Grocery Shopping Lately....Vacation & Beyond

So while down South I did pick up a few items to tote back home for the food stockpile.
First at Costco(since brother is a member and we don't have a Costco around here).........

4 lbs. of pecans
40 oz. of cashews(a treat for me!)
3 lbs. of minced garlic
Total was $46.90 OOP
If I had to buy these things around here at reg. retail I'd have had to spend $79.78 or thereabouts.

Then when picking up some stuff at Food Lion for the sister in-law I bought this to tote home......

4 cans of FL brand tomato soup on clearance for .48¢ each
2 cans of Generic tomato soup on clearance for .47¢ each
3 packages of country ham slices for $2.29 each *not pictured*
Total was $9.73

I usually pick-up Chuck Shaw wine for $3.29(or whatever it is priced at now)for cooking when down by a Trader Joe's but the Aldi near my brother's house had a Aldi brand wine, Winking Owl for $2.98 a bottle so I got 6 bottles of that.........

6 bottles Merlot and Cab Sav w/tax came to $18.38.

The only thing I bought for the food stockpile was a package of 4 blend peppercorns at $7.16 w/tax.

All totaled vacation food shopping for home that week came in at $82.17.

I've done a lot of food shopping this week too!

I hit Weis last Friday and these were the best deals I found.......

1 x Vero Gusto Barilla pasta sauce on sale=$4.99
2 x SeaPak breaded shrimp on sale=$10.98

I used 2 x .75¢/1 SeaPak IPQs that doubled so $3.00 off the shrimp making it $7.98 out the door.

There was a $6.00 Ibotta rebate on the pasta sauce and a .75¢ rebate on the shrimp(x2=$1.50)so I got $7.50 back.
Plus another $2.00 back from Checkout51 on the shrimp.

$12.97 spent on these 3 items and $9.50 back in cash rebates.
Nice.

On Sunday I did a little shop at Walmart.  Here are a few things I had rebates on..............

8 x Chobani flips and Greek yogurts=$9.76
2 x Oikos yogurt drinks=$3.92
2 x Dial hand soap=$1.96
3 x Country Crock "plant butter"=$6.54
Total......$22.18
I earned back $10.63 at Ibotta for buying this stuff so $11.55 after rebates.
I also bought a tub of sour cream, 3 cans of whack biscuits, a big hunk of cheese, almond milk for Hubs and 4.07 lbs. of summer squash, spending $41.06 w/tax on this shop.

I hit the Bread Outlet on Monday with Hubs...........

3 loaves of bread
2 packs of English Muffins
2 packs of hamburger rolls
1 box of cinnamon rolls
1 box of cheese danish(for Ex-CB)
And we spent over $10 so got a free box of doughnuts too.
$11.89 OOP for everything here.

We also hit Ocean State Job Lot on Monday.....

I picked up the coffee Ex-College Boy likes using a $10.78 gift card which was free for buying $10.78 of select food items on a previous trip.
Coffee came to $11.97 so I paid $1.19 OOP for these 3 bags.

I also picked up 3 jars of honey on an Insider coupon deal there. $8.97 OOP for all.

And the "Free Food" table had more of those imported cranberry/muesli cookies I liked so I got 6 more tins(one is already opened lolz)and a bottle of honey/maple syrup blend Hubs wanted to try.
Total was $16.99 for all this and we got another Crazy Deals gift card.  I now have $87.99 in these gift cards.

I also picked up 3 boxes of cereal at Rite-Aid Monday........

These are $1.99 each this week.  I printed off 3 x $1/1 IPQ cereal from my Kellogg's Rewards Account, making each box .99¢ ($2.97)which I paid for with a free R-A gift card.  I earned back $2.10 at Ibotta and these items put me over a Bonus there for $5.00 so paid $2.97 on gift card and got back cash rebates of $7.10 total.
Sweet.  If Ex-CB doesn't eat this by the end of the year they'll go to the food bank as they are always begging for cold cereals.

Total spent this week so far on food is $80.10.
Total earned in cash rebates $17.73 and a $16.99 OSJL gift card.

A bit more shopping is slated for this week/month.....Aldi and Malacari's produce market and maybe the freebie at Weis on Friday.  ;-)

What food deals have you found lately?

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Shop Last Week & This Week

The only Rite-Aid I went into from the 5th to the 17th of this month was in West Ocean City MD.  And I didn't buy anything on that trip!(It was a bad week for deals at R-A anyway.)  Kim's Sissie was returning stuff and we just tagged along.

So I did a tiny little shop this past Friday.........

