Think about Debt & Cars in a NEW Way!

                Above-The 'Family Heirloom' 1990 Toyota Corolla


In this family, we don't DO Car Payments!

We did once upon a time.
The year we bought our LAST car and FINANCED it was 1994.
We have been Car Payment FREE for 15 yrs.
And you can be too!

Sluggy's 2 Rules for Buying Cars

1.  Don't buy new.  A new car can lose up to 20% of it's value in the 1st yr.
Yes I said 20%!


2.  Don't finance it.  Save up and pay cash.  This will keep you from getting into car debt and keep you from buying more car than you need.  Once you get into "Car Debt Hell" it is very hard to extract yourself.  Just say NO!

Think about it this way....if you finance a $20 thousand Dollar car over 5 yrs(at the current avg. rate of 8% interest), you will be paying over $24 Thousand Dollars for that car.  Your $20K good deal may not be such a bargain once you figure in what you actually paid the bank and that your $20K car after 5 yrs. is now only worth $6K.


4 of those 5 cars we bought since our last "car-payment" car in 1994 were used.  The car we bought new I don't know WHAT I was thinking at the time....it was not my best moment but at least we got a deal on it and we paid CA$H.

Buying a car(new or used)on Credit is very BAD for your financial health.  Every car should have that warning label on it's side, just like packs of cigarettes do.
And I am NOT joking about that!

This is something I feel strongly about and it's the biggest single reason(outside of not having health insurance & abusing credit cards)that keeps people from getting & staying out of debt.

Save up to buy a car.  Once you buy it, keep putting aside the amount you put aside to buy that first car.
That way you can save up for the next car and not have to finance it.  You are already in the habit of putting money aside for a car while you were saving to buy the first one, so just keep putting the money aside.  And don't find other ways to spend it....no trips to Disney World, no Big Screen TV, no extravagant dinners out, no new wardrobe, etc.

If you do this, when your current car finally belches it's last puff of smoke, you'll have money to buy a new-to-you car for CA$H!

I came across this video from Dave Ramsey that may help you see the whole cars & debt thing differently.
Hopefully it will make you come around to seeing that you too can be Car Debt-Free!



Sluggy

I'm leaving home for the day!

It's at times like this that I wish I had a job away from the house!
Our 1980's built home still has it's original shingled roof.
After today, that will change.

We are biting the bullet and spending our tax refund(which is just us giving the government a year long loan anyway, isn't it?)on replacing our roof.  It needs it badly.

The contractor said yesterday in our phone conversation that the roofers would be here around 7:30am but I didn't have to be up or anything if I sleep later than that time.
I reminded him that I have 3 dogs(2 beagles-the baying machines, and a psychotic people-hating chihuahua), so if the workers were here, I'd be awake & so would the entire neighborhood!lolol

It's been about 1 hour since they arrived and it's going to be a race to see who--either the Chihuahua or I--will be having a nervous breakdown first.

So in order not to have to listen to constant barking for the next 7 hours, I'm getting into my car, stopping at McDonald's for a chicken biscuit and going to my storage unit.  I'll sit there in the relative peace & quiet of traffic noise as cars wiz by on the highway, eat my breakfast and go through boxes of stuff in my storage.  Maybe I'll count my stash of toilet paper/facial tissues/napkins while I'm at it so I can hold a "Guess Sluggy's  Stockpile" Giveaway Contest on the blog.
Now THAT would be fun, right?

When I get tired or bored with that, I'll wander over to the Library and pick-up the book that's on hold for me and go into the stacks somewhere and start reading it.

Have fun online today without me.
I'm out of here before my sanity and hearing is shot!

Sluggy

KMart Double Coupons Week of Aug. 30th-Sept. 5th....Grand Total for the Week

 As for KMart discontinuing their Double Coupons Events for the rest of 2009.....
I am torn.

