Sunday's Rite-Aid Trip....Thank Goodness for Tax!

I never did go back to Rite-Aid last week to do the "Buy $50 in P&G products, Get a $15+Ups Reward" deal.  Frankly, I don't need most of the stuff that qualified for the deal....except for the Gain Dishwashing Liquid that was free after coupons....that would have been sweet!

But I did run out Sunday morning to Rite-Aid because I had to get a notebook for my nephew for school, so I went ahead and got my total to $25 so I could use a $5 off coupon.

Here's what I bought.....

1 x Mead Notebook $5.79--with 20% wellness discount=$4.63
1 x L'Oreal Haircolor on sale $8.99/reg. $9.29--20% wellness discount was cheaper than sale price=$7.43
1 x Crest Toothpaste on sale=$2.99
1 x BioTrue $4.99--with 20% wellness discount=$3.99
2 x Right Guard Deodorant BOGO sale($4.69 ea.)=$4.69
1 x KitKat Bar $.50--with 20% wellness discount=$.40
SubTotal....$24.13***

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $25 AdPerks/VV IPQ=$5.00
1 x $2/1 L'Oreal HairColor In-Ad Q=$2.00
1 x $2/1 L'Oreal HairColor ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 BioTrue IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1.50/ RightGuard Defense 5 IPQ=$3.00
Coupon Total.....$15.00

$24.13-$15.00=$9.13

Used
$2 Rite-Aid Q-good on anything in the store(sent to me for +Ups that didn't print)
$5 +Ups from Garnier purchase of last week
Equals....$7.00

$9.13-$7.00=$2.13 Total, put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards so ZERO OOP.

+Ups Rewards earned.....$4(BioTrue), $2(Crest Toothpaste), $2(L'Oreal), $1(Dial-RightGuard)=$9.00


***According to my calculator(which I use to add up my total before I get to the register), I had $27 and change worth of items to buy.  I didn't figure in the wellness disc. on the BioTrue(I assumed that $4.99 was a sale price!)and that a 20% wellness disc. was LOWER than the sale price on the L'Oreal Haircolor.  So instead of being over $25 in purchases I was UNDER by about 2 cents, according to the cashier.  So I grabbed the KitKat bar, which also was only $.40 rather than the sale price of $.50 with the 20% wellness discount.  After adding in the candy bar, the register showed I was over the $25 threshold($25.15) and the cashier took my $5 off $25 Q.
When I add it all up above, it shows I am only at $24.13 before the coupons are deducted....WTF

I have finally figured out that when the register shows your total(with sale or wellness disc. prices, before the cashier starts deducting Qs)it is including SALES TAX.....so your sales tax could be what is getting you over the magical $25 mark.  But many times when I use Qs, the registers here take all sales tax off, even if you buy an item that is taxed and you don't have enough Qs to make that item free.....all sales tax is wiped off of your transaction.
The sales taxed items on my transaction added $1.02 to my total at the register after the addition of the candy bar and BEFORE the Qs were deducted.
After the Qs, my $25.15 total went to $2.13.  I used $22 in QS/+Ups--which brings my total to $3.15.  So if you deduct the sales tax of $1.02 as well, the total drops to $2.13--which was my amount due.

So this must be what is happening-the sales tax on the taxable items is getting me over the $25 mark in the register but then when the Qs are deducted on the sale, the sales tax is also deducted from your transaction, making your grand total even lower.
It is thoroughly confusing....but nearly HALF as confusing as the hinky way that Target receipts show how your purchases were figured!  Am I right people??lol


THIS TRIP
Total Spent....$2.13 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$34.74
SCR qualified for...$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$9.00


MONTHLY TOTALS-September Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......3
Total Spent....$11.58 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$115.84
SCR qualified for....$0 in cash and $0 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards spent....$18.00
+Up Rewards earned....$16.00

Total 'Spent'...$11.58 on gift cards
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$0
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$0
+Up Rewards left to spend=$10.00



Sluggy

Food Shopping.....Cheap Cheese Please! & Weekly Total

If you have been in an internet coma....meaning you haven't seen any blogs in the past week......you need to go HERE and print this coupon, making sure to hit your back button and print it again.

The timing of this coupons in my life can be summed up by one word....Synchronicity!  I had just gone out into the freezer to get some shredded cheddar cheese out for dinner and found that I had TONS of shredded mozzarella yet was totally out of cheddar.  I came back in, grumbling a bit because of my inattention to the state of my "cheesy-ness", went online and saw this "manna from the heavens" coupon.
I swear I heard the angels sing.....

