A Rare Rite-Aid Run...Updated 9/15/16

So I got my Qs together and hit Rite-Aid on Monday.........

3 x Crest mouthwash(CB's new obsession)on sale $4.99 ea=$14.97
2 x Garnier shampoo on sale $3.49 ea=$6.98
4 x Advil pain relievers BOGO50%=$20.36
1 x GE light bulbs on sale=$7.99
1 x RA shopping bag 20% wellness disc.=.80
Total.......$51.10

Coupons Used
3 x $2/1 Crest mouthwash 500ml or larger IPQ=$6.00
2 x $2/1 Garnier shampoo ManuQ=$4.00
4 x $3/1 Advil 40 ct. or larger IPQ=$12.00
1 x $2/1 GE light bulb IPQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 RA shopping bag In-AdQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$25.00

$51.10-$25.00=$26.10+ .45¢ tax=$26.55 OOP
This should have been my total but a $1.50 Load2Card came off as well so this made my OOP $25.05,  Plenti points were used to pay so nothing OOP.

I think the L2CQ was for the Crest mouthwash.  That would explain why none of the crest Qs I handed over came off and had to be put in manually.

All items except for the shopping bag were part of the "Rake in the Savings" Promo so I qualified for the $20.00 back in Plenti points on this purchase + the light bulb pack gave back $7.99 in Plenti points as well so I spent down $25.05 in PPs and earned back $27.99 in PPs making this a $2.94 moneymaker.

Then I went back and did another transaction on my other card, buying mostly different items(except for the light bulbs and the shopping bag)that still qualified for the "Rake in the Savings" Promo........

4 x Aussie hair products on sale $2.50=$10.00
4 x Herbal Essence shampoo on sale $3.00 ea=$12.00
1 x Finish dishwasher tabs on sale=$4.99
2 x Centrum Vitamints on sale $6.99=$13.98
1 x Post Great Grains cereal on sale=$1.99
1 x GE light bulbs on sale=$7.99
1 x RA shopping bag 20% wellness disc.=.80
Total.......$51.75

Coupons
2 x $2/2 Aussie hair products ManuQ=$4.00
2 x BOGO Herbal Essence ManuQ=$6.00
1 x $2/1 Finish dishwasher ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $4/1 Centrum Vitamints ManuQ=$8.00
1 x .75/1 Post Great Grains IPQ =.75¢
1 x $2/1 GE light bulbs IPQ=$2.00
1 x RA shopping bag In-Ad Q=$1.00
Coupon Total......$23.75

$51.75-$23.75=$28.00 + $1.14 tax=$29.14

I used $29.14 in Plenti Points and earned $27.99 new Plenti Points so not exactly free as I "lost" $1.15 due mostly to the tax.
But a pretty good day for someone who's very out of practice at playing the Drugstore Game.

*UPDATE*
I forgot about two Saving Star Offers I had--$1 back on Centrum Vitamins/Vitamints and $1 back on an Advil Purchase, so I got $2 off the OOP for these trips.

Now Transaction #1 is a $3.94 moneymaker and Transaction #2 cost me .15¢ in Plenti Points.

I just love me some rebate deals! 8-)))

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "I'm Too Old to Do This Shit Alone Anymore" Edition.......

Well the Pepper Relish is done. 
 I made a double batch this year so there are 18 pints and 5 quarts in the garage(plus about a 12 oz. jar of extra in the fridge).
I used 6 of my purple canning jars, which make the relish look really dark and don't do anything to enhance the jar colors. lolz

And I am wiped out.  Relish making and canning kicked my ass this year and I spent most of Sunday recovering.  I am just too old to do all this by myself anymore.  Relish won't happen again unless I have at least 1 other person making it along with me in the future.  Daughter was too busy with work and school to help.(Hubs did wash my jars for me this year so that helped but it wasn't enough to keep me from overdoing.)

Moving on......

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Steak, Veggie Ka-bobs, Baked Potatoes

3. Tuesday--Manicotti, Salad, Garlic Bread

4. Wednesday--Chicken Fajitas

5. Thursday--Leftover Meatloaf, Brussel Sprouts, Noodles

6. Friday--Apricot Glazed Pork Chops, Mixed Veggies, Corn Casserole, Applesauce

7. Saturday--Crab Cakes, Fries, Cole Slaw, Broccoli

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Steak, Veggie Ka-bobs, Baked Potatoes

3. Tuesday--Manicotti, Salad, Garlic Bread

4. Wednesday--Chicken Fajitas

5. Thursday--Apricot Glazed Pork Chops, Sugar Snap Peas, Corn Casserole 

6. Friday--Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Thighs, Au Gratin Potatoes, CA Mix Veggies

7. Saturday--Leftovers

7 meals cooked at home, 2 of them nights of leftovers and 0 night of Take-Out.

