Frugal Friday....the February 28th Edition

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


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

A box of pasta.
Always a popular item with my Hubs! lolz


*  I made $5.07 in Ibotta rebates since last Friday. See a previous post on that.  8-)))

* The best deals found at Weis(PMITA)Markets this past week...........

$46.07 paid OOP for all, $5.07 earned on Ibotta(3 x .97¢ cup o noodles, 2 x $1 Cottonelle, .10¢ any item).

* I've earned $91.44 in Ibotta rebates in February and only spent $406.39 OOP.  Not bad, huh?

* I found money!

This penny by the self-checkout in Weis last Friday.

This shiny fellow at Rite-Aid on Saturday near the register.

This dime tried to avoid capture also at Rite-Aid on Saturday back in the Pharmacy area.  It was on the floor behind the holder thing with the handheld shopping baskets in it.  But I spied Frankie there and took him home with me!

This penny was found in the foyer, near the gumball machines, of the Hibachi restaurant where we took Ex-College Boy for his birthday meal out on Monday.

And these two pennies were found in the self-checkout area(one in front of the machine next to the one I used and the other tucked beside my machine between the small waste basket next to that register and behind a display rack at the entrance to that area.

Total Found Money this week...... .15¢
Total Found Money this year.......$42.91


* Speaking of eating out, here's a tip.  Go out to lunch instead of dinner to save money.  We wanted to do an early dinner for Ex-College Boy's birthday meal out.  We didn't realize it but they have the hibachi thing on their lunch meal for about HALF of what they charge during dinner hours.  I figured you'd get about half the amount of food(which would have been fine with me)so I told Hubs to ask about getting the dinner size portion for him and EX-CB when the waitress came to take our order.
But of course he didn't ask so we all got the lunch hibachi.
Turns out it's basically the same amount of food(just a few less pieces of whatever protein/meat you choose).

You can see the full plate Ex-CB had.  He was wondering why I was taking his picture while he tried to eat. lolz
The meal also came with the regular salad and miso soup too so other than the price being lower nothing different from dinner time so it was a DEAL!
We'll be going there for lunch now instead of dinner(and it's not crazy crowded either midday like at night).
I saved about $40 on this one meal going during lunch service.

That's about it for me this past week as I stayed home besides going to Weis and Rite-Aid.  I'll be going to R-A today and/or Saturday to do my weekly deals there as it's 30% discount off reg. retail there this Fri./Sat. so those deals will go on next Friday's post.

Any frugal wins in your world this past week?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the February 22nd Edition

Let's take a look around and see what frugalness we came up with this past week............

*  Ex-College Boy's Birthday was yesterday.  Because of the weather this week(see "unpredictable")we had his Birthday Meal out on Tuesday(as he was off then).

He requested to go to the Hibachi place(like the Benihana chain but local and just as expensive!).
I discouraged alcoholic drinks(hate paying for overpriced booze out)but I was the only one who got iced tea. 8-(
#frugal fail

We did go on Free Appetizer Night so we got a free appetizer.  Yay!

And I finally remembered to use a $10 gift coupon(gotten from a birthday meal 3 years ago! but still valid)for one of these bday trips here.

Of course, because it's me, the waitress forgot to take the $10 off when she brought the c/c receipt to sign. sigh.
Hubs was perfectly happy just to sign the incorrect receipt and not say anything and not get our $10 off.
But y'all know me...........lolz
So "I" got it adjusted. ;-)  I
t helped take the sting out of the ridiculously expensive prices there.

How I yearn for the days when my kids were happy with a chicken tenders meal or a burger for their birthday dinner. lolz

*  I scored at Rite-Aid this past Sunday with clearance cosmetics paired with Qs meaning I only "spent" $13.30 in Bonus Cash and/or Prepaid Visa script(gotten free as well)to earn another $20 in Bonus Cash on 1 of my cards.

This spending earned me $20 in Ibotta cash rebates as well so overall a $6.70 moneymaker. 8-))

I also bought this last Sunday

The Rite-Aid I was in had this new Alka-Seltzer Mucus product which has a full price(after Q used)rebate if bought before Sunday-rebate info HERE.
Anyway I bought this on Daughter's card and used a $3/1 ManQ and promptly applied for the rebate essentially making this free once the $8.99 rebate is received.

