Weis Markets Trip

I made a quick trip to Weis this morning to get 1 more Angel Soft TP pack to finish off the $5 SavingStar Rebate.
Of course they were out of it so I got a rain check and will pick it up next week and my $1/1 Q will still be good and that will finish of that rebate.

I got a few other things and spent $18.51 OOP.
Savings rate on the receipt says 56% but that is incorrect since on the rain check I cashed in for BOGOF flounder, she deducted the price of the second bag to get the price on my receipt right.
So I actually got $47.18 worth of regular retail groceries for $18.51 and not $42.54 the receipt shows.
Actual savings rate is 60.76% which I like even better.  8-)

Again, notice that everything I buy is AT LEAST on sale.  Some are marked down as much as 50% off and most of those I also paired a coupon with them.  In addition, I stacked a storeQ with a MANUQ for the chili.


I'll be going back to Weis(PMITA)Markets on Thursday when the new ad goes live to pick up a few things.  Very little is a good deal in MHO next ad and much of the ad is advertising Holiday goodies(which many are highly priced).  Mainly on Thursday I'll be checking out any meat discounts(as that is the day to find them)and get the Angel Soft if it's back in stock.  Friday they are having another Friday Only Deals Sale too.

Sluggy

Clairol Deal at Rite-Aid on Sunday & Other Things I Bought

Heads up if you have a  Rite-Aid(sorry Sonya Ann)and you are a "women of a certain age" who colors her hair.
Starting Sunday(that would be yesterday)at R-A there is a Clairol deal.
Nice n' Easy and Root Touch-Up colorings is on sale for $6.99.  If you have Gold Wellness status your price will be $6.79 per box.

There was a $5/2 Clairol Hair Color ManuQ in the 11/29 P&G coupon insert.
There is a Buy One Clairol Hair Color Get One Root Touch-Up Color in this past Sunday's coupon insert. You'll have to have 2 of this Sunday's insert Q and access to the R-A Beauty Magazine in store with the $5 off $25 purchase inside to do this deal.

Here's your Deal--

Buy 2 x Clairol Hair Color=$13.98
Buy 2 x Clairol Root Touch-Up Color=$13.98
Subtotal...$27.96

Use Coupons....
1 x $5 off $25 purchase R-A Beauty Mag Coupon=$5.00(Ask for it at the store if they don't have any of the Beauty Magazines out.)
1 x $5/2 Clairol Hair Color ManQ=$5.00
2 x BOGOClairol ManuQ from Sunday's insert=$13.98
Coupon Total........$23.98

$27.96-$23.98=$3.98 + any tax for all 4 boxes.
That $1 a box for hair color!


So I went to R-A Sunday to do this deal plus get a few other things and complications ensued...........

First off I bought $50 in Subway gift cards on each of the Plenti cards we have as they give $6 in Plenti Pts. for every $25 you spend this week.  We frequent Subway during the year so I pulled Eating-Out money for 2016 and got some cards, netting me $24 for free potential Rite-Aid goods with the points.
That went fine.

Then I bought the Clairol hair color products and a few other things......

2 x Clairol Nice n' Easy on sale=$13.58
2 x Clairol Root Touch-Up on sale=$13.58
4 x HE conditioner on clearance$1.24=$4.96
1 x Crest mouthwash on sale=$5.00
1 x Soft Soap refill jug on sale=$3.99
SubTotal.........$41.11

The coupons I handed over.....
1 x $5 off $25 Beauty Purchase RAQ(hair coloring qualifies)=$5.00
1 x $5/2 Nice n' Easy ManuQ=$5.00
2 x BOGO Nice n' Easy/Root Touch-Up ManuQ=$13.58
1 x $2/1 Soft Soap Refill RA FacebookQ=$2.00
2 x $3/2 Herbal Essence product ManuQ=$6.00
1 x $1.50/1 Crest mouthwash Load2CardQ=$1.50
Coupon total was $33.08.

$41.11-$33.08=$8.03+.34¢ tax=$8.37 OOP is what it "should" have been.

But......
There were 2 other Load2Card Qs that came off for this transaction that we couldn't figure out why.....a $2 and a $3 Q.
And because they were applied to the transaction the register wouldn't take my $5/2 Clairol and one of my $3/2 Herbal Essence ManuQs.

