Seeing Double, Well Almost......and Camera Woes

As planned, I hit Rite-Aid again yesterday.
Since it was the first day of the new Rebate Period, July's, it starts a new Monthly Totals tally too.

This shopping trip looks a LOT like the last one, except I got deodorant instead of candy bars....

1 x Veet wax strips w/wellness discount=$3.83
2 x Excedrin on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale $2.69=$5.38
2 x Old Spice Deodorant on sale=$5.00
2 x Suave Pro shampoo w/wellness discount=$4.78
SubTotal.....$22.97

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 Veet IPQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Veet In-Ad Q=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Excedrin AdPerk/VV Q=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant Homemailer Q(from P&G booklet)=$2.00
2 x FREE ITEM Suave Pro item Q(won from playing game on Suave website last month)=$4.78
Coupon Total.....$13.78

$22.97-$13.78=$9.19

I used $8.97 in +Ups to pay and put the .22¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received back $10.38 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2.69 Oral-B, 2 x $1 Excedrin, $1 Veet, $2 Old Spice), so I am 'up' $1.41 for this transaction.
This leaves me going into next week with $37.96 in +Ups expiring on the 9th.

On a side note--I think my camera is dying.  It's the 1st digital camera I've owned so the technology is way outdated.  I just never saw the point of upgrading as long as this one was working.  Yes, call me frugal!lol  Anyway, it keeps telling me to change the batteries, and I do, but the camera will take 1 or 2 shots and then shut off saying I need to change the batteries AGAIN! Argh  It took me 20 minutes to coax it into letting me take the photo above.
So it looks like I'm in the market for a new camera.
Does anyone have any suggestions? 
This one is a Canon Power Shot A40. I think the Power Shots are up in the A400 range now.lol
I want the new one to be on the frugal side and idiot proof, well, because I'll be using it!  8-)

So here are the totals for July's SCR Period Month so far.....

THIS TRIP
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.22 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$37.31
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$10.38
+Up Rewards spent.....$8.97
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$58.72 
And I have $41.52 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JULY Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......1
Total Spent....$.22 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Number of Items purchased......9
Value of Items purchased....$37.31
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for July SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/28.....$57.31
+Up Rewards spent....$8.97
+Up Rewards earned....$10.38
+Up Rewards left....$58.72  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

Rite-Aid This Week.....Toof Brushes & 'Cedrin and GRAND TOTALS for JUNE

I have $7.99 in +Up Rewards that expire this Saturday.

First trip to Rite-Aid on Monday & last trip for the June SCR Period......

1 x Veet wax strips w/wellness discount=$3.83
2 x Excedrin on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale $2.69=$5.38
1 x Got2B root lifter spray on sale=$4.99
1 x Suave Pro shampoo w/wellness discount=$2.39
4 x candy bars on sale BOGO(they raised the shelf price from .88¢ to .99¢--grrr)=$1.98
SubTotal.....$22.55

Coupons Used
1 x $1 on any purchase AdPerk/VV Q=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Veet IPQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Veet In-Ad Q=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin AdPerk/VV Q=$2.00
1 x FREE ITEM Suave Pro item(won from playing game on Suave website last month)=$2.39
1 x .50¢/2 Mars candy bars IPQ=$.50
1 x .25¢/1 Mars candy bar AdPerk/VV Q(from last month)=$.25
Coupon Total.....$12.14

$22.55-$12.14=$10.41
I used $9.98 in +Ups to pay and put the .43¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received back $8.38 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2.69 Oral-B, 2 x $1 Excedrin, $1 Veet) and I qualified for the Got2B SCR #37 for $4.99, so I am 'up' $2.39 for this transaction.


I thought I had a better plan worked out using the BOGO Q from the P&G insert for the Oral-B toothbrushes.  It would have made it only $2.69 OOP for both toothbrushes before using +Up Rewards to pay, but that Q was not valid on the 3-D white/Advantage manual toothbrushes, just the Cross Action manual brushes. 8-(

I'll be going up again tonight to get some prescriptions so I'll get some more 'Cedrin and Toof brushes if they have any left on the BIL's Wellness card.  I have $46 in +Ups expiring the following Saturday and next week's ad doesn't look promising to me, so I'll roll some more +Ups this week.

So here are the official Grand Totals for June's SCR Period Month.....

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.43 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$37.79
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$8.38
+Up Rewards spent.....$9.98
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$57.31  And I have $41.74 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......9
Total Spent....$2.93 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Number of Items purchased......58
Value of Items purchased....$333.05
SCR qualified for....$5.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/22.....$58.91
+Up Rewards spent....$104.32
+Up Rewards earned....$110.63
+Up Rewards left....$57.31  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period









So I spent $2.93 put on a free to me gift card and received 58 items worth $333.05 AND Rite-Aid is sending me $4.99 in cash rebates.

It's too bad I can't marry Rite-Aid, isn't it?lol

Sluggy

Summer Plans Go Boom!

Well we've had some change in the summer plans for this year.

Seems that although Hubs has many MANY days of vacation time/personal time left for the year at his job, he let me know that we won't be able to take any kind of vacation this summer.

His workplace is like many these days where the employees get time off but the work is piled up so high on the employees that haven't been downsized yet, that no one is able to take their days off without feeling like it might cause them to also lose their job.

Plus Hubs is working on time sensitive projects and the deadlines are looming during the summer months so even though he has days to take, he just can't take them now.
****Sigh****

This means that unless I want to go somewhere by myself(or with #2 son only, once he gets back from camp), I am stuck at home for the summer.

We also usually take a few days in the early Fall to go to the beach.
But this year, only 1 kid will be left at home and we don't feel he is ready/mature enough to be left alone for the duration, so the fall mini-vacation is off as well.

So now I've got to salvage my summer plans.
If I take #2 son with me somewhere it will have to include an amusement park since that's all he says he wants to do.  He'd have a blast but I'd be bored to tears since I don't "do" rides.
And anything I'd want to do/see would make his eyes glaze over.
Add in the fact that no 15 year old boy wants to 'hang out' with his mom.
You see the problems planning a trip with just us two will involve.lol

I'm off to ponder a solution.
Any suggestions are certainly welcomed!

