I Finished the Mid Week Ibotta Bonus...BOOM!

 So I still needed 9 more rebates after Monday's trip to R-A where I did 3 Ibotta rebates to hit the 12 rebates for the MidWeek Bonus.  I earned $8.50 in Ibotta rebates that trip.  See previous post for that transaction.

I also still needed a tube of specialty Crest to reach the $30 spent to earn the $10 Bonus Cash.  So I hit a different R-A Tuesday morning that carries the last type of Crest which I had a $3/1 L2CQ for.....

1 x Crest Whitening Therapy toothpaste 20% discount better than sale price=$6.39
Used that $3/1 L2CQ.

1 x Throat Calm tablets on clearance=$2.99

Total after Q for both was $6.38 paid for with Bonus Cash so no OOP.

Earned $10 in new BC and submitted the Crest and the Throat Calm both for 2 separate $3 rebates on Ibotta.  The ThroatCalm was a penny moneymaker.

Now I had 5 rebates toward that 12 rebate threshold for the Bonus and $14.50 in regular rebates on Ibotta.

I went to Walmart and bought these items....

I did 8 rebates instead of the 7 I still needed....oops! lolz

The Morning Star fake chicken nuggets were $5.27 and I earned back $5.50 for 2 different rebates so better than free.  The Bolt 24 drink was also free after rebate(that's for Ex-CB). The cereal was about .70¢ after Ibotta and ShopKicks points, the Chobanis were BOGO after Ibotta, the cocomut milk "yogurt" was .46¢, the Powerade Ultra was .70¢, the 2 diet Powerades were .47¢ ea. and the Ritz chips were $1.88 after rebate.

I spent $19.65 using a $25 Walmart gift card earned on SwagBucks.
I earned $11.59 in regular rebates and hit the Bonus threshold so another $5 earned too so $16.59 back in rebates.

Total spent OOP....$0.00

Total in Ibotta rebates earned...$31.09 at R-A and Walmart since Monday.

Not a bad way to close out the September grocery shopping. ;-)

Sluggy

Rite-Aid This Week and Another Bonus on Ibotta?

 I had 2 items to buy for a Level 3 September Bonus from Ibotta so I went to R-A on Sunday and bought this.....

Reg. sized boxes of select Kellogg's cereals are 2/$5 and give back a $1 BC this week.

These 2 were part of that deal

I used 2 x $1/1 any Kellogg's cereal IPQ purchased using points from my Kellogg's account so paid $3 in BC and earned $1 BC back.

I submitted for 2 Kellogg's rebates on Ibotta totaling .95¢.  I also reached the Sept Level 3 Bonus on Ibotta so I got another $2.00 in cash rebates.  All together this made the cereal a moneymaker.

Then on Monday a $5 Midweek Bonus showed up on my Ibotta account when I buy 12 items before Friday.
A $1 Bonus I could pass up but $5?  I am going for it! lol

I did this transaction on Monday at Rite-Aid....

All but the Jason body wash are part of the "Spend $30/Get $10 BC Deal" this week.  To finish it off I need to find a store with the Crest Whitening Therapy toothpaste(my store no longer carries it).  I have $25.14 spent toward that Deal right now.  Using $10 in L2CQs I've spent $15.14 on those 4 products plus both toothpastes got me 2 x $3 Ibotta rebates so $9.14 spent actually(but in BC not real money). ;-)

The Jason was marked down to $4.17 on the clearance shelf and there is a $2.50 Ibotta rebate for that so $1.67 in BC spent on that in the end and I have 3 Ibotta rebates completed toward that Midweek Bonus.  If I can find the other Crest specialty toothpaste it will finish off my R-A Deal and give me another $3 Ibotta rebate and  bring my total to 4 rebates so only 8 more to go to capture that $5 Bonus.

I'll be hitting up Walmart and maybe Weis(PMITA)Markets to finish that Bonus as cheaply as possible.  I've got $35 in Walmart gift cards to use as well so I am hoping for no more cash spent OOP to get there.