2 x Russell Stover chocies on sale=$1.00
1 x Colgate toothbrush on sale=$3.99
1 x Colgate toothpaste on sale=$3.99
SubTotal........$8.98

I used--
1 x $1/2 R/S chocies L2CQ=$1.00
2 x $2/1 Colgate item In-AdQ=$4.00
1 x $1/1 Colgate toothbrush ManQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Colgate toothpaste ManQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$7.00

$8.98-$7.00=$1.98 paid for with Bonus Cash
I earned back $2 in new BC($1 Colgate brush/$1 Colgate paste)so a .02¢ moneymaker.

Then I bought this on Saturday(because I forgot to cut out the Mitchum Qs for Friday's trip)......

2 x Mitchum deodorant 20% wellness disc.=$7.18
2 x R/S chocies on sale=$1.00
SubTotal....$8.18

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Mitchum In-AdQ=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Mitchum ManQ=$4.00
Coupon Total.........$8.00

$8.18-$8.00=.18¢ OOP paid for with Bonus Cash.

Now onward to the current week's sales.
Sunday I bought this on daughter's card.......

4 x Airwick air thingies on sale(2/$5)=$10.00
2 x Colgate Optic White toothpaste on sale($3.50)=$7.00
SubTotal.......$17.00

Coupons Used
2 x $2.50/2 Airwick IPQ=$5.00
2 x $3/1 Colgate In-AdQ=$6.00
1 x $1/2 Colgate toothpaste ManQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.......$12.00

$17.00-$12.00=$5.00+.30¢tax=$5.30 paid with Bonus Cash.

I earned back $8 in new BC(2 x $4 Airwick)making this is $2.70 moneymaker.

Then I bought this on my card...........

2 x Airwick air thingies on sale=$5.00
2 x Lysol wipes on sale=$5.00
SubTotal.......$10.00

Coupons Used
1 x $2.50/2 Airwick IPQ=2.50
1 x $1/2 Lysol wipes ManQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.........$3.50

$10.00-$3.50=$6.50+.39¢tax=$6.89 paid for with BC.
I earned back $8 in new BC(2 x $4 Airwick/Lysol)again making this a $1.11 moneymaker.

I would have bought 4 Airwicks again but my store only had 3 left so I punted and got the Lysol wipes instead...smaller moneymaker but that's ok.

I can go back after the truck comes in this week and use my other Airwick Q on my son's card if I feel like it.  I've got a whole $1 in BC on it so after using a $2.50/2 IPQ and that $1 BC will have to spend $1.50+ tax on my gift card to earn $4 in BC back.
But I might not feel like it.....we'll see.


Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "I Don't Want to Go Home" Edition................

I saw this luggage in Ollie's in Va. Beach.  Too bad I already have new luggage. ;-)

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--No Clue
2. Monday--No Clue

3. Tuesday--No Clue

4. Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6. Friday--No Clue
7. Saturday--No Clue

And this is what actually happened at home per Hubs info & after I got home--

1. Sunday--Pork Chops, Broccoli, Garlic Mashed Taters
2. Monday--Pesto w/Whole Grain Spaghetti, Peas

3. Tuesday--Leftover Lasagna
4. Wednesday--Chinese Take-Out(I got home but Hubs didn't plan a meal and expected ME to cook.....oh, hell no!!)
5. Thursday--McDonald's stuff, Brussels Sprouts

6. Friday--Meatloaf, leftover Brussels Sprouts, Mac and cheese
7. Saturday--Shrimp, French Fries, Carrots

Meanwhile in VA here is what dinners looked like--
Sunday--Roast Chicken w/Caesar Salad at brother's house(I cooked)
Monday--Beef Stir-Fry at brother's house(I cooked)
Tuesday--Turkey dinner at Bob Evan's(with son and GF)

Last week(for me)saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 0 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 3 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out for me.

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

* 2 lbs raw shrimp

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week at home.....
* 4 pork chops(Hubs)
* a bag of broccoli(Hubs)
* a container of pesto(Hubs)
* a bag of carrots
* 2 boxes of breaded shrimp

All my food spending on stuff to bring home on vacation came to $82.17(post about that later this week).  A trip to Weis brought the current weekly spending to $46.15 and my October spending on food to $237.29 so far this month.

My savings percentage last week was 43.27%(without Rite-Aid trips)and October's monthly savings total comes in at 45.09%(w/out R-A).

I have 10 more food shopping/spending days in October.

Leftovers going into this week......meatloaf, carrots, peas(Hubs).

