A Shopping Bender....Well For Me At Least

I went grocery/drug store shopping 4, count 'em 4 times yesterday!

I had planned a day's outing to hit some sales on the other side of town.....well the next town over really, since my town is not even big enough to have a 'side'.lol
But I didn't get out of the house in time to do all those errands in one run and make dinner and take care of some other things here.
So I hit the nearest grocery store for the broccoli I needed for my pot pie for dinner and 2 bags of onions(on BOGO special so that's why I got 2)and to use some Qs to get #2 son some Kool-Aid packets and Dipping Honey Mustard for cheap.  All totaled I spent $7.64 there and saved $5.78.

While I was out I hit, what else?!?....Rite-Aid!
And did this damage.....

3 x HerbaShine Hair Coloring on sale $5.99=$17.97
1 x Listerine Zero on sale=$2.99
1 x Celestial Seasonings Tea on sale=$1.99
1 x Crest Toothpaste on sale=$2.99
SubTotal...$25.94

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$25 from HERE=$5.00
3 x $3/1 HerbaShine Hair Coloring IPQ HERE=$9.00
1 x $1/$10 any Hair Care Purchase Wellness Q(link sent to you from Rite-Aid if you are a wellness member)=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Listerine Zero ManuQ(last Sunday's inserts)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine AdPerks/VV IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Celestial Seasonings IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Toothpaste ManuQ(P&G insert)=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.00

$25.94-$20.00=$5.94
Used 2 x $2 +Ups=$1.94 OOP put on gift card
Well, that was what it was suppose to be!
I just discovered while reading the receipt that the Tea rang up $.92, not $1.99!  I went back later that evening and bought another flavor and that rang up the correct price.  I guess this flavor was being clearanced?....but there was no tag on the shelf.  It was the Chamomile flavor if you want to check your stores there for it.  So I was paid .08¢ after the coupon & received a $1+Up to bring it home. ;-)

So my new subtotal was $24.87....but with the tax on the hair coloring it was over $25 before coupons and tax were deducted so the $5 off $25 still worked.

$24.87-$20.00(coupons)=$4.87.
Deduct the $4 in +Ups=$.87 Out of pocket put on my ever present Rite-Aid gift card.
Value of Items purchased....$36.94
I received in +Up Rewards....$5(Garnier Buy $15), $2(Crest), $1(Listerine), $1(Celestial Seasonings)=$9.00

After getting the family squared away and fed I went back to Rite-Aid....

4 x Bounty Basic Towels on sale $.88=$3.52
1 x Listerine Zero on sale=$2.99
1 x Celestial Seasonings Tea on sale=$1.99
1 x Lamasil Spray-On on sale=$7.99
2 x Oreo Cookies on sale $3.00=$6.00
1 x Gallon of Milk=$3.25
SubTotal...$25.74

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$25 from HERE=$5.00
2 x $1/2 Bounty Towels ManuQ(P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine Zero IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine AdPerks/VV IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Celestial Seasonings IPQ HERE=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Lamasil Spray-On IPQ HERE=$2.00
1 x BOGO Oreo Cookies WYB Milk(from Facebook, not available now)=$3.00
1 x $.75/1 Oreo Cookies ManuQ(tearpad from Jan., no longer available)=$.75
1 x $1/2 Oreo Cookies AdPerks/VV IPQ HERE=$1.00
Coupon Total....$16.75

$25.74-$16.75=$8.99
Used +Ups...($5, $3)$8.00=$.99 OOP put on gift card
Value of Items purchased....$37.96
I received in +Up Rewards....$1(Nabisco), $1(Listerine), $1(Celestial Seasonings)=$3.00
And I qualified for $6.00 in SCRs(Lamasil)=$6.00

THESE TRIPS
Total Spent....$1.86 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$74.90
SCR qualified for...$6.00(Lamasil)=$6.00
+Up Rewards earned...$12.00
+Up Rewards spent...$12.00
These trips were a $6 moneymaker.

MONTHLY TOTALS-September Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......10
Total Spent....$18.87 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$374.44
SCR qualified for....$9 in cash and $10 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....a Glam Bag
+Up Rewards spent....$70.50
+Up Rewards earned....$99.50

Total 'Spent'...$17.01 on gift cards
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$3
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$10+Glam Bag
+Up Rewards left to spend=$29.00

And I closed out my shopping spree evening at Weis Markets....

3 x Krunchers Chips on sale $2.00=$6.00
3 x Grande Tortilla Chips on sale $2.00=$6.00
2 x French's Dipping Honey Mustard $2.29=$4.58
2 x Weis Block Cheese on sale BOGO=$2.50
1 x Roasting Chicken=$5.55
SubTotal....$24.63

Coupons Used
3 x $1/1 Krunchers ManuQ=$3.00
3 x $1/1 Grande ManuQ=$3.00
2 x $1/1 French's Dipping ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Instant Meat Dept. Q=$2.00
Coupon Total....$10.00

I also used one of my $3.00 OYNO of Beef or Chicken Cats and a $10 OYN Cat for an additional $13 off=$23.00 in coupons.
$24.63-$23.00=$1.63 OOP for everything!

