Ibotta Again!

 I got a $5 wybuy 10 items Ibotta Bonus this weekend.  I didn't relish the idea of going far from home(Walmart)so I sat down with the new Weis(PMITA)Markets ad to see if between there and Rite-Aid I could come up with 10 items with rebates that could get me to the $5 Bonus that would give me a low OOP and were also things we could use or needed.
I also had a $10 free prepaid debit card(from a Neutrogena Deal last year)to use that is expiring at the end of March.

Here is what I came up with......

The Playtex tampons were bought at Rite-Aid.  On sale for BOGO50% so $8.98.  I used a $3/2 L2CQ so total was $5.98 paid for with Bonus Cash.  This earned me $2 back in new BC and $5.10 in Ibotta rebates(2 x $2.50 Playtex, .10¢ any feminine product).  Now I needed 8 more rebates.
(I should have gone to R-A before as I didn't realize I had an any item rebate on the tampons, so I ended up getting 9 more rebate items at Weis. duh)

2 x Scotties triple soft boxes were $2.50.
1 x Breakstone cottage cheese was part of a Buy 6/Get $3 more off Deal=$1.99
1 x Philly cheesecake dessert was also part of $3 Deal=$3.00
1 x Musselman's apple sauce part of $3 Deal=$2.79
2 x King Arthur flour part of $3 Deal=$4.98 both
1 x Truvia sweetener part of $3 Deal=$3.49
2 x Bigelow tea bags(had to get 2 for deal price)=$4.94
1 x Quaker oatmeal=$2.50
1 x Quaker oatmeal packets=$2.50

SubTotal.....$28.69

I used 2 x .65¢/1 Scotties IPQs which each doubled to $1.30/1=$2.60
$28.69-$2.60=$26.09.
I used the $10 debit card so my OOP at Weis for these items was $16.09

I earned back $9.75 in regular rebates and hit the 10 items so got the $5 Bonus plus a .50¢ Bonus for buying Scotties and Bigelow together so $15.25 back at Weis + $5.10 back at R-A=$20.35 in rebates.

$16.09 spent OOP, $20.35 total back in rebates AND $2 back in BC at R-A for the Playtex purchase turning this into a $6.26 moneymaker. 8-)))

Other than the tampons(which I'll pass along to someone who can use them)everything is useful to us and/or something we needed now.

Sluggy

Black Friday Sale at Rite-Aid....How Did I Do?

So I finally had time to go through all my Rite-Aid loot this morning.
I took photos of it all, one photo per day's shopping.

This is Thursday's haul.........

Thursday I restricted my buying to my local store.

Friday's haul............

Friday I hit my local store and a store on the other side of the river in another town with Hubs.

And Saturday's haul.............

Saturday saw me hit 3 stores down the valley and then a final couple of transactions at my local store.

Total Tally of Goodies........with cost per item which was paid for in BC or gift card(* denotes freebies)

26 boxes of Kleenex(*)
4 Conair hair brushes(*)
4 Scunci hair elastics(*)
4 Gift Tape rolls(*)
2 Magnavox ear buds(*)
1 Crest toothpaste(*)
8 Russell Stover Xmas chocolates(*)
7 Colgate toothpaste(5 -.50¢/2 *)
10 Nestle candy bars(8 */2 .50¢ ea)
14 Betadine cream(-$3.50 ea MM)
12 pack of Listerine Ready Tabs(.42¢ pack)
19 bars of Yardley soap(.42¢ ea)
12 Kokie nail polish(.49¢ ea.)
2 tins of Butter Cookies(.50¢ ea)
3 Carmex lip balm(.60¢ tube)
2 Dentek floss picks(.60¢ pack)
6 cans of Almonds(.75¢ can)
4 packs of Cosmetic pads(.89¢ ea)
2 Efferdent denture tablets($1.00 ea)
2 Duracell battery packs($1.00 ea)
30 Freeman beauty masks($1.02 ea)
10 bottles of Nivea lotion($1.49 bottle)
2 packs of toilet paper($1.50 pack)
3 boxes of Cereal($1.71 ea)
6 Salonpas pain patches($2.00 ea)
2 Oral-B tongue scrapers($2.00 ea)
1 FDS feminine spray($2.00)
3 Yes To wipe packs($2.10 ea)
10 Assorted Shampoo($2.04 ea)-not counting PandG Rebate
2 3-packs of Planters nuts($2.49)
5 bags of Coffee($2.49 bag)
2 bags of Russell Stover chocolates($2.99)
4 bags of Dog Food($2.99 ea)
2 Beard Trimmers($4.99 ea)
1 Hair Dryer($4.99)
1 Curling Iron($4.99)
3 Cologne gift sets($10.32 ea)

