Rite-Aid Booty This Week & A Heads Up

My first trip to Rite-Aid for the week......

2 x Playtex tampons 32ct. 20% wellness disc. $7.59ea.=$15.18
1 x Vaseline lotion large one on sale=$5.99
SubTotal.....$21.17

Coupons Used
1 x $3/1 Playtex tampons L2CQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Playtex tampons MQ(coupons dotcom)=$3.00
2 x $3/1 Playtex tampons In-Ad Q=$6.00
1 x $2/1 Vaseline lotion L2CQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Vaseline lotion Video ValuesQ=$2.00*
Coupon Total......$16.00

$21.17-$16.00=$5.17 + .12¢ tax=$5.29

I used a $5 +Ups and paid .29¢ OOP.

I received back $4 in +Up Rewards($1 Vaseline, $3 Playtex wyb2).

* My $2/1 Vaseline Video Values Q printed with an expiration date of 10/4 on the banner at the top of the Q.  Many people had this problem if they printed out their VVQ early.  But the Q says expiration date 10/11/2014 at the bottom, just under the Q.  I pointed that out to the cashier when he saw the 10/4 expiration at the top.
He tried to scan it in anyway and it worked.  If your Q printed the 10/4 expiration date at the top, just point out that it's wrong(refer to the correct expiration date at the bottom)and ask them to try it anyway.  It should go through without a problem.

HEADS UP--If you want to do the $3 +Ups Playtex tampons, or $3 +Ups Edge/Skintimate shaving gel and/or the $3 +Ups Schick razors Deals this week please be aware that these are all part of the same +Ups generating Deal!
And the Wet Ones Deal if you did that one last week is also part of the same Reward.

There is a limit of 2 of these deals total per Wellness account so if you do more than 2 of any of these Deals you won't get the +Up after you receive it twice.

Sluggy


 

This Week on the Dining Table

The "The Garden is Kaput" Edition---

We got a hard frost the other night so the plants no longer look like this(taken 6 weeks ago).

They look like this......

I went out a little while ago and picked the last of the ripe tomatoes too.

Onward to the meal planning!

What was planned last week--
1.  Leftovers

2.  Fish fry, leftover coleslaw, veggie of some kind from the freezer

3.  Leftovers

4.  Leftovers

5.  Pork Chops, Red Cabbage w/Apples
6.  Chili(using leftover taco meat)over Rice or with Burritos
7.  Subway sandwiches

 

And this is what actually happened--
1.  Leftover Lasagna, Tossed Salad w/almond slivers

2.  Fish fry, leftover coleslaw, veggie of some kind from the freezer

3.  Me-leftover lemon chicken and zuke, Hubs-leftover stuffed peppers w/rice

4.  Hubs-leftover lemon chicken and zuke, Me-large salad

5.  Leftover stuffed peppers w/rice
6.  Chili with Burritos
7.  Subway sandwiches

  

The plan was kept to pretty much, except we had more leftovers than I thought, so the pork chops didn't happen.  They move to this week's menu.
    

Last week I made trips to 3 different local markets and spent $53.99 and 6 transactions at Rite-Aid(since Oct.1st)where I spent $3.29 total.
$57.28 down and $242.72 left in my October food budget.

Going into this week, in leftovers we have.........chili and spaghetti sauce w/meat.  I have some tomatoes from the garden to use up too.

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Lamb chops(freezer), steamed cabbage

2.  Rigatoni w/meat sauce(leftover), tossed salad(put my tomatoes in this)

3.  Meatloaf, butternut squash(use my tomatoes in sauce for the meatloaf)

4.  BLT sandwiches(have all ingredients-use my tomatoes)

5.  Pork Chops, Red Cabbage w/Apples
6.  Chili(leftover) over Rice
7.  New Leftovers


Food Waste--nothing.

What I need to buy this week.......nothing for this menu.  I bought the ground beef on Sat. and the red cabbage and squash 2 or 3 weeks ago at the farm stand.

The only items I want at my regular grocery stores this week are 4 items on sale-- a 2 lb. bag of shredded mozzarella, 12 cans of green chiles, 3 cans of clams and 1lb. of fresh trout.  That should come to $27 or thereabouts.

   

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?
Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?
How much did you spend on food so far in September?

 

Sluggy

$24K Savings Challenge......September Update

Every year I keep a close eye on our monthly expenses and our monthly income.
Our income is mainly the salary my Hubs draws from his job.  We have money taken off each paycheck from the top to put into savings, before we even get our hands on it.  This money that's taken goes into various pots....life insurance, health insurance premiums, long term care insurance premiums, investments and retirement savings.  It's automatic so we are never tempted to NOT put it into savings.

Once the automatic savings amounts, plus taxes and medical/dental/vision premiums are taken out, it leaves what we get to "live on".  From this amount we budget for bills, both monthly and irregular bills(semi-annual, annual etc.) and our variable bills(like food, eating out, clothing  etc.)  Anything left over once our monthly expenses are paid, I put aside into a Savings Challenge. 

