Weis & Other Grocery Shopping This Week

I made three smallish trips to Weis this week.  Here are the highlights.......

I did the Mix and Match/Buy 6, Get $3 Off instantly Deal......
3 x ginormous Dawn dish soap=$15.00
2 x Tide laundry detergent=$11.98
1 x Tide pods detergent=$5.99
Came to $32.97
I used $10.50 in Qs plus the Instant $3 off=$13.50 off so $19.47+ tax for the above.

I have never seen such large bottles of Dawn before(I don't do Costco or Sam's Club, etc. but they might have them there.)!

I got this stuff last Friday, the Friday Freebie and I went ahead and bought the Gain dish soap then because if I waited until this week it would have all been gone(even though it was Aug. 31 I am counting it on September's budget.......

The pierogies were free.
The dish soap was on sale $2 and I had coupons which doubled to $1 so $1 each bottle out the door.

Then this week here are some good deals I got at Weis before the sales week ended.....

* The Planters Peanuts were on sale $1.99 per jar when you bought 2.  I have $2/2 ManuQs so .99¢ a jar OOP.
* The Snapples "Straight Up" teas were $1 when you bought 5.  I had 2 $1/5 Snapple hangtagQs so $8 for 10 bottles.  Then I submitted for 2 x .75/2 Snapple Ibotta rebates($1.50 total)making it $6.50 for 10.
* The Hellman's was on sale $2.88 a jar.  I had a $1/1 Weis Q so $4.76.  Then I got back $3 on Ibotta(2 x $1.50 Hellman's mayo)making these .88¢ a jar OOP.
* The Heinz mayo was on sale $3.99 and the Heinz ketchup was $2.49(after a Buy 6/Get $3 Off Deal)so $6.48 for both.  I got back $4.50 for buying both of these in a single transaction at Ibotta making them .99¢ each OOP.
* The Puffs tissue was $1 on sale and I had .25¢ ManuQs that doubled to .50¢ plus a third Weis Puffs digitalQ that doubled so $1.50 off my $2 worth of Puffs making them .25¢ per box.
* 8 boxes of Keebler crackers on sale for $1.88 each=$15.04.  I had 4 x $1/2 ManuQs(3 for Townhouse/1 for Club)so $11.04 for 8 boxes of crackers.  These Ritz type crackers are Ex.College Boy's favorite and he has been known to go through a box at a sitting(with cheese).  At $1.38 a box after sale/Q I will buy them to stockpile for the Holidays coming up and HOPE some last that long. lolz
* Palmolive dish soap was $2 on sale at Weis.  I paired $1/2 ManuQs and bought 4 bottles for $6 or $1.50 for each large bottle.  Between the massive sized Dawn, the Big Gain and these bad boys we should be good on dish soap for some time to come.  ;-)

I also picked up 3 cartons of MM OJ for $1.87 each, some Instant Discount Sticker-ed meats at Weis.....2 packs of BSCthighs, some Spiced Apple sausages and some Italian Sausages, a Purdue roaster with a $3 off sticker, 8 pork chops that came out to $1.07 lb. after discount sticker,  as well as $4.99 steaks on sale.

I spent $134.82 at Weis this week. Yikes!  But we won't be needing quite a few things for the rest of the year(here's hoping).

There was also a Spend $75/Get $15 Off Q for the restaurant supply store this past Labor Day weekend.  We went over there on Monday morning and got........

* 10 lb. bag of onions
* 5 lb. block of Cooper cheese
* 2 x 1K pack of napkins
* 7 ears of local corn
* 3 large cukes
* 1.06 lb. mushrooms
* 4.55 lbs. local peaches
* a case of paper plates
* a dough scraper
* a heavy duty box grater(mine broke)
Total was $64.19.  Take out the scraper and grater costs(not part of the food budget)and we spent $54.65 of the Sept. food budget and brought home over $100 worth of food/paper products.

I am about shopped out(except for Rite-Aid.....I am always up for going there and bringing home almost free stuff.)  8-)))

I really need to stock take and reorganize some things out in the stockpile now.  That's going on my To-Do List as soon as the temperatures cool off and I can stand to be out there for awhile.


Sluggy

More Rite-Aid Pillaging This Week-For Sonya Ann 8-)

Lots of good deals(see free or almost free stuff)at Rite-Aid this Week.

Let's recap where we are at first.....

From Sunday--
On my card.......

 After cash rebates and spending Bonus Cash this transaction is "up" $4.40.

On Daughter's card........

After cash rebates and spending Bonus Cash this transaction is "up" $5.42.

On Monday I bought this on my card.......

