This Week on the Dining Table

The "Guess Where I Am?" Edition--

Well I'm not "there" anymore.  But it was just barely 2 weeks ago I was there. sigh

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--steak, corn casserole, collards, baked potatoes

2. Monday--Pasta

3. Tuesday--Pork Chops

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Pizza, Salad

6. Friday--Chinese take-out
7. Saturday--TBA

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--steak, corn casserole, collards, baked potatoes

2. Monday--Chinese Take-Out

3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself(I had mushroom soup)

4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself(I had a baked potato)

5. Thursday--Fend for Yourself(I had collards and a banana)

6. Friday--Pork Chops, leftover Mac and Cheese, leftover Cabbage
7. Saturday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup, leftover Rolls

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/fend for yourself, 1 night  of Eating Out/Take-Out.
Pizza and pasta didn't happen but the pork chops did.  I only "cooked" 3 nights as I eased myself back into an at home routine.  The fandamily had to deal with finding their own dinners for a few nights and it didn't' kill them.  ;-)

1 trip to Weis for collards, 1 trip to Ollie's for a few things and 1 trip to the Shursave Market brought the weekly food spending to $29.85 and brought the monthly total to $29.85.
I have 15 days left in my shopping month for September.

My savings percentage last week was 46.95%(without Rite-Aid trips)and October's monthly savings total comes to 46.95%(w/R-A)so far.

Leftovers going into this week......corn casserole, collards, 1 pork chop, broccoli cheddar soup, 1 dinner roll.

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

1. Sunday--Beef Stroganof, Rice, TBD Veggie

2. Monday--Halushki

3. Tuesday--?

4. Wednesday--?

5. Thursday--?

6. Friday--?
7. Saturday--FFY(Fend for Yourself)

This week will see 2 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, 4 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out or ?.

What needs buying for this menu?  I went to the produce/restaurant supply store and picked up cabbage, mushrooms and other produce, as well as a bag of shrimp.  Sunday and Monday used the mushrooms and cabbage(along with other items at home already).
We are traveling the rest of the week so no clue what will be eaten at this point.

Under $30 spent for October at the halfway point but I did do some shopping this past weekend which will be reported on next Monday's Dining Table post.

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

Friday's Rite-Aid Pillaging

Yesterday(Friday)and today is the 30% off Friends and Family Sale at Rite-Aid.  Anything not on sale(or a better/lesser price after the 30% discount even if on sale)is 30% off reg. retail.  If you didn't get a coupon print out on a previous receipt last week, ask in the store for a coupon to use.  My store has a coupon at the register they scan for everyone.  8-)

This week certain items give you $20 Bonus Cash back when you spend $50(before coupons)on them.
I set out to try to get to $50.
I also had a $8 off wyspend $40 CatalinaQ.

Here is what I got on my son's card/account......I did need to spend some of those BC down a bit on that card anyway.

2 x Salonpas w/Lidocaine BOGOFree=$12.59
2 x Cetaphil cleansers BOGO50%=$14.98
3 x Huggies Good Nites on sale=$26.97
SubTotal.......$54.54

Coupons Used
1 x $8 wyspend $40 Cat=$8.00
2 x $2/1 Cetaphil item IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$4.00
3 x $2/1 Huggies Good Nites CatalinaQ=$6.00
Coupon Total........$18.00

$54.54-$18.00=$36.54+.65¢ tax=$37.19 paid with Bonus Cash
I earned back $24 in new BC($20 wyspend $50, 2 x $2 Salonpas)
I also got a $5 oyno Catalina for spending over $25 on Huggies products.

The Lidocaine varieites of Salonpas double dip-they are part of the Spend $50/Get $20 BC and also give back $2 BC for each one bought(limit 2).  Even though the Salonpas is BOGOFree you still get the $2 BC on the "free" one too.

I also earned $4 in cash rebates on Ibotta(2 x $2 Cetaphil).

So I converted $4 of BC to cash, earned $5 chit for next trip and "spent down" BC by $9.19.
But I can sell those nighttime pull-ups for at least $5 a pack, netting $15+ so when all is accounted for I am "up" $10.81.  8-)))

I also bought a few things on daughter's card/account, the only account I have that can access Load2CardQs.  None of these items below qualified for the $20 wyspend $50 BC offer, but they had their own individual BC offers............

2 x Degree deodorant 30% off=$10.20
1 x Gillette 3 razor cartridges 30% off=$7.69
2 x Bic razors 30% off=$11.04
SubTotal.......$28.93

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Degree In-AdQ=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Degree IPQ(NLA)=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Gillette3 L2CQ=$1.00
1 x $3/1 Bic razor IPQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Bic razor L2CQ=$3.00
Coupon Total.....$15.00

$28.93-$15.00=$13.93+.84¢ tax=$14.77 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $12.00 in new BC(2 x $1 Degree, $5 Gillette, 2 x $1 Bic, $3 Bic wys $10).  There are 2 Bic offers that double dip this week.
I "spent down" BC by $2.77 on this card.

