I Pulled the Plug Last Week

Yes folks, in the face of the Netflix increase since they are going to pricing Streaming separately from DVD mailing, I shut it all down.
No more Netflix in this house.
I had to do it on principle really.
Yes, I could have afforded the 60% price increase to keep both delivery systems.
But it really chapped my butt like an ammonia soaked diaper to pay that jacked up $17.99 price for the same exact service I had been paying $9.99 for.
So I blew both off.

I may calm down at some point and miss it enough to resub to one or the other.
But for now, I'm going cold turkey on Netflix.

How about you?
Are you a subscriber?
Are you paying the jacked up full service price or did you go to one or the other?
Are you as delighted with the price increase as I am?

Sluggy

I Be A Netflix Junkie

Well, I have decided that a Netflix Account is a giant suckhole of time, much in the same way being online can be a giant suckhole of time.
Would I rather watch films than clean the house, sew my projects or cook?
Yep!

Just call me your friendly neighborhood Netflix 'Ho....

But I can say I DID get my money's worth of show viewing in March with my new Netflix account.  Many things I want to watch are NOT available under their instant play feature that streams on your computer, so I have to wait for a dvd to show up in the mail, watch it quickly and return it the next day.  I was able to squeeze 7 whole dvd mail/view/return cycles into a month.  Not very satisfying for me but as long as there is still stuff I want to watch instantly to fill in the voids of time when I don't have a new dvd to watch, this will work out.

I'd love everyone's suggestions on what to watch, so if you have some favorite movies or tv shows, let me hear it!!

I started watching old tv shows from my past but this is turning out to be not such a good idea.  I seem to remember them fondly but when I look at some of them with a new, older, more sophisticated eye, they don't stack up.  Case in point, "Soap".  I remember the few episodes I saw 'back in the day-1970something' as funny.  I tried to watch it again and it's just horrible! ACK!!!
And that one called "Trailer Park Boys"?  Don't even bother....  It's a Canadian tv comedy series.  It's suppose to be funny.  It's the former but not the latter.....and there are a bazillion epidsodes.  It's a time waster and it will eat a piece of your brain out too. ;-)

Some films/shows that surprised me pleasantly....
No Impact Man--Before he started his year of living no-impact, he had joined the Compact list that I have been a member of for 5+ years now.  Basically, he joined to get us to follow his blog and to advertise his film adventure, so that left a bad taste in my mouth toward him.  I finally broke down and watched his docudrama and I enjoyed it.  Not because of him, but because of his wife.  SHE is the star of that film and she should get a medal for putting up with him.lolol

Another surprise was being able to sit through an entire Michael Moore film.  The man has serious problems and I share no piece of his view of the world, but I enjoyed most of Capitalism:A Love Story....as long as I detached myself from the maudlin sentimentality and his crazy as a loon philosophies.lol

Films I would recommend.....Noise, Being John Malkovich, The Big Lebowski and Botany of Desire.  And only 1 of them is a documentary.... 8-)


Here is the list of what I've watched this month, with my recommendations(1-5 stars).  My tastes tend toward  Documentaries, Comedies, Older Movies/Shows, Indie Films, etc.   

