September BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in September.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home)& 3 dogs. No kids under 13.

BIG LOTS
OOP $19.72
Ads/Sales $15.30
Value $35.02
Savings 44%

CARONE'S
OOP $32.41
Qs/Ads $18.51
Value $50.92
Savings  36%

CVS
OOP $.63
Qs/Ads $93.68
Value $94.31
Savings 99.3%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $15.00
Ads/Sales $30.00
Value $45
Savings 33.3%

FAMILY DOLLAR(forgotten receipt-carryover from last month)
OOP $11.22
Qs/Ads $6.43
Value $17.65
Savings 36.50%

KMART(2 partial round of double coupons this month)
OOP $66.18
Qs/Ads $908.82
Value $975.00
Savings 93.12%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $9.35
Qs/Ads $6.19
Value $15.54
Savings 40%

REDNER'S
OOP $36.40
Qs/Ads $12.85
Value $49.25
Savings 26%

RITE AID
OOP $92.22(before rebates)
Qs/Ads $265.40
Value $357.62
Savings 74.22%(88.20% after rebates)

SHOP-RITE
OOP $61.13
Qs/Ads $80.75
Value $141.88
Savings 57%

TARGET
OOP $2.30
Qs/Ads $63.87
Value $66.17
Savings 96.50%

TURKEY HILL-convenience store
OOP $4.45
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $4.45
Savings  0%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $9.18
Qs/Ads $169.59
Value $178.77
Savings 94.85%

WEIS
OOP $96.30
Qs/Ads $
Value $252.73
Savings 62%

I've decided NOT to track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN SEPTEMBER

Rite-Aid SCR........$166.67
Reynolds Foil........$4.89
Zantac........$5.00
Kellogg's Fuel for School...$10.00
Kraft/Super Valu....$20.00
Pinecone Research....$9.00

Subtotal........$215.56

FREE ITEMS
Gorilla Glue Sample

Gorilla Glue T-Shirt

Venom Sample

Rite-Aid Oral Care Booklet w/5 Free Items inside x2

Rite-Aid/Kellogg's $5 Certificate

COUPONS
Star Foods

GIFT CARDS & STORE CHECKS
Rite Aid  $50.00
Weis  $20.00
SubTotal...$58.96

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$285.56

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 99.3%, Target 96.50% and Walgreen's at 94.85%.
Kmart just got beat out by Wags but deserves a mention at a very good 93.12% savings rate.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$456.49
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$285.56

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$170.93

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2113.38
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2284.31
TOTAL Savings % for SEPTEMBER....................92.50%

This closes out the September spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates/Gift Cards received I was able to have a tremendously low out of pocket for this month.  I set out to keep it at $250 for spending this month and I succeeded!
I was able to stay out of the stores more this month, as I had wanted to.

I spread out my shopping dollars amongst quite a few store this month with only 1 or 2 trips to most.  I tried out some new stores for me...Family Dollar & the Entenmann's Bakery Outlet.  KMart saw me alot as the month started off with a Double Coupon Event and ended with one as well.
I stayed out of the drugstore mostly in September(even Rite-Aid compared to previous months)as you can see in my very low spending for CVS & WAGS.

What's ahead for October.....
I have fully stocked up the freezer with meats as of Oct. 1st.  I have a fair amount of seafood as well.
I do want to hit the farmer's market this week and grab some local produce to freezer as this is the tale end of the growing season here.

As for the organizing I wanted to do last month....I began going through all the toiletries/food stockpile about a week before Sept. ended.  I will finish this organizing in October. I know I'm going to have excess items, things we just won't/can't use before it goes bad so I'll be concentrating on getting rid of stuff via selling, giving away to friends and family & donating to charity.  I'm going to concentrate on getting "my house in order" and not on shopping for food/toiletries.  We have enough(and in some cases too much)of both.

I'm going to keep the Food/Toiletries Budget at $250 for October & try to stay out of the grocery & drug stores this month.  Well, right after KMart double coupons is over this week....lol
I just have this feeling in my bones that Price Chopper will be running a good Catalina Deal soon.  In my book, they are waaaaay overdue for one.  I hope they don't have one as it will torpedo my Oct. "stay out of the store" efforts, but I'm just sayin..... ;-)
The only stocking up I forsee outside of the farmer's market produce may be some baking supplies(flour, sugar, etc.).  The Holidays are coming and these types of items do go on special at this time of year.  Part of my $250 may be used for laying in these types of foodstuffs.

How did you do in September with your Food Budget?  Leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy

Go Enter the Giveaway for the new Harry Connick Jr CD at I Am a Money Magnet

Jamie over at "I Am A Money Magnet!" is holding a Giveaway for Harry Connick, Jr.'s latest CD.
It's called "Your Songs".
The drawing closes at 7pm tonight(Eastern time I think), so get on over to Jamie's Blog HERE and enter NOW!

Sluggy

How to Buy Meat If You Shop at Weis Markets

If you are a Weis Grocery Store shopper you know that they run their sales ads from Thursday to Wednesday.  Most  grocery stores around here in PA run their weekly ads from Sunday to Saturday, but not Weis or Mr. Z's markets.  Most times it puts a monkey wrench into my weekly shopping plan and I find myself having to scramble to get to the store before a sale ends.  But as a SAH/WAH Mom I have found that there is one advantage with them beginning and ending sales during the week and not on a weekend.  I find there are fewer customers in the store during the week, so if you find a good deal/a great sale item during a weekday, you can get a jump on most shoppers to get to the deal before they run out.