That's it for my R-A plundering this week.  Next week's ad looks dismal...maybe some free Colgate toothpaste but that's about it.

Sluggy

Grocery Shopping this Past Week

Not much food shopping happened this week.  I was good and kept the spending low, only succumbing to 1 stock-up deal.

* There was a trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets on Sunday for 2 bags of collards and a day old French bread.  Total $5.15.

* There was a trip to the Shursave Market for a few items, mostly for stocking up on soups for Daughter's lunches.

10 x Progresso soups on sale .99¢=$9.90
2 x Corn Muffin mixes on sale .49¢=.98¢
1 x Daisy cottage cheese on sale=$2.00
3 x bananas=.38¢ *not pictured*
Total $13.16

* There was also a small trip to Ollie's on Sunday so Kim could behold the wonders of Ollie's. lolz

2 x Olive Oil=$7.98
3 x Pumpkin=$2.67
1 x Knoor rice side=.89¢
Total....$11.54

$29.85 spent this past week at the grocery stores.  It's almost the middle of October so I am doing well on keeping my grocery spending low this month.

Who knows what will happen next week..... ;-)


Sluggy

Frugal Friday......the October 12th Edition

Here are a few frugal wins we had this week.......

*  I did very little grocery shopping this past week.  Trying to eat down the freezer and pantry instead.

*  Here's my score from finding money this past week........

.49¢ in assorted coins.  Kim has a bit more we found jointly.  Kim also beat me at the finding change game on the trip. She has no shame and will do ANYTHING to pick up a coin! lolz

* While out shopping with Kim on Sunday I took her to a local donut place.  It was almost time for the shop to throw out the morning's made donuts so we got a free dozen for buying a dozen.  WooHoo! 

Those puppies didn't last very long with Kim around.....hehehe

*  No Weis Freebie last week because we weren't in town here.  The kids didn't buy any groceries while we were gone even though I left them some money.  Win-win!

*  All this was plundered from Rite-Aids in 3 states last week.......

Grand total spent was $6.38 in Bonus Cash, no actual money was harmed in the making of these deals.  ;-)

*  Sunday instead of taking Kim and Joel out for dinner, I spent $5.15 at Weis and made dinner.  I also turned a day old bakery 50% off French bread loaf into French Toast for breakfast the next morning before they left for Philly.

*  Used the weekend and off-peak hours to do laundry.....and boy! did we have a LOT of laundry to do!! lolz

* I picked the last of the basil on Thursday before the frost that was expected that night........

It's in the oven now drying.

* Went to my semi-annual dental appointment for a cleaning.  No cavities so there will be no co-pays.
Go me!  I also loaded up on freebies while I was there........

5 x toothpastes
4 x mouth rinse
13 x $1/1 Qs for floss and rinse


That's about it for around Chez Sluggy.
What frugal wins do you have this past week?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Shopping on Vacation

We hit Rite-Aid stores in 3 different states last week.

This was bought on Cape Cod.......

2 x Hello Toothpaste 20% Wellness disc.=$11.18 +.69¢ tax=$11.87 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $10 in new BC so spent down that card by $1.87.

In Maine and Vermont all the stuff below was bought.
We hit a R-A in Maine on Wellness Wednesday but it was a R-A that was turning into a Walgreens gosh darn it! so no Wellness Wednesday coupons for us.  *sad face*
I finished up getting to $40 in goodies at a R-A in Vermont on the way home.

Here's everything I bought at those two stores......

2 x Tums sugar-free on sale BOGO50%=$8.98
2 x Sensodyne toothpaste on sale BOGO50%=$10.93
1 x Paradontax toothpaste 20% Wellness disc.=$5.59
2 x Hershey's gold bags on sale=$7.00
1 x Spaghettio's on sale=.99¢
1 x Clairol hair dye 20% Wellness disc.=$6.79
SubTotal.......$40.28

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Tums sugar-free R-A receiptQ=$4.00
2 x .75¢/1 Tums product IPQ=$1.50
1 x $2/1 Tums L2CQ(this came off too!)=$2.00
2 x $1.50/1 Sensodyne IPQ=$3.00
1 x $1.25 Paradontax IPQ=$1.25
1 x $2/1 Paradontax L2CQ=$2.00
2 x $1.50/1 Hershey Gold IPQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Clairol hair dye L2CQ=$3.00
Coupon Total.......$19.75

$40.28-$19.75-$20.53+ $1.98 tax=$22.51 paid with Bonus Cash
I earned back $15 in new BC and $3 cash back on Ibotta(Clairol)so this all "cost" me $4.51(and almost half that was sales tax grrrr).
If I had gone to a R-A with the WWQs on wednesday I would have gotten an additional $4 off in Qs and paid .51¢ in BC instead of $4.51.
*whomp whomp*

Oh well.....you change it up and punt when out and not in your own store/element.

Kim did well buying bunches of Clairol hair color getting her $15 BC back and then getting $10 *I think* back on Ibotta too. 8-)

Sluggy