Wish me luck! 8-)

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The  "End of the Garden" Edition.....

We harvested the collards on Friday and other than a few tomatoes that are still green thus ends our garden for the season.  I still have collards uncooked in the fridge and need to blanch and freeze or cook them this week.  The only thing is to pull up the remaining plants and work some nutrients into the soil before we leave the beds to winter over.

The front flower bed is still going strong however......

This photo is from July so it's really filled out since then.
I really need to put that lavender plant in the pot in front into the ground but can't decide where to locate it yet.

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Fries
2. Monday--Chicken Thighs, Collards
3. Tuesday--Salmon, Spinach Salad

4. Wednesday--Leftovers and Odds and Ends
5. Thursday--Domino's, Salad

6. Friday--Fajitas
7. Saturday--Breakfast for Dinner

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Fries
2. Monday--Teriyaki Chicken Thighs and Stir-fry Veggies, leftover Rice
3. Tuesday--Salmon, Sweet Potato Wedges, Brussels Sprouts

4. Wednesday--Fajitas
5. Thursday--Domino's, Salad

6. Friday--Collards and Cornbread
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw  nights of home cooked dinners,  nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 1 night of Take-Out/Eating Out.  We had Ex-CB and his roommate over for pizza on Thursday and I made a tossed salad to go with it.  No Breakfast for Dinner as the collards needed picking and eating.  I made some cornbread to go with the greens.

This week I need to use or lose 2 sweet potatoes.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 servings of salmon

* 1 package of 4 ground beef patties

* 1 package of thin sliced chicken breast

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

* 2 ground beef patties

* 1/2 lb. of pepper strips

* 1 package of b/s chicken thighs

* 1 package of diced chicken breast

* 1 package of stir-fry veggies

* 1 package of Brussels Sprouts

We spent $61.36 last week(Weis, Malacari's produce and CVS), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $351.52 for September so far.
There are 2 shopping days left in the month.  

I've earned $186.21 on Ibotta in September. WOW!

I've earned $10.00 on SavingStar in September.

I've earned $2.50 on Checkout51 in September.

I've earned $2.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 8281 points from food shopping on Fetch in September.

I've earned 3355 points from food shopping on ShopKick in September.

I've earned 3625 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in September(not counting the $6 in points missing).

My savings percentage for last week was 68.54%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips but with CVS)for September and the monthly savings total for September comes in at 55.35% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....some Fajita filling, Collards and Cornbread.

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

1. Sunday--Fend for Yourself
2. Monday--Steak, Spinach Salad, Sweet Potato
3. Tuesday--Quesadilla(using Fajita filling)

4. Wednesday--Pigs in a Blanket, Veggie TBD from Freezer
5. Thursday--Chinese Take-Out

6. Friday--hot Tuna Subs w/Spinach and Tomatoes
7. Saturday--Leftovers or BLTs

What needs buying for this menu?  Sub Rolls and we are low on milk.  I'll pick both up on Friday which means these go on October's grocery tally.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Beef Liver  

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

CVS Shopping....Still Not a Fan

I had $3 in ECBs expiring on Saturday(it was earned for buying $30 in "Beauty" items last month or something)so we made a trip to one of our nearby CVS stores.

I had a total of $19 in ECBs I could use but $3 HAD to be used or lost.

I just will never fully "get" the CVS system I suppose.
Even when I write things down(what CRTs/Qs I have)I still can't put together a less than $1 OOP spent transaction. sigh
It might help if I got more/better CRTs too. ;-)

Here is what I bought.......

2 x Honey Nut Cheerios on sale=$7.00
2 x Head and Shoulders shampoo on sale=$12.00
1 x Tide Simply on sale=$2.94
2 x Old Spice body wash BOGO50%=$10.84
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$5.98
2 x Oral-B Pulsar toothbrushes BOGO50%=$11.98
2 x Poparazzi nail polish suppose to be on sale but rang up reg. price of $2.99 ea.=$5.98
1 x Maybelline baby lips gloss=$4.79** I did this in a separate transaction first so the Q/CRT for it didn't come off the nail polish items.

