Hounding Ends, March Money Totaling Beings

Here's a pic of our 2 beagles:Peanut & Cherry. The one in the back in the photo(Peanut) often uses the other beagle as a pillow, like he's doing now. They love them some napping in the sunny spot in the living room. Oh, to be an actual hound and not just a human shopping hound.

Speaking of hounds....I think this last post(the WAGS Clearance one)gets me up-to-date on Hounding trips. I know those of you who aren't 'into' this are not-so-silently saying, "FINALLY! THANK HEAVENS!!....I NEVER Thought She's FINISH!!!", right about now.

You all are just soooo amusing. ;-)

Yah, I am kinda burnt out on the Deal Seeking for awhile. I seriously need to take some time this weekend and straighten the storage of the stockpile. My freezer is also so full STILL, that I am continuing my moratorium on buying any food product that needs refridgeration, outside of milk. The freezer in the garage needs a BIGTIME defrosting so we are going to eat down what's in there until I can transfer it all into the lil' freezer on the fridge and defrost the entire unit.

And it's almost the end of the Month, which means it's almost time for

my 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Update for March.

I can't wait to get out the ol' abacus and start crunching those numbers and see where we stand at the quarterly mark with our savings.

Offhand, I KNOW I went way over my $250 LIMIT on grocery & stocking-up Budget.

*sigh*

The most I can hope for is that it's nowhere near Feb.'s total.

It's shaping up to be a pretty nice weekend here. We are suppose to get rain so it will be messy but the temperatures are suppose to be mild(not freezing). And the ground has already thawed out, so I'm hoping I can get the clan outside at some point to do some marking, digging, compost moving, etc. prep work for the garden.

Adding to my good mood this Friday is also......

The Direct Deposit of our TAX REFUND into our bank account!

Yay!!!!!!!

I know, it was our money to start with anyway, but I still feel like a kid in a candy shop when our beloved government pries it out of their ever-reaching long, sharp-clawed talons and gives it back to us to use however WE see fit.

Stimulus this baby!

Without revealing the exact amount, I'll just say it's a substantial enough wad to buy something like a used car....or keep Paris Hilton in chewing gum for 3 days.

I'm not sure yet how much(if any)of this wad of cash will end up being part of the 60K Savings Challenge, as my better half has not taken up this Savings Challenge with me. This is my Savings idea, but the money in this household isn't mine alone. I'll be conversing with Hubby this weekend about how this wad of cash will be allocated. He's not one to take it and go out and buy some Boy Toy(ie-read blow the money)but he did mention the word 'VACATION' in the same sentence with Tax Refund Cash.

Will update when this situation unfolds.

Gotta go make some more newspaper seedling pots and ruminate over what Vacation entails this year in Hubby's mind.

Sluggy

Tuesday WAGS Trip...Clearance Heaven

I found myself out in a different town Tuesday evening, so I ventured into the local Walgreen's there to see what I could find.

The WAGS closest to my house is right smack dab in the middle of a big city.....well, big for our part of the state. It's also open 24/7 and right near 2 large Universities. No matter the time you go in there, the joint is hopping. There is ALOT of traffic through that store and I can never find anything in the Clearance Section that is worth bringing home(unless I go in right after they put stuff on clearance and that hardly ever happens.)

This WAGS out in the boonies was a Clearance DREAM! I'm so glad I brought all my Qs in the store.
Here is what I got.....first the clearance items.

Transaction #1

2 x Natural Dentist Toothpaste @ $1.29 ea. Used 1 $2 Q
2 x Viactive Chews @ $3.49 ea. Used 2 $2 Qs
2 x Mocha Mints @ $.50 ea.
Tom's of Maine Mouth Rinse @ $1.69
4 x Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste @ $.95 ea. Used 3 $1 Qs
Oral B Toothbrush Double Pk. @ $1.89 Used 1 $2 Q
Oral B Toothbrush Double Pk. @ $2.49 Used 1 $2 Q
3 x Oral B Single Toothbrush @ $1.29 ea. Used 3 $1 Qs
2 x Reach Toothbrush @ $.75 ea. Used 2 $1 Qs

Now the regular stuff.....
2 x Sambucol Tabs @ $12.99 ea. Used 2 $10 WQ & 2 $3 Q
Soleil Disposable Razors @ $5.99 Used $2 WQ & $2 Q
2 x SC johnson Cleaners @ $3.00 ea. Used 2 $1 Qs
Excedrin Menstrual @ $5.99 Used $4 WQ & $1 Q
Colgate Toothpaste @ $3.49 Used $2.50 WQ & $1 Q
5 x Hunt's Sauce @ $4/5 Used $2.05 WQ
2 x Butterbal Broth @ $.79 ea.

