Frugal Friday....the May 15th Edition

Well, well, well!
Another week in lockdown and another week trying to be fugal.
Let's see what passed for frugal around Chez Sluggy this week......

*  While I missed that great copy paper deal at Staples(free after member rewards back)I did find a great deal on packing tape........

4 packs of heavy-duty tape with 6 rolls per pack so 24 rolls of tape.   It was something like 41% off and free shipping so I jumped on that deal!
We go through a lot of packing tape here at Chez Sluggy between shipping out Giveaway boxes, shipping gifts to family and friends and the occasional eBay sale.  I was down to my next to last roll before I saw this deal.
I also bought 10 reams of copy paper too(on sale for less than $4 per ream)because we were very low.
My subtotal was over $80 so I got an additional $20 off my order so with tax it all came to $70.97.
I thought I had gone through my rebate portal site but evidently I forgot. oops!  That would have been $1.41 back....oh well.  It won't break us. ;-)

*  Remember that 2.5 lbs. of scallions I got at the restaurant supply store a few weeks back?  Well I kept one of the bulb ends and put it in a bowl of water.........

And it sprouted!  I need to get this into the garden so it can keep going.

*  I had to go to Dollar Tree for cards.  Talk about a cleaned out card rack!  Geez....
I did find 2 food items to buy there.......

2 large boxes of lemon Jell-O.  Total spent $2.00 on the food budget.  I like to have Jell-O in the pantry for a light dessert in the Summer months or for delicate stomach issues.

*  I found money!
Not much this week because I didn't go many places and the few I did go there wasn't any change laying on the floors mostly....except for Rite-Aid.

Found this penny at R-A last Saturday when I went to go buy myself some perfume.  It was in front of the  register counter.

And I found this one tucked halfway under the floor mat in front of the other register again at R-A when I picked up an Rx on Thursday.

Found Money This Week...... .02¢

Found Money This Year so far....$45.08

* This came in the mail this past week.........

a 15% off your purchase coupon for Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)good until the middle of June.
Actually we got THREE of these coupons under 3 different account numbers.  Before anybody starts yelling about how I am bating the system, I never signed up for 3 accounts there, only 1.  I don't know how or why I got three of the same coupon and I may actually use them all if I get a chance. 8-)

*  I haven't been to R-A except for drugs and I haven't been to Weis(PMITA)Markets at ALL this past week(yet-may go today because I still can't find any yeast and I need OJ)but we did go out to P and R Discounters on Thursday/yesterday after an unsuccessful hunt for Collard plants(hard to find up here in Yankeeland).

I spent around $75(haven't sat down to add it up with the Dollar Tree spending)at P and R and here are the best deals I got......

Fresh broccoli for .99¢ lb. and it actually looked decent.

I got lucky as they were just stocking what little meat they had to put out so I grabbed 2 items- 1lb. of ground chicken breast for $1.99(I'll add to ground beef for tacos or something)and a bottom round roast steak, just over a pound of it and it was $4.99 per lb.
Before this pandemic and the meat shortage/prices rising I'd never considered bottom round roast for that price a good deal.
I'll probably make beef and broccoli tonight.

 The best deal yesterday was containers of fresh blackberries for .49¢ each.  I got Hubs 2 of them to have with his cereal or oatmeal in the morning.

 I also got this creamer and 2 boxes of "healthy" rice crispy treats with blueberries for Hubs.
All were .99¢ each.  Good deal considering what any "Smashmallow" brand item costs at full retail.
*for Jen G.  PandR had TONS of tofu-and none of it spicy either.  You need to come shop here! lolz

I also got 1.5 lbs. of Pastrami and .50 lb. of chicken breast lunch meats sliced at their deli counter and 2 Roasted chickens.
We had 3/4 of 1 chicken last night reheated for dinner with stuffing and brussels sprouts.  I'll use the 1/4  of chicken in a pot pie in the next few days and the other roasted chicken will become chicken and dumplings at some point.
I can also make Pastrami Reubens with some of the Pastrami as Hubs and Ex-College Boy would like that for dinner one night soon. ;-)
So that makes 5 more dinners I've got on my list of possibilities now(reubens, beef/broccoli, pot pie, chicken/dumplings, tacos)besides the roast chicken we already had. ;-)

That's about all I have for this week.
Staying home, turning off the heat for most of this week in the house, digging in the yard, going down genealogy rabbit holes online and not eating out/take-out(mostly)....what's been my new normal(most of it old normal really).
Hubs and I decided that we each got half of that Stimulus check for personal use since we didn't need it to pay bills(other than feeding Ex-CB and all since we don't charge him rent).  We each moved our half into our private accounts.  I know he'll spend his in short order but I am hanging onto mine for now.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Tell us all about it!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the May 1st Edition

Well I did go out this week grocery shopping on Wednesday to Weis(PMITA)Markets and then to Rite-Aid, then after I posted my food spending totals on Thursday we went out to PandR discounts and Maines the restaurant supply store(so I'll put those 2 shops into May's total).

