Shopping This Past Week

Well I went to Maine Source earlier this week since they were having their Customer Appreciation Sale.  Once a year everything in the store is 10% off, even stuff that they NEVER put on sale.
How could I NOT go? ;-)
I spent $62.56, picking up 3 jugs of a favorite peach tea, a large jug of a sesame dipping sauce(we use for potstickers.....a jug lasts us about 2 years), a gallon of Russian dressing, a quart of plain yogurt, a bag of russets, roma tomatoes, asparagus, 5 lb. of freshly ground beef, a 20 lb. bag of onions, and some paper plates as we are almost out.
The produce and meat were already on sale so the 10% addition off on those was a bonus.

I also hit the Dollar Tree as we were out of potstickers and bottled lemon juice.  Also bought were egg noodles, breadcrumbs, wine vinegar and rolled breakfast sausage.  We like the brand sold for $1 at Dollar Tree plus even though it's got more fat in the mix than the premium brands at the grocery stores, it's a better deal penny for penny.  This brand is .10¢ per ounce while the average premium brands run .25¢ per ounce.
Total spent at Dollar Tree was $20 OOP.

Hubs picked up some bottled water, a cuke, grape tomatoes and slicing tomatoes this week too, at that local Shursave affiliate grocer, for $7.45.

Hubs also stopped at Target to use that $3 Catalina I got before Easter.  He picked up 2 packs of mushrooms for $3.98, so spent .98¢ OOP.  I used the shrooms in my Rustic Beef Bourguignon.

A quick run to Weis(PMITA)Markets yesterday for more mushrooms, lettuce, pearl onions, milk, 50% off green tea, 50% off bakery items(including a small cheesecake for Hubs birthday)and potato chips Hubs requested cost another $21.25.
I also picked up a small package of P&P loaf lunch meat.......

I've never had this before so I thought for .99¢, why not?  I don't make a habit of buying processed lunch meats(due to the sodium content)so this was a special treat.....well, if I like it. lolz
Surprisingly it's not as sodium-filled as I had thought at first glance.
P&P stands for pickles and pimento by the way, but looking at the ingredient list it seems the second "p" is actually for red peppers.
Hubs was shocked to learn at the store that I had never eaten this lunch meat in my youth.
His family growing up was frugal because they had no money basically so he ate whatever lunch meat was cheapest for lunches because that's what his mom bought.  Usually it was PBJ or bologna but on occasion the lunch meat du jour had been p&p loaf.

So we've spent $112.24 last week on groceries.

I also popped into Rite-Aid this week to do a quick transaction and try to use Ibotta at Rite-Aid. Using Ibotta is different at R-A since you have to unlock rebates and then link your Plenti card to the Ibotta app on your phone and verify purchases/have your phone on and with the Ibotta app open on it at the time of the purchase to get credit for those rebates.  You don't submit a receipt to the app after your purchases at home.  I was dubious it was going to work since there was nothing on the phone to scan or anything but I got an email this morning that I got that rebate. yay!
Ya is right because now I don't have to return the St. Ives. ;-)

Here's what I bought.........

2 x St. Ives facial scrubs bogo50%=$7.93
1 x large Purex detergent 50% off=$6.14
SubTotal......$14.07

I used a $1/1 St. Ives Scrub ManuQ knocking the total down to $13.07.
Sales tax added another .78¢ so my total was $13.85 and I used Plenti Points to pay this amount.

I earned $3 in new Plenti Points for buying the St. Ives.
I earned $3 cash rebate on Ibotta for buying the St. Ives. already received
I earned another $1 in Plenti Points as I activated an offer on my Plenti account online for$1 off St. Ives. already received
I also earned $5 in Plenti Points as I activated an offer on my Plenti account online for Purex(spend $15 get $5 in points-this put me over the $15 needed-I had used a rain check 2 weeks ago and bought 6 jugs of the smaller Purex jugs at $1.99, paying with a free R-A gift card). already received

So $13.85 in Plenti Points used and $12 in a combination of Plenti Points and Cash Rebates earned back, making this a $1.85 "spent down in Plenti Points" transaction for me.

1 x 150 load laundry detergent and 2 facial scrub products for $1.85 including tax isn't too bad, right 8-)

So that's about all I got here.
Did you find anything that was a good buy last week at the stores?

Sluggy

Saturday Shopping...Junk AND Real Food

Yes, sit down for this.....I actually spent actual money at Rite-Aid on Saturday!
I went in to use my expiring $6 in +Ups and then a new cashier happened to me.
I wanted to do the double dip--the Buy $15 in Game Day Snacks/Get $5 in +Ups and the Pepsi/7-Up soda deal(Buy 3 12-packs for $9.99/Get $2 in +Ups)that also qualifies toward the $15 purchase.
3 12-packs of soda, 2 bags of chips and a can of "Pringles wannabe chip like substance" gets my total to $15.28.
Sadly, no coupons were used as there are none for these items currently available.

I used my expiring $6 +Ups, so my total was then $9.28.....but new cashier said my total was $12.28.
I was fiddling with the stash of +Ups to dig out enough to pay so I didn't catch that he either didn't scan one of the $3 +Ups I had already given him OR the register scanned both but didn't subtract one of the $3 +Ups.  I used more +Ups to pay and put the .28¢ on my gift card.

