.00**Cashier didn't adjust down 1 penny
2 x .50/1 Puffs VocalPoint Q=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Aveeno Lotion In-Ad Store Q=$4.00
1 x BOGO Hershey's Bar=$.85**Cashier took off the max. for this Q, not the actual price.
Coupon Total....$24.35

$25.66-$24.35=$1.31+.07¢tax=$1.38 OOP put on Rite-Aid Gift Card
Qualified for SCR #52(Eos Lip Balm)$2.00 & SCR #1(Aveeno Lotion)$5.00=$7.00 in Rebates

**When the cashier started taking off the max. amounts on those Qs, I realized I was going to be over my total so I grabbed that Eos Lip Balm....it kept my Qs from going over my Total spent and I'll get $2 rebate on it.  Sweet!

Grand Total for the day....
OOP....$2.44 put on Gift Card
SCRs...$10.00
Value of Items....$79.48

You can see last week's Rite-Aid purchases HERE.

Total for May SCR Period so far--

Number of Transactions.....8
Out of Pocket.....$3.00 put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card=ZERO OOP
SCRebates due....$31.00 & $25 Rite-Aid Gift Card
Value of Items....$245.70


Then I had to go to the Grocery Store since I haven't been all week and #1 son is eating everything in sight!
I sure wish my OOP was "Rite-Aid low" there also.lol

Sluggy

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Return of the Eating Machine....And Other Tales

Yes, #1 son has been home 6 days now.  And my food budget is beginning to feel the strain.

It's barely 1/2 way through the month and I have spent $142.50 on food for May.  While this isn't such a terrible number for 2 weeks and we really haven't been grocery shopping much at all this past week, we are making quite the dent in the freezer/stockpile.  And alot of what I spent the 1st week in May on groceries was in anticipation of #1's return home. 
We've spent $14.32 on food since Monday.  This was on milk and fresh produce.  But I've been making dinners #1 requested like Beef Stroganoff, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Clam Chowder from scratch with BLT's.  Tonight is the Fish Fry and Mother's Day DH made Fried Chicken and tomorrow it's Burgers and Dogs on the grill.  It's been one big Meat Parade around here lately.
Add in that #1 has been raiding the freezer each night for "Fourth Meal" so I wake up to a kitchen full of dirty dishes and pans each morning.
I think next week I tell him the Honeymoon is Over and show him the shelf of Ramen Noodles out in the garage....

So we've been eating down on lots of stuff here.
I might be taking a short trip next week so there won't be any stocking up for another week or so until I get back. 

I still haven't made it up to Rite-Aid this week.
Maybe later today since I need to go to the bank for change for the Flea Market.
Yes, the FM is a go this Sunday.  Sunday's forecast is warmish and partly sunny so I sitting here trying to figure out pricing for my items.  I want to be a tad more organized this year since last Oct.'s FM foray was just NUTS once it opened!  Not a moment for 2 solid hours to catch my breath.  If I can't get everything actually priced with a sticker, I need to get a sheet made up for DH so he isn't so clueless about the prices.
It will also take some of the stress off of me if he can tell people the prices.
After I finish this and rouse 'Sleeping Beauty' aka #1 son, I am off to the living room with marker in hand to go through the stack of boxes of goodies.

Have you done a stockpile sale lately?
How did you do?  And what were your prices??
Help! ;-)

Sluggy

Thursday, May 13, 2010

What I Hate about eBay #1....

When eBay Users who have no knowledge of English send you "Question to Seller" inquiries on the original eBay board.
Do I go on eBay China, eBay Russia, eBay Spain, etc. and attempt to buy stuff without knowing a lick of those countries languages?  Nope.....


These people need to be told that ONLINE TRANSLATORS may NOT be your friend and they should really find a friend in Real Life who reads/writes/speaks just a tiny bit of English to proofread their literal translations before sending.

Case in Point--
A question I received this morning......
"Hello I´m interesting in your products of Lego. I live in Spain, I like know the prize of the spend send."

Luckily, this one is decipherable.
Some of the ones I get are A LOT worse and totally unintelligible!
OK....so receiving Questions in other languages, which I also sometimes get, is no prize either!LOL

Now why, if I WAS in my right mind, would I want to sell something to this person? 
Since we have a pretty big language barrier right off the bat(since I don't speak Spanish and he obviously doesn't speak English), if ANYTHING goes wrong with this transaction(another question, he misinterprets my answer, there is a Paypal payment issue, he doesn't comprehend some finer point of the whole eBay scene/rules, etc.), this potential transaction will result in a whole mess a' nothing but badness.
I foresee being pissed off, losing money and possibly losing my item or any combination of these three.

