Guess Where I Went Today?

If you answered Rite-Aid, you'd be RIGHT!lol

Actually I went yesterday afternoon too.
I went in on Friday afternoon with $14 in +Ups and used my Wellness card......

I'm do this quickly and not bore you with the intimate details because most of these deals ended Saturday night.

This lot of stuff cost me $.77 on my gift card after Qs/sales and used $5 in +Up Rewards.  I received $15 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $2 Pantene, $3 WYB Crest Rinse, $4 StingEase Max, 2 x $2 Oral-B Power Toothbrushes).  The Reach toothbrushes also counted $8 toward the J&J Spend $30/Get $10 +Ups Deal, so I just have to spend another $22 to get that $10 reward.

Used $5 +Ups, Got $15.....$14 going in - $5=$9 + $15=$24 +Ups.

Next Transaction was on BIL's card.....

This lot of stuff cost me $1.91 on my gift card after Qs/sales and used $16 +Up Rewards.  I received $26 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $3 Nivea Body Wash-part of the Gillette BW Deal, $10 Monthly WYB $20 Nivea, 2 x $2 Pantene, 2 x $2 Oral-B Power Toothbrushes, $2 WYB 3 $1 Toothpastes).

Started with $24+Ups - $16+Ups=$8+Ups + $26+Ups=$34+Ups.

Back to my card again and I bought this stuff.....

This lot of stuff cost me $.45 on my gift card after Qs/sales and used $6 in +Up Rewards.  I received $16 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $3 Oral-B Toothpaste, $10 WYB $30 J&J Deal).

Started with $34+Ups - $6+Ups=$28+Ups + $16+Ups=$44+Ups

And one more transaction on my Card again......

I spent $.34 on my gift card and Qs/sales and used $10 in +Up Rewards.  I received $13 in +Up Rewards back($3 Crest Rinse, $5 Lanacane, $1 Lanacane-a monthly maybe?, $4 Revlon WYB 2 beauty tools).

Started with $44+Ups - $10+Ups=$34+Ups + $13+Ups=$47+Up Rewards.
The Revlon tools qualified for a $2 Single Check Rebate as well.

So to recap, I put $3.47  of Out of Pocket expenses on my free gift card, brought home $244.34 worth of toiletries, grew my +Up Rewards from $14 to $47 and Rite-Aid is sending me a $2 cash rebate also.

I made a few mistakes this past week running my Deals at Rite-Aid but all in all?.....I was tearing it UP at Rite-Aid. ;-)

And I did a lot of this on Saturday......still product in the stores at the end of the week for a change.  I gave my fellow shoppers plenty of opportunity to get these deals this week, before I swept in and finished my shopping off on Sat. afternoon.   I detest shelf clearing but if it's 4pm on Saturday and the sale ends on Sat. night at 9pm, I will take the last 2 of something at that point......or maybe get a raincheck. ;-)


No excuse for dirty hair or teeth in this house now.....!

August Grand Totals so far this month.....

Out Of Pocket....$0  cash
Value of items bought....$244.34
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$2.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket....Stil $0 lol
Savings Rate Still  100%

+Ups at beginning of month...$14+
+Ups used....$37+
+Ups received...$70+
+Ups currently...$47+ 

Sluggy

What's Growing in Sluggy's Yard?

Well the first obvious answer to this question is weeds.  *rimshot*

Since we finally got lots of rain last week, the plants are perking up around here.
And that includes the plants I want to grow AND the ones I don't want, the weeds.

We had to do some more bean picking this past weekend.....

We'll be getting another mess o' beans at least from these plants before they are done.  This variety is called Gold Rush and they are an early variety.

After picking beans, I had Hubs thin my Collard Plants.  We never thinned them after they came up and they are really going wild, so it was way past time to reign them in.  Here is what he pulled up....

They could have stood even more thinning.
Here is what I harvested after cutting the leaves off....

They overfilled my ginormously large colander.
After a nice cold soaking bath with salt in the kitchen sink(coarse salt helps remove the dirt), here is what went into the pot with a small portion of salt pork(cut into lardons).  I also season with freshly cracked pepper and a small amount of sugar(especially if the greens are picked before the first frost as they tend to be bitter and this cuts the bitterness).

I didn't have to remove many of the spines, as the leaves were so young that the spines weren't tough and large.

We ate the Collards with some Barbecue Chicken last Sunday night.  I forgot to get a photo of the finished product.....*burp*. hehehe

While the yellow bean plants on one side of the bed have been fruitful, the vine beans on the other side have been not so much.
Ok, I take that statement back.
These plants have not yielded a single dang blasted bean....yet!
But the vines?
Oh, they are doing a mighty fine impersonation of Kudzu!
And if you are a Yankee or a West Coaster, this is what Kudzu looks like....

Let's just say it is a rather "prolific" weed that grows quickly and swallows up anything in it's path.
In the Summer down South, you don't leave your windows open at night for fear that the Kudzu will come into your home and strangle you in your sleep.lol

Here's what the backside of the garden bed from the deck view looks like.....

They have topped the deck railing and are growing back down again behind the deck box onto the deck.
Now do you see the resemblance to Kudzu?......

And on the end they have overtaken the bird feeder pole and are about to consume my wind chimes.

Totally amazingly lush plants but no blooms yet, let alone actual baby green beans.

So what is growing in your yard this Summer?

Sluggy

Larry Is My Boy!