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

1. Sunday--Roast Chicken, Onion, Carrots, Potatoes
2. Monday--Leftover Meatloaf, Squash Casserole

3. Tuesday--Sloppy Joes, Salad

4. Wednesday--Chicken and Dumplings

5. Thursday--Tacos

6. Friday--Chicken Enchiladas, Rice
7. Saturday--Leftovers

What needs buying for this menu?  I bought a large tray of ground beef and 2 whole chickens at Weis on Friday so my weekly menu is using up those proteins.  We do need produce like taters, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. so I'll be going to the produce market this week.  We are also out of bread so it's up to the Bread Outlet today too.  Aldi's is on the radar as well for this week. I'll probably be spending $100 or so this week.  That will bring us to under $400 for the month on the food/toiletries budget and I am ok with that. 8-)

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  

And the Giveaway Winner Is.......

We had 85 valid Giveaway Entries this time around.
And Random dotorg picked...............

Kim N.

AnonymousOctober 9, 2019 at 8:58 PM

My husband enjoys handing out candy for Halloween. We got about 20 Trick or Treaters last year. I already purchased chocolate to give away - mainly from CVS with ecbs/coupon.
Kim N.

Congratulations Kim N.!!!

Please email me your full name and mailing address within 48 hours of this post going live and I'll get this box out to you lickety split.

Thanks to everyone who plays along on these Giveaways.

There will be at least one Giveaway in November(maybe two?!?)so stay tuned for some fun next month too. ;-)

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the October 18th Edition

**Don't forget that today is the last day to enter the giveaway.  Use the link HERE.  Entry ends at 11:59 pm ET tonight.**

Now let's see what passed for frugal this past week in Sluggy's World............

* I had to give Kim a ride back to Sissie's house last Friday because Sissie had to leave a day early from our trip to OC due to work.  I didn't want to have to drive in rush hour around DC to get to my brother's house so I spent the night so no motel bill.

* When I left the next morning to go to my brother's house in VA I left 2 items.....a small package of country ham biscuit slices in the fridge and a bottle of Tums which fell off the nightstand and I forgot to pick up.  So Sissie is ham and antacid richer.
But I am mustard richer..........

Sissie had brought a cooler full of food to OC and somehow this got thrown into one of my bags by mistake and I didn't find it until I got home to PA on Wednesday.
I guess it's an even trade. lolz

*  I used 2 gift cards and 1 coupon while on vacation--I took Kim out to breakfast at IHOP(gcard)when we left OC, my brother and sister in-law to dinner at Cracker Barrel(gcard)and my son and his GF to dinner at Bob Evan's(coupon).

*   I found money!
On Sunday my brother, his wife and I went to Aldi.

I spied an un-corralled cart outside which yielded a free quarter when we were done shopping.
I also spied 2 pennies in a closed checkout and had to stoop under the strap across the lane to pick them up.

On Monday my brother took me out for breakfast at the Huddle House(like a Waffle House).  On the sidewalk outside I found a penny.

Also on Monday I did some laundry at my brother's house and I found this penny on the floor under their laundry sorter thing.

On Wednesday I fueled up by my son's apartment at a 7/11 and found a penny by the gas pump.

And when I stopped again for gas in Carlisle PA I found another penny by that gas pump.

On Thursday Hubs and I went to our local McDonald's as they were having a giveaway for their re-opening.

I found a dime in the dining room.

When I went back to the car I spied 13¢ in the drive-thru lane and scurried over to pick that dime and 3 pennies up and I didn't get run over. lolz

That makes .34¢ in found change for this past week.

*  The Giveaway at our local McDonald's I mentioned above..........

I won a pair of socks and Hubs won a free beverage.

*  Here are all the freebies I gleaned from our stay in Ocean City...........

Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, sugar packets, a coffee pod, soap, tea bags, marmalade packets and a tiny dish soap bottle.
Not pictured is the fist full of make-up remover wipes I gave to Kim. ;-)

*  My brother paid for my lunch last Sunday.........

A $1.50 hot dog with soda at Costco.
We are a family of big spenders evidently.......lolz

*  I brought Kim and Sissie's Xmas presents with me(wrapped and labeled), as well as my brother and his wife's Xmas presents and hand delivered them all in person.  This saved me a butt load of postage on mailing it all in December, especially Kim's box since she has the temerity to live clear across the country from me! ;-)

* Hubs didn't do any grocery shopping this past week(he's not a fan of shopping and grocery stores anyway)so no grocery spending other than the few things I bought while on my trip.(Report on that coming soon.)

That's about it from here for the week.

What frugal wins did you have this past week?
Let us know all about it.

Sluggy