Rite-Aid Pillaging...Open Wide & Say "Ah"!

RUN, DON'T WALK to Rite-Aid this week for some Moneymaking Deals on Oral Care items(as well as some other things for cheap or free)!  There are freebie items this week and coupon and Plenti Points earned(Crest/Oral-B)that also double dip for the Spend $30/Get $15 Back P&G monthly Deal.
Also pair a $3/1 Oxi-Clean detergent Q(in last Sunday's inserts AND 1 on Coupons dotcom)for .99¢ detergent, a $2.50 Tummy Zen Q(in last Sunday's inserts)to get free antacid(after sale/Q/PPs earned)as well as free Colgate(after sale and stacking and In-AdQ with an insert Q).

I did all this on my card........

1 x Oxi-Clean detergent on sale=$3.99
2 x Tummy Zen antacid on sale($5)=$10.00
2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale($3.50)=$7.00
Now for the Crest items that double dip--
1 x Glide floss picks on sale=$3.83
1 x Crest mouthwash on sale=$4.00
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$8.00
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale=$8.00
3 x Pantene 'poo(wellness disc. price $3.99)=$11.97
SubTotal.......$56.79



Coupons Used
1 x $3/1 Oxi-Clean ManuQ=$3.00
2 x $2.50/1 Tummy Zen(1 ManuQ/1 IPQ)=$5.00
2 x $3/1 RA Colgate In-AdQ=$6.00
2 x .50¢/1 Colgate IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Glide Load2CardQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Mouthwash Load2CardQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush Load2CardQ=$1.00
1 x $5/3 Pantene 'poo ManuQ=$5.00
Coupon Total....$28.00

$56.79-$28.00=$28.79+.56¢tax=$29.35

Only a $1 Load2Card also came off(I think it was a Pantene Q)so......
$56.79-$29.00=$27.79+.56¢tax=$28.35

I paid $28.35 with Plenti points and earned back $38 in new PPs(2 x $2.50 Tummy Zen, 2 x $3 Crest wash/picks, 2 x $3 Crest toothpaste, 2 x $3 toothbrushes, $15 wys $30 on select P&G items).

Spent $28.35 in PPs and got back $38 so a $9.65 moneymaker.  8-))

Then I bought this on my son's card.......

1 x Oxi-Clean detergent on sale=$3.99
1 x Tummy Zen antacid on sale=$5.00
Now for the Crest items that double dip--
1 x Glide floss picks on sale=$3.99
1 x Crest mouthwash on sale=$4.00
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$8.00
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale=$8.00
3 x Pantene 'poo(wellness disc. price $3.99)=$11.97
SubTotal.......$44.95



Coupons Used
1 x $3/1 Oxi-Clean ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $2.50/1 Tummy Zen IPQ=$2.50
1 x $1/1 Glide Load2CardQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Crest Mouthwash Load2CardQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush Load2CardQ=$1.00
1 x $5/3 Pantene 'poo ManuQ=$5.00
Coupon Total....$18.50

$44.95-$18.50=$26.45+.24¢tax=$26.69

Except again, a $1 Load2Card also came off so.....

$44.95-$19.50=$25.45+.24¢tax=$25.69

I paid $25.69 with Plenti points and earned back $35.50 in new PPs(1 x $2.50 Tummy Zen, 2 x $3 Crest wash/picks, 2 x $3 Crest toothpaste, 2 x $3 toothbrushes, $15 wys $30 on select P&G items).

Spent $25.69 in PPs and got back $35.50 so a $9.81 moneymaker.  8-))

On Monday I went back with Daughter's card and did this transaction.........

2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale($3.50)=$7.00
Now for the Crest items that double dip--
2 x Crest mouthwash on sale=$8.00
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$8.00
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale=$8.00
3 x Pantene 'poo(wellness disc. price $3.99)=$11.97
SubTotal.......$42.97


Coupons Used
2 x $3/1 RA Colgate In-AdQ=$6.00
2 x .50¢/1 Colgate IPQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Crest Mouthwash ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste IPQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Oral-B toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00(only had 1Q left)
1 x $5/3 Pantene 'poo ManuQ=$5.00
Coupon Total....$19.00

$42.97-$19.00=$23.97+.72¢tax=$24.69

I paid $24.69 with Plenti Points and earned back $33 in new PPs( 2 x $3 Crest wash, 2 x $3 Crest toothpaste, 2 x $3 toothbrushes, $15 wys $30 on select P&G items).