Sluggy

Is There Anything Worse Than Being Called Fred Flinstone Toe?

While I catch up on all that laundry I couldn't do while the washer was "YODA-ized", here is a You Tube funny for you to watch.
If you like the witticism of Oscar Wilde and what passes for popular culture these days makes you want to hurl, you will enjoy this.
Two actors from the Roundabout Theater Company's recent production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" took transcripts of that MTV show my nephew is addicted to called "Jersey Shore" and delivered them in the style of their Oscar Wilde characters.

While I can't stand to sit through that MTV show, I find this a HOOT!
And you have to watch them all to understand my post title....lol

** Warning-Don't watch this with small children around or if you can't stand bad words!  If you know "Jersey Shore" you know that it's peppered with foul language.

Part One

Part Two


Part Three


Part Four


Part Five

Sluggy

My Savings Challenge...The Savings aren't Permanent for Another Year

I took on a Financial Savings Challenge at the behest of a member of the Compact Group back in Jan. of 2009.
I entitled that undertaking the $60K Savings Challenge.
Well, our name is NOT Rockefeller so we didn't even come close to saving $60K in '09. lol

We did however put away $23,997.24 for the year.....this amount is above and beyond any amount we put into retirement accounts for the year.  It's just a pile of money from the after tax/after retirement and insurance deductions paychecks we get that I manage to keep the family from frittering away on crap.
As you can see, I am getting darn good at keeping the family's sticky fingers off the money! ;-)

Going into 2010, I stepped down the savings goal to a more attainable $30K.
Throughout that year, I would on occasion use some of the 20009 Savings money toward big, not-everyday expenses we incurred in 2010 rather than using current income dollars.
Like buying a used car for cash.
Or buying a new refrigerator.
Or paying for the costs for 2 vacations we took that year.

We ended up using $12,991.45 in 2010 of that $23,997.24 we saved in 2009.
So in reality we actually permanently saved $11,005.79 in 2009.

In 2010 we saved $35,770.18 and we'll be using some of this amount when out of the ordinary large expenses come up in 2011.
We haven't used any of this amount for 'big hairy goals' in 2011 yet.
But we are planning on using some of that money soon for house repairs.

When 2011 is over, I'll be able to calculate how much of the actual $35+K we saved in 2010 that
we'll be able to tuck away permanently.
Well, permanently until some big expensive emergency comes along....and eventually they always do!

So the amount I save each year on the Savings Challenge isn't permanently saved until a full year after it ends.
I use the previous year's savings amount as a short term goal emergency fund.
And when that following year is over I dump whatever is left into a slot marked 'permanently savings'.
At least, that's how I organize it in my head. ;-)

Next Sunday Hubs and I will be having a financial meeting.  Among the discussions will be how much/what kind of home repairs we'll be having done this year.  I'm hoping that list won't eat away at that $35+K we saved from 2010 too badly.

Do you have a savings goal each year? 
Do you keep any money you save for the year into a separate account?

Sluggy

I Have Sunk The Food Budget for June

Yes, it's official.
I have sunk my food budget for June.
With 4 more days to go, I have spent $374.77.

I was doing ok until I decided to buy fresh lobsters for Hubs and I as a belated Happy Father's Day present last week.  $42.98 later and my budget was officially shot to heck.

After that I figured I might as well do some more damage....what could it hurt, right?lol

I had 2 $7 Catalina Qs for Weis Markets that were expiring on July 2nd.  As there were 2 Catalina Promotions last week(ended 6/25)at Weis, I went ahead and rolled them instead of waiting until this week and hoping there would be a Catalina Promotion this week.
I'm glad I didn't wait as there are no Cat Deals at Weis this week! 8-)

I took advantage of a few good deals while I was there, so here is what I bought on Saturday....

One Cat Deal was Buy $20/Get $7 Cat Q.
I bought 2 large bags of charcoal(not pictured)and the Clorox Clean-Up Spray.
After the $7 Cat Q I used I spent $11.98 on these items(plus tax)and received another $7 Cat Q.

The other Cat Deal was GM products, Buy $35/Get $10 Cat Q.
I bought--2 Chex cereal, 5 Chicken/Tuna Helper, 4 Suddenly Salad, 3 Totino's pizzas, 2 Froot by Foot.
After the other $7 Cat Q and other Qs, I spent $11.50 and received a $10 Cat Q.
There was a double dip as well on the Helper....buy 5 and get a $2 OYNO off of meat Cat Q.


I also picked up 3 blocks of Helavu Good cheese on sale for $2 each.  My .50/1 IPQs doubled to $1/1, so my cheese was $1 a block after Qs.
The muffins had a 50% off sticker so were $2.25 a pack.
The bags of salad and strawberries were both BOGO.
The Perdue ground chicken was on sale for $3 and each package had an instant $1.50 discount meat sticker making them $1.50 each.
I picked up 2 bags of frozen mushrooms on sale for $1 each.  This price made them a better deal than fresh or the canned ones.

The only item I paid reg. retail for was the bag of bagels for $2.99, but by the bag they were less than buying them individually. ;-)

Reg. retail on all would have been $105.17 and I paid $47.88 after sales and Qs.
The Catalina items cost me $23.48 and I received $19 in Catalina Qs back.

Now I'm going to try to stay out of the grocery store for 4 more days.
Wish me luck!lol

Sluggy

A Musical Interlude

One of my favorite songs......Enjoy!

Sluggy

I Fear The Force!

About a week ago our 2 year old front loading washer shit the bed.
Yep, just up and stopped working.

Started flashing a code...."F-21".
Dang, I HATE computerized appliances!

So we called up a repair guy and I had to miss a doctor's appointment on Wednesday.
Because we all know, if you can get a repair person to commit to coming to your house to see about a repair then you clear the decks and make sure you can be home when they deign to come by.
Forget dental appointments, major surgery, or visits from the Queen.....cancel them all for the repair guy because face it, being without clean clothes for a week Sucks!

