Thursday, July 28, 2011

Company, Meals, Shopping, Gardening & Other Foolishness This Week

My week hasn't gone as I had planned.
First off, the Nephew has been staying with us since Tuesday.
He's not a big imposition but I've had to be more structured with him here.
I just chased him off the tv for the 2nd time this week.  He has a penchant for those MTV and VH1 shows I can't stand.....you know, the Jersey Shore, Mob Wives, Celebrity Rehab, Sweet 16, Cribs, etc.  All those unreality shows where he can sit and be a voyeur into other people's lives...other people who aren't living "real lives", and dream that he'll be just like them when he grows up.
Yeeesh.....

He's 17 and still doesn't have a learner's permit and blames it on other people in his life.
So the first day I drove him to the DMV to get a permit book so he can study and go take his permit test.
He put the book down about an hour after he got it and hasn't studied it since.
Somehow I think those 'other people' in his life aren't the ones keeping him from getting his license.....

I hit the Bread Outlet....9 packages of bread and rolls and 2 boxes of chocolate doughnuts and $10.67 poorer later we stopped for gas at Sheetz before heading home.  I tried to use my .70¢ a gallon points discount from Weis Markets but it didn't take.  The gas station cashier said I had to take my receipt up to Weis and get my refund there.
Bleh.  Another thing that doesn't work right.  Doesn't life just seem to be filled with stuff/procedures/routines that just don't work right?

Having the Nephew here necessitated me hitting Weis Markets again this week for some provisions so we combined the gas points refund trip with our shopping excursion to the grocery store.
The gas points malfunction seems to be a known issue and they have a 4 page instruction sheet at the CS desk to get you a cash refund without alot of fuss and muss.  I had my $10.83 cash refund in my hot little hand in no time flat.

As for the groceries....I had planned to get a Watermelon(on sale for $3.99), 2 blocks of Cabot Cheese($1.50 after Qs),2 packages of cream cheese($1.25 on sale) and a bag of onions for $2 this week.  They had nice red peppers for $1 each so I picked up 2(since I had to rethink my tentative meal plan this week with an additional mouth to feed) and I got a quart of whole milk for the quiche I was planning on making and added in a couple of bags of salad(BOGO sale) so I could offer some salads for lunches this week.  I needed something to make a quick late lunch that day, so I found some discounted fresh ground beef for just under $2 lb. to make some burgers on the grill for the 3 of us at home for lunch.

Here are a couple of deals I found as well.....

Turkey Kielbasa for $1 a package(near sell by date).  I bought 3 to put into the freezer.

I also had 2 $2/1 Hatfield IPQs to use by 7/30.  Last Saturday they had Hatfield bacon marked down to $2.99 and Ham Steaks for $2.50 but I didn't have those Qs with me, rats!
The marked down bacon packs were long gone, so I got 1 package of Scrapple for $2.99 so $.99 after Q.
Then I got this....

Over by the Ham Steaks they still had the 2 for $5 sign up, though it expired on Saturday.
So I threw a ham steak in my cart.
I went through the check-out and paid my $33.41 total, including the ham steak which rang up full price at $3.99.
I then headed to the CS desk since my ham steak didn't ring up the sale price hanging off the shelf tag.
Weis has a policy that if your item rings up incorrectly(not the sale price)you get your money back and get to keep the item for free.  They also give you back your money if an old sale hangtag is still on the shelf....I thought they just gave you the difference back between the current regular price and the old sale price sign but getting it for free is better, right?lol
So basically they gave me the ham steak for free AND they gave me an additional $2 off the rest of my order, for the Q I used on it's purchase.  Somehow that seems so wrong but they didn't deduct the Q since they will get that $2 back from the manufacturer when they turn it in.

So I spent $29.41 at Weis which turned out to be a 54% savings rate off of regular retail. 8-)

We started out the Meal Plan for the week....
SUNDAY--Ravioli, Garden Salad
MONDAY--leftover Pork Loin slices, Fried Yellow Squash, Mashed Potatoes
*Then things got rejiggered with the additional of the Nephew at meals.*
TUESAY--Rueben Sandwiches
WEDNESDAY--Chicken Fajitas
THURSDAY--Chicken Cheese Broccoli Rice Casserole
FRIDAY--Boston Baked Beans, Cornbread, Pickles
SATURDAY--Leftovers

So my quiche didn't happen this week.
Late Monday night, I cooked 2 small corned beef briskets in the crockpot and put in the fridge to cool Tuesday morning.  Then before dinner I took them out and sliced/shaved them on my mandolin slicer into deli slices for the sandwiches.  I also had the swiss cheese already and the 1000 island dressing.  I bought a loaf of rye bread for .89¢ at the Breat Outlet.
Wednesday I thawed 2 chicken breasts, used some old red bell pepper strips from the freezer, threw in 2 small leftover yellow squash I hadn't used on Monday, along with some of the onions and 1 of the red peppers I just bought Tuesday.  I also added 2 banana peppers from the garden to the mixture.  I used an opened bag of shredded cheddar and opened a package of multgrain organic tortillas I bought for .49¢ at the beginning of the month at Price Chopper.