I haven't said anything about the whole Chik-Fil-A Brew-ha-ha......until now...... ;-)

I think Larry Winget has hit the nail on the head on this whole issue.
Give him a listen.....



Now tell me what you think.

Sluggy

JULY 2012 Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JULY 2012.

I have posted July's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2012 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in July.  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(2-4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 16.
******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP   $9.89

Value   $33.92

Savings 70.84%

BIG LOTS

OOP  $26.00

Value  $47.39

Savings  45.14%

RITE-AID

OOP  $17.71

Qs/Ads  $423.33

Value  $441.04

Savings   95.98%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $51.77

Qs/Ads  $34.17

Value  $85.94

Savings  39.76%

WALMART

OOP  $13.67

Value  $22.10

Savings  38.15%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $117.39

Qs/Ads  $75.81

Value  $193.20

Savings  39.24%

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 RECEIVED IN July

Total...$0.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$0.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

1 Free Deodorant--giveaway winning

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Rite-Aid at 95.98%,  the Bakery Outlet at 70.84%, and Big Lots at 45.14%.  l shopped at 6 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$236.43

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$540.90

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$823.59

TOTAL Savings of...................................71.30%

This closes out the July spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into July with $300 budgeted for food/toiletries for the month.  I was able to stay substantially below that amount.
Though I didn't actively coupon in July I was still able to get close to my dream goal of a 75% savings rate.  This was mostly due to paying next to nothing for what I bought at Rite-Aid and for "buying" a substantial number of items at Rite-Aid in July. It's not the way I wanted to hit the mark but I'll take it. lol

I didn't buy many meats this month, mostly produce/fruit, bread products and some dairy.  The only stocking up I did was on cream cheese, 100% juices and drinks for #2 Son for band camp. 

LOOKING AHEAD TO AUGUST....

I will be setting my food budget back to $400 for August.  #2 Son is home again.  #1 Son will also be coming home mid month for a week or so.  Between the 2 of them, I'll need to buy more groceries than last month.  I also need to stock up on dog kibble and at the end of the month restock on meats and there will be fresh produce for cheap to be frozen.

We ate down the freezer stock a good deal in July and I'll continue to eat it down in August so I can clean it out and restock later in August. 

How did you do in July with your Food Budget?
Did you stick to it?
Did you find any good rock bottom prices to stock up on groceries?

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

The Last of Rite-Aid for July with Totals

I ran back up to Rite-Aid last night to finish doing the J&J Spend $30/Get $10+Up Reward Deal for the third time.  I had $5 toward the $30 going in, so had to spend $25 and I had $11 in +Up Rewards to spend.
I also found a coupon I forgot to use last week on the St. Joseph Aspirin I bought, so the manager let me do a "post coupon".  This means if you forget a coupon, bring it along with your receipt from when you purchased the product and they'll take the coupon and give you cash for it.  My coupon was for $3 off, so I had $3 in free money(since if I had used that coupon when I bought the item, I'd have used less +Up Rewards to pay), and could apply to this order.....

2 x Johnson's Baby Wash/Lotion on sale BOGO50%=$9.43
2 x Johnson's Baby Powder on sale BOGO50%=$7.18
1 x Visine Drops w/20% Wellness discount=$4.39
1 x Listerine Zero on sale=$4.00
SubTotal....$25.00

Coupons Used
2 x $1.50/1 Johnson's Naturals IPQ(Facebook)=$3.00
2 x $1/1 Johnson's Powder IPQ(Facebook)=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Visine product IPQ(website)=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Visine In-Ad Q=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine Wash TearpadQ(from Dentist)=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Listerine Wash In-Ad Q=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$10.00

$25.00-$10.00=$15.00
I used my $11 in +Up Rewards and the free $3.00 "Post Coupon" and paid the $1.00 + .35¢ in tax=$1.35  left in cash, so my OOP was $1.35.
Yes, I forgot to bring my free Rite-Aid gift card folks....doh!

I received $15 in +Up Rewards for this transaction($10 for the "Spend $30/Get $10 J&J Deal" and since I spent $15+ on Johnson's Baby items, I got the "Spend $15/Get $5 Monthly Deal" double dip).

Then I bought this stuff here......

 2 x Huge bags of Peppermints on sale $5each=$10.00

No coupons and I used $10 in +Ups to pay, so ZERO OOP.

And I received back $9 in +Ups.....the $3 +Ups in the weekly add for buying $10 in select foods/candies, as well as each bag generated an additional $3 +Ups which is part of some monthly deal for July.

#2 Son loves these particular mints, so 1 of these is going on the Xmas tree this year for him.
I might use the other to restock my mother's Crystal Biscuit Barrel that I keep in the living room.

I am ending the month of July with $14 in +Up Rewards-the $9 I got for the mints and the $5 leftover I didn't use from the previous transaction.

And here are my final Totals for Rite-Aid for July.....

Out Of Pocket....$17.71 cash
Value of items bought....$65.52+$49.25+$49.19 + $36.01 + $81.35 +$112.10 + $47.62=$441.04
Savings Rate of 95.98%
Single Check Rebate due....$6.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket....$11.71
Savings Rate of 97.34%

+Ups at beginning of month...$33+
+Ups used....$135+
+Ups received...$116+
+Ups currently...$14+ 


$440+ worth of merchandise for $11+ OOP?
That's a deal! ;-)

How did you do at Rite-Aid in July?


Sluggy