SUBTOTAL $78.83+$.35 tax=$79.18 Coupons Used $60.55

OOP $18.63

Transaction #2

6 x Hunt's Sauce @ $4/5 & $.80/1 Used $2.46 WQ
Colgate Toothpaste @ $3.49 Used $2.50 WQ & $1 Q
2 x Sambucol Tabs @ $12.99 Used 2 $10 WQ & 2 $3 Q

SUBTOTAL $34.27 Coupons Used $31.96

OOP $2.31

Combined SUBTOTALS....

$113.45-$92.51Coupons=$20.94 OOP

Total RRs Used....$13.50

GRAND TOTAL $7.44 OOP

And I will get $7.70 back for the Conagra Foods($5)& the SC Johnson Cleaners($2) in ESR($7 + 10% bonus for taking a Gift Card rebate rather than a check).

I was able to use 1 $2 Q on the 2 Natural Dentist on clearance for $1.29, so I paid $.58 for both tubes.

I was able to use 3 $1 Qs on the 4 boxes of Crest for $.95, so I paid $.80 for 4 tubes of that.

All 5 of the Oral B Toothbrushes came to $8.25 on clearance so I was able to use $7 in Qs(I could have used an 8th $1 Q if I had one) and get all 5 brushes for $1.25 total.

Both Reach Toothbrushes for 75¢ ea. let me use $1 Qs on them without beeping at the register, even though it took off more than they were priced. But a 2nd Natural Dentist AND a 4th $1 off Crest Q did beep, so the cashier wouldn't let me use them.

Oh well.

If you are looking to buy Soleil Disposable Razors at WAGS, look for the packages with the 2 BONUS Razors free. You might as well get the 6 pack for what you'd spend on the 4 pack, right?

Be sure and look for the Raspberry flavoured Viactiv on Clearance. It was NOT in the Clearance section but still on the shelf where the Viactiv is located with an orange shelf tag. This stuff is usually in the $7 range but marked down to $3.49 and with the current $2 Viactiv Q out there, this is a very nice $1.49 price!


Sluggy

KMART Super Doubles March 22nd Eh...

I saw that my local Kmart was participating in the Super Doubles Sale this week. The last SD Sale, I went up to Kmart, on a spur of the moment, on the last day of the sale. The shelves were picked clean then & I missed out on alot of the items I wanted to get. For a better chance at some of the goodies, I showed up Sunday afternoon for this SD Sale.

I printed out a $5/$50 Kmart Q, & had gotten a $10 Gift Card offer to transfer a perscription to Kmart's pharmacy in the mail. I took both Qs and 1 of my meds that needed refilling with me. I stopped at the pharmacy first thing, then shopped until the rx was ready and picked up my FREE Gift Card before heading to the check-out.

Here is what I bought....
2 Vaseline Lotions @ $3.89 ea. 2Q x $1.25 doubled= -$5.00
4 Secrest Flawless Deodorants @ $4.49 ea. 4Q x $2 doubled= -$16.00
2 Satincare Shaving Cream @ $2.69 ea. 2Q x $1 doubled= -$4.00
2 Toothbrushes on sale @ $2.50 ea. 2Q x $1 doubled= -$4.00
1 Twin Pak Toothbrushes on sale @ $4.99 1Q x $2 doubled= -$4.00
4 Sure Deodorants on sale @ $1.99 ea. 4Q x $1 doubled/adjust= -$7.96
2 Cat Food @ $5.49 ea. 2Q x $2 doubled= -$8.00
4 Bonz Dog Treats on sale @ $2.99 ea. 2Q x $1.50/2 doubled= -$6.00
1 Lipton Dry Soup Mix @ $1.79 ea. 1Q x $1/2 doubled= -$2.00
2 Quaker Rice Snacks @ $2.99 ea. 2Q x $1 doubled= -$4.00
2 Sobe Waters on sale @ $1.00 ea. (#2 son loves this flavor.) no Qs
1 Little Debbie Snacks on sale @ $3.00 no Qs
SUBTOTAL....$86.57 COUPONS....-$60.96

That's what the coupons should have totaled, but....the cashier misread the Lipton Q, instead of my full $2 off 2 boxes, she gave me $1.79 off 1 box. Each box was $1.79 and she adjusted the Q down erroneously, so I paid $.895 for each box. Not a great price. I might have to return those.

Anyway, the actual Q total was $60.75.
Tax was $2.10.

SUBTOTAL....$86.57+$2.10=$88.67-$60.75=$27.92.
Subtract the $5/$50 Kmart Q.....$27.92-$5=$22.92.
Subtract the FREE $10 Kmart Pharmacy Gift Card....
$22.92-$10=$12.92 OOP

Savings of $73.65(before tax).