I also got another $20 total off with "Spend $XX/Get $X Off Catalinas" used on 5 transactions.

I earned $80 in $10 Rite-Aid gift cards for buying "Beauty Reward" qualifying items(2 gift cards per account/card).  I still need to cash in 2 of the Reward Qs since my store ran out of Rite-Aid gift cards on Saturday. lolz

I've earned $11.45 so far on Ibotta and if some of the items return to my list in time I can send for more rebates($11.00 more but I figure they won't all reset in time).
I've earned $8 on SavingStar too and $2 on Checkout51.

I also had to do a "post coupon" twice totaling $3.25(I forgot a Q in one transaction and the other case at a store with an idiot cashier who wouldn't take a second of the same Q(buying 2 items)because she confused the wording "one coupon per purchase/item" with "one coupon per transaction" and wouldn't even scan it. ugh.

Gift Card Spent..................$39.11
Bonus Cash Spent............$424.78
Total Spent BC/GC..........$463.89
Reg. Retail of Items.......$1050.59

Bonus Cash Left.........................$118.52
Rite-Aid Gift Cards Earned.........$80.00
Cash Rebates Earned(so far)........$25.05($6.50 left to submit for)
Post Coupon Cash back.................$3.25

So I didn't start the week with $424.78 in Bonus Cash but by buying items that gave back BC I rolled lots of BC those 3 days..  I also had earned some BC from buying Gift Cards(which gave BC)but they were Gift Cards I would have bought anyway. ;-)

The best thing were the Conair appliances...$14.99 in the BF ad and was suppose to give back $5 BC but in reality they gave back $10(2 x $5)so only "cost" $4.99 after BC.
Those Betadine creams were a Nov. monthly deal that gave back $3.50 BC for each one(limit 4).  There was a PDF Q for it $2/1 online.  If your store had 5 of them(and you printed off 5 Qs)they were a moneymaker for BF ads....buy 5 for $10($2 each), use 5 x $2/1Q, paid ZERO and get back $14 in BC.
Crazy!!!  But of course I went to 5 different stores and 4 of the stores only had 3 boxes and 1 store didn't carry that item.  I paired them best I could with either FDS spray, Efferdent tablets, or tongue scrapers and each grouping was a moneymaker no matter what.

I also hit $75 for the year spent on Allergy items with a Kleenex purchase so I got an extra $20 BC reward on that transaction.

It wasn't a perfect plan execution however and mistakes were made.
I was trying to limit my purchases per day to how ever much BC was on that card but with items that gave back the most BC so I could roll BC into the next day's shopping.  A few times I had to use some of my free R-A gift card to pay when BC wouldn't cover the transaction.

I didn't max out a few BC deals I wanted to and when stores ran low or out of certain items I had to improvise.
I was limited by the coupons I had in hand plus some L2CQs refused to come off when I tried to use them.
Plus I used a lesser value Q on some things by mistake so I lost a bit of ground there.

And the dog food....I thought they qualified for an Ibotta rebate but the bags were 8 oz. too light.(Rebate was for 4-14 lb. bags and my bags were 3.5 lbs.  If I had scanned them in the store first I would have known that.  They were still a good deal just not a great deal because of that.) meh.

All in all I am happy with the result.  Even though over the years Rite-Aid has gotten stingier and stingier with the Black Friday deals I feel I did well in taking advantage of the offers I wanted.
I brought home some gifts to give, some household items we can always use(looking at you TP and facial Tissues!)some food items we use(nuts, coffee and doggie kibble), some donation items, as well as a load of goodies for Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway Boxes in 2020.