"Dear Non-English Speaking User,
Thank you for your inquiry.  While the products of Lego is no Prize, the spend send is $55US, especially if you live in Spain."

Now let me run this response through the English to Spanish online translator and then send it.  It will probably make as much sense to him as if I reply rationally to his question.  ;-)

Sluggy

Now That You Got the 'Poo.....



Go to Libby's Facebook page and "like" them. 
Then click on the tab for FREE VEGGIES or click on this link HERE to get to the form to fill out.

Sluggy

FREE 'POO.....Hurry over to Facebook!

Want some free shampoo?

Go hurry over to Facebook and "like" Suave over there.
Then click on the "TRY SUAVE" tab or try this link HERE.

First 100,000 peoples get the snail mailed coupon for FREE SUAVE.  The link went live a couple of hours ago so HURRY!

Sluggy

Even If You Think You Know Everything about Doing Taxes.....

So.....when our Federal Income Tax showed up in our checking account via direct deposit a couple of weeks ago, it made me happy......

Really!....wouldn't that make anyone happy?lol

But the amount that was deposited didn't sound quite what I remembered it should have been.  So I went and got out our copy of the forms we filed and the numbers didn't match up with what we actually got back.
We got back more than we thought we would!
Hmmm....

So a few days later I received a letter in the mail from the IRS.
*Cue up the ominous music.....

After I picked my still beating heart up off of the floor, I proceeded to open the letter with trepidation, just waiting for a team of men in black suits to burst through the front door and haul we away in leg irons.
Luckily, that didn't happen.

The letter was an explanation of why we got back a refund that didn't jive with what we figured our refund was going to be.
It seems we qualified for that "Making Work Pay" Credit...line 63 on the long form if you are a tax geek.

Seeing as the government considers our income in the "rich people" range(see me slap my knee and keel over with laughter!),  I didn't even download the worksheet/form or instructions to see if we could claim this credit.  I just assumed we made too much money to apply for it.
Well, I was wrong.
Imagine that?

And my wonderful government had some diligent IRS employee recalculate our return figures and they sent us $800 more than we had expected back.

Now isn't that nice of them?
I thought so.

Moral of this story......
Even if you think you know everything about doing something, you probably don't.
It's always good to take a look at how you do things with a fresh eye.

Sluggy


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

May Clutter Donation #1.....Let it Begin

Here is what I've gleaned from the piles of stuff to kick off the Charity Donations in May....


2 x Kites...because McVal never came over to fly them with me.  ;-)
4 x Chroma-Cel Anime Cel Repros matted and ready for framing
1 x Disney Cinderella Cel...I guess Disney found another way to get $ out of people by cutting up old spare reels of classic films & mounting them in plastic....I found these on the clearance shelves years ago so I guess they didn't do so well.lol
1 x Just the Right Shoe shoe Figurine "Pave"....a cool rhinestone covered shoe if you are a shoe fiend
2 x Nike Poster Art Cards Sets....includes the 1st nike shot of Michael Jordan, the Jumpman Shot
1 x Popeye Christmas Ornament.....don't even ask because I can't remember what possessed me to buy this!
1x Trix Rabbit Bobblehead.....silly rabbit.....silly lady with more money than sense
1 x Boyd's BearsCeramic True Love Wedding Salt & Pepper Shakers... I still think these are really cute shakers for a wedding gift
1 x Boyd's Bears Edmund the Elf Christmas Resin Figurine
1 x Boyd's Bears Reggie Foxworthy Fox Plush...named for Jeff Foxworthy...Hello! Captain Obvious
1 x Ty Beanie Cat Kaleidoscope.....somebody was smoking something when they came up with THIS design!lol
1 x Set of Transformers Playing Cards...
1 x Complete Inspector Gadget Figure-McDonald's Toys....I had to choke down 8 Happy Meals to get this thing completed!
1 x 3 pce. Set of Bent Twig Doll Furniture.....something my mother gave me, I have no clue why!
2 x Cabbage Patch Kids Patterns(used)...from my CPK doll clothes making days
1 x Alligator Salad Tongs Set(used/vintage)....I know, I know.....people will be fist fighting over these babies down at the Salvation Army

So what have YOU sent to Goodwill/Sallie's/your thrift store lately?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Trips on Saturday...4 Times Because I was Too Lazy to Go All Week!

