I'm Baaaaaaack!

Thanks for all the well-wishes over the past few days.

This last week has seriously been NO FUN!
My shoulder/arm started getting sore last Friday.  I spent 2 days working on whittling down and reorganizing my food stockpile so I chalked it up to just an overworked, tired arm.
But the arm kept feeling worse days after I stopped working on that chore.
Until it got to the point where I couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in.
After 2 days/nights of not sleeping more than 2 hours total I had DH take me to the ER.

2 hours later I left there feeling the same.  They took a couple of x-rays of the shoulder and nothing showed up fractured or broken so the ER doc(who looked about the age of Doogie Howser) patted me on the head, gave me 1.5 days worth of Percocet and said to see my family doc if I didn't improve in the next 2 days.
2 more days of agony/non-sleep and I was in my family doc's office.

He diagnosed me with Bursitis, put me on an arthritis med and hooked me up with Mr. Vicodin for a few more days.
2 days later and I'm finally feeling human again.  The shoulder is still sore but better and I can at least sleep now.....and type with 2 hands again!

Of course, all this happens at the end of the March when I have some coupons, ECBs and RRs left to use before they expire....so they expired.
Oh well....
At least DH was home this week from work.  I feel bad he spent most of his week taking care of me and carting me around in the car since I couldn't drive but I'm thankful he was here.  The sullen teens would have just ignored me and my needs.  How do I know?  The few times I asked them for a hand, I got the usual eye rolls and sighs.  I had better make darn sure I won't need to live with them when I get old and decrepit!lol


All I can say is I'm glad I got the taxes all done before the shoulder went.
And that Getting Old Sucks when you aren't well....

Sluggy

I'll be Gone for Awhile....

Briefly, I've injured my shoulder and will be away from the keyboard for awhile.  Keep some good thoughts for me over the next few days that the doc can diagnose this quickly and there is something they can do for me.  At this point I'd settle for a mega painkiller as the pain has kept me from sleeping for 2 days.

Oh yeah, and it really sucks typing with one hand!

'Til later...
Sluggy

Old Spice Anyone?

Well I have NOT been shopping all week!
Yep.
All.
Week.
I finally broke down today and headed up to...where else?....Rite-Aid!

I needed a few things before the week and the SCR period for March ended--product to qualify for the NYC cosmetic $1 rebate, 3 more John Frieda items for the 3rd $5 SCR and another $1 worth of something Johnson & Johnson since I miscalculated and only hit the $49 and change mark on the J&J Buy $50/Get $25 SCR deal.
I have 2 John Frieda Root Awakening items rainchecks for the $5 sale price on those products but the stores are still out of the RA 'Poos here and I don't need Conditioners, dang it!  So I'll have to buy the reg. priced Frizz Ease products for the last JFrieda $5 rebate.  Not too bad though, as I get a 10% Wellness discount on the reg. price so they are only $5.84 instead of $6.49.

I did 2 transactions.

#1....
2 x Old Spice Red Zone Spray on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Old Spice Red Zone Deodorant on sale=$2.99
1 x Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash on sale=$2.99
1 x Johnson's Baby Shampoo on sale=$2.99
1 x JFrieda Frizz-Easse 'Poo wellness discount=$5.19**


SubTotal....$20.14

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks IPQ=$5.00
1 x BOGO Old Spice Body Spray ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.99
1 x $2/1 Old Spice Deodorant WYB OS Body Wash ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Old Spice Body Wash WYB OS Deodorant ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Any Skin Care product $2.99 or more Wellness IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Any Johnson's Product IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Any Johnson's Baby Product In-Ad Q=$1.00
1 x $3/1 JFrieda product ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 JFrieda Frizz-Ease product AdPerks IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$19.99

$20.14-$19.99=$.15 +$.01 tax=$.16 OOP Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO Spending.

SCRebates qualified for....$25 J&J Spend $50/Get $25 back

**Well, I thought I had a 10% Wellness discount on any regularly priced item....so the 'Poo should have been $5.84.  But it rang up $5.19, with is a 20% discount.  I knew I was close to enough points for the 20% discount so I guess I am now up to the next discount level. ;-)


That went so well so I went back in and basically did it again.....