7 x Breyer's ice cream on sale 2/$7=$24.50 *one has been eaten already so that's why 6 are in the photo.
2 x Suave body wash BOGOFree=$2.59
4 x Suave deodorant BOGOFree=$4.58
2 x Russell Stover pumpkins on sale=$1.00
SubTotal.....$32.67

Coupons Used
1 x $8 off wyspend $30 CatalinaQ=$8.00
7 x $1.50/1 Breyer's ice cream IPQ=$10.50
Coupon total......$18.50

$32.67-$18.50=$14.17 +.43¢ tax=$14.60 paid for with Bonus Cash
I earned back $15.00 in new Bonus Cash(2 x $4 wyspend $12 on select food/drink, 3 x $2 Suave, $1 R/S pumpkins)making this a .40¢ moneymaker.
I also submitted for $3 in Ibotta cash rebates(2 x Suave body wash .25¢, 4 x Suave deodorant .50¢)so now it's a $3.40 moneymaker.

I noticed on the receipts that all the Oral-B/Crest items I had bought so far not only earned a $3 Rebate for that item BUT there was a Spend $20/Earn $5 that they also qualified for as I had tracking toward that BC Deal now on both cards.  Turns out this $5/on $20 Deal is a monthly one that most P&G items qualify for.

So I headed back on Monday and bought this on my card which had $8 tracking.........

2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$4.00
1 x Old Spice deodorant 20% Wellness disc.=$4.63
SubTotal......$8.63

I only had a $1/1 Old Spice deo. ManuQ to use so $8.63-$1.00=$7.63+.22¢ tax=$7.85 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $8 in new Bonus Cash(2 x $3 Crest, $5 wyspend $20)so this was a .15¢ moneymaker.

Then I bought this on daughter's card.........

2 x Playtex tampons on sale=$13.98
1 x Oral-B 2 pack toothbrushes 20% Wellness disc.=$6.79
SubTotal......$20.77

Coupons Used
1 x $4 wyspend $20 CatlinaQ=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Playtex tampons In-AdQ=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Playtex tampon IPQ=$4.00
1 x $2/1 Oral-B mutli-pack In-AdQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$14.00

$20.77-$14.00=$6.77 paid for with Bonus Cash
I earned back $5($5 wyspend $20)so "spent down" $1.77 in BC.
But then I submitted my receipt to Ibotta and earned $8.00 in cash rebates(2 x $2.50 Playtex, $3 Oral-B multi-pack "Vivid" type toothbrushes)and received a $2 Playtex rebate on SavingStar so this becomes a $8.23 moneymaker.  8-)

Then I hit Rite-Aid on Wednesday as it was Wellness Wednesday(1st Wed. of the month).  The free samples were mighty thin at my store.......a pack of Emergen-C tablets and a trial size of Sensodyne toothpaste(the one Hubs uses)which I didn't take a photo of, sorry.

The Wellness Wednesday one day coupons weren't too great for my needs BUT........
The same WW coupons in the one day pamphlet can be loaded to your Wellness card as L2CQs now.

I tested a theory and bought this on daughter's card(the only card where I can access the Load2Card Qs).......

2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale($3.99)=$7.98
1 x Gold Bond anti-itch cream 20% Wellness disc.=$7.59
SubTotal......$15.57

2 x $2/1 Colgate In-AdQ=$4.00
1 x $4/2 Colgate L2CQ=$4.00
1 x $3/1 Gold Bond anti-itch cream L2CQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Gold Bond anit-itch cream WWQ=$3.00
Coupon Total.......$14.00

$15.57-$14.00-$1.57 paid for with Bonus Cash.
Didn't earn any new BC back but my theory worked.....both the paper pamphlet WWQ came off AND the L2CQ for the same item so it was double coupon savings on the Gold Bond.
Yes! 8-)

I went home and found a $1/1 Gold Bond IPQ(figures I find it AFTER I bought the Gold Bond)so I'll take the Q up today and get $1 cash which makes this transaction cost me .57¢. ;-)

So I then bought this on daughter's card.  I had a $4 off $20 CatalinaQ to use but I had to account for all the L2CQs coming off before I used it on the transaction so my "total" had to be at least $20 BEFORE L2CQs.........

1 x Gold Bond cracked skin item 20% Wellness disc.=$6.79
2 x R-A cold and flu pills on sale=$8.00
1 x Nasacort allergy spray 20% Wellness disc.=$12.79
1 x Biscoff cookies 20% Wellness disc.=$2.71
1 x R/S sugar-free mint patties 20% Wellness disc.=$2.23
2 x Hershey bars(caramel cookie)20% Wellness disc.=$1.84
1 x random chocolate truffle 20% Wellness disc.=.31¢
SubTotal.........$34.67

Coupons Used
1 x $4 off $20 order CatalinaQ=$4.00
1 x $3/1 Gold Bond cracked skin WWQ=$3.00
2 x $2/1 R-A cold and flu WWQ=$4.00
1 x $5/1 Nasacort WWQ=$5.00
1 x $5/1 Nasacort L2CQ=$5.00
1 x $2/1 Biscoff WWQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Biscoff L2CQ=$2.00
1 x $1.50/1 R/S candy WWQ=$1.50
1 x $1.50/1 R/S candy L2CQ=$1.50
2 x .50/1 Hershey instant PeelieQ=$1.00
Coupon Total..$29.00

$34.67-$29.00=$5.67 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $2 in new BC($2 Nasacort)so "spent down" BC by $3.67.