Now I just have to figure out how to spend down/roll/convert that $118.52 in Bonus Cash before the end of December when it all expires.

Sluggy

2019 3rd Quarter Review.....Small Finances

The third quarter of 2019 is in the books now.
Let's see where some of my small pots of savings look like 3/4 into this year.
These stats are all effective as of September 30th, 2019.


*  Rolled coins--$13.50.  Two rolls of dimes, a roll of nickels and three rolls of pennies.  Rolled coins have taken a big hit since Hubs stopped working for a living. lolz

*  Found Change--$39.46  Finding money is the best!  Nobody can argue with that, right? 8-))

*  Refunds & "Post Coupons"--$145.49  Mostly Weis(PMITA)Markets and Rite-Aid.

*  Cash Rebates--
   * Ibotta--$242.47
   * SavingStar--$42.25
   * Checkout51--$38.75
   * ShopAtHome--$9.63(I think I need $20 to cash out of this.)

Total.........$521.92 not counting ShopAtHome) to put toward the grocery spending come December.
9 months in and I have more than enough in small finances to cover December's food spending.

And this doesn't count those OSJL gift cards totaling $83.48 I plan to use on future grocery spending, a $15 gift card from doing a P & G Deal at Rite-Aid in March and the discounted Target gift card balance I still have.

Now how cool is that?!?

Three more months to get some more small monies into the pot for 2019.
Next update on the Small Finances coming at the end of December to wrap up the year.

Do you stash non-income money aside to put toward a goal?
Tell us about it and what strategies work for you in savings money!


Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the February 8th Edition

A quick look around and I see we had a few Frugal Wins this past week and they were most excellent ones..........


*  I hit Rite-Aid on Wellness Wednesday and got lots of goodies!

Everything pictured above plus qualified for a $20 Visa gas card and it cost me $16.53 in Bonus Cash and I'll be getting $6 in cash rebates in my Saving Star/Ibotta accounts.  Woot!

*  Speaking of Rite-Aid, my 2 x $20 Visa Cards arrived.........

$40 to use before the end of March.  I think I can do that.....lolz

*  I mentioned that Kim's Sissie brought me presents last month for my birthday.

The gift bag(which was also saved)had nice glitter flecked tissue paper in it. Instead of throwing it out  I saved the paper and ironed it flat and folded it so I could use it again.  I have been known to save and iron wrapping paper too on the odd occasion.  ;-)

*  Our fridge had a problem.  The bottom shelf was cracked across the back so you couldn't set anything on the back half of the shelf.  Plus the plastic guides that hold the produce bins in place were broken off the unit.  Replacing the whole fridge because of this was just stupid and expensive.  Hubs found the replacement part/shelf online, I ordered it and it arrived last week.  For less than $50 we now have a fridge in original working order.

*  I got the Weis(PMITA)Markets freebie last week.......

a chocolate bar.  Who doesn't like free chocolate? ;-)

*  Speaking of free, a check from a cash back site arrived.........

I use "Shop At Home" when I buy most things online.  Going through their portal means I can earn cash back(usually a % or two but sometimes it's more)on items I was going to buy anyway.  I earned $21.53 this time.

*  One of January's giveaways was this book......

I usually send my giveaway prizes via Priority mail, except when I went to pack this I just couldn't send it that rate.  Books can be mailed for a LOT cheaper Media Mail rate so that is how I sent it.  Given the winner's distance from me it didn't take that much longer than Priority rate to get to her.
I just couldn't go against that frugal voice in my head(you know, the voice that sits right next to the crazy voice up there). lolz  I saved about $4 in postage sending it Media Mail.  Little things like that add up over a lifetime of saving. 8-)

*  And speaking of free money, I found some............

I swung through the BK drive-thru after picking up the nail polish at RA on Sunday.  The snow was melting and I spied a coin next to the building while in line so I hopped out of the car and picked it up.  It was a penny with some corrosion on it due to the ice melt it had sat in for who knows how long.
It will still spend just as well as a bright, shiny one thankyouverymuch. 8-)

And then in Rite-Aid on Wednesday I saw this on the floor...........