#2....
2 x Old Spice Red Zone Spray on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Old Spice Red Zone Deodorant on sale=$2.99
1 x Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash on sale=$2.99
1 x NYC Lip Gloss wellness discount=$2.39****
1 x JFrieda Frizz-Easse 'Poo wellness discount=$5.19
1 x Trident Gum on sale=$1.00***
SubTotal....$20.54

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 AdPerks IPQ=$5.00
1 x BOGO Old Spice Body Spray ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.99
1 x $2/1 Old Spice Deodorant WYB OS Body Wash ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Old Spice Body Wash WYB OS Deodorant ManuQ(2/21 P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Any Skin Care product $2.99 or more Wellness IPQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Any Cosmetic item $2.99 or more Wellness IPQ=$2.00
1 x $3/1 JFrieda product ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 JFrieda Frizz-Ease product AdPerks IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$19.99


$20.54-$19.99=$.55 OOP  Put on Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO Spending.

 ***I didn't realize I got a 20% discount until THE END of this transaction.   The NYC cosmetic only rang up $2.39 instead of the $2.69 I was expecting, so my Total was under $20($19.54).  The register still took the AdPerks $5 off $20 IPQ however.  We realized the problem when the register wouldn't let the cashier imput my last $2 Q, as my total at that point was only $1.54.  Doh! lol
So I added the pack of gum which made my starting total over $20 so I really could use the $5 off $20 Q and then the last $2/1 Q went through, leaving a balance of .54¢.
****And the $2 off any item over $2.99 type Wellness coupons--I haven't had a problem using them on items that are under $2.99 after the discount.  They ring up over $2.99 initially, then the discount is applied bringing their price under $2.99.  As long as the item starts out over that $2.99 or whatever the threshold price is, there is no problem.  I just wanted to explain that if anyone were to notice.

This transaction I qualified for...$1 SCR for NYC Cosmetic $2.99 or more.

I still need to go back tomorrow and buy 1 more John Frieda product to finish off BIL's 3rd Kao Brands-Buy 3/Get $5 SCR.
I also plan to buy a Veet product in that transaction for the $3 Veet SCR for BIL's account.

And now I have to remember to adjust my totals for the 20% level of Wellness discount when figuring my scenarios/totals/oop.
My head hurts.....

Sluggy

I Know He is Spinning in His Grave!

I've been working hard the last 2 days out in the stockpile.  While I'm gone here's something to keep you entertained.

Someone on a yahoo group I am on shared this withe me.
I thought this was a hoot and worth sharing with my readers.

And if A. Marie is over here from SonyaAnn's blog, it is OK TO LOOK! ;-)

Sluggy

Keeping the Easter Basket Scene Frugal

Today I'd like to continue talking about yesterday's Easter basket post theme found HERE. 

With many people having less money in their budgets due to the recession, even if you never considered being frugal when putting together your kids' Easter baskets before, you may be forced by circumstances now to downsize your holiday spending.   My thinking about Easter buying is, "Why spend more than you have to, no matter your budget?".

You can provide a nice Easter basket/goodies spread for your kids without breaking the bank.
Here are some ways to save money.

1.Set a Budget.  Either set a budget per child or a total budget for all baskets.  But set one and stay within your budget.

2. Know your child.  Figure out if they could only get 1 thing, what would make them the happiest?  Would your child like candy the most or what they prefer a toy?  With the cost of chocolate nowadays, in some cases it might be cheaper to get them a toy!lol

Keep your child's likes/dislikes in mind.  What's the point of filling their basket with $1 store toys if those aren't the kinds of things they prefer...or malted milk balls that were a great deal if they won't eat them?  Yes, it might be cheap to shop at the $ store but if the toys break within the first 5 minutes it's not a deal.

3. Decide what price tier of chocolate/candies to buy.  When it comes to buying candy/chocolate, there are the off brands, name brands and high end brands.

Off Brands are the least expensive but often they contain artificial ingredients.  Some people don't mind that and some do.  You need to spend your money the best way for your needs. I am talking Palmer's and other brands you find at discount retailers(Family Dollar, Dollar General, WalMart, Dollar Stores, etc.)

If you really prefer the major name brands of goodies(Hershey, M&M/Mars, etc.)there are ways to bring the cost of them down using sales and coupons.  Check out the major drug stores at this time of year, as they are running sales on the seasonal candies.  Combine those sales with manufacturer's coupons as well as store coupons to snag the name brand candy for as little or less than the off-brands.

