My Weekly Rite-Aid Trip(s)

I got around to my Rite-Aid trip early this week so here are the long boring details in all their glory......

4 x Dixie Plates BOGO sale($4.49)=$8.98
1 x Fat Foam hair coloring on sale(but 20% discount is lower)=$8.23
2 x R-A brand hand sanitizer($1)=$2.00
1 x Sleep Sheets on sale=$5.00
1 x Max Freeze on sale=$7.00
1 x Sting Ease w/20% wellness discount=$3.43
6 x NYC nail polish w/20% wellness discount(.79¢ea)=$4.74
SubTotal.....$39.38

Coupons Used
1 x $5/1 Fat Foam IPQ=$5.00
1 x $6/1 Fat Foam Store-ad Q=$6.00
1 x $1/1 Sleep Sheets ManuQ in box=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$12.00

$39.38-$12.00=$27.38
I used $27 in +Up Rewards and put the .38¢ left on my Rite-Aid gift card.

I received back $26 in +Up Rewards($2 wyb $6 in Dixie items, 2 x $1 R-A Hand Sanitizer, $5 Sleep Sheets, $7 Max Freeze, $4 Sting Ease-monthly Up+, 2 x $3 wyb 3 select nail polishes).

So all this stuff cost me $1 in +Ups I spent down and .38¢ on my gift card.

* If you buy the Sleep Sheets you might want to open the box and check for a $1 off Q inside....but only if you are buying it for sure!  Or if you have a problem opening it before you pay for it, buy it, THEN open the box and take the Q out and get your cashier to do a 'post coupon' transaction to use the Q.

* The Sting Ease is a monthly +Up deal so continue to look for it on the shelf.  With Wellness discount, you pay less than the value of the +Up Reward you get back.

* Select nail polishes are generating a $3 +Up when you buy 3.  The NYC .99¢ bottles qualify for this deal so there are Free after +Ups or a small moneymaker if you have the silver or gold Wellness discount.

* The Dixie plates/cups are a good deal but not free.  They are BOGO this week so if you buy 4, 2 are free and the 2 you pay for come to $8.98 and after the $2 +Ups you get back, they end up costing you $6.98 or $1.745 each package.  They can be almost free if you also buy......

* The Samy Fat Foam hair color.  With stacking the In-Ad Q and the $5 IPQ you get at least $2.01 in overage to put toward the Dixie plates or anything else you want to buy.

I was planning another trip today but Hubs car(again with the CARS!?ugh)is having work done on it so he has my car today.
So I sneaked back up to Rite-Aid yesterday evening and got more of the same....

More Polish, Sanitizer, Hair Color and Paper Plates.
But I got 6 Dixie products this time because it made more sense.  If you buy 4 with the BOGO sale, you are spending enough to get the $2 +Ups WYB $6 worth AND you are halfway to spending enough to get a second $2 +Ups(because you have spent $9 and the second +Ups triggers at $12 total spent).  So buy a set of 2 items with the first 4, spend another $4.49 OOP for both AND get another $2 +Ups.  Instead of being OOP $1.745 for each item, when you buy 6 at the same time, you are OOP $1.578(after the +Ups are applied).
If you already bought 4 items, you can't go back and buy 2 and get the second $2 +Ups to trigger because this +Ups Deal is NOT tracking.

Anyway, this second trip was $17.58(with .04¢ tax), I used $17 in +Ups to pay and put the .58¢ on my gift card.
I received $12 in +Ups back(2 x$1 Sanitizer, 2 x $2 WYB $6 of Dixie items, 2 x $3 WYB 3 Nail Polish).
I spent down $5 of +Up Rewards this trip but I don't mind since it's stuff we need/use and you can't beat $5 for $49.95 worth of stuff! ;-)


Here are the August Grand Totals so far.....

Out Of Pocket....$.70  cash
Value of items bought....$438.86
Savings Rate of  99.84%
Single Check Rebate due....$5.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... -$4.30
Savings Rate  100%

+Ups at beginning of month...$14+
+Ups used....$137+
+Ups received...$148+
+Ups currently...$25+ 

 Sluggy

Guess How Many Cars We Now Own!?