PRESSURE COOKER stream  *****
BABIES   stream  ****
OUTSOURCED  stream  ***
THE BIG LEBOWSKI  stream  *****
THE RITCHIE BOYS stream   ***
TEMPLE GRANDIN  dvd  *****
DOGTOWN AND THE Z-BOYS  stream  ***
GEORGE CARLIN-BACK IN TOWN stream  ***
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH  stream  *****
BROKEN stream  **
GREY GARDENS  dvd ***
NIRVANA:TEEN SPIRIT INTERVIEWS stream  ****
NAT GEO-CHINA'S LOST GIRLS  stream  **
MY FLESH AND BLOOD  stream  ***
PRECIOUS stream   *****
FREAKONOMICS  stream   ****
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS  stream  ***
MAXED OUT  stream  ***
THE PARKING LOT MOVIE stream   ****
ZACK GALIFIANAKIS: LIVE stream   **
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE stream   ***
NO IMPACT MAN  stream   ***
3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN TV SERIES stream  ***
PREGNANT IN AMERICA  stream  ***
ELEVEN MINUTES  dvd ***
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES the original one   stream ****
LAST TRAIN HOME stream   ****
UNFORGOTTEN stream   ***
THE TRAILER PARK BOYS TV SERIES  stream  negative *
1940'S dvd  ****
FRONTIER HOUSE  dvd  ***
SOAP TV SERIES  stream   negative ***
THE BOTANY OF DESIRE  stream  ****
THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WHITES  stream  ****
CSA: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA  stream  **
NOISE stream   ****
KINGS OF PASTRY  stream  ***
THUMBS UP stream   ***
NATGEO:INSIDE NORTH KOREA  stream  **
AUNTIE MAME stream   ****
EAT PRAY LOVE  stream    ***
FILM GEEK  stream   **
TARNATION  stream  ***
TUDORS TV SERIES  stream   ****
THE ONE PERCENT  stream  ****
WENDY AND LUCY stream  ***
CAPITALISM:A LOVE STORY stream  ***
WHICH WAY HOME  stream  ****
CLOSE TO HOME:SCENES FROM A RECESSION  stream  ***
LORDS OF DOGTOWN  dvd ****
THE BIG BANG THEORY  stream  *****


So what is everybody else watching lately?

Sluggy

"The Time has Come," the Walrus said, "To Talk of Many Things..."

First things first.....here's a Rite-Aid shop from Saturday evening.....

I burned about $12 in +Ups on those trash bags.  The rest of it was free at sale prices and Qs.  I put .61¢ on my gift card and didn't get any +Ups.


And I finally got up to Rite-Aid Sunday late afternoon.  The plan is to roll some +Ups into cash and get some freebies too.  Here is what I got....

1 x Thermacare on sale=$3.19  *My 20% wellness disc. lower than sale price
1 x Keri Lotion on sale=$6.99
1 x Desenex powder on sale=$6.99
1 x Snickers candy bar=$.70  *20% wellness discount applied
2 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale$2.99=$5.98
2 x Sardines on sale BOGO50%=$1.93
2 x Valentine's candy 90%off=$.20
SubTotal....$25.98

Coupons Used
1 x $3.99/1 Thermacare In-Ad Q=$3.99
1 x $1/1 Keri Lotion IPQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste IPQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$6.99

$25.98-$6.99=$18.99+$.11 tax=$19.10
I used $19 +Up Rewards and put .10¢ on my Rtte-Aid gift card.
I received back $6.88 back in +Up Rewards(2 x $2 Colgate, 2 x $1 for each can of Sardines and $.88 for the Snickers bar).
I'll submit for 2 SCRs...$6 for each the Keri Lotion and the Desenex, so $12 in cash rebates.

I got $18.88 'back' in +Ups/Cash and spent $19 in +Ups.

So did this transaction again, minus one of the Valentine's candy using BIL's card....

$25.88-$6.99=$18.89+$.14 tax=$19.03
Used $19 +Ups again and put .03¢ on the gift card.

Now, I totally don't understand why my tax was .03¢ more when I bought .10¢ less of products here.lol



Altogether I managed to 'roll' $24 in +Up Rewards into $24 in cash rebates.  I only bought what we'd use or eat too.(Hubs loves sardines....bleck!)