Here's a heads up on the BEST TIME to shop for meat at Weis.  Either late on Wednesday evening or early on Thursday morning.  As they run their meat specials from thursdays to wednesdays, these two times are the best times to look for meats that are discounted.  They will mark down the ending week's meat sales items at this time of the 'change over' in ads.  And occasionally, you can find the "Perfect Storm" situation where they have marked down the sale's meats AND the packages are coming up on the Sell By Date and they also have put a $XX Off Sticker on the packages.

I had to pop into Weis this morning to pick up some OJ for #2 son who is home sick from school today with a cold and to get an adjustment on a receipt from a previous trip where I was overcharged for some items.  I made a quick run by the meat counters and found The Perfect Storm! 8-))

I picked up 8 packages of meat(3 steak/1 ribs/4 boneless pork chops). 8 of the packages had between $1.50 & $3 off stickers on them & 6 of the packages were also discounted per lb.  The average price per lb. of all the packages was $4.77.  After all the discounts, the average price per lb. I paid was $1.58!  I bought a total of 10.91 lbs. of meat valued at $51.98 for $17.23.  That comes to just under $1.58lb! & a Savings of 67% on meat!!
Woohoo!

Between the Catalina Deal on the Smoked Sausage/Brats & the Chicken BOGO with the $X Off stickers on the packages at Weis last week, the $1.69lb. Ground Beef & Pork Chops at Shop-Rite last week and now more Pork Chops, Ribs & Steak today at Weis, my freezer is stuffed full for Very little money.

Bring on Winter.....well, not quite yet.lol

Do you buy meat?  When have you found is the best time to find deals on meats?
Why don't you leave a comment below and share your tips on how you save money on buying meat for your family.  Maybe what you do will help someone else out. ;-)

Sluggy

Holiday GLADE Products at KMart + Rebate=Moneymaker this Week!

Here's an idea if you buy Glade candle/scented oil products and your KMart is doubling coupons this week.

I haven't seen anyone else mention this yet, so either give Don't Read This;It's Boring! Blog credit or link back to this page to spread the word.

KMart is running a promotion until 12/24/09. 
Buy select HOLIDAY SC Johnson items(Holiday Saran/Ziploc or Glade items).
*Spend $10-$14.99 & receive a $2.00 OYNO coupon
*Spend $15-$19.99 & receive a $3 OYNO coupon
*Spend $20 or more & receive a $5 OYNO coupon
The OYNO coupon is good for 2 weeks from purchase date.

There was a Glade coupon in the sunday's paper a few weeks ago-$2 off 2 Glade scented oil candles.
KMart has the Glade refill packs(pictured above) on sale this week for 2 for $5.
And if your store doubles coupons this week, buy two packs and pay $1.00 out of pocket for both.
$5-$2/2 coupon doubled to $4=$1.00
Use 2 coupons and buy 4 refill packs and pay $2.00.
Remember....make sure you buy 4 HOLIDAY SCENT Packs! 
Your total before coupons will be $10.  When you pay your $2.00 cash at the register, a $2 OYNO coupon will generate, making these candle refills FREE(after tax that is).

Then send for this SC Johnson Rebate HERE.  Buy 3 SC Johnson items and get $5 back.
Click on that page where it says to download your rebate form.

Your FREE Glade just became a $5 MONEYMAKER!
And the best part is you can send for this rebate up to 3 times per address/household. Each rebate must be mailed separately.  And this offer is good until 7/30/10.

Nice smelly stuff for MORE Than FREE...Woohoo!!!

Sluggy

Attention Rite-Aid Shoppers! About the AVEENO SCR #5.....

My receipts went through for my Rite-Aid purchases on Sunday and it looks like the AVEENO SHAVE GEL does NOT qualify for the Aveeno #5 Offer in the October Single Check Rebate Program.

I have sent off an inquiry to Rite-Aid Rebates on this matter.
This truly pisses me off.

First off, the big glossy Rebate Booklet does NOT state anywhere in it that this product is excluded from the #5 Offer.   Both online and in the printed literature it states that the valid items are....
"Aveeno Skincare or Haircare Products".
The last time I looked a man's beard was part of his SKIN and located on his FACE!  Now look at the photo above of the product....where it says THERAPEUTIC.....and then it says SMOOTHS DRY, SENSITIVE SKIN!!??!!
It's a shaving aid but Aveeno also touts this product as a SKINCARE item with that kind of wording!  I man isn't going to slather on skin cream on his face(a large part of which is beard area), he's going to slather on shave gel with skincare properties.

In addition, the Rite-Aid store were I purchased this AVEENO SHAVE GEL has the AVEENO #5 REBATE Shelf Tag attached right under this product.  Gee, the store is TELLING ME that this Shave Gel item qualifies for the Rebate!  Are they LYING to me?  Isn't that FALSE ADVERTISING RITE-AID?!?!
So I popped into a different Rite-Aid location this morning and guess what?.....That store had the AVEENO REBATE shelf tag up under the AVEENO SHAVE GEL also!

Rite-Aid Corporate and the Local Stores really need to get their Sh......aving Cream together!

If you need to contact Rite-Aid's SCR Program because of this problem as well, try emailing them at rebates@rebates.riteaid.com or go HERE and fill out the form.
I'll let ya'll know what happens but I am expecting a canned response and NO SATISFACTION.
Just call me one of the Rolling Stones today.....

I hear a Beef Bourguignon calling my name!

 Sluggy