For Donna....As Promised!

A few weeks ago I won a blog contest over at Donna Freedman's blog, Surviving and Thriving.
Part of my win included a cute little alien critter that says various alien-like phrases when you whack him on the head.  I sort of like that whacking on the head thing, but I digress.

I had asked Donna to autograph the Alien before she sent him packing to PA.  I have a small collection of autographs, both photos and objects.  The signatures range from famous people to the even better type of people, those I consider my friends. ;-)
I promised Donna that if she signed old green butted Alien dude I would put her/him right next to my Bruce Willis.  It's only appropriate because Donna and Bruce are fellow Jerseyites and they are both "hot" babes.

Well my Alien dude arrived late last week-Thanks Donna!-but alas, without a signature as his alien form proved to be 'unsignable'.
But he arrived holding a card attesting to his unsignability, handwritten and autographed by Ms. Freedman.  That is good enough for me and my collection!

So without further ado........Donna meet Bruce....Bruce, Donna.....

May you dwell together happily for many years to come in my dining room hutch.

Be sure to check out Donna's frugality/personal finance blog.  She's one smart tough cookie!

Sluggy

Another 2010 BORING BLOG BOX of FUN GIVEAWAY is OPEN! Box #3

This is the 3rd Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY for 2010!

It's time again for a Boring Giveaway.
I run a Boring Blog here so why not giveaway boring stuff, right?

Just to recap, I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.  The stuff can range from HBA, food, toys, collectibles, home decor or books.  Someday if enough people click on enough ads and this blog makes some cold hard cash, I may add a gift card, so get to clicking already!!lol

For all you Primping Princesses, here is what went into the Box today.....

1. 1 Dove Skin Vitalizer-it vibrates!lol
2. 2 Skin Vitalizer Pad Refills
3. N.Y.C. Cherry Lip Gloss

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways on THIS POST.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower---->


TIME TO ENTER.....

I entry per person on this POST.

When I post again about this BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY, entries on this Post will be CLOSED and you can post on the New Giveaway Post and enter again.  I hope this isn't too confusing. ;-)

Here are the ways to get UP TO 2 EXTRA entries PER POST.....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with the URL of your blog. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

You can do each of these 2 things once per post, so that's a total of up to 3 entries per person per post.
(*Sorry M & F...no daily entries this time because of the vacation.*)

Again, you can enter on this post until I put another Giveaway Post up and then you need to enter on the NEWER Post. 
FYI if you are new here....it generally takes 4 weeks to fill the box, so there will be 4 posts(give or take)about this Giveaway where you can enter to win up to 3 times.

Any questions?  Just email me at slugmama@yahoo.com

Oh yah, I pay for all the stuff in this giveaway and nobody(business or person) gives me stuff or pays me to hold them or promote their products.  I even pay the shipping just because I loves ya'll and....and.....that's how I roll!  ;-)

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

Lots of Rite-Aid Stuff from Last Week....And FINAL JULY SCR Period NUMBERS

I made 6 trips to Rite-Aid between 7/21 & 7/24 that I didn't post about yet.....*I hang my head in shame....for 6 trips or is it for not posting about it yet?lol*

 I had lots of $5 off $20 AdPerks Qs that were expiring on the 24th.  I also discovered a good deal using 2 of the Olay Qs from the P&G insert that is expiring on the 31st....the $4/1 Olay Total Effects and the Buy an Olay Total Effects Body Wash/Get an Ivory Product FREE(up to $3).

By using my 20% wellness discount at Rite-Aid, I could get the Total Effects Body Wash for between $4.23-$3.99(depending on which Rite-Aid I went to).  The Ivory Soap 4 packs were between $2.79 & $2.63 as well so I could get those free with the 2nd Q.  Meaning for every pair of items I bought I either paid .23¢ for both or got both free(again, depending on which store I went to).

2 x Olay Total Effects w/20% discount=$8.46
2 x Ivory Soap packs w/20% discount=$5.58
2 x Burger King Snacks on sale BOGO=$2.19
2 x TwinLabs Energy Drinks on sale BOGO1/2=$2.98
2 x Mounds Candy Bars on sale .50¢=$1.00
SubTotal...$20.21

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks Q=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Olay TE ManuQ=$8.00
2 x BOGO Ivory ManuQ=$5.58
1 x $1/2 Burger King Snacks IPQ=$1.00
1 x .50/2 Mounds Bars AdPerks Q=$.50
Coupon Total....$20.08

$20.21-$20.08=$.13 OOP put on free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket

There was a $5 +Up reward on TwinLabs supplements last week & the energy drinks qualified so I got a $5 +UP Reward for every 2 products I bought.  The drinks cost $2.98 and gave back a $5 +UPs so I was ahead $2.02 for every pair of drinks(1 pair per transaction).

