What?....More Rite-Aid??!!

Ok, I know most of you are sooo over all these Rite-Aid trip posts, so unless someone ASKS me to do the play-by-play breakdown, I will forego it.

I made 2 trips to Rite-Aid on Sunday and 2 more on Monday.  All the stores were out of the Crest Whitestrips  and very low on the John Frieda that gave the $10 +Ups(tho I am not planning on doing the JF this go round).  I did want to do the Duracell SCR and any of the FAR items(like the toothpaste), as well as work on BIL's Skin Care Rebate.

Add in 2 Sunday papers to this photo.

Besides $5 off $20 & AdPerks/In-ads and ManuQs, I used $9 in +Up Rewards for a grand total of $2.98 OOP(put on free RA gift card).
SCR qualified for...$2.99 CREST and Duracell purchase toward $10 SCR=$2.99
+Ups earned...$2 Duracell, $2 VENUS(it didn't print! so cashier just took $2 off my next purchase).

Besides $5 off $20 & Adperks/In-Ad and ManuQs, I used $4 in +Ups for a grand total of $.34 OOP(put on free RA Gift Card).
SCR qualified for...$10 DURACELL
+Ups earned...$1 Tresemme & $2 Duracell.

Besides $5 off $25 & Adperks/In-Ad and ManuQs, I used $4 in +Ups for a grand total of $.62 OOP(put on free RA Gift Card).
SCR qualified for....$10.78 toward BIL's Skin Care rebate.

+Ups earned...$1 Tresemme.

Besides $5 off $25 & Adperks/In-Ad and ManuQs, I used $4 in +Ups for a grand total of $.18 OOP(put on free RA Gift Card).
SCR qualified for...$2.99 CREST(BIL), $11.34 toward BIL's Skin Care rebate(subtotal-$22.12/$27.88 to go).


 MONTHLY TOTALS-JULY Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......4
Total Spent....$4.12--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$151.62
SCR qualified for....$15.98 in cash and $0 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$8.00
+Up Rewards spent=$17.00

Total Cash I'm getting Back=$0
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$0
+Up Rewards left to spend=$22.00


Sluggy

Rite-Aid Coupon Changes.....HEADS UP!

If you are a Rite-Aid shopper who utilizes all the various coupons, programs, rewards they offer, you NEED  to read this!

Rite-Aid has changed up the game.
Those AdPerks/Value Videos you watch to earn coupons?
About the Bonus $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks Coupon.....don't bother printing that one more than once per month anymore.
Rite-Aid has changed that coupon.  Now it is linked to your Wellness Card and has a unique serial number on each one that can be tracked when it is used.
Once you use it, that's it.  You can't print multiples and use them. 1 of this coupon per account.  The registers are now programmed at Rite-Aid to give a message to the cashier that this coupon has been redeemed already if you try to use it more than once.

For now, all the other AdPerks/Value Video Coupons are NOT this way, with a trackable unique serial number.  In case you never noticed before these AdPerks/VV coupon serial numbers all end in the date of expiration.....ie--the ones that expire June 30th end in 63010, the ones that are set to expire July 24th end in 72410. 

Reports are that if you printed out your Bonus $5 off $20 coupon that expires 7/24/10 earlier this month there is NO unique serial number.  Rite-Aid made the change sometime during June so the early birds will be able to use all their prints.

While this sure throws a monkey wrench into all the die-hard Rite-Aid shoppers plans(not to mention the dread that blackened their hearts) this is NOT the end of the Rite-Aid Shopping World dear readers!

First off, if you have a Wellness card/account, your spouse or SO can also apply/get an account and set up their own AdPerks viewing account.  By doing this, you go from access to 1 Bonus $5 off $20 Purchase coupon to 2 per month.

The last couple of months, there have been 2 $5 off $X Purchase coupons available in the AdPerks program.  The Bonus $5 off $20 as well as a $5 off $25 when you watch the Wellness video.
So now you are up to 4 $5 off $X Purchase coupons.

Often Rite-Aid will release a $5 off $X Purchase coupon through REDPLUM &/or COUPONS dotcom.
You can print these coupons generally twice per computer, so that give you potential for 4 more $5 off $X coupons per month if you have access to 1 computer/printer set-up and both sites offer it in that month.
If you have multiple computers accessible to you, count on 2 more of this coupon per month when offered.

And though they haven't offered a PDF $5 off $X Purchase this year, Rite-Aid has in the past and there is always hope that they offer that again.

So while you will have to be more resourceful in the future finding these $5 off $X Purchase coupons, they are still a viable option.

Sluggy

How Much 'Poo Do You Do?

No, this is not just some random photo of 2 bottles of shampoo.  These are my now emptied bottles of shampoo.
Guess how long it took me to use up these 2  bottles?

I used both of these bottles up in 7 MONTHS.   I switch off every week using one and then the following week I use the other one.....then I--pardon the pun--rinse and repeat. hehe
So if it takes me 7 Months to finish both bottles, it would take me 3.5 months to finish one if I didn't alternate brands.
Got it?
Good.

