Have a Chuckle Tuesday....Go Watch Some Great Acting

As many of you know, I come from a theatre background.  It's been in my blood since I was a wee little thing performing "Yes Jesus Loves Me" for my parent's party guests on the family home's fireplace hearth.

A few months ago I realized that I had never in my 50+ years seen the entire film "Auntie Mame"(1958).  That's the non-musical version of of the musical stage show that was made into a movie called "Mame", starring Lucille Ball.

The film "Auntie Mame" stars legendary actress Rosalind Russell in the title role.
The film is based on the book, Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis.  It is a fictitious recounting of his life being raised by his Aunt named Mame.
Briefly, if you don't know the plot, a young recently orphaned boy is sent to live with his Aunt Mame.  She is an 'eccentric free-spirited character' who lives her life on her own terms.  Hilarity ensues as Patrick grows from boy to man.

Anyway, I finally got to see the entire film recently.  I've always been a fan of the stage play based on this film and book, thought I've never really cared for the film of the musical play.
I think I know why now.
I can't really see anyone else playing the role of Mame besides Rosalind Russell-the person who stars in this non-musical version of the film.
Well, maybe no one else except me....... ;-)

I've always been a big fan of Ms. Russell's work.  She was a hell of an actress!  She was also a pretty awesome person too from what I've read.

So here's a clip from Auntie Mame(1958). I hope you enjoy it....


Sluggy

For SonyaAnn.......a CVS Plan!

My bloggy buddy SonyaAnn asked me to put a CVS plan together for her for this sales week.  She's got a $5 off $40 Order CVS Q burning a hole in her frugal pocket.  And she's starting from Zero ECBs.
If it was me, here is what I'd buy.....
First thing is I'd concentrate on what is giving ECBs this week.
Then I'd concentrate on what Qs out there could give me a low OOP.
Then I'd use any FREE ITEM Qs I had laying around in my binder that I haven't used yet.  This part gets my pre-Q total up(hopefully over $40)so I can use the $5/$40 Q without shelling out any money on said items.

Here's what I'd buy.....
1 x Complete contact lense wash=$8.99
3 x SoftSoap Body Wash products on sale $3 ea.=$9.00
2 x Herbal Essence Shampoo on sale=$5.49/2
2 x Crest Rinse items on sale $3.49=$6.98
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Right Guard Body Wash on sale=$3.88
SubTotal...$40.32

Coupons to Use
1 x $5/$40 Purchase=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Complete ManuQ(4/3SS)=$1.00
3 x $1/1 SoftSoap Body Wash ManuQ(3/27 SS)=$3.00
2 x Free Item Q Herbal Essence(from Facebook)=$5.49
2 x $1/1 Crest ManuQ(4/3 P&G)=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Oral-B ManuQ(4/3 P&G)=$4.00
Coupon Total....$20.49

$40.32-$20.49=$19.83 OOP

I'd receive $21.97 back in ECBs(Complete $8.99, SoftSoap $3, Crest Rinse $5, Oral-B toothbrushes $1.98, Right Guard Body Wash $3), so if I rolled those next time into more free products, this lot of goods would end up 'costing' me -$2.14.  ;-)

If the Right Guard Body Wash had peelie Qs on them, you'd have another $1 off in Qs for a total OOP of $18.83.
And if you got the BOGO Right Guard Q in your 3/13 RP insert, you could get 2 bottle of Body Wash instead of 1 for the same OOP.

If there are things here you don't need/want, remove and add other items that are cheap/free after sales/coupons.

Sluggy

$32K Savings Challenge for 2011.....March Totals

Since I foresee food prices, as well as other expenses/costs/taxes to rise in 2011, I am only upping my Savings Challenge Goal by $2,000.  While I hope to bring in more income this year, I feel we will be spending more on necessities in 2011, thus the small increase in goals.

So I present to you March of the 2011 $32K Savings Challenge!

I have posted my MARCH End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals really each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up March in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of March with.......$2353.56.

Income
We had $2282.19 left over from our income after our expenses were deducted.
Add in $71.37 of Rebates applied against the food expenses and you have a deposit of $2,353.56 toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal.  We came in about $313 short in March.