A $20 bill.  This was after the store's Wellness Ambassador found a few $1s and a $5 in front of the register and someone else found some cash in the parking lot.
We tried to find whomever had dropped it all but they were long gone.
The employees there know me(haha)so if the person who lost all this comes forward I'll return that $20 too.
If not, what should I do with this money?  I was thinking make a donation somewhere.....what do y'all think?
And no Kim, I am not sending it to you and I win the Found Money Wars this week! pppfffttt! 8-P

What frugal wins did y'all have this week?
Big or small a win is a win so tell us all about it!


Sluggy

Rite-Aid This Week

I decided that this was a good week to divest myself of some Bonus Cash and roll it into a Rite-Aid Gift Card using the "Spend $50 on select items/Get a $20 R-A Reward Visa Card".
Even though the Visa card earned expires 60 days from when it's activated so the use by date is no longer than for Bonus Cash I just want to get rid of BC on some accounts.

So I spent down my BC on my Daughter's card and my card and earned 2 x $20 Reward Visa Cards this week.

3 x Huggies on sale $9 ea.=$27.00
2 x Aleve on sale BOGO50%=$8.68
1 x Thermacare on sale BOGO50%=$7.59
1 x Robitussin on sale BOGO50%=$3.74
1 x Visine 20% Wellness disc.=$4.63
SubTotal........$51.64

I used these coupons....
3 x $2/1 Huggies=$6
2 x $3/1 Aleve=$6
1 x $3/1 Thermacare(L2CQ)=$3
1 x $1//1 Robitussin(the $3/1 L2CQ didn't come off)=$1
1 x $2/1 Visine In-AdQ=$2
Coupon Total......$18.00

$51.64-$18.00=$33.64 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned the $20 Reward Visa card, a $5 Catalina(for spending $25+ on Huggies), and $6 in cash rebates on SavingStar($3 Thermacare/$3 Robitussin).

I then bought 3 more diapers on my card..........

3 x Huggies on sale $9 ea.=$27.00
I used the previously earned $5 Cat, 3 x $2/1 Huggies IPQs and a $5 Visa card I earned in November for buying SC Johnson items mid November Deal Here.

So it was $27.00-$16.00=$11.00 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned another $5 Catalina.

Then I rinsed and repeated that transaction and bought 3 more bags of Huggies..........

Same $2/1 Qs, previously earned $5 Cat and a second $5 SC Johnson Deal Visa card, paid $11 OOP with Bonus Cash.
I earned another $5 Cat and got the code to get a second $20 R-A Reward Visa Card.

Bonus Cash spent  $55.64

Reward Visa Cards earned  $40.00
Catalina left  $5.00
9 packs of Diapers to Sell  $45.00


Sluggy

Wellness Wednesday Haul...So Much Rite-Aid Porn!

Wednesday was the first Wednesday of the month so you know what that means?  The one day Wellness Wednesday coupons at Rite-Aid!

And boy, were there some good deals to be had!!!

But first, I picked up a few samples on the WW table........

A small Aquaphor lotion spray and 2 Cold-Eeze sample boxes.  Hubs loves those Cold-Eeze things when he comes down with a cold.

I won't go into the details of my transactions but I had both the paper one-day Qs and had them loaded digitally to my Load2Card accounts on 3 cards held in this household and all the Qs came off both from the paper ones and the digital ones.
I printed out a few manufacturer's Qs too to stack with some of the WWQs as well.

Here is a shot of everything I brought home yesterday........

A couple of items in the first few transactions I bought the wrong size or type of item but mostly the cashiers pushed those Qs through when they beeped. oh well...

I used a total of $46.94 in Bonus Cash across three different Wellness cards.

I earned back $57.00 in new Bonus Cash, so this was a $10.06 moneymaker trip, growing my BC by $10.06.

I also earned $19 in cash rebates from SavingStar and Ibotta(still waiting on one rebate to reload so I can claim it again but it's $16 earned so far).  8-)))

I also can sell those Pampers in the back on the photo and net another $45 cash.

