Frugal Friday......the February 21st Edition

Checking in on the frugal stuff from last week and here we go!


* I got the Weis freebie last Friday.........

A can of tuna.
But the freebie Q didn't come off.  And I had even taken this can and another can(which was probably the freebie one after all, even though it was a more expensive variety)up to the Customer Service desk to ask which one it was and the employee told me this cheaper one, so that's the one I bought.

So I got to trot back to the CS desk after it didn't come off my bill and I got handed .69¢.
I'd prefer a refund on my c/c but change it a ok by me and this money is now in my store refund/post Q envelope.

*  I made $43.45 in Ibotta rebates since last Friday. See a previous post on that.  8-)))

* I bought stuff at Rite-Aid and Weis..........

Total spent at Rite-Aid so far this week.........$10.55 in Bonus Cash.
Total earned back in BC/Ibotta........$8.00

The best deals frond at Weis(PMITA)Markets so far this week...........

$4.67 paid OOP, $5 earned on Ibotta.

$9.39 paid OOP, $9.92 earned on Ibotta.

* I found money!

2 pennies at Weis(PMITA)Markets last Friday.  One penny was next to the self-checkout machine and the other was under the candy rack between this machine and another self-checkout.  After I strained to reach that one, when I stood back up the employee manning/overseeing those machines had been standing and watching me, wonder what in heck I was doing!?.  I showed her the penny and she laughed and said, "That was a lot of work for a penny!".  I smiled and said, "Hey! It's money and free money is never too much work for me."  8-)))

On Sunday after picking up my Rxs at R-A I spied this penny in front of the register counter and it came home with me.

This penny was found in Rite-Aid as well by the pharmacy counter on Wednesday.

And this dime was behind the counter that same trip to R-A.  Two employees and I were talking about how I find change a lot and the new employee said there was a dime under the counter that had been there for weeks so she picked it up and handed it to me.  I just need to "train" all the other R-A folks to find change and give it to me! lolz
Total Found Money this week...... .14¢
Total Found Money this year.......$42.76


*  I filled my car tank with discounted Weis gas.  Points expired last Friday so I drove my car until it was on fumes and filled it up last Friday. .30¢ a gallon discount is nothing to sneeze at but at times like this I just wish my gas tank was larger. ;-)

* Last Friday was Valentine's Day and we kept it as low key as ever!  I had found a Hickory Farms meat/cheese gift box set at the Weis in the town South of here last week clearance priced from Xmas.
$12.99 reg. price for $4.00.  It didn't have a use/sell by date until March so I paid for it with some WAM.  Nothing says love like a box of food to my Hubs. lolz  I also had a Vday card for Hubs from Dollar Tree I got back in 2019 that I had forgotten to give him last year, oops!  So no money spent this year on a card.
I also cooked him Shrimp Scampi using ingredients I already had on hand(and the shrimp had been bought on clearance too).  No meal out at some overpriced venue(and crowded)specializing in Valentine's Day meals.

* I had a 30% off discount for Kohl's that was expiring on the 17th so we hit the local Kohl's and then on Sunday I hit another Kohl's south of here to see what clearance stuff I could find to pair with that discount.
I got Ex-CB some clothes for next Xmas(3 pieces I can't show it here), 2 tops for me(I didn't try them on so they might go back)and all this..........

5 x $9.99 priced candles in glass jars.  They were marked down to $1.99 so they were $1.40 each after 30% off.
The 'Tis the Season scented ones smell very good, the Frosted Pine ones were ok.  I didn't buy a Mulling Spices scented one because that smell just didn't appeal to me.
So I am all "candled up" for the Christmas Holidays 2020.

And I got a Xmas ornie for Dixie Belle of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel doggy.

We had looked at this ornie before Xmas but it was $18 or something ridiculous like that.  Even when Kohl's had them 50% off right before Xmas I was not tempted to spend $8+ on it.
But for $2.23 on clearance and with my 30% off discount?
Why not?! lolz
You never see Cavalier's in her variety(the Ruby coloration)....it's usually the Blenheim(white and ginger markings)variety.
Now Dixie has an ornie just like Chester does to hang on our tree this year. ;-)

That's about it for me this past week...........

