Saturday Shopping...Junk AND Real Food

Yes, sit down for this.....I actually spent actual money at Rite-Aid on Saturday!
I went in to use my expiring $6 in +Ups and then a new cashier happened to me.
I wanted to do the double dip--the Buy $15 in Game Day Snacks/Get $5 in +Ups and the Pepsi/7-Up soda deal(Buy 3 12-packs for $9.99/Get $2 in +Ups)that also qualifies toward the $15 purchase.
3 12-packs of soda, 2 bags of chips and a can of "Pringles wannabe chip like substance" gets my total to $15.28.
Sadly, no coupons were used as there are none for these items currently available.

I used my expiring $6 +Ups, so my total was then $9.28.....but new cashier said my total was $12.28.
I was fiddling with the stash of +Ups to dig out enough to pay so I didn't catch that he either didn't scan one of the $3 +Ups I had already given him OR the register scanned both but didn't subtract one of the $3 +Ups.  I used more +Ups to pay and put the .28¢ on my gift card.

After I got to the car I saw that only 6 of the 7 +Ups I gave him showed on my receipt so it was back into the store.  The only solution we(cashier, me and manager)could come up with was for me to spend $3 more(since we couldn't know which $3 +Ups scanned and which didn't and if I just took one of them back it could be the "dead" one and when I went to use it next time, it wouldn't work).
So even though I didn't plan on it, I did the Game Day Snack deal AGAIN......
This time I subbed a box of Cheez-its(I had originally planned to buy those but the store had hidden them in a different part of the store and I didn't see them until I went back into the store)for the "Pringles wannabes", so it was 3 12-packs, 2 bags of chips and a box of Cheez-its.
I rolled the $7 in +Ups I had just gotten, used the $3 +Ups plus another $1 +Up.  My only +Ups left is a $20 one from the Resolution Reward, too large to use, so I paid $4.77 OOP.  I could have put this on my gift card, but I chose not to.
Though I hated actually spending money at Rite-Aid, 6 12-packs(for #2 son, the soda addict), 4 bags of chips, a container of chip like substance and a box of Cheez-Its, all for less than $5 isn't bad.

Oh, and the BEST THING about these purchases?
Rite-Aid turned on the tracking/qualifying for the new Winter Resolution +Up Reward Deal early and everything qualified toward the Deal, which starts 2/5.  I have $31 toward the $100 in purchases I need.


Then it was over to the small independent grocer for REAL FOOD.lol

I dropped $48.69 there.

1 bunch celery on sale=$.99
6 bags of salad greens at $1.99 ea.=$11.94
3 bags of flour tortillas at $1.66 ea.(have to buy 3 to get price)=$5.00
4 cans of enchilada sauce at $1.00 ea.=$4.00
5 cans of chili at $1.00 ea.(have to buy 5 to get price)=$5.00
2 boxes taco shells at $1.25 ea.=$2.50
2 packs of pepperoni at $2.99=$5.98
2 packs of rolls at BOGO=$3.18
1+ lb. Cooper cheese at deli on sale $5.49lb.=$5.60
1 container sour cream on sale=$1.50
3 whack biscuit rolls at $1.50=$4.50
1 gallon milk=$3.50
SubTotal....$53.69

Coupons Used(They don't take IPQs so everything is a ManuQ here.)
2 x .50/1 Chi Chi's tortillas(doubled)=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Hormel pepperoni=$1.00
1 x $1/3 Grands biscuits=$1.00
1 x $1/1lb. Cooper deli cheese=$1.00(the deli girl gave me this vendor Q)
Coupon Total....$5.00

$53.69-$5.00=$48.69 OOP

Regular retail was $85.10
Savings rate of 42.79%.

Total spending for February to this point is $53.46.

Sluggy

If You Are Looking for Judy......

Go HERE.
She is back but with a new Blog Title "Finally Frugal and Happy" and URL.

Go welcome her back!

Just Something Fun on Friday

I am dedicating this to my bloggy friend SonyaAnn.  Her Fab Abs Friday is getting her down lately so I am upping things a notch!  I know she'll be dancing around and singing along with this video.