So the repair guy bangs around upstairs and after an hour comes down and shows you a bucket with what he found in some secret compartment hidden in the inner guts of your washing machine.....

A bunch of coins, a piece of gravel, a washer, a lollipop stick and some nasty linty pieces.
And then he shows you what he dug out of the motor that supplies the electricity to drain the water out of your washer tub.....

That's a 1/2" tall Micro Machines Yoda figure from #2 son's old Star Wars playset.
You could theorectically swallow that and not even notice when you 'pass' it 3 days later.

The following Yoda quote popped into my head when the repair guy showed me that.....

“Size matters not, ... Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?”

Well Yoda, you are so wrong!
Size DOES matter you little green pointy-eared shithead.
Your size mattered to the tune of $100!

And since my family is incapable of remembering to EMPTY THEIR POCKETS before throwing their pants in the laundry, I am seriously considering sewing shut all their danged pockets!!!


Because, though it's not to say that I don't enjoy the company of Gene, the Appliance Repair Technician, I really don't care to repeat being without a functional washing machine for a week and throwing $100 away because of a stupid piece of plastic.

Yoda, stupid is.

Sluggy

Last Rite-Aid of The Week......Rolling All the +Up Rewards

Well you knew I had to go back to Rite-Aid this week, didn't you?
After all, I hadn't used my Wellness card to get the freebies. 8-)
So I got toothpaste and aspirin again like on Monday plus something for the doggies....

4 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale $2.99=$11.96
2 x St. Joseph Aspirin on sale $1.50=$3.00
2 x Pedigree Dog Food on sale $4.99=$9.98
SubTotal.....$24.94

Coupons Used
2x $3/1 any Pedigree dog food product IPQ=$6.00
Coupon Total....$6.00

$24.94-$6.00=$18.94
I used $18.78 in +Up Rewards to pay and put the .16¢ OOP left on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $14.96 back in +Up Rewards(4 x $2.99 Colgate, 2 x $1.50 St. Joseph), so I am 'down' $3.82 in +Ups for this transaction.

Here's a Couponing tip--
If you see a high value coupon available to print online and it's for an item you use or think you might need but there is no sale right now on that item to pair the coupon with, go ahead and print it.
 I had printed off those Pedigree $3/1 Qs about a month ago and was waiting for an opportunity to come along to use them.   I had time because they had a long dated expiration......2 months I think.

We use dog food and I figured even if a sale didn't come along I could use the Qs on something to get it for cheap or free.
With the sale at Rite-Aid and Qs, those bags of kibble cost me $1.99 each, but since I paid with +Ups they ended up not costing me anything.
I could have also gotten 8 cans of wet canned dog food at the grocery store at regular price with them....8 x .79¢=$6.32-$6 Qs=$.32 OOP.....but I didn't need cans at this point and I would have had to spend actual cash money!lol
So that's why I bought the kibble at Rite-Aid.

I've rolled all my +Ups for this week now.  I have a boatload expriring 2 Saturdays from now so I'm going to check out the upcoming sales flyers to map out my strategy on the most advantageous way to use them.
Check back later for what I figure out. ;-)


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.16 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$35.92
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$14.96
+Up Rewards spent.....$18.78
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$58.91  And I have $42.17 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......8
Total Spent....$2.50 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$295.26
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/20.....$62.73
+Up Rewards spent....$94.34
+Up Rewards earned....$102.25
+Up Rewards left....$58.91  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy
 

The Weekend That Was.....Camp, Being Child-Free & Donuts

So school ended last Wednesday here and Thursday & Friday were spent getting #2 son packed up to go to camp.  This year his 1st week there will be spent in Leadership Training.  Next summer he will do 2 weeks of Counselor Training and if he finishes at the top of his class he'll be eligible to start working at camp for some part of that summer season.  Of course he won't be old enough to be a Counselor or an Assistant but he could get a job as a Kitchen Grunt.  But we'll/he'll worry about that next summer.

So we headed across the state Sunday to camp.
First stop was dropping off stuff to #1 Son and Daughter.
The only way I got them to pose for a photo with their dad was to shame them.  They totally forgot that Sunday was Father's Day.....oops!

After that I walked across the field to the cliff to get an eyeful of Lake Erie.....

There was a nice breeze coming off the water.  Every time it blew through I caught the scent of wild lilacs on the warm air.  The smell was practically intoxicating!

The "Point" or the camping area where the older teens bunk was blocked off to car traffic this year, so all their gear had to be carried in by hand.  While Hubs helped #2 hike down to the campsite with his stuff I wandered around up on "the lawn" where the younger boys bunk.

They have a couple of massive trees on the lawn.....

Here is a "cabent" where the kids sleep.  It's a cross between a cabin and a tent, thus cabent.  It's a cabin frame and roof but the sides are canvas and roll up and down.  There are wooden bunk beds built into the structure.

These are empty but will soon fill up with eager campers.

And here are the little boys across the way arriving and settling in for a week of fun times!

Hubs and I left and had a late lunch in a nearby town at a restaurant of his choosing, before heading back down the road toward home.
It's such a long trip that we stayed overnight at our usual motel stop a few hours from home.

As we had eaten so late we weren't up for another meal before bed.
Hubs decided he wanted to go across the street to the Dunkin Donuts and get coffee and a few donuts for a snack before turning in for the night.

20 minutes later he storms into the room empty handed.  This DD closes at 9pm(well it says that on the front door).  He got there at 8:37pm and the door was locked.  The employee inside said that she wanted to close a little early tonight and to go to the drive-thru and she would serve him.  So he drives the car around to the drive-thru window but some employee has purposely parked their car across the drive-thru lane so he can't get to the window to order!
At this point Hubs has a meltdown in the room, throws his keys, pocket change and hat down on the floor and has a hissy fit that any 4 year old would admire.
Picture that "Wire Hanger Scene" from the "Mommy Dearest" movie and Hubs as a balding Joan Crawford ranting about donuts.......

I don't 'get' these made up Holidays......Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Fourth of July, etc.?
I could care less about them.
But Hubs, dear Hubs feels that he should be adored and pampered on Father's Day.  He's the same way about HIS Birthday but I digress....