If you can't compromise on quality and only the high-end specialty chocolate and candy will do, try to find coupon codes and deals online for those brands.  Google or Bing or Swagbucks or whatever search engine you prefer, the names of brands like Godiva, See's, etc.  You may be able to find a deal somewhere. 

Another way to save money on the candy/chocolate is to NOT buy the specialty packages for the Holiday.  Often times, specially wrapped candy/chocolate for the holiday is either more expensive per ounce or you get less product in the package compared to the non-seasonally packages of the same product.
To save money when this is the case, buy 1 bigger seasonally wrapped item(like a bunny shaped or egg shaped chocolate)and use everyday shaped/wrapped/packaged candies/chocolates as the smaller "filler" candies.
Something I do to keep the candy/chocolate cost down is to buy Christmas and Valentine's candies on deep discount during the holiday clearance sales and use it for Easter basket goodies.  I'll pick out the silver, gold, white and green wrapped/colored Christmas candies and the silver, pink and white colored Valentine's candies for the Easter baskets.  Add in a little lavender and light blue Easter themed candies and who can tell?lol

4. Reuse what you can from one year to the next.
When I was a kid, we reused the same basket & fake grass every year.  You don't need to buy the container you use new each year.  Unless you have a really really huge Easter basket, you should have sufficient storage somewhere in your home to stow it away until next year.  Same goes for the grass, and any decorations. Heck, if you wrap the basket in cellophane, you should be able to reuse that as well from year to year.

5. Get if for FREE or Get creative and think outside the basket.
If you don't presently have an Easter basket and grass, for goodness sakes, do NOT go buy them new!  There are numerous places you can find perfectly good baskets for cheap or free even.  Try yard sales, ask friends if they have old baskets hanging around in their attics or garages(I bet most everybody has at least one!), ask on CraigsList or any Free or Barter type local newspapers or online groups.

If you can't find a typical Easter basket for cheap or free that way, think outside the box.  An Easter basket doesn't have to be an Easter basket.  How about using an old Beach Pail, a free pastry flour bucket you can get from your local bakery, a cardboard box covered with self sticking wallpaper scraps or gift wrap you have laying around the house.  If you can crochet, how about a crocheted or knitted basket, a basket made out of string that you can stiffen with glue like THIS.  I have also seen this same idea used to make a basket out of sugar.  Any container you can think of has the potential to be turned into an Easter basket.  You are only limited by the reach of your imagination!

And if you don't have any plastic grass for gosh sakes, DON'T BUY ANY!  Plastic grass is so not environmentally friendly! Try shredding some old bills or papers in place of pre-made grass.  If you need color in your grass then use watered down paints or food coloring to give it that springy pizazz.  If you Must buy grass, buy something that is compost friendly, that's made of paper products or even the edible candy grass.

6.  Stay away from Pre-Wrapped Baskets.
The least frugal thing you can do is to buy one of those pre-assembled Easter baskets.  You know....the ones where all the goodies are already put in the baskets and it's wrapped in cellophane.  Sometimes the price may seem like a deal but look at what is actually IN the basket.  If you add up the cost of the items they contain, usually you can save money by assembling the exact same items.

7.  Hit the After Easter Clearance Sales.
While this tip won't help you this Holiday season to be frugal, check out the prices on the leftovers in the stores when Easter is over.  There are many good opportunities to pick up items for next year on the cheap like baskets,  accessories and toys as well.  Often companies will put out Easter or Spring themed versions of their toys.  Major retailers generally put these toys on clearance with the Easter themed items even though the toy itself isn't seasonal...it's just packaged in a seasonal way.  You can get great deals on toys that way that you can put back and give for Birthdays or at Christmas.
It's even possible to pick up candy/chocolate during the Holiday Clearance sales to use next year.  While I don't recommend this, if you can store the candy in such a way that it won't deteriorate, you can save lots.  I have bought M&Ms and packed them away in the freezer until next year and they looked and tasted the same as a freshly made bag.  Not all candies/chocolates can be kept so long so use your own discretion.

When shopping the sales, just be sure that the CLEARANCE signs don't cause your common sense to leave your brain.  A deal isn't a deal if you really don't need it!  Getting 3 Easter baskets for $.25 each on clearance is great if you NEED 3 baskets, but not so great if you don't NEED that many.  It's always a great idea to MAKE A LIST of what you NEED before you hit the clearance sales.  And stick to your list!!


Sluggy