It's just something fun and funny to kicked off the weekend.  Get it?...."kick".....Super Bowl....lol

If you are easily offended by sex stuff, don't click on the video.
You have been warned.....

Hopefully I don't lose any new followers because of this, but c'mon!....it's funny!lol

Sluggy

"My Personal Space" Decluttering Challenge....The BEFORE

I'm taking part in Carla's February Challenges which you can find HERE.

Week 1 in the Decluttering Challenge is about cleaning up a "Personal Space".
I chose my Bedroom as that space.
Though it grieves me to do this, here are the BEFORE Photos I snapped.
It is NOT pretty, so don't view them on an empty stomach......

Here's from the right at the door.  This is my sewing area with my machines and ironing board.  Hubs dresser is on the right of the shot.  You can see a hint of all the crap on his dresser.  Next to the overlock machine is a tub of sewing projects, an air cleaner and a humidifier on the floor along with a bolt of fabric.  You can't see the large box of merchandise under the ironing board or the child's rocking chair and sewing projects piled onto it in the corner of the room, behind the sewing machine....

Here's from the right at the door looking further toward the back of the room.  My rocking chair which Hubs has filled with clothes at all times! Argh  Notice the romantic ambience of the 12 packs of soda(keeping them in here so they are out of the reach of #2 son).lol  The pile of stuff at the foot of the bed is hiding a cedar chest/bench.
And no, I didn't even make the bed!

Here's moving left over on the other side of the bed on the back wall of the room.  That's my nightstand, my dresser on the left(piled with crap).  I have a set of plastic storage bins that are all nice and organized, holding important photos and papers and stuff but piled onto and next to them are fabric lengths, plunder from Rite-Aid that never got put "away", a box of beanie babies and stacks of Christmas stuff and extra gifts that didn't get "given" this past Holiday.  Doesn't everyone's nightstand hold a rack of sewing patterns, an Alice Cooper car toy, a stack of books, extra Christmas cards, an extra wallet, a very tall lamp and nose spray?

And here's the same shot but standing back to the door....
You can see all the crap on my dresser clearly now!  A craftsman vase we bought 20 years ago at an art festival which is jammed full of plastic shopping bags(mostly from Rite-Aid), packages of unopened cosmetics and lip gloss(more Rite-Aid plunder), fabric scraps from 2 different sewing projects(1 I finished 2 years ago, 1 still undone), a bag of combs, a Pfaltzgraf serving bowl I won at a Chinese Auction about 10 years ago(it was previously in the hall linen closet and got moved when I cleaned that out the end of last year), 2 bamboo cutting boards(Hubs and I bought 2+ years ago for Xmas presents when we were in Rehobeth DE on one of our mini vacations, but we haven't figured out WHO to give them to!lol), my jewelry boxes, a Tom Clark gnome that was my brother's but it was dropped and the head came off so it needs to be repaired,  a set of Presidential Election Pins(from 1996)from the Hard Rock Cafe in Philly, 2 Fenton bowls I call "crap catchers" because anything bowl shaped around here ends up with crap tossed into it, a Brita pitcher still in the shopping bag sitting randomly on the floor, papers that need to be filed in the other room.......and on and on.

That was sort of a 360 view thing if you missed it. ;-)

And here is the closet.....

The clothes(to either side) in here are fairly organized and purged already.  The shelving unit in the center(on the back wall of the closet)needs some work.  It holds all my family's photo albums plus all the scrapbook type photo albums I inherited from my mother(I am the family records keeper it seems.). My gift stash was/is also on the shelves, as are my tubs of sewing supplies(threads, buttons, notions).  I need to rework this space....