The problem is that since I don't care about these faux Holidays, I don't tend to make a fuss.
Because of camp, usually Father's Day is spent driving to camp, all day.  And Hubs does most if not all of the driving.....well, because he is the Man and that's the man's 'thing'. ;-)  So he doesnt' get to do what he wants to do on 'his' day.
Add in that the kids don't do anything special for him unless I am standing over them the week before nagging them about what Sunday is.  And this year the oldest two were both already at camp during the week leading up to Father's Day, so they forgot completely until I made a comment to them.
That's how I guilted them into letting me take a picture of them with their dad.
Ooops.

I guess my letting him pick out the restaurant to eat at and not complaining about his choice, giving him a back rub and soothing his ego most of the day still didn't keep him from melting down when he was denied his donuts and coffee.
Sometimes I think I still live with a 4 year old in an old man's body.
*Sigh*

He got over it by the next morning when he got a nice hot breakfast with coffee at the motel before we left for home.

So I am behind on posts and emails this week.  My ISP decided to migrate my mailbox or something while I was away so I came home to a computer that had to download a few THOUSAND duplicate emails into my email program.  Thanks alot PennTeleData!

So what's on deck for your week?
I am child-free for the next 2 weeks....woohoo!

Sluggy

Blogger Can Suck It!

I wrote a nice little post and now blogger won't let me add photos.
So y'all will have to wait until blogger doesn't suck to see it.

Sluggy

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of June's Food Budget

Even with the Catalina stock-ups(hello 12 cartons of ice cream!)at Weis and buying the ginormous jar of local honey AND the specialty salts at the local Health Food store this month I could have stayed on or just under budget for June.

And then the Graduation Party for 12 family members happened.

* And even with the buying some stuff a month ahead for it, the store bought cake(who was I to say no to this request and make a homemade cake?) and the bags of ice for the coolers/drinks just pushed the spending over $200 by the 10th of the month.  UGLY

Ugh. 
But your kid doesn't graduate from high school more than once so I am not beating myself up over spending money for this party.  I still think I did it fairly on the frugal side.

* And at least I didn't put the expenses on a credit card.  ;-)  GOOD

I am standing at food spending of $265.61 at this moment.
I have $48.96 in cash rebates received so far this month to add to my $250 food budget, for a total of $298.96 in the food kitty(so far).
* This means I have $33.35 left before I go over my allotted June budget for food.  UGLY


* All that Graduation party food meant massive leftovers to eat all of last week, so no food shopping happened....until the 18th.  GOOD

* I had a Weis Catalina Q expiring on the 18th, so I rolled it into a newer one.....

Assorted paper products(Kimberly-Clark brand I believe)were Buy $21/Get $7 Catalina.
I bought the 2 MEGA roll packs of toilet paper above, using 2 x $1/1 Scott ManuQs and my expiring $7 CatQ, for a grand total of $4.98 OOP for both.
And I received another $7 CatalinaQ.
$2.49 each for bigass packages of TP & $7 more in Cats?  Yes please!!  GOOD


* While I was in the store rolling that CatQ, I spent another $27.21 on blocks of cheese($1.67 each)and chicken(40% off Tyson convenience chicken for when #2 son returns from camp), plus big bags of tortilla chips(BOGO) for Hubs tv-time snacking pleasure.  My Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese stores were almost depleted and at my stock-up price so I had to get them now. UGLY

* Buying the chips and the chicken in that transaction?  BAD

I haven't had a chance to check the grocery ads for this week, but I already know that unless we need it immediately or it's an amazing price, I won't be buying it......and next week is looking that way as well.
* I have $33.35 to get us through the next 2 weeks.  UGLY

* Looking on the bright side, it's down to just Hubs and I to feed for the next 2 weeks so no teens pestering me to spend on junk. GOOD
 
* I'm going to dig into the freezer and come up with meals using up what we have to put a tourniquet onto the food budget hemorrhage happening this month at Chez Sluggy. GOOD

So how is your food spending/shopping going for June?
Are you projected to stay on/under budget?
Or are you a wanton spendthrift like me this month? ;-)

Sluggy

Getting to the Rite-Aid This Week

As soon as we got home on Monday I rolled up to Rite-Aid to get the freebies with BIL's card......

4 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale $2.99=$11.96
2 x St. Joseph Aspirin on sale $1.50=$3.00
SubTotal.....$14.96

Coupons Used
3 x $1/1 any Colgate Toothpaste ManuQ(5/5SS insert?)=$3.00
Coupon Total....$3.00

$14.96-$3.00=$11.96 OOP
I used $11.60 in +Up Rewards to pay and put the other $.36 on my Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO money spent.
I received back $14.96 in +Up Rewards so I am 'up' $3.36 in +Ups for this transaction.

Even if you don't have any Colgate ManuQs, the toothpaste is free after +Ups, as is the Aspirin.  Remember that there is a limit of 4 on the toothpaste and 2 on the aspirin +Ups Deals per wellness card.
And if your stores are out of stock, get that Raincheck!!  Make sure they note the +Ups deal on the raincheck, so you can get FREE toothpaste and aspirin after the sale ends on Saturday!

And I noticed today that I hit the $1000 spending mark at Rite-Aid using my wellness card in the middle of May, so I've qualified for the 20% whole store discount already for all of 2012.
Ok, so I haven't actually 'spent' any money at Rite-Aid since last August......which makes this even sweeter, right? ;-)
BIL's card/account is almost at the $500 spending mark for 2011 so he's at the 10% discount for 2012 now and I'm fairly sure he'll get to $1K mark/20% discount by the end of this year too.

How are you doing on getting to the Discount levels for next year?
Do you think you'll get to Silver or Gold by the end of December?


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.36 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$20.94
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$14.96
+Up Rewards spent.....$11.60
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$62.73  And I have $42.33 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......7
Total Spent....$2.34 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$259.34
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/16.....$59.37
+Up Rewards spent....$75.56
+Up Rewards earned....$87.29
+Up Rewards left....$62.73  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

My Pretty Filler Post

I neglected to post photos of my little tree when it bloomed earlier this Spring!
This was my Mother's Day present from Hubs a few years ago.