I noticed that this item is part of the "Spend $50/Get $20 Bonus Cash" scheme too so you know what that meant?
Sluggy got her Revlon Qs and went out in search of more clearance cosmetics.  ;-)

5 x Revlon face stuff $3.74=$18.70
4 x Cover Girl 210 mascara(straight brush)$1.49=$5.96
2 x Revlon brow crayon $2.49=$4.98
1 x Cover Girl face powder=$2.57
2 x Revlon lip crayon=$4.98
5 x Nivea cherry lip balm(clearance .82¢)=$4.10
SubTotal......$44.29

Coupons Used
5 x Revlon $3/1 face make-up IPQ=$10.00
4 x Cover Girl $2/1 item IPQ=$8.00
2 x Revlon $2/1 brow item IPQ=$4.00
1 x Cover Girl $2/1 face item IPQ=$2.00
2 x Revlon $2/1 lip item IPQ=$4.00
Coupon Total.........$28.00

$44.29-$28.00=$16.29+63¢ tax=$16.92
Add that $44.29 spent to the $11.99 for the Alka Seltzer and I "spent" $56.28, paid $25.91 in BC/Prepaid Visa script, got $20 BC back and $8.99 in a cash rebate so a $3.08 moneymaker.
I'll probably  return a couple of items just because I was $6.28 over what I needed to spend and I don't strictly "need" everything for giveaways above(and that makes it an even better deal in the end).

Even better if the assorted Revlon Ibotta rebates come back on my list before these receipts expire I can get up to another $18 in cash rebates on all this(but not holding my breath).  8-)))

Moving on.........

*  While out on Tuesday picking up cosmetics I found this too...........

A quarter partially hidden under one of those floor mats by the register at the first Rite-Aid I went to.

And then this.........

A dime at the second Rite-Aid I went to under the candy racks by the register.
I am up .35¢ this week in free money!

And speaking of Rite-Aid, this printed at one of the stores this week for me..........

30% off Sale coming the first weekend in March.  Watch for it!

*  And then there was 75% off Valentine's Candy at Rite-Aid too..........

Cheap chocolates for giveaways....woohoo!

*  While I didn't get to use all my IPQs for free yogurt and soup before the sale ended at Weis(PMITA)Markets thanks to a snowstorm on Wednesday, I did get this on Tuesday evening.............

4 x Oh! yogurt
2 x Oikos triple yogurt
1 x Too Good yogurt
All were $1 on sale and I used Qs which doubled that made them all free.
I would have gotten more of the Too Good brand but that only had 1 cup left on the shelf.  If they had had 2 cups I could have gotten a $1 Ibotta cash rebate as well. sigh.
I also picked up 1 more pint of ice cream, the Weis brand gelato on 50% clearance for $1.73.
Being as it was Senior Citizen day Tuesday I also got .17¢ off the glelato too so I paid $1.56 OOP for everything I bought in that trip.

That was a nice surprise, getting that Senior Discount too.
Hey!....17¢ is .17¢, right?!?

*  I had a $5 Kohl's birthday reward to use soon.
A couple of weeks ago Hubs and I went to Kohl's just to check clearance things out.
Ex-College Boy is NOT a shopper and the kid is in serious need of new clothing(he wears things until they are rags)so I will go clothes hunting for him and now that he's gainfully employed, he reimburses me what I spend on him.
I didn't use my $5 reward but I did pick up $50+ worth of clothes for Ex-College Boy and they were giving out $10 Kohl's cash that week so I now have $15 in script to spend.

Hubs' birthday is coming up in early April so I went out to Kohl's last week(during the time frame I have to use that $10 Kohl's cash)to see if I could find something for his bday.
I found just the thing(but will show it after he gets it).  It cost me $16 so after my $5 bday reward and the $10 Kohl's Cash his Birthday gift cost me $1 OOP.  8-)))
I'll add this gift to the things I picked up at Sallie's when Kim and her Sissie were here and I am done with Hubs gifties. 8-)))

* While out on Tuesday I dropped by the Discount Grocery near the second Rite-Aid I hit just to browse.
I found a few things to bring home cheap.......

A jar of Korean Bulgogi sauce for .99¢, a box of garlic mashed taters for .79¢(2 pouches), a lb. thick cut Hatfield bacon package for $1.99(not pictured)  and a pack of OM hot dogs for .59¢(not pictured).  I would have gotten more of the hot dogs at that price for the freezer as Summer grilling season is approaching but I am still in empty mode in regards to the freezer.

*  And the best deal I got this past week.............

