Frugal Friday.....the September 25th Edition

 Here's a rundown on what frugal wins we had around Chez Sluggy this past week.....

*  I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday.  I had $3-$4 in Bonus Cash that was expiring soon so I  brought this stuff home....

1 x Ric Krispies on sale=$1.99

2 x Febreeze small spaces deodorizer 20% Wellness discount($3.11)=$6.22

SubTotal....$8.21

Coupons Used

1 x $1/1 any Kellogg's cereal from my Kellogg's Points account=$1.00

1 x BOGOFree Febreeze ManuQ(up to $3.00)=$3.00

Coupon Total.......$4.00

$8.21-$4.00=$4.21+.20¢ tax=$4.41 using Bonus Cash.

I also earned .60¢ on Ibotta for buying the Rice Krispies plus a Giveaway entry, so converted .60 in BC into cash. ;-)

*  I finished off the Ibotta "Seeing Green" $10 Bonus.  I needed 11 items(and after the box of cereal at R-A it was 10 items)I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets.....

3 x Kellogg's cereals $2.49 wyb3=$7.47(2 different rebates)

2 x Jello gelatin cups on sale=$3.00

2 x Jello pudding cups on sale=$3.00

2 x Cracker Barrel cheese on sale=$5.38

2 x Banza chickpea pasta clearance=$4.18

2 x Cliff energy drinks on sale=$4.00(2 different rebates)

1 x St. Joseph low dose aspirin on sale=$2.00

1 x Daisy sour cream=$1.99 *not pictured*

SubTotal.....$31.02

Coupons Used..$4.40

Total after Qs.....$26.62 OOP

Then I earned back $13.80 on Ibotta for 10 different rebates plus hit the 30 item mark and earned the $10 Seeing Green Bonus too, so $23.80 in rebates/bonuses back meaning all 15 items cost me $2.82 OOP.

*  I already blogged earlier this week about the $4.10 refund at Weis(PMITA)Markets that made my package of diced chicken better than free....

*  Hubs took the window a/c out of two rooms upstairs.  When he went to put the screens back in he saw that one was beyond patching so he bought a roll of screen and used his rescreening tools to replace the screen.

Ta-Dah!  Much cheaper than buying a whole new window screen and frame.

*  I got 2 packs of chicken and a pack of hamburgers(and some snacking cheese)on clearance last Friday which I already showed you....

But when I went back on Wednesday to finish the Ibotta Rebates and that $10 Bonus I also picked this up in the way of meat deals....

Another pack of hamburgers, 1.33 lb for $1.98 after discount and $2 instant sticker on the package.

And a pack of 1.69 lb. of thin sliced chicken breast for $3.31 after half price(BOGOF at Weis, if you just get one it's half-price)and $2 instant sticker on the package.  This will be good on nights my hands are hurting and I can't pound or slice chicken for stuff like Marsala or Parm.;-)

These went immediately into the freezer.

*  I found money!

I found a penny at Rite-Aid when I went there last Friday.

I went to a cashiered register at Weis(PMITA)Markets last Friday. The register wouldn't take any of my legit IPQs so they suspended the transaction(as this snafu was holding up the line)and they made me go to Customer Service to finish the transaction and get my Qs to scan.

After finishing up at the CS desk as I walked past the self-checkouts I spied a coin under one of the self-checkouts but someone was using it right then.  So I pulled my shopping cart off to the side and looked over my register(the same receipt they overcharged me on that pack of chicken...maybe I should have REALLY paid attention to that receipt, huh?lol)and waited for the guy to finish and pay and move away from the checkout.  Then I swooped in and snatched up the coin which turned out to be a dime...so worth the wait. ;-)

Then when I went back to Weis on Tuesday to get a refund on the overcharged chicken I found this penny near the Customer Service desk.

And I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday to use some expiring BC(see first photo of transaction above).  I cleaned some expired Qs out of my coupon envie while in the store and went to put them in the trash can outside the door of the store as I left and found this penny waiting for me near the trash can.

Found change this week..... .13¢
Found change this year so far...$48.28

*  We had Ex-CB and his roommate over for dinner Thursday.  As it was a shot day we ordered Domino's(plus I was able to put together a tossed salad to serve with the pizza).

I used a gift card(long ago paid for)plus since I order online I had a FREE Pizza to redeem so instead of $23.96 + tax the order was $17.97 + tax.

That's about all from here this past week.

What frugal wins did ya'll have this past week?  Let us know!

And to Jen G.--I am certain that I will NEVER be the cause of any national tofu crisis.  Other than a little in my Hot and Sour soup when I order that, I have to stay away from soy beans(it's a long story).  There will be no tofu hoarding here! ;-)

Sluggy

Gary Vaynerchuk Inspiration

 Described as a "serial entrepeneur", Gary grew his dad's liquor store business in New Jersey by rebranding, marketing and launching it into the e-commerce arena, making it into a multi-million dollar enterprise.  He also co-founded an app, Resy, that was sold to American Express in 2019.  Gary Co-founded a winery too that was bought out by a corporation this year.  He has branched out into founding a media company with his brother and been a NYT best selling author, and his mostly now known as a motivational speaker and an internet personality.