For 2014 I am continuing my Yearly Savings Challenge.  I am raising the Goal amount slightly to $24,000 this year, $4K more than my goal for last year.

On to the September report.....

I have posted my September End of Month $24K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the Savings Challenge page tab at the top of the blog for the specific numbers HERE.

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 $2,000.

I have to report that we finished up September with a good chunk of change.
The extra amount we ended the month of  September with?.......$2606.55.

Income

We had $2200.26 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
 

Other monies received in September totaled $406.29.  This included interest made on non-retirement accounts, a per diem, 2 dividends and a refund on our car insurance after getting rid of the car early in September(the car insurance refund for the minivan will probably arrive sometime in October).

This brought us to our gain of $2,606.55.
Since we have no debt, this goes into savings.

Outgo

As for the expenses this September, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

 

*  The water bill went down by $20.43 from August.
*  Cash spent went down by $170 from August.
*  The electric bill went down by $60.89 from August.
*  Cable and phone charges were approx. the same as last month.
*  The credit card bill(paid off in full each month) was low for us(under $1K).
 

HERE are the BAD THINGS

 

*  The school taxes(part of the property taxes)were due.
*  The quarterly garbage bill was due.

Clearly the Good outweighed the Bad this month.  Having all the kids out of the house helped our bottom line.

 

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post, which is located HERE.
 

The 2014 GRAND TOTAL.....
With 9 months accounted for, our Savings Grand Total for 2014 is $17,023.83.

Our monthly average is $1,891.53 saved at this point in the year.
 

Only $6,976.17 Total left to meet the yearly goal and 3 months left to dig this up out of our income.
That comes out to an average of $2,325.39 for each of the next 3 months. 

Since I shoot for $2K savings per month and there are only 3 months left, we are $976.17 behind the eight ball, as we should have a full $18,000 saved to this point.  Not quite on schedule but REAL close!
October is our 2nd 2 paycheck month for 2014 so unless something runs off the tracks totally, we should be able to eek out enough savings in October to get a bit ahead of schedule.
  

 

Looking ahead for October......

*  I will continue to do this Savings Challenge and report in each month on how it is going.

*  We have no irregular bills due in October.

*  We will have our Reunion trip c/c bills due in October.  They came to $593.19. The current c/c bill is at $1189.91 and unless Hubs puts more gas charges on the c/c that will be the total owed since the bill closes in 4 days time from now.
 We will also incur more traveling bills this month but they won't be due until November's c/c bill(outside of the one night the hotel has already charged our card).

 

So how was your September financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in September?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings in an emergency fund or a retirement account?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate with you or commiserate with you!

Sluggy

Weekend Happenings

               Last year's church auction goodies.

Since I don't have to go up to Rite-Aid today, whatever will I do with myself this weekend?!

It's rainy so no outdoor projects or the garage will happen at least today.

Hubs and I will be going to that annual local church auction this afternoon.  It's a fundraiser we attend every year for going on 6 or 7 years.
It's our regular October Date.
I get to be with my Hubs, spend money, get an adrenalin rush and buy stuff for cheap....what more could I ask for?
8-)

I posted a video about what I won last year in this post HERE.
It's a way to get stuff you need or want for cheaper.....and it helps the church pay it's bills.

Then I really do need to get some sewing done......at least cut some things out.
I have picked out fabrics and have my patterns made so I'll get to it this weekend.
Maybe...... ;-)

I've got leftovers still so no cooking today.
I've already viewed next week's grocery ads and between my main 2 stores there are only 4 items I want/need to pick up.
Next week is not a great week for grocery shopping here....at least for me.

Sunday starts a new week for my meal planning so I've gotten a start on figuring that out already.
Will work more on it this weekend.

I also need to change over my closet to Fall/Winter clothing and put the dresses which I usually wear in the Summer away.  The weather took a nosedive last night and the temperatures dropped significantly here.....and it's October already!?!
I should also start in on packing for our trip to Ocean City as it's coming up very soon.

After last week's Rite-Aid orgy my stockpile could use some reorganizing as well.
And speaking of stockpiles.....I need to gather another box of goodies for a giveaway.

Plus I have 2 dozen more fabrics to list in my Etsy shop.

And I could go to Rite-Aid on Sunday, since the new ad/deals start then, and do a transaction.

And if Sunday is nice Hubs and I could go for a ride somewhere together.

See?  I have lots of activities to participate in this weekend.

Or maybe I'll just stay in my pjs and take a nap or two......

What's on your plate this weekend?
Anything thrilling or out of the ordinary, or just the same old, same old stuff?

Sluggy

 

More Rite-Aid.....Will It Ever End?!?

Actually yes, this is the last Rite-Aid post for this week.
Now don't y'all get too excited, ya hear? ;-)

On Thursday I did 2 more transactions.

