Rite-Aid Sunday & Monday Trips + My New Temp Job....Maybe

I made a trip to Rite-Aid on Sunday to get some cereal and other things.

Select varieties of cereal were $1.88 a box on a 3-Day Sale(Sun. to Tues.)this week at R-A.
I also had 3 x $1/1 Kellogg's Qs(paid for with points in my Kellogg's Family Rewards account)and  a $1/2 Kellogg's cereal IPQ so I bought this...........

3 x Rice Krispies strawberry flavor $1.88 each=$5.64
2 x Frosted Mini-Wheats(1 original/1 strawberry)$1.88 each=$3.76
SubTotal........$9.40

Now I used those $4 in Qs I mentioned above plus see those yellow $1 R-A instant coupons on the 3 boxes of strawberry Rice Krispies?
Yep I got $7 total off so 5 boxes of cereal cost me $2.40.

And then my card had this Bonus Cash Challenge.........

So I will earn $2.50 in new BC in April for spending $9 on Kellogg's cereals so now I've been paid .10¢ to take these boxes home.

AND.......I will received $2.65 in cash rebates on Ibotta as well(2 x .35¢ Mini-Wheats/3 x .65¢ Rice Krispies)so now I've made $2.75 between BC and cash for buying these 5 cereals.

Some will go to the food bank in the next couple of weeks(depending on which ones Ex-CB wants to keep for his consumption). 8-)))

Then I bought this lot on son's card.

Note-I am trying to finish 2 Bonus Cash Challenges on his card-the 6 $15 visits to earn $7 BC and the Cover Girl one(Spend $16/Get $4 BC where I am at $11.83 spent).

1 x CoverGirl concealer 20% wellness discount=$5.99
4 x R/S chocolate Easter eggs on sale 2/$1=$2.00
1 x Reese's pb cups on sale=.58¢
2 x Rimmel mascara 2 packs on sale BOGO50%=$7.03
SubTotal.......$15.60

Coupons Used
1 x $3/1 CoverGirl any face item IPQ=$3.00
1 x B4G1Free R/S Easter eggs ManuQ=.50¢
2 x $2/1 Rimmel eye product IPQ=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$7.50

$15.60-$7.50=$8.10+.36¢ tax=$8.46 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned back $3 in new BC now($1 R/S eggs wyb2, $2 Rimmel wyb2 items)so I spent down $5.46 in BC.
I will get $9.75 in more BC in April($7 for 6 $15+ visits, $2.75 more in CoverGirl spending)for this transaction so that takes my transaction to a $4.29 moneymaker.
AND add in that I will get a .25¢ cash rebate on Ibotta for buying the Reese's pb cup pack.

Then I had to pick up an Rx on Monday so I finished off some more deals while I was there..........

1 x Tide detergent on sale=$4.94
1 x Edge shave cream 2.75 oz can 20% wellness discount=$1.99
I used a $2/1 Tide L2CQ and paid $4.93+30¢ tax=$5.23 OOP with Bonus Cash for both items.
I'll get back, next month, another $1.75 in BC for buying the shave cream and finishing the Gillette/Venus Deal and $1.50 more BC for buying the Tide and finishing off that Deal, so $5.23 spent in BC and $3.25 earned back.

Then I did this straightforward deal, stacking In-ad Qs with ManuQs........

2 x Lady Speed Stick deodorant on sale=$4.00
1 x Irish Spring body wash on sale=$3.99
2 x Speed Stick deodorant on sale=$4.00
1 x Colgate toothpaste 20% wellness better than sale price=$4.39
1 x 2 pack Colgate toothbrushes on sale=$4.99
2 x R/S Easter eggs on sale=$1.00
SubTotal......$22.37

Coupons Used
1 x $1/2 Lady Speed Stick ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Irish Spring body wash ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Irish Spring body wash In-adQ=$2.00
1 x $1/2 Speed Stick dodorant ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothpaste ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothpaste In-adQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate 2 pack toothbrushes ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Colgate toothbrush(es) In-adQ=$2.00
Coupon Total.......$13.00

$22.37-$13.00=$9.37+.32¢ tax=$9.69 paid with Bonus Cash.
I earned $7 back in new BC(2 x $3 wys $10 Colgate/Speed Stick/Irish Spring, $1 Russell Stover)so I spent down the BC by $2.69 on this transaction.