Outgo
As for the expenses in March....
HERE are the GOOD THINGS
*The credit card bill was well under $1K.
*The electric bill went down about $50.
*We ONLY spent $342 something on car repairs/maintenance.  Unfortunately, this amount is a good thing for us. ugh
*Hubs took less WAM out of the bank this month....yay! 8-)
*I didn't need to take any cash out of the bank since I was able to do the last 2 month's food/HBA shopping on what I withdrew in Feb.

HERE are the BAD THINGS
 *The quarterly sewage bill came due this month, I went ahead and paid up for the full year, earning a 3% discount....hey!, it's something.lol
*I paid the garbage bill ahead for 3 months, which is good overall but not for this month's outgo.
*The Final BIG marching band payment(for #2 son's trip in the Spring)came due...$460. bleh.


The Food Budget costs for March are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in March was more than $100 under budget.

What's ahead for April.....
Looking back at last year's check register, I see that the County/Local taxes are due this month....that's a big one!
We also have another car repair to pay.
The credit card bill is up to $400 with another 10 days to go until the billing cycle closes.  I'm hoping to keep it under $600 by the time it closes on the 10th.
Other than that it's just the usual suspects this month--electric, water, phone, cable, food, prescriptions, dr. visits, etc.

YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
With 3 months behind us, our Savings total to-date for 2011 is $5,136.53.

And if you need to start putting money into savings......What's that you say?  You don't have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!!??....consider playing along in 2011 with me and Challenging Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal!
Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Ooo, that sounded kind of creepy didn't it? ;-)

So how was your March financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!

Sluggy

Rite-Aid....What I Bought Saturday & Sunday

I had $12 left in +Ups to spend on Saturday, so I took the advice of one of my lovely readers, Chitra, earlier last week and did the Unilever +Ups Deal--got some Axe Shower Gel(#2 son's fav)and Dove 'Poo, among other things.....

The Dove and Axe was $9.50 after Qs and I received a $5+Up Reward WYB $15 in products, so all 4 bottles cost me $4.50 total.
The pistachios were 2/$5 on sale so $2/$3 after $1/1 Qs.
The 3 greeting cards were better than free after 20% discount and the in-ad $3/3 store Q.
The candy bar was filler to get my total over $12 so I could use all my expiring +Ups.
I put the .37¢ leftover on my free gift card.
I spent $12 in +Ups and got $5 in +Ups back, so this transaction cost me $7.

Then on Sunday morning I did this....

2 x Tena pads on sale $9.99=$19.98
2 x Scunci hair bands on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Super Poligrip on sale $1.99=$3.98
I x local newspaper=$.99
3 x Easter candy bags(large $6.99 ones)on sale $4.99=$14.97
2 x Easter eggs w/Wellness discount 20% $.399=$7.98*not on sale so discount made them cheaper
1 x Cello Cherry filler w/Wellness discount 20%=$.26 *Not pictured*
SubTotal....$52.14

Coupons Used
2 x $2.50/1 Tena IPQ=$5.00
2 x $1.50/1 PoliGrip AdPerks/VV IPQ=$3.00
1 x $1/3 Hershey's/Reese's Easter candy bags ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Hershey's/Reese's Centerpiece Easter candies ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$10.00

$52.14-$10.00=$42.14 + .04¢ tax=$42.18
I used $42 in +Ups and put the $.18 on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $13.98 in +Up Rewards back(1 x $10 wyb $20 of Hershey/Reese's Easter candy, 2 x $1.99 Scunci hair bands).
I qualified for $23.96 in SCRebates(2 x $9.99 Tena, 2 x $1.99 PoliGrip).
Spent $42 in +Ups, got $13.98 in +Ups back and $23.96 in cash rebates, so everything in the photo 'cost' me $4.06 in the end.
Not bad.....

Then I bought 2 each of the Tena, Scunci bands and the PoliGrip again on the BIL's card.  Oh, I also had to add in a Cello Cherry too....
SubTotal was $28.20.
Coupons were $8.00.
$20.20 + .05¢ tax=$20.25 OOP. ...still can't figure out the tax thing.lol
I used $20 in +Ups to pay and put the .20¢ on the gift card.