So let's see what was frugal(or approaching frugal)this past week..........

*  I went to Weis this week after 5 weeks of avoiding it like the plague(pun intended).  Here are the best deals I got there........

The OEP items were "Buy 4 boxed or canned items/Get a free bag of cheese". The 4 items were $5 total so $5 for all 5 items.  The cheese is almost $3 a bag here if bought alone so I'm ok with this deals.
The organic Francesco Rinald sauce was on clearance $1.50 per jar.  I redeemed a .50¢/2 Ibotta rebate so 2 jars cost me $2.50 total.
I had a coupon for .75¢/1 Domino golden sugar that doubled to $1.50 off so it cost $1.19 OOP.
I bought lots more including 5 tv dinners and a bag of croutons which were part of a Mix and Match Buy/Get $3 Back Deal.  I got a piece of Salmon(it was $1 more per lb. than last month), my Stress Rx tea was on sale 2/$5, 2 lbs. of butter for $2.50 each, etc.

*  I finished my Allegra SavingStar Deal at Rite-Aid this week..........

Earned $21 between Ibotta and SavingStar and paid with BC so Zero OOP on this.

*   I found money!

Rite-Aid was a jackpot for me this week!

This penny was found in the parking lot, worse for the wear but still spendable.

These 3 pennies where found by the  registers.

And this slightly out of focus dime was found in the greeting card aisle(which I detoured down to avoid other customers).  Lucky me!

Found Money This Week...... .14¢
Found Money This Year so far....$45.05

I also found this penny..............

I thought it was a fifth penny for the day but when I dug it out from behind the floor mat it was one of those souvenir "squashed" pennies.  This one is from Ohio and has the state bird, a cardinal, on it.

I laughed at this because I sort of collect these!

Here's the one I "squashed" from Buc-ee's in Alabama Lorraine took us to in January.

Here's the one from the amusement park we took eldest and his GF to last Summer-that's the ride we all went on.

Here's the Mad Elf penny from when Hubs and I went to Troegs Brewing last Spring after my medical appointment at Hershey Medical.

And here's the penny I squashed when we went to see "Carhenge" in the Summer of 2017.
(This reminds me I STILL have to recount our 2017 Summer Road Trip for the blog.)

*  I found a few deals yesterday at the restaurant supply store and the discount food store.......

Liquid whole eggs for .50¢ a quart and 4.5 lbs. of sour cream for $3.99 at the restaurant supply.
The asparagus was $1.29 at the discounters.  Now I have to find containers to put the sour cream in and ways to use it up! lol

We went to the restaurant supply to see if they had any more of those small steaks I got earlier in April.  Something they called "Coulotte" Sirloin steaks........

They had 3 packages left so I bought them all as these are the most tender steaks we've ever had.  The price wasn't bad either at $5.99 lb.
I've repackaged them and we have 4 meals for the 3 of us out of this buy.  I also had 1 small piece left I can make a steak sandwich out of for a lunch for myself. ;-)

I found a loaf of PF oatmeal bread at the food discounters for $1.29.  My discount bread store is still closed so after this is gone I am going to have to pay full price at the grocery store for bread. *sob*

*  I earned $6.50 in Ibotta this week.(2 x $2 Allegra at R-A and .50¢ at Weis(PMITA)Markets.

*  I got a freebie at the food discounters.............

3 bags of Garden of Eatin' grain-free tortilla chips.  Only 2 are pictured because Hubs opened/ate most of the third bag before I got around to taking this photo this morning.

The store was giving these out to anyone who bought anything in the store.  The cashier said we could have as many as we wanted because they had pallets of it in the back(and the sell by date was past).  They aren't bad(aren't good either)but will be nice with a dip like hummus. ;-)

*  There has been no take-out this week so far.  We tried on Thursday to use a gift card and get take-out at Applebee's(they make a good Asian salad w/chicken)but we decided against it finally and just came home and had leftover Shrimp Scampi.
I think there will be some Chinese take-out this weekend however(if I have anything to do about it-and I will! lol).

That's about it from here.................

What wins did y'all have this week?


Sluggy

Rite-Aid & Other Shopping and Deals This Week

Lots of shopping this week at lots of different places(Rite-Aid, Weis, and two Grocery/Produce Outlets).

First off Rite-Aid--
This week one type of Rite-Aid brand cellophane tape is on sale BOGO and when you buy 2 you get $2 in Bonus Cash back.
So you end up getting 2 packs of tape, pay $1.49(plus sales tax if applicable to your state)and get back $2, which is a .51¢ moneymaker(before tax).
This is a monthly Deal for March, limit of 4 per card/account.

