Using Up some Plenti Points at Rite-Aid

Since I got that Gold Member Cat about getting $5 in BC for every $25 spent at Rite-Aid this Friday and Saturday and this week any Rite-Aid brand is 30% off,  I went up with my Daughter's card and bought all this.........

1 x Arizona drink 20% off=.80¢
1 x Starbucks ground coffee 20% off=$8.63
2 x Special K snack bars on sale=$5.00
1 x Nescafe instant coffee on sale=$5.99
1 x Purex on sale=$1.62 **
1 x Similisan allergy eye drops 20% off=$9.43
4 x R-A freezer bags 30% off=$9.76
2 x R-A flonase BOGOF=$19.99
1 x R-A benadryl 30% off=$5.45
1 x R-A maloxx 30% off=$4.40
1 x 3 pack R-A baby aspirin 30% off=$4.40
1 x R-A Jordan almonds 30% off=$2.09
1 x R-A peach rings candy 30% off=$1.39
2 x Underwood chicken spread clearance=$1.24
4 x R-A cotton balls 30% off=$6.96
1 x Craisins clearance=$1.59
2 x R-A scouring pads 30% off=$4.18
1 x HP ink cartridge 20% off=$23.99
2 x cases of H20 on sale=$4.88 *not pictured*
SubTotal.......$121.79

** For some reason the Purex which was suppose to be on sale for $1.99 rang up $1.62. Hmmm.

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 Starbucks storeQ on package=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Nescafe IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Purex R-A snail mail Q=$1.00
1 x $5/1 Similisan ManuQ=$5.00
1 x $5/1 R-A flonase snail mail Q=$5.00
1 x $2/1 R-A benadryl snail mail Q=$2.00
1 x $2/1 R-A maloxx snail mail Q=$2.00
Coupon Total........$18.00

$121.79-$18.00=$103.79
$27 BC came off so.....
$103.79-$27.00=$76.79+$1.64 tax=$78.43
I used $75.57 in Plenti Points so....
$78.43-$75.57=$2.86 OOP which was put on m R-A gift card.

I earned back $32 in new Bonus Cash(4 x $5 wyb $25 on anything in store, 2 x $3 wyb 2 RA cotton balls, $3 Similisan, $2 wyb2 Cleaning items, $1 wyb2 SpecialK).

The Special K snack bars have a free EOS lip balm offer on them so I'll send for that freebie as well.

Hubs wanted some instant coffee, I had a Q and it was on sale, so I bought that(and got a rain check for another jar since I have one more Q for it).
The Starbucks coffee was a no-brainer around here, $6.63 after instant Q on the packages and 20% off.
I am always on the look out for eye drops for College Boy and after sale/Q/BC the Similisan were $1.49(would have been a moneymaker if I still had the $3 rebate Similisan offer in my Ibotta).
All R-A branded items are 30% off this week(ends Saturday)plus R-A had sent me Qs in the mail for some items so these were all a good deal and the R-A flonase was BOGO on sale so paired with a $5/1 Q they sent me that was a GREAT deal. lol
College Boy is always looking for cotton balls to use in his vape tank so I got him stocked up for an OOP cost of .96¢ for all 4 bags after 30% off sale and $6 in BC back.
We needed new scouring pads so at 30% off + $2 back in BC I bought them.
My baggies supply was running low and these R-A ones were a great price at 30% off.
We always need bottled water around here.
The Purex will get donated to the food bank(they can always use laundry detergent).
I bought Hubs a printer ink cartridge for his printer as I use it often to print coupons and the price wasn't bad at 20% off.
I threw in a few clearanced food items we can use, a couple candies the kids like and I got the Arizona drink because I wanted to try that variety and I was thirsty(verdict-the watermelon is "meh".)

So I have $21.79 tracking toward another $5 wyb $25 BC reward so I'll go back today and "spend" another $3.21 to get that.
I also now have $65.88 tracking toward a $20 BC reward on this car/account.  I've got a load of BC on this card now to use before 6/12/18 so I'll hold off buying any more allergy tracking stuff on this card for a month or two(if I need something that tracks I'll use a different card and get the credit toward an Allergy Reward on that one instead).