As for the grocery spending.....12 trips to various grocery stores, bread outlet, Panera, produce market, Dollar Tree and farm stands bringing my weekly spending to $255.90 and my September food spending total to $360.80 with 18 days to go in the month.
Yikes!

I did a lot of stocking up on staples plus canning supplies and a splurge trip to Panera on Tuesday for discounted bagels.
With only 39.20 left in my $400 food budget for September I doubt I'll be able to stay under that amount.  I'll increase the budget as I need to but will keep an eye on the spending for the rest of the month.

Leftovers going into this week........manicotti, fajita fixings, 1 chicken thigh, zuke casserole, and 1 entire container of au gratin potatoes(I made double for "planned overs").

Here is this week's "food plan".

1. Sunday--Spaghetti w/Meatballs & Sausage, Salad or Zucchini Casserole Leftovers
2. Monday--Fajitas(using up Leftovers)
3. Tuesday--Mushroom and Onion Pork Roast with Carrots, Au Gratin Potatoes(leftover)
4. Wednesday--Crab Cakes, Fries, Cole Slaw, Broccoli
5. Thursday--Tacos
6. Friday--Homemade Pizza or Leftovers
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 7 new meals cooked and 0 nights of Take-Out and 2 nights of Leftovers.

The leftover manicotti, chicken thigh and zuke casserole will be eaten for lunches, the taters and fajita filling for dinners.

What we need to buy for this menu......Pepperoni if we have pizza this week.  We might need to eat more leftovers instead on Friday.

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 Pretty Good Deal

If you shop at Weis(PMITA)Markets you know they have been on this "Mix & Match Deal" kick the last few months.

The promotion is Buy X Number of Select Items and Get $X Back.
But it's not just one company's items deal, it's a wide assortment of companies and types of items and the Deal changes greatly every sales ad.

Sometimes there is nothing I'd buy and infrequently it encompasses some items I would consider buying.
And rarely I can pick and choose items worth buying and pair the deal with coupons.......this is when I actually do these deals.

I did the Mix & Match on Friday, paying $5.94 OOP for 6 items after the $3 off and coupons.

Pictured above, 2 jars of Prego sauce, 2 boxes of Ortega shells, a Butterball smoked sausage package(between the shells and the cheese slices)and the Hot Pockets food truck bites were what I bought/part of the Mix & Match Deal.
On sale those 6 items came to $14.94
I used a $3/1 ManuQ HP Food Truck Q, a $1/2 Prego IPQ, a $1/2 Ortega IPQ and a .55/1 Butterball IPQ(which doubled up to $1 at Weis).
Pairing this $6 off with the $3 Deal discount I received $9 off my total of $14.94, making my new total $5.94 or less than $1 for each of these 6 items.

I also bought 5 cannisters of panko for $1 each on sale as I was almost out of panko and was waiting for a deal on it.

The BF also goes through cheese slices at a good clip so I jumped on the BOGO Kraft slices deal this week as well.  $4.49 for 2 packages on sale.
Plus I used 2 x .75/1 Kraft IPQ(which each doubled to $1).  Even though Kraft slices are on sale BOGO you can still use 1 Q on each package.  Sweet.
So I paid $2.49 total for both packages.

I'm posting these deals in case some other Weis shopper wants in on these.

Sluggy

Busy Day, No Time to Post Much

The Relish making has commenced!

No time to post anything much beyond this photo today.
Once the relish making begins it is full steam ahead until it's completed.

It's a good day to be inside with the a/c on here too.

Hope your Saturday is fine.
Mine will be spent creating a disaster in the kitchen.....but that's only temporary thankfully.

More later,

Sluggy

A Meme for some Friday Fun

Blogging buddy Meredith over at grape writes posted her answers to a fun poll that another blogging buddy Urspo over at Spo Reflections had posted from his friend Karen from Facebook.

Ok, with all that out of the way, here are my answers to the Poll too because you just can't ever know enough juicy tidbits about Sluggy now, can you? ;-)

1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   Yes, sort of. My father's younger sister, my Aunt, named her first baby Denise.  She was born in June of 1957 and lived but two short days.  My mother asked my Aunt's permission upon having me if she could use the name Denise.  I don't know if it was to honor that baby and my Aunt(they were friends growing up)or if mom just liked the name(plus it fit in with her and my father all naming us kids first names beginning with the same letter).
I didn't learn about cousin Denise and this story until last month on a visit with my Aunt and her kids.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  I am not a crier really, I am more of a sulker and/or a yeller.  I did cry a bit when I learned that cousin Hilda had died(months after the fact).

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  I had better, after attending Catholic school for the first 12th grade years where I had nuns hover over me with rulers ready to whack your knuckles if your penmanship wasn't exemplary.
Or should I say I used to like my handwriting until I got old and now I either tire after writing a few lines or my hand shakes.  Getting old sucks.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?  Roast Beef or Smoked Turkey.  I have been known to enjoy a good Liverwurst and/or Lebanon Salami(it's a sweet style PA Dutch Salami).

