I still had some free item coupons to use up on December 31st so I hiked up to Weis Markets.
The JollyTime popcorn was BOGO marked down to $2 each as well. I had 3 x $1/1 Qs, so I ended up paying .25¢ per box.
I had Free Item Qs for the Dole fruit cups so they were better than free since they were marked $2 each and the coupon scanned at $2.59 each.
I also had Free Item Qs for the Cheese so that cost me nothing.
1 box of the Barilla Plus pasta was free and the other 2 were BOGO with the other VocalPoint Q, so $2.19 for both boxes.
I picked up the Weis brand of Rigatoni just because we were out and it was marked down to .79¢ a box.
The best deal was just shy of 5lb. total of Ground Beef at $1.39lb on special. It's the fatty stuff so I'll just mix this with some lean stuff and use it in recipes where I need more 'moisture' in my meat.
Total OOP....$11.19
Value of items....$44.32
Savings of....$33.13...or 74.75%
Weis also had pork tenderloins, LARGE tenderloins for $1.47lb. last week. I didn't buy one this trip on Friday, but sent Hubs back up Saturday afternoon and they were out, don't give rainchecks for it and the butchers had left for the day. But the manager told him to come back early Sunday morning and he's let him have one for the sale price even though the sale was over on Saturday....cool!
So Hubs made the 1st food purchase of 2011.....a 10lb. pork tenderloin for $14.75.
Sorry, I didn't get a picture before I hacked that baby up.lol
I made 25 boneless pork chop medallions and a good sized pork tenderloin roast which I marinated before freezing.
Food/Toiletries Spending for January 2011.....$14.75
Sluggy
Just an average Gal, older mom, trying to live a simple life & what happens along the way.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Finishing Up Rite-Aid Business from Last Week...Updated!
Last week was a blur of Rite-Aid activity here.
With the passing of the $5 off $25 Coupon on the 31st, I crammed a bunch of extra trips to Rite-Aid into my schedule.
Here's my lone trip on the 29th.....
The Benefiber are on SCR this month and the drink powder boxes also qualify. After 20% wellness discount & the $4/1 IPQ it was/is $2.15. Add in the $3 SCR and they pay YOU $.85 to take it home!
(Your store's base price on this item may vary from mine.) And you can submit for 3 of this rebate per household too!
The Progresso Soups are a month long deal until Jan.22nd. For every can you buy, you receive a $1+Up Rewards(when you use your wellness card). They also count toward the $20+ Resolution Reward Promotion. Too bad they aren't on sale this week, like they were last week when I bought them. With any luck, they may go back on sale before the 22nd....cross your fingers!
Grand Total on this trip was $.52 OOP put on my free Rite-Aid gift card. I used $5+Ups to pay and received $8+Ups back making this a $3 moneymaker.
And here is what I bought on 12/30 and 12/31.....
9 trips. * I bag of stuff disappeared in the garage. I found it on Tuesday evening and have updated my totals accordingly.
I could let the $5 off $25 coupon go out with a whimper now, could I?lol
I also had some other $X of $XX coupons to use up....$3 off $15, $4 off $20, 20% one-time use discount, those $1 off any AdPerk/VV Qs, etc.
Not pictured are 2 boxes of Prevacid and 1 bottle of Rite-Aid brand Mucinex DM.
Out of Pocket Spending.....$3.19-put on my free Rite-Aid gift cards so ZERO out of pocket!
Retail Value.....$337.03
+Ups Used.....$56.00
+Ups Gained...$79.00
After the +Ups are figured in, I basically got paid $20 to take all this home. ;-)
I have $47 in +Up Rewards expiring the end of this week so I'll be heading back to Rite-Aid in the next or 2, so stay tuned to see what I'll bring home(hopefully for free!).lol
THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....10
Total Spent....$3.71(put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$379.33
SCR qualified for...$6.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$87.00
+Up Rewards spent...$61.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$165.00
GRAND TOTALS--January Rebate Period so far
Number of Transactions......14
Total Spent....$4.70=5 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$508.02
SCR qualified for....$6.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00
+UPS Totals for Jan. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 12/28.....$134.00 includes ALL +Ups left
+Up Rewards spent....$78.50
+Up Rewards earned....$125.00
+Up Rewards left....$165.00
Sluggy
With the passing of the $5 off $25 Coupon on the 31st, I crammed a bunch of extra trips to Rite-Aid into my schedule.