Recap of the last two days of R-A Deals--
Total Spent in BC.....$55.28(with tax)
Total Coupons Used....$29.50
Total Spent in BC after Qs...$25.78(with tax)
Total Earned in new BC....$25.50
Total Ibotta Cash Earned...$2.90
Total Overage w/BC and Ibotta...$2.62

Nice.

Things have gotten "real" here since Monday with non-essential businesses shutting down(including Ex-CB's store)and the report of the first case of the virus in our county.  For now I'll be self-quarantining and if we need anything Hubs will be going out since he is at a lower risk of catching this thing.  I am immune-suppressed and on a Biologic but he's just old. ;-)
They also closed our state run liquor stores here as of tonight....the ONE state agency we really NEED right now! LOL

And last night I got a phone call from the Census folks.  I had applied for a job with the Census this year and I've been accepted.  Now I'm not so sure I want/can do this job since it involves going door to door and interacting with people. 
I will go forward with the process though and hope they push back when they send workers out to count.  The Census door-to-door counting was suppose to begin Mid-May and finish by July for those who didn't complete their form online.  You would think that they'd delay this phase of the process what with a pandemic going on, right?  We shall see.......

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "The Dog's Revenge" Edition................

We've had both of our dogs fixed lately and had to put up with a lot of "cone of shame" time here.
I had to laugh when I saw this on FB.
Do you know how hard it is NOT to touch your face when told not to? lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--Pork Teriyaki, Stir-Fry Veggies(Rice for some)
2. Monday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke in Tomatoes, Rice
3. Tuesday--BBQ take-out(I have a gift cert.)

4. Wednesday--Clam Chowder, Biscuits or Cornbread

5. Thursday--Salmon, Roasted Carrots, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Pizza, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers of Fend For Yourself

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Pork Teriyaki, Stir-Fry Veggies(Rice for some)
2. Monday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke in Tomatoes, Rice
3. Tuesday--BBQ take-out(I have a gift cert.)

4. Wednesday--Clam Chowder, Biscuits or Cornbread

5. Thursday--Chicken Tenders, Broccoli, Mac and Cheese

6. Friday--Leftovers/Fend for Yourself
7. Saturday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

Last week saw 4 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 1 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  We ate lunch out on Wednesday.
The salmon and pizza didn't happen since we had so many leftovers from cooking earlier in the week so those move to this week.  I subbed Chicken Tenders one night as I wanted to use those up and free up some freezer real estate. lolz

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 2 chicken cutlet packs
* 2 chicken boneless thighs packs

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* Chicken thighs
* Pork Loin
* Chicken Tenders
* Broccoli

3 trips to Weis(PMITA)Markets this past week in the amount of $125.34 brings my March Grand Total spending on food so far to $224.19.  I didn't realize I spent so much last week and all of it at Weis.  For someone who only "needed" a cucumber last week(and milk)I sure found lots to spend $$ on anyway. lolz  Though none of it was panic buying, just my normal "found some deals too good to pass up" stuff. No tp, hand sanitizer, wipes, etc.....though I did buy some peroxide on a good sale which I use in the washer.
No worries as we are about on target for a $400 spend month.
I've earned $28.95 in Ibotta rebates too in March so far.

My savings percentage last week was 49.63%(without Rite-Aid trips)and March's monthly savings total comes in at 56.01%(w/out R-A).  

I have 15 more food shopping/spending days in March.

Leftovers going into this week.....1 small helping of Asparagus, 1 helping of Pork Teriyaki Stir-Fry and Rice, 1 bowl of Clam Chowder(and a few Biscuits), 1-2 helpings of Lemon Pepper Chicken, Zuke and Rice, 1/3 of a pan of the Mac and Cheese and a small helping of Broccoli.
Mostly Hubs can polish all the leftovers off for lunches(except what's designated for dinners this week).

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

1. Sunday--Salmon, leftover Mac and Cheese, Green Beans
2. Monday--Hamburgers or Cheeseburgers on Rolls, leftover assorted Veggies or Salad
3. Tuesday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice or Noodles, Salad

4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself

5. Thursday--Hot Dogs and homemade Beans, Sweet Potato Fries

6. Friday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Veggie TBD
7. Saturday--I might make Chili for the guys or Tacos or ?

What needs buying for this menu?  I need mushrooms from Aldi for the Stroganoff but that's about it.  If I can't get them then the menu will change.
I'd like to get some ice cream midweek at Weis(Mix and Match Deal + Qs)but that's all that is on my list.  With the craziness at Weis I don't think I'll be finding any discount sticker meats this week but it's not a "need" because we can eat from the freezer(and will).