Analysis....
At $1 a bag after coupons, the crunchy snack food was a great deal and we were fresh out of salty junk for the Hubs and #2 son.  The son likes this dipping mustard stuff and my coupons are expiring soon so I picked up a couple of bottles....better to buy it for a buck cheaper now than a buck more next month, right?   Do I really have to explain inexpensive BOGO cheese?lol
And I couldn't turn down the chicken...it was $3.55 after the instant discount and with the chicken Cat my cost was $.55.  I'll be substituting it for something else in this week's meal plan menu.  It's great to have a meal plan to save you dollars but you need to be flexible enough that when a great deal happens you can roll with it and change up your menu ;-)

So what great deals have you found so far this week?  Let us know by leaving a comment!

Sluggy

Apples for Days Redux

Since it is once again APPLE SEASON, I thought I'd repost my crockpot applesauce recipe from last October 28th.
I'll be hitting the farm stand in the next couple of weeks to pick up a load of apples for preserving.
Sluggy


So what do you do when you go to the farmstand and there's a half bushel of homely apples priced at only $5.00 calling your name?




You buy them!
And that is just what I did.
I brought home a huge sack of Ugly Apples last week.
These are the less than perfect looking apples that nobody wants in their Peck or half Peck Bag of apples.  You know....scarred skins, not quite the perfect color, not quite the perfect shape &/or bruised.  The kid working at the stand said that after you picked over them and got rid of the bad ones,  at least they would be good for one pot of applesauce.
Ha!....little did he know!!

So I set to peeling and coring these babies to make some applesauce.  Making homemade applesauce it so easy too!
First thing is to select your apples and wash them thoroughly. I chose enough apples to fill my crockpot...about 17 apples.

Next you peel(if you want to peel them)and core them.

Since my ugly apples might have been riddled with bad spots, bruises, I chose to peel them first.
After about half I realized that my ugly babies did NOT have any bad spots.  They were just "skin challenged" with ugly scarred peels.  So I didn't peel the last part of the batch.  It's better if you leave the skins on, as most of the vitamins and "stuff that is good for you" is just under the peel.  Your applesauce will pack a bigger nutritional punch this way.

Then came the coring...

I LOVE my little apple corer.  It cost me $1.00 at the discount outlet.  It makes this job go so quickly too!

After coring/peeling, put your apple slices in a bowl in which you've put some water and lemon juice(you can used bottle juice, it doesn't have to be fresh squeezed).  The lemon water helps them not to brown while waiting to go into the crockpot.  Actually, since it really doesn't matter if the slices brown, you don't have to put lemon on them.  It's just a force of habit for me to lemon the apples. lol

Spray your crockpot with a spray oil to make cleaning easier.  This is optional however.

Then drain the lemon water off and put your apples in the crockpot, put on the lid and turn it on.
Don't add water!
That's it.....just walk away!

Now you can cook them down on LOW or HIGH.  Low will take about 5 hours, while High will cook them into sauce in about 2-3 hours.

You'll know when they are done when the house smells heavenly and they look like this....

(The large pieces in the photo are peel, not apple.)

When your apples are finished cooking, turn off the crockpot, stir it up and taste for sweetness.  If it's a bit tart for your taste, you can add some sugar or other sweetener at this point.  Also add cinnamon now if you want some in your batch.

If you didn't peel your apples and don't want the peels in the finished product, just fish them out after your applesauce cools.  Your applesauce at this point will be a bit chunky.
If you want it fine and smooth, get out a food mill.

Pour the sauce in and start milling into a bowl or pan.  If you are going to mill, don't bother fishing out your peels beforehand.  The mill will keep your peels from winding up in your finished product.
And speaking of finished product, here it is....

Ready for eating!
If you make a lot you can water bath can applesauce or put into freezer-safe containers and freeze any excess for later.
It will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.

My 17 medium-sized apples made a 6 Cup container(48 oz.)of applesauce.

If you wish to make Apple Butter at this point, just put your sauce back into the crockpot, add spices according to any good Apple Butter recipe you have/find and continue to cook it down until you have the consistency and the brown color of apple butter.  You can also water bath can your Apple Butter to store it longer.

I'll get out both Crockpots & do another 2 batches tomorrow of Chunky Applesauce.  That should keep us in applesauce for a couple of months.
The rest of the apples will be made into Apple Pie Filling later this week.

Sluggy

Harvesting Again and Weekly Meal Plan

Just a quick update on the garden.....
Hubs picked tomatoes again on Saturday.

That's another 11 lb. 7.8 oz. worth.
And I found these 2 peppers on Sunday.....

These babies are a combined weight of 4.4 oz.

Does any one have any good recipes for using Italian Roasting Peppers, beyond telling me to "roast" them?lol

This Harvest--
TOTAL....11lb. 12.2oz.
Garden Harvest Weight Total to date....53lb. 8.02 oz.

I can't believe we've harvested over 53 POUNDS of food so far from our tiny garden!
Wow.....

And from the sublime into the mundane.....lol.....

