Rite-Aid....Oh Brother Here We Go Again!

Seems like every 2-3 years Rite-Aid changes up their program/how they do things.
WTF Rite-Aid!?!?
I guess they've never heard of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!".
That or somebody has to keep all those marketing folks in business, right?  ;-)

This new Bonus Cash system is going to suck ass, pardon my French, but it will.

I've heard the following from online sources and from a head-to-head conversation with my store's manager and a couple of cashiers too.....some are indeed fact and some of the following are rumors.....

*  That new Wellness cards will be issued(the employee are rolling their eyes about that one, since all the work will fall to them).rumor still
*  The you need to accumulate $5 in Bonus Cash(BC)in order for it to come "off" your card and be used.  Also heard you don't need to accumulate BC for it to come "off" your card.  I guess we'll find out when I go back next week and attempt to spend it. 8-)
*   When you earn BC it will appear on your receipt(it did)but sources say it won't appear on subsequent receipts(but it will be attached to your card/account).  If so, people aren't going to be able to keep track of how much BC they have(unless they study and keep track of it in a spreadsheet or with pencil/paper).
*  Unlike with +Up Reward(the predecessor of Plenti Points)you could choose to have Up Rewards printed out on your receipt OR have them electronically attached to your account(like Bonus Cash).  No such printed Rewards option with BC.
*  If you have Plenti Points AND Bonus Cash in your account, which will be taken/used first? no clue yet
*  I also heard that if you have BC to use that the register will take those as payment even before your coupons!  The workaround of not scanning your Wellness card until AFTER you hand over the coupons will work for some items but not for those that you need to scan your card to get the discount?  I foresee a lot of "post coupon" situations ahead for me and other couponers at Rite-Aid.
*  At some point, will Rite-Aid not take your Plenti Points in payment before your PPs expire in 2 years?  I don't see them hanging onto the Plenti system that long.  As long as they give us advance notice that won't be a problem.

So in some ways this new system is worse and in others it's better.
It's worse as the BC expires in 60 days, but better than the +Up Rewards because those expired in 2 weeks.
A mix of PPs and BC is a problem just waiting to happen.
Having to use your BC even if you don't want to is a problem, at least for me.
Also what about folks who share a card?  Person A may be saving BC to use on something for themselves but Person B can't not use the BC if they go to Rite-Aid first.

Again, time will tell and shake out the problems.

Sluggy

Rite-Aid with the New Bonus Cash System

I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday since it was Wellness Wednesday(w/the special one day coupons that you can stack with reg. Manu/IPQs)!

Here is what I got on my card...........

2 x Centrum chewie vitamins on sale$9.99=$19.98
2 x Robitussin meds on sale BOGO50%=$11.23
2 x Crest toothpaste on sale $3=$6.00*
*Except one of the toothpastes was clearance priced to $2.44, so $5.44(it still gave Bonus Cash too-look for Pro-Health smooth peppermint)
SubTotal........$36.65

Coupons Used
2 x $4/1 Centrum any IPQ=$8.00
2 x $4/1 Centrum chewies WWQ(Wellness Wed. Q stacked w/Q above)=$8.00
1 x $5/2 assorted flu remedies including Robitussin Load2CardQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Robitussin Load2CardQ(this also came off unexpectedly)-$1.00
1 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste Load2CardQ=$2.00
Coupons Total..........$26.00

$36.65-$26.00=$10.65
I paid with Plenti Points and I got $10 in Bonus Cash back($5 wyb2 Robitussin, $3 wyb2 Centrum, 2 x $1 Crest toothpaste) so basically I spent .65¢ in PPs and converted the rest I spent to BC(Bonus Cash).

I also bought 2 Rite-Aid brand nose spray(generic Flonase)on sale for $15.99 this week.  I used an old Rite-Aid gift card to pay so no PPs or cash used.  I earned $4 in BC(2 x $2 BC)for buying them too plus it tracks toward a year long $20 Allergy BC Deal wyspend $75 on Allergy items.

So this card, going into next week has $14 in Bonus Cash attached to it.
It will be interesting to see how next week's transaction plays out.

I also bought this on my son's card/account...........

2 x Robitussin meds on sale BOGO50%=$11.23
1 x Crest toothpaste on sale $3=$6.00*
*Except the toothpaste was clearance priced to $2.44, so $5.44(it still gave Bonus Cash too-look for Pro-Health smooth peppermint)
SubTotal........$13.67

Coupons Used
1 x $5/2 assorted flu remedies including Robitussin Load2CardQ=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Robitussin Load2CardQ(this also came off unexpectedly)-$1.00
1 x $2/1 Crest toothpaste Load2CardQ=$2.00
Coupons Total..........$8.00

$13.67-$8.00=$5.67

I paid with PPs and earned $6 in Bonus Cash($5 wyb2 Robitussin, $1 Crest toothpaste) so a slight .33¢ moneymaker.
Rah.
I would have also bought the Centrum but my store only had 2 bottles of the chewies.
I go into next week with $6 in BC on son's card.