Next up we have....

2 x Olay Total Effects
2 x Ivory Soap 4 packs
2 x TwinLabs Energy Drinks
1 x Oral B Toothbrush on sale=$2.99
1 x Cover Girl Mascara on sale=$6.99 *The variety I tried to buy that qualified for the rebate didn't ring up on sale so I had to get this one...poop!
SubTotal...$26.20

Coupons totaled...$24.26 including $5 in +Up Rewards I redeemed.
I spent $1.94 OOP put on a free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket.
I earned $7.50 in +UPs($5 for energy drinks, $1.50 for toothbrush).

The following day I did this....

1 x Visine Red Eye w/20% discount=$5.83
2 x Color Burst Lipsticks 40% off=$10.78($5.39 ea.)
1 x Motrin PM w/20% discount=$5.03
SubTotal...$21.64
Coupons totaled...$20.00(including a $5/$20 and a $5 +UPs redeemed)
$1.64 OOP put on Gift Card so ZERO out of pocket

I earned $7 in +Ups but only the Revlon Lipstick one printed($4).
I have a full price rebate form for the Visine so after submitting for that I'll receive $5.83 back.

I realized during the week that the 8 pack Duracell, of which the stores did NOT have but had bonus 10 packs instead were NOT qualifying for the Duracell $10 SCR.  So instead of having $20+ spent in batteries I only had $4.99 at this point, with the rebate period ending on Saturday.  So we struck out on Saturday to do 3 transactions and get enough battery credits to qualify for the rebate.

Hubs did this transaction....

2 x Duracell 20+5 packs on sale $10=$20.00
2 x Almond Joy Bars on sale.50=$1.00
Subtotal...$21.00

Coupons totaled.....$15.50(included a $5 off $20, a .50/2 candy bar AdPerks Q, a $1/1 Duracell Peelie and $9 in +UPs.
I spent $5.83 OOP put on that trusty old free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO OOP.
I qualified for $10 Duracell SCR.

Then I did this transaction....

1 Zegerid=$10.00
2 Garnier Face Scrub=$10.38($5.19 ea. w/20% discount)
1 Nut Mix on sale=$3.99
1 Lypsyl w/20% discount=$2.39
SubTotal.....$26.76

Coupons
1 $5 off $25 wellness Adperks Q=$5.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid AdPerks Q=$3.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid In-Ad Q=$3.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid IPQ from manu. website=$3.00
2 $5/1 Garnier Face stuff In-Ad Q=$10.00
1 $2/1 Garnier Face stuff ADPerks Q=$2.00
Coupon Total...$26.00

$26.76-$26.00=$.76OOP put on gift card so ZERO out of pocket
I earned $10 in +UPs but only the Garnier printed($3).
There is a TRY ME FREE rebate on the Lypsyl so I'll submit that one for the BIL for a $2.39 rebate.

And last but not least.....

1 Olay Total Effects w/20% discount=$3.99
1 Ivory Soap 4pack w/20% discount=$2.63
2 Garnier Shampoo on sale=$6.00
1 TwinLabs Energy Drinks on sale=$2.98
1 St Ives Face Wash on sale=$3.49
1 Liquid Plumr on sale=$3.49
1 Cover Girl Mascara on sale=$6.99
2 Coke 6packs(for our trip)=$6.00 **Not Pictured
SubTotal...$35.57

Coupons Used
1 $5 off $25 wellness AdPerks Q=$5.00
1 $4/1 Olay TE ManuQ=$4.00
1 BOGO Ivory Product=$4.99**
2 $1/1 Garnier IPQ(manu website)=$2.00
2 $1/1 Garnier hair product AdPerks Q=$2.00
1 $2/1 St. Ives face product=$2.00
1 $1/2 Cokes In-Ad Q=$1.00
$4.50 in +Ups used($3Garnier & $1.50 OralB)=$4.50
Coupon Total....$25.49

$35.57-$25.49=$10.08+$.29tax=$10.37OOP put on free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket
I earned $7 in +UPs($1 Garnier, $1 Liquid Plumr, $5 Energy Drinks).

