Looking Back at My Favorites of 2010

We've had quite the year in the Deal Hunting/Blogging/Couponing World in 2010!

While I was sitting here doing my End of December and End of 2010 Financial Numbers, I got to thinking about all the deals that made up my year. 
Here is a List of my Favorite Deals and Ideas of 2010.

7.  GROUP BUYING--2010 was the Year that the Purchasing Power of the Group blossomed!  From Groupon to EverSave to Living Social.....purchasing everything from food to landscaping services in a group to get a great discount for said item/service was hot!  Even the slow adopter of all things new and trendy ME got in on a couple of group buying deals...lol  I snagged some food-type Christmas presents and a much wanted magazine subscription(my one and only subscription)near the end of 2010.

Since many of the companies that offered great discounts via group buying in 2010 did so to lure new customers toward their brand and make them repeat customers, we'll see if this marketing ploy worked in 2011.
Or will group buying be a bright hot nova that burns out quickly?  Time will tell.

6.  FOCUS GROUPS & SURVEY SITES--I've been a member of Pinecone Research for a couple of years now.  They are a highly reputable company and I recommend them if you ever see that they are soliciting for new members.  You won't get rich taking their surveys(nor will you get rich doing ANYONE'S surveys!)but it's steady compensation for the time you spend completing their questionnaires. I figure if I'm online anyway, I have time to do a survey now and again for a few dollars.
I also joined in 2010 a Focus Group company.  I've had 2 opportunities in the last 6 months to take part in a focus group, each of which paid considerably for your time(and thoughts).  I was only able to take part in 1 of them as I didn't respond back quickly enough to the 2nd offer.  With focus group work, the sessions tend to fill up quickly so if you snooze, you loose!

5.  SOCIAL MEDIA--Another "hot" idea in 2010 was companies using Facebook to promote their products.  Many major companies made Facebook pages last year and if you "Liked" their page you could take part in giveaways for Prizes and/or Coupons, including many, Many FREE ITEM COUPONS!
Sluggy "heart"  free item coupons!!
Free cheese, tea, shampoo, goat cheese, neti pots, gum, bacon, mac and cheese, pain reliever, facial tissues, cereal, vitamin supplements, chips, etc.....these are all items I got for free from liking companies on Facebook.
And if the automated system for sending out the Free Item Coupons went haywire, that was even MORE fun.....like the Free OREOS I got for liking the Oreos brand, or rather the FIVE packages of Free OREOS.lolol

4.  BLOGGING PERKS--Ok, so I am not a bigtime blogger.  I have a teeny tiny blog with a fair amount of readers(thank you all!).  The big corporations don't drop me emails to give me freebies in exchange for promoting them to my readership or fly me to conferences on their dime.  I wish they did, but they don't at this point. ;-)
But there are still some deal perks for blogging at the level I do.  I do get some interest from companies who want me to review and/or promote their items.  I don't take many up on their offers because the product has to be something I feel my readers would appreciate hearing about and/or something that's appropriate for this blog.
And I do reach out on occasion to companies myself to see if they'd be interested in supplying me with product to try and to give away to my readers. 
I am an affiliate of MyBlogSpark. They are a company that acts as a "middleman" to hooks up bloggers with companies wanting to promote their products online.  They send me offers that I usually accept.  The best part is they almost always offer a giveaway component....I like giving stuff away to my readers!

Another of the perks of Blogging is ad revenue.  If you place ads on your blog and people who come to your blog click on these ads, you will earn a small cash pittance each month.  This will eventually mean you get a check.  You can also sign up to become an affiliate of another site and earn cash or credit toward items available on their website.  It's a great passive income stream(or trickle in my case).  Just don't go overdoing it so that there are inappropriate ads or so many ads that readers can't find your content.  I've seen some blogs with ads so garish and obnoxious that it took 10 minutes for my eyes to focus again after leaving their site!lol

3.  CATALINA COUPON PROMOTIONS--Since I didn't travel much out of my local area in 2010 to the larger grocery chains, I didn't have opportunity to take advantage of many Catalina Deals.  The Cat Deals here were few and far between in 2010.  And when Weis had them they seemed always to be on products that there were NO valid coupons available for, and/or the amount you needed to spend was far greater  than the value of the Catalina you received.  Catalina Deals are only worthwhile if, with the sale prices and coupons you can use on the items, you have low out of pocket on the initial purchase and the Cat Coupon is a decent amount to roll to do the Cat Deal again.
My best 2 Catalina Deals for 2010 were both at Price Chopper NE surprisingly! Glimpse them HERE and HERE I don't usually shop at PC as their baseline prices here are always higher than Weis Markets or the local independent ShurSave affiliate stores.  But their Catalinas usually beat both of my usual grocery store.  HERE is the end of the best week of Catalina Deals at Weis Markets in 2010.  That was mid February 2010....they are well overdo for another good week! ;-)