SubTotal....$61.51

Coupons/CRTs Used-- 
$1/2 Big G cereals digital Q
$1/1 off GM cereal CRT
$3 off 2 Honey Nut Cheerios CRT
$3/1 Head and Shoulders digital Q
$3 off $10 Hair Care CRT
$1/1 Tide simply digital Q(shows on receipt as Bounce)
$5.49/2 Old Spice body wash digital Q
$2 off 2 Old Spice CRT
$5/3 Crest/Oral-B items digital Q
$1/1 Crest digital Q
$3 off $10 Oral Care CRT
$2 off 2 Oral-B toothbrushes CRT?
$2 off $8 Crest/Scope/Oral-B CRT
$4.79 free Cosmetic item CRT
TOTAL Qs/CRTs......$37.28

$24.23-$19 in ECBs=$5.23 +.23¢tax=$5.55 OOP

I also had a $2 off $8 Head and Shoulders CRT which did NOT come off so had that come off and the nail polish had rung up sale price(2 for $5 so .98¢ less)my total OOP would have been $2.42 instead I wouldn't feel so cheated by their system.

I did however get $2 back on Ibotta, $1 for each Oral-B toothbrush, so that makes me feel a bit better.

And I earned $9 in new ECBS($4 nail polish, $3 Oral Care, $2 Head and Shoulders). Whoppeedo! lol

I guess CVS just isn't my jam....

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the September 25th Edition

 Here's a rundown on what frugal wins we had around Chez Sluggy this past week.....

*  I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday.  I had $3-$4 in Bonus Cash that was expiring soon so I  brought this stuff home....

1 x Ric Krispies on sale=$1.99

2 x Febreeze small spaces deodorizer 20% Wellness discount($3.11)=$6.22

SubTotal....$8.21

Coupons Used

1 x $1/1 any Kellogg's cereal from my Kellogg's Points account=$1.00

1 x BOGOFree Febreeze ManuQ(up to $3.00)=$3.00

Coupon Total.......$4.00

$8.21-$4.00=$4.21+.20¢ tax=$4.41 using Bonus Cash.

I also earned .60¢ on Ibotta for buying the Rice Krispies plus a Giveaway entry, so converted .60 in BC into cash. ;-)

*  I finished off the Ibotta "Seeing Green" $10 Bonus.  I needed 11 items(and after the box of cereal at R-A it was 10 items)I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets.....

3 x Kellogg's cereals $2.49 wyb3=$7.47(2 different rebates)

2 x Jello gelatin cups on sale=$3.00

2 x Jello pudding cups on sale=$3.00

2 x Cracker Barrel cheese on sale=$5.38

2 x Banza chickpea pasta clearance=$4.18

2 x Cliff energy drinks on sale=$4.00(2 different rebates)

1 x St. Joseph low dose aspirin on sale=$2.00

1 x Daisy sour cream=$1.99 *not pictured*

SubTotal.....$31.02

Coupons Used..$4.40

Total after Qs.....$26.62 OOP

Then I earned back $13.80 on Ibotta for 10 different rebates plus hit the 30 item mark and earned the $10 Seeing Green Bonus too, so $23.80 in rebates/bonuses back meaning all 15 items cost me $2.82 OOP.

*  I already blogged earlier this week about the $4.10 refund at Weis(PMITA)Markets that made my package of diced chicken better than free....

*  Hubs took the window a/c out of two rooms upstairs.  When he went to put the screens back in he saw that one was beyond patching so he bought a roll of screen and used his rescreening tools to replace the screen.

Ta-Dah!  Much cheaper than buying a whole new window screen and frame.

*  I got 2 packs of chicken and a pack of hamburgers(and some snacking cheese)on clearance last Friday which I already showed you....

