This Week on the Dining Table

  The "Kim's Christmas Present" Edition.......

I found this toy at Ollie's at Xmas time and immediately thought of Kim.  A little doll with a sewing machine, a mannequin and fabric. Too precise!

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-

This is what was planned....

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2. Monday--Dinner out(Hubs' birthday)

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Hot Dogs, sauté Cabbage
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2. Monday--Dinner out(Hubs' birthday)

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Hot Dogs, sauté Cabbage
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Chinese Take-Out

7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 2 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/planned overs or FFY, and 2 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.  The hot dogs may have happened on a different(I can't remember now).

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  1 pack of Beef ribs

*  1 pack of Burritos

*  2 bags of plant "Chicken" nuggets

*  3 smalll tv dinners

*  1 bag grilled Chicken strips

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

* 1 frozen Lasagna

*  Hot Dogs

We spent $79.58 on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods last week. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $140.11 for April so far. 

There are 18 shopping days left in April.

I've earned $119.02 on Ibotta in April.

I've earned $5.00 on Checkout51 in April.

I've earned $7.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in April.

I've earned 522 points from shopping on Fetch in April(haven't submitted all my receipts yet tho).

I've earned $10.40 worth of points from food shopping on Shop Kick in April.

I've earned 500 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in April.

My savings percentage for last week was an incredible 75.02%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for April and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 73.34%.(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week--a few helpings of Halushki and half the Lasagna.  That's it.  That also means I have to cook this week. meh.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Leftover Lasagna, Veggie TBD

2. Monday--Primo Hoagies

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday-- Chicken Marsala, sauté Cabbage
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Fend for Yourself

7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Mushrooms.  As for most of the meals I have no clue.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

Walmart & the Weekend Warrior Bonus Moneymaker

I got a $5 Weekend Bonus for doing 18 rebates.  While I was in Walmart an extra Bonus of $2 for doing 10 offers popped up to and they stacked. Yay!
I had 6 freebies on my list too so I figured it would be an easy shop and low OOP but as always things don't always work out how you think they will. lolz

Here is what I got for Ibotta.  Prices I paid included with coupons used if any where used, and Ibotta rebates in parentheses).  The * means it earned ShopKick points.

1 x Lola tampons on clearance=$2.00($2.00)

2 x Equal on clearance=$1.88($1.50)

1 x Colgate "bougie" toothpaste=$6.96-..75¢/1Q($5.00)*

1 x Kraft shredded Parm=$2.98(.75¢)

1 x V8 Splash drink=$1.84(.50¢)

1 x Ritz crisps crackers=$2.98(.75¢)

1 x Beef short ribs=$4.50($2.00)

1 x Kraft mac and cheese=.98¢(.10¢)

1 x Sargento sliced cheese=$2.95($1.00)

1 x Snuggle beads=$7.97-$1.50/1Q($3.00)

1 x Old Spice body wash travel size=$1.47 *

1 x Nestle strawberry morsels clearance=.25¢(.50¢)

1 x Degree body wash=$5.47-$2/1Q($2.00)

1 x Bai drink=$1.58(.25¢)

1 x Dove single bar=$1.18 *

2 x Core protein bars=$4.48($2.24)

2 x Malt O Meal cereals=$2.00 *

1 x Country Crock tub=$2.18(.75¢)

1 x Perfect protein bar=$1.98($1.98)

1 x Carbona stain remover=$2.28($1.00)

1 x Revlon 2 pack lip balm=$4.98-$2/1Q($2.00)

1 x 3 Musketeers bar clearance=.22¢**(.10¢) Not Pictured

SubTotal.........$63.11+$1.49 tax=$64.60

**I included the candy bar even though I didn't buy it for an Ibotta rebate because it did trigger a .10¢ any candy rebate.  I didn't "need" this rebate to hit the Bonus.

Take off the Qs used of $6.25 leaves a total of $58.35 spent.

I used a $50 gift cards from ShopKick to pay(earned from submitting receipts and earning points on purchases.  Everything with an * by it was either/or a ShopKick offer that earned me future points($10.40 worth)but I won't count those onto I cash out for a gift card again.

Taking that $50 off leaves a grand total of $8.35 OOP but on my credit card(which is paid off each month-I use it for c/c points).