I maxed out this deal on my card and my son's card plus I bought Nature's Truth Vitamin E sticks which are BOGOFree this week as well on son's card but I'm putting it out there as one transaction.

16 x R-A tape BOGO sale=$11.92
2 x NT Vitamin E sticks BOGO=$1.99
SubTotal......$13.91+.71¢ tax=$14.62

I paid with $6.31 in BC(on my card)and $8.30 on a free R-A gift card(on son's card).
I earned back $16 in new Bonus Cash($8 on each card).
I also submitted for a $2 Ibotta rebate for the Vitamin E sticks.
So $14.62 "spent" and $18 earned back.

On Wednesday it was Wellness Wednesday so I went up and got a few items on son's card........

2 x Kleenex BOGOFree sale=$2.99
2 x Betadine spray 20% Wellness discount($8.79)=$17.58
SubTotal........$20.57

Coupons Use
2 x $1/1 Kleenex WWQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Betadine IPQ=$4.00
2 x $7/1 Betadine WWQ=$14.00
Total......$20.00

$20.57-$20.00=.57¢+.06¢ ta=.63¢ OOP on a free R-A gift card.  I should have used the .63¢ of the $8 in BC on that card but I forgot I had it on there. oh well...

I also picked up the 3 freebies in front--a sample Aquaphor spray, CeraVe lotion and another Bayer pill caddy/key chain for daily baby aspirins.

I also hit P and R Outlets when I went across the river to hit another R-A.  It's a discount grocery/HBA/ outlet that also stocks gluten-free stuff and a lot of organic foods(mostly the fresh produce).  Here are the best deals I got there and nothing was out of date.........

6 x Hormel Turkey No Bean chili for .59¢ a can
2 x Reese's water chestnuts for .10¢ a can
1 x Momfuku Thai chili sauce for .29¢ a bottle
1 x Back to Nature maple pecan granola for $1.99
1 x Ka-Me sesame Teriyaki noodles for .79¢
2 x Suzie's almond butter cookies for .59¢ a box
2.83 lb. zucchini for .69¢ lb.($1.95 total) pictured below
1 lb. bunch of asparagus for $1.49 pictured below
9.7 lbs. bananas for .10¢ a lb.(4 bananas) already gone lolz

P and R $12.40 OOP.

I also hit Malacari's produce market and got all this(except the 2 items mentioned/bought from P and R)........

1 x 3-pack of Romaine lettuce=$1.99
2 x 1lb. Butcher Wagon bacon=$3.98($1.99 each)
1 x 2lb. frozen shrimp=$9.99
1 x 1.95 lb. cabbage=$.96(.49¢ lb.)
1 x pack of snow peas=$1.60
1 x 2.48 lbs sweet potatoes=$1.71(.69¢ lb.)

I also spent $7.76 on 1.11 lbs. chicken lunch meat.  They have the lowest price on Dietz and Watson lunch meat around here, charging $6.99 a lb.

The Butcher Wagon brand is made by Hatfield, a well known PA brand.

Malacari $27.99 OOP.

I also hit Weis(PMITA)Markets this week.........

3 x Oral-B toothbrushes on clearance $1=$3.
I had a $2/1 Q for paid $1 for all three, making them .33¢ each.
Good price for a toothbrush.

4 x large packs of Luvs baby wipes on clearance $3.14 each=$12.56
I used 2 x .50¢/2 Luvs Qs that doubled to $1 each so $2 off making these $10.56 OOP.

And I did the Clorox deal(spend $20 on select items/Get $7 off instantly)and it was working off of reg. shelf price.........

4 x Clorox wipes on sale 2/$5=$10.00
3 x Glad wrap on sale 2/$5=$7.50
SubTotal.....$17.50

Coupons Used
4 x .50¢/1 Clorox wipes IPQ (doubled to $1 each)=$4.00
3 x .75¢/1 Glad wrap IPQ(doubled to $1.50 each)=$4.50
Coupon Total.....$8.50 + $7 instantly off=$15.50

$17.50-$15.50=$2.00+.12¢ sales tax=$2.12 paid OOP

As an aside, the bleach shelves were practically bare.  I should have taken a picture of them.
Plenty of wipes and spray cleaners though, just the bleach.

It was a high spend(not including R-A)week for me but I got lots of good deals.

Sluggy

Discount Grocer Shopping Love

One way I keep my grocery bills in check is to frequent discount grocers now and again.
There is one called "Pand R Discounters" downtown in the valley here(with a second location up North of Scranton too).
I ran into the downtown location last Friday while Hubs and I were over that way and cherry picked a few deals.........