First on my card the Dove/Unilever Deal and the second part of the Lindt choccie Deal(remember I have $6 tracking toward the Lindt Deal).........

2 x Clear 'Poo on sale=$10.00
1 x Dove Deo on sale=$5.00
1 x Dove Body wash on sale=$5.50
1 x Dove Bar soap pack on sale=$6.50
1 x Dove 'Poo on sale=$3.00
2 x Lindt's choccie bags on sale=$6.00
SubTotal......$36.00

Coupons Used
2 x $1.50/1 Clear ManuQ=$3.00
2 x $1/1 Clear Video ValuesQ(Oct.)=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Clear In-AdQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Dove Deo IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Dove Deo Video ValueQ=$2.00
1 x $1.50/1 Dove body wash IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$1.50
1 x Free Dove 'Poo wyb Body Wash ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Dove bar soap packs ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Dove bar soap packs Video ValuesQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Lindt's choccie bags IPQ(facebook)=$4.00
Coupon Total.......$22.50

$36.00-$22.50=$13.50 + .03¢tax=$13.53
I used $13 in +Up Rewards and paid .53¢ OOP.

I received back $13 in +Up Rewards(2 x $5 wyb $15 Dove/Unilever, $3 wyb $12 Lindt's).


Then I bought this stuff on the BIL's card........

 

4 x Palmolive dish soap on sale $2.50=$10.00
2 x Clorox bleach on sale $2.50=$5.00
SubTotal....$15.00

Coupons Used
2 x $1/2 Palmolive ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $1/3 Palmolive Video ValuesQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Clorox ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$4.00

$15.00-$4.00=$11.00 + .63¢tax=$11.63

I used a $10 Prepaid M/C(gotten in a deal from Rite-Aid in August) and paid $1.63 OOP.
I received back a $5 +Up Reward for buying $15 of select Cleaning Supplies.


Going into Friday I had $19 in +Ups to roll/spend.
Things didn't go quite as planned.....what's new, right? lolz

I did the Dove/Unilever Deal on my son's card......

1 x Clear 'Poo on sale=$5.00
2 x Dove Deo on sale=$10.00
1 x Dove Body wash on sale=$5.50
1 x Dove 'Poo on sale=$3.00
2 x Tresemme 'Poo on sale=$8.00
SubTotal......$31.00

Coupons Used
1 x $1.50/1 Clear ManuQ=$1.50
1 x $1/1 Clear Video ValuesQ(Oct.)=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Clear In-AdQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Dove Deo IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Dove Deo Video ValueQ=$4.00
1 x $1.50/1 Dove body wash IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$1.50
1 x $2/1 Dove body wash Video ValuesQ=$2.00
1 x $5/2 Tresemms 'Poo ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Dove 'Poo Video ValuesQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.......$21.00

$31-$21=$10.00 and I was going to pay with 2 x $5 +Up Rewards so Zero OOP.

But that old goblin LOAD2CARD kicked in, and somehow the register loaded a $1.50/1 Dove L2CQ onto my receipt, which the cashier couldn't remove so I could use the better $2/1 Dove paper Q.
And without letting me know, he just added the $2 Q so my total coupons came to $22.
This meant my after Q total was now $9.00 so I couldn't use both $5 +Ups to pay.
I had another $9 in +Ups to use on a second transaction, so I just gave him a $5, a $3 and a $1 +Ups instead.
My new total was still Zero after +Up Rewards used so still no OOP.

I received back $10 in +Up Rewards.

Great.
But now I didn't have the right amount of +Ups to use for transaction #2.
I had have to add another .50¢ to what I was buying in order to use my 2 $5 +Ups that were left.

So I got a brilliant idea while mulling over what to do while sitting in the car.

Here's what I did, on BIL's card.......I already had tracking of $1.98 on this card for buying 2 Dawn dish soaps earlier in the week.

2 x Tide detergent on sale=$11.88
2 x Dawn dish soap on sale-$1.98
1 x Palmolive(small size)Rain Check=$.97
SubTotal.........$14.83

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Tide detergent ManuQ(Sunday inserts)=$4.00
2 x .25¢/1 Dawn IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$.50
Coupon Total.......$4.50

$14.83-$4.50=$10.33
I used my $10 in +Ups and paid .33¢ OOP.

And I received back $5 in new +Up Rewards(wyb $15 Tide/Dawn/Bounty).

Total Spent OOP this week.....$5.89
Total value of items brought home.....$393.96

We are good to go on 'Poo, Soap, Deo, Body Wash and the such until sometime in 2016 I think. lolz

I now have $15 in +Up Rewards going forward.
Slowly I've spent them down and I'll be out of them in the next week or so and the Rite-Aid posts will end.
Now stop that cheering!!

That is, until the Christmas Holiday Deals start up at Rite-Aid.  ;-)

Sluggy