Stuff Lately

As August winds down(hey! it's the 31st today)here are the things going on lately at Chez Sluggy.....

* We got College Boy back to school this past weekend........

I was more hands-off this year on this one, as CB wanted to handle things himself.
This meant that I only spent $ on a couple of kitchen sponges and printer ink cartridges on the back-to-school shopping. $100 or less for back to school shopping?  I'll take it! 8-)
 The rest of his needs were acquired from my various stockpiles(food/toiletries/office supplies/etc.).

The down side was that he forgot to take a goodly amount of articles that he'll be needing....like his concert shoes, mattress memory foam pad and his printer cables.
sigh.

And he lost his wallet but didn't notice until the morning he was to leave which meant an extra hour delay in leaving and he was trying to find it.(He did and he left it in his bandmates car the night before.)  I have threatened him with a wallet/belt chain for the wallet for Xmas.

The good news is he got to school in time for his Wind Ensemble audition and he aced that so got a chair in the Ensemble for this year.

* The garden--
All this was harvested in the last week..........

7.43 lbs. of tomatoes and another of the acorn squash(22.8 oz.)brings my Garden Harvest to 19.93 lbs. of goodies.

The bulk of those tomatoes are now in the freezer wanting for cooler weather so I can can them then.

I spent a morning here.........

Daughter had a treatment and I had to drive her there and back.

Lunch at a Chinese Buffet may or may not have been involved in this "treatment" afterwards.....

A medical appointment was how I spent my morning on Monday, well most of it was spent waiting.
It took 3 months to get this appointment and now my treatment is in the hands of a specialist and all my meds are being turned on their ears.
It's a whole new ballgame as I begin a new journey down the healthcare system.
yay.......8-(
Perhaps this anointed one will have some answers.

* Anxious to see the end of the month August financials tomorrow on the 1st of September.  It won't be pretty I know but it's better to face it than hide from it, right?  September won't be tons better in the saving category since property taxes(half of them)are due next month.  The grocery budget is still kicking my ass but with College Boy away at school the numbers should look a bit better.

Speaking of CB, I can't wait to go  dig out his bedroom. *insert eye roll here*

So I am off to the grocery store for cheap facial tissues and coffee and then to Rite-Aid for my monthly med pick-up plus all these new ones that were ordered.  I might even pick-up something for free while I am at R-A.
Hey, how could I not?  8-)

So what's going on in your world?

Sluggy

They're Going Baaaaack!

Time again to remember this classically funny TV commercial.
It's just genius and it makes me smile every time I see it.

For email subscribers go to YouTube HERE to view it.

For everyone else, check it out below......



The Alice Cooper Staples commercial is pretty cute too.

Only 1 more year for me and I am done forever with Back-To-School stuff!
Woohoo!!!!!!!

Sluggy

Working The Angles & Checking off The College List

This week is all about getting the College Boy ready to go back to school.
I bet you can see the big grin on my face after saying that, even through the computer screen, can't you?

This means having to shell out more cash, beyond the tuition and room and board I just paid the school.
Not so much grinning about this though.....
So if I can find an angle to work something for free or cheap, I am on it!


If you remember I transferred a few of my prescriptions to KMart's pharmacy from Rite-Aid when Kmart was offering $60 in gift cards to do so back in the Spring..  I also joined this Kmart Refill Club thingy.

Saturday I had an rx refilled at Kmart and since it was my 5th refill I got $10 in points back onto my Shop Your Way loyalty card.  I already had $2 in points on the card from a couple of months ago.

College Boy needed some PowerAde/Gatorade drinks to take back to school for Marching Band Camp and Kmart had Power Ades for .69¢ each so I loaded him up for some of those plus a pack of Ramen cups and 2 microwaveable Tomato Soup bowls.....

$0 spent on the College Boy stuff.

Then I hit Dollar Tree for a few more things for CB to take back to school......

Safety pins, 2 packs of dish sponge/scrubbies/, kitchen towel and 7 food items to help get him through Marching Band Camp.
$11.24 more OOP.

