Frugal Friday.....the January 26th Edition

So here is are frugal things we did last week.........

*  On Wednesday I hit up Weis and did the Mix and Match Buy 6 Items/Get $3 off Instantly Deal.....

4 x MM OJ on sale($2.49)=$9.96

1 x Salad kit on sale=$3.49

1 x Ben and Jerry's ice cream slices on sale=$3.99

Subtotal.......$17.44

I used 4 x .55¢/1 MM OJ Qs which doubled fully to $1.10=$4.40 and got $3 off this lot---$17.44-$7.40=$10.04 for all 6 items.

Then I received a cash rebate on Ibotta for $1.75 back on the ice cream so $8.29 OOP for all.

I also bought this.........

Furmano's and Hunts tomato products as well as Bumble Bee chicken were .77¢ each if you bought in lots of 7 items.

7 x .77¢=$5.39 and I used 2 x $1/3 Furmano's IPQs so $3.39 for all the items on the left in the photo.

Contadina tomato products were $1 each last week(reg. $2 each).  I printed out 8 .50¢/1 IPQs from 4 different computers here.  These Qs doubled to $1 off each so all 8 cans of tomatoes were FREE!

Everything in this photo cost me $3.39 or .23¢ per item.  9-)

*  Besides the $1.75 cash rebate for the ice cream I bought this week I also earned $1.25 rebate on this........

A Zero artificial sweeteners Light & Fit Greek yogurt cup.  They were on sale for $1 each plus I had a .50¢ IPQ that doubled to $1 so I paid Zero for it and then I got $1.25 cash back for "buying" it.  lolz

*  I went to the PO last Saturday and bought 100 stamps before they went up in price again.

This lot should see us through another year or two of mailing letters.  It's only a penny savings per stamp but every penny counts, right? ;-)

*  I blogged about what I got at Rite-Aid(so far)this week already.........

 The Kleenex purchase also earned me another $13.98 toward the $20 Allergy Reward spending($75 in spending needed to earn that reward).

In addition to all this I also got 2 cases of water and two more Scott tp packs.  I've spent down my Plenti Points(plus converted $20+ of them to cash), spent a $20 Bonus Cash.  I have $15 in Catalinas and a $20 Bonus Cash left on this Wellness card.

*  I took my free $10 Birthday voucher up to Kohl's and got this........

A Springweight nightgown in lavender.

It was a discontinued style and on sale for $16.00.

I also had a 30% off coupon so ended up paying $4.20.

The best news is it's a size smaller than I use to wear. 8-)))

So that's about it for me.

What did you do that was frugal this past week?

Sluggy

Adjusting the Rite-Aid Plan.....Part 2

Just to refresh, I need to reach $34.65 in participating Bonus Cash items to get the second $20 BC on my card.

So I went to Rite-Aid and grabbed the last 4 packages of Scott xtra soft tp(they were out of all the other items that were part of the BC and the Kimberly-Clark Catalina deal--reg. Scott, the towels, the Cottonelle and the Kleenex)............

4 x Scott tp on sale=$27.96
1 x Irish Spring body wash on sale=$3.99
1 x Softsoap body wash on sale=$3.99
SubTotal.....$35.94

Coupons Used
4 x .55¢/1 Scott xtra soft tp packs IPQ=$2.20
1 x $1/1 Irish Spring body wash IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Softsoap body wash ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 In-AdQ Irish Spring or Softsoap item=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$8.20

$35.94 +.22¢tax=$36.16-$8.20=$27.96-$20 Bonus Cash already earned=$7.96 OOP using PPs.

But......I had a new cashier who doesn't know what to do evidently. lolz
She scanned my items, my loyalty card and then the $20 in BC attached to my card came off automatically and she didn't even try to put my coupons through!

So $36.16-$20 Bonus Cash=$16.16 OOP using PPs.

She totaled my transaction out and did a "post coupon" and handed me $8.20 cash(the value of my Qs).

Whatever god is smiling down on me when I go to Rite-Aid needs to continue because that's the second time this week I've gone to Rite-Aid and came away with cash in my pocket....$12.61 on Monday and $8.20 on Wednesday, which means I've cashed out PPs to the tune of $20.81 this week.
lololz

I'd hazard a guess that cash in my pocket that I can spent anywhere is better than Plenti Points I can only spend at Rite-Aid/Macy's/Exxon(of those 3, I only go to Rite-Aid).

But I digress......
I also earned the second $20 Bonus Cash on this card for the week and a third $5 Catalina for buying the tp.

Going forward I only have 1 $20 BC on this card now and $15 in Catalinas that I can use on any transaction in the next two weeks on any of our Wellness cards.

So now I need to decide if I want to do the Spend $50 on participating items/Get $20 Bonus Cash Deal on one of our other cards.

