The Minimalist Mindset in Blogland

I've been a fan of a blog/website for some time now.  It's located HERE.
This guy is a true Minimalist believer.
Minimalism as a movement is hot right now...especially with the techno generation.

It's drawing many people into it's ranks.
Some of these folks and their blogging efforts are fabulous and thought provoking....others not so much.
Embracing true, full-frontal minimalism as a way of life is not for the faint of heart and not for most people....including me!
What I do is draw lessons from this path and apply them to my own life as I see fit.
Even if you think these minimalist people are froot loops, some of the ideas are valid and CAN enrich your own life. 

Here is a brief wishlist/ to-do list to get to a minimalist state....

Stop buying unnecessary things.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.
List 4 essential things in your life,
stop doing non-essential things.
Do these essentials first each day, clear distractions
focus on each moment.
Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less.

 This list sounds a lot like just decluttering and simplifying your life, right?
True minimalism takes it a step further until you strip away all but the bare bones of possessions, money as well as doing(working and other doing that isn't working for pay).

Now on the other hand, many out there in cyberspace are calling themselves Minimalists.
They have taken some of the concepts/theories and applied them to their lives.
That's a good thing.
But....they still embrace other concepts/behaviors that are in complete conflict with true minimalist insight.
Some are just Posers and some are what I refer to as Minimalist-Lite.
I'm not there yet, but I may end up living a Minimalist-Lite life.
Except for the giving up money thing.
I have a problem with that one....lol

A very popular concept right now among the Minimalists is this notion of  Only Owning 100 Things.
I get why you limit yourself to a certain number.  But owning 100 things is an arbitrary number that doesn't "One Size Fits All"!
And by trying to put every minimalist follower into the same slot like that makes for some funny as shit incongruities!

Here's another Minimalist devotee's blog GET OFF THIS WHEEL.
He made a hilarious video about "minimalists" and posted it on the blog.
Please go check it out.
If you have been hanging around minimalist blogs or groups, you will SO get this! ;-)



Sluggy

That's Just How I Roll.....ECBs at CVS, That is!

If you are a regular reader here, you may remember that about 3 weeks ago I actually went to CVS and bought things.
Yes, I know....you are horrified that I forsook my beloved Rite-Aids and ventured into a CVS.
Well you would too if CVS was giving away Finish Dishwasher Detergent for .75¢ a box...and that was BEFORE the Extra Care Bucks I earned buying $21 worth! ;-)

So let's follow the saga of getting and rolling these $10 in ECBs x2.  You'll see how much I have actually paid Out of Pocket to buy stuff at CVS.

First off, I have 2 cards....1 for me and 1 for Hubs.
I bought a stack of Finish coupons, er rather, I paid some kind soul on eBay to clip a stack of coupons for me for the price of $6.48 with shipping.  A bit high for 20 coupons but these were regional high valued ones so I was prepared to spend a bit more.
I used 14 of the coupons between the 2 cards, so I am OOP $4.53 right off the bat.
(Each coupon w/shipping cost .324¢.)

Each lot of 7 boxes of Finish after coupons cost me $5.25 OOP.
2 transactions of 7 boxes each makes it $10.50.
Add in the $4.53 and my investment total is $15.03.
Here's half of the boxes....

I received $10 ECBs for each card, so I had $20 to roll into more products.

The following week I did a soda deal at CVS and rolled one of the $10 ECBs.
I got 6 12-packs of Pepsi products for $20, using the $10 ECB, leaving me with $10.60(.60¢tax) OOP.
I received another $10 ECB for buying $20 of Pepsi products.

My spending at this point was $25.63.

This week I finished rolling/spending those $20 in ECBs I had left.  I just don't want to keep having to drag sorry butt back to CVS every 2 weeks, especially this time of year when getting there is iffy with the bad weather.
So I decided to roll and spend down all $20 ECBs this week.

Here's what I did....