Of course I have plans for all these items...either we need/want them here at Chez Sluggy, I'll donate some items to the food bank here in town or they'll be going into a Giveaway box this year! ;-)

So many of the items were better than free with the double coupons I had to buy other stuff to cover all that overage.  I tell ya it's was crazy!

Did you pick up anything at Rite-Aid on Wellness Wednesday?



Sluggy

Small Finances....2018 Year End

This is my End of Year Small Finances money post for 2018.

I went through the various small pots of monies and here is where it all stands as of  December 21st.
I save up all my rebates/spare change/refunds to apply toward the food bill in December.
(I don't however put monies from things I sell during the year into this kitty.)

Here are my totals........

*  Rolled Coins--$49.50 to put toward the food budget.  This is mainly change we throw into a change cup throughout the year.

*  Here are the current cash rebate app totals for 2018 to this point in December........

   Ibotta  $382.11
   Checkout 51  $12.50 *Can't cash this out until it hits $20*
   Savingstar  $88.65
Rebate apps Total....$470.79(w/out Checkout51)

*   My Weis Refund/mailed Rebates envelope has $48.80 in it.

*   My Rite-Aid Post Q/Refund envelope has $182.21 in it.

*   My found change envelope has $3.49 in it.

Altogether I have a Grand Total of $754.76 in funds to put back into the food budget in December.

2018 was a great year for small finances at Chez Sluggy.  The added cost of having a smartphone was balanced by being able to do a lot more in cash rebates w/phone apps.

Do you keep track of small streams of cash you receive?
Do you ear mark any of it for something special?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the December 14th Edition-Updated

Here's the frugaliciousness that happened around here this past week.......

*  I got the Friday Freebie last Friday at Weis.

A 500 pack of napkins.  It doesn't look like there is a Weis freebie this week..... 8-(

*  Back during the 2 weeks around Thanksgiving Weis(PMITA)Markets had domino sugar for $1.47 a 4 lb. bag.  Of course when I was in that store during that time there was nary a bag of this sugar on the shelves.  So I got a rain check of course!

Fast forward to last week and they had restocked the Domino.  I picked up 4 bags, using my rain check and two  .75¢/2 Qs that doubled to $1.50 off 2 and I paid $2.88 or .72¢ per bag.
Let the Holiday baking commence! 8-)))


*  I found some money!

A whole nickel laying on the walkway in front of Rite-Aid.
Money is money......right folks?

*  My $300 Target gift card came this week.

 I saved 10% buying it during that Sunday annual sale.  Add in that when I go to use it I'll buy stuff on sale, hopefully paired with a coupon and I'll look at buying items I need that also give back a small Target gift card incentive.  While the items won't be free bought on this baby, like when I use the Target gift cards I get with c/c points, they will still be cost effective.

*  I earned $43.85 in Ibotta rebates and $5.75 in SavingStar rebates since last Friday.  I think it's about time to cash out all my rebate accounts and apply all that cash to my food budget. 8-)))

*  I forgot this one........I did the drive by McDonald's and unlock a 1¢ Whopper on the Burger King app......

1¢ charged to my credit card.  That Whopper tasted almost as good as a Free one!lolz

So what frugal wins did you have this week?
Tell us all about it.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the August 24th Edition

Let's take a look around and see what frugal-ness we had here at Chez Sluggy this week..........

*  Last Friday we got the Weis Friday Freebie........

*  I made a rare trip to Target and got all this for free.........

*  We ate all our leftovers and there was no food waste.

*  I got paid .05¢ after Bonus Cash and Cash Rebates at Rite-Aid to bring all this home with me...

*  I bathed and groomed Chester myself last weekend.  Hey, the dog doesn't complain when he gets a bad haircut. lolz

*  Lots more garden goodies too........

*  I earned $13.90 total in Cash Rebates plus a $5 Target gift card and a $5 Paypal reward on all the shopping I did this past week.

That's about it for us this time.

And remember, in the words of the Most Frugal Man on the Planet.......

What frugal wins did you have this week?

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....December 1st Edition

Let's see what frugal wins we had this past week.

* I received a $5 rebate check for buying some vitamins in October.