Here are some pretty piccies from a couple of months ago.......

Being from the South, I have a deep affinity for the Southern Magnolia tree or Magnolia Grandiflora.  My oldest brother had a massive tree that engulfed his front yard.  It has scads of massive mature blooms and made the air around his house so fragrant.  I can close my eyes and smell it now....

 Of course the reason he loved that tree was because it was so huge that it had a large canopy of leaves.  You could sit out there even during a light rainstorm and not get wet since the water never got through the layers of those large shiny leaves.  It was like a living umbrella.

The greenery also shaded most of his front yard so no grass would grow.  He detested mowing grass and yard/lawn maintenance in general. lol

 My magnolia tree is not a Southern traditional variety since they are not hardy enough to withstand the winters up in these parts.  It is one of the hybrids that have been developed that will thrive in Yankeeland, called a Magnolia "Elizabeth".  It is also referred to as a "Tulip Tree" or a Lemon Magnolia, as the blossoms are cup-shaped, like a tulip blossom, before they open fully and the blooms smell like lemons....and they are yellow too.

The blooms also come BEFORE the tree leafs out.  So it's unusual looking when it's bloomed fully with very few green leaves on the bare branches.  The full greenery comes only after the blossoms die off.

It's grown about 4 feet taller since we planted it and it looks like it is thriving finally.
I am going to hate to leave it behind when we move.....

I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow to get my posting up to speed again.  We were away for a couple of days so I have some catching up to do on Real Life and Cyber stuff as well.

Sluggy

My One and Only Trip to Rite-Aid This Week

I had no +Up Rewards expiring this week for a change.
But I did want to pick up some Axe Deodorant for #2 son so here is what I bought....

4 x Axe Deodorant on sale $4.44 but 20% wellness discount was less at $3.83=$15.32
2 x Fritos on sale $2=$4.00
1 x Sunmaid Raisins on sale $2=$2.00
1 x Bayer Advanced Aspirin on sale $3.99 but 20% wellness discount was less=$3.43
2 x Milky War king sized bars on sale .98¢=$1.96
SubTotal....$26.71

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any purchase AdPerk/VV IPQ=$1.00
2 x BOGO Axe products ManuQ=$8.88  **Cashier took off for the sale price, not the wellness discount price
1 x $1.50/1 Bayer Advanced Aspirin IPQ(forgot to take the $2/1 ManuQ...doh!)=$1.50
1 x $.50/2 any Mars candy bars IPQ=$.50
2 x $.25/1 any Milky Way candy bar AdPerks/VV IPQ=$.50
Coupon Total.....$12.38

$26.71-$12.38=$14.33 OOP

I used $14 in +Up Rewards to pay and put the .33¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $7.99 back in +Up Rewards(2 x $3 WYB 2 Axe, $1.99 Bayer Advanced) so basically the Axe, Bayer and candy bars were free and I "paid" for the Fritos and raisins with some +Ups.

Since between the discount price, Q and +Ups received back made my Bayer more than free I probably won't submit for the MIR that was in last Sunday's coupon inserts(along with the $2 Q I didn't bring to use).  The form states that the Manufacturer will take off the $2 value of the Q from your rebate submission price, so I'd only get $1.43 back, which after paying for the stamp nets me less than a buck.  I'll keep that Q and MIR form to use another time.

So what did everyone else buy at Rite-Aid this week?
I have $30 in +Ups expiring the end of this coming week so I'll be going back soon to spend those.
The Colgate and St. Joseph's aspirin are basically free this week after Q and/or +Ups so I'll probably get them(and donate the toothpaste to the food bank).


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.33 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$39.20
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$7.99
+Up Rewards spent.....$14.00
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$59.37  And I have $42.69 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......6
Total Spent....$1.98 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$238.40
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/8.....$65.38
+Up Rewards spent....$63.96
+Up Rewards earned....$72.33
+Up Rewards left....$59.37  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

Decluttering P*rn....The June Edition

Who's up for some P*rn this morning?

The Decluttering kind of course!

Various Beanie type dolls
1 Pee Wee's Playhouse VHS tape
2 Books on Healing Foods
7 Bath Poofs
a buttload of Stickers
1 Refrigerator Magnet
1 Fisher-Price toy(vintage)
2 Silver plated Swan Candle and Flower Holders

Here's a close-up of those.  I picked them up at Sallie's years ago and thought when we entertained I could make use of them.....

Well we never entertain so out they go!

1 willow basket
1 bamboo box
3 women's jackets/coats
1 set of men's thermals

A pile of toys......

93 assorted Kid's Meal toys still in the packages.  It may not look like much in the photo but they fill a Hammermill  paper box.
Now I know you are sitting there thinking, "Gee, she is the meanest mommy in the world, not letting her kids open/play with their Happy Meal toys."
Or
"Gee, she let her kids eat waaaay too much fast food!"

Considering this is a pile of Kid Meal toys from 3 kids and it spans all the fast food they ate over a 15 year period, they really didn't eat chicken-like nugget food that often.
Ok, it's not ALL the kid meal toys they got growing up since they did open and play with more of these things than I would care to recall....especially after stepping on way too many of them as I ran the obstacle course of toys left on the floors of their rooms over the years.

And yes, I did withhold the toys as a rule when they ordered a Happy type Meal.  Since I didn't want them having me buy food they didn't really want to eat, just to get a toy, this policy kept them from asking for food when they weren't really hungry.  We weren't throwing out/wasting food or money.
(Let's not talk about all the kids' meals "I" bought to get teenie beanie babies or pokemon toys.....lol)

I'd keep the toys and we'd dole them out at a later date.....say, when they were bored, on long car trips, as prizes for birthday party games, or when they did something to deserve a 'reward'.  So over the years, a large number of these toys didn't get claimed.

Anyway, moving on.....

2 women's bathing suits
1 sweatshirt(new)
1 pair Joe Boxer shorts
7 skateboarding themed t-shirts

And finally.....