Kraft has released a $5 off of 5 participating Kraft cheese products coupon.
If you have access to any of the major grocery chains you can probably pair this coupon with a sale/special at your store and get the cheese for free or very cheaply.
If you are like me and don't have a major chain nearby, you can still probably use it and get your cheese for $1 or under.

At any rate, it's an awesome coupon and yes, it IS legitimate.
But that is not to say that folks have NOT had problems convincing their grocery stores that it is not a fraudulent coupon.  Just be aware that it's been reported that some stores' management personnel have not taken the coupon.  When I printed mine out, I left them uncut on the paper.  The page prints out with the qualifying products list and might seem more legit to some stores if they are questioning the source of the coupon.

Anyway, on to the shopping!

Hubs was with me so I divided the shopping into 2 transactions to get done faster and to lessen the chance that they wouldn't question the coupon.....using 1 of them each instead of using both of them at the same time.
At my store, both of our cashiers still had to check with management before they took the $5/5 coupon.

Transaction #1(Hubs)
5 x Kraft Shredded Cheese on sale $2=$10.00 *reg. price $3.49ea.*
2 x Utz Chips on sale $2=$4.00 *reg. price $3.99ea.*
SubTotal...$14.00

Used 1 x $5/5 Kraft products=$5.00

$14.00-$5=$9.00 OOP

Transaction #2(Me)
5 x Kraft Shredded Cheese on sale $2=$10.00 *reg. price $3.49ea.*
1 x Load of Bread on sale=$1.50 *reg. price $2.99*
1 x Cantaloupe on sale=$.99 *reg. price $3.49*
2x Peaches on sale=$.61 *not pictured-reg. price $1.99lb.*
SubTotal...$13.10


Used 1 x $5/5 Kraft products=$5.00


$13.10-$5=$8.10 OOP

Total....$17.10
Reg. Retail of Items...$50.58

Other shopping for the week....
Carone's...$6.74 (2 qt. milk, cheese, frozen broccoli)
Weis....$3.29 (milk)

Total Food Spending for the Week....$27.13

Sluggy

In the Garden Over the Weekend

 Well, I worked up my nerve and ventured out front and to the side garden bed on the weekend and here is what I found....

3 Killer sized Squash, 2 Italian Roasting Peppers, 2 more Cukes(*Sluggy crying & begging for mercy*), 1 Golden Bell Pepper, 1 Roma Tomato(that had fallen on the ground), 1 Jalapeno Pepper that had turned bright red & 1 teeny green bean(that blends into the tablecloth pattern).

This Harvest--
TOTAL....5lb. 10.8oz.
Garden Harvest Weight Total to date....41lb. 11.82 oz.

Hubs is going to pick the Roma Tomatoes later today so I'll be processing those to can tomorrow.  I'll have a photo of the 1st real tomato harvest soon.....

Sluggy

In the Land of Randomness...Welcome to My World!

* When I looked in the mirror this morning....at the crack of 10....the pic above is similar to what I saw....well, except for the wet nose.

* I forgot to mention in all of my recent blog posts that Hubs and I celebrated our 28th Wedding Anniversary last Saturday.  28 years married to the same man! I have been married longer in my life than I have been single....5 years longer.   Am I a throwback to a different time or what? ;-)

* I was suppose to report for Jury Duty next Tuesday and for the rest of the month of September(unless I was placed on a jury and finished my service before Sept. was over).  The same week I got the notice, I was selected to take part in an online chat/focus group that would pay me $25 an hour!....to sit and talk.  Of course it turns out the focus group is being held mid September. 8-(  And this is the 1st time I have EVER been offered this kind of work(at this level of pay!) though I've been signed up like....forever!
Since often times here, if you get called for duty, you never actually have to report, if they have no juries to seat for trials.  But you have to call every Friday to find out if you need to report the following week.  So I said yes to the online work and I'm crossing my fingers I don't have to report the week it's being held.  If it does conflict I'll have to back-out, gracefully of course.lol
How come nothing is ever simple in my life?

*Besides a load of laundry or 2 I've gotten nothing on my list accomplished.  Yet, I feel like I've run a marathon this week and just want to lay down and sleep for 10 hrs.

*My biggest accomplishment today, as Dr. Oz and Oprah would say, is having a really nice 'poop'.  I guess eating 10 pitted prunes(excuse me, they now call them dried dates, not prunes because prunes is an old person's fruit and they are attempting to market them to a younger crowd)will do that to your BM.  I really like prun....er....dried dates.  They sure blow prune juice out of the water as far as taste goes.  Um, maybe I should NOT have used the word "blow" here.....