In one way I am glad but in another I am sad.
Sad obviously because I'll not be shopping at KMart and getting products for free or almost free, not to mention the items I get a really good deal on too.
Glad would be because I have NO willpower against these double coupon weeks and I have 3 KMarts in my area(one being located a few scant miles from my front door).  Though I have spent very little cash at KMart this year, I have TONS of products-even after holding my Garage Sale in July.
Frankly, I am so tired & shopped out!
And it's all your fault KMart, ya hear me?!?! 8-))



So last week was my KMart Swan Song for 2009.
sniff....sniff....


Sunday morning hubby & I were in western PA, having dropped off #1 son at college.  Of course, I had to hit the local KMart near our hotel before hitting the road to head home....wouldn't you?lol
Now I had heard about what some KMarts have been doing during Double Coupons Weeks but I witnessed it firsthand in this particular KMart.
Some one in charge at some stores get ahold of the current coupon database and go around and yank all the items off the shelves that would be free with a doubled coupon.  That way, the store doesn't have to sell them at a loss.  Of course, no one can prove anything because KMarts regularly run out on the shelves of these items, usually early in the week if not the first day of the Double Coupon sale.
Nice and devious, right?
The store management wins because they can report to corporate that they Chose to participate(which corporate likes and the store gets a 'Gold Star' for conduct) AND they don't have to take a hit on their profit margins since they aren't actually selling anything for free.  Win-Win for the store, Lose-Lose for the customers.

After months and months of KMart Double Coupons Week shopping, I am old hat at what items are free after a doubled coupon.  So, of course I brought every coupon with me on the trip to take son to college, as I knew the DC Sale was starting the morning we left the western part of the state.  And if I happened to drive by a KMart participating in the sales promotion, I was surely going to go in and do some shopping!

The dingy old tiny KMart in Meadville, PA I went into had cleared the shelves of all the food/toiletries/hba products that were free after doubled coupons!
Every.
Single.
Item I looked for.
I KNOW it was NOT a case of other shoppers had beaten me to the store and bought every single free after coupons item.
Nope.
We got to the store very EARLY in the morning.  Employees were still arriving.  No one in the store(ok maybe 3 people shopping but in the clothing & toy sections)and a couple cars in the parking lot.  No shoppers would have had the time or couponage to clear the shelves in the entire store!
Nope.
It was an inside job!

Ok, for argument's sake, I will mention that the only valid explanation(besides the DEVIOUS ONE)for the lack of 'free after doubled coupons items' on the shelves would be that the store had NOT restocked ANY products in the week between the last Double Coupons Week(IF this store had participated)and the Double Coupons Week that had just begun that morning.
But my conspiracy theory warped mind highly doubts this is the case.

Anyway, it was highly unpleasant to find this kind of thing firsthand.  And as a result, I ended up spending Out of Pocket at this store WAAAAAY more than I usually do, which brought my Savings % totals for the week down from something like 98.5% to 93.86%!
Bleh.
And Pppbbbbbbbttttttt! to you KMart in Meadville, PA!!
Shame on you Mr/Mrs. Manager of same!

I spent a ridiculous $29.11(including tax)at that KMart!  I had some $3 coupons that were expiring for Dog Food that I wanted to use, so that added to my OOP.  The dog food was still a good buy however!
I also forgot my Axe coupons and this store had the free movie ticket deal(WYB 3 Axe products), so I bought 3 Axe items without coupons....ACK!...spending $12.03 to get a $12 ticket.  Not bad but not great.

Fortunately, after this rocky start to my KMart Double Coupons Week shopping, I recovered nicely and ended the week with 14 Transactions.

I just happened to need refills on 2 prescriptions, so after transferring them to KMart last week, I had $35 in KMart Gift Cards to play with, as well as 2 Prepaid Visa Cards from Staples Rebates that came in the week before.  So the bulk of my "what I owed" after the coupons came off, got paid with Gift Cards, sending my OOP for the week from $93.36 to $37.65.

My actual Out of Pocket for the rest of the week was $8.54(including tax), for a total OOP of $37.65.
The value of everything I bought came to $613.12.
That's a Savings of 93.86% 

Add in the following 'perks' as well....
$12 Movie Ticket
$2.79 Rebate for buying Palmolive Pure + Clear Dishwashing Soap.  With the $1 coupon doubled it cost me $.79.

2 x $10 Fuel for School Rebates for buying Special K Bars and Rice Krispy Treats=$20
(With sales prices & coupons doubled, the 2 sets of 10 Kellogg's products set me back $9.37 & $9.92 OOP respectively,so they are tiny moneymakers.  I saved the KMart FFS Rebate forms from an old KMart ad in the newspaper-this one has a different PO Box than the other Rebate forms I've seen, so you can send for this one as well as the others, making FOUR different Rebate addresses I can use.  I'll send for a Rebate for myself and for BIL at his address for these KMart purchased items.)


After I get the $22.79 in Rebates my actual KMart OOP spending falls to $14.86! (97.58% Savings)


Here's a list of everything I bought last week during the KMart Double Coupons Event. I have added in red what I actually paid for them individually after the doubled coupons.  Add in assorted $3 or $5 off when you spend XX$s Coupons, so the 'actual' what I spent on any item is lower than what is quoted here, but it's pretty close.

FOOD
Hershey's Syrup  4 $1.00
Bumble Bee Tuna  6 FREE
Salad Dressing   2  .29¢
Cereal  1  .29¢
Protein Bars   4  FREE
Grape Jelly   2  .50¢
Purevia Sugar Substitute  1 .49¢
Butterfinger Bags   4  $1.50
Amp Drinks  46  .25¢
Venom Drinks  4  FREE
12 packs of Soda 8  2@$1.00/4@$1.67/2@FREE
Lifesaver Bags   17  FREE
Raisinets (Box of 6)   2  $1.00
Rice Krispy Treats   6  $1.17   
Special K Cereal Bars  14  4@$1.00/10@$1.50
Candy Bars  36  FREE
Trident Gum Packs  6 (double packs)  .19¢ or FREE(depending on store's price)
Extra Gum 3 pack  1  $1.49

PET FOOD
Dog Chow(22lb. bag)  1  $10.99(my coupon had expired but I bought it anyway)
Hartz Dog Biscuits  5  1@FREE/4@$1.00
Milkbones Biscuits  1  FREE
GoodLife Small Bags Dog Food  2  $2.99

TOILETRIES
Bic Razors   3  FREE
Secret Deodorant  11  FREE
Dove Deodorant  12   FREE
Tag Deodorant  4  FREE
Dial Deodorant  4  FREE
Axe Deodorant  1  $3.79
Axe Body Wash   2  $3.95/$4.29
VO5 Shampoo  21  .42¢
Vaseline Lotion  4  FREE
Dial Body Wash   1  $1.00
Toothbrush Twin Pack  1  .19¢
Dental Floss   1  FREE
Dental Floss Picks  1  .19¢

Nail Polish  6  3@.99¢/3@.29¢
Clean & Clear Face Cleaner  2  .49¢
Visine  4  FREE
Tweezers  1 .29¢

CLEANERS/PAPER PRODUCTS
Palmolive Dish Soap  1  .79¢(before Rebate)
Ajax Dish Soap  4  FREE
Huggies Wipes   4  FREE
Dial Hand Soap  5  1@$1.50/4@.40¢
Ziploc Bags   2  $1.00
Renuzit  Air Cleaner(double pack)  1  $1.89
Playtex Gloves  3  FREE
Wet Ones Wipes  2  FREE
Kotex  2   $1.49($6.99 packages on clearance for $3.49-$1Q doubled)
Hefty Bags  1  $5.49

MISC.
Notebook Tab Dividers  1  $3.29(not on sale/no coupon...the kids needed)
Batteries(8 pack)  1  $2.99

And here are the pictures.
First the Devious KMart in western PA....(2 Amps & Dog Food bags are missing)....

Then Trip #2 that evening at home.....

 I just ran out of time and energy during the week to photograph it all separately.  I photographed the trips on 9/3 separately, but the rest are all grouped together.  These 12 trips were over the course of 3 days at the end of the week.  Midweek I was dealing with the 2 kids left at home getting back to school and into a regular routine again.Not pictured are the 8 12-packs of Soda, the 20lb. bag of Dog Food, the tweezers, the tab dividers, the Tylenol Arthritis, 2 of the nail polish, some of the Amp Drinks and a few candy bars(the kids & I are to blame for that one.lol).

