Yup, I Done Spent Down a Mess O' +Up Rewards

Since I had over $120 in +Ups expiring on March 15th, I spent down a big pile of them, as well as converted $64 of them into cash via SCRs.  I only rolled another $14 of +Ups in these transactions.

Here is what I bought the last few days of last week's sale at Rite-Aid.....

1 x Colgate Toothpaste on sale=$2.99
2 x NYC Make-up on clearance .74¢=$1.48
2 x Sally Hansen Nail Polish on clearance .57¢=$1.14
1 x Vivitar Video camera w/20% wellness discount=$23.99**not pictured**
2 x Cella cherries w/20% wellness discount .26¢=.52¢
SubTotal.....$30.12

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$1.00

$30.12-$1=$29.12+.06tax=$29.18
I used $29 +Up Rewards to pay and put the .18¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $6 in +Up Rewards($2 Colgate, 2 x $1 NYC, $2 wyb 2 Sally Hansen cosmetics over $1.99).

**I "thought" I had bought the Vivitar video camera that had a $20 SCR...at least the hook it was on had the tag for the rebate on it.
But once I got out to the car I realized I bought the wrong camera because the one with the SCR cost alot more than $23.99.lol
So I returned the one I bought(it, along with an identical one had been put on the wrong peg hook in the store)and bought the correct one.
The correct one was $26 more.
Ugh!
I forked over $26 more in +Ups and put another .06¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.

So I spent down $49 in +Ups.....well really I only spent down $29 & converted $20 of it into cash, via the $20 SCR I'll get back.

I still had something like $78 in +Ups left to use by Tuesday, so I went back on Saturday and bought.....

1 x Phillips MP3 Player on sale but less with 20% wellness discount=$63.99
2 x Reach Dental Floss on sale $1=$2.00
6 x Sally Hansen Nail Polish on clearance .57¢=$3.42
2 x NYC Make-up on clearance .74¢=$1.48
2 x Nivea Lip Balm on sale $1=$2.00
4 x Mead Notebooks w/20% wellness disc. .79¢=$3.16 **#2 son needed these**
SubTotal....$76.05

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Reach Floss Tearpad Q from Dentist=$4.00
1 x $1/1 NYC Cosmetic ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/2 Nivea Lip Facebook Q=$2.00
Coupon Total....$7.00

$76.05-$7.00=$69.05+$2.46 tax=$71.51
I used $71 +Up Rewards to pay and put the .51¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card(I have $2.10 left on this gift card).
I received $8 in +Up Rewards back(3 x $2 wyb 2 Sally Hansen, 2 x $1 NYC).
I also qualified for a $20 SCR for the MP3 Player, so I rolled $8 +Ups, spent down $43 +Ups and converted $20 +Ups into cash via SCR.

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....3
Total Spent....$.75 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$199.33
SCR qualified for...$40.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$14.00
+Up Rewards spent....$126.00 EGADS!!!lol
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$25.75

**Ok, the math says I should have this many +Ups left to spend but I counted them and I actually have $112.76 left.  So, I screwed something up really badly along the way to this point.
Did I ever tell you that I was NOT a math major in school?lol
Ok, so Sluggy is math challenged and forgot to add quite a few +Ups to her totals along the way.  According to my trusty calculator, I should have had $249 in +Ups going into these transactions.  Let's correct the info below(so it at least lines up with the reality of what I have in +Ups at this moment)and move along, shall we? ;-)



TOTALS--March Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......6
Total Spent....$1.49 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$299.41
SCR qualified for....$64.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00



+UPS Totals for March SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 3/6.....$137.75**obviously this number is wrong.lol
+Up Rewards spent....$164.00
+Up Rewards earned....$27.76
+Up Rewards left....$112.76  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

Move Over Bobby Flay.....

Check out this New Cooking Show!
I wonder when the cookbook will come out?
And will it have any recipes for preparing troll?

Sluggy--Winning Blog Goddess

What I Did to Save Money Yesterday

* I ran my errands in a big loop, saving gas.  Have you seen the price of gas lately??!!

* I filled my car's tank while I was out, as prices are expected to keep going up.  We have 2 gas stations within spitting distance of each other.  The one on the northbound side of the road has $3.47 per gal. gas.  The one on the southbound side of the road has $3.55 per gal. gas.  The cheaper gas was on my side of the road heading out to do errands, so I filled up as I passed it.  No point in doubling back on the way home to get the cheaper gas.