Here's my lone trip on the 29th.....
The Benefiber are on SCR this month and the drink powder boxes also qualify. After 20% wellness discount & the $4/1 IPQ it was/is $2.15. Add in the $3 SCR and they pay YOU $.85 to take it home!
(Your store's base price on this item may vary from mine.) And you can submit for 3 of this rebate per household too!
The Progresso Soups are a month long deal until Jan.22nd. For every can you buy, you receive a $1+Up Rewards(when you use your wellness card). They also count toward the $20+ Resolution Reward Promotion. Too bad they aren't on sale this week, like they were last week when I bought them. With any luck, they may go back on sale before the 22nd....cross your fingers!
Grand Total on this trip was $.52 OOP put on my free Rite-Aid gift card. I used $5+Ups to pay and received $8+Ups back making this a $3 moneymaker.
And here is what I bought on 12/30 and 12/31.....
9 trips. * I bag of stuff disappeared in the garage. I found it on Tuesday evening and have updated my totals accordingly.
I could let the $5 off $25 coupon go out with a whimper now, could I?lol
I also had some other $X of $XX coupons to use up....$3 off $15, $4 off $20, 20% one-time use discount, those $1 off any AdPerk/VV Qs, etc.
Not pictured are 2 boxes of Prevacid and 1 bottle of Rite-Aid brand Mucinex DM.
Out of Pocket Spending.....$3.19-put on my free Rite-Aid gift cards so ZERO out of pocket!
Retail Value.....$337.03
+Ups Used.....$56.00
+Ups Gained...$79.00
After the +Ups are figured in, I basically got paid $20 to take all this home. ;-)
I have $47 in +Up Rewards expiring the end of this week so I'll be heading back to Rite-Aid in the next or 2, so stay tuned to see what I'll bring home(hopefully for free!).lol
THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....10
Total Spent....$3.71(put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$379.33
SCR qualified for...$6.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$87.00
+Up Rewards spent...$61.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$165.00
GRAND TOTALS--January Rebate Period so far
Number of Transactions......14
Total Spent....$4.70=5 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$508.02
SCR qualified for....$6.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00
+UPS Totals for Jan. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 12/28.....$134.00 includes ALL +Ups left
+Up Rewards spent....$78.50
+Up Rewards earned....$125.00
+Up Rewards left....$165.00
Sluggy
December Budget Results.....Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2010.
I have posted December's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in December. If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.
My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4-5 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 14.
BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $19.45
Value $68.63
Savings 71.66%
BIG LOTS
OOP $5.70
Value $11.90
Savings 52.11%
Value $154.14
Savings 48%
I have posted December's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in December. If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.
My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4-5 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 14.
BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $19.45
Value $68.63
Savings 71.66%
BIG LOTS
OOP $5.70
Value $11.90
Savings 52.11%
CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $80.26
Qs/Ads $73.88OOP $80.26
Value $154.14
Savings 48%
DOLLAR TREE
OOP $5.00
Value $15.45
Savings 67.64%
GERRITY'S
OOP $47.85
Qs/Ads $51.36
Value $99.21
Savings 51.77%
OOP $5.00
Value $15.45
Savings 67.64%
GERRITY'S
OOP $47.85
Qs/Ads $51.36
Value $99.21
Savings 51.77%
REDNER'S(does not double coupons)
OOP $70.38
Qs/Ads $33.34
Value $103.72
Savings 32.15%
OOP $70.38
Qs/Ads $33.34
Value $103.72
Savings 32.15%
RITE AID
OOP $23.03 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $2.044.01
Value $2,067.04
Savings 96.19% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards
UNI-MART(local minimart/gas station)
OOP $3.50
Value $3.50
Savings 0%
OOP $23.03 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $2.044.01
Value $2,067.04
Savings 96.19% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards
UNI-MART(local minimart/gas station)
OOP $3.50
Value $3.50
Savings 0%
WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP $35.64
Qs/Ads $52.18
Value $87.82
Savings 59.42%
OOP $35.64
Qs/Ads $52.18
Value $87.82
Savings 59.42%
I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons". I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly. Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.
REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN DECEMBER
Google Ad Revenue....$102.35
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR(various months)...$66.90
Subtotal........$175.25
Google Ad Revenue....$102.35
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR(various months)...$66.90
Subtotal........$175.25
GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
MyBlogSpark Safeway Gift Card...$25.00
MyBlogSpark Safeway Gift Card...$25.00
VISA Preloaded (Giveaway win)...$10.00
Rite-Aid Oral Care....$5.00
Rite-Aid Oral Care....$5.00
Rite-Aid GOS Certificates....$40.00
Subtotal....$80.00
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$255.25
COUPONS and FREEBIES
Tim McGraw CD.....Giveaway win
Hamburger Helper....Giveaway win
Fun Serving Dishes....Giveaway win
Pyrex Dish & Marinade....Giveaway win
Fiber One...Free Box Coupon
Rachel Ray....Free Dog Food Coupon
Food Should Taste Good Chips....Free Coupon
Rite-Aid Glam Bag Offer....Free Bag and Samples
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, The Bakery Outlet at 71.66% and The Dollar Store at 67.64%.
TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$274.82
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2,335.59
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2,610.41
TOTAL Savings of...................................89.47%
TOTAL Savings of....................................96.19%
Fun Serving Dishes....Giveaway win
Pyrex Dish & Marinade....Giveaway win
Fiber One...Free Box Coupon
Rachel Ray....Free Dog Food Coupon
Food Should Taste Good Chips....Free Coupon
Rite-Aid Glam Bag Offer....Free Bag and Samples
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, The Bakery Outlet at 71.66% and The Dollar Store at 67.64%.
TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$274.82
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2,335.59
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2,610.41
TOTAL Savings of...................................89.47%
TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$175.25
TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates.........$99.57TOTAL Savings of....................................96.19%
This closes out the December spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
I went over my budget for December by $25. With all the extras bought for the Holidays(soda, baked goods, appetizer type foods, etc.), it's no surprise I went over a little. When you add the rebates received in December toward the food spending my out of pocket goes down to under $100 which is awesome!
What's ahead for 2011.....
I need to sit down with Hubs and analyze what went well and not-so-well in 2010. Then I can decide if I want to publicly track our Food/HBA spending on the blog in 2011.
If you want any input on this, please leave a comment.
And stay tuned for further developments.....
With all 12 months of 2010 accounted for, we spent a total of $2,291.67 on food and toiletries in 2010. That's an average of $190.97 per MONTH or $44.07 per WEEK after rebates for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.
Not only did $2,291.67 allow our family to eat well for an entire year, it also supplied our local food bank with 4 large food/hba donations during 2010, supplied a relative with approx. $500 in regular retail value of food during the year and we sold some excess items at a local flea market and banked $700!
So really, after putting $700 cash back into our pockets, we 'spent' about $1,600.00 Total for the year!
How did you do in December with your Food Budget?
Will you be tracking your food spending in 2011? If so, what is the method you will use?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress in 2010! By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.
Sluggy
I need to sit down with Hubs and analyze what went well and not-so-well in 2010. Then I can decide if I want to publicly track our Food/HBA spending on the blog in 2011.
If you want any input on this, please leave a comment.
And stay tuned for further developments.....
With all 12 months of 2010 accounted for, we spent a total of $2,291.67 on food and toiletries in 2010. That's an average of $190.97 per MONTH or $44.07 per WEEK after rebates for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.
Not only did $2,291.67 allow our family to eat well for an entire year, it also supplied our local food bank with 4 large food/hba donations during 2010, supplied a relative with approx. $500 in regular retail value of food during the year and we sold some excess items at a local flea market and banked $700!
So really, after putting $700 cash back into our pockets, we 'spent' about $1,600.00 Total for the year!
How did you do in December with your Food Budget?
Will you be tracking your food spending in 2011? If so, what is the method you will use?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress in 2010! By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.
Sluggy
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Money Saving Challenge 2011....Get Busy with Your Coupon System!
This post was inspired by Precious' Money Saving Challenge series. You can check her blog out at Frugal Makes Cents.
Now that 2011 is here, it's time to get going on preserving your family's income.
Let me say how I hate, yes-HATE! to give our family's money away.
