What is Sluggy "Buying" at Rite-Aid This Week?

Maybe I should make that post heading "What is Sluggy Taking Home from Rite-Aid This Week?" instead.  Saying "BUYING" seems a little misleading to me. lol
Or maybe "What is Rite-Aid Giving Sluggy This Week?"
I just can't choose..... ;-)

Had to brave the bone-chilling cold and make a trip to Rite-Aid after dinner tonight.
And I finally got my Christmas tablecloth out too! 8-)

My Transaction

2 x Pot Of Gold Chocolates on sale $3.99=$7.98 *
2 x Revlon Nail Polish on sale BOGO50%=$7.18 **
1 x Airborne on sale=$4.99
1 x Chloraseptic Spray on sale=$3.99 ***
2 x Tugaboo Diaper packs w/wellness discount=$1.58
SubTotal....$25.72

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $25 purchase Q=$5.00
2 x $1/1 Pot Of Gold Chocolates(1ManQ/1 IPQ)=$2.00
2 x $3/1 Revlon Nail Polish wellness Q emailed to me=$6.00
1 x $1.50/1 Airborne IPQ=$1.50
1 x $2/1 Airborne Wellness IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Chloraseptic Spray IPQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Tugaboo Diaper items inside previous diaper packs=$2.00
 Coupon Total...$19.50

$25.72-$19.50=$6.22

+Up Rewards used...$6.00
OOP......$.22 put on free Rite-Aid gift card

Received $10 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2 Pot of Gold, $4 Revlon wyb2, $1 Airborne, $1 Chloraseptic)
"Spent" 6+Ups, Got 10+Ups back=$4 moneymaker.

*It was a treasure hunt this evening trying to find these boxes of chocolates.  Supervisor said they were out and the truck is due in tomorrow(truck usually comes on Thurs/Fri.)and they might get more in(though I've heard reports that the warehouse is empty of this item already).  These boxes of Hershey's choccies are not a regularly stocked item, they are seasonal so I don't have much hope that there will be anymore showing up on store shelves.  If you find some, buy them!
I did find 2 boxes however that someone had hidden behind larger different brands of chocolates.  No doubt they were coming back later to buy them.hehehe

**I used 2 of the $3/1 emailed Wellness Qs, one for each bottle.  Some stores let you use 2, some don't so YMMV.

***This item was NOT in the sales flyer here this week but it IS on sale and giving a $1 +Ups and qualifies for SCR #82.  You can also buy the LOZENGES AND GET ANOTHER $2 SCR!  The lozenges are #81 and they are also on sale for $3.99 and giving the $1+Ups.  Limit of one of each type of Chloraseptic product.  I didn't realize both items had separate rebates until now.  I guess I'll be heading back to Rite-Aid later this week. ;-)

And the Colgate Toothpaste that's on sale this week and giving a $2 +Up?  My store is already out and it's only Monday!
Argggghhh

There isn't a whole lot I want this week from the sales flyer.  Maybe some more nail polish for Daughter's stocking(sshhhh, don't tell!!)  This week, as will be most weeks leading up to Christmas, the sales are all about gifts and seasonal stuff like lights, decorations, candy/food and gift sets.  I don't necessarily "need" any of that stuff.  None of my +Ups expire at the end of this week so don't have to roll any.  The +Ups you get this week(unless they are month or longer deals)will expire on 12/25.  Keep that in mind so you don't end up forgetting to roll them within the next 2 weeks.

I have managed to get to the $5 level with the Gift of Savings Promo.  Not because of how much(or rather how little)I've spent OOP.  But because I have found some receipts outside in the parking lot that were thrown away.

I call it my community anti-litter campaign.  I am simply beautifying my town and I'm starting with the parking lot by Rite-Aid. lolol
And if that doesn't get me anywhere, I am not above getting a tin cup and holding a sign down by the traffic light that says, "Will work for Rite-Aid receipts."


THIS TRIP
Total Spent....$.22 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$46.44
SCR qualified for...$2.00(Chloraseptic)
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$10.00
+Up Rewards spent...$6.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$42.00

GRAND TOTALS--December Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......7
Total Spent....$2.66  put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$287.78
SCR qualified for....$2.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Gift of Savings Reward...$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Dec. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 12/4.....$38.00
+Up Rewards spent....$40.00
+Up Rewards earned....$57.00
+Up Rewards left....$42.00

Sluggy 

Rite-Aid Last Week....Part II--I Made $13

I did 4 transactions at Rite-Aid last Saturday.
Again, since the deals are past I won't get into the fine details unless some one asks me to. ;-)

Transaction 1 & 2 in this photo....