**My total should have been higher, as it looks like the cashier took off the full price of the Olay product($4.99)instead of the Ivory product($2.63).  So I got a serendipitous $2.36 extra off my purchases this time.
In addition.....I've spent over $30 in Olay/Pantene/Cover Girl/Secret, Venus products so I can send for the $10 off $30 rebate that runs until the end of Sept. HERE.


Totals for these 4 days....
Number of Transactions....6
Value of items purchased...$203.05
Money Spent.....$19.67--all put on Gift Cards so $0.00 out of pocket
+Ups Earned....$32.50($10 of it didn't print)
SCR qualified for...$2.00-Cover Girl(since I already added in the $10 Duracell earlier this week)
Other rebates....$18.22


FINAL MONTHLY TOTALS-JULY Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......18
Total Spent....$28.58--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$669.87
SCR qualified for....$35.98 in cash and $30 in Gift Cards & 1 pack of diapers
Other Cash....$29.27(I put the $3.40 refund here.)
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$61.50

Total 'Spent'...$28.58(on gift cards)
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$65.25
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$30.00
+Up Rewards left to spend=$16.00(including the $9 that didn't print)


Sluggy

Monday Afternoon Drinks and Sit Down

It's been a busy morning here at Chez Sluggy.

It's time for a brief sit down before tackling some more chores around the house....so grab a drink and a chair.

Hubs is home from work on vacation so we are trying to get some things done....phone calls, tying up loose ends of things, like dealing with the govt. bureaucracy in regards to his mother, dealing with the high school Young Scholars Program(seniors who take college courses while in high school), and finding a missing shoe for #1 son.  Just 1 shoe is missing and we can't seem to locate it.  He's suppose to attend a wedding next weekend out near camp and Hubs is dropping off his dress clothes when he goes to pick up daughter on Thursday.  I guess I'll have to get involved in this Search & Rescue Mission shortly.....
Men will give up 4 seconds after looking for something and ask the woman in their lives where something is that's misplaced.  Why do all men think that a uterus is an internal tracking system?!?

Because the humidity broke finally, #2 son and I went to storage this morning and dug through boxes and I've come up with more donation items for Salvation Army.  I also found some more boxes of toys for eBay come September.

I also discovered that I do indeed need to do the Flea Market one more time.
This will happen after the kids go back to school in September, after Labor Day Weekend when the weather is a bit cooler.  Hubs says Sept. and don't wait until Oct. like last year because we froze our butts off then.
Even though lugging everything there is a hassle I'd much rather do that than set up in the garage and have to sit there all day waiting for people to come and buy stuff.  It goes much faster at the flea market...sell for 4 hours and bug out by noon!

The big news is that we are leaving Friday for a vacation...yay!!  I REAL vacation this year.  I can't wait!!
The trip was sort of last minute scrambling to put together but we found a place to stay plus we'll be staying with friends for part of it too.  The 1st part of the trip we are staying in an RV so I need to get bed linens, cooking items(pots, dishes, utensils, etc.)as well as coolers and food packed(thank you stockpile!lol).  First I need to empty my car out from this morning and take a load up to the food bank too.

With all that needs doing I don't know how I'm going to fit in a trip to Rite-Aid this week!lolol

I've got a ZEVIA soft drink review and giveaway on deck but with leaving town, that will be put on hold onto I return since I won't have internet while I'm away. 

But stay tuned later today for a new BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY to start....woohoo!  I can start that one now and just hope Marilyn & Frances don't crash Blogger's system while I am away...lolol ;-)

Sluggy

The Holiday Spending Has Commenced!

Last Sunday, when I was at Big Lots buying food and canning jars with my 20% off coupon, I also began my Christmas gift buying.

First off let me say that we don't do a lot of commercially bought gifting at the Holidays.  I am on my 4th year as a member of The Compact Group(check them out on Yahoo Groups), so I don't do indiscriminate 'stuff buying' as a rule.  Not even at thrift stores or yard sales either.  I figure I spent the first 45 yrs. of my life acquiring 'things', so I'll spent the bulk of my time during the next 45 yrs. getting rid of stuff or using up the stuff I already have.

That's not to say that I don't buy things but it's only after a long and thoughtful process of figuring out it's really REALLY needed or wanted.