So both the Nasacort Qs, Biscoff Qs, Russell Stover Qs came off but the Gold Bonds and the R-A cold and flu ones didn't.   If they had coupons would have totaled $34 and I would have spent .67 in BC and earned $2 back.
I could return those 3 items and get back $ in Bonus Cash on my card.  I'll probably just take another $1/1 Gold BondQ up and get $1 post coupon and keep it all which will make this a $2.67 spend down situation. ;-)

As things stand here's what each item cost me in this transaction......

Gold Bond cracked skin item=$2.79(after taking $1 off the $4 off $20 Q)
R-A cold and flu pills on sale=$1.00 each(after taking $1 off each for the $4 off $20Q)
Nasacort allergy spray=$1.79(after taking $1 off the $4 off $20Q)
Biscoff cookies= negative $1.29
R/S sugar-free mint patties=negative .77¢
Hershey bars(caramel cookie)20% Wellness disc.=.42¢ each
Random chocolate truffle=.31¢

Then I did the Crest/Oral-B weekly Deal items w/BC and items that double dip qualifying for the $5 wys $20 on P&G items on son's card using another $4 off $20 transaction CatalinaQ...........

2 x Crest toothpaste on sale=$8.00
2 x Oral-B toothbrushes on sale=$8.00
1 x Old Spice deodorant 20% Wellness disc.=$4.79
SubTotal........$20.79

Coupons Used
1 x $4/$20 CatalinaQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Old Spice deo ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$5.00

$20.67-$5.00=$15.79 +.18¢ tax=$15.97 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $17.00 in new BC(2 x $3 Crest, 2 x $3 Oral-B,$5 wys $20 P&G items)so this was a $1.03 moneymaker.

Everything pictured in this post "cost" me $12.01 in Bonus Cash.
After $26.50 in cash Ibotta rebates/$2 SavingStar rebates I am "down" $12.01 in BC but "up" $28.60 in cash so up $16.49 overall.  8-)))


The only freebie deals left to finish this week are 2 more Suave items on my card and 8 Suave items on son's card(the Suave stuff is a freebie after Ibotta rebates).

Sluggy

So Glad August is Done

It's with a glad heart that I welcome in September.

I'm not a person who goes crazy over all the fall apple/pumpkin stuff.  It's just that Summer weather has never been my favorite.  Growing up in the South, even as a child, I didn't care for the hot, sweaty weather that goes from April to October.  It's not much better up here in PA either this year with all this rain and long strings of days with high temps.  I am so done with it for the year!  Just another couple of days from what the folks versed in all things weather are saying, and we'll be heading into cooler temps.  Ahhhhhh

And this whole Summer has basically sucked as far as I am concerned since we have done NOTHING.  Eldest son came for a few days to visit in July but we have gone nowhere and done nothing......no trips, no day trips, nada!   We basically dog sat our daughter's dog 3 times in August while daughter was off galavanting the country from Austin to Boston to Alabama.
 The only respite from my boring days has been going out to lunch with Hubs.  We have seen an uptick in eating lunch out in August if you look at my Eating Out page.  That has been our financial "splurge" this Summer. 

Nothing fun outside of going to Rite-Aid and Weis.  Oh, the decadent life I lead.....lolz
It's a good thing I am not a high maintenance woman who can entertain herself easily(see-trips to Rite-Aid and Weis).   8-)))

September is going to be about enjoying the cooler weather and spending more time outside while I can.  We've got a couple of chores to do before the weather turns cold--putting the garden to bed, sealing the wood on the deck against Winter and moving the patio furniture back into the shed.
The house needs some deep cleaning too but I can do that on rainy days.

Onward to Fall!

Sluggy

2018 Income & Spending Report.....August Update

Now that we are living on an annuity(like a pension) and 401K$ withdrawals(retirement savings), 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.  This leftover cash will go into a "Slush Fund" for now to be used if we have any emergencies come up during the year.  If we still have Slush Funds at the end of the year we'll decide then what to do with those funds.

I have set up a page to track the Slush Fund.  Click on the tab marked "Slush Fund 2018" at the top of the blog.

  I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the August 2018 report--

I had 2 goals for August......
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 tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2018.