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

Stuff Lately

Just some random stuff going on to talk about today......

* We finally were able to ditch our landline phone bill(and the separate long distance access bill too).
We changed cell phone providers since ours had a black hole of no service here(so weird).  We got the first bill(ACK!)but there's start-up costs on that one.  The first "real" bill, this month, came in at $76.02.  It will vary slightly every month because(I don't know if this is just a state thing in PA or nationwide)but the cell company can change certain taxes and fees monthly.  It's such a racket though.

So far we are VERY pleased since the old carrier(that was a black hole of no service in our town)was $20 MORE a month for the same crappier service, plus we were paying for a landline(approx. $26 per mo.)and long distance service for that landline(approx. $9-$10 per mo.)too.  That added up to $132 every freaking month!!  So we are paying a little more than HALF that now.  8-)))))))

The best part about all this is no telemarketers ringing the landline all freaking day long annoying me.  I keep looking at the place in the kitchen where the phone was, looking for the blinking light on the answering machine which is no longer there.

*  I found something I liked.........

Got this on clearance last Fall.  It's a pecan pie granola and it's lovely in Greek yogurt.
Unfortunately I can't find it any longer as it is seasonal. *sad face*

* I get folks emailing me every now and again to ask if I want them to write guest posts for my blog or if they can put a link(advertise something they are selling)on my blog.  Some times these requests make no sense.
Recently someone wanted to hook up with me because of a blog post they saw that I wrote.  Her email title was, "Love your article about baby care!(And a proposal)"
This person/entity has a site that sells baby/child stuff and they wanted me to add their link to that "baby care" article I wrote and they would share that post with their social media followers to get me exposure and help my blog, of course. They also wrote an article about crying babies that they thought my visitors might appreciate and it would add value to my "amazing article"(their words not mine).
Yeah.
The blog post of mine they decided that I would be a good fit with them is one from Aug. of 2009(2009!)I wrote about how to score Johnson & Johnson baby products cheaply at Rite-Aid that particular week.
LOLZ

*  The Anonymous trolls seem to be out in force the last few weeks.  They just don't get that I delete ALL anonymous comments that no one is willing to sign their name to.
Haters gonna hate, whatcha gonna do?  Not post their verbal diarrhea, that's what!
Too bad my trolls aren't this adorable..... ;-)

* Another recent head scratching email I got was from an Ancestry dotcom member....someone I have no clue who it is.
Here's the entire message they wrote to me........"Who is this?"

W.T.F!
It's mind numbing sometimes how many people out there are left walking around unsupervised in life who shouldn't be.

* If you requested a copy of that book I read in January that I offered, it might be awhile before I get around to mailing them out.  I've got to find appropriate packaging materials to send them media mail because I am not paying for Priority rates on those and I am not paying for boxes either.  I'm a nice person but I'm frugal and I'm not THAT nice! ;-)

*  After Thursday's trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets and taking this photo of the paper goods aisle.........

I actually went back on Friday(well I had to get the freebie and a couple of one day only specials).  I peeked down that aisle and they had a bit of tp this time as the truck had come in and they had restocked the shelves.  The store here was nuts with panicky folks with overflowing carts of stuff.  I have been calling our Weis the "Zombie Apocalypse" store.
And they were buying the weirdest combinations of stuff in the carts I looked at.
One couple had 6 huge bags of potato chips, 8 gallon jugs of water, 6 12-packs of Diet Coke(and no, it wasn't Kim hehehe)and 8 jars of Heinz gravy.  ???  I almost asked them "why so much gravy?", because I have no filter. lolz

But the "Zombie Apocalypse" Weis was nothing compared to the Weis in the town West of here I went to which will now be known as the "Armageddon Weis". 
First there were no shopping carts.  You had to follow someone out of the store, wait for them to unload their cart so you could take it into the store.

Not only was the paper goods aisle totally empty but the cleaning products aisle, the dairy/eggs case, people were hovering at the meat case(I think they were waiting for Corned Beef Briskets to be put out?) and even the self check-outs had lines 5 deep of folks waiting to pay(pus all the reg check-outs had even longer lines).  (Note-almost EVERYBODY in this area refuses to use self check-outs unless forced.  We have high percentage of elderly here who are set in their ways/won't change and/or believe that if they use a self check-out even once, folks will lose their jobs in that store.)