2.  INTERNET PRINTED COUPONS--2010 for me at least was the year of the IPQ.  Our Sunday insert Coupons just got worse and worse this past year.  Less of the good regional coupons and more and more 'filler' in the insert pages of offers for trinkets and cheaply made clothing.  I know we had a Red Plum insert this year that had a total of THREE COUPONS and none of them were for FOOD!  There were 10 pages of offers to purchase bras, mumus, arthritis gloves, wolf knives, m&m clocks, porcelain babies, collector plates, ceramic dragons, etc., etc., etc.
If I had to guess, I'd say that 9 out of every 10 coupons I used in 2010 was printed off the internet.  By September I had stopped buying multiple Sunday paperspretty much and had taken to using a clipping service or eBay to obtain the good Manufacturer's coupons. 
Internet printed coupons are great but they are very limiting if you want to stock up on an item.  Being limited to 2 prints per computer of any coupon means you need to find access to multiple computers to access more of that coupon.  This is not always feasible.

And my favorite Deal Hunting/Couponing/Blogging thing for 2010......

1.  RITE-AID--I was a Rite-Aid devotee in 2009.  Back then, with the Single Check Rebate system, Rite-Aid was all about "you have to spend money to make money".  You'd buy items(and use your coupons), then have to wait for your cash refund to be mailed to you in about a month.  Of course, since you used coupons to purchase, your cash refund check was more than what you spent out of pocket, which was awesome.  But until you built up a pool of cash to buy your following month's SCR items, you were having to spend money oop.
Well in 2010 Rite-Aid introduced the Wellness + system, where certain items would give you Wellness Rewards(later on they became +Up Rewards)which were similar to Walgreen's Register Rewards or CVS's Extra Care Bucks.  Rite-Aid also kept the SCR system so you can combine getting cash rebates with the instant +Up Rewards for even better deals and less money out of pocket.  And Rite-Aid released tons of $X off $XX purchase coupons in 2010 as well as very nice high value coupons and deals if you joined the Wellness+ program.
Early on in 2010 I tried to spend less oop than I'd receive back in SCR checks.  Then I concentrated on completing SCR deals for Rite-Aid gift cards to cover my out of pocket outlays.  By April, between the free gift cards and the Wellness/later +Up Rewards, I pretty much had NO out of pocket spending for the rest of the year at Rite-Aid.  Now you have to LOVE a store that PAYS YOU to take things home, right?!!?!!
By the end of March 2010 I believe I had used up all my Walgreen's RRs and CVS ECBs and from that moment onward the only drug store I shopped at was Rite-Aid.  There were more than enough deals at Rite-Aid to keep me happy and by concentrating on just one Drug Store I believe I made better scores and I kept more of my sanity.....though the sanity part is debatable. ;-)

So what were Your favorite Couponing/Blogging Related Deals & Happenings in 2010?
Leave a comment and let us know!

Sluggy

Money Saving Challenge 2011....Latest Trip to Rite-Aid & Some Tips-UPDATED!

First an apology for all you non-Rite-Aid shoppers.
I'm sorry that almost everything has been Rite-Aid related lately.  This will change soon...I promise!

This post is part of the Money Saving Challenge 2011 on Precious' BLOG.
Here's what I did to save money on Thursday.
I went to Rite-Aid!lol

2 x Wet Ones on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Planters Nutrition nuts on sale $3.99=$7.98
2 x Planters Nutrition bars on sale $2.50=$5.00
4 x Rite-Aid Chicken Soup on sale .69¢=$2.76
2 x Pilot Pens 20% wellness disc.$1.83=$3.66
2 x Foam craft kit 20% wellness disc. $1.83=$3.66
1 x Joint Juice on sale but 20% disc. lower=$4.79
2 x Nature Made Fish Oil BOGO sale=$11.49
SubTotal....$43.32

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any Purchase AdPerk/VV Q=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Wet Ones IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 any Planters Nuts item IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Nutrition Bars Peelie(found on the lids of the cans of nuts I bought)=$2.00
2 x $1/2 Rite-Aid Soup IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Joint Juice IPQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 any Nature Made item Wellness IPQ=$3.00
2 x $3/1 Nature Made Fish Oil AdPerks/VV Q=$6.00
Coupon Total....$19.00

$43.32-$19.00=$24.32 + $.10 tax=$24.42
I used $24 in +Ups to pay and put the .42¢ on my free Rite-Aid Gift Card.

