It's Almost Time for the End of Month Totals....

I was just sitting and doing some monthly calculations while my macaroni cooked for the homemade Mac & Cheese I am making tonight.
With 1.5 days left in September it looks like I'm going to have both good and bad results.  My monthly food & toiletries budget will be under my $250 mark but my $60K $AVING$ Challenge will dip into the negative for September.
Ugh.
September is turning out to be another bad month for squirreling cash away. Haven't had a negative savings month since February.  And this month's number will blow that Feb. negative total out of the water!

I'll try not to stick my head in the oven with the Mac & Cheese over this.
Oh wait....we don't have a gas oven so that won't work anyway.

I guess I'll live to try to save again in October.
**Sigh**

Sluggy

Beginning Walgreen's Scenario...Under $5 OOP, Get $5RRs + 4 Products

If you are starting from $0 in RRs this week at Walgreens, use this Scenario to get started.
In the end of it, you will be OOP $4.53(+any applicable tax)& have $5(a $2RR & a $3RR) in RegisterRewards to spend.

*Step One
Buy 1 Hall's Throat Drops on sale $1.00
Use the .75/1 Q from sunday's paper.
Pay $.25.
Receive a $1RR(Hall's is a Cadbury/Ames company.)

*Step Two
Buy 1 Herbal Essences Shampoo on sale $2.99.
Use the $1/1 Q from sunday's paper(a few weeks ago).
Buy a small filler item.(I use Ramen Noodles for .29¢ unless something else is cheaper.)
Pay with your $1RR(Cadbury/Ames)& $1.28 cash Out Of Pocket.
Receive a $2RR(Herbal Essence is a P&G company.).

*Step Three
Buy an Oral B Toothbrush on sale $3.00. (If you have a coupon for this item, less OOP for you!)
Pay $3 cash Out of Pocket.(If you use your $2RR from the Herbal Essence, the Catalina won't generate a new RR for your Toothbrush because Oral B is also a P&G company. BE CAREFUL!)
Receive a $3RR(Oral B is a P&G company.).

You are now Out of Pocket $4.53+any applicable tax.
You have $5 in RRs($2&$3).
You have 3 products & 1 Ramen Noodles(or other filler item).

**Now you can take that $5 in RRs and do the Scenario I have listed HERE. The only addition you will have to make to that Scenario is in Step One, add a 2nd pack of Ramen Noodles or small filler item.
(You must have 1 item for each coupon you use. You can't use more coupons than the number of items in your order.  RRs count as a coupon. Since you will be using 2 RRs to pay instead of 1 RR, you need an extra item in your order.)  This will raise your total Out of Pocket for that Scenario from $1.30 to $1.59+ any applicable tax.

Sluggy

Walgreen's Scenario for Week of 9/27/09...$1.30OOP & $11RRs

I have worked up a Walgreen's scenario for those of us who have expiring $5RRs from buying the TRIAMINIC products a couple of weeks ago.  You remember....the Triaminic Nighttime that was spitting out 2 $5RRs WYB 2.  One of those RRs was a Novartis Catalina so you have to avoid paying for any THERAFLU that generates a RR this week with those $5RRs.

Here's the deal I've worked out....

In the end for each $5RR used, you will have $11 in RRs, be OOP approx. $1.30(plus tax) & have 7 products and 2 fillers.

If you aren't starting with that $5RR then you have to do some other scenarios to get to where you have a $5RR.  You can use this one I've worked out HERE.

SCENARIO-starting with a $5RR

*Step One
Buy 1 Vaseline Sheer Lotion for $6.99.
Use an IP Q for $1.50/1.
Buy 1 Hall's Drops for $1.00.
Use .75/1 Q from sunday's paper.
Buy a small filler.(I use a pack of Ramen for .29¢ or something on clearance if it's under that price.).
Pay with your $5RR(Novartis)& $1.03OOP+tax.
Receive a $7RR(Vaseline is a Unilever company)& a $1RR(Hall's is a Cadbury/Ames company)=$8RRs.