On that $8.35 spent I earned back a total of $35.93 in rebates($34.93 on Ibotta, including the $5 Weekend Bonus, the extra $2 Willow Bonus and a .50¢ Level One Bonus AND another $1 back on Checkout51 for buying the Country Crock item).

$8.35 OOP-$35.93 back in cash rebates makes all the above a $26.80 Moneymaker. 8-)))

(I DID buy a couple other items-burritos, chili and raisin bread-which we needed that weren't part of my Ibotta shop.  Those came to $7.98.  Even if you count those items I still have an $18.82 moneymaker.)

Only 1 of the freebie offers did I find in the store(the Perfect bar)but I did find a Lola tampons box which the clearance price was the same as the rebate amount and a clearance Nestle morsels that gave me.25¢ in overage.

Nothing else was free but rebates/Qs/bonuses/free gift card did make it ALL better than free in the end.

I could have bought different things that would have been even less money but I chose to get things we either needed, wanted to try or could use or giveaway.

If you want to jump on the rebate app train I'd appreciate it if you used my referral codes so we both get extra cheddar. ;-)

Referral Codes-

Ibotta  mkaaxa

Shop Kick  FUN260238

Fetch  GC73D

Do you rebate shop?  What kind of success have you had with it lately?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the April 9th Edition

 A few frugal wins this past week.......

*  I finished up a LOT of Rite-Aid transactions this past week(last weekend mostly).  I came out ahead $110.30 on all that(see previous post).

*  Here's my only R-A transaction for this sales week......

6 x Renuzit on sale=$6.00

1 x Colgate zero toothpaste on sale=$4.99

1 x Colgate zero mouthwash on sale=$4.99

1 x Gain dish soap clearance=.89¢

2 x Almay make-up remover 75% off=$3.24

1 x Revlon brow kit 75% off=$3.37

1 x Almay mascara 75% off=$2.24

6 x candy bars on sale=$3.00

Subtotal...$28.72

Coupons Used

2 x $2/1 Colgate In-AdQ=$4.00

1 x $1/1 Colgate Mouthwash ManuQ=$1.00

1 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste IPQ=$1.00

1 x $3/2 Almay make-up remover ManuQ=$3.00

1 x $3/1 Almay eye ManuQ=$3.00

Coupon Total......$12.00

$28.72-$12.00=$16.72+.71¢tax=$17.43 paid with Bonus Cash.

I earned back $8 in new BC(2 x $2 Renuzit, 2 x $1 Colgate, 1 x $2 Better for You Oral Care).

I also submitted the candy bar purchases to SwagBucks and Checkout51 and got back $4.50 total there and $5.50 on Ibotta(for the Renuzits and Revlon plus a .50¢ Renuzit Bonus) so after all rebates/BC this was a .57¢ moneymaker. 8-)

*  I had a $5 Midweek Moneymaker Bonus on Ibotta on 15 rebates.  Between 2 rebates done at Rite-Aid (6 Renuzits, Revlon eye item and a .50¢ Renuzit Bonus=$5.50)and 13 rebates done at Weis(PMITA)Markets plus a Kozy Shack .50¢ Bonus($20.99)I got the $5 Bonus so $31.49 total cash back in rebates.  I spent $40.25 OOP and earned back $2 in Bonus Cash too(Renuzits)so total OOP after BC and rebates was $6.76.  Nice. 8-)

*  I found money!

Last Friday I went to Weis to get some Fantastic Friday Deals(Salmon for $4.99 lb!!)and snagged this penny by the self-checkout machine.

Last Saturday was a honey hole of change at Rite-Aid!  I found a dime by the wipe dispenser, then 2 pennies tucked under the candy rack by the register and then a third penny back by the pharmacy.

On Monday, again at Rite-Aid I found a shiny new penny in front of the register counter on the floor.

On Wednesday I took a trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets and found 11 cents under my favorite self-checkout machine.

Total Change This Week.... .26¢

Total Change This Year....$2.40

That's about it for this week other than no Eating Out/Take-Out and no other spending besides food and HBA.

What frugalness did you have this past week?

Tell us all about it!

Sluggy

Income & Spending 2021....The March Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.

  I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the March report---

I had 2 goals for March.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2021.