I also bought a few other items that were a good deal with the Wellness Wednesday Day Qs, but not free, on son's card/account........

2 x Big Win Tea bags BOGO50%=$5.98
2 x Right Guard deodorant on sale $2/$8=$8.00
2 x Big Win Candy bags BOGO50%=$2.98
1 x Wet n' Wild eye shadow palette 75% off=.79¢
1 x Wet n. Wild nail color 75% off=.69¢
SubTotal.......$18.44

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Big Win tea bags R-AWWQ=$4.00
2 x $3/1 Right Guard deodorant R-AWWQ=$6.00
2 x $1/1 Big Win candy bags R-AWWQ=$2.00
Coupon Total......$12.00

$18.44-$12.00=$6.44+ .03¢tax=$6.47
None of this earned Bonus Cash so I spent down my PPs $6.47.

After Qs, the boxes of tea bags were .99¢ each, the deodorant were $1 each, the candy bags were .49¢ each.

Have you been to Rite-Aid since the change to BC deals?

Sluggy

What Sluggy Got For Christmas

I didn't ask for much from Santa(Hubs)as I don't really want much.
Here is what Sluggy got for Christmas..........

I asked for the Salt Lamp and the chocolate covered cashews(had to tell Hubs where exactly the cashews were(what shelf and aisle)in Rite-Aid otherwise I don't know WHAT he would have bought! lol
He put a bunch of cheap crap in my stocking(a dreidel game from the $ store??....really?lolz)but also a $50 Visa card.  I can use that for sure.
The eldest gave me pine scented body lotion and a small box of chocolates.  The other kids didn't give me anything but then again, they are broke college students. ;-)

About a week before Xmas I received a package with one of Lorraine's hand painted rocks in it. 8-)

Then on the Friday after Xmas the UPS man showed up with a package from Kim........

With her famous Pepperkrakke..........

Handmade Caramels and a DYI kit of some wax treated fabric(for making leftover covers for containers??).  She enclosed a finished one to show me how to finish them off.

For a laugh I posted on Kim's facebook a photo of me in the shower cap she sent me but she's been too busy with life to see it there so I am putting it here. lololz

The "real" gift this Christmas was having all my kids home for the holiday for the first time in three years.  Now that was the best gift ever!  8-)))


Sluggy

Net Worth......January 1st Update

We have gone from acquisition mode with money into spend-down mode since we are now officially retired here at Chez Sluggy.

Our Net Worth will no longer be growing so I have to stay on top of what we have and where it sits.
I shared where we keep out money and why in the first Post-Retirement Net Worth post HERE.

So here is how the money did in December......

* Checking Account #1 Went down by $2285.09(life is expensive sometimes and family needed rescuing too)
* Checking Account #2  Went up .23¢(monthly interest)
* Savings Account  Went down .96¢(monthly fee offset by .04¢ of interest earned)
* Online Accounts  Went down $1620.47(monthly interest helped but paying some bills on the LA house and buying gift cards in Dec. accounted for this loss)
* Certificate of Deposit  Went up $245.82(interest)
* US Savings Bonds  Went up $13.80(interest)
* Cash on Hand  Went down $122.41(had some extra bills to pay)
* 401K Account  Went up $1,350.14(monthly interest) We didn't have to tap it in December so it just grew. 8-)
* HSA Account  Went down $1.19(That's the fees we paid before we were able to move it once that bank started charging us.)
* RMSA Account  Went down $1473.17.  The interest earned on this account offset the healthcare premium reimbursement amount by $298.77 so it didn't go down as much as it might have.

Overall we are $3893.30 down from December's Net Worth.  Between the interest on all accounts and income received, weighed against our spending last month,  our holdings sank by the amount of our healthcare premium in December, plus some LA house bills, buying gift cards, some misc. spending due to College Boy and bills for the rescue mission.
The only of these that will continue are the healthcare premium payments and some LA house bills so though we lost some ground in December I am not concerned overall going forward.  Plus I haven't calculated the eBay sales I had in November and December where I can add that profit to our Net Worth. That will be reflected in the February Net Worth Update.

I am by no means a financial expert but I'll readily share what worked for us on our financial journey if you have questions.

Did you increase your net worth last month?
Or are you in asset spend down mode(retirement)?
Do you have a retirement plan in place?

Sluggy

Income & Spending Report.....December Update

* As Hubs retired effective July 1, I am no longer doing my 2017 Savings Challenge.
We ended that on June 30th.  The goal was $17.5K saved for the half of 2017 that Hubs was working.
We actually saved $21,100.42 all totaled, so $3600.42 over goal!