This was part of those Huggies diapers/TRU gift card Deals.  This $5 cash back puts me at $2.49 in PPs spent down total for a ton of suff I got and once I sell all those packs of diapers I'll be at least $77.51 CASH in the black plus have all that stuff I bought as part of that Diaper Deal back in October.

* Remember the coffee grinder I wanted to buy on Amazon for Hubs for Xmas?  Well I got this........

An Amazon Prime Visa card.  It came with a $70 Amazon credit and there is no annual fee to have the card.  I applied said credit toward the purchase of the coffee grinder (since I was going to buy it on Amazon anyway)so with tax(free shipping)the grinder will only cost me $14.76 OOP.

Before anyone says it's a bad idea to get a credit card just for a free credit on it(which ordinarily I'd agree with you on that but).....1-I have been considering getting a second credit card for awhile now since we only have one card now and we've had an issue in the past with that card company freezing our card when we were on vacation(not fun).  A back-up card, since we will be traveling some in retirement, is a wise move. And 2-I am someone who can tuck a credit card away and NOT USE IT.  Getting into credit card debt is not something that will happen to me after 30+ years of handling credit responsibly.  ;-)

* I got a baker's dozen of Panera bagels this week and it didn't cost me anything.  I used a free with credit card points gift card to pay and I still have $36.02 left on that gift card.

* Remember this coupon Weis sent me?...........

I used that 10% off when you buy a Mastercard or Visa debit gift card Weis(PMITA)Markets this week before it expired and purchased a $100 Mastercard debit gift card.

I paid $95.95 for that $100 M/C with the $5.95 "fee" Visa/Mastercard charges for them so once I use the $100 on that card I'll have saved $4.05(Value of card-Cost of card+Activation Fee)total.   Not a big "win" but $4.05 free is $4.05 free.

I also earned 20 Weis Points for "spending" $100 at Weis.

Weis has a similar Xmas Deal, a free ham/turkey/large lasagna/etc. for 50 Points, like they had at Thanksgiving.
So I just need 30 more points to earn a meat or lasagna freebie for Xmas.
I may transfer 3 rxs to the Weis pharmacy that need refilling this month before the Free Meat promo ends.  Each rx will earn me another 10 Points so I don't technically have to spend any money at Weis to get the free ham.
Or if I use the whole $100 on that card at Weis I can potentially earn another 20 in Points toward the free meat deal.
Any way this works out for me it will be Sweet!

*  I got all this at Rite-Aid during the 4 Day sale........

$65.67 in Plenti Points were spent and $61.00 in new Plenti Points were earned so I "spent down" my PPS by $4.67 and in return brought all this home--
* 4 shave creams
* 1 lotion
* 5 baby wipes packs
* 10 lip balms
* 2 Tummy Zen
* 4 Hydralyte tablet packs
* 18 candy bars

Not bad for $4.67 in Plenti Points.
Lots of stocking and giveaway box stuffers! 8-)))

* While I don't "do" Black Friday(other than Rite-Aid)I did go online Saturday night and purchase a few things from Kohl's(3 shirts and a sweater)and that all qualified for free shipping.  Besides the sale prices on the items, I used 2 different discounts totaling $23.40 off, my $8 anniversary credit and earned $15 back in Kohl's cash.  I also earned $2.70 from the cash back site I went to the site through.
I am not one to advocate shopping until you drop, but sometimes you have to buy things.  So why not squeeze every discount out when you open your wallet?  ;-)

*  And just so you don't think my life is a perpetual frugal love fest here, check this out..........

These are teeny tiny Yankee Candle brand candles.  They were a "door buster" item I got at Boscov's(a local/regional department store)the weekend before Thanksgiving when Hubs and I went there to get some flannel sheets that were a good buy.  With any purchase you were "allowed" to buy up to 2 of these candles for $1.99 each.  The photo in the ad was quite deceptive and made these look like larger Yankee Candles.  Plus they had them hidden behind the register counter so you couldn't smell/inspect them beforehand.
Nope, they are tiny. lolz
I thought I was getting a "deal".
Ummm, no!  But they do smell nice.....


So what frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Tell us all about them.

And remember.............