Spent $24.69 in PPs and got back $33 in new PPs so an $8.31 moneymaker.

Be careful if you have 20% off level Wellness Discount off of regular prices as some of the floss picks/toothpaste will make your total lower than sale price which, if you are trying to hit the $30 spending level on the P&G items will mean buying more than you thought to hit it.

Total items brought home for FREE--

9 x Pantene
6 x Oral-B toothbrushes
6 x Crest toothpaste
2 x Glide floss picks
4 x Crest mouthwash
4 x Colgate toothpaste
3 x Tummy Zen antacid
2 x Oxi-Clean detergent

Plus I "grew" my Plenti Points on three different cards by a total of $27.77.($8.31, $9.65, $9.81)

BOOM!

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The  "It's Almost Time!!!" Edition--
1 more week and we are heading West.  Gosh, I have so much to do.....so much to pillage at Rite-Aid before we go, etc. lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Pork Tenderloin Sammiches

3. Tuesday--Hot Dogs, Burgers, Ribs, Mac Salad, Pie

4. Wednesday--Barbecue Pork, Rolls, Coleslaw

5. Thursday--Tacos or Taco Salad
6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday-? Daughter cooking

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Pork Tenderloin Sammiches

3. Tuesday--Hot Dogs, Burgers, Ribs, Mac Salad, Pie

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Barbecue Pork, Rolls, Coleslaw
6. Friday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself
7. Saturday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 4 nights of leftovers and 0 nights of Take-Out.
We had so many leftovers from the picnic on the 4th(and the pork I smoked for bbq)that we've just been eating leftovers most nights.

I made 3 small trips to the Weis Markets(largest trip was $13.70) and 1 trip to the ShurSave Market, added to the $52.95 I forgot to add in to last month, all totaled came to $116.12 OOP.  This brings my July food spending total to $116.12.  There are 21 days left in the month. 

My savings percentages last week was 45.42% which brings the month's percentage to 45.42%. 

Leftovers going into this week........hot dog chili, beef brats, barbecue, coleslaw and meat spaghetti sauce.  Not much left so there will be a lot of cooking this week.

Here is this week's "food plan"....
* Denotes "complicated" meals

1. Sunday--Leftovers(leftover Barbecue in Calzones)

2. Monday--Eggplant Parmesan

3. Tuesday--Hubs is cooking hahahaha

4. Wednesday--Ravioli or Pasta(using leftover sauce)

5. Thursday--Breakfast for Dinner
6. Friday--Daughter is cooking
7. Saturday--Marinated Beef Kabobs

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 nights of leftovers and 0 night of Take-Out/Eating-Out.  Daughter and Hubs are each cooking once this week so we'll see what dinners those nights turn out to be.

What I need to buy for this menu?  Some veggies for kabobs.  Can't think of anything else right now.

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

June To-Do List......Update

Let's take a look and see how I did with my To-Do List in June.

JUNE

* Pay Bills DONE  Everything paid and on time.  No late fees or charges.

*  Read 1, 2 Books DONE  I read these books......

I finally got through this one.  It was going swimmingly until the author got bogged down in the legal trial stuff which seemed to go on forever(and in real time it did).  It was a well researched book with much of the meat of it sourced from actual descendants of Hatfield and McCoy clan members.  And the true "feud" is complicated.

I was looking forward to digging into this one.  Ms. Gregory is an award winning popular current author and the subject matter is about two of my ancestral third cousins, Henry VIII and Kateryn Parr(and Henry's two daughters and one son, my fourth cousins).
The author really brought Henry and Kateryn to life in this book.  I was reticent when the book opened with a fairly descriptive sex scene, between Kateryn and Thomas Seymour-who she would go on to marry after Henry died.   Overall an enjoyable read about a tumultuous period in English history.  It got me thinking about what a dangerous thing it was to be in the King's social circle or in the upper echelons of English society.  Not only did Henry the VIII change the destiny of a country but he nearly tore it apart.  At times the way Gregory blended accurate history with fiction was confusing but the novel worked well on the whole and drew the reader in.  I even learned a few things along the way.  ;-)

*  Hold Giveaway  Yup!

*  Mail Giveaway  Mailed and received by the happy winner. 8-))

*  1st Load to Salvation Army for 2017  DONE

Just some of what I finally sent off to charity in June.  I've already started another load but it won't get taken in until August probably.