When CB got home in May we tucked all his college goods he wasn't going to be using over the Summer into a box in the garage so we knew where all that stuff was when the time came to dig it out.
Much saner plan that letting it all get swallowed up into the cesspool called his "room" in May and having to excavate for it in August.
Housewares, towels, linens and the toilet brush are now accounted for and in the living room.

On Sunday while out for a produce run to Maine Source Hubs stopped at Staples and we bought computer paper.....

While we are not quite out of printer paper we are down to our last box of 5 reams.

The last time I had to buy printer paper was in April of 2009.  Back then Staples had an awesome rebate deal on discontinued package design printer paper.  No limit on it either so I ended up buying 35 reams of paper and even with all my printing of coupons it has lasted 6 Years!  We may run out of this stash early next Spring so it would have lasted 7 years at that point. lolz

My Staples printer paper stash bought in March/April 2009.

Staples had a paper deal on Sunday and Monday only.  Pay $4.99 plus tax, get back $4.98 in the form of a gift card/prepaid debit card.  Limit of 4 reams. With the tax after rebate each ream came out to .31¢.  I've packed 2 reams with CB and I'll tuck away the other 2 for his use later.

I printed out the master College List last week.  The list we used last Summer to pack him off to college the first time.
On his day off last week we honed the list, deleting items he no longer needs to bring this year.

Then every time was pondered and if we had said item in the house/garage it got checked off.

When said item gets brought into the staging area(the living room), it gets crossed off as well.

This way we can see what is still needed and made(the hopefully short)"got to buy" list.


Monday we hit the store for the last time to get what was left from our list--batteries,  printer ink refills, a backpack/computer case, etc. $193.18 OOP plus the backpack Hubs picked up and the stapler I need to return as we found an extra one at home.

I also picked up a rotisserie chicken while at Sam's Club to serve for dinner last night. 8-)

We also hit the music store while out and about to pick up a conduction baton for College Boy.  He is taking conducting 101 this year.  Thankfully this item only cost $5.  By far the cheapest musical item we have EVER bought! lolz

I took a prescription up to Weis as well on Monday and planned to get a $20 Weis gift card for filling it, then use that gift card to pick up some groceries for this week.....but  they didn't have enough pills to fill it on Monday.  So I bought only the necessities on Monday and I'll go back Wednesday for the drugs and gift card and I'll buy the rest of the groceries.
I did buy sour cream and a box of Jif cornbread mix as I needed those to make dinner. BONUS-the Jif mix is the 100% rebate item on Saving Star so I'll get that .67¢ back. 8-)

Hopefully by the time I need my next rx refill, Rite-Aid will be offering Plenti points to transfer to their pharmacy and I can move my KMart and Weis rxs to them and get some point freebies.

After Monday's spending bacchanalia we are now down to needing 1 item.....sunblock for Band Camp which I'll pick up Wednesday when I am out at Weis or, if they want too much for it there, I'll give CB the money to go to Walmart and buy it himself.

Heck! What's another $10 on sunblock when I've already spent $11,716.66 on him this August(this isn't counting all the stuff I've picked up before now(notebooks, toiletries, tp, laundry detergent, food, snacks, drinks, etc.)
sigh......

Everything except College Boy's clothing, bed linens, tv, computer, his French press, toiletries he's currently using, cases of water and the "still need to buy" sunblock.

Stick a fork in me, I am done with this Back-to-School stuff!!
All that is required is to load this all into the vehicle and head west(and north)and drop it all off at school along with College Boy.

2 more seasons of having to slog through this ritual and I am done FOREVER!
There will be adult beverages and much rejoicing at that point.  ;-)

Are you working the deals and angles you can find getting your kid(s) ready to head back to campus?

Sluggy


 

Back to School Giveaway

It's that time of year again......Back to School time.

So I gathered a bunch of freebies or "almost freebies" I had sitting around my house and I'm giving them away to one of my fabulous readers!

So if you have kids heading back to school soon(or have already started back)or grandkids or you yourself can use this stuff, or you know a teacher who would like to have this stuff handy as spares or know a charitable organization that collects school supplies to distribute to the needy, come enter this Giveaway.

Here is what I will be sending the winner.....