*Step Two
Buy 1 Gillette Razor for $8.99.
Use the $4/1 Q from sunday's paper.
Buy 1 Herbal Essences Shampoo for $2.99.
Use $1/1 HE Q from the sunday paper(a few weeks back). Buy a small filler.(IE; Ramen noodles for .29¢).
Pay with your $7RR(Unilever)+.27¢OOP&tax.
Receive a $6RR(Gillette is a P&G company)& a $2RR(Herbal Essences is a P&G company)=$8Rrs.
Carryover your $1RR(Cadbury).
$9RRs total.

*Step Three
Buy 3 Theraflu for $12.00($4ea.).
Use the $2/1 Q from the Walgreen's Health Booklet of Qs-1 Q will take off $2 on each box.
Pay with your $6RR(Gillette/P&G)+any applicable tax.
Receive an $8RR(Theraflu is a Novartis company).
Carryover your $1RR(Cadbury), $2RR(HerbalE/P&G).
$11RRs total.

In the End....
You have $11RRs-an increase of $6RRs from where you started.
You are OOP approx. $1.30+tax.
You have 7 products+2 Ramen noodles or other fillers.

What Walgreen's Scenario have you worked out for this week?

Sluggy

KMart and that Lovely Sound at the Register--Double Coupons this Week!

So, after last week and the on-again/off-again situation with KMart having a Doubled Coupons Week Event this week, I didn't know what to expect when I went into my local store on Sunday.
I went armed with my coupons and thought I'd test the waters by purchasing $25 reg. retail of items I was going to buy anyway.

Once in the store, I noticed there were no signs, nor did the local weekly sales ad note that they were holding a Doubled Coupons Week.  I was going to ask at the CS desk if they were doubling coupons but there was a line 10 deep already of folks with pressing return issues.  By the time I would have gotten to the front of that line I could have checked-out already and have been halfway home!
Hhhmmmm, what to do what to do.....

So I just went and put some things in my cart and headed to the register.  Some of the coupons I wanted to use up anyway and I figured the worst case scenario IF the coupons didn't double, I'd be out of pocket $11 so half of what the retail was on the items.

Put the items on the counter & handed the coupons to the cashier.  The 1st two coupons didn't double(as they made the items free not doubled) and then lucky #3 coupon did that lovely multiplying thang....yes baby!!
I looked at the cashier and said-all innocent like, "Oh, are the coupons doubling this week?  I hadn't heard anything about that!"(Well, I hadn't heard anything about doubling this week from KMart, right?)
The cashier said that yes, nobody in the store knew that morning but she had a customer use coupons and they all started doubling.  That's how the store staff found out.lolol

So here's Transaction #1...

Transaction #1

3 x Hartz Dog Biscuits $3.99 on sale $3.59=$10.77
4 x Pure Protein Bars $1.79=$7.16
2 x Hormel No Beans Chili $1.99 on sale $1.00=$2.00
2 x Lifesavers Candy $1.69 on sale $1.67(lol)=$3.34
2 x Chef Michael dog food $.99 on sale $.89=$1.78
1 x Kraft Salad Dressing $1.99 clearanced $.69=$.69 **This bottle was expiring soon.**
SubTotal  $25.74

Coupons Used
3 x Hartz Dog Biscuits $2/1 doubled/adjusted down=$10.77
4 x Pure Protein Bars BOGO(under $2ea. so all free)=$7.16
2 x Hormel No Beans Chili $1/1 (no need to double)=$2.00
2 x Lifesavers Candy $1/1 doubled/adjusted down=$3.34
2 x Chef Michael dog food BOGO(under $2ea. so all free)=$1.78
SubTotal  $25.05

$25.74-$25.05=$.69+.42 tax=$1.11OOP

$30.88 regular retail value for $1.11w/tax.