But when I went back on Wednesday to finish the Ibotta Rebates and that $10 Bonus I also picked this up in the way of meat deals....

Another pack of hamburgers, 1.33 lb for $1.98 after discount and $2 instant sticker on the package.

And a pack of 1.69 lb. of thin sliced chicken breast for $3.31 after half price(BOGOF at Weis, if you just get one it's half-price)and $2 instant sticker on the package.  This will be good on nights my hands are hurting and I can't pound or slice chicken for stuff like Marsala or Parm.;-)

These went immediately into the freezer.

*  I found money!

I found a penny at Rite-Aid when I went there last Friday.

I went to a cashiered register at Weis(PMITA)Markets last Friday. The register wouldn't take any of my legit IPQs so they suspended the transaction(as this snafu was holding up the line)and they made me go to Customer Service to finish the transaction and get my Qs to scan.

After finishing up at the CS desk as I walked past the self-checkouts I spied a coin under one of the self-checkouts but someone was using it right then.  So I pulled my shopping cart off to the side and looked over my register(the same receipt they overcharged me on that pack of chicken...maybe I should have REALLY paid attention to that receipt, huh?lol)and waited for the guy to finish and pay and move away from the checkout.  Then I swooped in and snatched up the coin which turned out to be a dime...so worth the wait. ;-)

Then when I went back to Weis on Tuesday to get a refund on the overcharged chicken I found this penny near the Customer Service desk.

And I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday to use some expiring BC(see first photo of transaction above).  I cleaned some expired Qs out of my coupon envie while in the store and went to put them in the trash can outside the door of the store as I left and found this penny waiting for me near the trash can.

Found change this week..... .13¢
Found change this year so far...$48.28

*  We had Ex-CB and his roommate over for dinner Thursday.  As it was a shot day we ordered Domino's(plus I was able to put together a tossed salad to serve with the pizza).

I used a gift card(long ago paid for)plus since I order online I had a FREE Pizza to redeem so instead of $23.96 + tax the order was $17.97 + tax.

That's about all from here this past week.

What frugal wins did ya'll have this past week?  Let us know!

And to Jen G.--I am certain that I will NEVER be the cause of any national tofu crisis.  Other than a little in my Hot and Sour soup when I order that, I have to stay away from soy beans(it's a long story).  There will be no tofu hoarding here! ;-)

Sluggy

Gary Vaynerchuk Inspiration

 Described as a "serial entrepeneur", Gary grew his dad's liquor store business in New Jersey by rebranding, marketing and launching it into the e-commerce arena, making it into a multi-million dollar enterprise.  He also co-founded an app, Resy, that was sold to American Express in 2019.  Gary Co-founded a winery too that was bought out by a corporation this year.  He has branched out into founding a media company with his brother and been a NYT best selling author, and his mostly now known as a motivational speaker and an internet personality.

While most of his podcasts don't apply to me at my stage of life, I can glean ideas and things to apply to how I view the world.  I agree with a lot of what he says and he is truly an inspiration to anyone looking to better themselves financially.  I think he has a lot of good advice to offer.

Take a listen.....

*Strong language warning.*

Sluggy

Ibotta Rebates on Shopping Last Week & Deals

 Other than Rite-Aid(where I don't spend actual money)I hit Weis(PMITA)Markets and finished up the $20 Moo-lah Ibotta Bonus.  I had already gotten L'Oreal hair coloring, Carefree liners, Schick razors and a box of Kellogg's cereal at R-A last week so 4 items more toward Moo-lah.

Here is how I finished off the Weekend Warrior and the Moo-lah Bonuses at Weis.......