#1 Transaction

2 Tugaboo Diaper packs
2 Bic pens(1 Triumph pack/1 stick pens)
2 Maxwell House Coffee
2 Halls big bags of Cough Drops
1 Gilette Pro-Glide Razor
SubTotal...$27.11
Coupon Total....$17.00
+Up Rewards used...$10.00
OOP....$.11 put on free Rite-Aid gift card

Received $14 +Up Rewards($3 wyb 2 Bic,2 x$1 Coffee,2 x $2 Hall's Drops,$5 Gillette)
"Spent" 10 +Ups, Got 14+Ups back=$4 moneymaker.

#2 Transaction

4 Bic Pens(1 Triumph/3 Stick pens)
3 Folger's Coffee
1 Nexxus 'Poo
SubTotal....$26.52
Coupon Total...$19.00
+Up Rewards used...$7.00
OOP...$.52 put on free Rite-Aid gift card

Received $9 +Ups Rewards(2 x $3 Bic,3 x $1 Coffee)
"Spent" 7 +Ups, Got 9+Ups back=$2 moneymaker.

Transaction 3 & 4 in this photo....

#3 Transaction

2 Bic stick pens
2 Pine-Sol
2 Lysol Spray
1 Nexxus 'Poo
2 Foamie Kits
SubTotal....$28.00
Coupon Total...$26.00
+Up Rewards used...$2.00
OOP.....$0.00 8-))

Received $5.00 in +Up Rewards($3 Bic, $1 Pine-Sol, $1 Lysol)
"Spent" 2+Ups, Got 5+Ups back=$3 moneymaker.

#4 Transaction

4 Bic stick pens
2 Tugaboo diaper packs
2 Clorox Wipes
1 Gillette Razor
2 No nonsense Sock 3-Packs
SubTotal....$25.72
Coupon Total...$17.50
+Up Rewards used...$8.00
OOP......$.22 put on free Rite-Aid gift card


Received $12.00 in +Up Rewards(2 x $3 Bic, $1 Clorox, $5 Gillette)
"Spent" 8+Ups, Got 12+Ups back=$4 moneymaker.


THESE TRIPS
Total Spent....$.85 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$156.33
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$40.00
+Up Rewards spent...$27.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$38.00

GRAND TOTALS--December Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......6
Total Spent....$2.44  put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$241.34
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Gift of Savings Reward...$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Dec. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 12/3.....$25.00
+Up Rewards spent....$34.00
+Up Rewards earned....$47.00
+Up Rewards left....$38.00

So this weekend I put .85¢ on my gift card and came out with $13 more +Up Rewards than I started out with on Friday.

Sluggy

Got Gifts?.....Now What?

Now that you've taken care of buying your Holiday gifts, now what?
You need to prepare them for the giving.
For most people, that means wrapping them or otherwise hiding them inside of some container and decorating the outside.

I'd like to direct you to a post I wrote last December about frugal Gift Wrapping.
Before you go spend a gazillion dollars on something that will destroy old growth forests, then the product will get destroyed itself and thrown away shortly after purchase, go have a read.  Buying new gift wrap is NOT frugal, no matter how little you pay for it, when there are viable alternatives.

Save the green in your wallet AND the green in nature and say NO!

There's a brief history at the link on the story of wrapping paper in this country to entertain you as well.
The link is HERE.

It's an oldie but a goody. ;-)

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Trips.....December SCR Period--Last Week PART 1

Last Sunday was the beginning of the December Single Check Rebate Period.

My 1st trip of last week to Rite-Aid on Sunday has no photo.  It was on my computer when the machine went belly up so I lost it.
Can't recreate it now since half of the cookies/crackers have been vacuumed down the teenagers throats already.

The list of items I bought is easy to remember though...
10 cookies crackers for $1 each
1 Gilette Razor on sale
3 newspapers
2 Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap
2 Tugaboos Diaper Trial packs
Total Value...$41.82
Total Before Qs...$25.32
Total of Qs...$24.50
Total OOP...$.82 put on a Rite-Aid gift card
I used $8 +Up Rewards, received $7 +Ups back($5 Gilette, $2 wyb $10 of cookies/crackers).

While my computer was fried, I had nothing else to do.....so I went to Rite-Aid on Tuesday too, to use up those $5 off Olay wyb Secret deodorant, since they expired on the 30th....plus I had a Free Advil Q that was expiring that day as well.  Luckily this photo was still on the camera....

