Throwback Thursday on Friday...The Old Ball & Chain

Aug. 28, 1982.

32 years ago I said "I Do" to my soul mate.

Love them early 80's fashion and that outdated wedding apparel
And the hair......!!!

I truly have lived the frugal lifestyle.  That wedding was done on a shoestring.  No paid photographer, reception in the church basement, no honeymoon.  I may be wrong but this wedding et al(including rehearsal dinner & reception) cost around $700, much of which we didn't pay for....well we DID "pay" the minister and the state for the license and blood tests, as I rightly recall.
Yes, we were poor students.

I made all the gowns in the wedding party, and the hats too!
My mother was freaked out because I was up until 3am the night before the ceremony still sewing.

Hey!, I was the original Project Runway, wasn't I?
This wedding shindig would have been classier if Tim Gunn had been there though.

Look at the silly idiot in off-white with the 'fro hair.  She thought she knew it all.
And her life didn't turn out anything like she thought it would.

Life is like that, isn't it?  23 year olds plan and g*d laughs. ;-)
But I wouldn't go back and change most of it, and certainly not this part!
Well I would have did my hair differently.....

It's been a hell of a ride so far.
Here's hoping the next 32 years outdo the first......

Sluggy

My Free Shopping......or Better than Free

I traipsed up to Rite-Aid on Wednesday to drop off another prescription to have transferred(and to get another $25 +Ups on BIL's card).

While I was there I spent the $25 +Up Reward I received on Tuesday......

2 x Tresemme 'Poo on sale=$8.00
2 x Tampax on sale bogo50%=$8.68
4 x Ziploc bags on sale $2=$8.00
5 x Girl Scout flavor Nestle bars on sale .50¢=$2.50 *
8 x 6 pack Candy bars on sale BOGO=$5.96
2 x Finish dishwasher tabs 50%off=$6.78
2 x Nexxus 'Poo BOGO50%=$9.43
1 x Nexuss 'Poo 20% wellness disc.=$5.03
1 x Nivea lip balm 20% wellness disc.=$2.63

SubTotal....$57.01

*I was only buying 4 girl scout bars(on sale for .50¢ea. but the Catalina spit out a $1/5 girl scout bars after the cashier scanned them so I added a 5th bar so we could use this CatalinaQ on the order.


Coupons Used

2 x $2/1 Tresemme Load2CardQs=$4.00 **
1 x $2/1 Tampax ManQ(P&G insert)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Tampax Load2CardQ=$2.00
2 x $2/2 Ziploc products IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1/2 Ziploc Load2CardQ=$1.00 ***
1 x $1/4 girl scout Nestle bars VideoValuesQ=$1.00
1 x $1/5 girl scout Nestle bars CatalinaQ(this is considered a ManuQ)=$1.00 *
1 x $2/$5 of candy bars R-A FacebookQ=$2.00
1 x $1/4 6 pack candy bars VideoValuesQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 6 pack Hershey's bars ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Finish products IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Finish products VideoValuesQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 Nexuss items IPQ(coupons dotcom NLA)=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Nexuss items VideoValuesQ=$3.00
1 x $2/1 Nivea lip product Sales flyerQ=$2.00

Coupon Total......$30.00

$57.01-$30.00=$27.01

I paid with my $25 +Ups and another $2 +Ups from my stash.

$27.01-$27.00=$.01¢ OOP
Before I could dig out a penny to pay the cashier took a penny from the penny tray and used that.

I received back $12 in new +Up Rewards(3 x $3 Nexuss, $3 wyb2 Tresemme).

**  Today again, TWO $2/1 Tresemme Load2CardQs came off my card.  All I can figure is that the $2/1 Tresemme that was suppose to be only off of a STYLER came off on the second shampoo.  It's a headscratcher, that's for sure!

***  Evidently I had a $2/1 Ziploc Load2Card on my card too that I didn't remember being there.  I must have loaded it eons ago and forgot about it.  It is strange though that it came off since I used 2 IPQs on the Ziplocs.  The L2C Q shouldn't have come off.....but who am I to stand and argue about it with the cashier?  ;-)


I have plans for all of this......the candy bars are the beginning of my Halloween trick-or-treater supply, the women's products, shampoo and lip balm are for assorted family members and the plastic bags and dishwasher tabs are for my personal stash.

I might pick up a few more things at Rite-Aid this week(besides my rx refill).
I still have 2 $2/1 Tresemme ManuQs and I might pick up a bottle of Vaseline lotion cocoa butter for the sister in-law(it's her favorite).  This would "cost" me $3 in +Ups and .49¢(+tax)in cash.

I went to the drive-thru window that evening and picked up the rx I had transferred and put it on BIL's Wellness card so I got another $25 +Up Reward too.

I now have $53 in +Ups, have $125.07 worth of goodies and have spent .09¢ this week....well actually only .08¢ thanks to my cashier. lol

Sluggy

There'll Be Some Changes Made

Last week and the leaving of #2 Son for college have kicked off some changes here at Chez Sluggy.

Lots of changes both big and small.

First off was the clean out of #2 Son's room.......

 

I am still in the process of that one and I suspect it will take about another week to get it livable again. ;-)

Before #2 Son left home, he helped Hubs with this change......

Now you see it.......

Now you don't......

They took the rusted out pool down.

It got folded down into a flat steel package and they shoved it into the minivan and Hubs dropped it and all the metal support pieces off at the recycling yard last Saturday.

My backyard now, sans pool.

Later on last Saturday we took all the pots and pans out of the cabinet and all the foodstuffs out of the pantry.
Here is what the kitchen looked like then......