...To much to the Government(who is quite inefficient in how they use it and waste quite a bit).
....To businesses and stores for their overpriced products.
While some of this spending is necessary(and required by law to boot), with the discretionary spending, I try to do what I can to reduce the amount we let leave Chez Sluggy.
One of the areas where you can slow the money hemorrhage each month is by controlling your food spending!
One way to reduce your food spending is by using coupons.
If you do use coupons, now is the time to do a little maintenance on your system before you get inundated with the beginning of the year flood of coupons!
So I spent a little piece of my time today going through my Coupon Inserts from the latter part of last year and clipping out any coupons that have not expired by 12/31/2010 that I think I may use/need in the coming months.
I spent 2010 labeling my inserts and filing them. I only clipped coupons as needed each week.
So I had quite the stack of inserts to sort through.
For now, I'll put each pile of coupons into one of the pencil cases I have, with all the Jan. expiring coupons in one case, the Feb. expiring coupons in another case, etc.
I'll reconsider going back to using a coupon binder for my system this month. If the amount of actual FOOD coupons picks up I probably will. 2010 was a very poor year for manufacturers releasing Food coupons(except for the junkier food ones)into circulation. I found I used far more internet printed coupons than manufacturer's coupons printed in the newspaper inserts. It was so one-sided I am considering no longer buying the Sunday paper for coupon inserts and using a clipping service instead for the few coupons I would require.
Do you plan on using coupons more or less in 2011?
Do you have a system to keep them organized that works well for your?
Please leave a comment or question.
Sluggy
Now that 2011 is here, it's time to get going on preserving your family's income.
Let me say how I hate, yes-HATE! to give our family's money away.
...To much to the Government(who is quite inefficient in how they use it and waste quite a bit).
....To businesses and stores for their overpriced products.
While some of this spending is necessary(and required by law to boot), with the discretionary spending, I try to do what I can to reduce the amount we let leave Chez Sluggy.
One of the areas where you can slow the money hemorrhage each month is by controlling your food spending!
One way to reduce your food spending is by using coupons.
If you do use coupons, now is the time to do a little maintenance on your system before you get inundated with the beginning of the year flood of coupons!
So I spent a little piece of my time today going through my Coupon Inserts from the latter part of last year and clipping out any coupons that have not expired by 12/31/2010 that I think I may use/need in the coming months.
I spent 2010 labeling my inserts and filing them. I only clipped coupons as needed each week.
So I had quite the stack of inserts to sort through.
For now, I'll put each pile of coupons into one of the pencil cases I have, with all the Jan. expiring coupons in one case, the Feb. expiring coupons in another case, etc.
I'll reconsider going back to using a coupon binder for my system this month. If the amount of actual FOOD coupons picks up I probably will. 2010 was a very poor year for manufacturers releasing Food coupons(except for the junkier food ones)into circulation. I found I used far more internet printed coupons than manufacturer's coupons printed in the newspaper inserts. It was so one-sided I am considering no longer buying the Sunday paper for coupon inserts and using a clipping service instead for the few coupons I would require.
Do you plan on using coupons more or less in 2011?
Do you have a system to keep them organized that works well for your?
Please leave a comment or question.
Sluggy
Happy New Year and We Have a Giveaway Winner!
I just can't wrap my head around the fact that January 2011 is here already!
Man....
Let's start 2011 off the right way, by announcing the Winner of the MyBlogSpark/Betty Crocker/Glad/Safeway Giveaway.
I listed all the valid entries, and added the extra bonus entries for those who entered via a mention of my giveaway on another blog for both the blogger and the entrant as well. There were 49 valid entries all together.
I went to Random.org and set the parameters and that site spit out our winning entry which is......
#8.....Kathy M!
- Kathy M said...
- I love cookies of all kinds, my weakness. I will never turn down old-fashioned chocolate chip. I have good memories of baking snickerdoodles as a kid. These days I prefer to bake with my grandson. Thanks for the opportunity. (I am a follower of your blog and read daily)
- December 16, 2010 1:00 PM Congratulations Kathy!
Please email me your mailing information(along with your phone number as the company asks for that too). You can find my contact email on my Profile Page(see the About Me section on the right sidebar).
Thanks to everyone who entered.
And I hope to see a lot more of all of you in 2011!
Sluggy
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