While most of his podcasts don't apply to me at my stage of life, I can glean ideas and things to apply to how I view the world.  I agree with a lot of what he says and he is truly an inspiration to anyone looking to better themselves financially.  I think he has a lot of good advice to offer.

Take a listen.....

*Strong language warning.*

Sluggy

Ibotta Rebates on Shopping Last Week & Deals

 Other than Rite-Aid(where I don't spend actual money)I hit Weis(PMITA)Markets and finished up the $20 Moo-lah Ibotta Bonus.  I had already gotten L'Oreal hair coloring, Carefree liners, Schick razors and a box of Kellogg's cereal at R-A last week so 4 items more toward Moo-lah.

Here is how I finished off the Weekend Warrior and the Moo-lah Bonuses at Weis.......

3 x Kellogg's cereals $2.49 wyb3=$7.47

2 x Caress Body Wash $4 on sale ea.=$8.00

1 x Axe body spray/deo=$4.99

2 x Cliff energy drinks on sale $2.00 ea.=$4.00

1 x Keebler cookies on sale=$2.58

1 x Kind bar on sale=$2.00

1 x Simply almond nut juice=$3.99*not pictured

2 x Jello(blue Minions/sugar-free cherry)on sale $1.50=$3.00

1 x Jello banana pudding cups on sale=$1.50

1 x Cracker Barrel cheese on sale=$2.69

(2 x Creative Roots coconut water packs on sale $2.49 ea.=$4.98)*

* Creative Roots wasn't an Ibotta item but in order to get the sale price on the cheese and Jello items I had to Mix and Match 6 items(for $6 off), plus I had Qs on CR so they were $2.23 and I got another .75¢ back on SavingStar so .74¢ each pack.

I used $6.70 in coupons for these 15 items(not counting the Creative Roots drinks)which fulfilled 14 separate Ibotta rebates.

Total spent OOP....$33.52+.77¢ sales tax=$34.29

Ibotta Rebates earned...$37.75(16.25 regular for each item, .50¢ Simply Almond Bonus, $1 Weekend Warrior Bonus, $20 Moo-lah Bonus).

Plus I am now 11 items away from another $10 Seeing Green Bonus so I'll wait for another MidWeek Bonus or a Weekend Warrior bonus to stack with that one to get more bang for my rebate. ;-)

The Unilever items(Axe, Caress)also count toward a Fetch Rewards deal(spend $30/Get 10K points)and the reg. retail not sale prices and/or coupons count toward that $30 total.

I also got a few meat and cheese deals on this trip.....

2 x Babybel cheese packs were on clearance for $2.99(reg. $5.99)and I had 2 x $1/1 Babybel IPQs so these were $1.99 each.

1 x 85% Ground Beef patties were $2.99 lb. on clearance=$3.74 for 1.25lbs.

1 x boneless Perdue chicken thighs were BOGOF(so 50% for one)=$4.40 and had a $2 instant discount sticker so $2.40 for the package.

1 x diced Perdue chicken breast marked down to $4.43 and had a $2 instant discount sticker so $2.43 and I used a $1/1 Perdue fresh cuts Q so $1.43 OOP.

I noticed when I was writing this up last night the store charged be $6.89-.33¢ for the diced chicken package instead of the price on the yellow part of the sticker where it was marked $4.43. ugh.

So I drove over to Weis to get a refund on the difference between what I was charged($6.56)and the price it was suppose to be($4.43).

I explained at Customer Service, showed her the package of chicken and my receipt so clearly I was due back $2.13.

The person got out her calculator, opened cash register and handed me cash and my receipt back.

When I got to the car I took the money out of my pocket and she had given me this....

$4.10

Whaaaat!?

It took me awhile to figure out how she came up with that amount.

Evidently she took the price I should have paid and deducted the .33¢ that was actually deducted on the register off the regular price of $6.89.

$4.43-.33=$4.10.

So I got an amount refunded that was almost double what I expected and I got.

This means after my coupon on that chicken, the $2 instant sticker and this $4.10, the chicken was a .54¢ moneymaker. lolz

And no I am not going back again and try to explain their error to them and give that $1.97 extra back to them.

I figure making me go back to get the refund, my time and effort is worth that $1.97. ;-)

That $4.10 is safely tucked into my Refund envelope awaiting the end of the year to stick it all back into the checking account.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

  The  "Not Food Pic But Funny" Edition.....

I saw this dog toy at a Big Lots awhile back.  I immediately thought of Kim from Out My Window blog.
She has the largest sweet tooth I know. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On....

This is what was planned.........

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Salad
2. Monday--Chicken Pot Pie
3. Tuesday--Leftovers or FFY

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushrooms and Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas
5. Thursday--Domino's

6. Friday--steamed Lobsters, sauted Cabbage, French Fries
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Lasagna, Salad
2. Monday--Chicken Pot Pie
3. Tuesday--Subway Sandwiches

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushrooms and Sauce, Salad, leftover Garlic Bread
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Lobster, Asian Salad(Peas for Hubs)

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/FFY/TV Dinners, and 1 night of Take-Out/Eating Out. 