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$(no 401K$ until October)I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.
But this money leftover at the end of each month, at least for now(as we find our new financial "normal")won't be saved toward a yearly Savings Challenge.

The issue now is to cover all the bills with just the annuity payment each month plus some liquid savings(checking account cash)until October.
October is when Hubs turns 59.5 and then we can access the 401K retirement savings.  Until then things will be tight here at Chez Sluggy, so all the leftover monthly cash will get tucked aside to pay irregular bills that will be popping up for the rest of the year.

Got it?
OK, let's move on.

Though nothing will be put toward it the rest of 2017(probably), the 2017 $17.5K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals are still available
Check out the Savings Challenge page tab at the top of the blog for the specific numbers HERE.

On to the December report--
I had 2 goals for December......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to apply toward irregular bills that are coming due in subsequent months.

I have to report that we finished up December in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of December with?.......$4754.49

Income

The income in December was the monthly annuity payment,the healthcare account reimbursement and the November overage of $4007.15 that carried over.  I also had interest on non-retirement accounts, 2 small stock dividend checks and grocery rebates which brought us to $7931.52 of total income.  Expenses in December(including funding the Sinking Fund)came to $3177.03.
* We didn't include the portion of the c/c Hubs used to pay for the "rescue mission"in our spending for the month because it wasn't "our" spending on things we benefited from.  That $1443.64 was paid out of savings.  It reduces our savings a bit but I'd rather do it this way than have it come out of our monthly income.*

This brought us to our gain of $4754.49  If you deduct the overage from previous months that carried over into December and the Healthcare payment and reimbursement from the equation, this means we spent $3.09 MORE than what we brought in in December for the annuity payment only and December spending included some Xmas spending.  So far we are doing ok without accessing the 401K account.

Since we have no debt, this December overage will get put aside to apply to the $3K in high deductible insurance payments we will need to pay in January for my prescriptions and Daughter's chronic pain injection.  That should eat up $3K+ of that overage we have been carrying forward each month lately.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as last month(Within $1 or so).
*  The LA house electric bill was $42.04 lower since we didn't have to have the A/C on there now.
*  The medical payments were $51.92 less than in November
*  The credit card bill was $445.52 lower than last month.  This accounts for only our regular type charges we put on the c/c, not the rescue mission charges.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals were the same as in November.

*  The Sinking Fund carries over at $1016.74 into December.  No irregular bills were due this month so the SF just sat and grew a bit. 8-)

HERE are the BAD THING

*  The water bill was $7.62 higher than in November.
*  The electric bill was $109.84 higher than last month's bill.
*  The gas card charges were $85.09 higher than in November.
*  I had $72.67 due on store cards for Xmas spending due.
*  There was $400 in Christmas and Birthday cash given out to the kids.
*  We had to pay the December health insurance premium of $1771.94.

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

So we end December in the black with $4754.49 to apply to a new year of High Medical Deductible Payments going into 2018.
Plus the Sinking Fund goes into January standing at $1016.74.

FINAL THOUGHTS on December---It was an ok month financially, even with a big fat electric bill(!!!) and Holiday spending.  I separated the "rescue mission" costs put on the credit card($1443.64)and used some savings account funds to pay this off, and not use our regular income for that.  This will take a small chunk out of our net worth going forward into 2018.
We were successful in holding the line on the bills and not accessing the 401K account in 2017.
Yay us!
As the c/c bill came in it made us grateful(and I hope the sister in-law was grateful as well)that we have saved for emergencies in our married life as soon as we had the extra cash to do so.  Nobody likes to think about tomorrow and being old or disabled or unemployable or having disasters that money can help alleviate.  But it does and will happen to everyone.  It's best to take stock of your finances as soon as you can and plan for those dark days that WILL happen.
Don't spend money you don't have on things you don't need.  Pay off your credit cards(If you use them)every month and never carry a balance.  Tuck money aside for emergencies.

THOUGHTS going forward into January 2018----

Electric usage(and thus costs)will rise this month.
Food spending shouldn't be over $400 as I plan to eat down the freezer and not leave the house much.
Most of the usual bills(besides heating-electric)will be about what December's levels were.
Besides seeing some high medical bills due to the deductibles resetting on Jan. 1st, I am planning and hoping for a financially boring January.  As little money as possible going out and as much money as possible coming in or staying put where it is in our accounts.

So how was your December financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in December?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

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 or commiserate with you!

I hope this year was the one were you cleaned up your finances and paid off your debts.
That you planned to set something aside if you didn't already or increased what you banked now for your future self.
Or paid extra on the principle of your mortgage if your house isn't already paid off.

Live below your means and keep some change for a rainy day....because no matter how sunny it is in your life now, dark clouds come along and you'll be glad you have that umbrella to keep you dry.

Sluggy