3 x Kellogg's cereals $2.49 wyb3=$7.47

2 x Caress Body Wash $4 on sale ea.=$8.00

1 x Axe body spray/deo=$4.99

2 x Cliff energy drinks on sale $2.00 ea.=$4.00

1 x Keebler cookies on sale=$2.58

1 x Kind bar on sale=$2.00

1 x Simply almond nut juice=$3.99*not pictured

2 x Jello(blue Minions/sugar-free cherry)on sale $1.50=$3.00

1 x Jello banana pudding cups on sale=$1.50

1 x Cracker Barrel cheese on sale=$2.69

(2 x Creative Roots coconut water packs on sale $2.49 ea.=$4.98)*

* Creative Roots wasn't an Ibotta item but in order to get the sale price on the cheese and Jello items I had to Mix and Match 6 items(for $6 off), plus I had Qs on CR so they were $2.23 and I got another .75¢ back on SavingStar so .74¢ each pack.

I used $6.70 in coupons for these 15 items(not counting the Creative Roots drinks)which fulfilled 14 separate Ibotta rebates.

Total spent OOP....$33.52+.77¢ sales tax=$34.29

Ibotta Rebates earned...$37.75(16.25 regular for each item, .50¢ Simply Almond Bonus, $1 Weekend Warrior Bonus, $20 Moo-lah Bonus).

Plus I am now 11 items away from another $10 Seeing Green Bonus so I'll wait for another MidWeek Bonus or a Weekend Warrior bonus to stack with that one to get more bang for my rebate. ;-)

The Unilever items(Axe, Caress)also count toward a Fetch Rewards deal(spend $30/Get 10K points)and the reg. retail not sale prices and/or coupons count toward that $30 total.

I also got a few meat and cheese deals on this trip.....

2 x Babybel cheese packs were on clearance for $2.99(reg. $5.99)and I had 2 x $1/1 Babybel IPQs so these were $1.99 each.

1 x 85% Ground Beef patties were $2.99 lb. on clearance=$3.74 for 1.25lbs.

1 x boneless Perdue chicken thighs were BOGOF(so 50% for one)=$4.40 and had a $2 instant discount sticker so $2.40 for the package.

1 x diced Perdue chicken breast marked down to $4.43 and had a $2 instant discount sticker so $2.43 and I used a $1/1 Perdue fresh cuts Q so $1.43 OOP.

I noticed when I was writing this up last night the store charged be $6.89-.33¢ for the diced chicken package instead of the price on the yellow part of the sticker where it was marked $4.43. ugh.

So I drove over to Weis to get a refund on the difference between what I was charged($6.56)and the price it was suppose to be($4.43).

I explained at Customer Service, showed her the package of chicken and my receipt so clearly I was due back $2.13.

The person got out her calculator, opened cash register and handed me cash and my receipt back.

When I got to the car I took the money out of my pocket and she had given me this....

$4.10

Whaaaat!?

It took me awhile to figure out how she came up with that amount.

Evidently she took the price I should have paid and deducted the .33¢ that was actually deducted on the register off the regular price of $6.89.

$4.43-.33=$4.10.

So I got an amount refunded that was almost double what I expected and I got.

This means after my coupon on that chicken, the $2 instant sticker and this $4.10, the chicken was a .54¢ moneymaker. lolz

And no I am not going back again and try to explain their error to them and give that $1.97 extra back to them.

I figure making me go back to get the refund, my time and effort is worth that $1.97. ;-)

That $4.10 is safely tucked into my Refund envelope awaiting the end of the year to stick it all back into the checking account.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

  The  "Not Food Pic But Funny" Edition.....

I saw this dog toy at a Big Lots awhile back.  I immediately thought of Kim from Out My Window blog.
She has the largest sweet tooth I know. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.........

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Salad
2. Monday--Chicken Pot Pie
3. Tuesday--Leftovers or FFY

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushrooms and Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas
5. Thursday--Domino's

6. Friday--steamed Lobsters, sauted Cabbage, French Fries
7. Saturday--Leftovers

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

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Salad
2. Monday--Chicken Pot Pie
3. Tuesday--Subway Sandwiches

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushrooms and Sauce, Salad, leftover Garlic Bread
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Lobster, Asian Salad(Peas for Hubs)

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 1 night of Take-Out/Eating Out. 