Back in late December I had an eye exam.  It had been 1.5 years since my last exam and my eyes had gotten a bit worse.  So I went to Vision Works as they were charging the least amount around here for a vision exam(I no longer had vision benefits on our insurance so hunting a deal on anything to do with my vision is even more important to the financial bottom line).
After the exam and armed with a new Rx, I perused their selection of glasses and came up with two possibilities and sat down with the salesperson to see what the cost would be.

Of course the pair I liked best was the more expensive $242.97 all in.
They offered me a BOGOFree Deal, 2 pair for $404.95 all in.
Not liking this amount I went home with nothing and proceeded to look online.

I found almost the exact same pair of frames online for a LOT less....the only difference was there was a little less "bling" on the arms(which I could certainly live with).  So I used my prescription and ordered those instead.

And they finally showed up this week!  It seemed to take forever but was really took just over 3 weeks to get here.

In fact GlassesUSA had a deal if I bought TWO Pair also, but their price for 2 pair was much LESS than what Vision Works wanted to charge me for ONE pair!
So I got 2 pair of these glasses(one to keep downstairs and one to keep upstairs)for $137 total and free shipping.

I spent $94.03 LESS than Vision Works for the same thing and basically GOT A FREE PAIR.

Here's Sluggy rockin' the purple specs. ;-)

Keepin' it Frugal and Livin' the Dream folks....

Tell us about all your Frugal Victories lately too!



Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "It's Sluggy's Birthday" Edition.....

 

 

Tomorrow actually.
But I give Hubs all week to celebrate me.  ;-)

 

 

On to the Meal Planning.

Here is what was planned last week--

Sunday--Pork Chops(have), Red Apple Kraut(have, Stuffing(have)
Monday--Meatloaf(have), Garlic Mashed Taters(have), Collard Greens(have)
Tuesday--Leftover Pork, Enchiladas, Beef Stew(diner's choice)
Wednesday--local Italian food meal out *
Thursday--Clam/Corn Chowder(have), Cod(have), Roasted Cauliflower(have)
Friday--Leftovers Night
Saturday--?  More Leftovers if we have them

 And here is what actually happened--

 

Sunday--Pork Chops(have), Red Apple Kraut(have, Stuffing(have)
Monday--Meatloaf(have), Garlic Mashed Taters(have), Collard Greens(have)
Tuesday--Leftover Pork, Enchiladas, Beef Stew(diner's choice)
Wednesday--Leftovers again
Thursday--local Italian food meal out-Free Birthday meal
Friday--Leftovers Night
Saturday--Cod(have), Roasted Potatoes & Onions(have), Apple Kraut(have)

Some meals moved around and the chowder got bumped to next week, when I went out into the stockpile and found I had NO cans of clams left....I thought I had 4 left. sigh.  But luckily, they are on sale here this week. 8-)
We spent a lot of nights eating up the leftovers.
  

As for the food spending last week....
There was 1 trip to the grocery store and I spent a grand total of $25.57 on $53.70 worth of groceries at 1 store.  I'll take a 50% savings rate anyday! lol 
I am trying to achieve another $300 or less grocery month for January and I have $102.32 left in the food budget for this month.  Things look promising.....

Leftovers going into this week--Collards(2 helpings), Kraut(4 helpings), Meatloaf(3 helpings).  I have a head of cauliflower and 2 sweet potatoes that need using.

Here is this week's meal plan---

Sunday--Meatloaf(leftover), Collards and/or Kraut(leftover)
Monday--Roasted Turkey(have), Stuffing(have), Roasted Sweet Potatoes(have), Cranberry glop(have)
Tuesday--Clam/Corn Chowder, Roasted Cauliflower(have), Potato crusted Fish(have)
Wednesday--Meal out-free birthday meal for me, Hubs meal comes out of Entertaining Budget
Thursday--Leftover turkey slices, assorted Leftover veggies(or frozen veggies if not enough)
Friday--Quiche(in freezer), Asparagus
Saturday--Turkey Casserole(leftover turkey), Green Beans(have in freezer)

That makes 2 new meals, 4 leftover or planned over meals and 1 meal out.

What I need to purchase for this menu?.......Asparagus, Clams.  I have the cornbread stuffing cubes and soups to make the Turkey Casserole dish and quiche in the freezer, as well as many bags of frozen veggies.