I'll put some yellow eye beans on to soak in a bit for Friday's dinner.  That night's dinner is totally from the stockpile/pantry.

I did some more picking from the garden the last few days....

The 1st photo was from Sat. and the 2nd photo was from Wednesday.
Hubs picked 2 more cukes Wednesday evening.  Because of this mountain of cukes, I have a gallon jar filled with this.....

Bread and Butter Pickles anyone? lol

Due to the 2 weeks of early humid and hot weather here, I also have this....
The First Turning Tomato of the Season!!
BLTs and 'Mater Sammiches are in my near future......

And I found the garden planting diagram last weekend shoved in behind my recipe sheets on the bookshelf.  Indeed yes, Hubs planted melons...I am guessing that means WATERmelons in the bed on the side of the house.  I have found cucumbers places that are NOT indicated on the planting diagram, so I am taking said diagram's voracity with a grain of the proverbial salt.
Wouldn't you? ;-)

Yesterday after I got out of the pool and did a bit of weeding on the back garden bed I saw this....

And then this, tucked waaaaaaaaaaay back by the deck railing....
2 more melons....in the back garden bed.....where there is NO indication of said melons being planted back in that bed.
?!?!?

I think Hubs is trying to gaslight me......
Well maybe not, at least until the kids are grown and outta the house.lol

Ok, I am off to debone some chicken, throw some rice into the crockpot and maybe take a quick nap.
I have already washed dishes, gone to Rite-Aid and used up my expiring +Ups, picked up #2 son's friend so they could hang out here for the day, run the Nephew off of MTV/VH1/LALA land, gotten Chinese food for everyone for lunch(and not a thank you from any of them...grrrr)and posted this.  I'm beat!

What frugal stuff is happening(or Not!)in your world lately?


Sluggy

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Exchanging Blog Links

I did a little blog housekeeping earlier this week on the Blog Roll. 
I like to go through it a couple times a year and delete blogs that have been abandoned or haven't had any new material posted on them in 6 months.  I also try to post new blogs I've discovered and think my readers might also like to check out.

If you have a blog and I don't have you on my Blog Roll, please leave a comment here or send me an email(my email is listed under my blogger profile info)with your blog URL and I'll go check you out.
Perhaps, if you are willing we could exchange blog links and I could be on your Blog Roll as well.

Also, if you have any suggestions for Other Blogs, that aren't your own, for inclusion on my Blog Rolls, shoot me a comment or an email and I'll check them out too.

Thanks!

Sluggy


Giveaway Ends Tomorrow Night 7/28.....Enter it Now!

I hope everyone is having a great day.  I am super busy today and All of this week actually, so I'm just putting up a reminder to ENTER MY GIVEAWAY for a $25 WALMART GIFT CARD!!!

It ends tomorrow night, so be sure and click on the link to the right under "CURRENT GIVEAWAY POSTS" and go enter on that post.

Who can't use $25, seriously!?!?
If you don't believe in buying "stuff", they have food.
If you like buying crap-plastic or not-, they have TONS of that.
They are everywhere so no worries about finding one near you.
So what are you waiting for?

Sluggy

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Comedy of Errors Stockpile Sale.....The Results

Well, Hubs put out the signs(one at the main road and one at the end of our street)and I opened the garage door, just a tad before 8 am.

And there were 4 people waiting outside in their cars.  Local dealers is my guess since they walked up the driveway and scanned my 'spread' and walked back to their cars.

I guess they had no clue what a "Stockpile Sale" was(that's what my signs said)and it certainly wasn't old used stuff they could buy for a quarter and sell for much much more to someone else in their store or at the flea market or online.lol

We did a slow steady business until about 11 am, so 3 solid hours of buyers.  I made a point of asking how they found us since I had put 2 online ads up as well as the big signs on the road.  It seems most found us from the signs as a lot of the garage salers around here just drive around on Saturday morning looking for signs.  Luckily we are fairly close to the middle of town and on a main road.  If we were located farther out of town, the signs would have been less help getting us customers.
I am sure the horrible high temps also cut down on the garage sale shoppers last weekend.  Nicer weather would have helped the bottom line a bit more.

Only 1 of the folks I asked also checked the newspaper classifieds for sales so I am glad I didn't spent the $25 per day, per ad, they charge here for garage sale advertising.

I had a couple of stragglers between 11 and 11:55 when I closed the door for the day.   That seems to be the pattern around here, be it yard saling or flea marketing.....come early and finish early and get on about your other business for the rest of the day.