I have to report that we finished up August in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of August with?.......$2445.91

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in August---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3218.16(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1813.48
* One third of 401K withdrawal balance(after funding Sinking Fund)for August of $615.69 #
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $384.51

Total "Income" for August......$6031.84

# We made a 3rd quarter 401K withdrawal in July of $6K.  After withholding for taxes due we got $5147.07 net.  $3300.00 of that gets put into the Sinking Fund to cover irregular bills coming due this quarter(house insurance in Aug., LTC insurance and school taxes in Sept). $1847.07 is the balance of the 3rd quarter 401K withdrawal.  This got divided by 3 and gives us $615.69 extra in July to add to the income for the month(Aug. and Sept. also got $615.69)for general expenses.


Expenses in August---

* Healthcare Premium for August was $1813.48.(paid with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in August came to $1772.45


Sinking Fund--The balance in the Sinking Fund coming into August was $3857.48.  The homeowner's insurance was due and paid-$648.00   The Sinking Fund goes into September at $3209.48.


We went into August with $19,805.85 in the Slush Fund.
Add in August's overage of $2445.91 to the Slush Fund and it stands at $22,251.76 going into September.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as in July.(Within $1 or so).
*  The electric bill was $26.02 lower than last month.
*  The gas card bill was $18.26 lower than July.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals were the same as last month.
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in June.

HERE are the BAD THING

*  The water bill was $2.29 higher than last month.
*  The c/c bill was up $307.97 higher than in July.
*  There was a $147.29 private charge card bill.

The Food Budget costs for August are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are covered in the credit card payment(sometimes our WAM cash too).

So we end August in the black with $2445.91 in new general overage to add to the Slush Fund.
The Sinking Fund goes into September standing at $3209.48

FINAL THOUGHTS on August---
It was a good month in terms of low spending/bills.  We didn't really ''do" anything special this month other than eating lunch out a few times and didn't buy many "wants"(Hubs did buy a few books and I bought some underwear/clothing) so there were few bills beyond the usual and necessary.

THOUGHTS going forward into September 2018----This month there are two irregular bills due(school taxes and long term care insurance premiums).
The WAM withdrawal will be the same in September, $200.
I don't foresee any extraordinary bills other than the c/c bill will be higher.  Trips expenses will be mostly on the October  credit card bill.

So how was your August financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in August?
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!

Make this year was the one were you clean up your finances and pay off your debts.
Plan to set something aside if you didn't already or increase what you have banked now for your future self.
Or pay 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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Enjoying the Last of the Morning Glories" Edition--

Fairly soon my flowers here will be history for another year.  Between the weather turning colder(not yet)and both of the dogs eating the vines they can get to(yes they are EATING the vines lolz)I haven't got much longer to enjoy these beauties.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This  is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Leftover turkey breast w/gravy, roasted broccoli

2. Monday--various meat leftovers and squash and onions

3. Tuesday--Anniversary Dinner Out(36th)

4. Wednesday--Something out of the freezer

5. Thursday--Lobster, Cole Slaw, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Leftovers or BLTs
7. Saturday--Pizza(homemade), Salad

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Leftover turkey breast w/gravy, roasted broccoli

2. Monday--various Meat leftovers, Roasted Broccoli

3. Tuesday--Anniversary Dinner Out(36th)

4. Wednesday--TV dinners(various)

5. Thursday--Sausage, Squash and Onions, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Sliced Tomatoes
7. Saturday--Chili and Cornbread

Last week saw 4-5 nights of home cooked dinners, 1-2 night of leftovers/fend for yourself/tv dinners, 1 night of Take-Out or Eating Out.  
I didn't buy any lobster last week because I found other clearance/pantry deals to use up the rest of the monthly grocery budget including some discount meats(sausages, fryer chicken).  We also didn't make a pizza either.
Maybe I'll get some lobster this week if I want to splurge out but haven't checked the PC ad yet to see if they are still on sale.

Trips to Weis, the Shursave Market, Walmart, Target and the Farm stand brought the weekly food spending to $110.63 and the monthly total to $398.20.
I have 0 days left in my shopping month for August and have $1.80 left in the food budget that I didn't spend. 

My savings percentage last week was 59.62%(without Rite-Aid trips)and August's monthly savings grand total came to 58.50%.

Leftovers going into this week......chili, cornbread, squash and onions, small piece of London Broil.

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

1. Sunday--Fish, Coleslaw, French Fries

2. Monday--Steak, Corn, Deviled Eggs

3. Tuesday--Chicken Fajitas

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs(freezer), Salad, Garlic Bread

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--BLTs
7. Saturday--Eggplant in Hoisin Sauce, Rice

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.
Maybe one less new meal if we have enough leftovers for 2 nights.  Not sure since Hubs often eats leftovers for lunch(he doesn't care for cold sandwiches).

What needs buying for this menu? Steaks, Corn, Mushrooms, Salad Greens, Milk

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