Other items on sale that I want to pick up this week?......tomato paste(almost out), cantaloupe, yogurt, white grape juice(for #2 Son), canned chili, milk, green leaf lettuce(for my sandwiches) and BOGO Kielbasa.
Since I have no room in the 2 tiny "over the fridge" freezers for extra buys this week, I think I can come in at around $40 on my food spending.  If I can keep it this low, I might be able to squeak out a $250 spending on food for the month of January!
Now THAT would be amazing to me..... 8-))

 What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

Meal Planning Feb. Week 1 & Food Spending Jan. Week 4

Our silly Beagle rolling in a recent snowfall.

                                                                      

And here is what actually got served last week......

 

 

Sunday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

Monday--Taco Bell or Fend For Yourself

Tuesday--Beef Tips in Gravy over Noodles, Ginger Carrots

Wednesday--Fish, Beets, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday--Halushki

Friday---Cheese Steaks, Broccoli

Saturday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself or Birthday burger out(bday freebie for me!)

 

I actually served the whole menu as planned.

Rah.

The food spending last week?

2 trips and $61.36 total spent.  $12.37 of that was unplanned spending, as a good deal popped up while I was in the local Shursave affiliate market.
And speaking of DEALS, here is most of what I got for that $12.37....

The store was holding an Instant Discount promo $5 off when you bought $15 worth of select house brand items.  I wasn't particularly interested in it until I went down the cereal aisle and saw that the house brand instant oatmeal packet boxes were included AND some had $1 Peelie Qs on them....squeal!!!
I bought 7 boxes of oatmeal($1.66 ea. on sale) + 3 bags of house brand frozen veggies($1.25 ea., not pictured), which subtotaled $15.37.  After 7 x $1 Qs and the $5 instant discount($12 off), I paid $3.37 for 7 oatmeals and 3 veggies(or .34¢ for each of 10 items).

While I was down the cereal aisle, store employees were changing around the coffee section located across from the oatmeal section.  By the time I was finished shopping and headed to the register, the clearance bin I walked by at the front of the store to check out was filled with bags of coffee.  I don't drink this stuff but Hubs is addicted to it so I nosed around in the bin.  New England Coffee, Starbucks and Eight O'Clock brands were marked down to $3 a bag.  Sell by/Use by dates were 2 years out.  I went back to the coffee section and it looks like the New England brand has changed the color of the bags and they were no longer carrying this particular Starbucks and the Eight O'Clock varieties(very small store with limited selections), so that explains why it was in the bin.  I also wanted to check the regular price to make sure that $3 a bag was a "deal".....I told you I don't know anything about coffee!lol
They sell for $7.95 a bag at this store.
So I "scooped" up 3 bags for Hubs and dinged my grocery budget for $9.

Now I know everyone is thinking, "Gee Sluggy, why the heck did you buy 7 boxes of oatmeal, since you won a year's supply from Price Chopper last Fall?  Isn't that enough for you??"
Actually, it's not enough.  I gave boxes to the B in-law and #1 Son, plus we've gone through a case already.  The only oatmeal we will have left when the year is out will be some of the canisters of whole oats since nobody thinks to make those for breakfast and I don't have a wide repertoire of recipes using oats.

So the food spending for January as of Saturday, sits at $261.21, leaving me $138.79 to get through the rest of the month......ok, the rest of the month would be 5 days. lol

As for leftovers rolling into this week--there are beets, ginger carrots, beef tips and gravy and noodles.  Not much to use up.

***********************

Here is what is getting served this week.....

Sunday--KFC chicken

Monday--Pizza or Leftover KFC or Beef Tips

Tuesday--Steak dinner out(birthday meal)

Wednesday--Italian dinner out(birthday freebie)

Thursday--Chicken Fajitas

Friday--Ham and Bean Soup, homemade bread

Saturday--Not sure, leftovers, fend for yourself

Only 2 meals this week, since we are finishing the Birthday freebies this week.  The KFC is courtesy of a gift certificate for a 12 pce. meal I won at the Church auction.  Wed. dinner is courtesy of a local Italian restaurant birthday club and I get a free appetizer on Tues. when I have my Birthday dinner out.  There will be money spent but from the Entertainment budget.

Needed at the store to serve the 2 meals I am making this week?

I'll need celery, potatoes, mushrooms(Daughter bought on Sunday), and I might need more onions. 
Not much needed this week but there is a Pet Food Catalina Deal at Weis which I need to do, so there goes $30 up front after Qs(will give me a $10 Cat for later too).  I'll try to keep the spending under $50 this week.

I'll be going to my 2 grocery stores this week to note prices for the new Price Book. 

What's on your menu for the week?  Any good deals at the grocers this week?
Did you have any food waste this week?

Sluggy