Substitute Subway for Domino's and I pretty much kept to the plan last week.  Didn't make the cabbage though and that still has to happen.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 1 package of diced raw chicken breast

* 1 package of b/s chicken thighs

* 1 package of 4 ground beef patties

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

* Chicken Pot Pies

We spent $99.70 last week(Weis and Price Chopper trips and this includes my .16¢ spent at CVS which I forgot to add in the previous week to the spending), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $290.16 for September so far.
There are 9 shopping days left in the month.  

I've earned $159.86 on Ibotta in September. WOW!

I've earned $4.00 on SavingStar in September.

I've earned $2.50 on Checkout51 in September.

I've earned $2.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 8281 points from food shopping on Fetch in September.

I've earned 3355 points from food shopping on ShopKick in September.

I've earned 3625 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in September(not counting the $6 in points missing).

My savings percentage for last week was 55.38%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips)for September and the monthly savings total for September comes in at 50.98% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....1 Chicken Parm, a few helpings of Rigatoni and a helping of  Lasagna.

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Fries
2. Monday--Chicken Thighs, Collards
3. Tuesday--Salmon, Spinach Salad

4. Wednesday--Leftovers and Odds and Ends
5. Thursday--Domino's, Salad

6. Friday--Fajitas
7. Saturday--Breakfast for Dinner

What needs buying for this menu?  In order to get Lobsters for Sat.'s meal at $4.99 lb. I had to purchase $15 worth of non-"deal" items.  I picked up fresh mushrooms, Lloyd's bbq and a big hunk of salmon at $7.99 lb.  Half the salmon will go into the freezer(using other half in this week's menu)and the mushrooms will go into the Fajita mix(don't judge me, I like them in fajitas!lol). The Lloyd's will be a ready made meal back up for nights I don't feel like cooking. ;-)

I will need to pick up sour cream this week however and more salad greens before Thursday as we are out.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Beef Liver  

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

What I "Bought" This Past Week at Rite-Aid

The Title should be what I brought home from Rite-Aid this week and not what I bought since no cash was spent. ;-)

I got this on Sunday to get further along on a Bonus Cash Challenge on Bic...

1 x Bic Razor and used a $3/1 ManuQ, spending $3.17 w/tax using my BC.

 

On Tuesday I finished up 3 BC challenges(Bic, Nature's Truth, R-A OTC)--

2 x Bic White-Out at BOGO50% and used a $1.50/2 Bic stationery L2CQ, spending $3.48 w/tax using BC.
1 x Nature's Truth(I thought it was still BOGO this week or I would have bought 2 the previous week darn it!)w/20% Wellness discount and I used a $2/1 IPQ making it $8.29 OOP using BC.
2 x R-A brand Melatonin and D3 Gummies at BOGO making both $9.99 using BC.

Then on Friday I did my "big" transaction....

1 x Kellogg's cereal at $1.99 and used a $1/1 reward Kellogg's Q from my Kellogg's account.
2 x Carefree liners at BOGO50%($6.88)and used a $3/2 L2CQ.
2 x L'Oreal Preference hair color $7.99 w/20% Wellness discount and I used a $5/2 In-Ad Q.
2 x Schick disposable razors $5.99 on sale and I used 2 x $3/1 Schick disposable IPQs.
2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale for $3.50 each and used 2 x In-Ad $3/1 R-AQs and stacked 2 x $1.50/1 select Colgate toothpaste IPQs(from email link Colgate sent me).

SubTotal for all this was $43.83.  After subtracting my $24 in Qs(*)and adding $1.15 of sales tax, I spent $20.98 in Bonus Cash to pay.

I earned $2 in new BC(the Carefree)and I converted $15 of that BC spent into cash through Ibotta rebates--Kellogg's($1), the Carefree($2), the L'Oreal($6), the Schick($6).