So my Coupon Total was $30.08 instead....

$41.11-$30.08=$11.03+.34¢ tax=$11.37 using Plenti points so $0 OOP.
And I earned $3.50 in new Plenti points so I spent down my points by $7.87.

After we completed the sale they did a "Post Coupon" transaction and gave me $8 in cash for the 2 coupons that wouldn't scan......

So in the end this transaction "cost" me $7.87 in Plenti points(the $11.87 I paid with, minus the $3.50 in new Plenti points I earned buying the Crest mouthwash)and I got an $8 cash refund.
WTF?!?!?

Later at home I figured out by comparing my clipped L2CQs on the other Wellness/Plenti card that the $2 L2C was also for Clairol(when you buy one) and the $3 L2C was also for Herbal Essence(when you buy two).  This means I shouldn't have used one of my HE $3/2 ManuQs so I need to return $3 of that cash refund and my transaction turns into spending down $2.87 worth of Plenti points instead of a .13¢ moneymaker.

Got that?
I hope so because my head hurts now....lolz

I am done with Rite-Aid until Wednesday when they are having another 4 day "Mid Week Specials Sale".   Lot of BOGO sales in that 4 day ad.

The 5 Hour Energy shots and the Mtn. Dew KickStart drinks will be free after Plenti points earned on each so I'll be getting some KickStart drinks for College Boy.

Plus there is a $ back in Points deal when you buy Kohl's gift cards during this sale so I'll probably take some more clothing funds for 2016 and buy a couple cards since we finished up using my stash from last year back in October replacing part of College Boy's wardrobe.

Also of note--the large bottles of Suave professional 'Poo will be BOGO and there is a $2/2 Suave Pro ManuQ that expires on 12/13 plus a $2 Suave Pro SavingStar Rebate so $4 off 2 bottles + the BOGO price will make for some cheap 'Poo.

And there is also a BOGO sale on Arm & Hammer Cat Liter and $2/1 and $1.50/1 Qs for Liter on the Arm & Hammer website you can print, plus you get $5 back in Plenti points for buying 2, making for some cheap liter for your pussy.

Now I am off to start writing Christmas cards up.  I am so behind on that job.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "We Finally Get Seasonal Weather" Edition--

Last Wednesday morning the skies opened up with a heavy sleeting episode.  In minutes the deck was covered.....

Then the sleet turned into a snow squall dumping an inch of snow on us in another few minutes.....

Accompanying the snow was thunder!  So yah, we had SNOWTHUNDER here last week.
This is the first seasonal weather to happen here this late Fall/early Winter.  Usually by the end of November we've had a few snowstorms already.
By noon though it was all done, melted and the sun was out and the roads were bone dry by the time I went up to Rite-Aid.
I very strange year for weather in NEPA 2015 has been.

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week.......

1. Sunday--Leftovers-whatever you want
2. Monday--Butternut Squash Soup(something light), Garlic Bread
3. Tuesday--Pecan Chicken, Leftover Sides
4. Wednesday--Leftovers
5. Thursday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Leftover Sides
6. Friday--Chicken Parm, Spaghetti(for Hubs), Salad and/or Leftover Sides
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers-whatever you want
2. Monday--Butternut Squash Soup
3. Tuesday--Thanksgiving Leftovers
4. Wednesday--Roast Chicken, Leftover Sides
5. Thursday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Brussels Sprouts
6. Friday--Baked Flounder, Home Fries, Sugar Snap Peas
7. Saturday--Chicken and Dumplings(using leftover roast chicken)

I picked up some cheap seasoned chickens Monday so I threw one into the freezer and roasted one on Wednesday.

As for my grocery spending last week...... 5 trips(4 to Weis)for a total of $135.82 spent OOP.  Quite a bit of my food budget spent in this first week of the month due to some really good meat buys. Month to date is $135.82 spent for December on $290.03 worth of regular retail foods/toiletries so a 53.17% savings rate this week.  I have $214.18 leftover in the food budget for the rest of the month and it's only the 7th....eek!