I received $16 in +Up Rewards back($4 WYB 2 Pilot Pens, $1 Joint Juice, $5 WYB 2 Darice craft kits, 4 x $1 on nuts and nut bars, 2 x $1 Wet Ones) and qualified for a $2 SCR for BIL's account(Joint Juice), leaving this transaction 'costing' me $6.....I paid with +Ups so I am down $6 in +Ups.

Let's analyze each item purchased.....
*The Wet Ones after $1Q and the $1 +Up they generated were a .01¢ moneymaker.
*The nuts after $1Q cost me $2.99 a can.
*The Nutrition bars after $1Q and $1 +Up they generated cost .50¢ per box.
*The Rite-Aid soup after sale price of .69¢ and $1/2Q made each can cost .19¢.
*The 2 Pilot Pens after the $4 +Up they generated were a .34¢ moneymaker.
*The 2 Foam craft kits after the $5 +Up they generated were a $1.34 moneymaker.
*The Joint Juice after $1Q, $1 +Up and $2 SCR cost $.79.
*The 2 Fish Oil bottles after Qs cost me $2.49 for both bottles.

UPDATE....I goofed about the $1 +Ups on the soup....the nuts and nut bars were giving the $1 +Ups, not the soup.  I've corrected below.....
 If you have the Rite-Aid Qs PDF  that they sent out to people who registered their wellness card on the Rite-Aid website, among the 8 pages of Qs is one for $1 off 2 cans of Rite-Aid soup.  The big Rite-Aid downtown had the soup for .69¢ today.  The sign says this deal is good through February some time(I didn't pay close enough attention to the actual date in Feb.).  Now I'm not sure if the sale is valid at all Rite-Aids but it's worth checking at your local store.....so if you use a $1/2 Q your soup will cost you only $.19 a can!

I predict a run on Rite-Aid soup in the near future....lol

Another heads up!.....about the Qs you can print when you sign into your wellness account at the Rite-Aid website.....you can only use them once, they are serialized!  I got a $2 pain reliever Q and a $3 Nature Made Vitamin/Supplement Q.  If you try to use a duplicate Q of these, they beep and say already used at the register, so don't even bother printing off more than 1 of these.

Rite-Aid stats....

THIS TRIP(plus the trip on 1/5 to get my Resolution Reward to generate where I spent .25¢ on my gift card) Number of Transactions.....2
Total Spent....$.67put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$70.66
SCR qualified for...$2.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$41.00
+Up Rewards spent...$73.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$130.00

 
GRAND TOTALS--January Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......17
Total Spent....$7.28 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$729.58
SCR qualified for....$12.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Jan. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 1/3.....$141.00
+Up Rewards spent....$151.50
+Up Rewards earned....$168.00
+Up Rewards left....$130.00 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

The Rite-Aid Resolution Reward Debacle...The Day I Broke the System

*Sluggy draws a big long breath before beginning, because this is going to take awhile....*

So if you 'do' Rite-Aid you know about their current Promotion....the Resolution Reward.

When you use your Wellness + Card and purchase certain items at Rite-Aid(marked with a "BUY & SAVE" tag on the shelf and in the sales flyer), the amount you spend on these qualifying items counts toward a special +Up Reward.  Spend at least $100 on these qualifying items before Jan. 22nd and you earn this special $20 +Up Reward.  Your current total toward the reward shows at the bottom of your register receipt.
Pretty straightforward, right?

If the promotion runs smoothly.
But NOOOOOOO............
It is NOT running smoothly!

Let me explain, by using my own experience thus far with this Resolution Reward Promotion.
I'm going to illustrate with pictures of my own cash register receipts.

Here is my receipt bottom from 12/30, a purchase at 2:21pm, Store #1....

I have $13.58 in purchases toward the reward at this point in time.

Here is my next receipt from 12/30, a purchase at 2:58pm, Store #2.....

I purchases an additional $32.97 worth of qualifying items.  My $13.58 total has disappeared and only the $32.97 total is showing.

Here is my next receipt from 12/30, a purchase at 4:18pm, Store #3.....

I purchased an additional $3.00 worth of qualifying items.  My $13.58 total is back and the $3.00 purchases has been added, giving me a total of $16.58.
The previously showing $32.97 amount has now disappeared.

Here is my next receipt from 12/31, a purchase at 12:21pm, Store #1....

I purchased an additional $6.00 worth of qualifying items.  My $16.58 total has updated to show that purchase, giving me a total of $22.58.
Still no trace of my $32.97.