I won't get into the nitty gritty breakdowns on this since the deals are past.
Value of items....$43.19
Total before Qs...$28.96
Total of Qs...$28.19
OOP....$.77 put on a Rite-Aid gift card
I used $0 in +Up Rewards and received $0 back.
I forgot to use my $.50/2 Combos Q too, so it should have been $.27 on the gift card.  Oh well....my Gift of Savings total(which is like $5.00 for 8 trips!lol)can use the extra .50¢ boost. ;-)


Then this arrived in the mail.....

A free pair of No nonsense socks.
And attached to the hang tag thingy is a $1 off coupon for my next pair.
And Rite-Aid had No nonsense products BOGO last week!
I eventually went back on Saturday and got 2 more pair of socks using that coupon, and stacking the AdPerks/VV &/or Flu Booklet Qs, which made both 2 3-pair packages of socks cost me about $1.
A buck for 6 pairs of socks!
Oh yah....

The other FIVE trips last week will have to wait until later this week since my camera software won't work with this new computer(trust me, the camera is ancient!)so I have to download directly into a card reader now......as soon as I locate the card reader on the box here.  It's hell getting old and going blind.....lol



THESE TRIPS
Total Spent....$1.59 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$85.01
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$7.00
+Up Rewards spent...$8.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$25.00

GRAND TOTALS--December Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......2
Total Spent....$1.59  put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$85.01
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Gift of Savings Reward...$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Dec. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 11/27.....$26.00
+Up Rewards spent....$8.00
+Up Rewards earned....$7.00
+Up Rewards left....$25.00
 

Sluggy

$30K Savings Challenge...November 2010 Totals

I have posted my NOVEMBER End of Month $30K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have to report that we finished up November in the black....with a nice healthy addition!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of November with was.......$3,984.99.

Income
We had $3,954.49 left over of DH's salary after expenses were deducted. Add in $3 of Rebates applied to the food expenses, along with $27.50 in rolled Coins and you have a deposit of $3,984.99 toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,500.00 to reach our Year End Goal.

Outgo
As for the expenses in November.....it was pretty much a 'normal bills' type month.   The credit card bill(which is paid off each month)was under $450.  There was a vet bill for the beagle this month and some smallish school related bills that are out of the ordinary but otherwise, it was a low spending month here.

The Food Budget costs for November are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in November was right on target, unlike October's out of control spending....egads, that was bad.lol

Looking Ahead to December....

As like most people who celebrate a Holiday in December, we will have some larger than normal expenses this month.
Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice....no matter which you celebrate, the extra spending will raise your monthly costs this month....unless your surname is Scrooge.
Since I operate on a budget for Christmas, our spending is planned & budgeted for months ahead so we have no surprises coming up with the cash to cover those expenses.
You know December is coming every year.....so make sure you figure how to pay for things in advance of it's arrival.  It just makes prudent financial sense, right?

The problem for us this December is the unexpected expenses that are coming up.  My car needed repair work done on it last month and the bill will be coming in sometime this month.  That will be in the neighborhood of $600.  Plus Daughter destroyed her orthodontic mouth guard and we need to pay $300+ this month for the new one that was made.  To add to the spending rampage, my computer died a few days ago and can't be fixed.  Since the monitor, etc. are fine still, we had to buy a new processor to the tune of $400(including back-up storage).  Then my machine was not compatible with my ancient printer so we purchased a new laser printer at a bargain price.  Not only was the price good but this printer will continue to save us money since the cartridges for it last a whole lot longer than the ones for inkjet printers....but I digress.
So just those 4 items will result in over $1400 in unexpected/not planned spending in December.
Even with those expenses, we should still be able to eek out a small savings for the Challenge in December though because of that 2nd extra paycheck for the year.  December has 3 pay periods for us since Hubs is paid on a biweekly schedule, so an extra paycheck this month....yippee!
And it's a very good month to have an extra paycheck coming in if I do say so myself!lol

I am just glad at this point that we have an ample income and can cover all our bills, no matter if they are expected or not....plus, we have enough to put some money away!
It's a very good feeling knowing you are solvent and living well below your means, especially in this economy.

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $30,232.62 in Savings. 
With one month of savings to go, we have hit our goal of $30 Thousand Saved in November!
I am thrilled to pieces!!
Even though we reached our goal early I will still keep tracking our progress to see how far over our goal we can reach in December.

So how was your November financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!


Sluggy