6 pieces of Cape Cod Cranberry Glass
Before these hit Salvation Army I'm going to try to sell them locally.
Either way, they will be gone by the end of this month.


So that's my 1st June decluttering booty.
Are you getting rid of junk this month too?
Tell us about your efforts to pare down and declutter!

Sluggy

They Don't Make Em Like They Use To

Some of y'all may still be scratching your heads today over something I posted and said yesterday.
In reference to a Tony Awards musical number from the show "Catch Me If You Can".
I said that the actor Norbert Leo Butz was channeling Jimmy Cagney in that song.

Here is the clip again.



Watch Norbert dancing in it again and then go HERE and watch this clip of James Cagney from the 1942 movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

Do you see what I saw or not?

I'm guessing there are scads of people out there(mostly younger than myself)who have never watched "old" movies(anything before color film)or have watched very few of them.
Many know Jimmy Cagney only from his very successful "gangster/hoodlum" films and don't know that he was a versatile actor who could play a wide range of characters.  Among his accomplishments, he was an excellent comedian, a singer and a very talented tap dancer.  He began his career in vaudeville and his first role was playing a woman.  Pretty good for a tough guy, huh? 

No real point to this post other than to ramble I guess. ;-)

I saw that the American Film Institute has Mr. Cagney on their Greatest Film Stars of All Time List at the #8 position for the Men.  This list came out in 1999.

Who do you feel should not be on that list or who did they leave off that is your favorite?

Sluggy

T-T-T-Tony Fun

Having been a thespian from an early age, I always try to catch the Tony Awards show each June.
Not so much anymore to catch glimpses of the work of people I had known in my younger days who went on to accolades and successful careers in the theatre but just because I enjoy watching people who have devoted their lives to legitimate theatre with little regard for being a 'star'.

Nowadays I enjoy watching the musical numbers, especially when there is a year which produces a bountiful, high quality crop of shows.
And this year did not disappoint!

I'm not sure what I thought of the Opening number.....what do you think?

This was the year of religion.
Yes, there was something for every persuasion.

From Catholic nuns.....

To Mormons.....

To Capitalists....
Harry Potter can sing and dance......who knew?!?!

This was one of the more fun numbers from a show based on a movie from 1994.....

And this number, while NOT from a Broadway show(it was a limited run NY Philharmonic engagement) was certainly a tv viewer favorite.
Once I got past Neil Patrick Harris' major note/pitch flub at the beginning it was good--not as good as the production a few years ago with Raul Esparza in the NPH role, but enjoyable.
See how many famous or semi-famous people you can pick out here....

Starting June 15th, this production of Company will be showing at select cities around the country too. You can find out where and when HERE


But my favorite has to be this number.  I became a big fan of Norbert Leo Butz a few years ago when he was in the Broadway adaptation of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels".  Even though I hadn't heard/seen any of the Broadway remake of the Tom Hanks/Leo Dicaprio film "Catch Me If You Can", as soon as NLB opened his mouth I knew who it was playing the Tom Hanks role.

It's a rousingly hot production.
And tell me that Norbert is NOT channeling Jimmy Cagney in this number......

Sluggy

Circumstantial Pomp 2011

So I've been MIA from the Blogging Universe for the last couple of days.....ok, the last THREE Days!

I plead Insanity your Honor.

In the last 8 days I've half-assedly cleaned the house from top to bottom, had 3 relatives & a kid and his GF come to stay-over for various lengths of time, thrown a party and done all the cooking(Sis-IL did help with some of the prep work), helped pack a kid up to work across state for 2 months, fed various relatives various meals besides the party along with all the usual crap I do here.  And I fit in a couple of blog posts last week, as well as 1 trip to the grocery store, 1 trip to Kmart and 3 trips to Rite-Aid.....like you even considered I'd NOT go to Rite-Aid??? HA!

I so wish I had more of a stack of photos to share from my week.
But there are 2 reasons I don't.
1--I don't have a camera growing out of my hand like some people do cough *mark* cough and....
2--My camera sucks.  It's old and not very powerful and doesn't have good features beyond your basics.
And add in a #3 that I don't take very good photos either.  I just don't have 'the eye'.

With that said, here is how the last week went down......

The Sis-IL arrived last Sunday with her teddy bear companions(don't ask!).  I was so busy the first few days with cleaning and staying cool(it was almost 90 here for most of the week!)and not going insane that I didn't think to snap a photo of anything besides my Rite-Aid booty until Thursday when #1 son arrived with his Girl Friend.
Here is is trying to turn her to face the camera for a photo and her smacking him in the face.
Ain't love grand?

Here's a better shot of them with a couple of old fogies(Hubs and Sis-IL) in the way....

We decided to play Boggle that evening for fun.
Let me explain that I am the Master of the Boggle Universe....at least in our family.
None of them has ever beaten me at Boggle...ever.
Not just NOT beaten me in points for the whole game, but NOT beaten me in points for a single Round either.
Wow.....the secret is out now.  I blew my chance at ever being a World Boggle Shark, haven't I?!

Anyhow, we started a friendly game of Boggle.
#1 son had the great idea to level the playing field by spiking my lemonade with SoCo(aka Southern Comfort).
He was really probably trying to sneak himself a drink of it and when I caught him he came up with the leveling the field idea.

Either way, he didn't get any and I still won at Boggle, again! ;-)
Granted I couldn't stand up afterwords....

On Friday around noon my Brother and my other Sis-IL arrived, Hubs went to get BIL and the Nephew and Daughter brought her Boyfriend over.  After #2 son got home from school, his 2 buddies from down the street wandered over about the time the food was ready.  It's amazing how teenage boys have food radar like that, huh?lol

We had a family preGraduation cook-out from 2ish until 4.
I would have loved to share gorgeous shots of us all cramming our mouths with food but I was too busy manning the grill on the back deck and the smoker on the driveway out front.
Of course no one else took any pictures.

After we ate people found comfortable places to lounge and some of us snoozed.....

This is my Brother's wife.  They had an 8 hr. ride to get here and her everyday life is even more Crazy Busy then my life was this past week.  She deserves to nap any damn time/place she feels like it.
Don't judge.....