Here is my next receipt from 12/31, a purchase at 12:32pm, Store #1.....

Nothing I bought qualified for the reward, so my total remains at $22.58.
Still no trace of my $32.97.

Here is my next receipt from 12/31, a purchase at 8:22pm, Store #1.....

I purchased an additional $4.58 worth of qualifying items.  My $22.58 total has updated to show that purchase, giving me a total of $27.16.
Hello $32.97!.....where are you??

Here is my next receipt from 12/31, a purchase at 8:25pm, Store #1.....

I purchased an additional $6.00 worth of qualifying items.  My $27.16 total has updated to show that purchase, giving me a total of $33.16.
Still no word from $32.97.


Here is my next receipt from 1/3(2 days have elapsed since my last purchase), a purchase at 2:58pm, Store #1.....

I purchased an additional $43.75 worth of qualifying items.  My $33.16 total has updated to show that purchase, giving me a total of $76.91.
Still no $32.97.

At this point if my $32.97 was added back in, I would be over the $100 threshold.
So I call Rite-Aid CS.
And I explain this whole thing to CS Rep "Amy".
After she confers with her supervisor she advises me that my $20+Ups should print on the bottom of my next receipt.  The $20 reward is programmed to print on the receipt AFTER you make purchases that make your total hit or exceed the $100 mark.
So if my $32.97 was counted in but just not showing I should get my reward on my next register receipt.

Sounds logical and plausible, right?
Yah.....

So it is now 2 days after my conversation with Rite-Aid CS and 2 days after my last trip to Rite-Aid where I should have exceeded the $100 purchase amount.

So I go up to Rite-Aid Wednesday evening.  And here is my next receipt from 1/5, a purchase at 4:52pm, Store #1....

You will notice that I can't actually show you what my Resolution Reward Total is because NOT ONLY IS MY MAGICALLY DISAPPEARING $32.97 PURCHASE NOT SHOWING, BUT NO PURCHASES WHATSOEVER ARE SHOWING AT ALL ON MY RECEIPT!
I HAVE NO PURCHASES TOWARD THE $20 REWARD!
 
And yes, I did use my same Wellness Card on this purchase.

When I saw that receipt I believe I did say WTF?!?! out loud.
If you were in the store near me and you heard that, I'm sorry....but I just couldn't hold it in....


So this last trip to Rite-Aid necessitated another call to Rite-Aid Customer Service as soon as I stormed home.
My rep this time was "Quincy".
After another half hour on the phone with CS(my second half-hour long call in 3 days!), the consensus is this.....

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED!  WE HAVE NEVER HAD A SITUATION LIKE THIS!
Yep, that is what Quincy and her Supervisor told me.

Gee, I admit I am special but in this case I'd sure like to be a LOT LESS special!lolol

So if your RESOLUTION REWARD TOTALS are changing in odds ways or not adding up right, keep your receipts, list them chronologically and pinpoint where things are going weird and CALL RITE-AID!
Make them fix it for you asap!

And yes, Rite-Aid CS is mailing me my $20+Up Reward.  And I truly don't think this is enough of a payment after all the grief, consternation and hassle they have caused me!
At the very least I deserve a nice big $25 Gift Card or something, don't you think? 8-(

If you are having a problem with this Promotion, leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Sluggy

2010 Hopes/Goals.....How We Did, or Didn't Do

Today I'm revisiting my List of Hopes we wanted to accomplish in 2010 and see how we did, or didn't do. ;-)


1. Put more money into savings than was put away in 2009.
--$23,865.36 was banked in 2009. I will be shooting for $30.000 in 2010, barring any unforeseen personal economic crisises. 
PASS
We put $34,000 into savings in 2010.

2. Pare down the stuff I need to eBay by sending more of it to the Thrift Store or sell it on Craigslist.
--Get off my rump and get stuff SOLD! And what I can't readily sell, send it off to a Thrift Store. I have had enough of boxes of crap hanging around my living room. It's time to actually USE that room in the manner it was intended.
SORT OF PASS
I thrifted alot of stuff earlier in the year but my efforts waned by August.
I sold things on eBay in April and May.
I had wanted to jump back onto eBay in September but things being what they were, I didn't get around to selling there until November.  Considering the economic climate I still think I had a fairly good month+ of selling.  I just wish I had been more organized and had more things to offer during the busy season. 
I was able to sell 154 items on eBay and 1 item on Amazon in 2010.
I'll update when I have the total value of non-food donated items to charity later this month.