The Buy $15 in Unilever food items, Get $5 in ECBs deal was first.
6 Boxes of Lipton TeaBags....I drink alot of iced tea and go through teabags quickly!....was $15.
After using 3 $1/2 MaunQs and my $10 ECBs, I paid $2 OOP.  $15-$3=$12-$10=$2.00 OOP.

I received a $5 ECBs for buying $15 worth.

Spending total is now $27.63.

Then I bought 2 4lb. canisters of Sugar that were on sale for $2.99 this week.
2 x $2.99=$5.98 and I used a .65/2 ManuQ=$5.33.

I used the $5 ECB from the TeaBag Deal, so my OOP came to .33¢.
And I have no more ECBs on that card to roll.

Spending total is now $27.96.

On the other card I bought 5 12-packs of Coke products, as there was a Buy $15/Get $5 ECBs Deal.
I had a FREE 12-Pack of Coke Coupon reward I used as well.

$15-$3free cokes Q=$12-$10ECBs=$2.00=$.12 tax=$2.12 OOP and I received a $5 ECB back.

Spending total is now $30.08.

I bought 6 more boxes of Tea Bags and used 3 more $1/2 ManuQs and the $5 ECB to pay.....$15-$3=$12.00-$5.00=$7.00 OOP and I received a $5 ECB back.

Spending total is now $37.08.

Then I bought 2 Sugar canisters($5.98)and 6 Dawn Hand Renewal Soap(.97¢each=$5.82)=$11.80.
I used a .65/2 sugar Q and 3 x $1/2 Dawn Hand Renewal=$3.65
$11.80-$3.65=$8.15-$5 ECBs=$3.15+$.08tax=$3.23.

And I am out of ECBs on both cards.

Spending total is now $40.31.

So I have spent.....
$4.53-Finish coupons
$10.50-14 Finish boxes
$10.60-6 Pepsi packs
$2.00-6 Tea Bag boxes
$.33-8 lbs. Sugar
$2.12-5 Coke packs
$7.00-6 Tea Bag boxes
$.33-8 lbs. Sugar
$2.90-6 Dish Soap


And I received for this $40.31.....

14 Dishwasher Detergent boxes
11 12-packs of Soda
12  boxes of Tea
16 lbs. of Sugar
6 bottles of Dish Soap

To break it down into what my family uses and at what rate, that's 1 year worth of Dishwasher Detergent, 6 months worth of Soda, 6 months worth of Tea Bags, 6 months worth of Sugar and 4 months worth of Dish Soap.

It may sound like I've spent alot of money but if you divide what I spent by the number of items, it averages out to .68¢ per item!
And it's all items we need and will use....no fillers.

Using the sale prices and not the regular prices(since I NEVER would have paid those prices for the items!),without using the ECBs(and ManuQs)to bring down the prices paid, I would have spent $122.78+tax on this stuff.
I "saved" $82.47.
That's a savings of  67.17% over just buying these items at the sale prices.

I have a question for those of you who shop at CVS on a regular basis....

Do you ever buy filler items(along with items you need/want) just to roll ECBs into more ECBs before they expire?
Or do you only roll ECBs on things you need and just spend them down on things you need if there is nothing good to roll them on, to get more ECBs?
Do you ever feel pressured to buy things you normally wouldn't, to roll your ECBs?
If you do buy things you wouldn't to roll the ECBs, do you have someone/some groups you can pass these items on to easily?
If you had a choice of spending down your ECBs(because there is nothing good to roll them on to)OR rolling your ECBs when at least a part of what you buy would mean buying things you don't want/need to get more ECBs, which do you prefer to do?

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....January 31st Edition

I'm trying to get back into writing down a Meal Plan for the week.
I run my Meal Plan here at Chez Sluggy from Sunday to Saturday....just so you know.

Here is this week's plan....

