A Great Giveaway over at I AM A MONEY MAGNET!

Jamie, over at I Am a Money Magnet is having a Giveaway!
You can win a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Educating Esme-Diary of a Teacher's First Year.  
It sounds like an interesting book to read....especially if you are or have a teacher in your life.

Entries close on September 8th so hurry!
Go on over and enter HERE.
I did. ;-)

Sluggy

August BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for AUGUST 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in August.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 as of 8/30). No kids under 13.


ACME
OOP $113.86 (this drops to $73.86 after $40 Rebate)
Qs/Ads $1180.19
Value $1294.05
Savings  91.20% (94.30% after Rebate)


CARONE'S
OOP $1.29
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $1.29
Savings  0%

CVS
OOP $2.72
Qs/Ads $236.10
Value $238.82
Savings 98.85%

KMART
OOP $47.84
Qs/Ads $648.28
Value $696.12
Savings 93.13%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $123.43
Qs/Ads $263.32
Value $386.75
Savings 68.10%

RITE AID
OOP $219.39
Qs/Ads $525.75
Value $745.14
Savings 70.55%   **This is before Single Check Rebate of $184.66 & Gift Cards($15) earned.**

TARGET
OOP $15.38
Qs/Ads $20.00
Value $35.38
Savings 56.50%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $41.60
Qs/Ads $311.98
Value $353.58
Savings 85.50%

WEIS
OOP $69.87
Qs/Ads $90.71
Value $160.58
Savings 57.50%

I've decided NOT to track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons". Rebates will also show up in the Monthly Totals when spent, but I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.

REBATES RECV'D. IN AUGUST

Rite-Aid SCR........$85.00
Reynolds Foil........$4.19
Centrum..........$19.99
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Physician's Formula....$7.13
Staples Checks....$20.33
Subtotal........$139.64

FREE ITEMS
Gillette Shampoo x 2 Coupon
Wrigleys Coupon

COUPONS
Swiss Tea
Nabisco

GIFT CARDS & PrePaid VISA CARDS
Rite Aid  $25.00
Staples   $33.96
SubTotal...$58.96

TOTAL Value of Cash/Visa/Gift Card Rebates Received..$198.60

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 98.85%, Kmart at 93.13% and Acme at 91.20%.
Walgreen's was a distant 4th this month because of sending hubby to buy stuff.  If there is a problem(coupon won't scan, item rings up wrong, etc.), he doesn't say anything....he just pays whatever they tell him to.
Oy!lol

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$645.10
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$198.60

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$446.50

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2266.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2911.71
TOTAL Savings % for AUGUST....................84.67%

This closes out the August spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
After the Rebates(money coming back into the budget), I was able finally to achieve a Food Budget spending UNDER $500.
Yippee!!! 8-)))

Our garden finally produced some veggies this month.  I have only canned/frozen a bit of the harvest however for the coming winter.  We lost all the tomatoes to the late blight and many plants just didn't sprout or fruit out.  I am not set up for winter gardening in this climate but I'll try to gather locally a large assortment of fall crops for the makeshift root cellar in the garage.

 Most of the Food spending this month was for stockpile purchases(canned/bottled/bagged items).  We were eating alot from the freezer to empty it out some so we could fit in the local farm purchases.  I generally start buying extra local produce around Late Aug./Early Sept. for the freezer. 

What's ahead for September.....
I want to ease up on couponing in September.  I have 1 child away at college, so less mouths to feed=less spending on food.  I am stocked to the gills in the stockpile and still too full in the freezer.  Besides, I am burned out right now on couponing.  This month was CRAZY with shopping!  Between the Acme Deal in early August and TWO weeks of KMart Double Coupons, I am so ready to sit my butt home and just do some serious organizing.  My stockpile is in shambles as is my coupon binder!

I am going to try to AVOID the Grocery Store for at least 2 weeks this month, except for fresh fruit, potatoes, milk, flour & cheese.  We have enough meat and rice/noodles to last the month.  I am shooting for spending the bulk of my food budget at the farm market in September.
I will give myself a $250 food budget for the month.

I just hope the stores don't come up with some great deals I can't resist!lol


Sluggy

Crockpotting Your Steel Cut Oats

So I love me some Steel Cut Oats for Breakfast.
It's good for you and it's yummy with the addition of various fruits and/or spices.
But it just takes FOREVER to cook on the stovetop!
Or at least it seems that way.

Most people get up Hungry.
You want to eat NOW, not in 30 or 45 minutes.
So you reach for a less healthy alternative to your oats....like a Toaster Pastry or a Doughnut or a Danish.
Because it's there.
Because it's ready to eat.

So here is a trick to have your Oats ready to eat when you roll out of bed in the morning so you don't reach for the sweet carb-loaded bread products.

Get out your Crockpot & slow cook 'em!

Yep, your crockpot.
It's genius I tell ya, genius!

Before going to bed, put the desired amount of steel cut oats in your crockpot with the appropriate amount of water and salt.
Turn your crockpot on LOW.
Go to bed.
In the morning, turn the crockpot off.
Your oats will be ready to dish out and add whatever you like to add--sweeteners, spices, nuts, etc.
Eat and Enjoy!

Personally, I'm going to try making Apple & Cinnamon Oats for tomorrow morning.
I'll put the oats, water & salt in and then add a little apple juice and spices like cinnamon & ginger.
Then I'll set it to cook on low overnight.
In the morning, I'll add some walnuts, brown sugar and a freshly chopped up apple before serving.

Crockpot Oats is great for a quick breakfast for the kids rushing off to school or the grown-ups rushing off to work with no time to fix anything.

Sluggy

FREE Pasta Sauce Giveaway....Go Enter Now!

 

Common Sense With Money is having a wonderful Giveaway for a 6 month's Supply of RAGU Pasta Sauce!  She went to Blogher and Ragu supplied her with Product Coupons to hold this Giveaway.

I wish someone would send me to Blogher too so I could spread Sunshine around the Internet!

Go check out the details & enter over HERE.
This Giveaway ends on September 6th, so hurry!

Sluggy

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Yes folks, it's that WONDERFUL time of the year again!
Can you guess what time I am referring to??

The Start of SCHOOL!

I am in Countdown Mode, with Zero Hour being tomorrow morning at 7:05am.
That's when the school bus carts off my loving, oh-so-agreeable, "I never fight & argue" two teenagers.

Can you tell I am almost giddy with anticipation?

I use to love that Staples TV commercial from the '90's. 
Hysterical if you are a beleaguered parent.




Of course, being a child of the '60's & '70's, I find this one cute too...



Of course, the Back to School here?...It's all a deception perpetrated on me by the local school to lull me into a sense of freedom and relief.
They go for TWO Days....but ONLY half a day!

THEN they DON'T go Friday, the weekend AND Labor Day Monday, returning on Tuesday for the REAL start of classes.

But 2 days with 3 Hours of NO bitching and fighting?
At this point.....I'll take it!!!lol

At that point I'll be able to sit down and do my August End of the Month Spending/Saving Totals.
So stay tuned for those coming up in the next few days....


Sluggy