As I was walking back too my car I passed a woman unloading her groceries into her trunk.  I stopped and said, "That was so insane in there I think we all need to take a trip next door to the liquor store to recover."  She agreed and we both had a good laugh over it. ;-)

I tried to keep things light by handing out coupons from my pouch if  I saw someone had something in their cart to buy that I had a coupon for while I was in line.

*  And last month's Giveaway winner had Amazon send me a nice surprise gift........

A pack of dog butt fridge magnets. lololz
Now that I have them I don't know how I ever got along without them!
Nobody ever sends me anything...really.  Maybe it's because I'm such a despicable person like the trolls keep telling me. 8-P

So THANK YOU Jen/Dave, I AM enjoying some dog butts! *snort*

Ok, back to wiping stuff down(Ex-CB still has to go to work and he might bring germs home with him to us....musician types aren't known for being very tidy now are they?).

What's everyone else up to this weekend?


Sluggy

More Rite-Aid Trips This Week + Weis & Ibotta

That $10 when you spend $40 In-AdQ at Rite-Aid this week was too tempting so I went back and used my card to try to uses it/earn it.

Here's what I bought.........

2 x Nature Valley granola bars 20% discount($3.43)=$6.86
4 x R-A Hydrogen Peroxide 20% discount($1.75)=$7.00
1 x Mitchum men's deo 20% discount=$3.59
1 x Mitchum "Nature Power" ladies deo 20% discount=$4.79
6 x Orbit gum on sale 3/$3=$6.00
1 x Bic Flex 5 razor 20% discount=$5.99
1 x Uno card game 20% discount=$6.39
2 x Nature's Truth Vitamin E stick BOGO=$1.99
SubTotal.......$42.61

Coupons Used
* 1 x $10 BC wys $40 Q
2 x $2/1 R-A peelieQ(on Nature Valley)=$4.00
1 x .50¢/1 Nature Valley L2CQ=.50¢
2 x $2/1 Mitchum R-A In-adQ=$4.00
1 x $2/1 Mitchum Nature Power deo ManuQ=$2.00
6 x .50¢/1 R-A peelieQ(on Orbit gums)=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Bic Flex razor R-A In-adQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Bic Flex razor ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1 Catalina good on anything/earned on Gerber foods=$1.00
Coupon Total........$20.50

$42.61-$20.50=$22.11+.41¢ sales tax=$22.52 paid for with BC.

I earned back $19 in new Bonus Cash($10 wyspend $40, 2 x $2 wyb2 Peroxide, $5 Uno).
I earned $2.10 in rebates on Ibotta($2 Nature's Truth, .10¢ when you buy anything).
I also earned $1.50 on a Bonus Cash Challenge for Orbit gum once April gets here.

So $22.52 spent and $22.60 earned back in BC and/or cash rebates.

I also found this at a different R-A in their clearance section and bought it........

Marked down 75% so it was $3.62 and I got back $5 in an Ibotta cash rebate.  I got paid $1.38 to take this home. ;-)

Here's another trip to R-A on son's card to a different store this week.  I was looking for the Natural Power Mitchum so I could use my stacked Qs for it.  I also found some 75% clearance items that I had Qs for and discount candy with .50¢ off stickers so I made a $15 transaction(for 2 of the Bonus Cash Challenges for this account).

1 x Mitchum deo 20% discount=$4.79
1 x Love Beauty Planet hair spray 75% off=$2.24
2 x Almay lip sticks 75% off($2.07 ea)=$4.14
2 x Nature's Truth Vitamin E sticks BOGO=$1.99
1 x R-A pencil sharpener 20% disc=.79¢
5 x candy bars on sale 77¢=$3.85
SubTotal.........$17.80

Coupons Used
1 x $2/1 Mitchum In-adQ=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Mitchum Natural Power ManuQ=$2.00
1  $1.50/1 Love Beauty Planet IPQ=$1.50
2 x $2/1 Almay lip item ManuQ=$4.00
5 x .50¢ instant R-A stickers=$2.50
Coupon Total........$12.00

$17.80-$12.00=$5.80 + .26¢ tax=$6.06 paid for with Bonus Cash.

I earned another .75¢ for a R-A HOME BC Challenge and another $15 or over visit so I only need one more $15 trip on this card to earn $7 for the Visit 6 times BC Challenge.
I also earned $2 cash from Ibotta for buying the Vitamin E sticks.

There is a Weekend Warrior of $5 for buying 4 items this weekend in my Ibotta gallery so I put together a little scenario for that as well on Thursday. All but the first item were bought at Weis on Thursday......

