February Budget Results.....Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for FEBRUARY 2011.

I have posted February's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in February.  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 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 15.
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CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $94.73

Qs/Ads  $76.62
Value  $171.35
Savings  44.72%

RITE AID
OOP  $8.67 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $1,286.63
Value  $1,295.30
Savings  99.33% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WALMART
OOP  $2.69
Qs/Ads  $.55
Value  $3.24
Savings  17%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $25.47
Qs/Ads  $7.50
Value  $32.97
Savings   22.75%

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 FEBRUARY

Admiral Nelson's....$4.00(one of the few alcohol rebates valid in PA)
Kellogg's Toy Cash...$10.00
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR...$29.00
Subtotal........$46.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

Subtotal....$0.00--How sad is this?lol

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$46.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Chef Boyardee.....Free Ravioli Q
CoffeeMate....Free Creamer Q
Egg Beaters....Free Item Q
Herbal Essence 'Poo...$1/1 Q & Free Item Q
Karo Syrup....Free Item Q
MegaRed....Free Supplement Sample
MyBlogSpark/Pillsbury....Free Apron/Pen/Recipe Booklet
P&G....Q Booklet
Yoplait Yogurt....Free Item Q

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%,  Carone's at 44.72% and  Weis Markets at 22.75%.  I barely shopped at 4 stores in February.lol


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$122.89
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1379.97
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$207.56 before Rite-Aid
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1502.86 with Rite-Aid figured in
TOTAL Savings of...................................91.82%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$46.00

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$76.89
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$1425.97
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1502.86
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................94.88%

This closes out the February spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
I set out to spend half my allotted Food budget for Feb. which was $125.00.  I managed to come in under that total even before adding my cash rebates into my allotted kitty.
We substantially ate down the freezer and some stockpile.  I did manage to refill the freezer space up with free ice cream from Rite-Aid in Feb. and I processed the last of the pumpkins into puree for the freezer.  Besides the ice cream and cookie mix from Rite-Aid I did very little stockpiling of food in February.  The HBA/Toiletry haul from Rite-Aid is another story altogether!lol  I see a Garage Sale in my near future once the weather warms up.....

What's ahead for March.....
I think I'll try for another Low Spend Month with the Food Budget. Nothing as severe as $125 though, but something like $200.  If some good 'Stockopportunities' come up in March(it IS National Frozen Food Month, is it not?) I will abandon my Low Spend Goal for that.  Either way, I'll be shooting to keep the food spending under or at $250 for the month. 


How did you do in February with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for March?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  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

Rite-Aid Catch Up.....some Deals And End of SCR Period TOTALS

***Since I am not going to Rite-Aid today, which is the last day of the February Single Check Rebate Period, I have my Grand Totals for Feb. at the end of this post.  If you just want to see those, scroll to the very bottom of this post. ***

Here are my 2 shops for the end of last week at Rite-Aid.
Basic details only as the deals are done now....

More Johnson & Johnson free 'poo and baby wash products, free Finish, free Hall's, free Reach Floss, free item Q Ruffles, cheap Dixie plates, Hormel Compleats and Oreos.

OOP....$.41 put on free Rite-Aid gift card.
Value...$131.90
+Ups Spent....$34.50
+Ups Earned...$33.00
I am 'down' $1.50 in +Ups for these 2 trips.

Then on Sunday and Monday I bought all this at two different stores, on 2 different days, in 4 different transactions....

 I believe today, March 1st is the last day to snag all the free after +Ups snack items(Combos, Stax, TGIFridays and Burger King brands).  They are on sale for $1 each this week and generate a $1 +Up Reward thru March 1st.  The Bodi-Heat patches as well are on sale for $1 and generate a $1 +Up thru Tuesday.
Buying these snacks allowed me to 'roll' my +Up Rewards that are expiring this week.  I now have a ginormous pile of $1 +Ups that expire 3/15.  I'll be converting a bunch of these into cash, via SCRs offered during next week's sale.   What I don't convert, I'll roll or spend down.

I tried to use a raincheck for the Rite-Aid coffee(raincheck price was $1.99), but the coffee rang up $1.99 anyway.  It's regularly $4.49.  Sooo, either it'a an unadvertised temporary price reduction or nobody changed it in the system from when it was on sale for $1.99 over a month ago.  At any rate, there are $2/1 Rite-Aid coffee Qs located HERE.  You may be able to snag free coffee w/out a raincheck but price check the cans first.

In other raincheck news.....the Dove Deodorants were $1 each with my raincheck from 2 week's ago when it was on sale $2 each and gave a $2 +Up wyb 2.  I also had $2/1 Qs that expired Sunday, so I got $2 in overage.