If you said 4, you would win the prize!

Oldest son came home for a few days.....ok, technically he was here for 2.5 days from the moment he stepped into the house Sat. night, until he left a few minutes ago.

I put the blog on auto-pilot mostly for the last 5 days because we've been dealing with buying another car.
Ugh.....didn't we JUST BUY ANOTHER CAR?!?!

This one if for oldest to use this year at school and then he will "buy" it from us when he leaves school, gets a job and can afford his own insurance policy.

So we've been busy finding a car the past 5 days.
And here is what we got.....

 A 2002 Hyundai something or other.
Yah see how interesting I am in cars?
I can't even remember what it's called.lol
* I've been informed it's a Sonata....thanks TANNER!

Anyway, we got a good deal from a local dealer we trust.  Out the door it was $5650 with tax, tags, registration and they give a 90 day warranty.
And it has 53K miles on it.

Technically this car didn't cost Hubs and I anything. The car and the extra in insurance for the next year  for it was all taken out of oldest's college fund $.  It's technically his car....we just hold the paper on it until he is graduated and working.  The remaining college money was divided into 2 halves and he gets 1 hunk to live on this semester and the other hunk to live on next semester.  And then the money is gone and he is on his own.

I also have been cooking.
Oldest wanted some barbecue so Sunday was spent on the porch with the smoker for a good piece of time.  We had his birthday meal out Sunday night at a steak house.
Monday he ran errands and packed, then we had the barbecue for dinner and the cake I baked him for his belated 21st bday....

Here's the backup shot with him pretending he just blew out the candles.....

What a ham.....

We sat down and went over his money situation and gave him half of what is left in his college fund.....Jan. he gets the other half and then the Bank of Mom & Dad is closing his account....permanently!lol

I printed out a budget form and when he gets back he and his girlfriend are going to sit down and budget the money.
I impressed upon him how good it would be to live on less than he had left for the next 4 months and to throw some money each month into a car account in case the car needs a repair, because we are NOT paying for anything else.  I hope he takes my advice.

Anyway, he was out the door bright and early this morning so he can get back to school for his girlfriend's birthday on Wednesday and to get settled into their new digs, buy groceries, get his books for this semester, etc.
But not before I could load him up with 2 big boxes of food/toiletries/laundry detergent from the stockpile too.

So that's what I've been doing the past 5 days.....when I wasn't going to Rite-Aid.

I can't wrap my head around the fact that we own FOUR CARS.  One for every licensed driver in this house.....until #2 son gets his license later this year.....eeshh!
Anybody want to come pick me up after I faint dead away when I get our next car insurance bill?!

What's going on in your life?

Sluggy

Food Spending August Week 3 & Meal Planning Week 4

*****************************
And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

Sunday--Salmon with maple glaze, Stir-fried mixed veg, mashed potatoes

Monday--BLT sandwiches with tomato from our garden...slurp!

Tuesday--tuna helper, Caesar salad

Wednesday--Leftover Rigatoni, Broccoli

Thursday--Meatloaf(leftover), Mashed Taters, Snow Peas

Friday--Taco Bell

Saturday--Leftovers

 

The weekly food spending was $9.91.  I was tempted to do the Kimberely/Clark Cat Deal at Weis(which would have stocked me up on a few things but would have meant spending alot more OOP) but in the end I resisted.  I used $12 in Cats to pay last week for the few needs we had which is why I spent so little.

I didn't stay within the $8 limit I set but it was close. None of what I spent was for items needed to make dinner.....it was all milk purchases and items for the Daughter's work lunches.

I have $82.02 left of my $400 food budget for August and 11 days left in the month.  I think we can make it to the end of the month before the end of the money. ;-)

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up.......a portion of snow peas(I'll polish those off for lunch one day).

***********************

This week's menu.....

Sunday--Son's belated Birthday dinner out-Steak

Monday--Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Birthday Cake

Tuesday--something Chicken, Rice, Green Beans(from garden)

Wednesday--Taco or Taco Salad

Thursday--Leftovers

Friday--burgers, baked beans, cuke salad

Saturday--Leftovers again

 

 

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....rolls, cukes, maybe more lettuce.