Sluggy

End of Year Food Spending Chatter

Every year, during the last quarter of the year,  I stop and ponder what I've spent on food for my family for the year so far.

In 2016 I spent a grand total of $4696.81 on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods.  You may recall that Daughter and her BF moved in with us halfway through that year.
Up until June we were on track to do a $3809.30 food spending for 2016(Jan-Jun spending was $1904.65).  We spent $887.51 over what the food was tracking at once Daughter and BF moved here.  Had they been here the entire year we could have topped $6K in food spending!

Then the BF moved back to Louisiana at the end of Jan. 2017 and over the next 4 months our food spending tracked at under $300 per month.  Hmmm.
I guess this is accurate as I was A--Cooking more food each night when he was living here, as there were more mouths to feed, B-- more food got thrown out as Daughter and BF didn't cotton to eating leftovers and  C--I was buying foods I don't usually buy as the BF had particular eating habits(or should that be peculiar?lol).  He had a preference for convenience foods and we all know that those cost more than what I call "basic" foods.

Anyway, with the BF no longer eating here the food spending has returned to a level I am more comfortable with.  We are currently at $3852.18 with 1.5 months to go.

Let's take a look at monies(other than regular income)I have to apply to the food budget for the rest of 2017.  I generally cash everything in(the cash rebates/cash refunds from the stores/post coupons/rolled coins saved)and apply it to December's food bill.

Rebate Apps--
* SavingStar  $27.55
* Checkout51  $79.00
* Ibotta  $19.25(though I can't cash out until I hit $20, but I'm close now)
* Walmart Savings Catcher  $4.23
TOTAL.....$130.03

Rebates & "Post Coupon" Refunds/Unexpected Cash
* Liquor  $15.00
* Schwarzkopf hair products  $9.62
* Right Guard Deo  $7.29
* Can't figure out what I wrote lol  $5.35
* Rite-Aid Post Coupon  $14.00
* Weis Refund  $4.00
* Rolled Coins  $55.00
* Nielsen  $1(they tucked into a "come back" letter)
* Cash for selling free TRU gift cards $42.00
* Carry over from 2016 that didn't get spent  $9.15
TOTAL......$162.41

Food Store Gift Cards/Store Script
* Giant  $25.00
* Target  $77.68
*  Catalinas-Minute Maid  $4.00
TOTAL.....$106.68

All the above comes to $379.12 of "free" money to grocery shop.

If needed I also have the cash I have from selling stuff here like excess toiletries/diapers and unwanted items around the house......

Cash Sales
* Selling Toiletries  $89.00
* Selling Items around the house  $20.00
* eBay Sales  $81.44(net after fees/cost of goods sold)
TOTAL.....$190.44

So basically I am in good shape to not have to spend a penny of our regular income on food/toiletries in December and theoretically I could stay at or under $4K in food/toiletries/paper goods spending for 2017.  I'd love to be able to be under what was spent in 2016.

How about you?
Do you track your food spending for the year?
Do you apply any cash rebates/catalinas/rebates toward your food budget?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid & the Gift of Savings SUCKS!...NOVEMBER SCR Period TOTALS *Update*

So I didn't stand in any lines at the mall or the BBS(aka Big Box Stores) scooping up Christmas Deals this Weekend.
I did go to Rite-Aid.
Over.
And Over.
And Over Again.

Friday was the beginning of the qualifying period for the GIFT OF SAVINGS Promotion at Rite-Aid.
Like in years past, the GOS is when your purchases qualify you for a $5, $10 or $20 Gift Certificate, depending on your level of spending.  Just submit your receipts on the Rite-Aid website anytime you make a purchase between November 26th and December 24th.   This year the Certificates will be mailed electronically, not snail mailed as in years past, so you'll get it super quick!

If you spend between $25 and $50, you get a $5 Certificate.
If you spend between $50.01 and $100, you get a $10 Certificate.
If you spend over $100, you get a $20 Certificate.

As an added bonus this year, if at least $25 of your purchases during this time are spent on qualifying Photo Center items, you'll receive a Bonus $5 added to your Certificate, for a possible total of $25 when you buy over $100 in items.