Sunday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Garlic Potatoes, Gravy, Summer Mix of Veggies in Pepper Sauce
Monday--Potluck Chili, Biscuits or Cornbread(can't decide which)
Tuesday--Macaroni and Cheese , Broccoli
Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Bread
Thursday--Leftovers-Hubs is not home for dinner
Friday--Kielbasa on Rolls with caramelized Onions, leftover Coleslaw
Saturday--Early Dinner out

Here's why I am serving some of this stuff....

Sunday-- I got a great deal on Saturday on cubed steak, $1.74lb!, so I decided to make this rib-sticker meal.  We even have a big piece leftover for some lucky family member for Leftover Friday!

 Monday--I spent an hour digging through the freezer, reorganizing and finding older things like some skillet steaks and tomatoes from the garden I froze whole and never canned.  I have a container of already cooked ground beef in the fridge to add so it's Potluck Chili time!

Tuesday--Haven't had this dish in awhile.  I've got all the ingredients, so why not?lol

Wednesday--I have some chicken cutlets to use up.  I will have to buy salad greens, but we didn't use the hamburger buns last week for garlic bread so we need to use them for this meal.

Thursday--Hopefully we'll have lots of first rate leftovers for this night.  chicken fried steak, chili, mac and cheez, and maybe some chicken parm.

Friday--I found a ring of Kielbasa in the depths of the freezer.  I have been craving this dish but won't spend $4+lb. for it and it hasn't been on sale around here.  Must remember to stock up when it goes on sale next time....  The coleslaw is leftover from Saturday.

Saturday--Eating out...probably just Hubs and I since Daughter will be off with her friends and #2 son will opt for a night home with WOW and Chicken Tenders.lol   In honor of the Chinese New Year we'll probably hit one of our fav. Asian restaurants during Happy Hour(aka discount hour).


As for what I need to buy to implement this plan?  Just some salad greens and maybe a cucumber...whatever I can find inexpensive in the produce dept. at the store this week.

Other than the perennial item on my list, milk, I don't need to buy anything else this week.
There are some Catalina Promos this week at Weis(I might do the Dog Food one)and Coupon Doublers at Price Chopper NE that might lure me out for cheap or free food items.  But other than that, immediate spending for food being eaten this week is about $8.

So what is going to be on your plate this week?

Check out Organizing Junkie's website HERE to see what other Home Cooks are whipping up this week for their families.

Sluggy

5 Times is Not Enough.....Sunday Rite-Aid Shopping Saga

With $127 worth of +Up Rewards to use between Sunday and Saturday this week before they expire, it's no wonder I did 5 transactions at assorted Rite-Aids on Sunday.
I knew that with some of the FREE after +Ups deals this week, if I wanted any of them, I'd have to get out there on the 1st day of the Sales Ad week.

First my card....

2 x Sunday paper $1.00=$2.00
1 x Sierra Mist soda w/wellness disc. 20%=$1.27
3 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale $2.99=$8.97
3 x Coricidin on sale $5.99=$17.97
3 x Afrin spray on sale $5.99=$17.97
2 x Reach Toothbrush on sale $3.83=$7.66
SubTotal....$55.84

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Any Purchase AdPerks/VVQ=$1.00
1 x $.55/1 Sierra Mist soda TearpadQ=$.55
3 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Coricidin IPQ=$3.00
2 x $2/1 Coricidin IPQ=$4.00
3 x $2/1 Coricidin AdPerks/VVQ=$6.00
3 x $2/1 Afrin IPQ=$6.00
3 x $2/1 Afrin AdPerks/VVQ=$6.00
1 x BOGO Reach ManuQ=$3.83
1 x $1/1 Reach Toothbrush TearpadQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Reach/Listerine AdPerks/VVQ=$2.00
Coupons Total....$36.38

$55.84-$36.38=$19.46
I used $19 +Up Rewards and put the $.46 on my Rite-Aid gift card, so $0 out of pocket.
I received $50 in +Up Rewards back....6 x $4(Coricidin and Afrin), 3 x $2(Colgate Toothpaste), 2 x $10(Healthy Heart, 1 for a $30 Purchase, 1 for the last $20 of the $50 Purchase).

