Seeing Double, Well Almost......and Camera Woes

As planned, I hit Rite-Aid again yesterday.
Since it was the first day of the new Rebate Period, July's, it starts a new Monthly Totals tally too.

This shopping trip looks a LOT like the last one, except I got deodorant instead of candy bars....

1 x Veet wax strips w/wellness discount=$3.83
2 x Excedrin on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale $2.69=$5.38
2 x Old Spice Deodorant on sale=$5.00
2 x Suave Pro shampoo w/wellness discount=$4.78
SubTotal.....$22.97

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 Veet IPQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Veet In-Ad Q=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Excedrin AdPerk/VV Q=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant Homemailer Q(from P&G booklet)=$2.00
2 x FREE ITEM Suave Pro item Q(won from playing game on Suave website last month)=$4.78
Coupon Total.....$13.78

$22.97-$13.78=$9.19

I used $8.97 in +Ups to pay and put the .22¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received back $10.38 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2.69 Oral-B, 2 x $1 Excedrin, $1 Veet, $2 Old Spice), so I am 'up' $1.41 for this transaction.
This leaves me going into next week with $37.96 in +Ups expiring on the 9th.

On a side note--I think my camera is dying.  It's the 1st digital camera I've owned so the technology is way outdated.  I just never saw the point of upgrading as long as this one was working.  Yes, call me frugal!lol  Anyway, it keeps telling me to change the batteries, and I do, but the camera will take 1 or 2 shots and then shut off saying I need to change the batteries AGAIN! Argh  It took me 20 minutes to coax it into letting me take the photo above.
So it looks like I'm in the market for a new camera.
Does anyone have any suggestions? 
This one is a Canon Power Shot A40. I think the Power Shots are up in the A400 range now.lol
I want the new one to be on the frugal side and idiot proof, well, because I'll be using it!  8-)

So here are the totals for July's SCR Period Month so far.....

THIS TRIP
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.22 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$37.31
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$10.38
+Up Rewards spent.....$8.97
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$58.72 
And I have $41.52 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JULY Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......1
Total Spent....$.22 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Number of Items purchased......9
Value of Items purchased....$37.31
SCR qualified for....$0.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for July SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/28.....$57.31
+Up Rewards spent....$8.97
+Up Rewards earned....$10.38
+Up Rewards left....$58.72  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy

Rite-Aid This Week.....Toof Brushes & 'Cedrin and GRAND TOTALS for JUNE

I have $7.99 in +Up Rewards that expire this Saturday.

First trip to Rite-Aid on Monday & last trip for the June SCR Period......

1 x Veet wax strips w/wellness discount=$3.83
2 x Excedrin on sale $1.99=$3.98
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale $2.69=$5.38
1 x Got2B root lifter spray on sale=$4.99
1 x Suave Pro shampoo w/wellness discount=$2.39
4 x candy bars on sale BOGO(they raised the shelf price from .88¢ to .99¢--grrr)=$1.98
SubTotal.....$22.55

Coupons Used
1 x $1 on any purchase AdPerk/VV Q=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Veet IPQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Veet In-Ad Q=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin IPQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Excedrin AdPerk/VV Q=$2.00
1 x FREE ITEM Suave Pro item(won from playing game on Suave website last month)=$2.39
1 x .50¢/2 Mars candy bars IPQ=$.50
1 x .25¢/1 Mars candy bar AdPerk/VV Q(from last month)=$.25
Coupon Total.....$12.14

$22.55-$12.14=$10.41
I used $9.98 in +Ups to pay and put the .43¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received back $8.38 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2.69 Oral-B, 2 x $1 Excedrin, $1 Veet) and I qualified for the Got2B SCR #37 for $4.99, so I am 'up' $2.39 for this transaction.


I thought I had a better plan worked out using the BOGO Q from the P&G insert for the Oral-B toothbrushes.  It would have made it only $2.69 OOP for both toothbrushes before using +Up Rewards to pay, but that Q was not valid on the 3-D white/Advantage manual toothbrushes, just the Cross Action manual brushes. 8-(

I'll be going up again tonight to get some prescriptions so I'll get some more 'Cedrin and Toof brushes if they have any left on the BIL's Wellness card.  I have $46 in +Ups expiring the following Saturday and next week's ad doesn't look promising to me, so I'll roll some more +Ups this week.

So here are the official Grand Totals for June's SCR Period Month.....

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.43 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$37.79
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$8.38
+Up Rewards spent.....$9.98
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$57.31  And I have $41.74 left on my gift card.