* I hit the $ Store.

I got some junk foods to send in #1 son's college care package, but I did find some real food too....Lasagna noodles, Sweet Potato Fries and Scrapple.  I don't buy processed french fries usually as buying a bag of potatoes is much more cost effective.  But for what sweet potatoes would cost me at the grocery store per lb. in a 'raw' state, I couldn't make them into fries cheaper.  Lasagna noodles at the grocery store are never $1 a box here, since they are never included in any dried pasta sales.  The Dollar Store also had a few other good food deals....frozen fruit, as well as ravioli and pierogies.  I was tempted by the Hunt's 'No HFCS' Ketchup but I have quite a supply of Ketchup already so I passed on that one.
The local $ Stores stock these Airwick brand solid air fresheners.  I don't usually buy air fresheners(unless I get them for free from Rite-Aid and then I sell or give them away).  I do buy the pet odor ones in the warm months to use near the dog crates since they can get smelly.  But these LILAC scented ones were irresistible....oh, they smell sooooo good!  Lilac makes me think of Spring and I am so ready to think Spring. ;-)
Anyway, I spent $9.12 w/tax.

*Then I hit the bread outlet.

I haven't been in about 4 weeks and we were down to our last few slices of bread.  I chose a very good day to go since they had alot of items on the discounted racks for $1 or .89¢.  I spent $14.23 for $70.04 worth of bread/bakery products.  I got an assortment of bread, bagels, rolls as well as some danish and doughnuts. This should last us about 3 weeks or so.  I store them in the frigid garage(almost as good as in the freezer)so they will keep 3 weeks or longer.  What doesn't get used by then will go into the freezer.

* I made my own Sloppy Joe Sauce for dinner.  I could have used a can of sauce(I have 1 or 2 left that cost me $1 a can) but wanted something less sugary.  I find the canned stuff is too sweet for me so I've taken to concocting my own so I can control what goes into it.  There are tons of different recipes out there you can use as a guide to making your own.  None of them are difficult...most just are a matter of dumping ingredients in a pan and heating it up.  I use some tomato paste, tomato sauce, a touch of vinegar, a dash of garlic powder and if I want some sweetness I'll squirt a bit of ketchup into it or add a little hunk of brown sugar.  I dice some onions and fry that up with the ground beef as well.  If I have some peppers, I'll add that if I feel like it.  The point is that it takes very little effort and even less money to combine a few things in your pantry to make your own sauce.  Heck, you can even use BBQ sauce as the base if you have an old bottle of it malingering on your shelves.  Why spend for a new can of Sloppy Joe Sauce when you have everything you need to throw together your own custom blended sauce.  I won't be buying Sloppy Joe Sauce again since it's not a multi-tasking product, unless some deal comes along and the store wants to pay me to take a case of it home. lol

* My Netflix DVD arrived.  I watched that, as well as another movie instead of renting 2 movies at $1 a piece or instead of going to the cinema and plunking down $6 per movie for a couple of matinees.  4 hours of entertainment on the cheap.

* Worked on my Meal Plan for the week.  Yes, I am very late getting it finished.  We've had Spaghetti w/Meatballs and Garden Salad, Subway sandwiches on a crazy schedule night and Sloppy Joes w/Corn so far. 
Tonight is Fish, Sweet Potato Fries and Spinach Salad.
Thursday is Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes. 
Friday is homemade Pizza w/Pepperoni, Onions and Peppers.(Plus Olives on my pieces.)
Saturday is Chicken & Broccoli Casserole.

* I washed a full load of laundry in my HE washer, using 1 tablespoon of detergent I got for free at Acme in Aug. 2009 and 8 squirts of Spray n' Wash.  I hung the clothes to dry on racks in the upstairs hallway. 

*As it was a bright sunny day, I opened the drapes on the southern facing side of the house to let in sunshine/warmth and closed them after the sun moved to the other side of the house.  With the nice sunlight I kept all lighting off during the day except for the task light on my computer desk when I was working at my desk. 

What did you do to save money?

Sluggy

Now What?.....How to Use Your Drugstore Knowledge

*This post is the follow-up to THIS POST on the basics of the Rite-Aid system.*

Now that you know all the lingo and have a basic knowledge of how shopping at Rite-Aid works & have signed up for your Wellness card, it's time to figure out what to buy when you go to the store.
What you are going to buy depends on these things...
1. What do you need/want to buy?
2. What are the deals this week?
3. What coupons do you have?