*eBay is offering FREE LISTINGS until Sept. 7th....you still pay the final value fee if your item sells however.  I can't seem to get my stuff together enough to jump back into eBay and finish selling off the stuff boxed up in my living room....oh yeah, and all the stuff in my storage unit that isn't toiletries and toilet paper too.

*Some one near and dear to us called 3 days ago wanting to shop in my stockpile.  Come to find out they lost 1/4 of their income(which was very low to begin with)3 months ago and they don't have enough income/savings to cover what they spend each month and they are just letting some one know the pickle they are in now.  So I've been working with them for the last 2 days, getting them on a plan(plus directing them to available resources locally)so they can get through this month with what they have left.  If they succeed in following the plan for September, I have a plan for the next 3 months, that if followed, will net them some cash for an emergency fund/savings acct. by the end of the year.  I am crossing my fingers they can stick to the budget and some other 'things' and people that have a capability to derail the plan don't sabotage what can be accomplished here.  I'll be sitting down with one of the possible saboteurs this evening face-to-face for a frank, adult conversation.  Please keep good thoughts and prayers for me!

*Speaking of stockpiles.....I haven't added to it in weeks and it's being depleted at an alarming rate!  The surprising part is that I am NOT freaking out over this and I am good with it.  The stockpile needs some thinning out.  It's the loss of no good deals over the last 3+ months that's freaking me out.

*I missed Project Runway last night...again!  I enjoy that show(given my background, I should!lol)but since they changed networks, I just can't seem to keep straight where or when it's on.  I guess I'll have to cruise around this coming week during the day and find when they are rerunning it for the umpteenth time.

*The fridge is still limping along.  I've had to move all the frozen foods to the upright freezer in the garage.
Basically both the fridge and the freezer section of the fridge can be used as refrigerators since the freezer can't maintain a frozen foods temp.  Hubs and I are buying a new fridge Saturday so by next week sometime I'll have a fully functioning fridge again...yay!  Not having any room in the upright freezer because of the current situation has stopped me from stocking up on farm market buys, to this point, for freezing for winter.  Gosh, I hope there is some local farm produce left to buy late next week like corn and tomatoes and beans.

*We could use rain again.  I thought Earl would generate some rain inland here but Jim Cantore is dashing my hopes.....  I have lost quite a few tomatoes here due to skin splitting because of weeks of drought in between the rain.  I can't keep the plants wet enough even with the hose.

*Hubs took off another week from work for vacation.  We are thinking of getting away for a few days during that week.....getting away ALONE!  Maybe somewhere at the beach since the small children set will be back in school.  I like the beach without crowds of people and screaming little children.  We use to vacation before having kids during the 'off seasons'.  I recall it was lovely..... 8-))

*Besides the wanting to sleep 24/7 I seem to be in a holding pattern as far as making decisions.  I can't decide on ANYTHING!  What towel rack to buy to replace the one that keeps jumping off the wall.....which fridge to buy(well, that one is more about how MUCH money to spend!)....what to make for dinner.....what color to paint something.....which brand of sealer to use on the deck.....etc., etc., etc.
Is it I just don't want to be held accountable if my choice isn't the best one in the end?   If I don't make a decision then I can't be blamed for anything.....except for NOT making a choice...lol

*"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."---Mark Twain
#1 son proved this quote correct last week.  He actually took Hubs aside and told him something to the effect that he thought we were very good parents and he was glad he was our kid and not the kid of many of his friends' parents.  Then he posted something similar on his Facebook page.
When I asked Hubs why he didn't mention any of this to me, he said it was probably because he didn't want to see my big old smirk and the smartass comment I would make at his expense.  Yes, the #1 son apple didn't fall far from his mother's tree.

*Ok...my brain is empty again.  Time to go fill it up with randomness again this week.
What do you need to get out of your head?  Leave a comment and share!

Sluggy

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

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 give away 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

Here is what went into the Box today.....with a "tip of the hat" to Back-To-School time of course....

1. Another Dove Skin Vitalizer(keep this spare one or give as a gift to a friend!)
2. A Bottle of Elmer's Glue
3. A package of Papermate Mechanical Pencils
4. A P&G Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Enameled Pin

The BOX is officially FULL now!
Here is a photo of everything you can win if your name is drawn.....

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.....

1 basic entry per person on this POST.  Just leave a comment & include your email if you don't have a google account.

This is the FINAL POST for this BORING BLOG BOX of GOODIES, so enter now!

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.*)

You can enter on this post until this Giveaway CLOSES on September 9th, at 11:59pm ET.

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