This year though, you MUST use your WELLNESS CARD when you shop to qualify your purchases for the GOS program, so get a card if you don't have one and Happy Saving!

I had a feeling that Rite-Aid would bring back to GOS for the Holidays, so I have been saving up some FREE ITEM Coupons to use once the qualifying purchase period got here.  This is always a good thing to do if a store is holding special promotion where you qualify for rebates/discounts/etc. and the larger your purchase is the more you get.  I've held onto free item coupons to use during "Spend $X, get a Free Turkey" deals.  Buy the items that you have free item coupons for to get to $X and you will actually be out of pocket nothing(or alot less)that way and get your free turkey.  Some of the cereal, the Pringles, the Cottonelle wipes(even tho they weren't the ones on sale that gave the +Up Reward, they were still free with the free item Q)were all free.  The LSS Deodorant, the Tugaboos, the Vaseline, the Earbuds, the Got2B, the Hand Soap, the Cold Pack, the Toothpaste, the Toothbrushes, the Candy Bars and the M&Ms were all free or better than free after coupons and/or +Up Rewards.

*****UPDATE*****
Well I am so disappointed in the Gift of Savings Promotion this year!
Why you ask?
Because as I saw it reported on "For The Mommas" blog, that only what you actually "spend" counts toward your qualifying purchases.
I just submitted a receipt from Friday onto the Rite-Aid website and THEY TOOK OFF EVERY DISCOUNT/COUPON/WELLNESS CERTIFICATE I USED ON THE TRANSACTION!

I now have a whole .50¢ that I put on my gift card for that transaction toward a GOS certificate.
GOSH!....what a whole lot of nothing!lol

Since they seem to be disallowing all forms of payment toward this premium except for gift cards/cash/credit cards, I guess I won't be qualifying for a GOS this year.
Sigh............
******************* 


The sales flyer at Rite-Aid this week was very good.
Add in that the 3 Day Thanksgiving Weekend special Sale was even better!
I did 7 (yes, Seven!)transactions in the last 2 days.
Here is the evidence.....one big group photo....

8 Planters Nuts(BIL card)
1 pack Cottonelle TP(It was all gone on Thurs. except this one!)
1 Cottonelle Wipes(not the one on sale, they were also gone)
10 Tugaboo Diaper Packs
2 M&Ms
6 Duracell Battery Packs
2 Colgate Toothpaste
2 Colgate Toothbrushes(BIL card)
1 Earbuds
2 Vaseline(also hard to find by Friday)
2 Dial Hand Soap
2 Gilette Razors
1 Noxema Razors
20 Candy Bars(10 me/10 BIL card...Who wouldn't take free chocolate?lol)
3 Cereal
1 Got2Be hair stuff
1 pack Reading Glasses(Only pack in store)
2 Lady Speed Stick Deo
2 Pringles
1 Ace Cold Pack
1 Olay Body Wash
1 Secret travel size Deo
2 Oreo Cookies
8 Ramen Noodles
*Not included in this photo are 7 12-packs of soda.*

I have qualified for the $20 GOS already and BIL card has qualified for the $10.
$21.81 more and he'll reach $100 and qualify for the $20 GOS as well. 

THESE TRIPS
Total Spent....$7.75 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$316.80
SCR qualified for...$17.98
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$45.00
+Up Rewards spent...$53.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$25.99


GRAND TOTALS--November Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......39
Total Spent....$26.30  put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$1,843.52
SCR qualified for....$59.98
Other Cash....$14.99
Gift of Savings Reward...$0.00
Additional Rebates....$31.99
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Nov. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 11/23.....$33.99
+Up Rewards spent....$231.50
+Up Rewards earned....$237.49
+Up Rewards left....$25.99

I spent $26.30 Out of Pocket this SCR period at Rite-Aid.
I put that amount on a free-to-me Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO cash was spent.
I will receive $106.96 in cash from SCRebates or other Manufacturer's Rebates.
I have $25.99 in +Up Rewards(good as cash at Rite-Aid)to use to buy more.
I have over $1800 worth of merchandise.

I'd call November a very Very Good month for me. 8-))


Sluggy