Substitute Subway for Domino's and I pretty much kept to the plan last week.  Didn't make the cabbage though and that still has to happen.

What got put into the freezer last week....
* 1 package of diced raw chicken breast

* 1 package of b/s chicken thighs

* 1 package of 4 ground beef patties

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

* Chicken Pot Pies

We spent $99.70 last week(Weis and Price Chopper trips and this includes my .16¢ spent at CVS which I forgot to add in the previous week to the spending), bringing our food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods to $290.16 for September so far.
There are 9 shopping days left in the month.  

I've earned $159.86 on Ibotta in September. WOW!

I've earned $4.00 on SavingStar in September.

I've earned $2.50 on Checkout51 in September.

I've earned $2.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal(for a digital Q).

I've earned 8281 points from food shopping on Fetch in September.

I've earned 3355 points from food shopping on ShopKick in September.

I've earned 3625 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in September(not counting the $6 in points missing).

My savings percentage for last week was 55.38%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips)for September and the monthly savings total for September comes in at 50.98% so far.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....1 Chicken Parm, a few helpings of Rigatoni and a helping of  Lasagna.

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburgers, Fries
2. Monday--Chicken Thighs, Collards
3. Tuesday--Salmon, Spinach Salad

4. Wednesday--Leftovers and Odds and Ends
5. Thursday--Domino's, Salad

6. Friday--Fajitas
7. Saturday--Breakfast for Dinner

What needs buying for this menu?  In order to get Lobsters for Sat.'s meal at $4.99 lb. I had to purchase $15 worth of non-"deal" items.  I picked up fresh mushrooms, Lloyd's bbq and a big hunk of salmon at $7.99 lb.  Half the salmon will go into the freezer(using other half in this week's menu)and the mushrooms will go into the Fajita mix(don't judge me, I like them in fajitas!lol). The Lloyd's will be a ready made meal back up for nights I don't feel like cooking. ;-)

I will need to pick up sour cream this week however and more salad greens before Thursday as we are out.

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home.
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Haddock Fish Dinner  

* Beef Liver  

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

What I "Bought" This Past Week at Rite-Aid

The Title should be what I brought home from Rite-Aid this week and not what I bought since no cash was spent. ;-)

I got this on Sunday to get further along on a Bonus Cash Challenge on Bic...

1 x Bic Razor and used a $3/1 ManuQ, spending $3.17 w/tax using my BC.

 

On Tuesday I finished up 3 BC challenges(Bic, Nature's Truth, R-A OTC)--

2 x Bic White-Out at BOGO50% and used a $1.50/2 Bic stationery L2CQ, spending $3.48 w/tax using BC.
1 x Nature's Truth(I thought it was still BOGO this week or I would have bought 2 the previous week darn it!)w/20% Wellness discount and I used a $2/1 IPQ making it $8.29 OOP using BC.
2 x R-A brand Melatonin and D3 Gummies at BOGO making both $9.99 using BC.

Then on Friday I did my "big" transaction....

1 x Kellogg's cereal at $1.99 and used a $1/1 reward Kellogg's Q from my Kellogg's account.
2 x Carefree liners at BOGO50%($6.88)and used a $3/2 L2CQ.
2 x L'Oreal Preference hair color $7.99 w/20% Wellness discount and I used a $5/2 In-Ad Q.
2 x Schick disposable razors $5.99 on sale and I used 2 x $3/1 Schick disposable IPQs.
2 x Colgate toothpaste on sale for $3.50 each and used 2 x In-Ad $3/1 R-AQs and stacked 2 x $1.50/1 select Colgate toothpaste IPQs(from email link Colgate sent me).

SubTotal for all this was $43.83.  After subtracting my $24 in Qs(*)and adding $1.15 of sales tax, I spent $20.98 in Bonus Cash to pay.

I earned $2 in new BC(the Carefree)and I converted $15 of that BC spent into cash through Ibotta rebates--Kellogg's($1), the Carefree($2), the L'Oreal($6), the Schick($6).

I also had a ManuQ of $5/2 L'Oreal hair color I forgot to bring with me so on Saturday I took that in and got $5 in Cash for it(basically I converted $5 of BC into $5 cash since I used $5 more in BC to pay for that transaction).

Goodness knows I don't need MORE toothpaste after the past couple of months and all the toothpaste deals BUT stacking the Colgate IPQs w/the In-Ad Rite-Aid Qs gave me $2 in overage to apply to other items I bought.

So after BC spent and BC/cash/rebates earned, the cereal was -.01¢, the liners were -.11¢, the hair color was -.02¢, the razors were -.02¢, and the toothpaste was -$2.00.

Not a bad haul for the week.
Looking at this week's ad I don't see anything urging me to go to R-A though all those Bonus Cash Challenge points become "live" this week so I have lots of BC to spend again(after I spent last week spending most of them up).
What's a gal to do? 8-))

Sluggy