Any frugal wins in your world this past week?

Sluggy

Frugal Shopping Lately.....Kohl's & Rite-Aid

I had a $10 in Birthday Rewards from Kohl's that was expiring Jan. 31st plus a 20% off Q, so Hubs and I went up to Kohl's on Saturday to look around.
Here's what we got.........

1 x Bob Marley T for College Boy
2 x Vans shorts for College Boy
1 x Men's Dress Shirt for Hubs

After clearance pricing and additional 20% off all 4 came to $16.59.
After using my $10 reward I paid $6.59 for all!

$50 Vans shorts for $1.44 each?  Yes!!
Hubs shirt came out to $1.40 and the t-shirt was $2.31.
I used a tiny portion of a $25 Kohl's gift card I got at Rite-Aid last year(which gave me free Plenti points).

Savings of $161.41.
Yah, like I'd ever pay full retail for this stuff........*snort*

Speaking of Rite-Aid.....and when am I NOT speaking of Rite-Aid....lolz.....

This week starts the Rite-Aid February "Big Point Event"(BPE).  You get Plenti Points at various points along the way to spending $200.  The first threshold is spend $100, Get $20 in Plenti Points.

Here is what I bought so far that count toward the BPE.

4 x Suave Gold 'Poo and Conditioners on sale 2/$6=$12.00
2 x Suave Green bottle 'Poo on sale=$6.00
2 x Tresemme 'Poo/Conditioners on sale=$8.00
2 x GE light bulbs on sale=$7.98
1 x Chloraseptic drops on sale(20% wellness disc. better)=$4.23
2 x CeraVe cream(20% wellness disc.=$6.63)=$13.26
1 x Axe Deo on sale=$4.49
*I also used a rain check for Bic mechanical pencils..$1.00
SubTotal............$56.96

Coupons Used
2 x Suave Gold BOGOFree ManuQ(up to $2.88 ea.)=$5.76
1 x $3/2 Suave Gold ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $2/2 Suave green bottles ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $3/2 Tresemme ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1.50/1 Chloraseptic item R-A FBQ=$1.50
1 x $1/1 Chloraseptic item IPQ=$1.00
1 x $4/1 CeraVe item ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $3/1 CeraVe item ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $2/1 Axe Deo ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2 OYNO CatalinaQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Bic writing items ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$28.26

$56.96-$28.26=$28.70+$1.12 tax=$29.82

I used $29.82 in Plenti Points and earned $26.00 in new Plenti Points(2 x $4 Dove/Tresemme, 2 x $3 GE light bulbs, $4 Chloraseptic, $8 CeraVe) so I am "down" $3.82 in Points and have $55.96 tracking toward $100 in spending for the first $20 in BPE Plenti points reward.

I also activated Saving Star account rebates for $4.00(.50¢ Axe Deo, $1.50/2 Suave green bottles, $2/2 Suave gold)so my transaction is now a .18¢ moneymaker.  8-)

I went back this morning and got another Chloraspetic drops and 2 Colgate toothpastes.
After sale prices, coupons and tax that order came to $8.21 and I received $8 in Plenti Points back(1 x $4 Chloraspetic, 2 x $2 Colgate).
I now have $66.17 tracking toward the $100 spending.

Then I used my son's card to buy all this.........

All the same deals(though I bought different products for the Unilever/Dove/Tresemme Deal)plus I also bought 2 x Colgate toothbrushes and stacked 2 x $2/1 in-ad Qs with the $1/2 Colgate toothbrush ManuQ from Sunday's paper.
Plenti points used with $1.75 tax......$39.64
Plenti points earned......$26.00

I also will get $6 in rebates from SavingStar($3/2 Dove hair care, $3/2 Noxzema cleaner)so earned the equivalent of $32, spent $39.64 so all this "cost" me $7.64.
I now have $57.89 tracking toward the $100 spending on this card to get the $20 BPE Reward.
I figure as long as I don't "spend" over $12.36 to get $42.11 more toward tracking products all this will be free.  8-)

And here is a little video about what I bought at Weis(PMITA)Markets today as well.
Lots of deals on soup, mac and cheese, chili, gum and condiments using sale prices/deals this week at Weis plus using coupons.
64% savings rate and 10 more gas points?
I'll take it.  ;-)




 What have you gotten for a good price lately?