I also had a ManuQ of $5/2 L'Oreal hair color I forgot to bring with me so on Saturday I took that in and got $5 in Cash for it(basically I converted $5 of BC into $5 cash since I used $5 more in BC to pay for that transaction).

Goodness knows I don't need MORE toothpaste after the past couple of months and all the toothpaste deals BUT stacking the Colgate IPQs w/the In-Ad Rite-Aid Qs gave me $2 in overage to apply to other items I bought.

So after BC spent and BC/cash/rebates earned, the cereal was -.01¢, the liners were -.11¢, the hair color was -.02¢, the razors were -.02¢, and the toothpaste was -$2.00.

Not a bad haul for the week.
Looking at this week's ad I don't see anything urging me to go to R-A though all those Bonus Cash Challenge points become "live" this week so I have lots of BC to spend again(after I spent last week spending most of them up).
What's a gal to do? 8-))

Sluggy

Great Road Trip of 2017-Part Three

Part One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Another 45 minutes down the interstate and we were getting hungry for lunch so we stopped here in Leavenworth.  Not the one in Kansas(that's one of the few states I haven't been too yet), but the one in Indiana on the North side of the Ohio River(KY is on the South side of that watery boundary).  I bet you didn't know there was a Leavenworth in Indiana too.  It was about the size of a speck of dust and no prisons in sight.

It was around 3 pm so the place was deserted.  I got my first real meal of the day(and sobered up)........

A breaded pork tenderloin sammich and unsweetened ice tea.   I don't know what it was but that pork tasted so good!  I left most of the fries(as I knew we'd be seeing a LOT of French fries this trip and they were nothing special.

After our late lunch we stopped at the Shell gas station nearby so we could fill up the car and start using some of those Shell gas gift cards.

And that's when the first black cloud of doom hovered over us.

I swiped the gift card and started pumping gas(Hubs was inside getting coffee or something).  After about 8 seconds the pump shut off when I reached $1.98 spent on that gift card.

I went, "Huh!", to myself, because that was strange as this is the first time we tried to use one of those gift cards so it should have $50 on it.

So I finished out that transaction at $1.98 and tried swiping another gift card.  I got a strange message at the pump to "See Cashier Inside" and the card wouldn't work at all.

When Hubs came back out I explained what had happened and gave him both gift cards(the one that let me use $1.98 and the second one I tried to swipe that wouldn't work at all)to take inside to the cashier/attendant to see what was going on.

He came back outside and said the cashier tried the cards and neither had any money on them.

WTF?!?!

I had $300 in Shell cards(6 x $50 per card)and this information didn't bode well. 

I was in no position to do anything/call the company at this point(we only had a flip phone with limited minutes and we are on a cross country trip so had neither the time or where with all to deal with this now).  I'd have to handle this when we got home.

It was a good thing I didn't HAVE TO rely on these gas cards for this trip!  If so we'd be sunk.

So I tried to forget about it until we got home in August and not let it ruin my enjoyment of this trip.

We put the rest of the gasoline on our credit card and headed West.  We still had 5 hours of driving until we were stopping for the night.  

It was tempting to go to Santa Claus Indiana but we were on a tight driving schedule that day. ;-)

An hour after Santa Claus we were crossing into Illinois.

This portion of the driving was a lot of the photo above out the window.  Fields of crops and just roadside fields with vegetation.

At our next pitstop I noticed the outside temperature on the rental car's dashboard had hit 99F.....

Unfortunately for me(fortunately for Hubs who LOVES HOT weather), this temp was a portent of things to come.

This stretch of driving included going through St. Louis too.  We didn't stop in St. Louis(been there, done that)and we got through that clusterfuck before rush hour thankfully.

Here's the Mississippi River from one of the bridges into St. Louie over that waterway....I don't remember which one we crossed over on.

Nice shot of the suspension bridge over the Old Man River......

And just like that, we were in......

We had another 2 hours of driving to get to our hotel in Columbia MO so no stopping for us that day.