The goal was achieved-use up my Plenti Points on this card.
One down, two more cards with PPs on them to go.  8-))

Sluggy

Weis & Other Shopping This Past Week

Oops!
I thought I posted my Weis trip when I wrote up the Frugal Friday post but I hadn't so here it is.....

Here is everything I bought at Weis this week............

5 x Powerade drinks on sale .57¢ wyb5=$2.85 *not pictured

1 x Tin of Anchovies on sale=$1.79 *not pictured

3 x Kellogg's cereals $1.76 wyb3=$5.01

1 x Kellogg's new cereal reg. price=$3.39

4 x Hormel wraps on sale $1.25=$5.00

1 x OM Cotto Salami reg. price=$3.50

SubTotal..........$21.54

Coupons Used

3 x .50¢/1 Kellogg's cereals(2 Raisin Bran/1 Rice Krispies)IPQ doubled=$3.00

1 x Free new cereal wyb3 other Kellogg's cereals IPQ*free up to $3*=$3.00

4 x .50¢/1 Hormel wraps IPQ doubled=$4.00

1 x $3/1 Instant Discount Sticker on OM package=$3.00

Coupon Total.......$13.00

$21.54-$13.00=$8.54 OOP

When I eat cold cereal Raisin Bran and Multi-Grain Cheerios are my preferred types.  The Rice Krispies can always be made into treat bars for College Boy and the Chocolate Donut cereal was free(well almost free)with my Q and one of the kids will eat it(if not, I'll donate it to the food bank).  CB requested the Powerades, the anchovies were needed for a new recipe I tried this week and Hubs wanted the salami for lunchtime sandwiches(and with the instant discount sticker it was .50¢....nice).
The Hormel wraps were something to try for CB.....he often needs a quick handheld something to eat as he rushes off  to the studio or when he gets in late at night.

Other grocery stops this week--

I picked up a head of iceberg lettuce at Shursave on the way home for $1.28 for our club sandwich meal.

There was a Maine Source restaurant supply store run last Sunday for $54.65 which included a 5 lb. log of Cooper cheese($3.59 lb. this way as opposed to $7.99 a lb. reg. price at the grocery store delis), gallon of veggie oil, 10 lb. of onions, gallon of milk, 1K pack of napkins, 1/2 lb. of deli roast beef , loose zucchini, yellow squash, a rutabaga, tomatoes, bananas, 2 lb. packs of whole mushrooms and 3 pints of blueberries.  I had a $5 wyb $50+ emailed Q so saved another $5 off the great prices there.

A stop at Dollar Tree for lasagna noodles(Maine Source wanted $3 for them)so I could make the lasagna on Sunday.  I also picked up potato bread rolls for CB and a big pouch of cornbread mix so $3 out the door.

This is all the grocery shopping that got done this week.  $67.47 OOP.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....Lucky April 13th Edition

Let's see what Frugal wins we had this past week........

* I already talked about the deals I got at the food stores this past week.

* Last weekend Big Lots had their 20% Friends and Family sale.  We picked up a few things we needed for the house anyway(mostly).  By waiting for this sale event it was nice to get it for cheaper too.
Here are some vinyl tablecloths to dress up the kitchen table for Summer and some socks for College Boy.

 We also picked up a set of fleece king size sheets for real cheap.  On clearance for $24 + $4.80 w/the 20% off so $19.20.  I also snagged some nice, heavyweight bath and hand towels on clearance + 20% off.  You can't beat that deal!!
A bath mat for our tub and some dog chews were also carted home, as well as 2 large boxes of wet dog food pouches for Chester.
We wanted to get a nice tea kettle too but they didn't have any at this store. 
At any rate even without that we did pretty well.

* It's suppose to be very warm the next two days so I've turned all the heat off and opened windows in the houses.
This is only a brief respite from the cold weather for us but I'll take the no heating on and a lower electric bill because of it.