*  Contact Folks to Meet-Up in Jul/Aug  DONE  Everyone has been initially contacted and I'll be following up this week on the particulars.

*  Finish Road Trip Itinerary  DONE  I still need to nail down some details and side trips but the main route is mapped out.

*  Make all Motel Reservations  DONE  All reservations are in place.  17 nights in motels.

*  Sew two Shirts  FAIL  Well I wanted to make a couple of shirts for this road trip.  I spent most of June looking for my pattern for them(an old worn out shirt I took apart)and couldn't find it.  It didn't help that when Daughter and BF moved back in last year all my stuff got shoved places I couldn't remember. lol  I finally found the "pattern" 2 days ago.  My memory was faulty because the shirt never got taken apart, so now I've got to pick the seams apart before I can even cut the pieces out. Ugh.
And anyway, after hearing a weather report from Kim, I'll be living in dresses on this trip and won't be needing shirts.  It's going to be too hot for pants and shirts.
When I get back I'll still make those shirts but I don't have a big hurry now.

*  Post Tag Sale Site Items  DONE(sort of) I did post at the beginning of June my items to a lukewarm response.  Only a few responses and every single on wanted my stuff for almost nothing.  Didn't actually sell anything.  I think it's just bad timing as everyone is yard saling now and wants items for pennies(yard sale mentality)so I'll wait until the Fall and re-post it all so this item will come back on my list in September.

*  File Retirement Forms  DONE  Completed and turned in on time and we've gotten our first annuity payment already.

*  Attend Lunch for Hubs' Retirement  DONE  We brought home a TON of cake but the kids took care of most of it.  ;-)

*  Mend or Replace Swing Awning  DONE  

It didn't take long once I got my supplies downstairs.
And it's much better than having to spend cash to replace it too.
We'll get the rest of this season out of it and make a decision next year on what to do then.

*  Prepare front Flower Bed and plant it  DONE

I didn't actually do this.  I nagged first via long distance from Virginia and then in person until Hubs and College Boy took care of this.  Hubs spent minimally for some petunia for it and  the deer and bugs almost did them all in.  Most have recovered now though.

*  Go Over New Budget w/Hubs  DONE  We sat down last week and planned out our new retirement budget.  We only did a 3 month plan since we won't be accessing the 401K monies until October.  As much as possible we need to live off of the monthly annuity payment until then.  I'll go into more detail in a separate post on the new "financial normal" here.

*  Set up Savings Goals for College Boy  DONE  He's got his plan in place.

*  Implement Savings Plan for College Boy  DONE  I've been taking his money each week and holding it for safekeeping.  He hit a money threshold last week and ordered his new computer.....

We've now got another paycheck in hand so he's rebuilding his cash savings.  He's got no other big planned spending until he goes back in August and he should hit his savings goal by the time he wraps up his Summer job.
There will be no going back to this........

Spending willy-nilly on vape juice like last Summer.  That and the coffee drink here and energy drink there, plus eating out with his friends took care of the bulk of his earnings last Summer.

While I didn't have much on my To-Do List in June I feel good about what got done.

So did you get anything done in June?
Tell us about it!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....July 7th Edition

Not a lot on the frugal front to report this week, but here's a few.........

*  Hubs and I had lunch out on the 3rd when we went out to run errands.  We went to Bob Evans for a late lunch(after 2pm).  We used a 30% off your meal Q so paid $15.90 instead of $22.72.

*  Minute Maid juices is running a Catalina Promotion through the end of 2017 at Weis(might be available at your store too so worth checking out if you buy a lot of OJ).  For every 5 cartons you get a Catalina off $2 on your next order.......

Good thing is that these Catalinas expire 1/5/18!
I think what I'll do is hold onto them and cash however many I get the end of the year in at Weis for my Xmas dinner shopping.
Who knows?  I could save enough to pay for a nice hunk of roast or something! 8-)
And of course, I'll ONLY buy MM OJ when it's on sale to get them(and pair Qs with the sale when available).

*  I smoked a pork butt and two slabs of ribs from the freezer on Monday........

The ribs got wrapped in foil and finished off in the crock pot on Tuesday morning in time for our 4th of July picnic.
The pork butt got put into a larger crock pot on Wednesday night and cooked overnight on low and the resulting barbecue was eaten on buns with Cole slaw for dinner on Thursday night.  Mmmm!
Better and cheaper than going out to a BBQ joint here(MUCH cheaper as BBQ is a high falootin' deal in these parts).