The Dental Floss is also $1 this week on sale.  I have $2/1 Qs from a tearpad at my Dentist's office so I got $1 in overage on this item as well.  There are $1/1 Qs in the inserts also you can use if you don't have a cool dentist like me! ;-)

The Bouty Basic towels were .50¢ after $1/2 Qs and sale price of $1 each this week.  My Qs for this expired Monday but there are new identical ones in Sunday's P&G insert so go get your cheap towels!

Select Nivea lip products  are $1 on sale this week.  Check out Nivea's page on Facebook and snag a $2/2 Q there....you must "like" them first....to get some FREE lip stuff.

The Folgers is on sale for $2.99 this week and generates a $1 +Up.  Coupons.com has various values of Folger's Qs, depending on what zip code you use.  I found a $1.50/1 Q there so my can of coffee 'cost' me .49¢ after Q/sale/+Ups.  There is also a $2.50/2 Q and lower value Folgers Qs at that site so good luck finding a good value Q!

The Lysine Cold Sore Treatment stuff is also on sale for $1 this week.  There is a MIR of $1.25 located HERE.  Doubtful whether you'll get the rebate but it's worth a shot.  I bought the Lysine anyway since it's handy to have around and it is regularly $9.49!

Last but not least.....the Smart Start Cereal is BOGO this week at Rite-Aid, so 2 boxes for $4.99(at my store, your store's price may vary).  I used 2 x $1/1 IPQs from HERE, making 2 boxes $2.99.
There is a MIR on one of the boxes, so I can get a refund of the whole $4.99 I spent on that box.
Spend $2.99, get $4.99 back.....works for me!

Combined numbers for these 4 transactions....

OOP....$.70 put on free Rite-Aid gift card.
Value...$140.92
+Ups Spent....$34.50
+Ups Earned...$36.00
I am 'up' $1.50 in +Ups for these 4 trips.


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....6
Total Spent....$1.11(put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$272.82
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$4.99 & maybe $1.25 or $1.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$69.00
+Up Rewards spent...$69.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$161.99 


***GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period***

Number of Transactions......29
Total Spent....$11.42 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$1,756.30
SCR qualified for....$69.97
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$4.99(maybe as high as $6.24)
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 2/21.....$161.99
+Up Rewards spent....$490.94
+Up Rewards earned....$496.93
+Up Rewards left....$161.99 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period





I spent $11.42 on my free RA gift cards.
I am getting back $69.97 in SCRs and between $4.99-$6.24 in other cash rebates.
I also received $1,756.30 in products.

Another successful month shopping at Rite-Aid! 8-))



Sluggy

Pillsbury Giveaway Time!.....Win Some Neat Stuff

 Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 45 years, you should know that the PILLSBURY BAKE-OFF Competition rolls around about this time each year.  And it is now in full swing for 2011!
Yes, can you believe that this Contest has been revving up the cooking mojo of home cooks for 45 years!?!
And if you love to create new recipes or dishes your family loves, why not go and enter your creation in this year's competition!

Pillsbury is looking for original recipes that taste and look delicious, are easy to prepare and that families across America will love to eat. Consumers can submit recipes in one of four recipe categories:

* The Breakfast & Brunches category includes casual brunch or weekend family breakfast ideas. For example, sweet rolls, pull-aparts, pastries, breakfast breads, egg dishes or breakfast sandwiches.

* In the Entertaining Appetizers category, entrants can submit appetizers and snacks to serve at casual gatherings with family and friends or for holiday entertaining. For example, bite size appetizers, tartlets, pinwheels, puffs, bruschetta or focaccia.

* The Dinner Made Easy™ category encourages home cooks to create easy-to-prepare main dishes that will delight your family. For example, pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, foldovers, casseroles, chilis, soups or savory pies.

* Quick and easy treats for anytime celebrations can be entered into the Sweet Treats category. For example, cookies, pies, tarts, brownies or bars.

Entries are being accepted online between now and April 18, 2011, at www.bakeoff.com. One hundred lucky finalists will compete for a chance at the grand prize during the contest finals, which take place March 25-27, 2012 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Florida. You’ll also find contest details, including eligible products, prizes and the official rules, on the web site.

The recipes will be judged for 1) taste, 2) appearance, 3) creativity and 4) consumer appeal. All entries must meet the requirements of the recipe category and appropriately use two of the eligible products in at least the quantity specified.

Sue Compton of Delanco, N.J. was named the grand prize winner of the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in 2010 for her original Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups recipe. At the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in 2008, Carolyn Gurtz walked away with the million-dollar grand prize for her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. At the 2006 competition, the 42nd Contest, Anna Ginsberg, a stay-at-home mom who you might know from her blog, Cookie Madness, earned the $1 million prize for her Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing.