Rite-Aid GRAND TOTALS--JUNE Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......9
Total Spent....$2.93 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Number of Items purchased......58
Value of Items purchased....$333.05
SCR qualified for....$5.00
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for June SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 6/22.....$58.91
+Up Rewards spent....$104.32
+Up Rewards earned....$110.63
+Up Rewards left....$57.31  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period









So I spent $2.93 put on a free to me gift card and received 58 items worth $333.05 AND Rite-Aid is sending me $4.99 in cash rebates.

It's too bad I can't marry Rite-Aid, isn't it?lol

Sluggy

Summer Plans Go Boom!

Well we've had some change in the summer plans for this year.

Seems that although Hubs has many MANY days of vacation time/personal time left for the year at his job, he let me know that we won't be able to take any kind of vacation this summer.

His workplace is like many these days where the employees get time off but the work is piled up so high on the employees that haven't been downsized yet, that no one is able to take their days off without feeling like it might cause them to also lose their job.

Plus Hubs is working on time sensitive projects and the deadlines are looming during the summer months so even though he has days to take, he just can't take them now.
****Sigh****

This means that unless I want to go somewhere by myself(or with #2 son only, once he gets back from camp), I am stuck at home for the summer.

We also usually take a few days in the early Fall to go to the beach.
But this year, only 1 kid will be left at home and we don't feel he is ready/mature enough to be left alone for the duration, so the fall mini-vacation is off as well.

So now I've got to salvage my summer plans.
If I take #2 son with me somewhere it will have to include an amusement park since that's all he says he wants to do.  He'd have a blast but I'd be bored to tears since I don't "do" rides.
And anything I'd want to do/see would make his eyes glaze over.
Add in the fact that no 15 year old boy wants to 'hang out' with his mom.
You see the problems planning a trip with just us two will involve.lol

I'm off to ponder a solution.
Any suggestions are certainly welcomed!

Sluggy

Is There Anything Worse Than Being Called Fred Flinstone Toe?

While I catch up on all that laundry I couldn't do while the washer was "YODA-ized", here is a You Tube funny for you to watch.
If you like the witticism of Oscar Wilde and what passes for popular culture these days makes you want to hurl, you will enjoy this.
Two actors from the Roundabout Theater Company's recent production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" took transcripts of that MTV show my nephew is addicted to called "Jersey Shore" and delivered them in the style of their Oscar Wilde characters.

While I can't stand to sit through that MTV show, I find this a HOOT!
And you have to watch them all to understand my post title....lol

** Warning-Don't watch this with small children around or if you can't stand bad words!  If you know "Jersey Shore" you know that it's peppered with foul language.

Part One

Part Two


Part Three


Part Four


Part Five

Sluggy

My Savings Challenge...The Savings aren't Permanent for Another Year

I took on a Financial Savings Challenge at the behest of a member of the Compact Group back in Jan. of 2009.
I entitled that undertaking the $60K Savings Challenge.
Well, our name is NOT Rockefeller so we didn't even come close to saving $60K in '09. lol

We did however put away $23,997.24 for the year.....this amount is above and beyond any amount we put into retirement accounts for the year.  It's just a pile of money from the after tax/after retirement and insurance deductions paychecks we get that I manage to keep the family from frittering away on crap.
As you can see, I am getting darn good at keeping the family's sticky fingers off the money! ;-)

Going into 2010, I stepped down the savings goal to a more attainable $30K.
Throughout that year, I would on occasion use some of the 20009 Savings money toward big, not-everyday expenses we incurred in 2010 rather than using current income dollars.
Like buying a used car for cash.
Or buying a new refrigerator.
Or paying for the costs for 2 vacations we took that year.

We ended up using $12,991.45 in 2010 of that $23,997.24 we saved in 2009.
So in reality we actually permanently saved $11,005.79 in 2009.

In 2010 we saved $35,770.18 and we'll be using some of this amount when out of the ordinary large expenses come up in 2011.
We haven't used any of this amount for 'big hairy goals' in 2011 yet.
But we are planning on using some of that money soon for house repairs.

When 2011 is over, I'll be able to calculate how much of the actual $35+K we saved in 2010 that
we'll be able to tuck away permanently.
Well, permanently until some big expensive emergency comes along....and eventually they always do!

So the amount I save each year on the Savings Challenge isn't permanently saved until a full year after it ends.
I use the previous year's savings amount as a short term goal emergency fund.
And when that following year is over I dump whatever is left into a slot marked 'permanently savings'.
At least, that's how I organize it in my head. ;-)

Next Sunday Hubs and I will be having a financial meeting.  Among the discussions will be how much/what kind of home repairs we'll be having done this year.  I'm hoping that list won't eat away at that $35+K we saved from 2010 too badly.

Do you have a savings goal each year? 
Do you keep any money you save for the year into a separate account?

Sluggy