Here is my Meal Plan for this week.
Sunday--Italian Sausage Sandwiches on Onion Rolls, Corn *Done
Monday--Meatloaf, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Baby Veggie Medley *Done
Tuesday--Chicken Broccoli Carrot Pot Pie
Wednesday--Baked Catfish w/Lemon Pepper, Rice & Pepper Saute, Collard Greens
Thursday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tossed Salad
Friday--Clam Chowder, Rolls
Saturday--Leftover Feast

The Mashed Potatoes, Pot Pie and Rolls w/the Chowder are to use some of those 24 Pillsbury/Betty Crocker items I got last week....of course!  Next week we'll work on the Old El Paso.lol

I got a big pile of Ground Beef last weekend and made 3 batches of meatballs up for the freezer and the Meatloaf that was served on Monday.  1 of the batches of meatballs will be used on Thursday, leaving me 2 batches for later.  The sausage, chicken, fish, clams, rice, corn, pasta sauce and pasta are all things in the freezer or stockpile.  The peppers(for the saute)and the collards are from the garden.  So the only items I need to buy this week is lettuce for the salad and broccoli for the pot pie.  I will also pick up a couple of heads of cabbage this week as it's on sale and I'll incorporate it three times into next week's menu.  I also need onions. These veggies should run me at the most $8.
I'll also be picking up more fruit(pears and peaches on sale), milk and some other deals(using coupons), plus be using the Shursave grocery's Cats before they expire this week.  I stocked up at the bread store last week so we are set for bread products for the next 2 weeks or so.
My grocery spending for this month is at $203.44 now, so I have $46.56 left until the 1st of Oct. 

Off to the store now and then to start the pot pie...

Sluggy

Calling all You NorthEast/Central PA Bloggers.....Yes, I Mean YOU!

I went on an online hunt last week.
A hunt to find other Blogs written by folks who live in my neck of the woods.
My neck if the woods meaning northeastern or central Pennsylvania.
But I guess I am not very good at being Troy Dunn......ok so that was a pretty obscure reference to the star of that WE TV show THE LOCATOR...but still....

My search came up empty except for a couple of political ranting blogs around here that aren't updated more than once or twice a year.   I suppose I need to make more of an effort.

I just would like to link up with other bloggers of all kinds in this region.  Maybe exchange links or put up a page to promote all our blogs out there in the WorldWideW.  I'm not looking to become your BFF(but if that happens, whattheheck!) or to stalk you(Please!!... I have enough drama already in my life without that!).  I just want to connect with fellow Pennsylvania bloggers in our region.

Heck, if there is interest enough we might even end up holding a conference or some other kind of gathering!

Not quite this over-the-top....

Not quite this bizarre and wrong on so many levels.......

Not quite this strange.....

Not quite this lame......

But more like this....

.....Without the hats and corset of course....unless you really want to wear one.

Anyway, if you have a blog and you would like to connect with other bloggers in the northeastern and central PA regions(meaning anywhere from State College east to Stroudsburg and from Allentown north to the PA/NY line or Susquehanna County to any place within this framework)please email me at the address on my contact page.  Please include the URL or a link to your blog homepage too....if you are reading this I can assume you already know where my blog is located. ;-)

Let's hear from all you PA bloggers!

Sluggy

$5 or Under CVS Scenario this Week...Starting with No Extra Care Bucks

IF I shopped at CVS....(which I don't at the moment)..... and I was starting with Zero ECBs, here is what I would buy in separate transactions and in what order.

#1
2 x Edge Shave Gel-on sale for $2.79 and gives $1.80 ECBs(limit 1)=$5.58
Use 1 Edge BOGO IPQ(HERE)
$5.58-$2.79=$2.79 and received $1.80 in ECBs.

#2
3 x Right Guard Deodorant on sale for $2.49 and gives $2.00 ECBs(limit 3)=$7.47
Use 1 Right Guard $3/2 IPQ(HERE) & 1 Right Guard $1.50/1 IPQ(HERE)
 $7.47-$4.50=$ and use the $1.80ECB...$4.47-$1.80=$1.17 and received $6 in ECBs.

#3
1 x Revlon Lipstick on sale for $6.99 and gives $5.00 ECBs(limit of 6)
1 x Revlon Nail Polish at regular price $5.49
Use 1 Revlon Buy Nail Polish/Get Lipstick FREE ManuQ(9/12SS)
$12.48-$6.99=$5.49, add a .51¢ filler and use the $6ECB(or have them adjust it down to $5.49)....$5.49 to $6.00-$6.00=$.00 and receive $5 in ECBs to roll next time.

Total Out of Pocket....$3.96 for 2 Shaving Gel, 3 Deodorants, 1 Nail Enamel and 1 Lipstick.
"Realized" OOP is Negative $1.04 after the $5 in ECBS is figured in.

If you have ECBs to start with, a second $X off Edge coupon &/or a second $X off Revlon coupon, you can do even better than this but it's still a good scenario for a first time rookie. ;-)


Ok....I am off now to do stuff in the garden, buy some canning lids, put away a ton of stockpile stuff, make a load of meatballs and process tomatoes.

Sluggy