*  We cashed in a Savings Bond that was no longer accruing interest.  Now we just need to sit down and decide where to put that money, hopefully somewhere it can earn more than .0001%.  8-(
Keeping fully matured SBonds is not smart.  Get your money and either use to pay down debt, a mortgage, etc. or stash it elsewhere where it can grow more money for you!


*  Last Fantastic Friday I bought a pack of Lemon Lemon and a pack of Izze drinks........

They were $1.99 per pack on sale.  I wasn't going to just buy 2 Lemon Lemon ones but there was a separate $1 cash rebate on Ibotta for both LL and Izze(limit of 1 per brand).  They had a lemon-lime variety of Izze so that's pretty close to what LL is.
And I had a $1/2 Izze and/or LemonLemon Weis Booklet Q too.

So it was 2 x $1.99=$3.98-$1Q-$2 in Rebates=.98¢ OOP or .49¢ per 8 pack.

*  I made WV hot dog chili to put on our July 4th picnic dogs.  It turned out mighty fine(I've never made hot dog chili before).  Much better than that canned runny slop they sell in the stores.

I also made Macaroni Salad which is also cheaper to make and tastes better than what they sell in the grocery store.

*  I have come up with a genius plan for food for College Boy for when he returns to school.
Since he is a Senior this next semester he doesn't have to take a meal plan from the University.
So no $1700+ to $1900+ food costs per semester. Ever. Again.
I'll reveal my ingenious plan in a later post but I will say I don't know why I didn't think of this before now!  Anybody want to guess my plan to save money on food for him?

That's all I gots.....
What about you?  What frugal feats did you achieve this past week??

Sluggy

It's Done!

Hubs' career that is.
Friday was his last day at work.

The kids and I went to one of his two retirement luncheons/parties a couple of weeks ago.

After a buffet lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant, College Boy had to leave but Daughter and I waited in Hubs' cubicle until it was time to go down to the retirement "party".

Hubs' showed us his Perfect Attendance award for 1989-a paper clip holder. lolz

Then he showed us his "Sherpa" Award pins.
I bet you didn't know Hubs' was a mountain guide in the Himalayas, did you? lolz

His company had some kind of internal employee awards called this, for those who showed leadership and teaching skills or something.
Anyway, he has four of 'em.

Then it was time to head down to a room outside the cafeteria.

One of his coworkers had reserved the room and decorated.
And best of all, they bought a BIIIIG CAKE! ;-)

We sat around and his coworkers reminisced about the "good times".

A few folks stayed awhile but many floated in and out as their schedules allowed to say goodbye and eat some cake.

His bosses boss(pictured above)came from Corporate in Newark, NJ and made a short speech.
She had wonderful things to say about Hubs.
Don't go giving him an even Bigger swelled head now and then shove him out the door for me to deal with 24/7, ok?!!

A couple of coworkers made a short funny video about Hubs.
Before you watch it, let me tell you that Hubs' line of work was Retirement Services for Prudential.
He worked in contracts there so he was responsible for the wording of benefits contracts for your employer if you had Pru as a provider probably.  He worked with lawyers(both internal company ones and those working for the clients) and the Pru salesman who sold the products(don't get him started on them!lol).  He also had to remember/deal with all the federal and state statutes and regulations going back to the 1970's.

Some of the jokes many won't get but here is the video......

After a couple of hours Daughter and I took off for home.  Hubs still had work to do that day.

Hubs got another luncheon last week at the Woodbridge NJ Pru Retirement facility as he often had to travel there for work as well and had a lot of colleagues and friends there too.

And now it is done.

I still remember his first day back in March of 1984.  We were living in the basement of his parents' house.  He borrowed my car to go to the interview for a claims processing job at the Parsippany NJ Prudential Group Medical Insurance unit.
His English skills on the aptitude test they gave him got him booted over to the Contracts Department and he got an entry level position.
He worked in Group Insurance and started out writing those little booklets that your employer gives you to explain your medical benefits.

He spent a year early on in Marketing at Pru in Roseland, NJ but went back to Contracts.  After awhile he transferred to the Contracts department in Retirement Services and when Prudential opened a new building in Scranton, PA in the late 1990's he transferred there.
And the rest, as they say, is history.

 Sluggy