My Rite-Aid gift card is now spent down to $49.99.

I received $3.98 in +Ups back for the Scunci bands and I'll get $23.96 back in SCRs.
$20 +Ups spent, $3.98 +Ups back and $23.96 in cash rebates, so this transaction was a MM of $7.94.
Would have been better if our region had gotten the Poligrip Q(and our PoliGrip was not the higher $2.49 reg. retail here!)but I am not complaining.lol

For Sunday's trips I 'spent' $62 in +Ups.....'rolling' $17.96 of them into more +Ups and 'converting' $44.04 balance of them into cash rebates, however my SCRs were $47.92, so I 'gained' $3.88 in cash.



THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....3
Total Spent....$.80 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$147.73
SCR qualified for...$47.92
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$22.96
+Up Rewards spent....74.00
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$53.96

GRAND TOTALS--April Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......4
Total Spent....$1.50 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$234.76
SCR qualified for....$50.92
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for April SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 3/31.....$109.00
+Up Rewards spent....$80.00
+Up Rewards earned....$22.96
+Up Rewards left....$53.96  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

March Budget Results.....Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2011.

I have posted March'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 March.  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.
******************

BIG LOTS
OOP  $6.80
Value  $12.28
Savings  44.62%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $14.23
Value  $70.89
Savings  80%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $89.67

Qs/Ads  $98.85
Value  $188.52
Savings  52.44%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $11.18
Value  $18.00
Savings  38%

RITE AID
OOP  $5.79 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $770.79
Value  $776.58
Savings  99.35% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $82.10
Qs/Ads  $115.62
Value  $197.72
Savings   58.50%

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 MARCH

Lypsyl.....$2.39
Rite-Aid SCR...$68.98
Subtotal........$71.37

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

Subtotal....$0.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$71.37

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Chef Boyardee.....Free Ravioli Q
Herbal Essence 'Poo...$1/1 Q & Free Item Q
NeilMed......Free Neti Bottle
MegaRed....Free Supplement Sample
Orbit.....Free Pack of Gum Q
P&G....Q Booklet
Purina.....Free Bag of Dog Food Q

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%,  The Bread Outlet at 80% and  Weis Markets at 58.50%.  I only shopped at 6 stores in March.


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$203.98
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1060.01
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1263.99 with Rite-Aid figured in
TOTAL Savings of...................................83.86%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$71.37

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$132.61
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$1131.38
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1263.99
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................89.50%

Since my Rite-Aid shopping(which contains No OOP)always skews my savings percentages, I like to figure my Totals without the Rite-Aid numbers also.
TOTAL OOP after Rebates.....$132.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchases(w/out Rite-Aid items)....$487.41
TOTAL Savings After Rebates(w/out Rite-Aid items).....72.80%

This closes out the March spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
While I didn't set out to do a "No Spend Month", my grocery spending was under $120 until the last week of March.  I did the Kraft Cheese Instant Discount Deal a second time on the 26th at the local ShurSave affiliate store, plus my Daughter went to the store with me and she needed quite a few items so she could make quick, easy lunches and dinners on the nights that she worked.  So I spent almost $40 on her needs alone on that trip.
We did eat down some of the veggies, meats and ice cream in the freezer this month, as well as quite a few canned goods.
In the end, we kept the spending under $140.00 for the month which was very good.

What's ahead for April.....
We'll need to make another trip to the Bread Outlet this month to restock.  I can't make bakery items as cheaply as I can get them on deep discount at the Outlet. 
I'll also be buying a 5lb. block of Cooper Sharp Cheese at the Restaurant Outlet since we haven't done that since last year.  By slicing my own, we save the large mark-up on the deli sliced cheese.
The only meat I plan to buy in April will be any marked down packages that are at or under my Price Book amount for various meats. 
I'll be on the look-out for sour cream and ricotta cheese on sale/discount as we are also out of those items.  No stockpile items are low at this point but I'll keep my eyes open for 'stockopportunities' where combining my Qs and loss leader sale prices will get me some 'extreme couponing' deals.
Again, I hope to accomplish this for not more than $250 for the month.

How did you do in March with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for April?
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