Ocean State Job Lot & Walmart-Potentially Free Food & Ibotta Rebates

So I was over by OSJL on Monday so I browsed the "Eat for Free" table of goodies and came home with lots of foodstuffs!

I laid out how this program works in the blog post HERE.

Here is what I bought, all items we will use.........

1 x Chai tea concentrate=$2.99
2 x Grapeseed Oil 50.70 oz.=$20.00
2 x Roasted Almond halves=$11.98
4 x Organic Turkey Stock=$8.00
2 x Cranberry/Orange baking chips=$4.00
2 x Sea Salt=$2.98
2 x Cranberry/Museli Cookie tins=$4.00
2 x Bamboo Shoots=$1.78
1 x English Breakfast tea bags=$2.99
4 x Stir-Fry/Fried Rice Seasoning packets=$4.00
6 x Mushroom pieces=$6.00
2 x Tetley mint/Hibiscus tea bags=$3.98

Total of $72.70 paid OOP and I received a Crazy Deal gift card for $72.70 too.
Crazy, right?

Since some of these things are "gourmet" items and they don't sell them around here I had to find the regular retail price on Amazon or on other websites where you can buy particular items.
All told, reg. retail came to $164.11.

Add this $72.70 gift card with the one I got in July for $10.78 and besides this $83.48 in food items I now also have $83.48 in store chits to put toward our grocery/toiletries/paper goods/etc. spending. (Can not spend it on other Crazy Deal items or on items with Insider Coupons, has to be regular priced goods in the store.)

Oh and those Danish cranberry/museli cookies are "da boom"!

I know that folks who use Ibotta may or may not have the same offers in their app but here are some groceries I picked up while were were out that day, this time at Walmart.
I thought I'd check my Ibotta app while there picking up some needs like sour cream and cheese and see what else I could find a "deal" on.
These are the items we got that I either got a rebate on or have Qs for.......

1 x Scott paper towels clearance to $2.50
1 x Greenies dog toothbrushes=$4.98
1 x GV Baking Mix clearance to $1.35
1 x GV 2lb. cheddar=$5.64
5 x Hormel natural choice snacks=$8.35
1 x Perfect Bar protein bar=$1.98
5 x Pro Fuel yogurt drinks=$9.80
SubTotal this stuff.........$34.60

As for Qs used......
I had a $5.00 off for the Greenies that the company snail mailed me.
There were .75¢ hangtag Qs on all those Oikos drinks.
Qs used came to $8.75.

Everything pictured above(except the Greenies)also had an Ibotta rebate in my gallery--
* .25¢ off any brand toilet paper(the Scott item was paper towels but it came off)
* .25¢ off any brand pancake mix(technically what I bought was "baking mix"but it came off)
* .25¢ off any brand cheese
* 5 x $1.50 Hormel natural choice snack packs=$7.50
* $2.00 off Perfecct Bar protein bar(even though only paid $1.98)
* 5 x $1.00 of Pro Fuel yogurt drinks=$5.00
* .10¢ for buying anything
Total Rebate....$15.35

$34.60-$8.75 in Qs=$25.85-$15.35 rebates=$10.50 for everything pictured after Qs and Ibotta rebates.
The best "deals" above were the snack packs(.17¢ each after rebate)and the yogurt drinks(.21¢ each after hangtagQ and rebate).

I bought another $21.28 in food/paper products so my total OOP at Walmart was $47.13.
(The rebates get figured into/taken off my spending at the end of the year).

To recap the day's food spending for 2 stores--
$119.83 Total OOP
$15.35 back in Cash Rebates
$72.70 back in OSJL store script


I run hot and cold throughout the year with using Ibotta. A lot of times the rebates are on items I don't buy or the stores I shop at aren't an Ibotta qualifying food source(Shursave, Aldi, Restaurant Supply Store, local Produce Market, etc.).But I do avail myself of Ibotta when I can when buying at Weis, Rite-Aid, Target or Walmart.

If anyone doesn't use Ibotta yet but would like to try it and you have a smartphone, give it a go.
And if you'd be so kind, please use my referral code when you sign up--

Referral Code  mkaaxa
I'd appreciate it. ;-)


Sluggy

Rite-Aid This Week

There is a Softsoap weekly deal and a Softsoap monthly deal that are double dipping this week.
The weekly deal is $1 BC wyb 1 Softsoap/Irish Spring item(limit 2).
The monthly deal is $5 wyspend $15 on Softsoap/Irish Spring select items(limit 4).  I know the SS body wash and the refill jugs qualify since I got the BC on my transaction.

I had a $4 wyspend $20 R-AQ left so I bought this stuff here.........