The lower cabinet to the right of the stove in the photo is where all my pots and pans were stored when not in use.  I have always detested this arrangement because that cabinet has no pull out lazy susan or other arrangement and I can't get to things in there with my short arms.  Plus it's like a dungeon down there and I can't even see what I am trying to reach!
I knew there had to be a better way.

The kitchen island filled with food from the pantry.

More pantry contents on the table.

The pantry had become a jumble of stuff mainly because #2 Son would go out into the stockpile in the garage and bring something in to cook/eat.
Then he would promptly change his mind and instead of returning said stockpile item to the stockpile whence it came, he'd just open the pantry door and shove said item in there.
Ugh!

As a result the pantry had devolved into a mish-mosh of both opened goods and stockpile duplicates of said opened goods.
This is the same child that would open a new ranch salad dressing when he wanted some, instead of using one of the already opened FIVE bottles in the fridge.

So everything from the pantry was sorted and returned to it's proper place and here's the pantry AFTER.....

Then I put all the pots and pans into a Rubbermaid container which will live on the floor of the pantry.....

I keep a lid on the tub to keep the pots and pans clean of course but removed it for this shot.

This arrangement lets me reach everything and SEE it too.  Not as convenient as having them next to the stove but I can manage the walk. lolz

And that dark, unreachable cabinet I despise?
Here is what is in there now......

A dish draining rack which holds the pot lids, pushed to the front of the door.
On the shelf above are my cast iron pans that I don't use as much as the other pans and behind in the depths of the cabinet is an electric griddle, which also isn't used as much as other items.

 

And the photo above is all the items I am getting rid of or giving to my older children if they need anything.

We cleaned out the other kitchen cabinets with dishware, glassware and serving/casserole pieces too and that is where some of this came from.

I still need to clean/clear out the island shelves and one cabinet under the microwave and the drawers to the right of the stove(which store towels/potholders, cutting boards, phone books and take-out menus)and then the kitchen will be done.

Plus I need to find a new home for the Bread Machine as the tub of pots displaced it from the pantry, but this will involve working on the Garage, which is next on my list of cleaning/organizing for the house.

And the latest change around here was yesterday.

Going.....

Going.......

GONE!

1 of our 4 cars is now at the Auto Auction.
And the minivan will be disposed of by the end of September which gets us down to 2 vehicles.

Updates later as they become available.

I am off now to go inform the insurance agent that the car went bye-bye and get my auto insurance lowered.
Woohoo!!!

Have you had a big change in your life lately that led you to change/clean/move things in your home?





Sluggy
 

Where is Kim!?!?

Has anyone heard from Kim lately?
She hasn't posted to her blog for 2 Weeks!
I have her last writing Aug. 13th, 2 weeks ago today.
Maybe she is away again?  But I didn't see her say anything about going on a trip later this month.

Anyone?

Kim, are you out there?!?

Sluggy the Worrier

More Load2Card Madness at Rite-Aid

Ok, maybe not madness, but something ain't right with it!

I went up to my favorite drugstore today........go on! Guess the name of it!......and bought this stuff on the BIL's card....

2 x Tresemme 'Poo on sale=$8.00
4 x Mentos on sale=$2.00 **Cinnamon finally!  These go in my candy stash.lol
SubTotal.....$10.00

I tried to use a $2/1 Tresemme Load2Card Q attached to this Wellness card and a paper ManuQ for $2/1 Tresemme from Sunday's inserts.
And my total would be $6 and I would have paid with $6 in +Ups from the $20 I accumulated last week.
Easy Peasy, right?

But the cashier told me my total was $6 before I even gave her the paper ManuQ!
She printed the receipt out and there were 2 x $2/1 Tresemme Load2Card Qs taken off my transaction already!  And I KNOW I only had 1 of these Qs attached to my Wellness card.

2 of the same Load2Card Q?
Yes!


We both shrugged our shoulders, I tucked my ManuQ back into my coupon pouch and gave the cashier $6 in +Up Rewards and my OOP was .00¢.
Nice

Besides my Zero balance you can see 2 x $2 Load2Cards came off on this shot of my receipt.
Very Weird.

I received back $4 in +Up Rewards($1 wyb4 Mentos, $3 wyb2 Tresemme)so I only spent down $2 on my +Up Rewards stash.

Then I went back to the pharmacy and picked up a prescription I had transferred from Walmart earlier that day.
Handed cashier my Wellness card and the Coupon in the sales flyer to give me a $25 +Up Reward with an rx transfer.  Then I swiped my HSA card and paid for the rx and I got this too.....

I see $25(or more)worth of free toiletries/etc. in my immediate future.  8-)
I had to fill this prescription and with Walmart and Rite-Aid being the same price for this rx, why not transfer it and get free stuff, right?

I may go back tomorrow and transfer another rx using the BIL's card and get another $25 +Up Reward.   There is a limit of 1 transfer/$25 per card account.  BIL doesn't get rxs at Rite-Aid so why not use it?

Now I have to figure out how I want to spend this.
I have to come up with lots of different items to purchase in one transaction, using Qs and sale prices and items that generate more +Ups this week.
It's going to take some thinking and scheming on this tonight.

I could do this deal......get another $25 +Up for rx transfer, then on Thursday find a Rite-Aid that carries the portable DVD player that's on sale this week for $49.99, buy that and a Cela cherry so my total is over $50.  Pay with the 2 x $25 +Ups(and cash for any tax on the purchase)and get back $15 in +Ups-a double dip of two promotions on this item....a $5 +Up weekly deal and a $10 +Up monthly deal, both on this product.
This would give me a free DVD player and $15 in free stuff for those 2 rx transfers.  Too bad I don't need a portable dvd player though.

More tomorrow......

Sluggy