I think it would have been fun to stop at Ozarkland(I am all about roadside attractions!)but it was not to be this trip.  A "Barn Full of Bargains" sounds right up my alley! lolz

A photo of the place from someone who  stopped there and posted this photo on Yelp.  The reviews there were all over the place, from neat to gross. lolz

We found the hotel right before dark(after 7 something)and lugged the luggage into the room and it was still way hot outside so it felt good to finally get to the hotel.

We were both starving so we got Jimmy John's delivered to the room for dinner.  A little unwinding and tv and it was off to sleepytown for us.

And Day Two of the Epic Trip to West 2017 was in the books.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the September 18th Edition

 Here's what passed for frugal around here this past week.....

* First off I forgot to mention I used all my Weis Points accumulated by Sept. 7th when they expired.
I had Hubs go back to Weis(PMITA)Markets on the 7th, get another 18 ct. of eggs for .99¢(using 100 points)and then he filled my car's gas tank using the last 300 points(which was .30¢ off a gallon of gas).

* I printed off my second Playtex/Walmart $5 rebate gift card.  I used the first rebate gift card on a Walmart purchase the previous week.

* Remember those 6 bars of Neutrogena soap I got earlier this Summer doing a Johnson and Johnson deal at Walmart?

Those 2 x $10 gift card/rebates finally showed up on the same day via snail mail(and I DO mean SNAIL!).

I spent under $6 per 3 bars(which will be donated/used/giveaway fodder)and got $10 Visa prepaid cards back for each 3 bars.

Nice.

*  I found money!

This dime and penny were nestled under the candy rack by the register at Rite-Aid last Friday.

I also had a penny snatched out of my clutches at Weis(PMITA)Markets.  It was just past my shopping cart on the floor as I was checking out.  I should have pushed my cart over it to keep it safe until I was finished with the cashier.  Some woman scooped MY PENNY up as she walked by and left the store....humph, the nerve!

And no, I didn't drop everything and chase her out of the store. lol

Then on Tuesday I found another penny at Rite-Aid when I went in to finish up my Bonus Challenges.

rah me. lolz

Total Change found this week. .12¢
Total Change found this year....$48.15

* I got a single cup of Brown Cow brand yogurt at Weis last Friday.  It was on quick sale for .50¢ and I got .25¢ back on Ibotta for buying it.  But the cashier scanned the reg. barcode so it rang up $1.25. Yikes!

I went to Customer Service and got a .75¢ refund to tuck into my refund/post coupon envelope.

*  I remembered to get my PandG Summer Rebate mailed in before Sept. 14th.  That will be another $15 prepaid Visa card and hopefully it arrives before the year ends.

I tried to send it electronically but I had too many items to use their online form.  That form only let you add 7 items and I had way more than that. ugh.

* We had Subway for dinner one night and I used a gift card that was paid for last year(and had earned me BC at Rite-Aid too).  Ordered online so I got a free sub for purchasing 2.  Hubs and I split the free sub for lunch the next day. ;-)

That's about it around here.  As of yesterday, when I write up these weekly FF posts, I had only been to R-A this week and spent Bonus Cash and no actual money.  There will be more shopping this weekend(Weis and Price Chopper)but that will go on next week's post.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?

Tell us all about them!

Sluggy

September Giveaway Winner!

 Here's what was up for grabs this month......

And the winner is..........

Linda Cunha

LindaSeptember 16, 2020 at 9:53 PM

Fall plans, be a little less lazy and get some things done.
I haven't won any of your giveaways
lindacunha1951@gmail.com

Congratulations Linda C.!

You have 48 hours from when this post goes live to contact me with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize. (My email addy is on the side bar under "About Me".)

If the Boring Blog Giveaway Box is not claimed within that time I'll choose another winner for September.

Thanks for everyone who entered and the entertainment your comments provide me too. ;-)

Come back next month and see what Sluggy has planned. 8-)))

Sluggy