2 x Softsoap refills jug on sale=$7.98
2 x Softsoap body wash on sale=$7.98
2 x Almay make removers BOGO50%=$9.73
SubTotal.........$25.69

Coupons Used
1 x $4/$20 RAQ=$4.00
2 x .75¢/1 Softsoap body wash IPQ(from their website)=$1.50
4 x $2/1 RA in-adQ=$8.00
1 x $5/2 Almay items R-AQ=$5.00
Coupon Total.....$18.50

$25.69-$18.50=$7.19+.44¢ tax=$7.63 OOP paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned back $7.00 in new BC(2 x $1 Softsoap weekly, $5 Softsoap monthly)and I have $9.73 tracking toward a $3 Almay reward once I hit $12 spent on Almay.  I'll see if I can find a cheap Almay item(hahaha)to buy to get there otherwise I'll just let it be.


Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Using It Up" Edition................

While digging through the freezer last week I found 2 bags of this..........

My great Aunt Lula's recipe yeast rolls.  I believe these were from Easter? lolz

 I usually make these in a double batch for Holiday meals and I usually don't have much leftover as we invite the "mooch"(brother in-law)and his son for holiday meals and besides eating his weight in rolls AT the meal, I give him a baggie full to take home.

Well this past Easter I forgot to give him his bag of rolls plus Daughter was on a low-carb diet so she didn't eat her quota and ex-College Boy, I believe, was working and came home late for dinner and didn't eat many.
At any rate I just dug these old things out of the freezer and needed to find a way to use 'em up!

So I made this.........

Two pans of bread pudding, a small one and the large one pictured above. (I used Lidia Bastianich's recipe again but subbed peach slices for cherries.)

Bread Pudding is one of Hubs most favorite desserts!

Bonus points because I used what was left of the non-canned peach jam container I had made this Summer that was sitting in the fridge not being eaten either.

Score!

I used 1 full bag of rolls up.

I made Chili last night for dinner and Ex-CB ate lots of rolls left in the second bag with his chili so we've got 6 rolls or so left to finish them off. lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

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

1. Sunday--Hubs' cooking Pork Chops, Glazed Carrots, Asiago Rice
2. Monday--Stuffed Peppers with Rice

3. Tuesday--Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash, Egg Noodles

4. Wednesday--Leftover Soup, Grilled Ham Sandwiches

5. Thursday--Lobster Cakes(like crab cakes), Cole Slaw, Yellow Squash and Onions

6. Friday--Leftovers or Pizza
7. Saturday--T-Bone Steak, Salad, ?

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Hubs' cooking Pork Chops, Glazed Carrots, Asiago Rice
2. Monday--Stuffed Peppers with Yellow Rice

3. Tuesday--Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash, Egg Noodles

4. Wednesday--Lobster Cakes(like crab cakes), Cole Slaw, French Fries

5. Thursday--Leftovers(I had a big Salad)

6. Friday--Leftovers(I had a BLT using homegrown tomatoes)
7. Saturday--Chinese Take-Out

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 1 night of Eating Out/Take-Out.

Everything happened except soup and sandwiches(which happened for lunch one day instead)and steak.  The steak moves to this coming week.
Between Fajitas the week previous, Stuffed Peppers and Goulash this past week, we are peppered out for awhile. lolz

What got put into the freezer last week.....

* 6 lbs. of Bacon from Malacari's(at $2 lb.)
* 1 lb. Bottom Round Steak
* 2.5 lbs. of Chicken Thighs

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* 4 pork chops
* 2 packs of beef chuck/stew beef
* The Lobster Cakes were a discount sticker buy the previous week and the ground beef(for stuffing the peppers)was bought fresh last week. Diced homegrown tomatoes also went into the stuffed peppers and the goulash.

One trip to Weis($28.27), a trip to the Bread Outlet($4.89), a trip to Target($12.51), a trip to Malacari's($40.28)and a trip to Shursave Market($24.15)brought the weekly spending to $110.10 and my September Total spending on food to $224.71.

My savings percentage last week was 48.63%(without Rite-Aid trips)and September's monthly savings total comes in at 57.31%(w/out R-A).

I have 14 more food shopping/spending days in September.  The budget is $400 but we always hope to do a little better than that amount. ;-)

Leftovers going into this week......Harvard Beets, Fajita filling, Pork Chops, Carrots, Asiago Rice, Stuffed Peppers, Goulash, Egg Noodles

I also have a small stockpot filled with tomato puree(from our tomatoes)so I need to use that in a meal since I don't want to have to can so little.

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

1. Sunday--Chili, leftover rolls
2. Monday--Chicken Cordon Bleu, Veggie TBD

3. Tuesday--Barbecue Chicken Thighs, Yellow Squash and Onions, other Leftover Sides

4. Wednesday--Steak Ravioli w/Sauce, Salad

5. Thursday--Salmon, Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrots

6. Friday--Steak
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 6 new meals cooked, 1 night of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of  Eating Out.

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing really.  I got the ravioli and salmon at Aldi, the squash at Malacari's 2 weeks ago and the chicken thighs on discount at Weis last Friday.  The sweet potato was leftover as I didn't need both of the 2 I bought for the goulash last week.