Since our Sunday inserts didn't get that $4/1 Nivea Q the Sunday before last, I ordered whole inserts off of eBay.  Couldn't find anyone there selling JUST the Nivea Q that didn't require a second mortgage on the house. 8-(

They came pretty fast but I was just too danged lazy or busy or sick or a combo of all to get my keester up to Rite-Aid until Saturday(the last day of the sale on the Nivea Body Wash).  And then I spent a good chunk of my day hitting Rite-Aids in between taking #2 son to look for new pants.
Between the Nivea Qs and the Benadryl Qs($5 off 2) and spending at least $20 at a pop so I could use the AdPerks VV Qs $5 off $20 purchase, I did quite well.


Transaction #1
2 x Nivea Body Wash on sale $3.50!?=$7.00
3 x Benadryl Allergy $5.49-Wellness Discount makes it $4.39 ea.=$13.17
2 x Cello Cherries $.33-Wellness Discount makes it .26¢=$.52
SubTotal.....$20.69

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Nivea ManuQ=$8.00 **Yes, these went thru w/out beeps so $1 in overage!
1 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1.50/1 Benadryl IPQ=$1.50
1 x $1/$10 Pain Reliever Purchase Wellness IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.50

$20.69=$20.50=$.19 OOP-Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card

Ok, the Cherries are because the Nivea rang up $3.50 instead of $3.99 and I was going to be negative if I used my last $1/$10 Q.  So I added 1 cherry and I didn't think about that blasted 20% Wellness discount bringing this price down too low, so I had to add another cherry.lol
I was able to use that $1/$10 Pain Reliever Q on the 3 boxes of Benadryl because I bought Benadryl with Pain Reliever in it(the sinus or cold plus type).  Regular Benadryl doesn't work for this.


Transaction #2



2 x Nivea Body Wash on sale $3.50=$7.00
2 x Benadryl Allergy $5.49-Wellness Discount makes it $4.39 ea.=$8.78
1 x Motrin PM $5.49-Wellness Discount makes it $4.39=$4.39
1 x Eos Lip Balm on sale $2.99/with Wellness Discount $2.63=$2.63
2 x Iced Tea $.99-Wellness Discount makes it $.79 ea.=$1.58 **Not Pictured**
SubTotal.....$24.38

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Nivea ManuQ=$8.00 **Yes, these went thru w/out beeps so $1 in overage!
1 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $3/1 Motrin PM ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Motrin PM In-Ad Q=$3.00
Coupon Total....$24.00

$24.38-$24.00=$.38 OOP-Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card
And I qualified for SCR #52(Eos Lip Balm)=$2.00 Rebate

**Between the coupon overage for the Motrin ($4.39-$6= -$1.61)& the $1 in Nivea Q overage, I had $2.61+ the $5 AdPerks $5 off $20 'credit' toward my bill in this transaction.
So the Motrin was free, the Nivea was free and I put $3.78 of that credit toward the 2 Benadryls' cost.
After 'paying' for all those items, I still had $3.83 in overage to spend, so I bought the Lip Balm for $2.63.  After that I still had $1.20 in overage to spend, so I added the iced teas @ $1.58 as we were thirsty. $1.58-$1.20 'overage'=$.38 OOP.


Transaction #3



2 x Nivea Body Wash on sale $3.50=$7.00
3 x Benadryl Allergy $5.49-Wellness Discount makes it $4.39 ea.=$13.17
SubTotal.....$20.17

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Nivea ManuQ=$8.00 **Yes, these went thru w/out beeps so $1 in overage!
1 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Benadryl ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/$10 Pain Reliever Purchase Wellness IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.00

$20.17=$20.00=$.17 OOP-Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card

And then I repeated this order.....
Transaction #4
2 x Nivea Body Wash on sale $3.50=$7.00
3 x Benadryl Allergy $5.49-Wellness Discount makes it $4.39 ea.=$13.17
SubTotal.....$20.17

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Nivea ManuQ=$8.00 **Yes, these went thru w/out beeps so $1 in overage!
1 x $5/2 Benadryl ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Benadryl ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/$10 Pain Reliever Purchase Wellness IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.00

