The Last of the 3/15 Expiring +Up Rewards...Yay!

I ran up to Rite-Aid last night to use the last $7 in +Up Rewards that expire today.  It's such a relief to only have $21.76 expiring soon instead of $154.....

3 x Dixie Plates on sale $1.97=$5.91
2 x Chloraseptic Drops on sale $3.99=$7.98
1 x Gain Dish Soap on sale=$.88
1 x Renuzit Cone on sale=$.88
SubTotal....$15.65

Coupons Used
1 x $5/3 Dixie Plates AdPerks/VV IPQ=$5.00
2 x $1/1 Chloraseptic product IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Gain Dish Soap Home Mailer Q(P&G Booklet)=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$8.00

$15.65-$8.00=$7.65
I used the $7 in +Ups and put the .65¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.(This card has $1.45 left on it.)
I received $6 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $3 Chloraseptic), so I was able to "roll" $6 of the $7 in +Ups.

After the comments I've gotten on the video camera and some reviews I've read, I decided to return it.  Around here, if you return something paid for with +Ups, they give you the amount on a Rite-Aid gift card.  Besides the gift card I am using now, I have $35 left in other Rite-Aid gift cards for putting my OOP on.  That amount will get me through until about June, before I would run out and have to start spending actual money at Rite-Aid again.  But not now!  With the camera return I am up to $90 on my gift cards. ;-)  So basically, I converted via the camera return the +Ups I used to pay into a gift card....I'm ok with the fact that the gift card is only good at Rite-Aid too.  I did lose $20 of my SCRs however.....


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.65 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$25.03
SCR qualified for...$00.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$6.00
+Up Rewards spent....$7.00
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$111.76

TOTALS--March Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......7
Total Spent....$2.14 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$324.44
SCR qualified for....$44.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for March SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 3/12.....$112.76
+Up Rewards spent....$171.00
+Up Rewards earned....$33.76
+Up Rewards left....$111.76  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

Randomness on a Monday.....

* I know you are all dying to know how I did on the Focus Group!
Well I snagged 3rd place in the final task Contest which added another $50 to the check I am anticipating the arrival of any week now.
Even though it was a looooong 6 weeks and some days I dreaded the pressure of having to meet a deadline(here at Chez Sluggy, I AM mostly the deadline hander-outer, not the deadline meeter), I miss being part of the Group now.  Whatever shall I do with all this free time on my hands??  Oh, right....clean the house like I was able to avoid for the last 6 weeks.lol

*  I have my own theory about all the stuff happening around the Pacific Rim.  I believe that the cause of it all is Charlie Sheen!
Think about it.....things like this don't happen in a vacuum.  It's like a Cosmic Domino Effect.  One event leads to the next, to the next, to the next, etc.
Charlie Sheen goes off his rocker aka "gravitates out of his orbit" as it were.  The pull of this radiates west and causes one week later, the active eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii.  A week after that a now 9.0 Earthquake and resulting Tsunami wipes out whole cities of buildings in northern Japan.  All because of Charlie Sheen. 
Ok, so this what I wrote a couple of days ago.....before the nuclear reactors started melting down and so many where reported dead and missing.  I'm all for having fun but now?
Seriously, these disasters are horrible and I think only positive thoughts for good outcomes for anyone dealing with these situations.  Take a minute to pray, reach out to the cosmos, send healing white light, or whatever you do and believe in.  The folks impacted need all the positive vibes they can get!

* I feel I am suffering from URF, aka "+Up Rewards Fatigue".   Rite-Aid shoppers in increasing numbers are coming down with this malady.  The main complaint is burn-out from figuring out how to roll/spend down/convert to cash all those +Up Rewards we earn shopping the deals at Rite-Aid.  Making it worse is the fact that Rite-Aid keeps running the same deals over and over again.  Enough with the Oreos, Nivea Lip stuff and Gillette Razors and Holiday candy!  Geesh, I almost go into a diabetic coma just smelling the air as I walk into Rite-Aid and have to pass through the Sugar Gauntlet of Holiday Candies/Chocolates.

*  I am so ready for Spring to come.  But at what cost?  Because of the warming in the weather,  I found that an unwelcomed visitor has taken up residence in the garage the other night.....Mr. Field Mouse.  I guess the lure of warmth(well, warmer than outside)in the garage combined with the spilled dog food(thanks so much kids! who feed the dogs)was just too awesome an invite for him to turn his nose up at.
Bleh.
The mouse traps are set and we await the capture of Mr. FM anytime now.  If you have experience in shoving 27 boxes of pasta noodles, 8 boxes of oatmeal and 3 bags of flour from the shelves in the garage into my already overstuffed pantry, I'd appreciate the help! 

*  Daughter got a letter from her 5th choice college the other day.  In order to lure her to send in her deposit and tell them she is attending there in the Fall, they have awarded her(before the financial aid stuff has been all decided)a Board of Governor's Scholarship which will cover 1/3rd of her tuition.  Considering the school, it isn't a lot of money and doesn't cover much of the total cost of attending for an on-campus student, but hey!  it's nothing to look down your nose at!lol
Daughter poo-poo'ed it.
I looked her in the eye and said you had better keep that letter in your back pocket until the financial aid letters start rolling in from the other 4 schools because depending on what you get elsewhere, you may end up needing that scholarship offer!  She looked at me and turned green.  I guess she figured her dad and I would just cave in eventually if PITT didn't give her enough aid to cover her costs, after we handed over the chunk of cash we told her we would contribute.  Silly, silly daughter......to think that I didn't actually mean what I said!  Oh, I guess even though we'll be shelling out for 2 teens in college next school term, she believed we'd just hand over whatever it costs or that PITT would just let her attend even if she didn't pay the the term in full if she smiled & batted her lashed at them  a la Scarlett O'Hara enough.
Nope. 

*  So who is ready for another Giveaway?  I feel we need to do one.....  At least it would give me something to write about.lol

Off to get my Meal Plan done now....

Sluggy

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