Everyone was feeling full and relaxed.
Here's the future Graduate and her BF goofing off for the camera.....

Then it was time to get to the Arena for the Commencement exercises.
I won't bore you with how I went over and dressed down some rude, young adults in the audience by us who were there to talk loudly amongst themselves through all the speeches and the kids' performances so no one around them could hear anything and then only SHUT UP doing that long enough to scream and yell at the top of their lungs when their buddies' names were called.  Hubs held me back from swinging at them with my big heavy black cane too.
I guess with all the money we will be spending next month on college tuition there isn't much left to pay my bail.

Here is one shot Hubs took of Daughter leaving the Arena....

She was the 5th one in the processional in and one of the last in the recessional out.
My, my.....another awkward sentence.lol

And here are a slew of the obligatory Graduation photos of the newly diploma'ed with her family....

First the boyfriend.
Daughter is tall which makes the BF a giant......

Then with soon to be broke Mom & Dad.
And no, I am NOT bald.  I don't know where my hair was....

Then with Uncle and Aunt from VA.....

Then with Hubs family--another Uncle, the Cousin and another Aunt from IL.....

Then again with Mom & Dad.
My hair is still MIA and I look like a happy lunatic.
I was probably asking for an adult beverage by that point.....

And finally with her 2 Brothers.
Yes her older brother really went all out dressing up for the occasion.
And I actually got the hair out of #2 son's face long enough to get a photo.  He is giving me the stink eye.  I didn't push it and try for a second take because he just finished playing Pomp & Circumstance with the School Band a bazillion times inside the Arena.

Then we asked Daughter to pose alone.....the elegant Graduation shot for posterity, and this is what we got.

And Sis-IL's arm too boot.

Then it was back to the house for cake.....or as Sis-IL from VA kept pronouncing it, "keck".  She's been on a "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" movie kick lately.
Here's the Graduation Cake, er Keck......

 Daughter ordered the cake herself.  The school colors are red and black.  Not very festive a combination unless it's a wake or Halloween.  The least she could have done is had them put flowers on it.  Big old Black icing roses would have perked that baby up, ya think?

She also ordered a half yellow, half chocolate cake.
I kept referring to it as the diversity cake.
All the grown-ups got a big laugh out of that.
All the young'uns groaned and rolled their eyes at me.
Yes, I am so witty when I am exhausted and sleep deprived.

I made Daughter cut and serve everyone a slice.  She was very methodical and deliberate about it and took forever.
I think she should concentrate on cutting instead of loony bin once she gets to medical school since she dissected that cake with the skill of a surgeon.

After cake and gifts Daughter left for the Senior Lock-In and we old folks all collapsed into our respective beds.

On Saturday Sis-IL from IL hit the road for the trip home.
The young'uns all went off to see friends and do various fun stuff.

The grown-ups?
We laid around and napped and ate and napped some more.

Then we took everyone who was left out for Chinese.
We sat out on the deck and talked.
Then we all went to bed early again.

On Sunday morning #1 Son, GF and Daughter left for camp....

Brother and Sis-IL followed suit a half-hour later and left for their trip back to VA.
And I went back to bed and slept a good part of Sunday away.

Which leads us to this fine Monday morning.
The unseasonably hot weather has abated, the house is finally quite(at least until noon when #2 Son returns home from school)and I can begin contemplating my summer plans.

And I can begin boring you with posts again.
Aren't you one lucky devil?

Sluggy

More Rite-Aid This Week...Too Busy Here to Be Interesting!

Nothing real interesting here.  I am throwing up a Rite-Aid post AGAIN! since I am busy getting ready for the Graduation and Party on Friday.
When life settles down a bit here I'll have more time to actually post something that isn't AS boring.  ;-)

Tuesday night at Rite-Aid I bought on my BIL's card.....

1 x Gillette Razor w/wellness discount less than sale price=$9.03
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale $2.57=$5.14
2 x Veet wax strips 20% wellness discount price $3.83=$7.66
2 x John Frieda Full Repair 'Poo/Conditioner on sale $4.99=$9.98
1 x Oral-B Crossaction Power Toothbrush on sale=$5.99
2 x Right Guard Body Wash BOGO sale=$5.29
SubTotal.....$43.09

Coupons Used
1 x $3/$15 Store Survey Q=$3.00
1 x $1 any non-rx AdPerk/VV IPQ=$1.00
1 x $4/1 Gillette Razor ManuQ(Sunday's P&G insert)=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Crest toothpaste HomeMailer Q=$2.00
1 x $3/1 Veet IPQ(facebook)=$3.00
1 x $2/1 Veet IPQ(website)=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Veet In-Ad Q=$4.00
2 x $2/1 JFrieda ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $3/1 Oran-B power toothbrush ManuQ(sunday's P&G insert)=$3.00
2 x $1/1 Veet AdPerk/VV IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Right Guard BWash Peelie Qs on bottle=$2.00
Coupon Total....$30.00

$43.09-$30=$13.09
I used $12.98 in +Up Rewards and put the .11¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $19.19 in +Up Rewards back($4 Gillette razor, 2 x $1.60 Crest toothpaste, $5 wyb 2 Veet items, $2.99 Oral-B toothbrush, 2 x $2 Right Guard BWash), so I'm 'up' $6.21 in +Ups for this transaction.
 I also qualified for SCR #36 for $5.00 x 2=$10.00


Wednesday morning I stopped by again to do the Kimberly Clark Spend $30/Get $10 +Ups Deal....

4 x Gillette Body Wash on sale $3.50=$14.00
2 x Gillette Deodorant on sale $3.50=$7.00
2 x Old Spice Deodorant on sale $3.50=$7.00
2 x Old Spice Body Wash on sale $3.50=$7.00
SubTotal.....$35.00

Coupons Used
1 x $3/$15 Store survey Q=$3.00
2 x BOGO Gillette Body Wash ManuQ=$7.00
2 x $2/1 Gillette Body Wash(for the 2 I didn't get free) ManuQ=$4.00
1 x BOGO Gillette Deodorant ManuQ=$3.50
1 x $1/1 Gillette Deodorant(for the 1 I didn't get free)ManuQ=$1.00
2 x BO Bodywash/GO Deodorant Old Spice ManuQ=$7.00
1 x $1/2 Old Spice items ManuQ(on the 2 OS bodywash I didn't get free on previous Q)=$1.00
Coupon Total....$26.50

$35.00-$26.50=$8.50
I used $7.98 in +Up Rewards and put the .52¢ left on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $10 back in +Up Rewards($10 wyb $30 K-C items), so I am 'up' $2.02 in +Ups on this transaction.