So with all the angst I had over this endeavor and the stops and starts, we came out with a $347 profit for the day.  Not great but worth sitting in my garage for a few hours.
I like this plan--sit in the garage and have people come give me money!  Nice work if you can get it.lol

The flea market is much more profitable as there are more potential buyers but it's also getting up before dawn(a BIG drawback for me!lol), lugging tables/shelves/products and waiting in line for hours just to get in.  I'm good with opening the garage door and closing it when done and being finished and home already. 8-)

Here are the After Photos....


Still looks like a TON of stuff, doesn't it?lol
Well it is!  But we did make a perceivable dent in the volume.  Maybe 2 whole Rubbermaid tubs worth of stuff.

I sold most of the few food items I had(those were some of the first things to sell!)from .50¢ to $2.  Also big sellers were toothbrushes($1), cosmetics($1 to $4), Olay items($8 for eye rollers, $3 for body wash), shaving cream($1) and batteries(came out to .25¢ per battery-assorted sized packages)
.
Good sellers were toothpaste($1Colgate to $2 Pronamel), dental floss($1), higher end shampoos(Nexxus $4, Tresemme $3, etc.), soap($1.50-$3), dishwashing soap(.75¢ to $1), feminine pads($1) and Viactiv calcium chews($2).

Less good sellers were deodorant($1 to $1.50), body wash($1 to $3) and lotions($1 to $3)
.
What I couldn't give away......mid priced shampoos(Garnier and Herbal Essences($1.50), even Pantene($2), which usually sells out!), Gillette Razors($3), Airwick Spray kits($2 small/$4 large), Hair coloring($2) and Listerine mouthwash($2), Contact Solution($1) and Diapers($4).
$11 Gilette Razors for $3, Hair Color for $2.....C'mon!lolol

The funniest thing were the Duracell batteries.  Long dated packs of 4 AA batteries for $1 and 20 AA packs for $5.  Both deals come out to .25¢ per battery.   People would buy 5 packs of the 4 batteries instead of 1 pack of the 20 batteries.  Why buy 5 packs of one rather than 1 pack of the other if it's the same price in the end?lol

All-in-all it was worth doing. But I still have a LOT of stuff left!  Daughter said she'd help me do another garage sale when she gets home from her camp job.  I am thinking instead that I'll pack it all up into the Rubbermaid tubs by price and let her and her boyfriend do the flea market next month for me.
I'll make a deal with her that I'll use the profit from what they sell to put toward buying her some clothes and supplies for college.  A couple of hours selling toiletries with her BF in exchange for some paid for shopping will get her interest. ;-)

Next stop is to let BIL go shopping in the garage today, then pulling out a load to take to the Food Bank on Friday.  After that, everything gets packed up for the Flea Market and stacked in the corner so I can use the garage for a staging area to go through my storage unit boxes and begin the Great Decluttering of '11 again!
Yes, more Decluttering P*rn to follow sometime next week....WooHooo! 8-)

And I also need to get the glassware and furniture items up on Craigslist to sell. 

We also need to sell the dog run/kennel out back since our beagle girl doesn't like being out there anymore.  I think it's a combination of our boy beagle being gone now who always kept her company in there and her just aging and not liking being out in the heat as much.  Use to, she would spent the whole day out in the run, sitting on the doghouse like Snoopy from the comic strips(yes, beagles actually do doghouse sit!)


Sluggy







A Rite-Aid Quickie......Last Saturday!

Hubs drove me up to Rite-Aid after we shut down the Stockpile Sale at noon on Saturday.
Here's what I spent my expiring $4 in +Up Rewards on....

No nit-icky breakdown 'cuz the sale week is over.
I had an old raincheck for the plates($1.97)so with the $2 in Qs, each package was .97¢.  The juice was $2 after the $1 wellness AdPerks/VV Q.
My total with cherry filler at .26¢(see it on the top of the juice bottle?lol) came to $4.20.  I used the $4 in +Ups and put the .20¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezey!

Tuesday is the last day for the July Single Check Rebate Period and I 'might' get to Rite-Aid then so I won't close out the totals for July yet.


 THIS TRIP
Number of Transactions.....1
Total Spent....$.20 put on free gift card
Value of Items....$13.60
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$0.00
+Up Rewards spent.....$4.00
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$22.50
And I have $38.49 left on my gift card.


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

Number of Transactions......12
Total Spent....$3.25 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP

Number of Items purchased.....77
Value of Items purchased....$364.58
SCR qualified for....$22.38
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00


+UPS Totals for July SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 7/18.....$26.50

+Up Rewards spent....$98.69
+Up Rewards earned....$63.88

+Up Rewards left....$22.50  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy