Frugal Friday.....The March 12th Edition

 Here are the few things that happened around here this past week that are considered frugal.......

*  My shoe order arrived!

2 weeks ago now I ordered 4 pair of ugly shoes to wear in the house that were clearanced at 75% off from Easy Spirit.
I am actually very pleased with what they look like!  The online photo(at least how it showed on my computer)showed them as peach w/grey ferns/palm fronds but IRL they are green and peach, not grey.  So they aren't as butt ugly as I thought they'd be which is a bonus.  The best part was the low price of $14.75 per pair for shoes with support for my feet. 8-)

*  I got off of the CVS Extra Care Bucks hamster wheel this week.

The case of water I brought home was free and these wipes only cost me $2.07 OOP after sale/Q/ECBs and I earned no new ECBS back.  I gave CVS a good try for most of 2020 but it's just not as good as Rite-Aid for me(and not as close by to where I live which is a factor in the Winter here)so I am done with them.

*  We hit the discount outlet on Wednesday.  I spent a whole $19.45--on 2 large bags of Collard Greens(.79¢ each), a box of tea($1.99), a small port wine cheese ball($1.29), 1 large box of Krusteaz cornbread mix(.89¢), a quart of macaroni salad($179), 1.09 lb. of fresh green beans(.59¢ lb.), 2.59 lb. yellow squash(.39¢ lb.), 1.82 lb. bananas(.29¢ lb.), a bag of granola(.79¢).  Almost $9.00 of my OOP was spent on this though.....

6 x12 pack bags of Pirate's Booty.  I know it's branded for Halloween but it's still in date for freshness.

I did a deal at Rite-Aid earlier this year because it was free.  I'd never tried this snack before then and man, oh man!  I love it!!!  It's sort of a cross between Cheetos and popcorn(but not as salty as Cheetos which I can't stand).  A 6 oz. bag of this will run you $5.99 at Weis(PMITA)Markets.  These were 6 oz. bags total for $1.49 each.  Sluggy for the win! lolz

*  We also picked up two freebies at the discount outlet while there.....

2 bottle of Triple Sec Syrup(sorry for the blurry photo).  Do I hear Margaritas calling my name this Summer?;-)

And 2 large bags of corn tortilla chips.  We'll give one bag to Ex-College Boy tonight when he comes over.

Tip-even if tortilla chips or shells are stale, you can pop them in the oven to dry them out and make them crispy again.

*  I hit Walmart and Weis this past weekend and finished two Ibotta Bonuses as well as all the regular Ibotta rebates....

Between the two stores I spent $53.68(that total was with using a $25 free gift card)on Ibotta/Shop Kick items, earned $62.51 back in rebates so I got paid $8.83 to bring all that home. 8-)

*  I returned to Weis the next day on Sunday to get this.....

$5 because the Catalina didn't print on Saturday.  I had to show the Deal from the ad on my phone(and I bought my receipt and all 6 of the items that qualified for the deal with me).  Abe went into my post coupon/store refund envie to be added back into the food budget at the end of 2021.

*  I found money!

Picking up an Rx at Rite-Aid on Saturday I found this penny.

While self-checking out at Walmart I saw these 2 pennies in the change return of the machine I was using.

I noticed a coin under the machine next to me so I waited until the person using it was finished and left and scoop up the dime on the left.  As I turned around to leave I spied another dime about 2 feet out into the open area of the self-checkouts so that FDR went home with me too. ;-)

When I went back to Weis on Sunday to get my $5 refund for the Catalina that didn't print I spied this penny under one of the self-checkout machines.

Total Found This Week.... .24¢

Total Found This Year....$1.52

That's about all I got this week.

Any frugal wins in your world this past week?

Tell us all about them!

Sluggy

I Am Finally Free! Bye Bye CVS......

 I still had $4 in ECBs to use by the 14th of this month at CVS.

Hubs and I ran errands near a CVS yesterday so I popped in to get rid of that $4 and I had to purposely buy stuff that didn't give me back ECBs so the CVS merry-go-round would end.

I had gotten 2 different bottled water DQs on the CVS app a few weeks ago but then the weather kept me from going.  The Qs were still there so I got this case of water for free after those Qs. (One Q adjusted down from $1.50 to $1.49 as the water was $2.99 per case.)

Then I looked around quickly for something we could use and didn't already have oodles of and I saw the CVS brand wipes were BOGO50% and I had a $2 off $6 purchase of those DQ.

I didn't maximize things because I was in a hurry so these 3 packs cost me $2.07 OOP w/sales tax after that $2 Q and my $4 ECBs.  85% savings rate is good and I'm ok with what I spent.

But the best thing is I am off the CVS hamster wheel.....woohoo!!!

Sluggy

March Giveaway Time!!

Who's ready for the Third Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway for 2021?!?

It's March and almost Spring(at least by the calendar)so let's get this Giveaway started.  You only have a limited number of days to enter this Giveaway so don't delay!      

Let's take a look at what is in the Giveaway Box this month.........

1 x pack of Bic Soleil razors

2 x Kokie nail polishes(red-girls night, purple-dock party)

1 x Centrum mini-vitamins

1 z lady Speed Stick deodorant

1 x Suave shampoo

1 x Palmolive dish soap

1 x Ricola throat drops

1 x Oral-B toothbrush

1 x Colgate Optic White toothpaste

1 x CeraVe lotion(sample size)

1 x Almay lipstick(dark red/maroon)

1 x e.l.f. cosmetic eye blending brush

1 x Bath Fizzies

1 x Rimmel eye pencil(brown)

1 x  Rimmel lip pencil(cherry kiss)

1 x Cover Girl mascara(black-brown)

1 x Cover Girl eye shadow(blue)

1 x Rimmel blush contour palette

1 x Carmex lip balm

2 x Freeman face masks(avocado, charcoal)

1 x Scunci hair bands

1 x Glide dental floss

12 x Andes mints

Close up shots of these goodies.....

Depending on where you shop, the winnings have a reg. retail value of between approximately $50-$60.

Here's how this is going to work.....

* The giveaway is open to ALL readers, previous winners or not.

* There is a limit of ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY.  Come back each day to enter again.

* Only VALID entries will be posted.  A Valid entry is a limit of one per day and I MUST HAVE VALID CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOU(either you are on the Giveaway Contact List which I maintain, your comment is connected to a Google/Blogger profile which links to your email address or you email me directly(my email is in the side bar on the Blog)your email address.

IF YOU ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AND DON'T SEE YOUR COMMENT AFTER A DAY OR SO(Give me time to post the entries each day)THAT MEANS YOUR ENTRY ISN'T VALID DUE TO ONE OF THE ABOVE REASONS AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX YOUR ENTRY!

I will no longer spend time hunting down folks.  If you want to win, read ALL the rules and do the work.

From all the VALID entries I receive I'll pick a winner at random and the winner has 48 hours from when the post goes live to contact me with their full mailing address.

In your entries I'd like to hear about whether you celebrate St. Patrick's Day and how(hopefully it's not by drinking green beer until you pass out but hey! if that's your thing, no judgement!)  Do you make a special St. Patty's Day meal and what? Do you have Irish ancestry?  Have you taken a DNA test to confirm how Irish you are and what is the percentage?

Since I did my DNA testing back in 2013 I recently checked and my results has changed a bit as the genetic pool of participants has changed/enlarged.  I've got 3 grandparents on my paternal side with surnames of O'Brien, McCarthy and Kelleher, then add Foster, Roach, Carey and Healey on the Great Grandparents surnames on the paternal side and there's no way I can deny I've got a fair amount of Irish in me. ;-)

If you are on my Giveaway emails list just leave a comment and your name(with last name initial please)to enter. If you aren't on the Giveaway emails list make sure you leave your email in your comment OR email me your email privately after you leave a comment(my email is in the side bar area under "About Me").
I'll leave this giveaway open until March 19th, Friday at 11:59 pm Eastern  Daylight Savings Time. On March 20th, Saturday, I'll draw the winning entry and post the Winner. 

*Please note these rules*
I'll post the name/ID of the winners on this blog on  and those persons have 48 hours from the time stamp on that post to contact me privately via email(my email addy is listed on my "About Me" page, as well as on my side bar).

Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US only.  As the cost of postage to foreign countries has gotten too high I am sorry to say I can no longer afford to mail boxes outside the US.  These giveaways are not sponsored by any companies.  I pay for it all(the cost of items given away and the postage to mail it all)out of my own pocket.

***PLEASE NOTE***

Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you in your comment.

If you're not a registered Blogger User with YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION on your User page, please put your email addy in your comment or email me your email addy privately when you leave a comment so I can get a hold of you. If your Blogger associated user profile is a GOOGLE one make sure your email info is linked to your profile.

So let's get this Giveaway started. Good luck to everyone!!!

Sluggy

Ibotta Bonuses Lured Me In & I'm Glad of It!

I started off March by not grocery shopping the first week....or so I thought!  Then Ibotta presented me with two bonuses that stacked--a $5 Weekend Bonus wyb 18 items and a $10 Money March Bonus wyb 20 items.  Obviously the weekend bonus expired Sunday night and the MM bonus expired on Sunday as well.

I had gone to Weis(PMITA)Markets on Saturday for a few things(weekend specials of asparagus for .99¢ lb., whole chickens for .59¢ lb.)so I looked around for other items that had Ibotta rebates.  I found 2 different Cliff energy drinks w/$1 rebates each(for Ex-CB), a bottle of Nature's Truth turmeric with a $2 rebates that was also half price on sale(for me)and these items........

While the Heinz ketchup didn't have an Ibotta rebate it was part of  a Catalina Deal-Spend $15 on select items and get $5 back.  Each items was $2.99 so $17.94 spent OOP on these 6 items.  

(The Spend $15 Get $5 Back didn't work so I went to the Customer Service Desk to complain and they just gave me $5 back.)

The Maxwell House had a $1 rebate and the Kraft cheese had a .25¢ rebate.  So with all 5 rebates that was $8.25 back from Ibotta and I only needed 13 rebates now for the WWBonus and 15 rebates for the MMBonus.

Then while I was waiting on my Weis purchased to credit through my store card I saw that the Maxwell House rebate was back and was now $1.25 per can.  I clipped it for next time but when my Ibotta credits came through late Sunday evening I got both the $4 rebate(4 cans x $1)that expired on Sat. and the $5 rebate(4 x $1.25)that was new on Sunday.

$ spent on Ibotta items....$27.71(with tax)

$ earned on rebates.....$13.25

Then on Sunday early I went to Walmart because that's the only place around here w/enough Ibotta rebate items at the lowest price.  I threw in a couple ShopKick deals too.  I got all this......

2 x Luvs diapers=$9.94

1 x Jergen's lotion=$3.84

1 x Powerade Ultra drink=$1.00

4 x Beechnut baby food on clearance(.25¢ ea.)=$1.00

1 x Ritz crackers=$2.68

1 x Ritz cheese crispers=$2.93

1 x Wheat Thins=$2.18

2 x Stur drink mixes=$5.96

1 x Annie's mac and cheese=$1.00

2 x Maggi chicken bouillon=$2.76

1 x Spark women's razor=$7.97

1 x Spark women's refill=$7.97

1 x Oral B 3 pk toothbrushes=$1.97

1 x Skintimate razors=$5.97

1 x Oui yogurt=$1.34

(These items below didn't have Ibotta rebates, but ShopKick rebates instead)

2 x Danimals yogurt drinks(1 strawberry, 1 blueberry)=$5.96

2 x Malt o Meal cereals(1 Crunch Berries, 1 Frosted Flakes)=$2.00

Total for all these items.....$66.47

I had $15.50 in coupons making this all $50.97 subtotal.  I used a free $25 gift card earned through SwagBucks bringing my OOP to $25.97.

I earned cash back of $21.31 on 15 Ibotta rebates(it should have been 14 rebates but I also got a .10¢ any diaper cream rebate....maybe for buying the diapers?lolz).

I also earned 3,050 Shop Kicks for the Danimals and the Malt o Meal which comes out to $12.20 in rebates on that app.

Since I had done at least 18 rebates over the weekend I got the WW $5 Bonus.

Since I had done 20 rebates I got the MM $10 Bonus as well.

I also got a .75¢ Breakfast Bonus for buying 3 unique items that qualified-doing the Maxwell House and Kraft cheese this past weekend and the Gevalia at Rite-Aid a couple of weeks ago.

Total spent on Ibotta/Shop Kick items at both stores....$53.68

Total earned on Ibotta regular items.....$34.56

Total earned on Ibotta Bonuses......$15.75

Total earned on Shop Kick.....$12.20

Grand Total rebates earned...$62.51

$53.68-$62.51 rebates=$8.83 moneymaker for all. 

Between food bank donation(baby food, diapers and maybe the cereal if Ex-CB doesn't want it), stuff Ex-CB may want(energy drinks, crackers, coffee, yogurt drinks), stuff for giveaways(razors, lotion, toothbrushes) and what we'll use of what is left nothing will go to waste here.

Getting paid $8.83 to take all this home and bless others too?  You bet I'll do it! 8-)))

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

 The "Woman Day" Edition....

Today is International Woman's Day so here's a little musical entertainment for you to enjoy.......

Onward to the meal planning!

Moving On-

This is what was planned....

1. Sunday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Chicken and Dumplings w/Carrots

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Beef Pie
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Broiled Salmon, Sweet Potato Wedges, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Cheeseburger, Fries(maybe), assorted leftover side dishes or a Salad

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

1. Sunday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tossed Salad

2. Monday--Chicken and Dumplings w/Carrots

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Beef Pie
5. Thursday--Leftovers

6.  Friday--Chinese Take-Out

7. Saturday--Fend For Yourself

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

Mostly everything planned was cooked/served except the  

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

* a whole chicken

* 1 bag of shredded cheese

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

*  ground turkey

*  ground beef

*  1/2 bag of meatballs

*  1 lb. breakfast sausage

*  1 pack of Hot Italian sausage

We spent $71.52 on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods last week-1 trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets and 1 trip to Walmart where I used a free $25 gift card earned from Swag Bucks points. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Grand Total to $71.52 for March so far.

There are 23 shopping days left in March.

I've earned $50.31 on Ibotta in March.

I've earned $00 on Checkout51 in March.

I've earned $0.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in March.

I've earned 25 points from shopping on Fetch in March.

I've earned 3075 point from food shopping on Shop Kick in March.

I've earned 0 points from food shopping on Swagbucks in March.

My savings percentage for last week was 49.74%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)for March and the monthly savings total for March comes in at 49.74%.(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week--Chicken n' Dumplings, Beef Pie.

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

1. Sunday--Broiled Salmon, Sweet Potato Wedges, Asparagus

2. Monday--Chili, Spanish Rice

3. Tuesday--Leftover Chicken n' Dumplings

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Sauteed Cabbage
5. Thursday--Leftover Beef Pie

6.  Friday--Pizza, Salad

7. Saturday--Cheeseburger, Fries(maybe), assorted leftover side dishes or a Salad

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  

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?  Not such great deals here unless I go to the discount food outlet.

Sluggy