I can report that we finished up March in the red.
The amount we ended the month of March with?.....-$407.28

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in March---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $463.19

* A Stock Dividend of $18.27

* A Fed. Tax Refund of $248.00

Total "Income" for February.....$5,923.69

Expenses in March---

* Healthcare Premium for March was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in March were $2,471.73
* Variable Expenses in March came to $1,887.25
Total Expenses....$6,330.97

$5,923.69-$6,330.97= -$407.28

Slush into March of $46,972.38 in that Fund, add the negative $407.28 in March and this brings the Slush to $46,565.10 going into April 2021.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an subtraction of $407.28 for March.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this March, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet, water and cell phone were the same as in February.

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The electric bill was $118.61 lower than in February.

*  The gas bill was $26.30 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Mastercard was higher by $14.60 than last month's bill. 

*  My Amazon c/c was $168.18 higher than in February.

The Food Budget costs for March are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on March---
It was a "meh" month as far as bills go.  Three irregular bills will do that to yah. lol  It's all ok though because we took that 401K withdrawal in February to cover these things, so no worries.

THOUGHTS going forward into April 2021----

We have no irregular bills in April so that's a good thing.  We have arrived at the "not much heat needed, no a/c needed part of the year" so electric should be lower.  Overall between electric and no irregular bills should mean lower costs overall for April unless something breaks(knock on wood it doesn't)this month.  I have a little trip at the end of the month once I get my second Covid shot + 2 weeks so that will mean a little extra $$ spent in April(gas, eating out, maybe a little shopping)but nothing the budget can't handle.

So how was your March financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in March?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!


Sluggy

Rite-Aid Totals from Last Week

Last week was CRAZY at Rite-Aid!  With 4 different "Spend $50/Get $15 Bonus Cash coupon bar codes I spent a lot of time there stacking BC deals with those bar coded Qs.  I shared a couple of transactions last week.

Here are some of the best items I got last week.  Some items were things we needed..........

7th generation items were Buy 2 Get $5 BC back.  I got 8 packs(on various cards/accounts)of baby wipes which cost $ per pair and I got back $5 per pair so $ per pack after deal.  I also found 2 packages of dishwasher pods which were $5.59 each and after $5 BC back each package cost me $3.09.  Not bad for something we need/have to have.

I got 8 bottles of Hydrogen peroxide.  These were $1.03 each with my 20% Gold discount and you received $1 in Bonus Cash for buying in pairs so they came out to .53¢ per bottle.

One store had a bunch of cosmetics on the 75% clearance shelf so I picked 5 up as filler items to get one of my transactions over $50 so I could use that "Spend $50/Get $15 BC"Q.  The two Almay make-up wipes were $1.62 each and I had a $3/2 Q, the Revlon mascara was $2.24 and I had a $3/1 Q, the Revlon brow kit was $3.24 and I had a $3/1 Q and the Almay mascara was $2.24 and I had a $3/1 Q.

I also picked up 3 packs of Conair bobby pins on a Buy Two/Get One Free deal and got back $3 BC on that as well.

I did the two different drink Deals a few times, the Clairol Deal once, the Trail Mix Deal twice which double dipped with the Easter Spend $25/Get $5 Deal too.  I did the Irish Spring and the Colgate Deals, the Nature's Truth Vitamin Deal a few times and the P and G Spend $30/Get $10 Deal a couple times.  The candy bars were a deal on sale for .88¢ and had .50¢ freshness peelies on them.  The Got2Be hair chalk was 75% off($1.74) and gave back $2.50 on Ibotta each.

There was more than what I shared photos of but since the deals are over(last week)no point in expounding on the finer points of it all.

Only I hiccup happened.  the cashier scanned my $50/$15 BC coupon AFTER scanning all my other Qs used so the register didn't give me the extra $15 BC back. Ugh!  So they gave me $15 in cash which worked too. ;-)

Grand Total of  BC and gift card monies spent for last week................$330.95
Grand Total of BC/Cash/Ibotta and Coupons dotcom rebates earned...$441.25
That makes everything a $110.30 moneymaker for the week.
I am a tad worn out with R-A right now but luckily I rolled all the BC so I am good until 5/2 or so to take a break. That's a good thing since this week is rather thin on the deals.

Sluggy

Just to recap