That's 83%....I'll take it!lol

I think I did fairly well. Nothing was FREE, except the Sure Deodorant. Most things were 50¢-$1 & the cat/dog food was $1.49. I also got some things without Qs that we just wanted, and the Vaseline was mismarked on the shelf. Had I known that, I wouldn't have purchased it here for what it cost me.

Considering that we don't have a Super Kmart, just a Big Kmart it was an ok total. The entire grocery dept. is 2 aisles long and 1 entire aisle is just chips & sodas. And the toiletries dept. is larger BUT I find that their reg. retail price on items is quite high! And very little was on sale in the toiletries this week. You KNOW they don't put stuff on sale when they are planning on a Super Doubles Coupon Sale!lol

I don't do alot of cleaning products and the paper product deals were nothing to write home about. Add that to the lack of 'real' food & there wasn't that much left for me to choose from to buy.

I am dumbfounded to think that when I look at this little bit of products I purchased, if I had just bought it all without using Qs, I would have had to pay almost $90!

Insane prices.

Seriously.

Insane.

I was happy I could use some of my pet food Qs before they expired. I've got a new donation started already for April to the Animal Shelter.

While shopping this sale, I passed a couple of women going down different aisles who had coupon binders opened up in the seat area of their carts. It was nice to see some kindred spirits in there working the sale alongside of me. We gave each other a knowing nod of the head when we recognized a Serious Couponin' Sistah....

Sluggy

CVS & the Scary Mean Old Cashier

I am way behind on reporting on my Hounding Adventures.

Here is a trip to CVS from last Monday, March 16th. Hubby was home so he came with me to witness my 'Couponing Powers'.lol

Not pictured are 2 Dry Idea Deodorants and a Pumice Stone w/a handle.

I had a $10/$50 CRT CVS coupon so here's how I got to $50.

3 Dry Idea Deodorants ($2.99+$4.49+$4.49)More on this later!

3 Wheat Thins (on sale for $1 ea.)

1 Ritz Crackers (on sale for $1 ea.)

1 Irish Spring Body Wash (on sale for $4.99)

1 Colgate Max Toothpaste (on sale for $2.99)

1 Huggies Wipes Refill(on sale for $5.99)

2 Bandaids (on sale for $3.29 & $4.29)

3 J&J First Aid Kits ($.99 ea.)

4 J&J Buddies Soap ($1.19 ea.)

Pumic Stone ($5.99)

1 1/2 gal. Milk ($1.99)

1 1/2 gal. skim Milk ($1.79)

SUBTOTAL $55.02

Coupons Used....

2 $2/2 Wheat Thins/Ritz -$4

2 $1/1 Band-aid -$2

3 $2/1 Dry Idea -$6

1 $5 Huggies -$5

1 $3/2 J&J Products -$3

2 $2/2 J&J Buddies Products -$4

Coupon SubTotal.... -$24

Extra Care Bucks Used....

$10/$50

$.99

$3.00

$4.00

$5.00

ECB SubTotal.... -$22.99

Coupon/ECB TOTAL.... -$46.99

$55.02-$46.99=$8.03

$5 on Gift Card=$3.03 OOP

AND

I received $13.98 in ECBs.(4.99 Irish Spring/2.99 Colgate/2.99 Dry Idea/3.00 Band-Aid)

The cashier was the gumpiest, pickiest, meanest old woman I have ever had the displeasure to deal with at a CVS. It took me forever to check out because she stood there and inspected every....single.....coupon......and ECB.....back......& front.....at least TWICE!

Ugh

She was looking for problems with my coupons. She tried to tell me I couldn't use the $2/2 Wheat Thins/Ritz Qs because I was buying the small boxes of crackers that were on sale for $1 ea. I was getting crackers for FREE with this Q, so she couldn't allow that! I pointed out that the Q did NOT specify the size of box, so these Qs are valid for my purchase. I then said, if there was a problem with me using these Qs, I'd like her to call the Manager over to discuss it. Note, I was pleasant and smiled the whole time dealing with her.

Well, she didn't like me bringing up the prospect of me going 'over her head', so at that point she stopped questioning every single Q and just scanned them in and gave me my total.

Needless to say, I couldn't WAIT to get out of that store!

That cashier got me so flustered that I noticed AFTER I got home 2 of my Dry Ideas did NOT ring up for the sale price of $2.99. They were powder scented ones and the one that rang up correctly was reg. scent. And since they didn't ring up right, I didn't get the $2 ECBs for each($4 ECBs total)

So I had to return to the store, explain the problem and try to get the price adjusted AND get my ECBs OR return them, get my 2 $2 Qs back to reuse and rebuy the reg. scent ones to just avoid the whole thing from happening again on the powder scent.

