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

Keep this Rite-Aid/AdPerks Link Handy

Just a quick post for all you Rite-Aid aficionados.

Here's a back door URL to access your AdPerks/Video Values Account for days you can't get onto the Rite-Aid Website main page, due to heavy volume.....like today.

Go HERE.
This will take you to the current months AdPerks/Video Values Log-In page.

You can take it from there.....

Sluggy