You may have noticed I don't have things hanging on my walls and bunches of tchotchkes(knickknacks, geegaws, etc.) sitting around to decorate.
I used to but not since I developed some bad allergies which left me with sinus infections that necessitated seeing an ENT doctor for my sinus problems after #2 son was born.
He convinced me that the best way to conquer the problem was to remove allergen holding items from the bedroom, as this is the easiest room to control and the one place where you spent the most time per day/night.
So carpeting was banned(well, I do have a small rug under the rocker now so the bamboo floor doesn't get ruined), curtains also(I do have a valance now) and bedding is enclosed in allergen barrier cases.  Blinds are easier to keep allergen-free because you just have to wipe them down.  We also run a cool mist humidifier which not only helps with the dryness in Winter when the heat is on, but also knocks down any dust floating around the room so it's less likely to be inhaled. We also have an air cleaner.  I don't decorate since pictures needs to be dusted and is just more places dust can hide/cling.  We did have a set of original artwork on the walls but after we painted, they don't go with the new room color.  I may end up putting something on the walls again, but it will have to be cleaned every week. 
Or maybe I won't since I'm too lazy to keep after the dust like I'd have to. ;-)
These steps can't make your bedroom allergen-free but it sure helps. 

So having piles of clothes, fabric and general crap laying around the room is NOT good for my health!  I really need to get this room ship-shape again.
Bring on the challenge!!

I'll be back early next week with photos of the result.
Stay tuned......

Sluggy

$20K Savings Challenge.....JANUARY Results for 2012

Ok, here is my first Savings Challenge Update post for 2012.
This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against so much spending.

Just to update, My Savings Goal for the Year in 2012 is $20,000.  It's well below what I've saved in previous years I know.  But we also have a goal this year of paying for 4 home improvement projects at Chez Sluggy this year.  We plan on cash-flowing these projects with the additional money we save.

On to the January report.....

I have posted my JANUARY End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals 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 $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up January in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of January with?.......$1,104.76!

Income
We had $1,095.76 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $9.00 in Rebates applied against the food expenses & you get a total of $1104.76.

Outgo
As for the expenses in December......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  While the electric bill was high(as our heat is electric and it IS Winter!), the mild temperatures in Dec./Jan. kept our bill lower than previous year's bills.  The Dec. bill was about $100 LOWER than the Nov. bill!  The electric bill was also $100+ lower than LAST January's bill!

*  The cash withdrawals were relatively low and I way underspent on the food budget in January.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  We had an unexpected $707.75 car repair bill for Hubs commuting car.

*  The credit card bill was still a bit high.  With retrieving kids from college(and I back again), there was more gasoline bought on the c/c in Dec.   Seeing as Christmas happens that month also, I don't think it was "that" bad a bill though.  ;-)

*  There was an unexpected doctor bill from this past summer.  One of the kids had to see a doctor while working at the summer camp and our medical plan refused to pay their part.  So we had to break down and cover an additional $111 in medical bills.

*  I had a Kohl's bill this month due to buying clothing & bedding for the kids in December.

The Food Budget costs for January are in another post, which is located HERE.  I underspent my food budget by about $100, as we were sick(and didn't eat)and we ate down supplies from the freezer/stockpile last month.

YEAR-TO-DATE GRAND TOTAL.....
With 1 month behind us, our Savings Grand Total for 2012 is $1,104.76.

We missed our monthly goal by $561.91 in January.

Adding that amount to next month makes our February goal $2,228.58.  I don't foresee saving that much this month, so we'll save what we can and see where we stand at the end of February, and go from there.

So how much did YOU save in January?  Did you spent all your income or did you put something aside?

Do you have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses?
Do you have debt?

Start living below your means NOW and put some money away for emergencies and/or start paying down your debt.
And once you get debt-free, continue to throw that debt repayment money into savings.  You won't believe how fast you can accumulate wealth once you have no debt!

It is NEVER too early or too late to SAVE SOMETHING.
And the amount you save is NEVER too small!
Anything you can spare will go a long way to make you more financially secure in this crazy unstable world we live in.

So come along and Challenge Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal or Debt Goal!

Not everyone can shoot for $20K, 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.  Put it into paying down your debt, put it into savings, invest it or put it toward the principle in your home mortgage....just get busy and do this!

It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Put it out there online and let us all stalk your money too. ;-)

So how was your January financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?

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