Sluggy

Wins and Fails in Frugal Land

Sometimes being frugal is all about making do without.
Sometimes being frugal is all about getting the best deal when you must part with your precious dollars.
Here are my recent wins and fails when it comes to getting the best deal.....

*  I actually broke down recently and went and bought some white thread.
I was clean out of white after many many years of using my stash from my costume designer/theater days.
Hey!  It only took 30 years to use it all up. ;-)

The only fabric store now around here is a Jo-Ann's.
You could have picked my jaw off the floor when I saw the prices of thread!
What?.....is it spun from GOLD now or something?!?

The rack of regular threads came in 3 sizes, with the "best" deal being a spool with 500 yards on it costing $4.29.
WTF?

I did reconnoiter through the rest of the store and found a bin of "value" spools by Coats & Clark(is it just Coats now?)of 400 yard spools for $2.99.

Well I just did the math and the 500 yard spools are a better deal, but lured by the lower price
point I bought 7 spools of the $2.99 one.
But I did have a 25% off my purchase coupon so it wasn't a total frugal loss.


*  I bought a restaurant gift card the other day at Rite-Aid......

R-A put out a Facebook Q for $5 off a choice of restaurant gift cards when you put $25 on one so I took the bait and went and bought one.

R-A has put another Facebook Q up for $5 off either a Panera Bread or a Dunkin Donuts gift card purchase HERE.  It's good until next Monday so go print that baby.

After all, 20% off a gift card is nothing to sneeze at!!

Then to make any more gift card purchase deals even better at Rite-Aid I went and did this.......

I bought a Rite-Aid gift card on one of the buy/sell Gift Card exchanges online to pay for any more gift card deals I do at Rite-Aid.

The R-A gift card was 11% off the face value, so if I use it to pay for the Panera/DD gift card, that's something like 31% off?  Ok, so I am not so good with math but I just know it's a bigger deal than 25% off. lolz

Even if there is no Facebook Q for a gift card at Rite-Aid, there are also the gift cards during certain weeks which give you an +Up Reward instead, which means free toiletries.

Either offer is a win/win.

*  And speaking of Rite-Aid......
I went on Sunday and bought this stuff--

I was suppose to get a $5 OYNO Catalina for buying 3 Aveeno products but it didn't print.
Cashier insisted that the machine was on but I suspect it wasn't.
So I couldn't do my second transaction of 2 Aveeno products which at the end of it all would have given back +Ups/Cats equal to what I spent on all 5 products.

So I am out $5 +Ups right now.
I really don't feel like calling Catalina and waiting the usual 2 weeks to get that $5 Cat so I am just going to return these 3 items and get a refund on a gift card.

I was just buying them to roll my +Ups until Black Friday sales at Rite-Aid, I didn't "need" them and there was nothing else this week I saw that would let me roll the +Ups and not spend them down.

I will still be down some +Ups but they will now be tucked into a gift card and won't expire, which is even better.
And I don't have anymore +Ups expiring until Sunday and I have a plan for how to roll them then.


*  I spent $160 on $236 worth of items at Kohl's online yesterday during their Veteran's Day Sale.
I saved $78 in discounts plus earned $30 in Kohl's cash.
#2 Son needs pants and Levi's were BOGO50%, making them $30 a pair.  I got 30% off from that so they ended up being $21 a pair.
$21 a pair for LEVI'S!

I also got some Christmas presents and nightgowns for myself and everything was 30% off the already discounted sale price.

And I got a new crockpot.  After discounts and a $5 rebate it will cost me $8.99.
Not bad.

The FAIL in this Kohl's Deal?
In my excitement I forgot to go through the ShopAtHome portal and didn't get cash back on that $160.
bleh.

*  Now I am off to return those items to Rite-Aid and then off to Ollie's with my discount card they sent me to see what I can find......

What successes or failures have you had lately when it comes to being frugal?


Sluggy