* We stopped at the Lindt Factory Outlet on the way to Eldest son's apartment.  Some of their chocolates are very tasty and mostly ones you can't get in the stores in their prepackaged bags(hello Citrus Lime Truffles!!!)and ordering them online or even making up a mix and match personalized bag of what you like in the outlet store can be pricey.
I only bought the 1 lb. of the seconds truffles(they only had 2 kinds)which are much cheaper per lb.
I also bought 4 foil bunnies(2 for son and his GF and 2 to bring home)as all the Easter themed chocolate was 1/2 price their outlet price.
I believe this is the least amount I've ever spent at the Lindt factory chocolate outlet!lolz

*  That's about it for this week other than going to Rite-Aid this weekend.  I haven't been anywhere or spent much money this week.  Sticking close to home, reading, genealogy and working on projects.
I'm feeling a bit unlovable and down in the dumps today so I'll wrap this up now.

Did you have any frugal wins lately?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Stuff Lately & Changes

Last Wednesday, the day we drove down to Virginia for a quickie visit with eldest son, was Wellness Wednesday at Rite-Aid.
So you know I had to make a brief pit stop there before leaving town.

Hubs uses Sensodyne toothpaste now and there was a stackable opportunity to get some for cheap as well as some caramel candies!

I stacked the one day Wellness Wednesday Rite-Aid Qs with Manu Qs from Coupons dotcom for each item......

2 x Sensodyne toothpaste BOGO50% sale=$10.93
4 x Werther's candies 20% Wellness disc. off reg. price=$2.31=$9.24
Subtotal..........$20.17

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Sensoydyne Manu IPQ=$2.00
2 x $3/1 WW RAQ=$6.00
4 x .50¢/1 Werther's Manu IPQ=$2.00
4 x $1.50/1 Werther's WW RAQ=$6.00
Coupon Total......$16.00

$20.17-$16.00=$4.17
$4 in Bonus Cash came off this card so I put the .17¢ on a R-A gift card.
None of these items earned more BC back.

HEADS UP EVERYONE!
So the word has gotten out that July 10th is the last day to use up your Plenti Points at Rite-Aid.
The whole Plenti network is shutting down for good on that date and Rite-Aid will no longer accept or track your PPs at that time.

Also, there are changes in the Bonus Cash scheme coming on April 16th.  After that date you will be prompted on the register scheme whether you want to use your BC or not on your transaction so BC will no longer automatically come off your transaction unless you elect to use them.  Also even though you earned the BC in certain dollar amounts you can use them in any amount that your purchase totals.  IE-You have a $2, $5 and a $7 BC totalling $14.  You can use or not whatever your purchase total amounts to up to $14.  Your total is $6 so $6 will come off and you'll have $8 left.
You still can not choose how much of your BC to use but being able to choose to use it or not IS an improvement.

So over the next 3 months or so I'll be trying to use up all my Plenti Points spread over 3 cards/accounts.  I may elect to use some Plenti Points on prescriptions as you can use PPs in our state on those but BC can not be used for this purpose.


I also got this Catalina earlier this week when I went up to refill an Rx............

On Friday and Saturday this week, for every $25 you spend you'll earn $5 in Bonus Cash on your purchase, no matter what you buy(a few limitations apply like gift cards, lottery tickets, tobacco products, etc.)
I don't believe you need this Catalina to take part in this deal....you just need to be a Gold Member level on your Wellness card/account.

Between this Spend $25/Get $5 BC Deal and all Rite-Aid branded products being 30% off this week, maybe I'll plan out a big transaction to use up some PPS in this week?  I could load up on some allergy products we use or something.

Stay tuned.


Sluggy

March To-Do List.....Update

I have pared down my monthly To-Do Lists.  Between being ill for 2 months this Winter and not feeling much energy to "do" I felt it was better to have a smaller list and actually feel like I was accomplishing something rather than facing a long list of items I didn't get to when the month was over.

With that said, here's what I wanted to get done in March.........