Leftovers going into this week.....Butternut Squash Soup(1 serving), Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Brussels Sprouts, Sugar Snap Peas,  Chicken and Dumplings(1 serving)and 1 piece of Flounder.
I'll at least have the flounder for a lunch this week and will work the rest into the meal plan.

Here is this week's "food plan"--

1. Sunday--Beef Pie
2. Monday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Spinach Salad
3. Tuesday--Leftovers(probably the soups and some Stroganoff)
4. Wednesday--Bacon and Asparagus Quiche
5. Thursday--Hot Dogs/Brats, Sides(something easy as I'll be driving most of the day)
6. Friday--Pecan Chicken, Corn Casserole, Mixed Veggies
7. Saturday--Leftovers or Subway

This week will see 5 new meals cooked and 2 meals of leftovers consumed.

What I need to buy for this menu?.........Spinach.

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 last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

A Last Minute Rite-Aid Trip

Hubs said he needed some medicated shampoo so we went up to Rite-Aid late Saturday and I worked that item into my transaction.
Saturday was the Friends and Family 30% off Day(30% off or sale price applied, whichever was less).  While this was a good thing, it also tripped me up for a moment.

I did the Spend $30/Get $10 in Points P&G Deal(included 6 bottles of Pantene 'Poo, 4 rolls of Bounty Basic, 4 bottles of Dawn dish soap and 2 boxes of Puffs facial tissue), got his 'Poo, bought a bottle of Men's Dove 'Poo and also bought 2 large boxes of R-A brand Q-Tips(College Boy is a Q-Tip addict).

Total before Qs was $44.01 + .95¢ in tax=$44.96

I bought enough shampoo that I could use the $5/$25 Beauty purchase RA Q(from the Beauty Mag in store) and I had these other coupons--
*2 x $5/3 bottles of Pantene ManQ
*4 x .30¢/1 Dawn IPQ
*4 x .50¢/1 Bounty single roll IPQ
*2 x .35¢/1 Puff tissue IPQ
*1 x $2/1 Dove men's 'Poo CatalinaQ

Qs came to $20.90 plus another $2.25 in Load2Card Qs came off(a $2/1 Dove and a .25¢/1 for either Dawn or Puffs?) so $23.15 off.

$44.96-$23.15=$21.81

I put $1.94 of the OOP on my free R-A gift card so $19.87 spending down my Plenti Points.
I received $10 back in new Points(for spending $30 on P&G items), so $9.87 OOP after the new points were added to this card.

I also have a $2/1 Dove shampoo SavingStar Rebate that I earned so after that comes in I am "out" $7.87 for all these items.

I didn't get the P&G Plenti Points because the 30% made my total under $30 so I had to buy 3 x .99¢ items in a second transaction to reach the $30 threshold.

The Pantene which should have been $4 each on sale but with the 30% Day Coupon was only $3.49 after discount, so I was a bit short of $30 spent to get the $10 P&G Plenti points.
darn!

I had to go back in and get 2 more Dawn and another Puffs(as that is what I had more coupons for)and I paid on a free gift card for those.....

Even so, $9.87 spend down of my Plenti Points for all that isn't bad, is it?
Especially when you figure the medicated 'Poo and RA brand Q-Tips came to $9.54 + tax alone.  That means everything else was basically free?

The Dove men's 'Poo was $3.63 after 30% discount, I had a $2/1 CatQ AND then  noticed afterwards that a Load2Card for $2 off also came off during the first transaction, so it turned into a .37¢ moneymaker.  And once I get the $2 SavingStar Rebate Rite-Aid will have paid me $2.37 to buy that bottle.  8-)

Another "Bonus" during these transactions is that all those Pantene bottles had bonus product samples attached too.

I am now waiting for Hubs to bring home a Sunday paper to see if we got a particular coupon or two that was suppose to be in this week's inserts or not.
If we did, I'll be going back up to Rite-Aid today for some more inexpensive hair products.

Did you get anything cheap or free at Rite-Aid this past week?

Sluggy

TO-DO List.....November Update

Let's see how I did with my November To-Do List.

