A Few Deals I Did Other Than Rite-Aid This Week

Not a lot of big grocery shopping trips this week.
Here are two items/deals I did well on.........

Lindy's Italian Ice(aka Water Ice) were BOGO at Weis(PMITA)Markets this past ad week.
While I had no coupons to use I did send for a .50¢ Checkout51 cash rebate which made both of these $2.99 total.
(They're empty because I take the cups out of the box before stowing in the freezer.)

I did this Mix & Match 6 Items Deal at Weis as well.....

4 x Chi-Chis Salsa on sale $1.99=$7.96
1 x Borden cheese slices on sale=$2.49
1 x TopCare bandaids on sale=$2.29
SubTotal......$12.74

Coupons Used
4 x .55¢/1 Chi-Chi's items IPQ(doubled to $1)=$4.00
1 x .50¢/1 Borden item ManuQ(doubled to $1)=$1.00
1 x $3 off wyb 6 select items=$3.00
Coupon Total.....$8.00

$12.74-$8.00=$4.74 OOP for all 6 items.

I also bought a 4 pack of store made burgers(Swiss and Mushroom)marked down and it had a $3 off Instant Sticker on it AND I had a Weis mailed .50¢ off Ground Beef of at least 1 lb. in weight.  My 1.64 lb. burgers cost me after all discounts $2.74 lb.
I also snagged a 1.31 lb. packaged of ground veal, marked down and with a $3 off Instant Sticker so it cost me $2.39 lb.
I picked up 2 small London Broil to marinated, grill and slice.  These were BOGO.
A gallon of milk, an 8 pack of hot dog buns and a bag of 50% Romaine hearts salad rounded out this shop.

$30.48 OOP with a savings over reg. retail of 52%.

Deals lately on items we use have been "meh" but I keep plodding along and do the best I can.
Any great deals at your stores lately?


Sluggy

College Boy's Last Semester & Eating

This Fall will be College Boy's last semester basically.  In the Spring semester he will be working an internship away from campus so won't be attending classes or living at school.

The spending situation changes this coming school year too.  He is no longer living on campus but renting a room in an apartment two friends of his share....so basically subletting from them(with permission from the landlord).

So no $4,900 per semester housing cost(which is the approximately cost of a dorm room configuration he use to get per semester).
How these schools can get off charging that sort of money for a dorm room is beyond me!
But I digress.....

So we are going from rent of $1,225 per month for a dorm room to $300 per month at this apartment.  I know that $300 includes wifi/internet but even if we have to pay extra for electric and water(we don't have the deals on that yet), it's still a great deal by comparison!

As for his board(food)he no longer is required to have a meal plan.
We wasted so much money on meal plans over the last 3 years!

This child eats like a large snake.  He'll eat a massive amount and then not eat again for 2 days(sunning himself on a large rock in the interim is optional). ;-)  He also mostly eats at night and lives on coffee during the day.

He doesn't eat on a regular schedule and meal plans require you to do just that.
A 19 meals a week or 14 meals a week plan require you to eat many meals per week and if your student, say, only eats 12 meals in a particular week then you loose 7 or 2 meals(you are charged for them whether your student eats them or not). Meals on each of the 3 plans at CB's school(19 meals per week, 14 meals per week, 10 meals per week)equal out per meal to $6.12, $8.23 and $10.84(!!!)respectively.

We tried the 175 meal Block plan too which doesn't require to eat any particular number of meals per week.  You get 175 meals for the semester and you eat them when you want to.  The only problem with this plan is that he ran out of meals before the semester was over.  I'll add that the per meal price on this plan equals out to $9.10 per meal....expensive but at least you know the student will eat all of these overpriced meals.

The pricing on these meal plans is such that they basically force you to select the most expensive plan since the only difference between the high end and the low plan is about $300 total.
Here's an article on the ridiculous cost of college meal plans HERE.

So I sat down with College Boy to talk about food for the upcoming semester.
He wants to try to do the bulk of his eating/cooking at his apartment(bringing a sandwich from his apartment during class days)but I know he'll probably forget or be too rushed some mornings so I've got to allow for buying pre-made options on campus.

There are various options at his school for dining on campus--
* The regular all-you-care-to-eat hall
* The food court hall(downstairs for the "AYCTE" dining hall) which is basically burgers, pizza, deli sandwiches and salad
* A coffee shop in the Alumni Hall
* An Einstein bagels franchise on campus in a dorm building
* A prepackaged food cart in a building near the gym

At first I thought, since he bought the bulk of his dining plan meals at the Einstein bagels locale(they accept dining scrip)instead of giving him cash or signing him up for a Senior dining plan($500 of flex cash)I'd just buy him a discounted Einstein Bagels gift card, which would save me the most $$.

But then I sat down with him and found out why he ate most of his meals at Einstein's.  First off it was open until midnight whereas no other option(neither on campus or businesses off-campus)where open that late other than the bars.  He is a nighttime grazer this one and with his schedule he would rarely get time to eat until after 11pm.

Secondly, Einstein's was the closest on campus option to his dorm room so it was also a convenience issue.  Now that he won't be living in the dorms and nearby to the Einstein's I have to figure how likely is he this semester to eat there.

So we still have no ideal plan yet for the "buy your meal" part of this dining equation.
Sigh.
I thought perhaps buying his discounted gift cards to McDonald's and Pizza Hut as those are the two food places closest to his apartment for this Fall, but neither is open past 11 pm, even on weekends in this town.

The only grocery store option in town is Walmart(the town has NO grocery stores!)so that simplifies grocery needs.  I can buy him a discounted gift card for groceries.  The school runs a bus to Walmart and back so he can easily get there and buy what he needs.

I am thinking he "might" use the coffee shop options on campus and/or the satellite prepackaged "Simply To Go" locale for quick eats during the day as those two are near the building where he spends the bulk of his time(music building)so it would be worthwhile to buy him some school branded script instead of the "flex dollars".   Flex is only good for food purchases and expires at the end of the term, where as the Script is good campus wide(at the bookstore, for fees, etc.)and never expires AND you can get a refund back of any unspent funds when you leave school/graduate.

I just don't want to hand College Boy a wad of cash this semester, intending it to be spent on food, and he ends up buying vape juice and using it to drink in the bars instead.

So after our "sit-down" we have decided to do this-when we take him back, take him to Walmart for an initial grocery buy(to supplement what I am hauling to school for him from my pantry stockpile) then give him a Walmart gift card($100, bought at a discount online of course!), load him a small amount of School-Branded "money" to use on campus($50) and give him a discounted gift card to either McDonald's or Pizza Hut($25).
After a month is over we'll evaluate the plan, see what he spent/didn't spend and adjust from there and see what the best plan is going forward.

So I have the beginnings of a plan for the Fall.  We are "investing" $175 on his food needs to begin and will go from there.  And I can bring down the costs more by stocking him with goods from home that I got cheaply and buying discounted gift cards online he can spend at his discretion.

I feel better, and so does my wallet, knowing I won't be spending between $1593 and $1928 per semester so the boy can eat!
Hell, at the cost of the 19 meal-a-week dining plan a full year of school comes out to $3856 for food for 1 student!
That's close to what I spent a couple of years ago on groceries for my entire family for the year!!

Just curious to know, if you have a kid in college, what does their school charge for meal plans?

Sluggy

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