I now have $43.02 left on my gift card.

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....2
Total Spent....$.63 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$117.00
SCR qualified for...$10.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$29.19
+Up Rewards spent.....$20.96
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$65.38  And I have $43.02 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......6
Total Spent....$1.65 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$199.20
SCR qualified for....$10.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/5.....$57.15
+Up Rewards spent....$49.96
+Up Rewards earned....$64.34
+Up Rewards left....$65.38  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

This is How I Roll......the Catalinas That is!

I began last week with $12 in Catalinas(1 x $5 and 1 x $7) to roll at Weis Markets.
I did 4 transactions last week, rolling these 2 Cats and rolling the subsequent 2 $7 Catalinas I received in the first 2 transactions I completed.

Select dairy items where "Buy $20, Get a $7 OYNO(aka on your next order)Catalina coupon.
The buy amount was based on the regular shelf price, but most of the items that qualified were on sale last week.  Plus I had coupons for some of the items, which brought my OOP cost even lower.

For example--Friendly's ice cream was one of the qualifying items.  Reg. price is $5.99 at Weis.  It was on sale for $2.50.  I also had tearpad coupons I had obtained at Weis a month ago for $1/2 Friendly's ice cream or sherbet.

So I bought 4 ice creams.
Reg. shelf price of $23.96.
Sale price of $10.00
I used 2 x $1/2 coupons...$10-$2=$8.00
I also had a $7 Catalina coupon from that store for items I bought 2 weeks ago I used.
$8-$7=$1 OOP
I paid $1 for 4 ice creams and got another $7 Catalina coupon back.

Another transaction I bought....
2 Friendly's ice cream-reg. price of $11.98/sale price of $5.00
2 Bailey's creamers-reg. price of $4.78/sale price of $3.33
2 Heluva Good dips-reg. price of $4.38/sale price of $3.33
Total reg. prices of $21.14.
Total sale prices of $11.66.
I used a $1/2 ice cream Q, 2 x $1/1 bailey's IPQs, 2 x .50¢ Helavu Good item IPQs which doubled to $1 each, for a grand total of $5.00 in Qs.
Add in the $5 Catalina Q that I rolled from the previous week and my Q total is $10.
I paid $11.66 and got $10 off in Qs.
$11.66-$10 in Qs=$1.66 OOP for all 7 items.
And I received another $7 OYNO Catalina Q.

I also found and purchased some other good deals at Weis last week.
Like 8.5 lbs. of ground beef with 3 Instant $3 off meat coupons on them, making the per lb. price $1.86.
Store clearance on store brand Kielbasa for $1.99.....this use to be my rock bottom buy price but I haven't seen it this low in about a year here.  The new RBP is $2.50 so I snatched these up fast! 

Here is what I got at Weis in 4 transactions last week.  First the Catalina deal items.....
12 ice creams
2 creamers
3 dips
8 greek yogurt
And everything else....
1 package of yeast
2/3 lb. peaches
4 bags of salad
4 lb. strawberries
1 gallon milk
2 bags of glazed chicken strips
1 lb. shrimp
8.5 lb ground beef
5 lb. kielbasa
1 package of tortillas
7 bottles of 100% juice

Reg. price would have been $231.16.
I paid $88.47 for a savings of 61.73%
And I have $14 in Catalinas to roll(I had a $7 & a $5 from 2 weeks ago that I rolled this week.)

While no where near an EXTREME COUPONING savings trip, I thought it rather good given that I bought alot of meat proteins and nothing "processed" except  for the ice cream, dips and creamer...which were the items that qualified me for the catalina Qs.  They did have other "unprocessed" foods that qualified like cheese, butter and almond milk(this isn't really dairy now, is it?lol) but I didn't need those plus there were no additional coupons for them.

Anyway, that $88.47 added to the health food store purchase brings my food spending in June to $111.95.  I have $138.05 left for this month with 22 days to go.

Do you think I can stay under budget this month?

Sluggy

$32K Savings Challenge for 2011.....May Totals

I present to you May of the 2011 $32K Savings Challenge!

I have posted my MAY End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals really each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up May in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of May with.......$3,297.11.

Income
We had $3221.15 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $75.96 of Rebates applied against the food expenses and you have a deposit of $3,297.11  toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal.  We came in well over that amount for May.  This is only the second month so far this year that we have met or exceeded the monthly target amount for this challenge.

Outgo
As for the expenses in May....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS
*The electric bill went down another $141.
*We had NO car maintenance expenses in May.  But we did lose a car. 8-(
*We had no annual/bi-annual/quarterly payments to make.
*The WAM money was lower than usual.

HERE are the BAD THINGS
*The credit card bill was up again in the $1K range.
*Lots of Doctor visit co-pays, most of which were for camp physicals.
*$195 for annual dog vet check-ups and meds.


The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in May was more than $190.26 over budget or $114.30 when you take off my rebate check total which I use toward the food bill.

What's ahead for June.......
There are the usual suspects: electricity, water, phone, cable, credit card bill, food cash, etc.

Non-monthly bills include the summer camp payment for #2 son(ouch!), and the quarterly garbage pick-up payment.

So If I can keep the food spending on budget, we should be able to put away a good sized amount into savings this month.

YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
With 5 months behind us, our Savings total to-date for 2011 is $14,933.99.
We finally are ahead of schedule with the Savings goal for the year!


And if you need to start putting money into savings......What's that you say?  You don't have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!!??....consider playing along in 2011 with me and Challenging Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal!
Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Ooo, that sounded kind of creepy didn't it? ;-)

So how was your May financially? 
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?

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