FYI-Be on the look out for a price drop on the Hormel Chili.  Some of the cans have $1/1 coupons on the lids too.

So I went back to do a full $50 shop so I could use a $5 off $50 KMart Q.  Here's what I bought...

Transaction #2

4 x Hartz Dog Biscuits $3.99 on sale $3.59=$14.36
6 x Pure Protein Bars $1.79=$10.74
6 x Hormel No Beans Chili $1.99 on sale $1.00=$6.00
2 x Dove Deodorant $3.99=$7.98
1 x Visine Allergy $3.99=$3.99
2 x Oreo Cakesters $3.29 on sale $2.50=$5.00
1 x Duracell Batteries $6.99 on sale $6.00=$6.00
SubTotal  $54.07

Coupons Used
1 x KMart $5 off $50 Purchase Q=$5.00
4 x Hartz Dog Biscuits $2/1 doubled/adjusted down=$14.36
6 x Pure Protein Bars BOGO(under $2ea. so all free)=$10.74
6 x Hormel No Beans Chili $1/1(no need to double)=$6.00
2 x Dove Deodorant $2/1 doubled/adjusted down=$7.98
1 x Visine Allergy $2/1 doubled/adjusted down=$3.99
1 x Oreo Cakesters $1/1 doubled=$2.00
1 x Duracell Batteries $2/1 doubled=$4.00

SubTotal  $54.07

$54.07+$.81tax-$54.07=$.81OOP

$64.24 of regular retail value for $.81, just tax!  I paid ZERO for the actual merchandise. 8-))

Day 1 OOP total=$1.92
Day 1 merchandise total=$95.12

Oh Mr. Bluelight!  You have worked your way into the cockles of my heart again.


So, have you headed over to KMart yet this week to see if your store is doubling coupons?

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....September 28th Edition....Throwing it Together

Last Week's Menu Post Mortum...

The last 3 meals of the week never happened.  After School activities & work commitments trumped cooking, so it was leftovers or grilled cheese sammies 2 nights instead of newly cooked meals. Sunday night we actually went out to eat for the first time in a long while for some Chinese food.  I won't be putting the dinners from last week we didn't have on this week's menu.  I have different plans for the Steak(see Wednesday below) and the other meals will go back into the Menu Pool.
I have had a hard time throwing this together(it's after 4pm on Monday already while I'm scrambling to whip this post & menu into shape).

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week....

MONDAY--Beef & Chicken Tacos(freezer/stockpile), Corn(freezer)
TUESDAY--Homemade Macaroni & Cheese(stockpile/freezer), Sauteed Swiss Chard(garden)
WEDNESDAY--Beef Bourguignon (freezer)Yes, I will be cooking all day!lol
THURSDAY--Salmon in Ginger Teriyaki Sauce(freezer), Crabcakes(freezer), Rice(stockpile), Squash Casserole(garden)
FRIDAY--Rigatoni w/Pasta Sauce(stockpile), Tossed Salad w/Vinaigrette Dressing & Gorgonzola Cheese
SATURDAY--Leftovers
SUNDAY--Breakfast For Dinner-Corned Beef Hash(stockpile), Eggs(fridge), Biscuits(fridge)

Last week I spent a Whopping $123.35 in 3 trips to the grocery store! A lot of that was stock-ups on beef, sausage/kielbasa, chicken, olive oil & pasta noodles, not actual needs for the weekly menu.
This week's shopping list is a bit more than last week's actual list(without the stocking-up).  The main items are mushrooms, carrots, bread, eggs & gorgonzola cheese. $16 should cover the menu needs for the week.

Food Waste Report....a few cucumbers went bad and went directly into the compost pile.  Next year I need to plant less cukes or find a pickle recipe my family will eat.lol

I'll be posting the recipe for the Beef Bourguignon sometime after I make it on Wednesday.  Check back to see how well I stuck to the recipe, what changes I made and how it turned out.

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week!

Sluggy