The Dove Men's Soap Goose Chase

So I hike over to Price Chopper AGAIN on Friday since the gal yesterday told me the truck would be in then to bring more soap to the store.
Same gal was at the CS desk and remembered telling me about the truck but I explained that I had already gone over to the aisle and the shelf was still empty!
The gal asks other gal and she confirms that yes, they DID put out more soap that morning so someone came in and must have CLEARED THE SHELF!
Argh.....
I am seriously NOT liking all these Wannabee Extreme Couponistas coming in with their ill mannered shelf clearing ways!

So #2 gal says another truck is coming in late Friday and I get ahold of the guy who will be on duty early Saturday and he is to CALL ME when my soap arrives/is put aside so I'll go down when I get the call as I have other errands I can run tomorrow over there....IF I get the call since there are no guarantees that more soaps is on that truck.

So since I am out and have to go on the other side of town on Friday, I stop in the other Price Chopper......and low and behold, they have SOAP!
**The sounds of an angelic chorus as they descend over my head.**

So I bought 2 packs of soap...2 x $5.49=$10.98
I used 2 x $4/1 Dove ManuQs...$10.98-$8.00 in Qs=$2.98 +.66¢ tax=$3.64 OOP
And I received a $5 Catalina Q.

Then I bought 2 more packs of soap..2 x $5.49, and a seedless watermelon*not picture*....$10.98+$2.99=$13.97
I used 2 x $4/1 Dove ManuQs & the $5 Cat Q($13)....$13.97-$13.00=$.97+.36¢ tax=$1.33 OOP
And received a $5 Catalina Q.

So if the truck at the other PC doesn't bring more soap, I'm all good with these 4 packs.
I'll get more if they call me though.

I'm thinking of doing "this" transaction since I have another $2/1 Hatfield Q.....
2 x Dove soap=$10.98
3 x Hatfield hot dogs B1G2F=$3.99
1 x 1 zuchinni @ $1.29 lb.=approx. $.50
SubTotal....$15.47
Coupons....2 x $4/1 Dove Soap, 1 x $2 Hatfield, 1 x $5 Cat Q=$15.00
OOP....$.47 + tax and get another $5 Catalina

$.47 + tax for 12 bars of soap, 3 packs of hot dogs and a zuke sounds pretty good to me.

If I get 2 more packs of soap I can add in a couple of containers of sour cream, as we are out, and after Qs, my total OOP for 12 more bars of soap and 2 containers of dairy will be about $1.50 with tax(plus I'll receive another $5 Catalina Q).

Sluggy

Last Shopping Trip for June.....The Good & The Bad

Price Chopper(Northeast)has a Unilever Catalina Deal this week.
Buy $15 in select products(using reg. shelf price, not sale price), get a $5 Catalina.
You can buy 2 packs of the Dove Men's bar soap, on sale for $5.49(reg. shelf price of $8.49), use 2 x $4/1 Dove Men's soap ManuQs(from last Sunday's inserts) so the transaction looks like this....
2 x $5.49=$10.98-$8Qs=$2.98 + tax OOP, receive $5 Catalina Q.

Once you have the $5 Cat, you buy 2 more packs of that soap and at least $2.02 worth of meat/dairy/some other thing you want that you never have Qs for and you get it all for FREE(the 2 packs of soap and $2.02 of the other stuff you buy)& you get another $5 Catalina Q to keep rolling until you run out of the $4 Qs.

Well my Qs arrived in the mail yesterday so I ran to PC to use them.
The problem is there was not a bar of the Men's Dove soap left in the grocery store to buy!
Ugh.

So while I was there I snooped around and found a few other things to bring home.  Hey, I've already blown past my food budget limit for June, why not just add to the misery, right?lol

1 x frozen corn on sale=$1.00
3 x Pop-Secret popcorn on sale B1G2F=$2.99
5 x organic mult-grain flour Tortillas on sale $1.99=$9.95
3 x Hatfield hot dogs on sale B1G2F=$3.99
SubTotal....$17.93

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Pop-Secret ManuQ=$1.00
10 x .75¢ Instant dairy section discount stickers on the Tortillas=$7.50
1 x $2/1 any Hatfield item IPQ(Hatfield website)=$2.00
Coupon Total....$10.50

$17.93-$10.50=$7.43 OOP

Reg. retail was $36.89, for a 79.86% savings!

Analysis--The popcorn boxes and each pack of hot dogs came to .66¢ a piece with the sales/Qs.  Ok, they aren't Nathan's or Hebrew National, but these hot dogs are a mite better than Oscar Mayers! Suitable to feed the teenage son's hoard of friends that descends on the house in the summer.lol
The tortillas were a great buy!  The $1.50 in instant discount stickers on each package made them .49¢ per package.  Really good for organic and multigrain.  I'll tuck these into the freezer until they are needed. 
The package of corn was needed for that evening's dinner plan.

I'm headed back to Price Chopper in a little bit to see if the restocking truck did indeed arrive, as I was told it would.  If I don't end up being able to use these Dove soap Qs there, there is always Rite-Aid, right?lol

Sluggy

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