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  

Michael Symon's Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash Recipe

So I LOVE this version of Hungarian Goulash from chef Michael Symon.  He did this Fall Harvest one on "The Chew" but since that show stopped being broadcast over a year ago, the links to it online have disappeared.  I am so glad I printed it out back in 2017!

This one is a lighter Goulash but still beef.  What brightens/lightens it is the addition of Fall veggies.
It calls for cooking in a dutch oven but it can be done in a crock pot as well with an adjustment on when you add the veggies in.

"Fall Harvest Hungarian Goulash" from Michael Symon

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 3/4 lb. beef chuck roast(cut into 1.5 inch pieces
* 2 portabella mushrooms
* 2 large Spanish onions
* 2 bell peppers(seeded, sliced)
* 3 garlic cloves
* 2 small sweet potatoes
* 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
* 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 cup water
* 1 28 oz.. can whole peeled tomatoes(crushed)
* 2 tablespoons parsley(finely chopped,, plus more to serve)
* quinoa rotini(to serve)
* Greek yogurt(to serve)
* dill(finely chopped, to serve)
* Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Season the meat with Kosher salt and ground black pepper, then add it to the pan.  Deeply brown the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside.

2-To the same pot add the mushrooms, onions and peppers.  Cook while stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, sweet potatoes, caraway seeds and paprika and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3-Add the stock, water and tomatoes and add the beef back in along with any juices that have accumulated and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beef is tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 hours.  Stir in some fresh parsley.

4-Cook the pasta according to package directions then serve the goulash over it, topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.  Add some extra parsley and dill on top.

5-If your local market doesn't carry quinoa pastas, substitute with whole wheat pasta.


Now for my Tips-------

1.  If you want to do this in a crock pot, follow Steps 1 and 2 in a pot on the stove and then transfer ingredients at this point to the crock pot.  In Step 3 omit adding the water and cook on low for 3-5 hours depending on the heat variances of your crock pot and how soft/tender you want your beef and veggies.
2.  Using smoked paprika will result in a better flavor over plain paprika.
3. I put my caraway seeds in the blender to crush them as I don't own a mortar and pestle.
4. I serve over egg noodles or any pasta we like(gluten-free or zoodles too).
5. If you want a thicker sauce, add some corn starch to a ladle of the sauce, stir together then re-add to the pot about 20 minutes before serving.
6. I chunk my peppers not slice them and you can add or reduce the amount of the veggies depending on your taste.  We like this with more peppers and sweet potatoes.
7. You could also substitute other Fall squashes for the sweet potatoes....butternut, acorn, etc.  Use what you like and/or what you have.
8. Sour Cream or Greek yogurt works as a topping, or leave it off altogether if you aren't a fan of either.

I hope some one will give this recipe a try if you like beef.  It's a winner!


Sluggy

The Rite-Aid Saga This Week

I had returned some items on Monday and got a combo of cash back and BC back....except the next day the BC wasn't back on my account.
So a chat session with CS and I was told it "sometimes" take 2 days to see your BC credited to your account.

Next day and still no BC on the account.
sigh.

So I waited another day(still no BC, surprise!)then I did another live chat online and I got the same CS rep as on Tuesday.  Went through the issue again, rep said the BC was still showing as pending so she manually put it back plus another $5 for my trouble.  Sweet.

I was so antsy because I wanted to spend that BC this week before the sale ended on a BOGOFree Nature's Truth supplement offer at R-A which I had Qs to pair with the deal.

Finally got to do the transaction on Friday and I had a "Spend $30/Get $6 Off Q" that R-A snail mailed to me as well to use.........

2 x Nature's Truth turmeric BOGOF=$15.49
2 x Nature's Truth turmeric BOGOF=$19.99
1 x Mitchum deo 20% Wellness disc.=$3.59
1 x Kokie nail polish 20% Wellness disc.=$3.99
SubTotal.....$43.06

Coupons Used
1 x $6/$30 R-AQ=$6.00
2 x $2/1 Nature's Truth IPQ=$4.00
1 x $2/1 Nature's Trush L2CQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Mitchum ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $/1 Mitchum R-AQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.........$15.00

$43.06-$15.00=$28.06 + .32¢ tax(on nail polish+deo)=$28.38 paid for with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $14 in new BC($10 wys $30 Naature's Truth, $4 Kokie).

Spent down $14.06 on the BC on this transaction but I've got $19.62 in BC left on this card now.
I wanted 4 of the less expensive bottles of turmeric but they only had two. Oh well.  I am still happy with this as these 4 bottles plus what I already have at home has me stocked up on turmeric until next Spring.  I take this daily for my HS for inflammation and it really helps.

The Kokie is free after Bonus Cash(limit 2)until the sale ends tonight except if there is sales tax charged in your state you will have to pay that, so not a freebie in those states but almost.

I've got a $4 wys $20 RAQ for my personal card so I might use that one next week because I have BC to roll on that card too.



Sluggy