First the 2 trips on 9/3/09....

Now the other 10 trips on friday & saturday all together....not great photo quality and you can't see the duplicates of items behind each other very well in some shots.

 

Adieu KMart doubles.....adieu!

Sluggy

Where Am I??

So you click on your Favorites or whatever to go to www.simpleslugblogspot.com and see what wonderous things Sluggy is posting about today.

But what is this??
Where am I?
It says, Don't Read This; It's Boring!....
But.....but.....the template is different!
And the colors?!?!
No dull dark blue and cream......
Bright GREEN and Purple Accents!

It's like Dorothy after she landed the house on the Wicked Witch of the East and stepped out into the Colorful Land of Oz.
No, you are not in Kansas anymore....but you ARE on the right Blog! ;-))

I am just trying on some new clothes on the blog.
Dressing a bit snazzier as it were.
"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture....."(if you know where that catchphrase came from, you are OLD like me!)hehehe

Let me know what you think about the new paint colors in the blog house.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....September 7th Edition Week #2 Eating from the Freezer/Stockpile

Last Week's Menu Post Mortum......

Most everything was served as planned.
Saturday night Hubby & I had a date and spent $22 on Chinese food.  The kids fended for themselves at home.
We cooked out on Sunday instead of Monday so the BBQ Chicken legs will be moved to this week.  The Clam Chowder was great!  Could have used some more 'clam' flavor(ie-more clams!lol)but it was yummy anyway and so easy to make.
Between the meal out, the grocery spending($15ish)& the $15OOP at KMart last week, my last week's total spending was around $53.  Strictly weekly food budget spending was $15ish.
We will still be eating from what is in the house for the upcoming week/menu, except for Tuesday. 

Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week...

MONDAY--BBQ Chicken Legs(freezer), Potato Salad(pantry/stockpile), Grilled Summer Squash & Onions(garden)
TUESDAY--Grilled Reuben Sandwiches(will have to buy bread/meats/cheese/kraut-have dressing)
WEDNESDAY--Lasagna(fridge/stockpile), Tossed Salad w/cucumbers(garden-can you believe I STILL have salad greens growing!)
THURSDAY--Fried Fish(freezer), French Fries(pantry), Green Beans(freezer)
FRIDAY--Ham Slices(freezer), Mac & Cheese(stockpile/freezer), Swiss Chard(garden)
SATURDAY--Marinated Italian Chicken(freezer/marinade in stockpile), Rice(stockpile), Veggie Melange(freezer)
SUNDAY--homemade Chili(freezer/stockpile), Cornbread(pantry)
Dessert--Zucchini Brownies, Seasonal Fresh Fruit


My shopping list for last week was approx. $15(bread, milk, bag of potatoes, local corn, rolls).  I didn't get to the bread baking as planned.  **This $15 doesn't count the stocking I did last week at KMart during double coupons.  I spent $37.65 OOP there for the week($14.86 after the rebates come in).**

This week's shopping list is light again....bread, milk and some fresh fruit.  I do need most of the ingredients for Tuesday's meal.  Local store has lunchmeat/sliced cheeses on sale this week, so I'll pick up large packages(2 week's worth) of same and use for Tues. night's meal plus for the kid's lunchmaking for school and #2 son's grilled cheese addiction(his alternative when he doesn't like what I serve and his weekend "go-to" lunch).

Food Waste Report....we officially as of this writing have NO leftovers in the fridge!  That will all change by tomorrow however.lol  The doggies helped polish off the last of the stuffed squash on Sunday.....and they were most happy to do that!lol

Cooking for only 4 now was difficult last week.  Stopping myself and NOT making as much for a meal is something I have to be cognizant of while in the act of cooking.  Instead of cooking large batches so there are leftovers for snacking/alternatives/etc. I'm going to purposely pared down how much I make for a meal.  Striving for NO leftovers right now is the plan.
This will continue to be my challenge for now.

Check out Organizing Junkie's Website Here to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week!