I walked into the store-different day of the week, different time frame from my orginal visit on Monday and guess who's sour puss of a face I see?

Yep.

Little Mary Sunshine the Cashier.

Just.

Lovely.

I really didn't want to tussle with Miss Ray of Sunshine again, so I just returned the 2 Deodorants. Just give me my $8.98+tax back....the store can keep my $4 in Qs & their $4ECBs.

She gave me enough trouble just returning them anyway. She called the manager over b/c I had paid $5 on a gift card for the original transaction, so I got $6.49 back on the gift card(even though the GC was ONLY for $5?) and $2.49 in Cash. I was just glad they didn't try to take back the $10/$50 Q too b/c my total would now be under $50.

The whole transaction's details are now muddy-ed.

I paid $3.03 OOP but got back $2.49 OOP, but should have gotten back $3.98 OOP(& $5 on the GC).....so let's just call this one a wash.

Little Miss Sunshine also tried to tell me that there was a LIMIT of 1 on the Dry Idea(we all no better, don't we?) AND that also meant I could only buy 1 Dry Idea for the sale price of $2.99!

Um....no.LOLOL

This IS the closest CVS to me, so I will still go there to hound. I must Love Trouble!

Sluggy

GREEN & THRIFTY THURSDAY-Being Frugal AND Environmental TIP #2

Today is....
GREEN AND THRIFTY THURSDAY!

And that means it's time for another small tip on things you can do to save money AND help the environment. After all, being frugal is great but saving money & time is not so good, at the expense of our Planet!

This week's Tip is about newspaper.

We Couponer-istas love us some Sunday newspaper!

Heck, many of us love us 10 or 20 copies of the Sunday newspaper.

If you coupon, you KNOW what I mean.lolol

After we lovingly extract all those wonderful Coupon Inserts, & we read the actual comics/news/articles in the 1st copy of the paper, we are left with a big old pile of newspaper.
Hmmmm..
NOT very green to just dispose of it, even if we take it to the recycling bin.
Let's put the power of the newspaper to work for us.
But where & how, you say?

WHERE....In the garden!
Spring is here and many frugal folks turn to thoughts of gardening. What better way, if you have the outside space, to save money on food than to grow your own!

Sure you can buy plants in a few weeks and just transplant them into the ground, so why not start your own plants from seed Now?
Because it costs less for seeds than for seedlings ready to transplant, that's why.

Before you go off to the local Home Gardening Store and buy little plastic seedling pots(plastic=not green) to start your seeds in, use what you have at home to Make Seedling Pots for FREE!
That is where the leftover Newspaper comes in.

HOW.....Here's how I make them.

1. Get a muffin pan. If you don't have one, try using a styrofoam-y egg carton from the grocery store.
Get a large bowl. Put some water in it.

2. Get some newspaper & cut it into strips or small squares. I use squares about 5"x5".

3. Take your pieces of newspaper and wet them in the bowl of water.

4. Take wet newspape and line your muffin pan/egg carton with the paper, pressing it against the indentation. I use 3 thicknesses of newspaper per hole.
Do this for each muffin/egg hole.

5. After each indentation is filled, take the edges of the paper that extends over the top of the muffin hole and fold it down so that the newspaper edge is even with the muffin hole. If the newspaper edges have dried out and won't stick, wet your fingers to make the newspaper moist again and press these folded parts into the newspaper cup you have made. Doing this makes the pots look nicer but also make the edges sturdier when you start filling them with soil and wetting that soil.

6. Put muffin pan/egg carton in a sunny spot. If you don't have a sunny spot, put it in a warm spot in your house until thoroughly dry.

You now have 12 seedling pots!

Rinse & repeat until you have as many pots as you need.

These are so great because when your seedlings are ready for transplanting outside into your garden, you can plant them plant and pot. The newspaper pot will eventually decompose in the ground. No digging your seedlings out of their pots like those plastic ones they come in at the store. Less trauma to the plant when transplanting and less plastic in a landfill.
A win/win!

You can also use that pile of newspaper in your flower beds too. Instead of buying landscaping fabric for $8 a roll, use newspaper! Just lay it down to cover where you don't want weeds to grow, overlapping each sheet of paper. (I generally use 2 thickness of newspaper.) When done, soak the paper with a hose set of a gentle mist or spray. Cover the area with mulch. With any luck, you'll have no weeds to pull wherever you do this for the entire growing season!
If you still have leftover newspaper, try shredding it and using it in your compost pile. Newspaper qualifies as a 'brown' material for this purpose. To keep your compost in balance, make sure you have 'green' material to add to it too.

Any other ideas? Please leave them in the comments section below.

Sluggy