Maybe once on 1 card--
I'll buy 4 of the participating paper products again, use a $20 BC and get a 4th $5 Catalina.  Then I can buy another $22.04 in other participating items, use all 4 of the $5 Catalinas to pay(putting a couple of dollars over the $20 in Cats I have on PPs)and earn another $20 BC on that card.

Come back on Friday or Saturday to see what happens......same Bat Channel, same Bat Station...... ;-)

Sluggy

Adjusting My Rite-Aid Plan

Well we plan and God laughs, right?  And I have proved that old saying this week with my Rite-Aid trip.

Here is what I planned to get and how it "should" have gone.........

2 x Hershey Gold candy bars on sale=$1.00
2 x Irish Spring Body Wash on sale=$7.98
2 x Big Win 24 pack of H2O on sale=$5.00
2 x U Kotex tampons BOGO50%=$9.43
2 x Scott TP packs on sale=$13.98
2 x Cottonelle TP packs on sale=$13.98*
SubTotal......$51.37

* I wanted to get 2 x 6 packs of Kleenex but they were out so I got the Cottonelle.

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Hershey Gold candy bars L2CQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Irish Spring body wash In-AdQ=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Irish Spring body wash IPQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 U-Kotex tampons ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Scott TP ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Cottonelle TP ManuQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.......$15.00

$51.37-$15.00=$36.37
$20 in Bonus Cash came off so we are at $16.37
I used a $5 Visa prepaid card to pay for the H2O so we are at $11.37 and my $10 Catalina came off so we are at $1.37 OOP put on a R-A gift card.
And I should have gotten another $20 Bonus Cash back because my total before Qs was over $50 of qualifying BC items and received a $5 Catalina for buying over $25 worth of Kimberly-Clark items.
But.......

I bought the wrong Cottonelle(the shelf was marked incorrectly and they were out of the Cottonelle packs on sale for $6.99 that were participating items for the BC deal. 8-(
So my order looked like this instead.........

2 x Hershey Gold candy bars on sale=$1.00
2 x Irish Spring Body Wash on sale=$7.98
2 x Big Win 24 pack of H2O on sale=$5.00 *not pictured*
2 x U Kotex tampons BOGO50%=$9.43
2 x Scott TP packs on sale=$13.98 *not pictured*
2 x Cottonelle TP packs 20% Wellness disc.=$19.66 *not pictured*
SubTotal......$57.05

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Hershey Gold candy bars L2CQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Irish Spring body wash In-AdQ=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Irish Spring body wash IPQ=$2.00
2 x $2/1 U-Kotex tampons ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Scott TP ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Cottonelle TP ManuQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.......$15.00

$57.05-$15.00=$42.05
$20 in Bonus Cash came off so we are at $22.05
I used a $5 Visa prepaid card to pay for the H2O so we are at $17.05 and my $10 Catalina came off so we are at $7.05 OOP with PPs.

I didn't get a $20 Bonus Cash back because my total before Qs was $37.39 of qualifying BC items but I did receive a $5 Catalina for buying over $25 worth of Kimberly-Clark items.

So I returned the 2 x Cottonelle packs, $7.05 of what I paid in PPs went back on my PPs and the balance, $12.61, I received back in cash.  Instead of turning around and spending this cash I got for the return, I'll spend more PPs and put this cash into my post coupon/cash rebate envelope for 2018.  (Between the lettuce I was overcharge for(so I got the full price back AND the lettuce)earlier this month and 2 instances where my $3 instantly discounted for buying 6 Mix and Match items didn't come off(so I got cash back both times), with this refund I'm already up to $20.20 to dump back into the grocery spending budget come December.)  ;-)

So now I have to spend another $12.61 in participating items to get my $20 Bonus Cash.

So I bopped downtown on Tuesday to the big Rite-Aid store to see if they had any of the qualifying Kleenex 6 packs...........

2 x Kleenex 6 packs on sale=$13.98
2 x Scott TP 12 packs on sale=$13.98
SubTotal.......$27.96

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Kleenex bundle pack ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Scott 12 IPQ=$2.00
Coupon Total......$4.00

$27.96-$4=$23.96-$20 Bonus Cash(my second $20 BC from the diaper score early Jan.)=$3.96 OOP which I paid with Plenti Points.

I earned 1 x $20 Bonus Cash and another $5 Catalina for spending $25+ in one transaction on Kimberly-Clark products.

I now have $15.35 toward earning my second $20 Bonus Cash for this week.  I need to "spend" another $34.65 on participating items this week.

I am working on scenarios for what to get to reach that $34.65 goal.
If I buy 4 more tp packs and 2 Irish Spring body wash that gets me to $35.94-$8.60 in Qs=$27.34.  I'd use yesterday's earned $20 BC and pay $7.34 OOP in PPs plus I'd earn another $5 Catalina and $20 in new Bonus Cash, ending with $20 in Cats(which I can use on another account)and $20 BC carrying forward on this card.