12 pack of pudding for $2.29
Box of Lasagna Noodles for .99¢
Box of lemon Cake Mix for .39¢
2 cans of Mushrooms for .59¢
Can of Chipotle Peppers for .59¢
1 lb. bag of Coffee(Irish type)for $1.99
2 bottles of Salad Dressing for .59¢

The "Irish Coffee" intrigued me....it will be either really strong or made with potatoes. lolz

I also got 3 x Limes for 10¢ ea., 1/2 lb. of turkey breast for .50¢(I think that pack was mismarked?), a Cuke for .49¢ and 2.21 lb. of Yellow Squash for .79¢ lb.

These Nathan's uncured Beef Franks were .99¢ ea.
Total spent $13.63.


On Saturday we found ourselves out in Mifflinburg PA to attend an event.
On the way into that town we saw a grocery store called Wenger's.

I googled it and it is an Amish owned discounters like the two I have been to before-one in a town West of us where we frequent a good brewery there and the other is on the route to Ex-College Boy's ex-college(which I haven't been near since he graduated).
So I talked Hubs into checking it out on the way home.
All I can say is "Oh MY!" and that I am in love.
This Grocery Outlet is double the size of the other two I've been to and cleaner.
Hubs was in a bad mood(he was wet and cold from the outdoor event we had just come from as it was raining cats an dogs all danged day, so I couldn't take my everlovin' sweet time in there, but I did bring a cart full of goodies home.  And the prices?! OH MY!! They were awesome!!!
I think we need to move out near Mifflinburg.......lol

Here's what I got..........and I swear if I get any "that stuff is unhealthy comments" I'll ban your ass!  I am in no mood for it.

2 boxes of Smithfield Sausage Biscuit for $1.49 each(We ate one box before the photo.)
2 rolls of Jamestown Sausage for .99¢ each
2 packs of Oscar Meyer Bacon for $1.99 each(Evan Williams Bourbon variety)
2 packs of Aidell's Chicken Meatballs w/Mozzarella for .99¢ each

I don't have much freezer space right now so I had to restrain myself to just this bit.  I swear I will empty my chest freezer and go back in the Spring and fill it up with roasts, ground beef and raw chickens.  I have a mission now! lolz

On to the canned/pantry goods(prices are per package)........

1 x DeCecco orecchiette .79¢
2 x Easy Mac .99¢
2 x Pad Thai sauce mix .25¢
2 x Quaker Oatmeal .99¢
2 x Rice Select arborio rice $1.69
2 x #2 coffee filters(100ct.) 79¢
2 x Fleischmann's yeast strips .50¢
1 x Dipn Classic Hummus  .99¢
8 x Jiffy Cornbread mix .25¢
1 x Winn Dixie Coffee Creamer .99¢
1 x Sun Luck Plum Sauce .99¢
1 x Heinz Honey sweetened Ketchup .50¢
1 x Louisiana Hot Sauce  .99¢
1 x Rufus Teague whiskey BBQ Sauce .99¢

2 x Field Harvest canned Tomatoes .59¢
2 x David's Deli Bagels .99¢
6 x Kroger Tomato Soup .50¢
4 x Wylwood Chili Beans .25¢
2 x Gulden's Brown Mustard .50¢
2 x Harris Teeter French Onion Dip .50¢
4 x Del Monte Mandarin Oranges cups .59¢
1 x 4C Bread Crumbs .99¢
1 x TGIF Peach Smash BBQ Sauce .99¢
1 x Dell's Maraschino Cherries $1.39(for a cookie recipe)
2 x Honeycup Sharp Honey Mustard .59¢
4 x Imperial Mushrooms .75¢
4 x Casa Fiesta Green Chiles .25¢
2 x Jello(grape) .50¢
1 x Knorr Mexican Rice and Beans .79¢
2 x Vigo Red Beans and Rice .50¢

And last but certainly not least, this mother of all jars of JUMBO Green Olives...........

Mario Olives(80 oz. jar) $3.99--that's .05¢ an ounce for Olives!
Have I ever mentioned how much I love olives???

Grand Total spent at Wenger's.........$56.53 (including .10¢ tax on the coffee filters).
WOOHOO!

Some deals were great(do you know how much arborio rice costs?), some were just good(things we needed anyway at a good price),some were impluse buys(we hadn't eaten lunch yet)and some were Hubs choosing(creamer, filters, red beans and rice).  The olives were all me *Sluggy strokes the jar and says, "Precious.........Precious".*

And there were aisles I didn't even go down and look, because well, "hello" grumpy wet cold Hubs, and the store was humongous!
When was the last time you left a regular grocery store spending $56.53 and a FULL CART to show for your efforts?!?

I am in love with this store and like McArthur, "I shall return!".

Sluggy