NOVEMBER

* Have Car Tuned FAIL--I couldn't get an appt. at the car shop until Dec. 1st, but it's done now. ;-)

* Reorder DMEs DONE--Ordered, arrived and they've bill my insurance.  They offered to send me a 90 Day supply so I consented to that so that I won't have to refill early in the new year when our high deductible resets and we are paying fully out of pocket for DMEs.  When I got the invoice it says I am now on a automatic reorder schedule they also signed me up for.....oh, hell no!lolz  I'll be calling them in January to get off of that as I order when I need stuff.

* Clean Living/Dining Rooms DONE--Well it got done "enough" to get through company coming for Thanksgiving but isn't a thorough cleaning.  When College Boy is here for school break I'll get him to help me with this when we take down the Holiday trimmings.  For now it's off the list.

* Cancel XM Radio DONE--Actually Hubs had to do this as the account was in his name.  But then again, it's on my list because I had to keep nagging at him to take care of this. lol
I am not in the car enough to justify paying for satellite radio anymore.  

* Wash Windows PARTIALLY DONE--I got 4 done and the French doors downstairs plus CB did the front storm door.  I'll save the rest of them for 2016 as this is a good January activity while CB is home.

* Get 10 Items up on eBay FAIL--Nope, I just couldn't bring myself to do this.  I don't relish the thought of dealing with eBay so close to Christmas and going away in October meant I didn't get anything listed that month, which is when I like to list for Xmas(and have all the listings close by the end of Nov.)  Perhaps I'll put some non-Xmasy items up in January when I have lots of free time?

*Sew 2 Pair of Pants DONE--I got all the cut-out pants sewn up.  Of course some of them aren't hemmed yet and the PJ ones don't have elastic in the waists as I need CB home to measure for that.

* Bike 30 Miles DONE--I set a modest goal for this and surpassed it even with half-assed effort.

38 Miles done.
Go me. 

* Gather Salvation Army Donation DONE--

* Drop of SA Donation DONE--Got it delivered before Thanksgiving.

* Gather Food Bank Donation DONE--Between grocery items I had picked up in the 2 months before November, toiletries gleaned from my stockpile, and the things bought on my November Food Monies here is what went over......

* Drop off Food Bank Donation DONE--Got this delivered before Thanksgiving too.

* Clean out Basement PARTIALLY DONE--All my inventory from my ceramic shop business is still sitting in our basement since moving here in 2000.  This includes many, MANY ceramic molds as well as unpainted bisque.  We got all the bisque out of the collapsing cardboard boxes(except for 4 boxes)and it's now sitting on wooden shelves and boards.  We also found most of my gnome collection mixed in with this business stuff and that is now reboxed and in the garage until I figure out what to do with it all.
Another surprise(a pleasant one!)we found down there is my ceramic Nativity set which I had made back in the late 1980's before I had kids.......

It disappeared shortly after we moved here in 2000 and I had given it up for lost.  When we first moved in all the stuff that we didn't have a place for yet went into the basement.  I had thought everything but the ceramic supplies and the eBay inventory had come out of there that first year in this house.  As I emptied my storage units I always hoped I'd find this set somewhere among all the eBay inventory, fabric and toiletries I had stashed in there but never did.
This just made my day!
We still have wooden pallets that need to be broken up, brought out of the basement and gotten rid of down there and a whole lot of cleaning to do with the floor so this will get done over the Winter so I can cross this Job off my list.

* Hold a Giveaway DONE--It was held in November and a winner picked....

* Mail out Giveaway Box DONE--It was mailed out and received before November ended.

* Pick-up CB from School DONE--Hubs and I both went to fetch College Boy....and lots of his stuff too!

* Cook Turkey Day meal DONE--I was very organized this year and everything came out well.

* Take CB back to School DONE--I got one photo of him this time, right before left to go back.
He looks excited, doesn't he? ;-)

* Make Xmas Card List DONE--Now all I have to do is to actually WRITE THE CARDS! Can you tell this is not one of my most favorite things? lolz

* Make Xmas Gift List DONE--List was compiled over September-November and as of Nov. 30th most everything has been bought/acquired.  I have one more present to purchase and a couple of checks to write and the list and procurement are complete.
Yay!


I've already got my December TO-DO List up on the side bar(pretty fast for me, right?lol)and I'm plugging away at that too.
The Basement Cleaning moves to Dec. but the Window Washing will wait until January's List.

How did you do at getting your November TO-DO List completed?

Sluggy