$19 spent, $50 received makes this a $31 moneymaker.

**The Afrin Qs beep but can be pushed through manually.


Then on the BIL's card....

3 x Sunday paper=$3.20
2 x Stax snacks on sale $1.00=$2.00
2 x Dixie plates on sale BOGO=$3.99
4 x Edy's Ice Cream on sale $2.99=$11.96 *not pictured*
2 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Coricidin on sale=$5.99
1 x Afrin on sale=$5.99
SubTotal....$39.11

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $25 Purchase emailed to BIL's account=$5.00
1 x $1 off any Purchase Wellness/AdPerks VV Q=$1.00
1 x $3/2 Dixie Plates AdPerks/VV Q=$3.00
2 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Coricidin AdPerks/VV Q=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Afrin AdPerks/VV Q=$2.00
Coupon Total....$15.00

$39.11-$15.00=$24.11

I used $24 in +Up Rewards and put the .11¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card, so $0 OOP.
I received $37 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $1 Stax, 4 x $2 Edy's, 2 x $2 Colgate, $4 Coricidn, $4 Afrin, $10 for the second $20 of the Healthy Heart Promo, $5 wyb $15 of the Up Your Game Promo items).

$24 spent, $37 received makes this a $13 moneymaker.

My card again, later that day.....

4 x Stax on sale $1.00=$4.00
2 x Chex on sale $1.50=$3.00
1 x NY Style Bagel Crisps on sale $1.50=$1.50
2 x Hartz Dog Biscuits on sale $2.99=$5.98
4 x Dixie Plates Bogo sale=$7.98
SubTotal....$22.46


Coupons Used....
1 x $4 off $20 AdPerks/VVQ=$4.00
1 x $1 any Purchase Wellness AdPerks/VVQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Chex ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $.50/2 Chex PEELIEQ=$.50
1 x .75¢/1 NY Style Crisps=$.75
2 x $1/1 Hartz dog biscuits IPQ=$2.00
2 x $3/2 Dixie Plates AdPerks/VVQ=$6.00
Coupon Total....$15.25

$22.46-$15.25=$7.21
I used $7 in +Up Rewards and put the .21¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $15 in +Up Rewards....2 x $1 for Pet Food purchase, 2 x $1 for Hartz purchase, 4 x $1 for Stax, 2 x $1 for Chex and $5 wyb select items for the Up Your Game Promo.


$7 spent, $15 received makes this an $8 moneymaker.


Then BIL's card again.....

4 x Pringles on sale $1.50=$6.00
2 x Hartz Dog Biscuits on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Smuckers Jelly/Jam on sale $1.99
2 x NY Style Bagel Crisps on sale $1.50=$3.00
1 x Glad Trash Bags on sale=$3.99
2 x Motrin PM raincheck price=$2.00
1 x Excedrin w/wellness disc. 20%=$5.59
SubTotal....$28.55

Coupons Used....
2 x $1/2 Pringles ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Hartz dog biscuits IPQ=$2.00
2 x .75¢/1 NY Style Crisps=$1.50
1 x $3/1 Glad trash bags IPQ=$3.00
1 x $6/2 Motrin PM ManuQ=$6.00
1 x FREE ITEM Excedrin Q homemailer=$5.59
Coupon Total....$20.09

$28.55-$20.09=$8.46
I used $8 in +Up Rewards and put the .46¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $5 in +Up Rewards....2 x $1 for Pet Food purchase, 2 x $1 for Hartz purchase and $1 for the Smuckers.

$8 spent, $5 received means I am 'down' $3 in +Ups for this transaction.