After I got to the car I saw that only 6 of the 7 +Ups I gave him showed on my receipt so it was back into the store.  The only solution we(cashier, me and manager)could come up with was for me to spend $3 more(since we couldn't know which $3 +Ups scanned and which didn't and if I just took one of them back it could be the "dead" one and when I went to use it next time, it wouldn't work).
So even though I didn't plan on it, I did the Game Day Snack deal AGAIN......
This time I subbed a box of Cheez-its(I had originally planned to buy those but the store had hidden them in a different part of the store and I didn't see them until I went back into the store)for the "Pringles wannabes", so it was 3 12-packs, 2 bags of chips and a box of Cheez-its.
I rolled the $7 in +Ups I had just gotten, used the $3 +Ups plus another $1 +Up.  My only +Ups left is a $20 one from the Resolution Reward, too large to use, so I paid $4.77 OOP.  I could have put this on my gift card, but I chose not to.
Though I hated actually spending money at Rite-Aid, 6 12-packs(for #2 son, the soda addict), 4 bags of chips, a container of chip like substance and a box of Cheez-Its, all for less than $5 isn't bad.

Oh, and the BEST THING about these purchases?
Rite-Aid turned on the tracking/qualifying for the new Winter Resolution +Up Reward Deal early and everything qualified toward the Deal, which starts 2/5.  I have $31 toward the $100 in purchases I need.


Then it was over to the small independent grocer for REAL FOOD.lol

I dropped $48.69 there.

1 bunch celery on sale=$.99
6 bags of salad greens at $1.99 ea.=$11.94
3 bags of flour tortillas at $1.66 ea.(have to buy 3 to get price)=$5.00
4 cans of enchilada sauce at $1.00 ea.=$4.00
5 cans of chili at $1.00 ea.(have to buy 5 to get price)=$5.00
2 boxes taco shells at $1.25 ea.=$2.50
2 packs of pepperoni at $2.99=$5.98
2 packs of rolls at BOGO=$3.18
1+ lb. Cooper cheese at deli on sale $5.49lb.=$5.60
1 container sour cream on sale=$1.50
3 whack biscuit rolls at $1.50=$4.50
1 gallon milk=$3.50
SubTotal....$53.69

Coupons Used(They don't take IPQs so everything is a ManuQ here.)
2 x .50/1 Chi Chi's tortillas(doubled)=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Hormel pepperoni=$1.00
1 x $1/3 Grands biscuits=$1.00
1 x $1/1lb. Cooper deli cheese=$1.00(the deli girl gave me this vendor Q)
Coupon Total....$5.00

$53.69-$5.00=$48.69 OOP

Regular retail was $85.10
Savings rate of 42.79%.

Total spending for February to this point is $53.46.

Sluggy

And Then She Went Back to the Store......

Well I didn't get nearly enough done yesterday as I had planned....especially the number of eBay listings.
But I did make it back to the stores for food shopping.

First it was to the restaurant supply store....afterwards to be referred to as RSS.  Since I had to be over at the Orthodontic office to get #2 son's new retainer(grrrr), I went looking for the other location of my RSS.  Yes, I was pleased to see that there is a second location on the opposite end of town from the one that was flooded out in September. 8-)
So we found the store and I picked up "My Precious....My Precious".....cue Gollum music......

I know the fat & the chemically things in it will probably kill me but this brand is the BEST BLUE CHUCKINGFEESE DRESSING that I have ever eaten!
If I wasn't such a tightwad, I'd buy enough gallons of this to fill my bathtub and I'd roll around nekkid in it.
Seriously.
That.
Good.

I would steal pennies out of small children's piggy banks for the money to buy this dressing.
I would divorce my man if he made me choose between him and My Precious......
If I ever end up on Death Row, THIS will be part of my Last Meal before hitting the big Electric Chair, and I hope they wet the sponge that goes on my head under the headgear with this instead of water.

Luckily, all I had to do was fork over $18.55 to get some this time. ;-)

I just wish they sold it in something a bit smaller than industrial sized drum!  A gallon of Dressing lasts a very long time and takes up serious real estate in the fridge.  It is a bargain with the Devil I am glad to make.

On the other hand, large sized containers DO save you serious money in the long run.

Speaking of which, it's Fall so I had to pick up this as well.......

It's a jar of Pumpkin Pie Spice and yes, it was $4.99.  The local store buys and prepares their own huge containers of spices at a discounted price.
Why mess around with having to buy ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove when I can just buy them already mixed together for dumping into pies?

$4.99 seem high to you?
Well when you show this jar next to the jars you usually buy/see in the spice aisle at your local food mart, you see why I will spend $4.99 on this.....

Yes, that 1 ounce sized jar costs around $3.  I spent $2 more but I got 6 times the amount!
So which would you choose.....1 jar for $4.99 or 6 jars for $18?

And yes, it will ALL get used before it gets old.  Not only will I become a squash piemaking factory between now and New Year's but this blend is good in many other things like savory squash sides, in chili(believe it our not!), in tea, coffee, hot cocoa, oatmeal and more.

And I was able to drag myself out after dinner last night to Weis "let's turn your upside down and steal the change that comes pouring out of your pockets" Markets.  I spent my $5 Catalina Q on a 14.25lb. turkey.  At .58¢ a lb. and after my $5 Cat, this bird cost me $3.26.
Then it was off to the gravy display........

I lugged home 18 more gravy cans.
Between these and the 5 cans of soup not pictured, I spent $1.50 OOP.  I am keeping the soup. 
The gravy only transaction was .50¢ OOP.
The gravy/soup transaction was $1.00 OOP, so those 12 cans came to .08¢ a piece, making the gravy part of it .58¢ OOP.

I am keeping the 8 cans I bought last Friday and on Monday, so I have 40 cans so far to donate, at a total cost to me of $2.08.

I'll be trotting back to Weis later today for more, well.....you know....lol

Sluggy