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS?  3  What can I say?  We didn't learn our lesson after 1. ;-)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS?   Yes I am jolly good fun....when I am not depressed.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?  Sarcasm is my second language.  No, really!!  How can anyone survive in this world without it is beyond me.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?  Yes but I am missing my appendix....has anyone seen it lately?

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  Not without being high as a kite and wearing a diaper....ask me then.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?   Multi-Grain Cheerios and Rice Chex but I have been known to eat Cap'n Crunch or Reese's PB Cup type, or most any cereal with nuts.  I really just should eat a bowl of nuts in milk as that is the better part of cold cereal.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?  I don't wear shoes with laces.  Haven't for years.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU’RE STRONG?   Depends on how you mean strong.  Physically? Not so much.  Mentally?  I've survived my life so far so yeah, pretty strong.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?  3 favs-Black Cherry w/Chocolate Chunks, Pistachio, and Mint Chocolate Chip-in descending order.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?   Their attitude, whether they are open and friendly or not. Oh and if they have a big dick(both literal and figurative).

15. RED OR PINK?  I wear red sometimes and pink hardly at all.  Neither colors are favorites.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?   Well if it's the least favorite then it really wouldn't be something you like, right? lolz  I'd have to say that I seem to get my feelings hurt easily as I have never developed a truly thick skin.

17. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?  I am not wearing pants nor shoes.  Barefoot and in a nightgown is how I roll most days when I don't have to leave the house.  I am a nudist at heart. 8-)

18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?    a Serving of Chicken Pot Stickers and a Romaine Salad w/Home Grown Maters and Greek Dressing. Nom Nom

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?  The a/c blowing across the room. Ahhhhhhhhhhh

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?   True Purple or some tint of the same.....or a nice Green shade like Lime.....or both.

21. FAVORITE SMELL?   Gardenia, Wisteria or Cinnamon.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO?   My Daughter's dog.  Oh we have some great conversations. lolz

23. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?   Watching most sports bore me.  The exception being when I was watching a sporting game one of my kids was playing in.  I don't get this whole devotion to sports in our culture.  I'd rather watch a play or music concert.

24. HAIR COLOR THATS REAL?  Sort of.  I was born with a full head of jet black hair.  It promptly fell out as an infant and came in red.  After I turned 3 or 4 it turned mousy brown.  In high school I had a streak of blond for awhile and when I hit my 30's I started dying it reddish auburn as the grey started appearing.  Nowadays I mostly can't be bothered to dye it anymore so it's various shades of grey.

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?  Never.  I started wearing glasses at 10 for nearsightedness.  After cataract surgery in 2015 I now no longer need glasses for distance but use "cheaters" for reading.  The last year has been an adjustment.

27. FAVORITE FOOD?   Anything that is fresh and prepared well.  I like most foods with the exception of peas and lima beans and head cheese.

28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?   Neither.  I like a good drama or a documentary as real life can be just as compelling as fiction.

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED.  I watched "The Big Short" online.  The last movie I saw in a theatre I believe was "The Imitation Game" 2 Summers ago.  I wanted to see "Florence Foster Jenkins" but it isn't playing close by so I'll wait until it's available for rental.

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?  No shirt.

31. SUMMER OR WINTER.  I'd have to say Winter every time over Summer.  I grew up in the South and NEVER got use to the heat/humidity, even as a child.  I much prefer the shoulder seasons of Fall and Spring.

32. HUGS OR KISSES?  I am a Hugger if I believe the intended Huggee is amenable.

33. FAVORITE SWEET FOOD?  Cheesecake, Cannoli or Salted Caramel Apple Pie.

34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?   "Growing Up" by Russell Baker.

35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?  A PITT mouse pad my Daughter got as a freebie when she visited their campus in 2011.

36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST?  Shameless on Netflicks.  Broadcast TV would have been a PBS cooking show as everything I like to watch on network tv(what little there is)is either off the air or in reruns.

37. FAVORITE SOUND?  Water or deep-toned wind chimes.

38. ROLLING STONES or BEATLES?   Never been a big fan of the Stones.  Was inculcated into the legion of Beatles fans as a young child by my older brothers.  The Stones never had a chance with me.

39. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE TRAVELED?  Canada, Mexico, California, Florida and Maine.

40. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?   I have the brain of an absent minded professor.  I pick up odd bits and pieces of information and retain it, so after 50+ years of this I would probably make a very good Jeopardy or other trivia game contestant.
I am also very good as saving money.

41. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?  In Norfolk, Virginia, a couple/few weeks after Alaska became a US state but before Hawaii also joined the list of US states later that year.

So if you want to play along, post the questions and your answers on your own blog.

Sluggy