So you need to find some "Deal Blogs" to follow and consult.


"Deal Blogs" are those that post on what the upcoming sales are at a particular store.  They are informational, cut and dried.  Ok, some chat it up also but you are there for the info.  Don't Read This;It's Boring! may mention specific deals now and again but I am NOT a Deal Blogger. 

By following these blogs you can find out what is going on sale in future weeks as well as what is happening in the current week.
Deal bloggers will also do "coupon match-ups" for that store.  This is a list of currently available coupons(both ManuQs and IPQs)that match up with a sale item.  By matching the sales price with a coupon you can increase your savings when you buy that item.
These blogs are also where you can find out about hidden deals at the stores.
Many of these blogs will also give you actual "Deal Scenarios".  These are actual lists of specific items to buy, what coupons/sales to use and what premiums(RRs, ECBs, +Ups, Catalinas, etc.)you will receive and how much out of pocket you will be after that specific transaction.

Deal Blogs
Finding Deal Blogs online is quite easy.  Just google or use whatever search engine you prefer, and search under "deal blogs" or "drugstore blogs","drugstore deals", etc.  For grocery store deals, google that specific term.  Find a group of blogs and read them for awhile until you find the ones that give out the best information for you.  If there is a store, there is bound to be a blog out there that follows it.
For the larger chains, you will find more Deal Blogs devoted to them, because, well, they are so large.lol
Some deal blogs follow more than one store.  You will have to wade through many posts to find the Store Specific posts you need on those blogs.

When you find a few Deal Blogs that give you the information you want/need, go subscribe to them so you automatically get their posts sent to your email or into your Google Reader.  This will assure that you don't forget to check their blogs for deal information you need and miss some gem.

Personally I like to follow Deal Blogs within my regional area whenever possible.
For Rite-Aid I consult I "Heart" Rite-Aid as Erica is very knowledgeable about all things Rite-Aid.
But I also follow Anne at Coupons Deals and More and Shannon at For The Mommas.  Anne is in the Buffalo NY area and Shannon is outside of Philly.  I don't have a Rite-Aid Deal Blogger in my specific area but those 2 are in what I consider my region and they are both cover the Rite-Aid stuff well.

Why follow regional deal bloggers?  Sometimes Qs are regional, so you want someone who is matching up the Qs that YOUR area receives, in the denomination that you get.  There is nothing worse than finding a great deal scenario only to find that your area of the country did not receive a vital Q you need to complete that transaction cheaply.   There's nothing worse than planning out a scenario and then finding that you either didn't get that Q or that the one you got was not $2 but .50¢.  8-(

I also like to consult Building Up Da Benjamins.  She is over in the San Diego CA area.  2 reasons I follow her....1-I like her style.  2-The southern CA area Rite-Aid deals begin on the Thursday before they begin in all other parts of the country on Sunday.  So if something isn't working or there is a hidden deal to find, the bloggers/shoppers in this area will find out about it at the store and report back before the sales week even starts here.

Many folks read the Rite-Aid message board over at Slick Deals or at the 2 major Couponing Sites--A Full Cup and Hot Coupon World.  These are huge sites and can be intimidating to new coupon users.  I'd suggest you explore one of them to begin with and once you have a routine going, branch out and read the others.

There are tons of Deal Bloggers so go find a few that you enjoy reading and start getting up to speed on Rite-Aid deals.

As always if anyone has any questions about Rite-Aid or couponing or deal finding in general, feel free to leave a comment or email me privately if you prefer.   If you have suggestions of things that have helped you find the deals, please feel free to share that with us all as well.


Sluggy

And the Pillsbury Giveaway Winner Is.....

The fine folks, er....automated random number generating program at Random.Org helped me pick the winning entry for the Pillsbury Giveaway.


And the # picked was Comment No. 10....

Mimi said...

A good recipe almost always has sausage in it! mad2267 at gmail dot com

February 28, 2011 8:59 PM

 Congratulations to Mimi and her sausage!! ;-)


I'll be contacting her presently.   If for any reason she can't fulfill her duties as Contest Winner, her runner-up will take over the crown.

 Thanks to everyone who entered.  Stay tuned to this Bat Channel for more Giveaways!

Sluggy