So anyway, since our kids are past the 'toy' stage, we don't buy much stuff anymore at the Holidays.  Being teens they do constantly want more expensive things but we keep the amount we spend on them turned down a few notches on the expense knob and generally they receive a few articles of clothing(which THRILL them to no end...lol!), and either gift cards, cash or 1 big ticket item.  So for the kids, I only usually buy/acquire 10 or so gift items total each Christmas.  Hubs and I only exchange a token gift or two since there is not much we need that we don't have already and if there is something we really really want, we can just go out and buy it ourselves.
We have few relatives outside of our immediate family and we generally give food items to them.  All of our friends live distances away so we send Christmas cards only if we get the energy and time.

That leaves the stocking stuffers.   I enjoy hunting around for the stocking gifts.  I don't care to just do generic stocking gifts(everyone gets the same thing kind of gifts-like a cheese log, socks, and candy canes).  I try to tailor the stuffers to the recipient.
Our stockings do have some 'traditional for us' gift requirements.
Everyone gets either socks or undies in their stocking.
Everyone gets a couple of personal hygiene items(shampoo, deodorant, make-up for the gals, combs, toothbrush, etc.)
Everyone gets a candy treat.
The rest of the space in the stockings I try to fill with interesting items I find throughout the year.  Mostly I try to find useful items but sometimes I do buy something totally wasteful, cheap and fun...gasp!
 

Here is what I picked up last Sunday for Christmas....

3 pack of Hot Sauce, 3 pack of Socks, 3 pack of Undies.  Guess which one my sons are NOT getting?lol
With the low price at Big Lots and my discount I spent a grand total of $9.60.

So I only have 2 more socks/undies gifts to acquire now for the stockings.(1 for #1 son and 1 for Hubs).

As for the personal hygiene stuffer items.....I have that MORE than covered with all my Rite-Aid free goodies!
I'll wait until closer to the Holidays to pick up their candy items(unless I see something uber cool before then that will store well).
So my stocking stuffers list is down to 2 socks/undies gifts, 3 candy/treat gifts and then the 4-8  'special' wacky gifts.

I'll be working on a list this week, of possible items to pick up in the coming months, to finish off what I need to gather for the Holiday gifting.  I'll keep my eyes peeled and try to pick up meaning items on sale/clearance/ for cheap.  Everything goes into a designated box hidden in the house so that when December rolls around I can find it all.  There is nothing worse than buying throughout the year for the Holidays and then NOT being able to FIND IT when you need it! 
Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt as they say....

I always hope to be finished or at least have all my purchases planned out by Dec. 1.(Some gift cards I wait until then to purchase but I've decided on which/what by Dec. 1.) 
That leaves me free from shopping stress in December so I can do other things during the Holiday Season besides fight someone in Macy's over who's going to buy that ugly sweater in our paws.

I usually spend around $850 total for the Holidays.  That includes $200 per kid, $50 for spouse and $200 for all other items(cards, baking, meal, decorating, etc.)  If I do mail gifts of food, this amount doesn't include postage/shipping.  This amount also doesn't include what Hubs spends on me....he is the loose canon in this budget.lol
Now our family does spend about on par with what they say the typical American family spends at the Holidays.  Let me say that we don't buy 'stuff' for our kids all year round like many parents do.  No xboxes are purchases just because someone here whines that they are bored or such and I don't lay out big money for name branded jeans, shoes, 'fill in the blank', etc.  Birthday presents are modest so Christmas is the ONE TIME in the year our kids get the neat stuff.

And since we have no debt at all, we can afford to spend this amount.
And since we budget for this expense all year($16.35 a week put away), we have the CASH and don't put any purchases on CREDIT!

And if you need to use credit for the Holidays, perhaps you should step back and consider what a bad idea that is before you pull out the Visa card again.....
Don't put your financial life in jeopardy for gifts that no one will remember a year from now and you'll still be paying for in 10 years!
Make this a CASH ONLY CHRISTMAS!  You will be so glad you did.....

Since my family doesn't read my blog, I'll post here in the coming months what I buy and keep a running tab on what I've spent.
2010 Christmas Spending Total....$9.60

Here is an interesting article on Skipping the Holidays Expenses HERE.  Let me know what you think about it.

Have you started your Holiday spending yet?  
Do you have family stocking traditions?
Do you have a budgeted amount for it or do you just buy and buy?
Do you put your Holidays on credit cards?

Sluggy