Here are the numbers....
THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....3
Total Spent....$.74 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$100.08
SCR qualified for...$24.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$13.76
+Up Rewards spent...$38.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$137.75

TOTALS--March Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......3
Total Spent....$.74 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$100.08
SCR qualified for....$24.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for March SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 2/28.....$161.99
+Up Rewards spent....$38.00
+Up Rewards earned....$13.76
+Up Rewards left....$137.75  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


I still have a boatload of +Ups that expire on March 15th.  I'm considering spending them down & rolling them into SCRs by buying a couple of electronic thingys that are giving $20 SCRs this month.  That might be the solution to carrying these things from month to month.  It's getting tiring finding ways to roll so many.  I can spent 1/3 down,  roll 1/3 into rebates and keep 1/3 for rolling into more +Ups PLUS get a couple gifty type items for giving out later. 
What do y'all think?   Good idea or should I just buy a year's supply of toilet paper or something with them all?





 So if you were starting from 0 +Ups, here is what I would buy this week at Rite-Aid....
First buy 4 cans of sardines for $3.86 OOP.  You'll receive $4 in +Ups back.
Then buy 2 tubes of Colgate Toothpaste....the on sale for $2.99 size.  Use 2 $1/1 ManuQs.  Add in a small filler item(90% Vday candy or something that's about .10¢).  Use your $4 in +Ups to pay.  Some stores will adjust down your +Ups, so you "could" possibly not add a filler item to your $3.98 total and they will adjust your $4 in +Ups down so no OOP.  You'll receive $4 back in +Ups for the 2 toothpastes.
Then see if any of the SCR items available this week in the SCR Directory are things you can use.  Most of them will end up costing .99 after the SCR.  You could save your $4 in +Ups for next week's sale or roll them via a SCR item into cash back.  IE-Get the Comtrex at $4.99 this week.  Spend your $4+Ups plus $.99&tax(or $0 OOP if you have a Q for it) and submit your receipt info. for the $4 SCR on the Comtrex.  By doing this, you spent $4.85+tax OOP and you will get back $4 of it via SCR, so you will be OOP .85+tax and you will have 2 cans of sardines, 2 tubes of toothpaste and a box of Comtrex.
5 items for .85¢ OOP.



When I got back out to my car at Rite-Aid Sunday late afternoon, it was coated in ICE!  I had a nice slide back home.....
The ice storm kept going and going for hours.  We lost power a few times before I decided maybe I should shut down the computer for the duration. 
Yes, I am quick witted like that sometimes.
Before I went to bed the Snunder(Snunder=Snow+Thunder) and Lightning began.


I woke up to this......

Bright sunshine and about 5 inches of snow with an inch of ICE under it.
Who ordered this!!??!!




And the dogs were feeling squirrely.

The beagle with the back problems has decided that jumping up and sleeping in "Daddy's chair" is something she needs to be doing.  So little "Miss Jealousy" chihuahua decides she needs to be in the chair too so she can bark at the beagle.  Doesn't it look like the beagle is pleading with me to "get her off of my chair Mom, puhleeeez!" 


I broke down on Saturday and bought a Netflix membership.  Ok, so it's free the first month.  I love movies but I don't buy them, nor do I go to the movies since I consider both of those huge wastes of my money.   And we don't have any rental places close enough that would entice me to get in a car/go rent a movie/watch movie/get back in a car/return movie before the time limit expired or I owed more money for keeping it.  Plus our library's collection of free rental dvds is miniscule and is mostly made up of Disney drek and kiddie films.  I've seen enough kiddie films to last me a lifetime thankyouverymuch!lol

I can deal with paying $9.99 a month to see all the movies/shows I want without leaving my sofa.
At least until it gets to the point where I have seen everything I want to see or I don't utilize it enough to make it cost effective or everything left to see has to be ordered on dvds they mail me and can't be seen instantly.
This 'lifestyle inflation' will be re-evaluated every month.

I still have no Meal Plan done for the week yet and no clue what I am serving for dinner tonight....it's 4:45pm by the way....
I felt it was more important to watch a film about the history and evolution of Skateboarding with my 15 yr. old instead.
Yah see?....Netflix has already become a suckhole......

So what's up in your corner of the world today?

Sluggy