3. Get rid of my last storage unit!
--This goes hand in hand with #2 above. If all the crap goes, I won't need to pay for a storage unit any longer. I went from 2 to 1 units last year. It is time to let this one go as well.
FAIL
Because of the lack of decluttering/Sallie-ing the latter half of the year and my shortened selling season on eBay, this goal is not happening now.  
I have, however, made progress here but I still consider it a fail.

4. Plan and implement my garden better so I have a chance for it to be more productive this summer.
--Last year's garden was lame. I need to be more proactive and get things planned and going earlier this year for it to be successful. Every bit of work you put into a garden will pay dividends in increased health from eating better and money saved on food spending.
PASS
Though I could have done even more, I am happy with the garden's outcome!

5. Do the taxes and complete paperwork for #1 son's schooling.
--This will be the first Hope accomplished as is needs to be completed by mid February. It could also be a big PITA as we have added tax implications for 2009 due to an estate/inheritance issue.
PASS
All the paperwork was completed in a timely fashion.  Geez, I hate paperwork....

6. Decide on and install a hew heating system for the house before the rate cap expires and heat is needed this fall.

--This one is VITAL and it must be completed by September!
FAIL...sort of
After sitting down with Hubs and realizing that we may be living here only 3.5 more years,  replacing our current system with a geothermal one would not be cost effective.  It would bring down the monthly heating costs but we wouldn't be living here long enough to negate the initial purchasing and installation costs of the system.
We are continuing to get by with our current system and looking into lower cost alternatives to install before we move.
So this isn't really a Fail, more of a "Removed as a Hope/Goal.
 

7. Rethink how and how much I coupon/rebate and reorganize my freezer/pantry/stockpile.
--With my 1st year of extreme couponing and stockpiling over, now is the time to step back and see what I did well, what I need to improve upon and what needs to go.
SORT OF PASS
I cut way back on the couponing, both as a conscious decision on my part and also due to the amount/lack thereof, of coupons available.   Less food was bought and stockpiled overall.  The stockpile was revamped and reorganized, though lately the stockpile maintenance has been neglected.

8. Continue to meal plan and retool our diet, including cooking for scratch/semi-homemade.
--This will involve making better choices with food, will depend partly on how successful #4 is, and will require all of us to change some old habits. It's probably going to be the most difficult Hope to accomplish.
PASS
Meal planning became automatic for me this year and making foods/dishes from scratch was done overall, I'd say 65% of the time.  Even Hubs remarked that there seemed to him to be far less convenience foods in the house....this was usually said in a tone of consternation when I wasn't feeling well enough to cook and he had to come up with a dinner and prepare it himself.lolol

9. Decide on and complete 1 major house remodel project.
--Once we decide what it will be, it's just a matter of pulling the trigger on the job, as the money is there waiting to be spent thanks to our savings challenge of 2009.
FAIL
Well the cash is STILL sitting there....waiting.
With everything else going on this year, we didn't come to a concensus and "pull that trigger" yet.  We thought this would go hand-in-hand with the Replace the Heating System Hope/Goal but when that Hope fell away as necessary, we were left adrift on this dingy of Hope.

10. Complete all the unfinished craft and sewing projects!!
--This Hope is my own personal one that doesn't involve any other family members directly. I need to just put my head down and plow through all these started projects OR make a decision to release them to someone else who wants to complete them. This should take a good part of the year to accomplish.
FAIL
Of all, this Hope was the obvious, biggest FAIL of them all, with absolutely NO progress!!
I don't think I ever even opened the big Rubbermaid tub of in-progress sewing projects, let alone touch any of them or finish anything.
I did however hem many pairs of pants this year and do a couple of garment repairs.....but that was the extent of my sewing for 2010.

So we end the year with 6 Passes and 3 Fails and a removal of 1 Goal/Hope.
Two Thirds of our Goals were accomplished.


Now I'm off to consider our List for 2011.
Have you or are you making any plans for 2011?  Leave us a link to your blog post or leave a comment here and tell us what you want to change or get done in the new year!


Sluggy

Last Chance to Claim Your Giveaway Prize....KathyM!

Ok, I am still waiting to be contacted by the MyBlogSpark/Safeway Giveaway Winner, Kathy M.

She didn't leave an email address in her entry so I can't contact her.  I've waiting a bit longer than usual since we're coming off the Holidays and she may not have been online.

You have 1 more day Kathy to get in touch with me.....either leave a comment on this post with your email addy or go to my Blogger Profile page and get my address and send me an email.

I feel badly but if people don't leave a contact email and have no blogger profile I can poke around in and find their addy I'll have to pull another winner.

So step up Kathy M, wherever you are!!

Sluggy