Who knows?  Maybe this year your recipe will take home the big prize?

The fine folks at MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury sent me a cute apron, pen with the Pillsbury Dough Boy on it and a Book of 100 Winning Recipes from the 44th Bake-Off Contest.   Each recipe is on a 5"x4" card(2 per page)that can be removed and filed in your own recipe card box or book.  Each card has a full color photograph of the recipe as well.

Here are a few recipes from the booklet that caught my eye...
*Maple-Bacon Breakfast Rolls
*Orange-Kissed Breakfast Bread Pudding
*Pesto-Quinoa-Spinach Quiche
*Sesame-Chicken Pot Stickers
*Bourbon-Street Muffuletta Braid

Are you ready to get cooking yet?  I know I am!

WIN IT!
MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury have provided me with a duplicate Book/Apron/Pen Gift Set to offer to my readers.
If you would like to be entered into the drawing for this prize simply leave  a comment on this blog post about what you feel makes a Prize Winning Recipe.  Is it the ease of preparation?  A small number of ingredients?  Using Bacon?....ok, that would be my idea of a winning recipe.lol  Or something else?

Just tell us what you think in a comment.  Be sure you leave your email address unless your email is linked to your Blogger account and I can access it through your Blogger Profile page.

EXTRA ENTRIES
You can earn extra entries(after your mandatory entry)by tweeting about this giveaway.  Please include the hashtag #myblogspark in your tweet as well as a link to this post directly in your tweet.  Leave a comment with a link to your tweet on this blog post for your extra entry.
This tweet entry can be performed once per day until the close of the Giveaway period.

This Giveaway will close at 11:59pm EST on Monday, March 7th, 2011.

Good Luck and Happy Cooking!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
**This is where I tell you that Pillsbury supplied me with the information, free products and giveaway prize through MyBlogSpark.**

Sluggy

Hammer Time!

Thanks to all my bloggy friends who were worried about me yesterday.
The wind has blown away the dark clouds and I am feeling a bit better today.

Here's some fun for a Friday.
Go watch the video below and try to pick me out.
Sort of a Where's Waldo in gold lame pants.....

I so want to be part of a flashmob, don't you?

Have a good weekend and find something to smile about! ;-)

Sluggy

How To Diffuse a Ticking Time Bomb......Not Quite

I don't care who sees this.
I went and bought the largest damned Shamrock Shake they make, thinking a big old dose of unhealthy nastiness would make me feel better.

The gal at the window hands me the shake.....not in the waxed paper cup I'm use to getting something like this in.
No, she hands me this PLASTIC CUP!
I HATE PLASTIC DISPOSABLE CUPS!!!
And not only is it nasty plastic......it's nowhere NEAR the size a Large Shake should be/used to be!
The censor in my brain that keeps me for saying what I am thinking malfunctioned and I actually glared at her and said....
"THIS is a LARGE Milkshake?  You have GOT to be kidding me!?!?"



***Open Letter to McDonalds***

Dear Swollen Corporate BigWigs,

This may come as a shock to you but not everyone in America is in love with fancy pants drinks.
Yes, more than a fair share of this nation worships at the altar of the Starbucks.
And seeing all that potential for making even more profits, you have offered similar fancy pants coffee and other similar drinks in your establishments in order to garner some of those Starbucks destined dollars for your own bad selves.

Be it known that those of us who aren't lured by the Pied Piper's song of fancy pants, overly decorated and enhanced drinks aren't impressed.
We aren't impressed by Starbucks and we certainly aren't impressed by your mediocre imitation.

And we don't want to pay the extra money you insist on charging for all these liquid machinations.
If we want coffee, we want coffee.
Period.
Not flavorings.
Not whipped "topping".
Not cherries.
And we want to pay a fair price for the coffee.
Not an inflated price for the 'extras' whether we want them or not.

And when we want, oh, say.....a Milkshake.
A milkshake which is not a fancy pants drink mind you!
We don't want it covered in whipped "topping".
Or topped with a cherry.
A Cherry for gosh sakes!
How are we suppose to suck that 1" in diameter cherry through a straw that is 1/3" in diameter?
Forget World Peace, go spend some of your obscene profits on answering that scientific improbability!

And if we are paying for a LARGE milkshake, we expect it to be......LARGE!
I know, I know.....this is a brazen concept, so try to stay with me here.

Not Medium.
Not Small.
Large....like in a Large Milkshake cup.
Not in a much smaller than large, will never decompose in a landfill, fancy pants iced coffee drink cup....or fancy pants smoothie cup, etc.

You have toyed with the wrong menopausal already pissed off and wound too-tight woman today McDonald's.

Signed,
Internet Hellion
Sluggy