*  Pay Bills  DONE  If nothing else gets done, this does.  I paid two irregular bills early/for the year and earned a small discount off the price of each bill.  Every little bit helps, right?

*  Read 1 Book  DONE

"Twain's End" by Lynn Cullen

This author is making a career of writing historical novels(taking famous folks and writing about their lives in a part historical/part fictional way).

Cullen is a very astute writer and this tome was interesting and enjoyable and dare I say-a page turner.  Having studied Samuel Clemens life a bit myself it follows pretty closely to whom he actually was.....an insecure, narcissist borderline megalomaniac in his later life  as reported from first hand accounts of the people who knew and/or loved him.
This tale is told from the perspective of his personal secretary(Isabel van Kleek)and her relationship with Mark Twain.  It's apparent after reading this book that one of the most beloved popular American authors of the 19th century was a personally tortured man who made those around him miserable.
I recommend this book.

I wanted to read two books and had the time to but after I got started on the second book in March I lost interest in that one temporarily and picked up a third book to read.  Then this month I took a different book to see our eldest son so now have three books started but not finished yet for April. lol
I forsee lots of reading this month.  ;-)


*  Purge Coupon Inserts  DONE   

 I went through my inserts and pulled ones that were 1 to 4 months old and had mostly expired Qs in them.

I clipped any non-expired Qs but only if they were for items I might use before their time was up.

And I tossed what was left.

On the last day of the month I also make a habit of purging the coupon envelope that I take to the stores when I go grocery shopping so that got gone through on the 31st.

I try to purge the inserts every third month or the things just pile up badly.
It's a good habit to get into, to purge the old paper on a regular basis.

*  Sell Stuff  DONE  I sold 2 items on eBay in March....it wasn't much, but I'll take it!  I need to get things going on the local F/B sale site now that the weather is better.  I have shampoo and diapers to get sold. 8-)

*  Relist House in LA  DONE  The house went back on the market in early March.

*  Sell House in LA  IN PROGRESS  If everything goes as it should we will no longer own this house before April is done. 8-)))))

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Marie won the box and I am sure the chocolate is all gone by now. lolz

*  Redo Passwords Book  IN PROGRESS  I did start on this but didn't get too far into the process.  It's just a tedious chore but long overdue.  Cross my fingers I get it completed in April!

*  Do Taxes  DONE  Actually Hubs did most of this.  He's taken over this chore since he's retired now.  He insists that we file electronically as he thinks that filing a paper return now sends up a red flag(as most people file electronically nowadays).  Not that we have anything to fear from an audit but you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb and get smacked with one if you can help it. lolz
Anyway, the taxes are done, filed and we've received a refund from the Feds.  Had to pay local taxes and state taxes in PA AND LA plus the cost of the software and filing fees(UGH)but even after these costs we came out ahead for 2017 $5K and change.  I was shocked it was so much but I'll take it. lolz 

*  Plan possible 2018 Travel  IN PROGRESS  Well we went into 2018 wanting to do a couple of trips(big ones)but they involved other people's plans/lives and things haven't worked out to allow us all to travel/see each other at this point.  So we are making alternative plans.  I have been in a funk this Winter and not much wanting to go anywhere far away.  We are working on a trip to the Canadian Maritimes(already been to New Brunswick)but I am still not "feeling it" as they say.  We'll see what we figure out.......

*  Work on 2018 Goals  IN PROGRESS  You would think that by now(a quarter of the way through 2018)we'd have our goals set for the year.
Ummm, no. ;-)
It's still a work in progress.  We've got lots of balls in the air around here.  Selling that LA house, College Boy graduating next month and what is plans are, Daughter still here for another year, where to live in retirement, etc.  We are still at a crossroads of sorts and still figuring stuff out.  Maybe I'll sit down with Hubs this week and narrow down some "life stuff" so I can make some plans or nix other plans.

That's about it for March so let's put that month in the books and forge ahead into April and all the possibilities in store.

What things did you get to in March that were on your To-Do List?

Sluggy