**The Smuckers jelly is on sale this week and with the month long $1 +Ups it generates it only cost $1, so I got one for the food bank.
**There is a $1 +Ups on $5 Hartz purchase this week, and Hartz items are 25% off.  The reg. price on the dog treats is $3.99, so the 25% off makes them $2.99 and you get the +Up "from the purchase of Hartz".  There must also be a monthlong or hidden +Up Deal since these generate another $1 Ups "from the purchase of Pet Treats".
**If you are trying to get to the $100 mark for the $20 Winter Resolutions +Up Reward, now is a good time to use those FREE EXCEDRIN homemailer Qs if you still have one, since Excedrin is a qualifying item.


And finally, my card again that evening.....

3 x Edy's Ice Cream on sale $2.99=$8.97
2 x Stax on sale $1.00=$2.00
2 x Funnels w/wellness disc. 20% $.95=$1.90
1 x Gillette Razor on sale=$9.99
1 x RA lip balm on sale=$.50 *not pictured*
SubTotal....$23.36

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any Purchase AdPerks/VV Q=$1.00
1 x $4/1 Gillette Razor ManuQ=$4.00
Coupon Total....$5.00

$23.36-$5.00=$18.36
I used $18 in +Up Rewards and put the .36¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $15 in +Up Rewards back....3 x $2 Edys, 2 x $1 Stax, $2 wyb 2 Funnels and $5 Gillette Razor.

$18 spent and $15 back means I am 'down' $3 in +Ups.

**Heads up! The Gillette Razor +Up Deal is a limit of ONE PER CARD.
**The funnels are a monthlong/hidden deal.  Reg. price of $1.19 but if you have the wellness discount they are free after the $2 WYB 2 +Up it generates.

I spent $76 in +Up Rewards and received $122 +Up Rewards back.
I have $51 in +Ups to roll before Saturday night.  Both accounts have approx. $30 left to spend to get to the $100 mark for the Winter Resolution Reward.

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....5
Total Spent....$1.60 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$266.20
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$122.00
+Up Rewards spent...$76.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$214.93
 
GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......7
Total Spent....$2.17 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$360.84
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 1/26.....$168.93
+Up Rewards spent....$103.00
+Up Rewards earned....$161.93
+Up Rewards left....$214.93 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy

Sluggy's Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway Post #4....Time to Enter Again!

Time for Post 4 for the Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway!

If this is your first time here, get up to speed on how this Giveaway works by looking HERE.

Check out the rules.....
The Rules
1. You must be a "Follower" of my blog to enter and still be a Follower if/when you win.  Lookie on the right sidebar and press the big ol' FOLLOW button if you are not already a follower.
2.  Sorry but this Giveaway is open ONLY to those with a mailing address within the USA.  Hate to have to do that but the postal rates outside the country are KILLER.
3. 1 vote/entry per post with 1 exemption.  You can leave more than 1 comment per post but only your 1st vote/comment will count.

The 1 Exemption....You can earn EXTRA ENTRIES this way....
*If you get someone to become a Follower and enter this giveaway you can earn an Extra Entry for each person you bring on board.  You can blog about the giveaway or email people or post about it on a message board or call your neighbor on the phone....whatever way you want to recruit them, I don't care.  Just make sure that they mention in their vote/comment/entry that You(your name here)told them about the blog/giveaway and you get an extra entry that post.


As always, this is not a company sponsored or company supplied Giveaway.  Any costs associated with this Giveaway are coming out of my pocket because I'm just that kinda gal.  Please patronize our blog ads....I'm just sayin'.... ;-)


Now down to the business at hand.

Here are your 3 items to choose from today....

1. Airborne-berry flavor, 10ct.
2. Motrin PM-20 ct.
3. GasX Prevention-20 ct.


Just leave a comment on this post within the next 3 days with your choice of #1, 2 or 3.
Additional praise for me on the anniversary of my birth is welcomed but won't earn you any Brownie points for the Giveaway. ;-)

Sluggy