$20.17=$20.00=$.17 OOP-Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card


Total to Date for the May Rite-Aid SCR Period

No. of Transactions....6
Out of Pocket......56¢ put on free Gift Card=Zero OOP
SCRebates due....$21.00 Cash & $25 Rite-Aid Gift Card
Value of Items Received....$166.22

Free money & free stuff.
This is the reason I don't feel the need to go to Wags or CVS lately.  8-)

Sluggy

Monday, May 10, 2010

Weis Pet Food.....What I Ended up Doing Last Week

The last you heard this intrepid Couponer had 2 $10 OYNO Catalinas and was out of Mighty Dog $3/5 cans Qs but had other Qs to use for more almost free dog food.

So we did this on Saturday....


2 x Beggin' Strips reg.$3.29/sale $2.50=$5.00
2 x Kitten Chow reg. $1.89/sale $1.50=$3.00
2 x Purina Dog Chow 20lb. bag reg. $11.99/sale $9.99=$19.98 **Not Pictured**
1 x Friskies Cat Treats reg. $1.49/sale $1.25=$1.25
SubTotal  reg. $35.85/sale $29.23

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Beggin' Strips ManuQ=$2.00
2 x FREE Kitten Chow ManuQ=$3.00
2 x $1.50 Dog Chow ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Friskies Cat Treats ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$9.00

$29.23-$9.00-$20.23

Used 2 x $10 OYNO Cats=$20.00
$20.23-$20.00=$.23 + tax $1.75=$1.98 OOP
And I received another $10 OYNO Catalina

I was so glad and shocked! that they had restocked the Kitten Chow that I had FREE ITEM Qs for...otherwise my OOP would have gone over $2.75 with the tax.egads!lol


All together, including the dog food I bought at the local independent grocery,  I spent out of pocket $6.59(2x $1.98+$2.63), all but .93¢ of that was TAX.  And if you count the $10 Cat I have left, I am "up" $3.41 in overage.

230 cans of Mighty Dog
40lbs. of Dog Chow
3 bags of Friskies Cat Treats
2 lb. of Kitten Chow
2 bags of Beggin' Strips
That's $176.81 Retail Value of Pet Food +1 $10 Catalina
And it all cost me $6.59.

Oh yah!!

Sluggy

Happy Mother's Day to All You Moms Out There!

Here's hoping all you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day.
This Cartoon hit home for me.  Both of my sons opted NOT to give me a card, a hug, a kiss or acknowledge the day.
Typical man behavior, no?
I would have even settled for what the mom in the cartoon got.....8-(

DH-who knows better than to do this-had a bouquet of flowers(lavender ones, of course!lol) & a card(funny on the outside, appropriately mushy on the inside) waiting for me when I came downstairs Sunday morning.  He also made dinner....from scratch! ;-)

Daughter surprised me this year.  She got her butt up early Sunday morning and went out in search of just the right Mother's Day card and bought me a plant too.....all with her OWN MONEY!  If you knew Daughter, you would KNOW what a sacrifice this was for her.lol  I also got a "Happy Mother's Day" and a big hug from her.
I just keep wondering if she wasn't in the doghouse for having a car accident in the high school parking lot on Thursday if she would have been as attentive to me Sunday. 8-P

Here's picture of the cards I received.  The larger one on the left in the photo with the purple flowers is the one Daughter gave me.....
If you can't make out the words, it says, "You've been like a mom to me...."
LOL
The insides joke here is that when she and her older brother were 3 & 4 years old, my DH took them to the drug store to pick out cards to give me for Mother's Day.  Not being able to read, Daughter picked out her card because of the pretty flowers on the front.  That card said, "You've been like a mom to me...." also.  So now she makes an effort to find a Mom Day card with that same sentiment....evidently because I am just like a MOM.
8-))

Sluggy

Friday, May 7, 2010

$30K Savings Challenge APRIL 2010 Totals.....Happy Dance!

I have posted my APRIL End of Month $30K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have to report that we finished up April waaaaaaay  in the Black.

The extra cash amount we ended the month of April with was.......$6,366.78.