1.  2 notebooks
2.  3 book covers
3.  1 box of business sized envelopes
4.  2 packages of pencils
5.  2 packages of ballpoint pens
6.  2 rolls of cellophane tape
7.  1 package of glue sticks
8.  1 bottle of glue
9.  1 pack of highlighters
10.  2 pencil sharpeners
11.  1 big eraser
12.  1 pack of pencil toperasers

Not bad, huh?

This entry time will run from when this spiel is posted until next Friday, August 23rd, at 11:59pm.
That's when I'll draw the winner and post the results on Saturday.

So for this giveaway, you can enter every day.  Just leave a comment about anything you want for an entry each day.
You can also have 2 extra entries each day for being a follower or posting about the giveaway on your blog of on Facebook with a link back to my page.  Just do either or both and leave a comment and the link in your comment on this post. 
If you do all of this each day you can have 3 entries daily X 7 days=21 entries total for this giveaway.

Happy Entering!

Sluggy

How a 14 Year Old goes Back-to-School Shopping

What's that sound?

Don't you hear it??



It's.......QUIET!!!

#1 son is back at college and the 2 teens left at home are back in school today.....YIPPEEE!!

Now if I could find someone to take 3 dogs Monday through Friday, I'd be all set!lol

Since #2 son was going back to school today, I went to Rite-Aid Sunday to do some back-to-school shopping "#2 Son Style". 
Sunday was the 1st day of the new September Single Check Rebate Period as well.

If you are a 14 year old boy, here is what you consider Back-To-School shopping......

3 x Coke 12 packs on sale 3/$9.99=$9.99
2 x Doritos on sale $2=$4.00
4 x Hormel Chili on sale $1.25=$5.00
4 x Sobe Drinks on sale .99¢=$3.96
2 x Sunday papers(for the coupons of course!)=$2.20--with 20% wellness discount
SubTotal....$25.15

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$25 AdPerks/VV IPQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 12 pk Coke AdPerks/VV IPQ(from July)=$1.00
1 x $.50/1 Hormel Chili AdPerks/VV IPQ(from July)=$.50 *There is a new $1/2 VV Q one available this month.*
2 x $.55/2 Hormel Chili ManuQ/IPQ(on Hormel website)=$1.10
2 x BOGO IPQ(from Sobe Game)=$1.98
Coupon Total....$9.58

Other Coupons Used
1 x $5 Rite-Aid Q-sent to replace +Ups that didn't print=$5.00
2 x $1 +Ups=$2.00
Other Coupons Total....$7.00

$25.15-$9.58=$15.57-$7.00=$8.57+$.10tax=$8.67 OOP put on 1 Gillette Razor Survey Gift Card & 1 Rite-Aid Gift Card(both were free)=ZERO out of pocket!
I earned +Up Rewards of...$2(for 3 Cokes)& $1(for 2 Doritos)=$3.00 +Ups.


MONTHLY TOTALS-September Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......1
Total Spent....$8.67 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$41.37
SCR qualified for....$0 in cash and $0 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards spent....$8.00
+Up Rewards earned....$3.00

Total 'Spent'...$8.67 on gift cards
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$0
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$0
+Up Rewards left to spend=$7.00

Not a moneymaker yet but at least #2 son is stoked.....and stocked!lol

Sluggy

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Yes folks, it's that WONDERFUL time of the year again!
Can you guess what time I am referring to??

The Start of SCHOOL!

I am in Countdown Mode, with Zero Hour being tomorrow morning at 7:05am.
That's when the school bus carts off my loving, oh-so-agreeable, "I never fight & argue" two teenagers.

Can you tell I am almost giddy with anticipation?

I use to love that Staples TV commercial from the '90's. 
Hysterical if you are a beleaguered parent.




Of course, being a child of the '60's & '70's, I find this one cute too...



Of course, the Back to School here?...It's all a deception perpetrated on me by the local school to lull me into a sense of freedom and relief.
They go for TWO Days....but ONLY half a day!

THEN they DON'T go Friday, the weekend AND Labor Day Monday, returning on Tuesday for the REAL start of classes.

But 2 days with 3 Hours of NO bitching and fighting?
At this point.....I'll take it!!!lol

At that point I'll be able to sit down and do my August End of the Month Spending/Saving Totals.
So stay tuned for those coming up in the next few days....


Sluggy