2 x Nature's Truth Vitamin E sticks(the same ones above/I didn't buy 2 more lol)=$1.99
1 x bag of Ruby Frost apples=$2.99
4 x Purina high protein wet dog food $1 ea.=$4.00
1 x Nutrish dog treats on sale=$2.50
Total.......$11.48

Ibotta Rebates
Nature's Truth=$2.00
Apples=$1.00
Dog Food=$1.00
Dog Treats=.75¢
WWarrior wyb4=$5.00
Ibotta Total....$9.75

$11.48-$9.75=$1.73 OOP for all items in the photo.

I also went to Weis on Friday to get the freebie and the Friday deals.......

Friday deals-Lysol toilet bowl cleaner was .99¢  I used 4 .50¢/1 Qs that doubled to $1 so .04¢ in overage to apply to other items in my order.
The Keebler cookies are $1.97 this ad and I used 2 .75¢/1 Qs that doubled to $1.50 so each pack cost .47¢.
I also printed the .55¢/1 Little Debbie fudge brownie with English walnuts Q x 2 that was on coupons dotcom last week or so(it's NLA now).  I found this variety at the Weis across the street from the R-A where I found the make-up clearance pictured above, and LD snacks are 3/$5 this week, so I got 2 boxes of brownies for $1.14 total OOP(.57¢ each).
The Pure Leaf was a clearance find(not marked on the shelf-I found out about it from a Weis Q group on FB)$1.49 per bottle for the Hibiscus Lemonade Tea variety.  Between my store and the Weis in the town West of here let's just say I am well stocked on that now. lolz  And no, I didn't clear them out.

I saw lots of panic buying on Thursday and Friday at various Weis stores while I was out. Crazy!  People are not making fun of me for having a well stocked pantry now, are they? ;-)

It's always a good idea to keep extra food/paper goods as your extra cash allows. 
You never know when your store supply chains will be disrupted. 
Blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes(where I grew up), earthquakes and now pandemics with a fear of being quarantined or having to self-isolate.  These are all reasons to keep your wits about you but have a stockpile of whatever size works for you.

Do you keep a stockpile?
If you don't you should.


Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the March 13th Edition

Oh Goody!
Friday the 13th so let's recount this past week's frugal wins to scare off the evil spirits(and the online trolls that seem to be virulent lately) ;-)

Here's a photo I snapped yesterday of the paper goods aisle at my local Weis(PMITA)Markets.............

Just a few rolls of paper towels and down at the end some facial tissue.  I can't believe there was facial tissue left since it's just like TP just a little more expensive.

Onward to the frugalness..........

*  I got the Weis Friday Freebie last Friday.........

A box of Weis brand Hamburger Helper.
We don't care for this but the food bank likes to get it so off it goes in my next load to them.

* Hubs and I used a gift certificate won at the Church auction last Fall for a new BBQ joint in town for dinner on Tuesday.  We split a beef brisket dinner and after applying the gift cert. it cost us $3.18 OOP for dinner.

*  I found money!

A penny next to my favorite self-check out machine at Weis on Friday.

I did a load of laundry and found all this in the washer afterwards.  Sluggy's house rule, "I do the laundry and I keep the change you leave in your pockets", makes me .37¢ richer. tee hee

My trip to Rite-Aid garnered me .12¢ on Tuesday.  Each coin was found at different locations in the store.

On Thursday I found a nickel by the ATM at Rite-Aid when I went to pick up an Rx..........

Don't know why there since ATMs only give bills back, not change. lol

Then at Weis(PMITA)Markets later that day I found this..........

a dime right near the door where you walk in, under a display of Wonderful Pistachios.

It was a great week for finding change here!

Total Found Money this week...... .65¢
Total Money for the Year so far....$43.81

*  I earned $12.45 total in Ibotta rebates this week.

*  The deals I got at Rite-Aid.......

Total spent in Bonus Cash $16.33
Total earned back in BC $26.50 and in Ibotta Rebates $2.00 back as well.

My Weis deals above cost $24.44 OOP
I earned back $3.70 in Ibotta rebates on all this.

*  Hubs and I went to Bob Evans for lunch on Wednesday, the last day the $X off Q I had was good before expiring.  I got my usual big salad but this time Hubs, true to form did NOT get a salad too.  He opted for a meatloaf dinner this time.


That's about it for me this week.

What frugal wins did ya'll have?

Sluggy