Income
We had $2,290.77 left over of DH's salary after expenses were deducted. Add in a gas voucher of $26.68 for some business traveling he paid OOP for in April, a hefty $159.33 in Rebates & our big fat Income Tax Refund of $3,890.00 which we received in April and you have a nice deposit of $6,366.78 toward the Savings Challenge!
The nice thing is that even if you take off the Tax Refund, we have $2,476.78 leftover to put toward savings.  That is just $24+/- short of the $2,500 estimate we need to save each month to reach a $30K Savings Goal for the Year!  So even without the tax refund, we are right on track.

Outgo
As for the expenses in April.....

The electric bill went down another $80 in April so that number is NOT causing me dread when I peek inside the envelope each month when it arrives.

 The credit card bill was down below $350, which is always a welcomed sight.

Out-of-the-ordinary expenses in April....our municipal/local tax bill was due(over $1K), the car needed it's yearly inspection and #2 son snookered me into buying candles(I need another candle like I need leprosy!) for the Marching Band fundraiser.  It was NOT a very bad month for extra expenses, which really helped boost the amount we could throw into savings this month.

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in April was under the budgeted $250.00 even without throwing the rebate money that came in last month at this expense.  After the rebate money we only spent $38.86 on food/toiletries and our Savings percentage was a whopping 92.40%!

Looking Ahead to May....
#1 son aka the 'eating machine' comes home from college & we have a week long visit from a relative in May, so the food spending will no doubt go up.
The Credit Card bill as of May 3rd is already over $1,000 for May(due to 2 large purchases by DH).
The water bill will increase some as DH opens the pool for the season later this month.
We will have some bills for doctor's visits & prescription drugs as well and a $1,000 expenditure for #2 son's summer camp stay which needs to be paid this month. 


On the bright side, we have potential for some addition income in May as I plan on taking the extras in my stockpile to sell at the flea market.  Wish me luck on that! ;-)

I am hoping to be able to meet our monthly goal of $2,500 saved in May.

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $14,890.50 in Savings.  To save $30K for the year, we need to put away $2,500 per month average.  We are almost 2 months ahead of our target as the 4th month savings total goal was $10,000!  We are 1/3rd of the way through the year now and our savings should be at $10,000.  It's actually almost at $15,000, which is the savings goal for the end of June(or halfway through the year)! 8-))

While I am thrilled beyond words! to be this far ahead of our projected goal, the doomsday naysayer in me is just waiting for the other financial shoe to drop.  There must certainly be economic disaster around the next bend or some GOTCHA expense lying in wait to blow our goals out of the water.
I am trying to remain cheerfully optimistic that this pile of savings is NOT a mirage. ;-)

So how was your April financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!


Sluggy

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Oh My.....

Before we moved to the house we presently reside in here in "Teeny Tiny" Town, we lived in a house outside of "Itsy Bitsy" Town, moving there in 1986.  Itsy Bitsy Town is right near the Delaware River, which serves as border between PA, NY & NJ at that area.  The interstate has an exit to the west of "Itsy Bitsy" Town near the neighboring "Even More Itsy Bitsy" Town.  There use to be a Gas Station/Mini Mart at the exit ramp where they sold fireworks every summer from a stand set up on the grass by the parking lot.  People would pop over from NY & NJ, where these fireworks are illegal.  The stand did a "bang up" business if you pardon my pun. ;-)
Here's the best photo I could find on the internet.  You'll have to pardon it too as it's from the massive flooding from 2005.  The red dot is the exit ramp and the white circle is where the gas station/mini mart stood.  The blue circle is the fire department building.

Pretty soon the Gas Station/Mini Mart did so well they started selling fireworks inside the store.  Flush with money they got a Taco Bell franchise(first for this area)inside part of the store.  The franchise didn't last but a year or two and then the Mini Mart expanded the fireworks they carried into the old restaurant part of the building.  I used to attend the Bingo at the Fire Dept. building a couple of lots away from this Gas Station/Mini Mart.  I drove by it many times a week taking my oldest 2 kids to the private school they attended for awhile over the river in New York.  I bought tacos and chalupas in that mini mart and pumped gas there too.
After we moved out, at some point the people who owned the Gas Station/Mini Mart sold out to a big fireworks chain--Phantom Fireworks.
If you get were I am going with this you are correct....this is the same place the suspected terrorist bought his fireworks he used in his car bomb parked in Times Square.
Here's a mention in the local area paper.

It is totally freaking me out....and I haven't even lived there for 10 years!

Sluggy