Off to finish planning......

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Birthday" Edition--

If you hadn't heard, Sunday was my birthday.  Hubs got me flowers that morning and I had received 2 cards in the mail(and 1 from Hubs in person).  Amended-I received another card in yesterday's mail.  8-)
4 family members called on the phone, Daughter made me the dinner I requested(tempura shrimp and sweet potato wedges)and Hubs made me a carrot cake(also my request)from scratch.  THUD!  The man will be 60 in less than 3 months and this was the very first cake he ever made from scratch.  And it was down right tasty too! ;-)

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Turkey Breast, leftover Stuffing, Gravy, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes

2. Monday--Lasagna

3. Tuesday--Turkey Casserole or Pot Pie(using leftover Sunday turkey)

4. Wednesday--Tuna Noodle Casserole

5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Baked Ham, Rolls, Corn Casserole, Cabbage
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Turkey Breast, leftover Stuffing, Gravy, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes

2. Monday--Lasagna

3. Tuesday--Chicken Pot Pie(using chicken from the freezer)

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Chicken Quesadillas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans
6. Friday--Baked Ham, Corn Casserole, Cabbage
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Last week saw 5 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/fend for yourself, 0 night of take-out and 0 night of Eating out.  Mostly everything happened but not when planned always.  We ate lots of leftovers so the Tuna Casserole didn't happen....that goes onto this week's menu.

2 Trips to Weis and 1 trip to the Shursave Market was the extent of the shopping last week and the bills came to $132.74 for all.  That brought January's food spending total to $314.74
There are 9 days left in my shopping month.  

I didn't set a food budget for January when I did my wrap up of December's food budget/spending.   
The reason being is there are often good deals/loss leaders in January here and I didn't want to do a low spend and miss out on them.

If I had I would have not gotten--
6 large bags of Lindt truffles for $2, 6 boxes of .67¢ pasta, 8 cans of .60¢  Campbell's soup, 3/4 lb. of fresh flounder for $3.55, 2 boxes of .97¢ Raisin Bran, 6 cans of crushed tomatoes for FREE, a cup of Greek Yogurt for FREE(plus I got a $1.25 cash rebate for buying this), 4 MM OJ for .89¢ each, 8 cans of .62¢ Progresso soup, 1 lb. pack of Mozzarella(after instant $2 off/sale/doubled .50¢Q)for $1.99, 4 cans of  good chili for $4.47 total(rain check/doubled Qs) and $25.52 worth of Clorox products after sale/instant $5 off/$3Qs for $12.98.  These were all things I didn't necessarily "need" this month, but are items we will use eventually.
Since I don't have to keep a set budget for food I can buy when it's low and not buy when items are high in the price cycle.  Down the road this will mean less food spending/shopping in Feb. or Mar. or beyond.

Seeing as I am over $300 spent for January I'll be more mindful of picking up "wants"(ie-things I don't "need" right now but will need later)over the last 9 days in January.  If I come in under $500 in January it will all be good. 8-))

My savings percentages last week was 55.93% and the monthly savings so far ends up at 54.06%(without Rite-Aid trips added in).

Leftovers going into this week....... lasagna, ham, cabbage, corn casserole. There isn't enough lasagna for a whole meal so that will be lunches for Hubs for a couple of days.

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

1. Sunday--Tempura Shrimp, Sweet Potato Fries

2. Monday--Beef Shepherd's Pie(my version w/Cornbread not Mashed Taters on top)

3. Tuesday--Birthday Dinner Out?

4. Wednesday--leftover Ham Slices, leftover sides

5. Thursday--Beef Goulash, Rice
6. Friday--Tuna Noodle Casserole
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 4 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers, 1 night of Take-out/Eat-Out unless we need to eat more leftovers to use them up then 1 of the new meals will get pushed back into next week.

The only thing I need to buy to make these meals is nothing.  I stocked up on ground beef plus bought 2 bags of frozen veggies last week so the Shepherd's Pie was done last night.  Peppers and London Broil for the Goulash is in the freezer and I have everything for the Tuna Casserole.

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

1st Giveaway of 2018 Winner

There were 82 valid comments so I plugged them into Random(dot)Org and they picked comment #3 as the winner and that was...........

Jean.

JeanJanuary 14, 2018 at 2:07 PM

It's 8 degrees here with a windchill of -5 in SE MN up from -11/-21 early this morning. Not sure which is calling my name more, the Nivea or the CHOCOLATE!
vesta8xstitch at gmail dot com

Congratulations Jean!  You now have 48 hours from the time stamp of this post to email me your complete snail mail mailing address so I can get this box of goodies on it's way to you.

If I don't hear from you by then I'll have to pick a second winner.

Thanks to everyone for entering and look for another giveaway coming up in February.  8-)

Sluggy