So what are you cooking at your house this week?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Quickie!

Finishing up the "gots" for last week.....

More Stayfree and Oral-B/Glide floss and something new for me, 2 Duck brand mailers.

SubTotal....$12.08
Same coupons as I used on the Stayfree and Glide floss when I bought them before......$5.00
$12.08-$5.00=$7.08 and I used $7 in +Ups and put the .08¢ on my gift card.

I got back $8 in +Ups($2 Stayfree, 2 x $2 Glide, 2 x $1 mailers).
AND the mailers qualify for SCR #51(Duck brand), so there's another $3 in cash I'm getting back.

So I spent $7 in +Ups, Got $8 +Ups back and $3 cash.
Not bad, huh?lol

The mailers were awesome!  Reg. price of $1.49 and my Gold Wellness discount brought that down to $1.11.  Then each one generated a $1 +Ups, so .11¢ OOP at this point.
And I get $3 cash back next month on my SCR, making them a $2.78 moneymaker....sweet!
These aren't generating a $1 +Ups this week but if you have the Wellness discount it is still a MMer after SCR to pick them up.
8-)

Out Of Pocket....$.70  cash
Value of items bought....$324.87
Savings Rate of  99.78%
Single Check Rebate due....$5.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... -$4.30
Savings Rate  100%

+Ups at beginning of month...$14+
+Ups used....$93+
+Ups received...$110+
+Ups currently...$31+ 
 
**Don't forget to go to Rite-Aid this week for the FA+UR(free after +Up Rewards)items.
There are 4 of them I think......Max Freeze or Max Heat topical pain rub, Sleep Sheets sleep aid(dissolving sheets), Restless Leg Cream and RA brand Hand Sanitizer.

Sluggy

Guess What Everyone is Getting for Christmas This Year?

After this week, Christmas 2012 "hair" at my house will be all about the Brush....hair brush that is! ;-)

I might catch heck for posting this so late in the week but so be it...lol
I had $9 in +Ups expiring this Sat. so up to Rite-Aid I trotted again and got this stuff....

1 x Stayfree on sale=$3.00
1 x Purel Sanitizer on sale $3.99 but 20% Wellness disc. less=$3.43
2 x Conair Hair Brushes on sale BOGO=$9.19
2 x Oral-B/Glide Dental Floss on sale $3.49 but one was cheaper w/Wellness disc.=$6.92
SubTotal.....$22.54

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Stayfree IPQ(HERE)=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Purel ManQ(All You Aug. ed.)=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Oral-B/Glide product ManQ (P&G insert)=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Oral-B/Glide product Oral Care Booklet=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$6.00

$22.54-$6.00=$16.54
I used $16 in +Ups(9+ expiring 8/18 + 7+ expiring 8/26 and 9/2).
$16.54-$16 +Ups=$.54 + $.16 tax=$.70 OOP.
I paid .70¢ cash since not only did I NOT bring my calculator this trip, I also forgot my R-A gift card.

I received back $13 in +Ups($2 Stayfree, $2 Purel, 2 x $2 Glide, $5 WYB $10 Conair brushes).
$36.24 in merchandise for .70¢ cash and spending down $3 in +Ups. ;-)

You'll notice my conair brush didn't quite cost $10, but that comb I bought last trip gave me $1.60 or so left to combine with this $10 worth of stuff.  It brought me over $10 and triggered the $5 +Up Reward.
This Conair deal is a limit of 2, so I am done with it now.

If you have the Oral Card book of Qs and the P&G insert Glide Q, each Floss is at least a .51¢ moneymaker after $2 +Ups.
IF you can find the floss in your store at this point in the week.

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

Out Of Pocket....$.70  cash
Value of items bought....$308.82
Savings Rate of  99.77%
Single Check Rebate due....$2.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket....Still -$1.30
Savings Rate  100%

+Ups at beginning of month...$14+
+Ups used....$86+
+Ups received...$102+
+Ups currently...$30+ 



Sluggy