My hair, though thin, is a bit longish.  4" below shoulder length so I have a bit of hair to wash.  I use an amount the size of a nickel when I 'poo.  I wash my hair 2-3 times per week....a little more in the summer if I am getting sweaty.  But in the winter months 2-3 times is sufficient.

So if I extrapolate this out, I go through less than 4 bottles(12-16 oz. each)of shampoo a year.  A 2 yr. supply(which is what I like to keep on hand)would be 8 bottles tops for me.
By combining coupons and sales, I can usually get high end 'poo for $1 or less per bottle especially at Rite-Aid, meaning at most, I spend $4 on 'poo per year tops.

Considering a regular retail price on 1 bottle of name brand shampoo can run you $4-$8, I have cut my spending on 'poo by 75% from what it use to run before I used coupons and bought on sale almost exclusively.

A tip on shampoo--change up your brand every couple of weeks!  Your hair gets 'use to' whatever you use and stuff accumulates on your hair shafts.  You need to strip this gunk off every now and again so using a different brand usually is enough to do that.  Each shampoo can have different surfactants, conditioners, scents so by changing brands, the new ingredients will wash away the old ones giving you cleaner feeling hair.  As you continue to use the same 'poo over and over the new ingredients are left behind on your hair shafts causing a new build up of the new 'poo ingredients.  This is what they market the 'clarifying' shampoos for...to wash off the build up from your old shampoo.  But be careful using clarifying 'poos all the time as they tend to be harsher on your hair.

How many bottle of 'poo do you go through a year and what is it costing you?

I tried going the Baking Soda/No 'Poo route.  It was difficult getting use to it at first.  With shampoo, your hair follicles are use to producing lots of oil, because you are stripping away the natural oils every time you 'poo.  The baking soda isn't stripping but your follicles continue to over produce oil so you will go through a stage in the first month or two where your hair gets greasier to the touch.  If you can tough this part out, once your follicles calm down, things get better.  But a lot of people can't get past this part and give it up since they don't feel clean.

While baking soda did work, for now I prefer a good lather on my head now and again.

Have you ever tracked how long a bottle of shampoo lasts you?  Let us know your thoughts on 'Poo, ok?

I'd love to mark and keep track of how long/how many bottles of shampoo #2 son goes through.  Of course, he has more hair and it's longer than mine....plus he is in that teenage showering/shampooing/grooming overkill stage of life.  Here he is about 6 months ago in what I refer to as the "sheep dog look".....the girls he knows are all jealous of his hair.lol

Sluggy

Do You Coffee?.....Go Enter this Giveaway!

My blogging buddy Precious who blogs over at Frugal Makes Cents is holding a Giveaway for a $10 Starbucks Gift Card.
Go on over and check it out HERE.
While you're there, check out some of her money saving tips...you'll be glad you did!

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge.....Day Twenty Six & Twenty Seven and MORE Food Expenses

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.


Saturday DH & I polished off the rest of the Ham Macaroni & Cheese leftovers for dinner along with some frozen veggies. 
Costs....mac&cheese(free-leftovers), veggies $1.69.

Sunday we feasted!  I made cheese burgers and veggie kabobs to cook out on the grill.  I chopped some veggies and used the leftover pasta I cooked and didn't use in the mac & cheese to make pasta salad.

Cost of items not figured in yet......cheese $.75, condiments $.10, celery $.10=$.95.

Total 'spending' from the pantry for the last 2 days.....$2.64

As I mentioned before I have been keeping track of non-dinner foods eaten for the month.  I've compiled a list of everything we've used from the pantry.
Here it is....
1 box cold Cereal
2 dozen Eggs
2 packages Bacon
1 box Oatmeal
2 jars Peanut Butter
1 jar Jam
10 boxes Kraft mac/cheez
7 cans Soup
1 bag Rice
3 packages Noodles
3 cans Tuna
1 jar Mayo
1/2 jar Mustard
1 bottle Ketchup
2 packages Hot Dogs
2 bags Hot Dog Rolls
1lb. Kielbasa
1 2lb. bag Onions
1 5lb. bag Potatoes
3 loaves Bread
2 bottles Salad Dressing
1 bag Tortillas
2 lb. Chicken
2 lb. Fish
1 bag breaded Fish
1 bag shredded Cheese
3 lb. sliced Cheese
1.5 gallons Milk
2 lb. Bananas
1 container Sour Cream
10 containers Yogurt
1/2 bag Flour(5lb.)
1 bag Sugar(2lb.)
1/2 bottle Oil
1 large jar Applesauce
1 pouch Cookie Mix
1 12pack Coke
3 boxes of Capri Sun
4 envelopes Kool-Aid
1 bag of Coffee
1 box of large Tea Bags
Total of Pantry Spending....$88.03

June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$299.93
June Food Budget Left....$73.77
Days of Challenge Left....03


Can I keep from going off the grocery spending deep-end for 3 more days?
Stay tuned.....


Sluggy